Kyler Updates

Moving the blog

2007-03-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hey, I decided it was time to get the blog on my own site instead of free loading off of a generous friend.

The new location for Kylers Updates is http://web.mac.com/dkhaskins

From there simply click the "Kyler's Updates" link on the top of the page. There will be more Haskins stuff added to the site over time as my techincal prowess evolves.

We will leave this post here for a whille so people can get to the new site and set a new book mark for it.

The newest post is on the new site. I will be working on getting the archives over there as well.

Hope to see many of you at the Kyler's Call event March 10th at McBean Pavillion in Lincoln.

Blessings,

Darrell

Kyler's Call

2007-02-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

Well, Kyler’s counts have been staying up this round. He has not missed any school due to low counts and he has been given the green light to skip his visit next week prior to his next chemo treatment on the 26th of February.
This is the first cycle where he has not been neutropenic at the low point. Praise God!
Since his counts have been good we’ve gotten out to do some fun stuff. He started a gymnastics class this week. He is very excited about it. Maybe it’s because he’s the only boy in the class? Little stud!
Here’s some information on something exciting. Since the beginning of this there have been a number of people who have really gone the extra mile with us. One of them has felt led to spearhead an event called “Kyler’s Call”. It will be happening on Saturday March 10th at the McBean Pavillion in Lincoln from 6-10 PM. There will be food, music, raffles, fun stuff for kids and more. It’s a celebration of life and healing. The PTC of Kendrick and Kyler’s school, Creekside Oaks Elementary, is also behind this as a fundraised to benefit Kyler’s journey through cancer treatment.
“Kyler’s Call” is a non-profit organization (EIN 71-1022641) and all donations are tax deductible. The cost is $20 per person or $75 per family (kids under 5 free). Checks can be made payable to “Kyler’s Call”. Reservations should be sent to Laura Medina 2149 Boyden Dr. Lincoln, CA 95648 or they can be dropped off at Creekside Oaks Elementary. Laura can be contacted at 916.835.8101 for further information. You can give her your e-mail address to receive updates and there are also opportunities to be involved.
I’m looking forward to having an opportunity to share that evening about our journey. We hope that many of you can join us to celebrate Kyler’s life.

Good Counts

2007-02-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

This coming Tuesday is normally the time when Kyler has been neutropenic in the past. However, at his last visit his counts were much better than the previous cycle at the same time period. His white and red blood counts were great but he did need platelets. His overall ANC was very good (for him) sitting at 1100. He has not been overly tired or nauseated this round so far. I could tell he was doing really well when he jumped out of the van for the first time in almost a year. He’s been sitting down and scooting out for so long it totally shocked me.

I’m continuing to lead worship at Bayside of Lincoln for right now and I will be speaking there on February 25th. One of the songs we’ve been singing is a tune by Matt Redman called You Never Let Go. It’s on the Passion 06: Everything Glorious recording (one worth owning). It really hits home with us right now, and it’s often hard to sing without getting choked up. I’d re-print the lyrics here, but I think I need permission from the publisher. So look them up on the internet and someone else can have the FBI break through their door and haul them off to jail.

Pray for sustained energy and good enough ANC counts to continue school next week.

This is Kyler and his buddy Bryce. Two peas in a pod!

Halfway There!

2007-01-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

We’ve made half of the chemo journey!

Kyler received a special bear from his class. The bear was to help Kyler remain strong when he was getting anxious about getting his port accessed. The shirt says, “I will help Kyler be brave today” and lists all his classmates names. Thanks for such a creative way to help Kyler. Many of you have been praying about his anxiety during those times. Thank you.

Chemo number 5 went well. Kyler passed out Valentine’s cards to kids on the floor along with a little toy (a car for boys or stickers for girls). The Valentine cards had jokes on them and he had to share each individual joke with his nurses. He was so excited about it that could not even wait for them to venture a guess at the punch line. He jumped right in with the delivery. He has not experienced any nausea that we can tell and it’s been five days since treatment. Perhaps this is due to the 50% reduction of the Cisplatin. That reduction will also hopefully minimize any additional hearing loss.

He appetite has been good. He absolutely loves watching cooking shows. Right now his favorites are Alton Brown and Rachel Ray. Sandie bought some DVD’s of their shows and both boys are asking if they can watch and try making stuff.

Kyler went over to a friends house and they made turkey cheese roll-ups and ice cream tacos from recipes in a cook book he got for Christmas.

Sandie’s dad, Walt, is doing well. He is in a rehab center in Redding recovering from his second stroke.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support.

Blessings,

Darrell

Hearing Test #2

2007-01-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

Kyler had his hearing test Tuesday the 9th. To our disappointment, it revealed further hearing loss that has now reached down into the vocal frequencies. Sandie sat with Kyler on her lap as he was tested. He had headphones on and was supposed to throw a block into a basket when he heard the tone. Kyler sat motionless several times while Sandie could hear the tone escaping from the headphones. Despite the results Kyler has not indicated and difficulty in hearing. Neither his teachers nor we have noticed any significant changes in his hearing during the daily run of life. Because of the further loss in hearing they will be reducing the drug in particular that is causing the most damage.

His next round of chemo is this Tuesday January 16th. Thanks for continuing to pray.

Sandie’s father, Walt, did have to undergo surgery. We were told that there was an enormous amount of blood in his head and that he would die without the operation. The operation itself was a very risky one and the family was not given a good prognosis. This prompted all the kids to come home fully expecting to be arranging a funeral very soon. Thank the Lord he made it through the surgery and the doctors are hopeful that not much additional damage was done. They will know more in time. He shoud be moving out of ICU in the next day or so to begin recovery. Your prayers for Walt were much appreciated and we would ask for your continued petition to God on his behalf.

Blessings,

Darrell

Kyler's Grandpa Ewart

2007-01-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

I know we are using this space for updates about Kyler, however, we need you prayers for Sandie's father, Walt.

He has suffered another massive stoke and is in the hospital. It is continuing to bleed and the medicine used to thin his blood is not allowing it to clot properly. They are giving him vitamin K to try and counteract the effects. Please pray that this is effective and that they will not have to do surgery.

Thank you.

Darrell and Sandie

Good News!

2007-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

Normally when Kyler has an MRI we have to wait up to several days to get results. This time, however, they knew we were going to see our pediatric oncologist directly and had the films ready by the time Kyler was finished coming out of anesthesia.

We took them with us and our doctor looked them over for a few minutes before we came in and she announced to us that everything looked good. Sandie announced, “I just had Christmas!”

He will have to go in tomorrow to check and see if he needs platelets, but he is above the neutropenic mark and able to go to school. Despite a slight improvement in appetite he has not gained any weight. It seems like no matter what he puts in it doesn’t stick. He is not ill or more tired than he normally is, but he is still wearing the same clothes he was a year ago and he has not gotten any taller.

A recurring problem with Kyler is his anxiety prior to getting accessed, or ‘poked’ as Kyler calls it, and de-accessed. He is very sensitive about his port. He gets so worked up that his temperature gets elevated and the doctors feel the need to do a blood culture to see if anything is growing in there and come close to admitting him. His temperature goes back down when he calms himself but the fever is a big red flag for the doctors and they are quick to react. Early on in the chemo treatments he was actually admitted and spent four days in the hospital because he had a fever in the office. They never found anything in his blood and he never spiked a fever after he had been admitted. The fever, we believe, was anxiety induced and after he calmed down he was fine. We can’t seem to talk him out of it and he will even start getting worked up days ahead of time if he remembers he has an appointment coming up.

We would appreciate your prayers for his peace of mind.

Blessings,

Darrell Haskins

P.S.
For those of you wishing to visit Bayside of Lincoln this Sunday at 10:00 AM it is located at 645 5th St. in Lincoln, CA 95648.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

We hope you had a wonderful holiday season. So many of you blessed us this year to make this a very memorable Christmas for our family. Thank you.

We went to Chico to be with family on Christmas Eve. It’s about an hour and a half from here. Actually, the town they live in is Orland, but not many of you would have known where that is. For a further discussion of northern California geography please see my other blog.

Sandie’s parents, Walt and Ann, along with her sister and three kids joined us Christmas day. We had a great time. They spent the night and headed home the 26th.

The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve passed in a blur, as they seem to every year, of trying out every new gift, trying to figure out how to make them work, eating leftovers, and thinking about the next year approaching.

New Year’s Eve just doesn’t seem to be the same kind of holiday it used to be before you had kids. Staying up till midnight no longer holds the wonder it once did. Maybe it’s because you know someone under the age of 10 is going to wake up way to early looking for some food and they start their search in your bedroom and not the kitchen.

The week before Christmas Sandie was told that Kyler did not need to come in the 26th because it looked to them that his counts were going up. We both thought that was odd since it didn’t match up with previous timelines from other rounds of chemo. Usually it’s the third week after a round of chemo that his blood counts are at their lowest. We noticed he was really tired after Christmas and showed other signs of low blood counts. Well, on the 27th Sandie wound up having to take him in and sure enough he needed both blood and platelets and was neutropenic. They spent the entire day there at the hospital. He’s in great spirits now and his blood counts are probably on the rise. We’ll find out tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, he has his next MRI then. We’d appreciate your prayers for a clean one. He also has a hearing test next week and we are praying that there has been no more hearing loss since his last one. Also, Kyler is still having a great deal of anxiety each time his port is accessed. It does not really hurt due to the numbing cream we put on ahead of time, but he is nonetheless fearful. It seems to really depress him when we have to mention it the day before his appointments. “That’s what I hate about my life! That’s why I wish I wasn’t sick! I just wish I were in heaven! I wish I was dead!” That’s really hard for us to hear on a regular basis from him. How to respond to that has been a real challenge. Typically, we just hold him till it passes, but we also talk a lot about God’s plan for his life remind Kyler of Gods presence with us. I hope it is starting to sink in for him. It will never really make sense this side of heaven but it reminds Sandie and I that we have another day and God is working in the world and we can choose to join him in that work. We are invited to participate in his plan of rescue, redemption, and restoration here on earth. And we have to choose each day to opt in. If our boys can start to get that now, wow, how will that change how they approach life. It’s not a series of random events that happen to us, but we’re on an adventure, a mission. We’re ambassadors to this world of God’s love and mercy declaring there is a new way of life made possible through Jesus Christ.

On a different note, since I have not been church planting I’ve had opportunities to speak and lead worship at other churches. It’s been good to see what God is doing in other parts of the body of Christ.

On Sunday January 7th at 10:00 AM I will be leading worship at Bayside of Lincoln. They meet upstairs at Beerman’s on 5th St. in Lincoln. Yes, a church meets in a place called Beerman’s. Pretty cool, huh? It’s a historic building that was a restaurant/brewery. Pastor Ed Kemp is starting in interesting series called “Raising G Rated Kids in an X Rated World.” You’re welcome to join us there if you’d like.

We’re still trusting God to reveal the next step in ministry for me.

Thanks for your continued support and prayers. We love you.

Getting Close to Christmas

2006-12-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

We are all getting excited for Christmas. For some of you this will be your first time visiting this blog since you may have gotten the information about it in a Christmas card.

I’ll give a brief rundown of the year. I apologize if this is old news for you. There will be some new information toward the end.

About this time last year we were having our first few preview gatherings for The Foundry. It was a crazy time with me working at Fed Ex a lot of hours and trying to church plant. We had a great group of people who we ministered with and tried to serve our community as well as we knew how. It was an amazing time of spiritual growth for us. The community welcomed us and we made many connections.

At the end of April we took Kyler to the emergency room because he was complaining of his head and eyes hurting and he was seeing double. We were told he had a tumor a little larger than a golf ball at the base of his brain and he needed immediate surgery to have it removed. Our world was turned upside down in a moment. The tumor turned out to be cancerous and not a very good kind at that. The type of tumor is called medullablastoma, and the type of cell is called large cell anaplastic variant. This type of cancer cell is not nearly as responsive to radiation and chemotherapy as your average medullablastoma tumor cancer cell.

A month after the surgery, which went very well, he started six weeks of radiation. After radiation was done we were granted a Make-A-Wish trip to Florida to visit the Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios, and Sea World. One month after his last radiation treatment he started chemotherapy. His last chemotherapy treatment will be in August of 2007.

We determined, with input from wise counselors, that continuing church planting was not going to be possible for us and we chose to lay down the church plant.
Since then, I have been continuing to work part-time at Fed Ex while looking for the next opportunity God would have for me.

In the midst of all the craziness of 2006 we are thankful for the ways God has provided, protected, and made Himself known to us.
2007 is going to be full of changes I think. I’m glad He is with us at each turn.

We had a party to celebrate Kyler’s birthday last Saturday. His real birthday is not until the 22nd, but his immune system will be depleted during that time so if we were going to have friends over for a party we had to do it early. Santa showed up with gifts for the kids and a little something special for mom and dad.

This last Friday Kyler had to get platelets at the hospital. While he was there he had a videoconference with Santa. No kidding! Kyler sat in front of the computer and talked with Santa from the North Pole and he knew what Kyler wanted for Christmas.

Thanks for praying for Kendrick during this time as well. He published his first comic book (very limited number of copies available) and was very proud. It was fun watching and helping him with his project (mostly). He will start basketball after the holidays. You wouldn’t believe how much he has grown. He eats like a teenager already and will soon be taller than his Grandma Ewart (4’ 11”). He has gotten very good at tut-tut language. It’s kind of hard to explain. You’ll have to hear it some day.

So many of you have been so generous with us this holiday season to make sure we weren’t struggling financially so we could make Christmas for the boys a lot of fun. We are grateful beyond our ability to express.

Kyler’s next chemo treatment is January 16th. He will have another MRI and hearing test before then. Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,

Darrell

Chemo #4

2006-12-07T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well, Kyler made it through round 4. He was actually excited to go in because he had a big basket of little toys, candy canes, and crayons to pass out to the other kids on the floor. He went room to room with his elf hat on and played Santa’s helper. Everyone loved it.

His roommates name was Dominic and he and Kyler shared the same birth date and year!
Which means they are both turning six in a few weeks (Dec 22nd).

Because of when we are expecting Kyler’s immune system to be most vulnerable, we are having his party this Saturday. There will be a special visitor from the North Pole to surprise the kids.

Sandie talked with the doctor this week and they are going to start testing Kyler’s hearing before each round of chemo because he has showed ‘moderate to severe’ hearing loss in the upper ranges of frequency. The doctor said, “He’ll never be an opera singer or rock star” with a casual attitude. Ultimately, the doctor is right. It will be much better to have Kyler around than to worry about whether or not he can use his ears professionally. Still, it’s sad. Kyler has told us a few times he’d like to be a singer. He has such good pitch already. But doctors have been known to be wrong and God has been known to restore that which has been destroyed.

Thank you for praying for our needs as a family. God prompted a friend to cover the next three months mortgage payments for us. That was amazing. I sat down and cried. God is good and continues to take care of us.

I’ve lead worship and spoken at a few churches in the area. We have been encouraged by each of them during this time. However, nothing has opened up yet in the way of ministry positions for me. I’m not sure what’s ahead. I’m asking for wisdom with how to proceed and know what I can take on right now.

Continue to pray for protection for Kyler, especially as Christmas draws near. That’s when he will be weakest. Please pray that we would be able to resist living in fear at those times when we are having to be vigilant in monitoring his temperature and looking for symptoms.

Slick is sleeping well right now (that’s his new nickname since he has lost all his hair again). His third round had different drugs that cleared his dome pretty well. That’s our little Kojack!

Blessings,

Darrell

Post Thanksgiving Update

2006-11-30T18:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings, and salutations! (I know that’s redundant, but I heard a TV character say it like that once and it stuck in my head. I can’t even recall who it was. Oh, well.)

I hope you have all recovered from your Thanksgiving tryptophan induced comas. It’s been a week already. If you’re still groggy you might need to see someone about that.

Thanks for your prayers! Kyler never got a fever and had to go to the hospital. We were able to be home for Thanksgiving. Kyler was still neutropenic so we had to stay nearby but Sandie’s parents and sister plus one of her three kids came down to our house for the day.

It’s been a rough year for not only our immediate family but our extended family as well. However, we were still filled with gratitude as we sat around the table and answered the questions Sandie had written on our place setting cards. We even had a friend, who used to be a personal chef, bring over an 18-pound turkey all prepared and ready to throw in the oven. That was a huge blessing. One of the common links among our reasons for being thankful had to do with you. Yes, you - The people who have been praying consistently for us and whom God has used to bless and help us in so many ways. Each member of our family was most grateful for the people who have been tangible expressions of the love of Jesus in our lives.

Kyler’s last appointment (Nov. 28th) revealed that his ANC count is up significantly from the previous week. He is bouncing back well and none too soon for next Tuesday (Dec. 5th) is his next round of chemo.

Mrs. Hinnenkamp’s kindergarten class at Creek Side Oaks Elementary was glad to have Kyler back almost as much as Sandie was glad to get him out of the house for a few hours every day to keep him from pestering her to bake something so he could ‘help’.
You can only watch so many episodes of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ in a week.

The last audiogram Kyler had showed what they called ‘moderate to severe’ hearing loss in the uppermost frequency ranges of his hearing. This kind of freaked us out but it’s well outside the range of normal vocal frequencies and you can’t use hearing aids to help with those ranges either. Suffice it to say, Kyler can still hear us quite well, thank you, when we tell him it’s time to clean up his room and the apparent loss of hearing that we encounter is merely selective.

We again thank your for your continued prayers. They are most appreciated and needed.

Blessings,

Darrell

Twas the day before the day before Thanksgiving

2006-11-21T21:21:00.000-08:00

Friday morning Kyler got red blood and platelets. It looked like he might spike a fever while he was there but his temperature stayed low enough for him to go home. Saturday morning around 2:00 AM Kyler woke us up saying he was hot. We had to monitor his temperature over the next few hours to see if it was going to get high enough to take him in. We called the doctor and he said if it stayed above 100.5° F for more than a few hours or if it got as high as 101° F we would need to come in right away. Thankfully it did not come to that. Sandie and the boys had to stay close to home for the weekend while I went to Redding to lead worship at Risen King Community Church on Sunday morning.

Today at his weekly appointment Kyler was talkative with the doctor and in good spirits. His ANC is still low (100) and considered neutropenic, but he seems to have good energy. It appears he has developed a bit of an problem in his ear. It’s probably from the radiation the doctor said. It’s gotten a little crusty with a bit of pus and Kyler has been scratching at it and irritated it. We were given a prescription for antibiotics for his ears to try and help clear it up. We’re hoping he doesn’t develop a fever from it. It would stink to be in the hospital over Thanksgiving. Sandie’s parents and sister are coming down from Redding.

Thanks to all of you who have gotten the bracelets. The individual who arranged for that has told us she is all out and the order she has coming is already reserved.

Kyler has another hearing test coming up a week from today. Please pray for the continued protection of his ears and they would not be able to detect any loss of hearing.

We appreciate your continued prayers for our family during this holiday season. God is leading us but we’re not exactly sure of the path.

Gettin' Blood

2006-11-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

Kyler is getting red blood and platelets today. At his Tuesday appointment they told us he would need it by Friday so here we are again. His is neutropenic (ANC=0) so he will be laying low for the weekend. Today Sandie was told that it is common for patients to spike a fever while receiving blood and to be prepared for him to have to stay at the hospital for a few days. Kendrick and I are heading down there this afternoon.

Please pray that he does not spike a fever and have to stay in the hospital and that he would not get any infections at this stage.

Blessings,

Round 3 Done

2006-11-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

Kyler has completed his third round of chemotherapy. He spent three days in the hospital this time. They spent time hydrating him and giving him red blood before they started the drugs. That took most of the first day. He checked in around 12:00 PM and they didn’t give him the first chemo drugs till 10:30 that night. The next round of drugs was started 24 hours after the first and then he was intravenously hydrated afterward and released at 5:00 PM the third day.

The reason they spend so much time hydrating him is because the drugs they used this time are very hard on the bladder. They had to give him some medications to protect the lining of his bladder and monitor his urine closely for blood. The large amount of fluid in his system would hopefully get it out of him quickly minimizing damage to his bladder. I’ve never seen a kid pee so much. He was going to the bathroom every 15-20 minutes. That made it very hard for Sandie and Kyler to sleep through the night. He did, however, manage to have some fun in the playroom making stuff and meeting other kids. Making goop was the highlight because Kyler liked the 'interesting noise' it made when squished in the bottle.

This round of chemo is unique from the first two for a couple of reasons. First, the drugs they used are less likely to make you nauseated, but they are much harder on your bone marrow, immune system, and blood counts. Therefore, they told us there is a greater chance for fever or infection than with the drugs used in the previous rounds of chemotherapy. Second, the drugs are quicker. They will impact those areas I mentioned more rapidly.

Unfortunately, his expected low point will be around Thanksgiving. Since we will need to stay close to home some family from Redding will be coming down to be with us.

Edamame and Lucky Charms - the breakfast of champions!

We’re so thankful for the individuals who have contacted us and initiated fund-raising efforts on our behalf. It takes some of the stress off of us as we are in a transition time as far as jobs go for me. Thank your for your continued prayers for God’s guidance in that area.

Your prayers are also appreciated for Kyler’s protection during this recovery period – strength and health of bone marrow, enhancement of his immune system, and reinforcement of his blood counts.

God’s grace and peace to you,

Darrell

Don’t Waste Your Pain

2006-11-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a significant reminder for Sandie and I.

There are two ways to deal with pain, two kinds of sorrow. One brings things associated with death and the other brings about a change of mind and heart that leads to life. The difference between the two has to do with where you aim your emotions. You can aim them at people, yourself included, or toward God.

When we aim our sorrow toward people anger, bitterness, resentment, regret, and a host of other unpleasant things are given opportunity to gain a foothold in our life. It’s possible to allow others to control us through our response to their attitudes and actions, how they treat us.

On the other hand, when our sorrow is directed toward God something amazing happens. The pain or sadness doesn’t miraculously disappear in that instant, but God is big enough to handle our emotions and as we are oriented toward him in the midst of our pain we can hear his voice and sense his presence. Read any number of the Psalms. Many of them you could easily set to some gritty blues and sing in a club. The interesting thing to realize as you read the lyrics to those songs is that you discover the sadness, frustration, rage, and pain is addressed to God and is almost always ended with something of a turnaround that declares his goodness and a reaffirms the writers love for him.

We have a choice in the matter.

C.S. Lewis said, “Pain is God’s megaphone.” It’s amazing how God is able to use the pain that enters our lives to get our attention. He is able to take something that has the potential for bringing destruction and death, and speak to us in the midst of it in order to bring us towards life.

It takes regular recalibration to be oriented in the right direction. We would ask that you continue to pray for us that we would be properly oriented in this season so as not to waste the pain and miss God’s voice. We firmly believe that God will use this to make us more like him as we listen. He didn’t cause it, but he can redeem it.

Kyler’s next chemo is tomorrow (Tuesday Nov. 7th). He will be in the hospital two nights barring any unforeseen complications. Thank you for your continued support and prayer.

One of Sandie’s friends in the Lincoln Mom’s Club, Angela Turner, has initiated a fundraiser for Kyler. The details are below.

"Support Kyler" Bracelets are NOW AVAILABLE to help raise funds for Kyler's ongoing treatment as well as his continued fight to beat cancer. The bracelets are a beautiful yellowish-gold color (representing childhood cancer) and are embossed on each side with KYLER and HOPE.

There's something to say about keeping a friend in your thoughts and prayers. These bracelets are a wonderful way to keep the spirit of HOPE alive, even in the youngest of children. If you would like to participate in this very special "member to member" fundraiser, a suggested donation of $5.00 per bracelet is appreciated. YOU MAY GET MORE THAN ONE BRACELET. All donations will go directly to Kyler Haskins.

If you have would like to purchase a bracelet, or have any questions or comments regarding this special fundraiser, please contact me directly by email at turnar0und@hotmail.com or by phone at 543-9321.

MRI Clear

2006-10-30T21:31:00.000-08:00

Thank your for your continued prayer as we made it through Kyler’s most recent MRI. This was the best he has ever done as far as not freaking out beforehand and coming out of anesthesia well. Thankfully, Kyler did not have to fast all day before the MRI. All he had to miss was breakfast. He was hoping to be able to see Stan from the ROC where he had his radiation. He had become very attached to Stan during those six weeks. We were planning to stop by after the MRI to see him since it is very close, but Stan saw Kyler’s name on a board and came over and was there when Kyler woke up. He carried Kyler out to the car with us and Kyler was able to chat with him a bit. That was very cool.

It took a few days, but we finally got the call that everything looks great on the MRI.

Right now, Kyler is in great spirits and seems to have lots of energy. His blood counts are up and he should be ready when it’s time for chemo again.

The next round of chemo is a Tuesday November 7th. Your continued prayers are much appreciated and needed. Unfortunately, it is fairly common with Kyler’s type of cancer for the appearance of new tumors during chemotherapy. It’s a catch-22 it seems. Chemotherapy is used to try and kill off any possibly remaining cancer cells but at the same time it destroys the body’s only natural defense system against the cancer.

We still have a long way to go. Thank you for your faithfulness and support.

Many of you have asked about how Kendrick is doing. He seems to be doing well as far as it relates to Kyler’s situation. He doesn’t seem to worry about it much at all. He likes to show off Kyler’s scar to other people since Kyler can’t see it and seems to forget it’s there. Sometimes it’s hard to tell how and where it is bothering him. Kendrick could use prayer for self-motivation in school and the ability to slow down and do his work carefully instead of flying through it and making mistakes he wouldn’t otherwise. We’re going to have him tested for the GATE program since he gets easily bored in class and is frustrated that the pace is set for the students who are the furthest behind. He told us that he did not do his best on the GATE test last year because he thought he would have to go to different school. His teacher thinks he may be a bit depressed and she is going to try and help find some more challenging work for him during class time. She suggested we tour some college campuses and find some summer classes nearby for gifted kids.

Enjoy the pictures. Kyler’s hair is coming in a bit and it seems to be very dark. I tease him every now and again about needing a haircut. He gives me that Kyler grin and rolls his eyes and says, “But Dad, I don’t have any hair.” In the morning Sandie or I will call to the boys sometimes, “Fix your hair if you got it!” I’m glad he is able to keep a good sense of humor about it. The hair is taking longer to grow back in at the back of his head where he received the focused boost of radiation. We’re told it might never grow back there.

Sandie’s Dad, Walt, continues to improve after his massive stroke. We were in Redding this last weekend for a brief visit with family. Walt owned a bookstore for 25 years and it has been devastating for him to learn that he has forgotten how to read. It is a combination of a sight problem (the right part of each eye is blinded) and cognitive difficulties. He has to start with the basics again of letter recognition and sounds. It is very depressing for him. Thanks for your prayers for him as well during physical therapy and re-learning how to read.

Tomorrow is Halloween and this is the first year Kendrick did not want to dress up. And since we have pretty much cut out all refined sugar in our house, we decided to stay home and hand it out to other people. Sandie and Kyler are still going to go out and trick-or-treat, but Kyler said he was going to pick out his 10 favorite pieces and give the rest away. He looks cute (I mean tough) in his red Ninja costume.

Blessings,

Darrell

Three Weeks Out

2006-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well, Kyler had to stay at the hospital for the day Tuesday to get platelets. It is supposed to be a much quicker process than getting red blood, but ended up taking just as much time.

His ANC count is 200, well below the neutropenic threshold of 500. Last round of chemo at this time his immune system was gone. His ANC was 0 and he was hospitalized for four days until his white blood cell count started to trend upward. We are thankful he didn’t have to be hospitalized at this point and that he still has some white blood cells. Going to school is not an option until next Wednesday at the earliest and only that if his ANC is 500 or above. He has to stay away from crowds or anyone who appears to be ill because his body isn’t prepared to fight anything off. We head straight to the ER if his temperature gets to 101° F. Other than that he seems to fine. Still the same good-natured boy we love.

Twice during the night Kyler woke us up crying that his ear hurt. Sandie couldn’t see anything visibly wrong and prayed for him and he calmed down and went back to bed. In the morning when he woke up he was very agitated complaining that his ear and head hurt. Sandie started getting very nervous and she and Kendrick prayed for Kyler. Three minutes later he was fine, distracted by watching his brother work on the computer. When Sandie asked him how he was feeling, he said, “Fine. Jesus healed me.” We’re not sure what was happening with Kyler and we will be keeping an eye on it and calling in if it repeats.

Today Kyler spent the day hanging out at the house and watched the movie Over the Hedge, played with Nozomi (Sandie’s cat), beat us at Uno, and kept asking what he could do that was fun. He hates missing school. He helped Sandie in the kitchen, which he loves to do. They made some very interesting cornbread. When you try adding protein powder and coconut oil to the recipe something just doesn’t turn out right. Sandie is always trying to sneak in protein or fat to help Kyler gain weight and many times they just aren’t quite right (those of you who had the unique pleasure of trying Sandie’s spinach brownies will know what I mean. In all fairness, our boys loved them.) Unfortunately, Sandie and I are the only ones who are gaining weight. Actually, Kyler gained .6 pounds from last week. He now weighs in at a whopping 33.6 pounds. That’s less than several of the dogs in our neighborhood.

Please pray that he body is able to generate white blood cells and get his ANC count up as well for a clean MRI next week. Sandie and I are both PMS-ing right now (Pre-MRI Syndrome) and could use your prayers for God’s peace to be upon us. We’re not sleeping real well right now.

Thanks for your faithful prayers.

Darrell

Marching along

2006-10-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

It’s been three weeks since my last post. I know that’s a long time and I apologize for those who have been trying to keep up with how to pray for Kyler.

Kyler had made it through his second round of chemo. It was another 24-hour stay at the hospital. There’s nothing extraordinary to report from that visit. They wanted to give Kyler the shots to try and help his body make white blood cells but again we wanted to try and find a non-drug way to help his body do this itself. We have since added several things to his daily regimen to try and do just that. You should see the ‘cocktail’ he has to drink four times a day. It looks like something from an industrial waste treatment facility – green, thick, bubbly, and foul smelling. And yet he chugs it down like a pro. I wonder how many adults would be able to do that.

The day after his second chemo treatment we went out near Auburn to the Biblical Gardens. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking around and viewing the scenery. It is a walking tour depicting the passion of Christ with verses scattered throughout the pathways.

One week out from the second chemo treatment his ANC count was 1400. The second week out his ANC was 1000 and he needed to stay and get some red blood cells.

Tomorrow is his third week appointment. It was at this time during his first round of chemo that he had bottomed out and was hospitalized.

Please pray that his counts will be high enough to avoid hospitalization and becoming neutropenic, which would put him at risk for infections.

The boys are loving school and doing well. Kyler is enjoying learning to read and write sentences. Kendrick’s teacher is working at helping him stay motivated and challenged.

We’ve been so grateful to the C&MA over these months as they have continued to support us even after we’ve had to step away from church planting. I am now at a point where I need to be looking for what God has next for us. I’m starting to look for something part-time to supplement my income as district support is waning off. I’m continuing at Fed Ex in the mornings but I’ll need to be looking for what God might have next for me in the way of ministry opportunities. It encourages us so much to hear that people are consistently praying for us (even small children). We know God loves to listen.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us.

Darrell Haskins

Second round of chemo

2006-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

We had a good trip into San Francisco yesterday to UCSF. We met with a pediatric oncologist there and she had a chance to look at Kyler’s latest MRI and read the summary of his radiation treatment. She will also have the slides from his tumor looked at to double check the diagnosis. We should get a response from UCSF regarding his pathology diagnosis by the end of this week. Although UCSF has a doctor who specializes in CAM (complementary and alternative medical) therapies, they do not currently see pediatric patients. California law will not allow parents to decide between conventional and alternative medical approaches for children. We will have to pursue an integrative approach to Kyler’s treatment on our own.

Essentially, we received the same information from the doctor in San Francisco that we did during our meeting last Tuesday. But we wanted to get a second set of eyes on Kyler’s case and another opinion. I’m glad we did.

On the way home, Kyler ate a whole kids pizza at the California Pizza Kitchen. We were astounded. He hasn’t eaten that much in a very long time. Unfortunately, he threw up as we were picking up his brother up from a neighbors house.

His second round of chemo will start Thursday September 28th. Please pray for Kyler during this second round which will start about 2:00 PM. He will stay in the hospital for approximately 24 hours barring any unforeseen complications.

You all are pretty well versed by now in how to pray for Kyler during chemo. Many thanks again to the veterans who continue to fight on their knees for him.

Blessings,

Darrell

An interesting week

2006-09-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked how Kyler’s most recent round of chemo went. It’s been a challenging week and we’re finally getting around to getting the word out about what’s going on.

Kyler did not go in for his second round of chemo Tuesday. A bit of background is in order to get everyone up to speed. Most of you know that since we found out about Kyler’s cancer that we have earnestly sought out ways to naturally help his body begin to do what it had not been doing, notably, destroying renegade cells before they got out of hand. We have not been excited about the prospects of radiation and chemotherapy knowing what would happen to Kyler’s body as a result.

Through a number of people God has brought into our lives we have been pursuing alternative methods to conventional medicine to fight this. There is a good deal of information about people who have been able to win this fight outside the borders of conventional medicine without the devastating side effects normally associated. We sincerely believe that God designed our bodies to be able to heal and repair itself if it would only be given the proper raw material to do so.

While there could be many reasons for someone to be diagnosed with cancer, most of them have to do with poor treatment of our bodies and environmental factors. To give Kyler the best chances possible, we have done our best to eliminate as many of the environmental factors as possible and drastically change our lifestyle as well as add significant amounts of nutritional supplements to give his body what it needs to fight this cancer.

We have gone to see a licensed naturopathic doctor who has helped us in shaping his daily routine to get what he needs to remain healthy and protect his body during chemotherapy as much as possible. She did her internship at one of the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Seattle. She affirmed what we had already been doing and fine-tuned a few things for make sure Kyler was getting everything he needed.

In addition to the unfavorable side effects of chemotherapy, we are discovering how ineffective it seems to have been in other medullablastoma cases and can possibly cause secondary cancers in the future. Many children don’t make it through the chemo treatments and succumb to infections or organ failure. Overall, 40% of cancer patients die of malnutrition. It’s not hard to understand when you see what happens to people during chemotherapy.

Knowing that 100% of Kyler’s tumor was removed, that it had not metastasized, that we’ve had two clean MRI’s and spinal taps, we thought we would begin a season of ‘watchful waiting’ during which we would aggressively continue Kyler’s CAM (Complimentary and Alternative Medical) therapies and receive regular screenings.

When we suggested this change in course of treatment to our doctor, she immediately said that if we pursued this she would have no alternative but to file a report with Child Protection Services and let the courts decide. She shared with us that in her 20 years of experience and from all the information she has that Kyler would have no chance for survival if we were to stop chemotherapy at this point. Apparently the dosage of radiation Kyler received is not sufficient on it’s own to kill any remaining cancer cells. They tried a clinical trial a number of years ago with standard risk medullablastoma kids (these kids had a better chance than Kyler does) where they received the same radiation dosage Kyler did and did not do chemotherapy. All of them relapsed and died and they discontinued the trial half way through.

Even though we firmly believe that the CAM therapies we are doing with Kyler would be successful in beating this, as many adults already have, because of existing laws we do not have the option for going this route.

Some of you may be aware of Abraham Cherrix situation and wonder how he could get approval to go with CAM therapies. A parent only has the option of resorting to CAM therapies if conventional treatment has been followed and there is a relapse giving the patient a much less favorable prognosis. He was also past the age of reason and could comprehend the issues involved and think for himself in this area.

In essence, a parent only has a choice to try and treat something with their child using methods outside conventional medicine when those conventional methods have failed and the child is in much worse condition than before. The medical community can then say, “Well, the best we could do didn’t work. You can try whatever you want.”

So, we do not have a choice in the matter since we do not have the strength to try and fight this in courts, have our kids taken away and Kyler forced into treatment. Our best option now is an integrative approach to treatment using both conventional and CAM therapies.

We go to San Francisco Tuesday for a second opinion on diagnosis and treatment options. If they are the same as what was found at Sutter Memorial, we will continue with chemo shortly.

It may be hard for some of you to understand our rationale and why we would even consider venturing outside conventional medicine. We have just read too much information like this http://ouralexander.org/chemo.htm that makes us uncomfortable with current practices.

The war on cancer is not being won.

What we do know is that we are not out of God’s reach and that we are trying to be obedient in doing what is best for Kyler.

Please continue to pray for Kyler and our family.

Here’s a picture of Kyler with our new kitty, Nozomi, which means ‘hope’ in Japanese. We believe God is our hope and he will be a good reminder.

Preparation

2006-09-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. Kyler was cleared last Tuesday Sep. 5th to go back to school as his blood counts had risen to a safe level. At his appointment today he has improved even more. You can definitely tell the difference when his immune system is stronger. He is much more energetic, his attitude it better, he is not as lethargic, and seems to enjoy life more.

This last weekend we spontaneously decided to go to Redding since Kyler seemed to be doing well and the family had decided to celebrate the birthday for Sandie’s dad, a nephew, and an uncle.

Saturday was one of the best days we’ve had in a long time. We took two of the boys cousins with us to Turtle Bay and spent the day there. They had a blast. Kyler didn’t complain about being too hot or tired and enjoyed being with the gang. That evening we came back with Sandie’s parents to see the Sundial Bridge at night.

Walt, who is improving and walking on his own, was able to cross the bridge with the help of a hiking stick. It looks like a ski pole with a rubber foot on the bottom. He is doing well.

We are working hard on strengthening Kyler in preparation for his next chemo treatment one week from today (Sept. 19th). We will definitely be needing your prayers at that time. Please pray that Kyler’s ears are protected. The drug they are using typically causes mild to severe hearing loss over time. He had a hearing test last week to establish a baseline from which to measure future changes. Pray for guidance and wisdom for Sandie and I and that we would be clear in our hearing and quick to respond. Also keep praying for Sandie and I for peace and protection against anxiety and physical effects of stress.

We deeply appreciate your continued prayers. We were able to meet several people at Risen King Community Church in Redding whom we had never met before but daily pray for us. Thank you for your faithfulness and persistence.

Blessings,

Darrell

Home Again

2006-09-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

They released Kyler today after his white blood cell count rose slightly. We are home now and Kyler seems very energetic after getting a bunch of red blood cells and feeling the relief of being able to move about freely in a familiar environment.

He is still neutropenic and will not be able to go back to school till Wednesday at the earliest and only if his ANC count is above 500. Today his ANC count was 200. We must avoid crowded areas like the mall or church and keep him away from anyone who might be ill.

I must admit this was a bit of a scare. Having Kyler in the hospital for four days waiting each day to see what his blood counts were and closely monitoring his temprature was not much fun. The threat of infection in his condition is serious.

Thankfully, the upward trend in his white blood cell count was enough to release him, but with instructions to be very careful during this period.

What is peculiar is the fact that last week was supposed to be his low point as far as the strength of his immunity system goes. The doctors feel that since he has already had six weeks of radiation that this made the chemo work longer and more effectively.

Please pray for white blood cells for Kyler and a strong recovery before his next chemo treatment which is scheduled for Sep. 19th. However, they will wait till his ANC is above 1000 before moving forward with that.

The day after I posted the last blog, Sandie began to feel much better. Your prayers are effective. Thank you.

On a lighter note, we have some pictures to share from a local photographer who graciously donated her services to take pictures of our family as an offering of encouragement and support. She was the photographer for Kyler’s pre-school last year and remembered Kyler. Please enjoy. We had a wonderful time with her as she took pictures of our family doing some of the things we enjoy.

You can check out her blog for a complete slideshow of our family set to music.

Thanks, Debbie! www.debbiebrownphoto.blogspot.com

Blessings,

Darrell

Psalm 69:1-3

2006-08-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Kyler.

Today at his weekly appointment with the pediatric oncologist they discovered that his blood counts have continued to drop. He is severely neutropenic. (see last blog entry for definition). His immune system is gone. There are no white blood cells in his body. Your immune system can’t be any more suppressed than his is right now. Our doctor told us his body has no defense against viral or bacterial attack.

They have admitted him to the hospital since he was running a mild fever and they were concerned he might be coming down with something. We don’t know how long he will be hospitalized. As of this writing, we are waiting for the results of some blood cultures to tell us whether or not he has contracted anything. The hope is to be able to combat any infection that has gained entrance to his body before it results in sepsis, an infection in the blood, which is life threatening.

He will be getting another transfusion as well to help raise his platelet and hemoglobin counts. The average persons platelet count is somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 and Kyler’s is at 23,000. Sandie was concerned about some small red spots that had developed on Kyler’s chest and it turns out that when your platelet count is extremely low and a capillary bursts that the red dots appear.

Please pray for Sandie as well. The stress is taking a toll on her body. She is experiencing shortness of breath and tightness in her chest. I just got off the phone with her and it has gotten to the point where she is going to talk to one of the doctors about it.

Thank you for your continued support and prayer.

Darrell

First day of School

2006-08-24T15:36:00.000-07:00

First day of School

Kyler and Kendrick started school this Wednesday. They boys were very excited. Kyler had six friends in his class from pre-school or the neighborhood. Kendrick made some friends the first day since none of his buddies from last year are in his class.

Kyler really likes his teacher. And Kendrick’s teacher Mrs. Stone seems to be good fit for him – kind of goofy and fun loving. She also makes household chores part of her homework program. Kendrick is learning how to wash and fold laundry.

Sandie said Kyler’s appetite was huge at lunch today. Great! We’re still trying to pack on the pounds for him. (Hagen Dazs ice cream has 18 grams of fat and 270 calories in a ½ cup serving)

Thanks for keeping tabs on what’s going on with us and praying.

Sandie’s Dad goes home Tuesday of next week. He continues to improve. Thanks for lifting him up in prayer. Pray for the adjustment both he and Ann will have to make in this next season.

Blessings,

Darrell Haskins

Weekly Check-up

2006-08-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well, we spent most of the day today at the hospital. Kyler’s weekly check-up, which started at 10:30, turned into an all day affair after they discovered his platelet and hemoglobin counts were extremely low. Kyler was looking rather pale to his doctor and she was not surprised to learn how low his counts were. There is a nifty word for the condition when your immune system is so depleted (you have next to no white blood cells) that you are susceptible to just about anything – neutropenic. The number they use to mark the definition of the condition is 500. Kyler was at 600. Kyler’s last count before chemo started was 2300. At his first check-up after chemo it was 1400. Today it was 600. Those drugs really are effective at killing cells that rapidly reproduce. The good news is that he is up almost three pounds from last week!

They marched us right upstairs for him to get ‘typed and crossed’ (which sound much scarier than it really is) for a match to his blood type. We went to lunch while they prepared the blood and platelets and then we then spent the rest of the day sitting around while Kyler received it. Actually, I took Kendrick out for a while to run some errands and get some good dad time in while Kyler did his thing on the sixth floor.

It was getting to be 6:00 PM, we were the last people in the outpatient area, and the two remain nurses were very ready to go home. Unfortunately, just before Kyler finished receiving the last of the platelets he had a bit of a reaction. He said he was feeling very itchy and we found a few welts. The nurses had to stop giving the platelets and call the doctor to get orders for what to do. Fortunately it was nothing that a bit of Benadryl wouldn’t fix.

We got home just after 7:00 PM. It was a much longer day than I expected.

I’m hoping he sleeps well tonight because tomorrow he starts kindergarten. We had a chance to meet with his teachers and get them up to speed on what’s going on with him and start to get a game plan together. She seems really great. Kyler is excited because he has six friends already in his class from pre-school or the Lincoln Mom’s Club.

It’s good he got the blood and platelets today before starting school so he will be better prepared to fend off any bugs that might try attack him.

Please pray that his system recovers quickly and that he has a smooth transition to school. We have four more weeks till his next chemo treatment (September 19th).

Chemo No. 1

2006-08-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Chemo #1

It has been one week since Kyler’s first chemo treatment. He handled it surprisingly well. The nausea was controlled well and he did not throw up at the hospital. His blood work going into his first round of chemo was very strong. We were thankful for that. We were expecting a two-day stay at the hospital, but when we got there we were informed that, barring any unforeseen complications, it would only be a 24-hour stay. He did so well that they were able to release us even earlier.

Kyler’s weekly Tuesday visit with his pediatric oncologist went well today. He was able to remain calm while they accessed his port. His blood work looks good still (especially considering he had chemo last week). However, he has lost 1.5 pounds. We can’t seem to get that boy to gain weight. It’s hard to look at him sometimes because he is so gaunt. As of today he weighs 30 pounds. I know toddlers that weigh more than that and he is starting kindergarten next week.

Tonight he was having a hard time making himself eat half of a piece of toast with cashew butter on it. “I’m never going to like food again”, he said. That was hard to hear. Nothing sounds good to him and he is having a hard time getting anything of substance in him. If we push for the extra bite or two he often vomits up everything we’ve been trying so hard to get in him. It’s very stressful.

He has been understandably tired this last week. We are hoping that both energy levels and appetite continue to pick up.

On a positive note, Kyler started reading some very simple books today. We were all very excited about it. I could tell Kendrick was proud of him. He seemed almost just as excited as Kyler. “He’s not even in kindergarten yet”, he would say or, “You’ll probably be the smartest kid in your class, Kyler.” That was fun to see Kendrick make a big deal over his brother.

The weight and appetite issues are the biggest ones for us right now. He has five more weeks till his next chemo treatment. We could also use your prayers for his adjustment to going to school during treatment. I can only imagine how odd it might feel to try and go to school and have people ask about your hair being gone or why you missed a few days of school. All the kids will quickly find out what’s going on and we are hoping they will all be supportive and kind. We are also asking God to help us to be able to work closely with the teacher to help him do his best and find the balance between keeping him challenged without over-taxing him.

With much gratitude,

Darrell Haskins

Message from Sandie

2006-08-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

This has definitely been a crazy season for our family! Last week we were preparing for a 4-day vacation with my parents and my sister and her kids. On Saturday night we got a call from my mom saying that my dad had fallen on the golf course and was taken to the emergency room at Mercy hospital in Redding. We drove out that night to be with him. Turns out, he had a massive stroke and his memory, eyesight, and right side of his body have been affected. The doctor was surprised he was not blind but only limited to being able to see from the left sides of his eyes. The doctor also said he will never drive again.

My mother has been shaken up quite a bit but is relying on the Lord to be her strength each day. He is now in Chico at Enloe Rehabilitation Center. He loves to see his kids and grandkids. He remembers all of us and all his friends too, but the next day, will forget that he had a stroke and not remember that he had any visitors. He has a special interest in Kyler because of what he has been through. It was so sweet to see Kyler crawl up in bed with my dad and rub his arm like I would do with Kyler after his brain tumor surgery. It’s hard for all of us to see my big strong dad look frail and helpless. Please be in prayer for his recovery in all areas.

This Tuesday, August 8th is the first day of Kyler’s first cycle of chemotherapy. To say that I’m not looking forward to it is a huge understatement. I have to lean into the Lord constantly to not fall apart with worry about what those poisonous drugs could do to Kyler. His oncologist tells us that the drugs could make many of his organs fail and his hearing will probably be affected. We have several pages of all the “possible side affects” that they have to tell you up front. It’s very hard for me to understand the treatment in light of two clear spinal taps and two clear MRI’s.. We as parents don’t have a choice to go with any other course of action. This is where we really have to find peace in God and trust Him to do what we cannot do.

This first cycle of chemotherapy is 6 weeks long. The first few days will be spent in the hospital as they administer the chemotherapy and monitor him. He will have to be monitored weekly during the cycle to make sure he is doing well. It is expected that his immune system will be down for a while as his body recovers.

Specific points of prayer for Kyler:

• Protection of organs, ears, and good cells
• Good appetite and lack of nausea
• Quick repair of immune system and blood levels

Thanks for your continued prayers for Kyler and our family. We are more grateful than you can know.

Florida is hot - hot and sticky!

2006-07-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Florida is hot in July – hot and sticky. We knew that going into this trip, but we didn’t really know it till we got there. Humidity does weird stuff to the human body, like make it sweat from zero to saturated in 2.8 seconds flat. Be that as it may, we had a great time in Florida visiting the amusement parks there. We put a few pictures here for you to get the idea.
The boys loved their first limo ride (even though it was 4:00 AM).

The amusement parks were fun, but we couldn’t spend more than four or five hours there before we were melting into our sandals and the boys were moaning like they had just crossed the Sahara without water. I imagined we’d get there when the park opened and stay till the fireworks. It was not to be. We had to pace ourselves a bit so we could actually enjoy the trip. It was hard for me at first because there was so much of each park that we weren’t seeing. Never mind that we were able to go on a lot of rides in a short amount of time because we were able to go right up to the front of the line, there was so much we were missing! We got free tickets to all these parks and it was more than we could possibly do. We learned the art of skimming an amusement park, finding out what was going to be best for us and forgetting the rest.

We did the Magic Kingdom the first day, Epcot the second day, Disney Animal Kingdom the third day, the two Universal Studios parks the fourth day, and tried to go to the Disney MGM Park the fifth day. We didn’t realize the passes to the Disney parks were only for three days so we had to miss the Disney MGM park and we went back to our resort called "Give Kids the World" and spent the day there before going to Medieval Times that night.

The boys loved Give Kids the World. They would have been satisfied to stay there for five days and play. Their favorite part was an interactive storybook in the Castle of Miracles that projected the characters onto a screen on the wall that you could control. I think they also really enjoyed eating ice cream for breakfast one day by order of Santa Claus (it’s Christmas every Thursday there).

We are so grateful to the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Give Kids the World for providing us with such a memorable time together. We couldn't have done it without them. It was truly a magical trip.

The day after we got back from Florida, Kyler had a spinal tap and the following day an MRI. The spinal tap came back clean (Hallelujah!). And today we met with our pediatric oncologist today to look at the MRI, which was also clean! Very good news indeed. Thank you for praying.

Kyler is scheduled to start chemo August 8th. We’re not looking forward to it. They tell us it’s really going to wipe him out. And since he is so little, we does not have a lot of reserve to use while he is not feeling like eating. That has us worried a bit. He has not put on the weight we had hoped so far during this break. We have another week to try and get his body ready.

We are grateful for your continued prayers about his appetite and preparation for his first chemo treatment.

Bodega Bay & Disneyworld

2006-07-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

July 13th was our 10-year anniversary. Since things have been a little crazy, I forgot that I had that Thursday and Friday off from FedEx. We were invited by Dorie and Aaron to join them for a few days camping on the beach in Bodega Bay, and since we had the time available we made the drive over to the coast. Believe it or not, it was our first camping trip as a family. In fact, it was our first camping trip as a married couple. We had gotten some camping gear for our wedding and it sat unopened for a decade to the day. I know, it seems almost un-American to never have been camping. But I think we got the bug.
We drove down Wednesday afternoon and left Friday just before noon. We froze our tails off the first night. The wind had picked up and there was so much fog blowing in that the trees above us collected water and it ‘rained’ all night on our tent. We awoke to a bit of a puddle on the floor but we were all on air mattresses so no one got soaked. Kyler, having no body fat to speak of, stayed very bundled up the whole time. The boys had a blast playing on the beach, getting their feet wet, and hunting for shells, starfish, and whatever else seemed interesting. After we shivered through breakfast we made our way over to the other side of the bay. (see photo)

I bought some kites from a great store called Second Wind that specializes in kites and other toys you might have fun with on the beach. I also picked up some salt-water taffy at Patrick’s, a pink and white striped building on the side of the road that caught my eye.
On one of our adventures exploring on the coast at low tide, we had made our way through some channels in the rocks to get to other places. By the time we started back, the tide had come in a bit and Sandie and I had to carry the boys through the water. We would have had to go swimming if we had waited much longer. We saw some beautiful starfish and lots of seaweed. The trip was really fun. A truly memorable experience.

When we arrived home on Friday we had just enough time to take a shower (we had somehow forgotten for a couple days) and get over to Lincoln Smiles, a new dental office in Lincoln. Our photo was to be taken for the Lincoln News Messenger with the dentists who are taking care of Kyler’s teeth and providing a drop-off place for people to give to Manna Relief on his behalf.
Later that evening the folks from Make-a-Wish dropped by to throw a party for Kyler to celebrate him getting his wish. They brought special backpacks filled with stuff to do on the plane for both boys along with a Make-a-Wish hat that will identify Kyler at the parks.

During this next week in Florida, please pray that Kyler had plenty of energy and appetite to really enjoy the trip. He still needs to gain some weight as well.
When we get back from our trip, we will have a post radiation MRI and spinal tap before chemotherapy starts in August.
We are praying that everything will come back clear. Thank you for continuing to pray for us.

Close of Chapter 1

2006-07-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

Close of Chapter 1

Thursday we completed the first leg of a long journey - Kyler has made it through six weeks of radiation. They had a little graduation for him at the radiation oncologist’s office (without the cap and gown). They took his picture and had a little cake for him. We brought in a cooler full of chilled drinks for the guys outside who park the cars and homemade ice cream with toppings for the staff inside.

That's Stan, Kyler's friend at the radiation oncologists office. He and his co-worker Jen made Kyler feel welcome and safe during his visits.

We also videotaped the final procedure up to the point where they were ready to irradiate him. It’s fun to watch him prep his line before they give him the ‘sleepy medicine’.

We thought that since the last few weeks had gone so well that this last one would be just as smooth. That was unfortunately not the case. As he went unconscious, he lost control of his bladder and we had forgotten to make him go to the bathroom just before going in.

So, I’m off to the nearest Target to get some fresh underwear and pants. Well, I thought it would be fun if he woke up in a whole new outfit, so I bought underwear, pants, shirt, and a little jacket (since he gets cold easily with no body fat).

Upon returning I thought I’d get him dressed while he was still sleeping (at least his underwear and pants). That turned out to be a big mistake. I woke him up before his usual 40 to 60 minutes of sleeping and we had Kyler’s evil twin again. It reminded Sandie and I so much of the first day. It was so hard to hear some of the awful things coming out of his mouth and the violent thrashing and hitting.

Thank goodness we knew it would eventually wear off and we would have our sweet boy back again. Getting through that period was difficult. It kind of freaked out Kendrick as well.

By the time we got home he was pretty well calmed down and when people started showing up he was ready to have fun.

We are really looking forward to this month off. We’re going to plan some fun day trips and feed that boy as much as we can. We’re trying to get about 4-6 pounds on him during this time.

On Wednesday we got a package from Disney World. Inside was a special hat for Kyler and a vacation planning kit. We watched the video twice that day. It looks like we are in for an amazing trip thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. They are providing a seven-day trip and they are taking care of everything, I mean everything. They are going to pick us up at our door, transport us to the airport, fly us there, meet us in Florida, rent us a car, take care of accommodations, all our park passes, all our food and souvenir expenses, fly us home and get us back to our house. They were even going to buy us luggage if we didn’t have any. They don’t want the family to have any financial burden during the experience. 100% worry free time to enjoy your family. I truly didn’t have any idea of how valuable that is for a family in this kind of situation until now.

The Lincoln Mom’s Club was able to raise $1400.00 dollars for our family selling water, juice boxes, and a kid craft at the 4th of July celebration in McBean park. Wow, that’s a lot of refreshments! Thank you for all your effort and love.

We have been given a month of free movie rentals at Hollywood. There is a pizza place in town that will be doing a fundraiser on a Friday night for Kyler (details to come).

Lincoln Smiles is donating dental work and accepting donations for Manna Relief on Kyler’s behalf. The M.O.P.S. group in Redding did a fund raising dinner for us.

So many of you have been helping and praying for us during this time. We are so appreciative. Your generosity and kindness has been wonderful.

When we met with our pediatric oncologist on Wednesday we found out much more about what chemotherapy is going to look like, the kinds of drugs, what hospital stays will look like, what it’s going to do to his body, all sorts of stuff.
We will provide more details later, but suffice it to say that we will be in desperate need of your prayers and support during these 11 months of chemotherapy.

Changing of the tide

2006-06-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while I was with Kyler at the radiation oncologist's office I heard two nurses talking about the logistical changes they will be having make in order to begin treating pediatric patients receiving radiation in the morning. The technicians will have to get there 5:30 AM in order to warm up the machines and be ready to treat at 6:30 AM. There will be some longer hours occasionally and the need to bring in a few people earlier in some cases, but it looks like they will begin treating their first patient July 10th under this new schedule. It is too little too late in our case, but I take a small degree of comfort in knowing that I paved the way for someone else. It was hard not to get angry knowing that someone else was going to reap what I sowed.

We received word this morning that we have been approved by the Make-a-Wish Foundation for a one-week trip to Disney World in Florida! We will stay at a resort called, “Give Kids the World”, a special place for kids with life-threatening conditions to stay with their families. We are so excited. Thanks for your prayers for this quick approval.

Please continue to pray for strength for Kyler as well as Sandie and I. The more we discover what chemotherapy is going to really look like, the less we like it. We are going to do our very best to use the month off between radiation and chemotherapy to help him gain weight, strength, energy, and boost his immune system. The doctors have told us that this last week of radiation could really wipe out Kyler. It’s kind of like it all has been building up and has a cumulative effect on his body.

We love you all. Thanks for loving us and praying for us.

Hot Weekend!

2006-06-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

We’re in the home stretch of radiation. Our doctor reviewed the timeline with us and our last one is Thursday July 6th. We will be having an open house party that evening from 5:30 – 8:30 PM. We would love to have any of you stop by to celebrate this milestone with us. The street address is 325 Ragsdale Court in Lincoln. We will have snacks and drinks available.

We had a good weekend in Redding. It wasn’t hot enough in Lincoln, so we went to where it would be 116 degrees Fahrenheit! Really! It was that hot. We took my parents who are visiting from Tennessee and stayed with Sandie’s parents. Lots of family and friends came by Saturday evening to be with us. It was great to see everyone.

Sunday morning we spent at our sending church, Risen King, giving and receiving lots of hugs. Tim Loomis, the worship pastor for The Foundry, was leading worship that morning. That evening we celebrated the birthday of a dear friend.

For our Redding friends, there is a fund-raiser being put on by the Redding M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) chapter. It’s a drive-through spaghetti dinner. You pick it up and take it home with you. Please don’t try to eat this and drive at the same time. You do so at your own risk. However, the food will definitely be worth it. I have had the privilege to eating what these women can make and you won’t want to miss out. It’s at Redding Christian Fellowship 2157 Victor Ave. on June 29th. It’s $5.00 per person. It will be open from 4:30 till 7:00 PM. Tickets are still available.

In Lincoln, the Lincoln Moms Group will be selling water bottles and juice boxes at the 4th of July bash in McBean Park to raise funds for Kyler. You can make a fan as well to keep you cool during the festivities.

Another mother in Lincoln is soliciting businesses to donate a day’s worth of profits or a percentage thereof to benefit Kyler.

We are so grateful for the people who have given their time and energy to organize these events for us. Our greatest thanks go out to you.

Also, in the upcoming Relay for Life here in Lincoln there are a few teams gathering with Kyler as their inspiration.

This will be significant for us as we continue to forge ahead with treatment and move into unknown territory. We don’t have any way of knowing what the next 11 months will hold but we do know who will be with us every step of the way and who will be our Provider.

Thanks again for being part of the process. We are grateful beyond measure.

The Right Place at the Right Time

2006-06-23T21:44:00.000-07:00

It’s amazing to see how God orchestrates and uses circumstances in the lives of his children to shape them and make them more like Jesus.

As our family continues this journey, we see a bit more of what God is doing in each of our lives. We also see God’s wisdom in the movement of our lives to this point.

As we stand here we can see His fingerprints upon our lives and are grateful for his enduring faithfulness to us in the midst of this storm.

We have commented to one another that we feel as if we are in the best place to go through something like this. We are in the best place geographically, emotionally, spiritually, provisionally, and relationally.

Geographically, we are close to our hospitals, doctors, and other resources that would have been much more difficult for us to access from Redding.

Emotionally, we feel extremely supported and loved by others and feel free to express our emotions in healthy, honest way. This blog has been a significant part of that freedom.

Spiritually, we are covered, supported, and carried in prayer. By God’s grace we are continuing to press into the Father’s Heart and listen for that ‘still small voice’ of assurance and guidance.

Provisionally, we are blessed to have very good insurance right now since I have been working for FedEx. We only had it for three weeks before we found out about Kyler’s tumor. Friends, family, and local churches continue to bless us financially to make sure we are covered for everything insurance doesn’t catch. We still don’t fully know what will be heading our way, but we trust that God’s provision through his children will be ‘more than enough’.

Relationally, we have been immensely blessed to have a strong web of friends who give of themselves freely even when we have very little to offer in return. They serve, pray, give, and love without expectation. This astounding outpouring of love has been such an inspiration to us. We cannot adequately thank all who have and continue to literally ‘give up their life’ for us in small and large ways.

We met with the Make-a-Wish Foundation people tonight and it went well. They are working to try and make a trip to Disneyworld in Orlando for our family. There is a special resort just for children and their families with serious conditions. It felt weird to even be sitting with them since most people think Make-a-Wish only works with ‘terminally’ ill kids. It’s actually any child with a ‘life-threatening condition’.

Please continue to pray for Kyler during his last two weeks of radiation. He has lost a little bit more weight but he is in good spirits. We would love to see his energy levels and appetite continue to rise and that during his month break in between radiation and chemotherapy that his body would fully recover (appetite, weight, energy, etc.)

I got a response to my letter decrying the poor timing for treating pediatric radiation patients. The hospital chief operating officer has requested that the radiation facility and the head of pediatric anesthesiology meet to better coordinate efforts. Sadly, it will be too late for Kyler but it will benefit future pediatric patients receiving radiation. I will continue to follow-up with the progress.

We will be in Redding this weekend visiting family. We will be at Risen King Community Church for the second service. We’d love to say ‘hello’ and give you a hug if you’re in the area.

Blessings,

Darrell

Father's Day Weekend

2006-06-19T23:39:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Father's Day weekend. My parents came out from Tennessee and my brother came up from Las Vegas with his wife and daughter to the South Lake Tahoe area. Arrangements had been made some time ago by my parents to have a condo there for a week. Since Kyler had to be back for treatments we were only able to stay the weekend. Still, it was good to be together.

I was sorely tempted to stay in Tahoe. The beauty of the lake and surrounding mountains peaked with snow was very therapeutic for my soul. Breathing clean air with a slight hint of vanilla from the Jeffrey Pines nearby was a joy. Being close to those who love us most and were willing to listen was very much needed for us right now.

As beautiful as the scenery was and the richness of the company, my ability to fully enjoy it was tempered by the weakened state of our son. He is continually tired and lethargic even after the blood transfusion. We can get him to eat little and he occasionally loses what he has eaten.

It's hard for me not to get angry when he won't eat as much as we think he should or vomits what little he has eaten. Sandie feels guilty. He is so small and doesn't know how to fight for himself. He repeats, "I'm just a little boy", when it gets too overwhelming for him. I'm so angry that he has to grow up too quickly in too many ways through this. I just want him to be able to be a little boy right now. I miss our smiling, energetic boy full of life and joy.

He doesn't understand that some things you just have to do because they are good for you and vitally important. You're not going to like everything and it's not all going to taste great and be your favorite. If I push too hard it backfires and we lose ground nutritionally. Yet I cannot eat for him or take his nutritional supplements for him. There is only so much we can do and then it seems we are helpless beyond that.

Yet we are not without options or hope. Knowing there are many of you praying fervently gives us strength. God loves to give wisdom to those who ask without doubting that he will actually follow through. We are asking daily.

We are contemplating some bold moves in regards to Kyler's care out of frustration with the current situation. There are risks involved. We would be swimming against the current of normal medical practices. However, since the cancer cure rates have not effectively changed in the past two decades, 'normal medical practices' have lost their glow of promise. They have only been able to reduce the number and severity of side effects with all their 'advances'. I am becoming increasingly jaded toward institutionalized medicine that treats symptoms and conditions and not root causes and the whole person.

Please pray for strength and courage for us right now. We need to hear from our God, "Be strong and of good courage."

In all of this we have determined, with much prayer and counsel, that it is too much for us to try and walk this road with Kyler and plant a church at the same time. We have chosen to lay down The Foundry. We have chosen the health of our marriage and family. We have chosen to pursue the Kingdom of God as a family unit above all and trust that everything else we need will be provided.

God's grace and peace to you.

A "Hairy" Weekend

2006-06-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend brought one of the more 'in-your-face' realities of what's happening with Kyler. Almost all his hair fell out over the course of two days. He's fine with it. It makes him look like his uncle Scott. Sandie, on the other hand, was not so calm about it. It was very sad to see that happen. It actually made him look like a cancer patient. We aren't in denial about what is happening but sometimes it sinks in even further with different situations. Sometimes random things really hit home and we never know when that's going to happen so it takes us off guard.

We must thank you for your prayers for our courage and boldness in making the necessary moves to try and get the treatment time changed as well as say 'no' to the increased radiation dosage. The conversation with our radiation oncologist went very well. He necessarily expressed his concern but was willing to do as we requested. I was very nervous before hand. We feel very comfortable with our decision.

I also sent a letter to the hospital administrator, medical director, and other people expressing our dissatisfaction with the treatment time. I hope we will be able to apply adequate pressure to get things changed. We are not trying to be adversarial or belligerent but simply do what we think is best for our son.

More good news – Kyler has gone almost a whole week with going in for treatment with no whining or crying and is actually participating in the preparation for administering the ‘sleepy medicine’.

Tomorrow we will find out what his blood counts are. If they have continued to drop and his energy levels are low we will be looking at a blood transfusion. I’m not sure how I feel about that. It’s someone else’s blood in my son. His body didn’t make it. The tough thing is knowing it is his radiation treatments that are necessitating the possible transfusion.

Please continue to pray for good energy for Kyler and healthy blood counts, good appetite and minimized weight loss, no vomiting and ease in taking the nutritional supplements.
As you continue to pray for us, it is encouraging to hear from you. Thank you for your comments and sharing what God is speaking to you.

Blessings,

Darrell

Marching up a big hill

2006-06-08T09:36:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday our radiation oncologist informed me that he had gotten a response from the head of pediatric oncology at St. Jude’s in Memphis and the chairman of the committee that designs the clinical trials for pediatric cancer patients. They felt that the radiation dose Kyler is currently receiving is too low. They are preparing to initiate a clinical trial in which patients with Kyler’s type of cancer and location of tumor would receive a higher radiation dose than Kyler is currently receiving. The following numbers may not mean a great deal but it gives you a reference for where things are changing.
Currently, Kyler is receiving a radiation dose of 2340 centigrade. In the new clinical trial that will be coming out patients would receive a dose of 3600 centigrade. Both of the doctors who have been in contact with our pediatric oncologist felt that, for a five year old patient, 3600 would be too high. They felt that a dose of 3060 would be appropriate.
This would increase neurocognitive damage resulting in greater difficulty in processing information, short-term memory loss, increased frustration in the classroom, and other learning disabilities. This would also have a greater impact on his teeth, which are in the radiation field, as well as other future growth hormone issues.

Two things have given us hope after receiving this discouraging news. 1) You are all praying fervently for Kyler and our family. 2) Kyler is taking many dietary supplements that will hopefully reduce the amount of damage done to good cells.

When we brought up the possibility of looking into getting radiation treatment at UC Davis while we were under care in the Sutter Health care system you would have thought we had suggested that we go to Venus for treatment. So why were we even asking about UC Davis? We contacted them to find out when they treat their pediatric cancer patients receiving radiation and discovered that it is early in the morning (around 7:00 AM or so). What a great idea!! That way even if they have to be receiving general anesthesia the eight hours they can’t eat is while they are asleep.

This seemed to shock them that we would even think of transferring Kyler during treatment. Well, we don’t know any better. That’s why we ask questions.
Apparently, moving a patient, even within the same health care system, to another radiation facility is a risky move. The analogy they used was that of making a cake. “You wouldn’t start making a cake and take it out of the oven half way through and run across the street to put it into a different oven, even if it was the same model of oven. It just wouldn’t turn out right. Each radiation machine is unique and has it’s own peculiarities. You can’t just throw him on a different machine. He would have to go through the entire set-up process again as well as interrupt treatment. It’s not a good idea.”

We repeatedly assured them that our only frustration is with the schedule of treatment and not the doctors themselves. The schedule is does not give pediatric patients the most opportunity to thrive during an already difficult treatment process.

The news of the possibility of our ‘defection’ spread quickly. By the time we arrived at the radiation oncology center only an hour later, they already knew what we were thinking and were making attempts to try and smooth things out.
Don’t get me wrong. Our doctors are great. They perform miracles every day. They have taken good care of us. However, they are forced to work within a structure that sometimes does not have the patient at the center of the decision making process. It would appear that a change that would benefit patients must also benefit the bottom line, or at the very least not hurt it in any way, in order to be instituted. If it is not cost effective or expedient it will likely fall to the wayside.

On Wednesday Sandie was praying as she was driving to the radiation oncology center that she would receive some sort of encouragement from the doctor. God answered her prayer in the form of receiving information on who to contact at the hospital to apply pressure in order to try and get things changed. I also spoke with two people that afternoon that had ideas on how to go about stirring things up in the right way to get a change in the system. We are hopeful that our efforts will be successful in instituting a policy that will be of greater benefit to the pediatric cancer patient - even if it’s not for our son, but for another’s child.

Kyler’s appetite is not great. After only a few bites he is full. It’s no wonder since his stomach has shrunk from not eating all day. It’s funny. He loves to make things in the kitchen even though he knows he can’t eat them. “Oooo, Kendrick would like this one”, he says admiring the picture in the kids cookbook. He is then content to mix and pour in ingredients to make something he can’t even enjoy.

Over the last few weeks his blood counts have started to dip down. If the trend continues he may need a blood transfusion within a week or so.

Thanks for continuing to pray for us.

Decisions, decisions...

2006-06-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Our frustration is growing with the situation. We feel the way things are set up for radiation treatments are not in the best interest of the child patient.

Here's what seems to be happening. Kyler is woken up at 5:30 AM for his last opportunity to eat before the day gets going. He is typically not interested in food at that hour (who is, really?!?). Then starting at 6:00 AM he cannot have any food until after the treatment.

After radiation is done he says he is hungry but he needs to have some clear liquids before we start shoving steak and potatoes into his body. This is to minimize any throwing up right away. On the way home he gets a small snack and gets 'full' quickly. His sense of full has changed since his stomach has gotten smaller due to the forced fasting during the day. We have to strongly encourage him to eat. He says he is full or that he might throw up.

If things continue in this manner I imagine we will be told he has to get a feeding tube put in. This has caused us to seriously consider finding a facility whose treatment structure would be more conducive to allowing Kyler to sleep and eat in a more natural pattern (i.e. eight hours of not eating taking place while you sleep and receive treatment in the morning to allow for more opportunities to eat during the day).

I understand that pediatric anesthesiology is a very specialized field and there are only so many doctors to go around. However, it seems that the reluctance to restructure things to allow for treatment in the morning has more to do with finances that it does with what is best for the patient. It is easier to pay a surgeon one time to install a feeding tube than it is to pay for an additional pediatric anesthesiologist to come in early on a daily basis for six weeks.

Please pray that we will have wisdom on how to move forward and that we might discover what options are available.

On a positive note, Kyler has become, what we call at the Haskins house, a ‘pill pro’. He seems to have mastered the skill of swallowing pills. This is a big step for us because it makes so many of the things he needs easier to take. He is also getting better at learning how to calm himself down so he doesn’t get himself worked up to the point of gagging and throwing up. He is learning how to keep his cool and keep trying.

Please continue to pray that Kyler would be spared the typical side effects of radiation.

P.S. Kyler has the most expensive mouthwash I’ve ever seen. $45 for a bottle of some special stuff the pharmacy has to whip up in the back that is supposed to prevent some fungi or bacteria from growing in his mouth.

Short Week

2006-05-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Haskins family had a fun Memorial Day weekend. We just enjoyed being together (and not at a doctor's office) playing, eating, and goofing off. The boys each got a set of goggles, fins, and snorkels this weekend. They love being in the water.

Tuesday and Wednesday were long days down in Sacramento with doctor's appointments before the radiation treatments. On Tuesday we were at the pediatric oncologists office for his weekly check-up. His blood work looks good right now and his weight is fine. He gained a bit over the long weekend. Must have been all that steak and whole milk! He also got his first dose of chemotherapy. It was a small amount and was done quickly. Thankfully, it didn't seem to affect him much.

We had some time to kill before the radiation treatment so we went to the mall. Sandie and I took turns walking with Kyler and looking at fun stuff while the other snuck off to the food court to grab something to eat. He didn't suspect anything.

Having been off for three days, it was hard for Kyler to go back for radiation. The anticipation of what the 'sleepy medicine' does to him makes him anxious. Wednesday was the most difficult so far getting him back for treatment. Sandie and four other people had to hold him still while they started the anesthesia. The good news is that Wednesday was the best post-treatment so far. He was still grumpy and whining when he was coming out but he wasn't screaming, thrashing, hitting, or kicking this time.

They did some tests to check Kyler's kidneys today. We don't know the results yet. He gets his ears/hearing checked next.
The pediatric oncologist wanted us to make sure we are taking care of Kyler's teeth since they are in the radiation field during treatment. We are thankful for the dentists who are working with us to try and protect his teeth.

I am trying to get a rush put on a wish from the Make a Wish Foundation for a week trip to Disneyland this summer during the month in between radiation and chemotherapy. I'm hoping to be able to stay in one of the resort hotels and really be able to enjoy the whole package before his body gets wiped out during chemo.

We are getting a chance to meet some of the people who are regularly in the office for radiation treatments. Neat people.
We have much to be thankful for. So many of the stories detail long periods of misdiagnosed symptoms before the real problem was discovered. It was God's grace that allowed Kyler's to be found so quickly.

God's grace and peace to you. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Memorial Day Weekend

2006-05-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

After a really rough start to radiation, Kyler has responded better over the last two days. We let him sleep a bit longer after the treatment before getting him up and that seems to reduce the length of the angry physical reaction. He was also able to keep everything down that he ate. This helped ease our anxiety a great deal. He was running around outside and seeming like himself. The boys were even able to get into the spa tonight for a bit so Kyler could try out his new goggles!

When we go for a treatment, he knows what’s ahead and he doesn't like the way it makes him act. "What if I get grumpy again?” he asked.
"It's o.k. we still love you even when you're grumpy."
The 'sleepy medicine' makes him act in ways he doesn't want to and he can't control it. It's no wonder he is anxious about it.

Your prayers specifically for lack of nausea, increased appetite, and less irritable side effects from the anesthesia have had a significant impact. It is directly related to all those who have petitioned God on his behalf. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We have a long weekend to try and fatten him up! He weighed 35 pounds last Tuesday and we are praying for the same weight or more this coming Tuesday.

Please continue to pray for Kyler during his radiation treatments. It will be around the 2 to 3 week mark that some of the more significant side effects would be noticed (sore throat, skin irritation, etc.)
Sandie and I could also use prayer for the following: Sleep. Neither of us has been getting consistent uninterrupted sleep. Sandie is experiencing what we feel is stress or tension headaches. My allergies are really bad this year (worse than I can remember from any time in the past) and I have to be a week off of antihistamine before seeing the allergist. I would recommend buying stock in Kleenex since I have personally increased their sales by double digits this spring!

There have been so many of you who have blessed us greatly during this time. We have received meals from a number of families. We have received encouraging cards, e-mails, letters, and scripture verses. We have been blessed with gift cards for gas, groceries, coffee, and other things. Special dental treatments for Kyler to protect his teeth during radiation was donated by Lincoln Smiles. Many of the local churches in Lincoln as well as individuals from many different places have helped financially to offset some of the medical costs. Individuals have donated to Manna Relief to sponsor Kyler to receive the nutritional supplements that will help his body stay strong through treatments. Other creative and special gifts have lavishly poured out upon us, many times from people we do not know personally. Thank you for you willingness to love on us during this time. We cannot express our gratitude adequately.

Beginning Radiation

2006-05-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

I gotta be honest. I don't like this at all. In fact, I hate it.

As a parent you would gladly exchange places with your child in a situation like this. If there were a way I could trade places with Kyler, I would do it in a heartbeat. But it doesn't work that way. Sandie and I have to watch as our little boy is forced to endure being cut, poked, tested, filled with all sorts of drugs, and subjected to a protocol of treatment designed to heal him by taking him closer to death's door than I am comfortable.

Today was Kyler’s first radiation treatment. I have to remember that it is just the first one. Things can change. God can intervene. But if today was an indicator of how things are going to look in the future, I'm not looking forward to it.

As many of you know, Kyler cannot eat for eight hours prior to his 2:00 PM appointment at the radiation oncology center due to the fact that he will be under general anesthesia for each of his daily treatments over the next six weeks. It's hard for a five year old to go all day without eating. Our hope was that he would be able to eat well after his treatment so he would lose as little weight as possible. The doctors tell us that 50% of children have to get a feeding tube put in because they aren’t able to eat well enough after the treatments.

Well, the anesthesia they are using does not agree with Kyler. He's not allergic to it, but one the typical side effects of any general anesthesia is nausea. The other side effect of this particular anesthesia is that it makes you ‘irritable’ as you are coming out. That is a terrific understatement in Kyler’s case. As he comes out of anesthesia he screams, thrashes, kicks, and yells at everyone around him. The word demon-posessed came to mind. It was very difficult to drive home with Kyler in the back seat pounding my seat with his feet, screaming at the top of his lungs, trying to hit Sandie, and telling her that he hates her. It was very difficult not to get angry with him. But those of you who know Kyler know that is not who he is. He is compassionate, self-less, and generous. It was so hard for me to hear him say in between sobs, “I can’t control my grumpy feelings!”

He wasn’t able to keep anything down tonight, unfortunately. We continue to pray that he is able to eat in the evening after his treatments. If he loses more than 10% of his body weight, they will have to put in the feeding tube. He only weighs 35 pounds right now. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out he can’t lose a lot of weight.

In all this, I echo the Psalmist’s cry that he raised up toward the end of many a lament over difficult circumstance, “Yet I will praise you.”

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Continued Prayer

2006-05-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Kyler begins radiation treatments this Wednesday. There will be 31 treatments happening everyday except weekends (and any holidays that fall during the week). On Tuesday we visit the pediatric oncologist again where they will access his port and administer his first chemo treatment. He will be receiving Vincristine that day. They tell me it's a quick IV push and it's done. We shouldn't be there more than 1.5 hours. There are few side effects with this drug and he shouldn't experience the nausea normally associated with chemo. He will be getting this drug once a week during the radiation. We will receive a road map for the treatments ahead on Tuesday when we meet with the doctor.
Please pray that the radiation treatments go well and that the typical side effects would not be present. Pray for the protection of the normal, healthy cells.

Blessings,

Darrell

Good News!

2006-05-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

The spinal tap came back clear! Thanks for praying diligently with us. We got the call finally at around 6:30 PM Thursday evening.

Continue to pray for the protection of Kyler's body as he begins radiation next week. We want any remaining cancer cells dead but healthy tissue to remain unharmed. Pray for the protection of his brain, spinal column, thyroid, eyes, and other surrounding important tissues and organs.

Thanks

Spinal Tap

2006-05-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

As of Wednesday night we still haven't heard the results from the spinal tap. We're hoping to hear soon.

The date has changed again of when he will start radiation. Wednesday the 24th will be his first treatment.

Thanks for praying!

How can I help?

2006-05-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

We've been asked that question so many times. It's been so comforting to know there are so many people that are willing to do anything at a moments notice. At first we were a bit paralyzed not knowing how to really answer the question. This has been our first experience with this and as such we haven't been certain of what we might need or what would be helpful. Several times I've told people, "I'm making a list and I'll let you know what's on it so you can choose something."

Well, here is the promised list. I'll put the list toward the end of this post. You can e-mail me at dkhaskins@surewest.net with a response. I can get you additional information or give you our mailing address if needed. You also might think of something we haven't even realized we might need or would be helpful. God may give you something specific that would be a blessing.

More than anything else, though, your continued prayers are desired. That is truly our daily support and strength, the grace God continues to give us because of your continued intercession on our behalf.

1 - Nutritional Supplements for Kyler - he is sponsored by Manna Relief, a non-profit organization that helps get important nutrients, vitamins, and other things into his body that will help him as he fights the cancer. All donations are tax deductible. This is the very important for us right now, but it's not covered by our health insurance. To contribute toward his account, go to www.mannarelief.org. On the top bar click on the Hope Program (for individual children), then click on the 'make a contribution' button. Fill in an amount next to the Hope Program and scroll down to follow the instructions for payment details, etc. In the comment section please fill out his full name (Kyler Haskins) and his ID # (86331).
2 - Gift Cards - for gas, groceries (since we've gone all organic), whatever else you think might be helpful.
3 - Child care - it will be even more important that Sandie and I have time set aside for us to be together and get out for a bit or help with Kendrick while we are with Kyler.
4 - Yard work - sometimes I can't get to mow the lawn or do some weeding, my sprinkler system isn't working properly, etc.
5 - House work - ocassionally we get behind with stuff with so many trips to see doctors.
6 - Car maintenance - we will be putting a lot of miles on the van (oil changes, brakes, etc.). We have new tires so that's good.
7 - PC repair - Sandie's computer is freaking out right now and I don't know what's wrong.

Thanks for using the gifts and talents God has given you. You are truly a blessing.

God's grace and peace to you.

A Long Day

2006-05-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a long day at the Radiation Oncology Center (ROC) as they prepared everything for Kyler's radiation treatments, which we found out today will begin on the 30th. That is good news because it gives us a bit more time to get his body ready for what is ahead.

We left the house just about noon and didn't get home until 7:30 PM. He spent around 3 hours asleep on his stomach as they created the body mold and made the little tattoos for reference markers. They look like little freckels. Everything went well. It took a while for him to wake up since they had to give him a pretty good dose of the 'sleepy medicine' to keep him out for so long. Boy, was he grumpy as he woke up. He kept whining and pulling the blanket up over his head.

Eventually we got out of there and headed home. We stopped at the restaurant of Kyler's choice on our way back. Kyler was very hungry since he hadn't eaten anything since 5:30 AM. He can't eat for 8 hours before receiving general anesthesia and can't have anything to drink for 2 hours prior. Pei Wei was Kyler's choice for dinner (a casual dining asian restaurant owned by P.F. Chang's). We also stopped by Jamba Juice quickly to get something yummy in which to hide some of the nutritional supplements he is taking. It worked like a dream. We also snuck in one more shake before bed. We are so happy he was hungry and kept everything down. Our hope is that he will eat well after the treatments and take a good breakfast the following morning since he will have to go all day without eating before each treatment.

Tomorrow morning will find us back at Sutter Memorial Hospital at 5:30 AM getting ready for the spinal tap and the port-a-cath placement.

Pray the spinal tap shows no cancer cells in the cerebral spinal fluid and that the surgery goes smoothly.

God's grace and peace to you.

Encouragement from God's Word

2006-05-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today our family received a stack of encouraging verses and promises from the Scriptures. It was a huge blessing. We will be hanging them around the house to remind us of God's love, care and abiding presence as well as the love of our family in Christ.
It made me think about how much we really need this right now. If you would consider taking some time to pray and look through the Scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to give you a verse for us and put it on a 3 x 5 card or something else creative, we would love to fill our home with them. If you need to mail them to us, please send them to 325 Ragsdale Court Lincoln, CA 95648.

God's grace and peace to you,

Darrell

The Next Steps

2006-05-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

We met with two doctors on Thursday afternoon.

The second doctor was the surgeon who will install a special port just under Kyler's collar bone that will allow the chemotherapy to be administered without having to place a new IV each time. They can also give medicine and take blood through this port. It will look like a lump under his skin and they will put a numbing cream on him when they have to access the port through the skin. This option allows him to swim this summer and requires less maintenence than the other type which is an external tube that needs to be cleaned daily and has increased risk of infection.

The first appointment was with another of the pediatric oncologists, a social worker, and a nurse. They wanted to meet with us because we had brought up the idea of waiting to start the radiation and chemotherapy. Our thinking was that if the spinal tap came back clean that we might wait 30 days and test again to see if anything shows up. If we could postpone the radiation and chemotherapy that would be wonderful. He could have more time to heal, get stronger, and get his immune system up to full capacity. We have made some extensive changes in our home and diet that we are thinking would be helpful in allowing his body to do what it needed to fight this on it's own with the proper nutrition as well as eliminate toxins in his system. We have removed almost all of the food in our house that is not organic and begun two types of nutritional supplements. One helps with the elimination of toxins in the body and the other helps the body get the nutritional elements it needs for a fully functioning immune system. It is our hope that this will help prepare his body for radiation and chemotherapy.

They weren't too excited our idea. Apparently the protocol based on many years of case studies gives patients the best chances if the treatments begin within 28 days of surgery. The longer we wait the more likely it is to spread to other places in his body. I know, I was thinking that since 100% of the tumor was taken out that if his spinal tap came back clean that meant it was no longer there. The spinal tap will only tell us the extent of his disease, whether or not cells have migrated to other places in his cerebral spinal fluid. They were very clear to make us understand that he is not disease free at this point. His disease is on a microscopic level right now. There are still cells remaining in the area where the tumor was. You can only cut out so much with a scalpel. They told us that on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being cancer-free and great and 10 being widespread cancer with no hope) that Kyler was at a 5 right now. The type of cancer we are dealing with is an aggressive and fast one. This has put him in a high risk category as opposed to standard risk. Because he is high risk, he is not a good candidate for a clinical trial that is evaluating the effectiveness of lower dosage radiation on a medullablastoma. He will be receiving the standard dosage and following the protocol prescribed. They have given us a 10% to 40% chance that the treatments will work and cure him. This is measured by a patient being cancer-free after five years.

Our hope is completely in God right now. The medical community has little to offer in this way.

On Monday the 15th Kyler will spend four hours at the cancer center getting everything set up for his radiation treatments. The have to create a body form for him to lie in during the radiation treatments as well as tattoo him with some pin head sized markings so they can make sure everything is properly aligned using lasers. There will be 31 treatments happening every day except weekends. This will take about six weeks. He will have to undergo general anesthesia for the treatments since he will be incapable of remaining completely still. It's not going to be a good time for him. He already hates going to see the doctor now. It takes 'a long time' to drive there and it's 'boring'.

Tuesday the 16th we get there early in the morning for the spinal tap and surgery to intstall the port. They will both happen while he is under general anesthesia. He will be able to come home and recover the rest of the week.

The week of the 22nd everything is going to change. He begins radiation treatments in conjuction with a small chemotherapy treatment. After the six weeks of radiation that will entail full brain, full spine, and a focused boost on the tumor location, he will get a month off. The chemotherapy treatments will begin after that.

We entreat your continued prayers and support. Thank your for your perseverance.

Please Continue To Pray!

2006-05-06T22:05:00.001-07:00

Greetings:

As you most of you know, Kyler has been able to come home earlier than originally expected. He continues to recover from the surgery and is improving well.

He was home for a full day on Thursday before having an appointment on Friday afternoon with the oncologist who will be supervising his radiation treatments. We learned more specifically what type of cancer cell we are dealing with. It is an aggressive type of cancer cell called 'large cell anaplastic variant'. I'm learning more than I ever really wanted to know about cancer right now, but it's good for me to get as much understanding as I possibly can.

Sandie and I feel like we are swimming in an ocean of information and required to make life-altering decisions for our son on a subject of which we have little knowledge. The hardest part for me was listening for 20 minutes about the potential short and long term side effects of radiation. Of course they must give us all the information up front, but it didn't make it any easier to hear.

Kyler will require general anesthesia for the radiation treatments since he will be unable to remain completely still for more than a few minutes. They will make a body mold in which he will lie to ensure he remains still during the treatment. There will be 30 to 31 treatments and they will be every day except weekends. This is going to require a great deal of time commitment from our family since the treatments can only be done in Sacramento.

His spinal tap will happen Tuesday the 16th and will give information about whether or not there are any of the cancer cells floating around in the rest of his cranial spinal fluid. This is a big deal and we would request your prayers for the cranial spinal fluid to be free of any of the cancer cells.

Again, there are a few things in his favor going into this.
1) It was caught early (truly the grace of God).
2) The tumor was completely removed.
3) It had not spread to other parts of his brain or spine.

The doctors seem to agree that Kyler is going into this in about the best condition you can. The type of cancer he had is fast moving and aggressive. If it had not been caught when it did, it could have been much more devastating.

Please continue to get as many people praying as possible for our family. Not only for Kyler's condition but for Sandie and I as well. There are times we feel completely overwhelmed. We are having a hard time sleeping and eating. Sandie is dealing with anxiety. We want to make sure Kendrick does not feel neglected in this as well and understands as much as he can about what is happening.

We also need wisdom. There is a multitude of 'natural', 'holistic', 'alternative medicine' options all readily available via the internet claiming extraordinary results. We don't want to be stupid and start grasping the ridiculous. Neither do we want to neglect viable treatment options. This is especially difficult since we are not experts in any medical field. We are having to trust other people so much. Sometimes that is difficult.

Thank you.

Darrell Haskins
Lead Pastor
The Foundry

Kyler Is Home!

2006-05-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all who have been supporting us in prayer and action:

When Sandie and I left the hospital today we were able to bring along a special little package. Kyler is home!
We had to bring two wagon loads of stuff down from the sixth floor that had accumulated during his week-long stay.
He continues to improve and is very happy to get to sleep in his own bed tonight with his brother just above him.
He has a check-up this Friday and his first spinal tap is a week from now.
We will be finding out more about future treatments after the results of the spinal tap come back.

Please pray that his eyes will go back to normal (he's a bit cross-eyed still), and that his balance skills will gain strength.
Also, be in prayer about the spinal tap. The results will determine how aggressive the radiation and chemotherapy will be.

God's grace and peace to you,

Darrell Haskins
Lead Pastor
The Foundry

Biopsy Results

2006-05-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

Monday and Tuesday have had their up and down moments.

We finally heard back from the lab on the results of the biopsy on Kyler's tumor. They finally came out and used the 'c' word.
The tumor was cancerous. Without treatment, it would come back, grow, and spread.
Kyler has his first spinal tap a week from this Thursday to check and see if there are any cancerous cells floating around in the fluid.
The aggressiveness of the treatment will depend on if they find any or not and the concentration of the cells if they are present.
Even if the results come back clean they will still have to follow through with some level of radiation and chemotherapy.
The process will last one year.
The chemotherapy will make him more likely to get sick and get infections due to the compromise of his immune system.
Everything becomes a big deal. A fever will send us to the hospital. We will have to carry copies of his most recent CAT scan with us at all times to be able to give to a physician in case of an emergency.
Needless to say, Sandie and I took it kind of hard. For myself, I guess I had been in some level of denial thinking, "Great, the tumor is gone, he's improving at the hospital. We can start to get life back to normal." The idea of a year long process took me back a bit. They have indicated that the radiation would probably be everyday (except weekends) for a six week period. That's going to be a challenge.
The good news is he is improving very well at the hospital. He sat up twice for a half hour periods on Monday and the physical therapist, the occupational therapist, and the speech therapist are all very impressed with his progress and recovery.
Tuesday was a big day. They discontinued using the IV for medication and began administrating them orally and they removed the drain from his head. Now he's mobile! They feel very confident he won't require the permanent shunt in his head. Thank you for your prayers regarding this aspect of his recovery. We took several rides in a special car used by pediatric patients to cruise around the floor. We went to the playroom twice today and walked a bit. He has to have someone hold his hand still because his balance hasn't completely returned yet, but he's raring to go. They removed the bandage from the incision and it looks to be healing very well. The toughest part for Kyler is the removal of the tape as it pulls all the little hairs.
He didn't like the staples they put in where the drain was at all. That was hard to watch.
The only wires he's hooked up to now are the ones to little patches on his chest and finger monitoring heart and respiratory rates and oxygen levels.
We have been so blessed by the help people have given us. Hotel rooms, gas cards, gift cards to various stores, Starbucks cards (hallelujah), and the like. I came home the other day and someone had mowed my front yard. People have pulled weeds in my back yard. Someone cleaned and fixed our spa. People have brought meals and have offered to watch our kids so we can go out on a date. Thanks again for all you have done through your tangible acts of service and sustained prayer. You'll never fully appreciate how much they mean to us.

Please continue to pray for the following:
Spinal Tap - that is comes back clean so we can take a less aggressive course of treatment.
Vision - that Kyler's brain would get back to normal so he doesn't see doubles anymore.
Balance - that the areas of motor skills and balance would return to normal
Strength - for Kyler as he continues to heal and for Sandie, myself, and Kendrick as we walk with him down a challenging road.

For all of you who have said, "If there's anything we can do, let us know", be advised Sandie and I are working on a list and we will take you up on it.
Thanks again.

Blessings,

Darrell Haskins
Lead Pastor
The Foundry

Sunday April 30th

2006-04-30T22:57:00.001-07:00

Greetings from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit of Summer Memorial Hospital in Sacramento:

The last few days have been rough. After Kyler's surgery we have had one or both of us by his bed round the clock trying our best to help him be as comfortable as possible. He is in a lot of pain and does not like being in the hospital anymore. His grandpa Haskins spent the night with him on Saturday and Kyler was begging him to get him out of there.
The successful removal of the tumor has been a great relief to us and we can't thank you enough for your prayers during his surgery.

The follow-up MRI on Friday was positive confirming the doctor's visual inspection during the surgery. We are still waiting for the results from the lab to find out specifically what the tumor was. That information will determine the course of treatment for the future. At first we were thinking, "Great - tumor gone. Problem solved." Apparently it's not that simple. There will be some combination of radiation and chemotherapy in the days ahead. One doctor indicated that it might mean six weeks of radiation every day (except weekends). We just don't know what's ahead.

Additionally, the tumor created a condition called hydrocephalus (water on the brain) that we are waiting to see whether or not it will go away on its own or require a permanent shunt to drain off the excess fluid and keep the pressure at the appropriate level. If he has to have the shunt it would mean he couldn't play football or wrestle.
He is still seeing double. He has to wear an eye patch and switch it to the other eye every two hours. We don't know if that will fix itself or if that will require a medical procedure.

On a positive note, since his surgery they have had to drain less fluid every day from his brain and they have raised the pressure threshold and he has been able to handle it. He has also been able to keep just about all the food down that he has eaten. They have switched him to morphine because the last medication wasn't quite doing enough. The down side is that the morphine increases nausea and can make you itch. This prompted them to add benadryl for the itch and something else for the nausea. I can't hardly believe how many drugs can go into one little body.

By far the best medicine for him has been his big brother, Kendrick. Kyler comes alive when Kendrick arrives. They talk and look at Pokemon cards and play with the army of stuffed animals at the foot of his bed. When Kendrick is gone, Kyler wants to know when he is coming back. Kyler likes having people around. When all the grandparents and mom and Kendrick left the night I stayed with him, he wanted to know why we were alone and where everyone had gone. I made the mistake of stepping out of the room one time without telling him I was going to answer the phone and that I would be right back (the nurse was in there with him at the time). When I got back he was crying because he thought he had been left alone.
Please continue to pray about the results from the biopsy, the hydrocephalus, and the eye problem.

Things are not getting any easier yet. As I was finishing this e-mail, my mom, who is here with me, just got a phone call that her mother-in-law (my grandma Haskins) has about two weeks to live. She has leukemia and her body can no longer handle the blood transfusions so they are going to just make her as comfortable as possible. Our family is really going through it right now. I'm relying on all of you to continue to pray for us. I don't know how we would be able to handle it otherwise.

Again, please feel free to forward this to others you have gathered to partner with you in praying for us.

Blessings,

Darrell Haskins
Lead Pastor
The Foundry

From Darrell

2006-04-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

I have a much deeper understanding for the phrase 'brother / sister in Christ'. We have felt completely loved, covered, and carried. The overwhelming response and outpouring of prayer for our son, Kyler, has been staggering. The reports we have gotten directly and indirectly indicate a global response in our time of need and have touched our hearts deeply. Your instantaneous support and prayers have had a tangible impact on our family. Both Sandie and I have felt the presence of God through a peace that is unexplainable outside of Him.

Here is a bit of an update along with continued points of prayer for Kyler as we head down the road toward recovery.
Our first praise is that the MRI did not show any surprises. The tumor had not spread into the spine or any other parts of the brain. Our second praise is that the doctors were able to get 100% of the tumor. The last 60% came out in one piece and was so large the doctors jokingly wondered if it was a boy or a girl (we could laugh about it at that point).

Kyler's recovery has started off well. He shows no signs of any of the possible post-surgery conditions we were warned about. He is now in his room resting and on lots of pain medication. Even in his drug induced state and painful situation, his thoughts were focused on when his brother, Kendrick, was going to arrive. The next few days are very important for several reasons. Firstly, the biopsy should come back tomorrow about the exact nature of the tumor. That information will largely dictate the course of treatment in the days ahead. He also has a follow-up MRI tomorrow at 3 PM. The other issue is the one of fluid pressure in his brain. A temporary external shunt has been placed in the back of his head to allow for drainage of cerebral fluid. The goal is for Kyler's body to gradually begin to return to normalcy in regards to the production, flow, and pressure of the fluid surrounding Kyler's brain. Even though the tumor was removed, it is not guaranteed that the flow pattern of the fluid will return to the pre-tumor pathway. It's like it has a type of muscle memory for the pathway and doesn't want to go back to the old way. The monitoring of the pressure in Kyler's brain will tell them a lot about the progress. If his brain cannot handle things on it's own, a permanent shunt would be placed underneath the skin and would be there the rest of his life. That would disqualify him from playing football or wrestling (which was o.k. with mom).

As of this evening he is running a slight fever which they say is normal for this type of surgery but will closely monitor it to see if it gets any higher and turns out to be indication of an infection. He is uncomfortable and all wrapped up in lots of tubes. He so desperately wants to just get up and get going and can't understand why his body won't cooperate.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Please feel free to forward this to anyone who is not already listed here.

Blessings,

Darrell Haskins
Lead Pastor

Good News!

2006-04-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Another quick update. Kyler just came out of surgery and the doctor was able to remove 100% of the tumor, Praise God! He is in recovery right now, and will be in the hospital for a few more weeks for evaluation and recovery. It looks like they will still go the route of radiation and chemotherapy to ensure that anything that might still be in there gets taken care of. Please continue to pray that the fluid in his brain will drain properly and that he will have a full recovery. Thanks again for your support.

Tim Loomis

Thursday Morning

2006-04-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Just a quick update so that you can all be praying. Kyler went in for surgery this morning at 8:30am. There were no surprises in regards to the results of the MRI, meaning that the tumor is all they were able to see and hasn't spread to any other parts of the brain or body. I believe Darrell said they are hoping to be able to remove about 90% of the tumor in this procedure. Please pray for Kyler and his family today, and especially that God would guide the hand of the surgeon during the procedure. Thank you all for your prayers and support!

Tim Loomis

Updates on Kyler

2006-04-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

For all of those who are paying for Kyler and the Haskins family, this will be a central area for people to come and get the latest news.... You shouldn't have to, but you may want to try hitting refresh when you come, to just make sure you have the latest news!

Thanks for all of your prayers!!