Cade The Warrior

Our hearts are very full today because life is back to normal. Cade is off treatment this week and home from the hospital after a 10 day stay. My parents were here for all but one day of the stay, and we (in some ways) feel like it flew by. I found it really encouraging how familiar everything felt during out stay, including the nurses and staff at the hospital. We feel so known there, and we genuinely like so many of the faces we routinely see. Cade at one point in the hospital had several things going on (pneumonia, swimmer's ear, RSV) but he really left totally normal. He was bouncing off the walls and being a crazy man. Having him back in his own bed and living life without his "tubey" in (as Haven points out every day) is doubly refreshing. We are now back to separating screaming children fighting over toys and demanding ice cream after dinner. It's normal chaos and I love it. Thank you for praying for our family and for Cade. We go in Friday for another coun...

It is official: if Chad doesn't make the video, no one is there to cut me off and I ramble. Thank you for letting me take up 13 minutes of your life. We are inpatient right now with Cade after he started a fever last Thursday. He has tested positive for three viruses, including RSV, and has a slight case of pneumonia and a pretty painful swimmer's ear infection. Wow! But overall, he is doing good. His lungs are clearing, when his ear isn't hurting he is feeling energetic and full of life. We are thankful it is nothing more serious. We would love for you to continue to pray with us for: 1. Cade's quick and full recovery from ALL the viruses in his system, the ear infection, and the pneumonia. We want his whole body healthy and ready to come home. 2. Cade's white blood cell count to come up at the right time so he can come home and enjoy summertime! 3. Cade's spirits to stay encouraged, his heart to stay strong, and his whole body to be ready for all the...

It's another fasting Tuesday around our house and we are excited to have you with us! Cade wrapped up his second to last 5 day intensive chemo this past Friday. It is THRILLING to know that we only have one more on the protocol to finish. Of the 13 weeks we have left, only 3 are chemo groups that lower his counts. The rest are either off or smaller chemo groups with less side effects. That is good news! We had a great weekend, filled with lots of normal family activities and a trip to the zoo in the rain. Cade was doing better than we had ever seen him do, until Sunday night when he began to get sick. We aren't sure what's causing it, but we certainly are praying that today he stops getting sick, and is able to keep ALL of his food down and eat normally. Usually after these 5 day treatments we have historically been admitted for a fever by Thursday of this week. We are hopeful that with this dose reduction he either will not be admitted, or will not have a long stay. Hi...

We are beginning day 2 of a 5 day treatment today, and I am thankful we get to fast today. After we made this video last night, Cade did end up throwing up in the middle of the night, and all the same anxiety and dread seemed to sweep over all of us. I find myself always praying the most childishly simple prayers, "Holy Spirit, help us", over and over again. I read a book last week that was fascinating and insightful, if not a little bit hard to even believe. Either way, I've noticed how this author's perception and gift of "seeing" in the spiritual has affected how I am relating to life. There is an entire reality beyond what we can see with our two eyes, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, the authorities, the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places," as Paul says. I've heard that verse for so long it can become normal, but if I really READ it, I am stunned. I am compelled to learn, to ask God for help, ...