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David's Log

FRIDAY, AUGUST 08, 2008 02:33 PM,CDT



Dearest Friends,
I don't know where to begin, but yesterday was a very sad day as the doctors notified David and mom (me) that David's leukemia has returned once again. David and the whole family were totally shocked because we thought the moderately severe graft vs. host disease would keep the disease in remission.
We met with the bone marrow transplant doctor yesterday and he said the leukemia cells were only detected with the help of an electron microscope. Apparently, they are just a very small population, but unfortunately with cancer - even one is too many.
Please pray for David to feel the presence of the Lord and to know His comfort and Love during this difficult time. David and I were both teary-eyed yesterday, but I reminded him that God has a great reward for him because he has fought the good fight and continues to trust the Lord for strength! David has been very peaceful since the news yesterday and actually is not experiencing quite as much pain. The pain in his side does continue to nag him, but the nurses are giving him morphine to relieve the discomfort. (David continues to make us laugh when "under the influence".)
We are meeting with Dr. Briones (David's oncologist) today to see if there are any options for treatment. Dr. Chang informed us that David's physical body was probably too toxic to consider chemotherapy. I e-mailed Dr. Pui at St. Jude's and he consulted the bone marrow team, but unfortunately, Dr. Leung said David's organ function was limited and he would not qualify for cellular therapy. (I was encouraged when Dr. Pui mentioned it, but once again it looks like a door has closed.)
I am dreading this upcoming meeting with Dr. Briones because I think I know what he is going to say and I don't want to hear it. Pray for us to be courageous and wait on the Lord. As the Psalmist said, "The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?"
Now that doors are closing, pray that God will be David's healer and He ALONE will get the glory!
Trusting Jesus throught the storm,
Pam


Wednesday Ap;ril 30, 2008. Our God is Faithful
Dear Faithful Friends,
It has now been two weeks and David continues to improve and amaze his doctors, family and friends! He is now enjoying driving once again, attending his brother's baseball games, eating out and going over the the Spink's house (a favorite hang-out from childhood!)
The wheelchair now sits in a corner of our living room gathering dust (which is a good thing) because David is on the move and God is working all things together for the good of those who love him! David is still pulling his portable oxygen tank behind him but he is now enjoying himself and not worrying about the next breath!

Dr. Chang recently examined David and was also astounded at his progress and commented that 'I guess we could take the credit, but we know you deserve the applause for enduring the treatment.' Of course, I had to remind the good doctor that God is the One who deserves the praise because He has heard the prayers of His people! Thank you Jesus!

David has been attending pulmonary rehabilitation for two weeks now and is making tremendous progress! He is now up to 11 minutes on the treadmill and 12 minutes on the bicycle AND is oxygen saturation level is remaining high! He is working with weights on his ankles to build up his thighs which have atrophied due to steroids and inactivity. David credits his tennis coach with teaching him the importance of hard work as he goes the extra mile to try and make his lungs stronger!

He exercises with an older 70's crowd but has already had several ladies comment on that cute younger boy, asking 'Now why is he here?' and really only God knows the answer to that question! We know He does all things perfectly and there are no accidents in God's kingdom. God has a perfect plan for David's life and only He can reveal it at the right time!

Thank you for every prayer offered before the throne on David's behalf and every tear that was shed for him before the Father. David is truly a walking miracle and a testimony of God's faithfulness to hear us in the midst of the storm.

The most exciting part of the story is yet to come as God has truly answered the prayer of a desperate mother! In January when David would awake me at night trying to catch his breath, I earnestly prayed to God that He would save my son and allow him to once again go on a trip with his family! And in answer to that prayer we are planning a Caribbean cruise for all 9 of us
on June 29th to July7th. Please pray that David will continue to improve and that his lungs will heal and he will be able to vacation without oxygen 24 hours a day!!! Both doctors have given us their blessing for this trip for David as long as he is stable.
Please pray that David will remain healthy and God will allow this to be a special celebration and renewal for David after a long winter and 4+years of fighting leukemia and its side effects.

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THIS BLESSING AND ARE WATCHING AND WAITING TO SEE WHAT GOD WILL DO WITH DAVID NOW THAT HE HAS ALLOWED HIM TO LIVE!

Pray that God will give David direction and a sense of purpose as he begins this new chapter in his life!
Please continue to pray for total healing - spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically!
Thank you again for caring!
Looking forward to sailing on smoother seas with Jesus at the wheel,
Blessings on each and every one of you,
Pam and David and family

P.S. David's goal at rehab is to one day play tennis once again. Now that would be a miracle! Pray the David will one day reach for those tennis racquets at the back of his closet and astound the doctors and myself!



Sunday, February 17, 2008. Strength for the journey
I don't have all the details at this point, but just wanted to let youk now that David was readmitted Saturday to the oncology floor. He has been having some difficult days breathing at home, and Saturday morning he woke with some chest pain as well. They say the xray showed some air leak from his lungs around his heart, and this was causing the pain. They believe this will resolve on its own after some treatments in the hospital.. HE will stay for a couple days to get things under control and make sure things are going okay. I am sure mom will give you a better update soon.. Thanks for checking in! STephanie Joe went to see Pam and David last night, and David was breathing better, and his oxygen level had come back up after having the breathing treatments. Pam is extremely tired. Thank you for your continued prayer for the North family. If you want to help with meals, I believe Dawn Brown (770.978.1615 dawn@adsley.com.) at Grace is keeping up with the meals calendar for them. Love, Kay

Friday, February 8, 2008 -Slow Advances
David had another restless night because he has to use a lot of energy to go the bathroom due to IV fluids being infused all night long! He has not felt well today and continues to feel tense and uncomfortable trying to find a position that is comfortable for his breathing, We just placed a massage cushion behind his back and he seems to be relaxing (and breathing) much better. Please pray that David will keep the faith in the midst of a trial that seems to have no end! Today he seemed discouraged when he said "Even the doctors don't know what to do!" in reference to his lung problem. Thanks for caring - keeping the faith, Pam and Chris and David



Monday, January 28, 2008 - Prayer and more prayer.
After an encouraging evening with David eating his IHOP breakfast, David had a very rough night. He awoke me several times complaining of either claustrophobia (the mask is very confining and covers his head and most of his face), or imsomnia. At 5:30 am David finally fell into a restful sleep after I propped him up on his left shoulder with his right shoulder elevated with pillows. (His right lung is not moving air as well as his left.) He also seemed to settle down after I read Psalm 91 and Psalm 23 which seemed to comfort him.Unfortunately at 7:30 his oxygen saturation level began to drop and the buzzers went offand we readjusted his postion and turned up the oxygen, only to realize that he had to change his shorts which was an excruciatingly difficult task for him. (He is a normal teenage boy who wants his privacy) Please pray for David because he is experiencing severe respiratory distress when doing such simple things as changing his shorts and sitting up in bed. It takes him so long to recover after exertion.The respiratory therapist had to come and increase his oxygen because he was so "air-hungry" after changing his clothes. I am saddened at this rapid deterioration of his lungs and his nurse this morning was shocked to see the decline from Friday when she said she thought would be going home over the weekend. They are going to do a deep mucus extraction procedure today and try to look at the cells under a microscope to rule out infections. The pulmonologist continues to suspect graft vs host disease of the lung which usually is progressive. The doctors continue to suppress his immune system and my prayer is that their suspected diagnosis is correct!And it is not an infection! PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WILL REVEAL TO THE DOCTORS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AND A TREATMENT SOLUTION! AND ALSO, LIFT DAVID UP BEFORE THE MERCY SEAT FOR TOTAL HEALING AND COURAGE TO FIGHT THIS GIANT WHICH IS LOOMING ITS UGLY HEAD IN DAVID'S LIFE PRAY FOR GOD'S PEACE WHICH SURPASSES UNDERSTANDING TO PERMEATE DAVID'S ROOM AND FOR ME TO STAY STRONG AND TRUST IN THE LORD! Thank you for standing with David during his battle for his life! I'm comforted knowing that the battle is the Lord's and we can rest in His loving arms. AND that Jesus cares and stores every tear in a bottle and weeps when we weep. Trusting Jesus, Pam and David



Saturday, January 26, 2008- Critical Prayer Request
8pm Just spoke with Pam on the phone and David had a very rough night overnight with labored and wheezing sounds breathing, and his pulse went up to 145. They have started the CPap machine to try to keep his lungs open, but it is hurting the bridge of his nose and they are not sure how long he can tolerate it. The Pulmonologist said that they are leaning more towards the graft vs host disease as the cause of his labored breathing, and it is progressive. They are increasing his prednisone to 80mg to try and hold down the inflammation, and they may try to increase his anti rejection meds if the prednisone does not help, depending on how his liver and kidney function is. Pam asks us all to keep praying for a miracle. Thanks so much.
Love,
Kay



Friday, January 25, 2008 David is back in the hospital
David had to be admitted today to the Aflac Cancer Center because of his difficulties breathing. He was in the emergency room all afternoon and now is in room 354 Egleston. It was a hard room to occupy because of the memories associated with it. David lost a friend to ostersarcoma in August and he went home in that very room! Please pray for healing for David's lungs. A chest x-ray was performed today and hopefully God will give wisdom to the doctors as well as a healing that will glorify him. It is so hard to watch him struggle for breath (even on oxygen).


Thursday, January 17, 2008- David is at home
I am LATE with the update! David made it home Tuesday Night! It was a bit of a surprise for everyone. The docs came in that morning and said they wanted him home so he would move around more. He is on oxygen at home and going in for check ups. The docs still hoping that when they get the RSV under control that David's breathing issues will subside. Thanks for all the good food. it really has helped out the family! Keep praying for Davids lungs to get strong and healthy... stephanie

Monday, January 14, 2008 12:11 AM
Subject: David is slowly improving!! Email from Pam
Dear Kay,
It's been a long 11 days but the doctors today feel David's lungs are improving.He is now down to 1 liter of oxygen and his oxygen saturation level is 95% on average. After consulting with the Infectious disease doctors Dr. Horan feels more confident that the virus could be the culprit behind the diminished lung capacity and difficulty breathing. David has had a good day today after a few rough nights with the alarm going off while sleeping due to lowered saturation levels and tachycardia. He has had a roomful of visitors today which seems to have boosted his spirits! Right now he is trying to ingest a whopper and increase his calorie intake for the day. The doctors still want David to gain weight! WheW! That's tough when he's coughing and trying to breathe.
Praise God for all the prayer support and the meals that have been coming to the house to feed my other family! I am so thankful for God's presence through the hands and feet of His peopleand their LOVE for the brethren. Please pray that David continues to improve and that he will be able to come home soon. The doctors said he hopefully will be sent home in the next week so he can walk around exercise his lungs more.(Currently he is confined to his room because of the virus)They think it will take the entire month of Jan. to recuperate and they're hoping by mid Feb. or sooner David's lungs will be healed! (They said if David is back playing tennis in Feb, they won't worry about a lung biopsy,but if troubles continue that will be the next step.
We're praying for another miracle healing for David. God is good!
Love you all,
Pam
P.S. Kay - thanks for passing this update through the e-mail contact list!



Monday, January 7, 2008
Urgent Prayer Need for David
I am writing to you from the hospital and AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DAVID! HE STRUGGLING TO BREATHE AND HIS LEFT LUNG IS NOT SHOWING MUCH AIR MOVEMENT. His oxygen saturation level is 90% with the oxygen mask set at 3 liters 34%? He just tried to go to the bathroom and was so winded even with oxygen. the respiratory therapist noticed he is using his lower belly muscles to breathe and his pulse stays around 109 -120. Please pray forhealing of left lung and that his virus would subside. It is so hard to watch him use so much energy coughing and just trying to stay comfortable. He had a scare yesterday when he tried to go the bathroom without oxygen and began coughing and could not catch his breath! It took a while to restabilize his breathing.
Please let everyone know to pray! I am worried. There is a high morbidity rate for rsv in immunosuppressed patients, but we do serve an awesome God!
Love,
Pam


January, 5 2008 Update: David in ICU
10 am Friday phone call with Pam:
David is being transferred to room # 4030 in the Pediactric ICU. He coughed alot all night and has not had much rest, and it is very difficult to breathe. He is exhausted. He is having a CT scan now. Pam says that she believes that the doctors suspect graft vs host disease but have not come right out and said this is exactly it yet. There has been whispering between the nurses and talk of his diminished lung capacity. His digestive tract, skin and eyes are also affected. He is having difficulty swallowing. He is also having changes in his heart rhythms.
We are asking the Lord for yet another miracle like He has done so many times before when David has been in a crisis.....
Update provided by Kay.

Thursday, January 3, 2008: Prayer Request for David

Written by Pam (David's mom). Thank you for praying! David's Log - Grace Cancer Care Ministry
I am writing you in the middle of the night because David just returned from Florida at 1:30 am and has been coughing all night long. He told Katie he feels like he is suffocating because he cannot get his breath. I am very concerned because he said it was worse at the condo with the humidity. But I am more concerned because when he went to the clinic they did not hear any congestion, but said if it continues it could be graft vs. host disease and they would have to send him to a pulmonary specialist. After surfing the web I found some disturbing info and I am praying he is not suffering from bronchiolitis obliterans which can be a side effect of chronic graft vs. host disease and basically has no cure. The symptoms sound just like what he is experiencing with shortness of breath, wheezing, and constriction type feeling of the airway.

We have an appointment on Friday at 10:30 am. I think he doesn't want tests run which will be the next step.
Please pray for courage to face the outcome and strength for the battle. Please pass on an SOS prayer request for David.



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