Wed. 10-29 update

The 2nd set of cultures on Ryan's blood aren't back yet. But, the doctors have said that they believe they caught the infection in his blood in time. And from what I understand, the antibiotics will be able to clear it up. I believe that the final results from these cultures will come back later today. Ryan is doing as well as he can being in the hospital and has enjoyed his visits from friends. Last night, Chris and Melissa, Ken and his daughter, and Tony and Brittni's parents all came to visit with Ryan. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott brought a wonderful goodie basket full of candy which they all enjoyed. Ryan still has a fever today so he'll probably be at Children's for another day. I'll update when I know more.

Thank you for your continued prayer.
God Bless,
Aunt Amy

Update from yesterday

I wanted to follow-up from yesterday's post about Ryan being back at Children's due to a fever. He does have a cold. But, the cultures that were drawn also showed that he has an infection in his blood. So, it was very, very good that he was back under the doctor's care at Children's so they could catch this. He is now on antibiotics which should clear up this infection in his blood. His counts were also low yesterday so I think he was getting a blood transfusion today. He still had a fever this morning of around 101. He will be able to go home once his fever goes down for 24 hours.


Please pray for Ryan's peace of mind while he's in the hospital. While it is good that he is there from a medical standpoint, he would much rather be at home in his own bed and being able to do what he wants to do.

Barry enjoyed hanging out with Ryan last night. Brad's friends, Chris and Coach, were also there visiting and they all watched the World Series game together.

Thank you again for your prayers. Let's pray that this infection will clear up quickly and that he will go home soon.

Blessings,
Aunt Amy

Back at Children's

Ryan had a fever today so he went into Children's just to be sure everything was okay. They decided to admit him for at least 48 hours to keep an eye on him. He has a cold and we believe that the fever is associated with that. But, it still stinks that he has to be back in the hospital. Ryan is not very happy about it because he was looking forward to having the week away from there. But, it's best to be on the safe side. Barry is going down tonight and visit with him so I'll post an update on him tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers,
Aunt Amy

Back in for chemo - Oct. 21st

Ryan is back at Children's until tomorrow late afternoon for his 48 hour Chemo treatment. This last week he had seemed to be doing well. Although his platelets were low at 35,000 at last Thursday labs [they wanted them to be >75,000]. When Ryan went into the hospital yesterday for his treatment, his platelets had already rebounded to 120,000 which was good news. He has been walking very well with his walker. Today he was very tired and didn't feel like eating during the day. Hopefully he'll be able to eat something this evening without upsetting his stomach. Barry's Light the Night Walk was last Saturday and was a wonderful and inspiring evening supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I'll have Barry give an update on that. Thank you all so much for your support.


Please continue to pray for Ryan, Lauressa, Trey, Tyler, Olivia and all of the other children that are currently, or who have been, on J-5. Trey just flew out to NYC to Kettering Memorial Hospital yesterday for further treatments. Please pray for answers for them. There are so many stories out there of so many families whose lives have been changed in an instant with the words "You have cancer". It's so sad to say that there are way too many stories out there. We need to find a cure!!!!! Tyler's dad, Kyle, writes an inspiring blog about Tyler's journey with Burkitt's Lymphoma. Tyler is now in remission. Kyle ran the Columbus Marathon this last Sunday in support of Tyler. Congratulations Kyle!

God Bless,
Aunt Amy

I Am Walking...Broken Foot and All

As I prepare for the Light the Night Walk on Oct. 18th I wanted to give you a little more perspective on my commitment.

• I am walking for my nephew Ryan and his friends Larissa, Trey, Stef and Tyler who are each fighting their own battle.


• I am walking for my Mother’s dear friend Diana who is a survivor and my co-worker’s parents and friends.


• I am walking for the countless parents of J5 who just learned their precious child has been diagnosed with cancer.


• I am walking because the current chemo treatment is barbaric, especially in children. Today’s cell-killing chemo is indiscriminate…it kills the good cells and the bad cells. Tomorrow’s chemo will act more as a smart-bomb, killing only the cancer cells while leaving the good cells alone.


• I am walking to give hope to the next generation of undiagnosed.

I want to send a big “THANK YOU” to all of you that have already contributed to the walk…I am almost half way to my goal. For those of you that would still like to donate, I need to have contributions made by October 13th. Thank you for your support and thoughtful consideration.

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnColumb/2276_bsalmonsLTN1

God Bless, Barry

Back in for Chemo

Just a very quick note to let you all know that Ryan went back into Children's yesterday for his 5-day Chemo. He'll be there until Saturday. I also believe that he will be getting his last two radiation treatments this week as well. Barry saw him last night and he seemed to be doing well. Please pray for Ryan this week and that he will not have any complications with the radiation or the chemo. I'll post again with any new updates.

God Bless,
Aunt Amy

Wednesday update 10/1/08 and a prayer request

Ryan is enjoying his time at home. He is still on fluids and I think will be until his esophagus is fully healed. He began to eat a little bit of food over the last couple of days.

Ryan's best friend, Eric, came home this past weekend from school and stayed with Ryan the whole weekend. It was just want Ryan wanted and needed. Thank you so much Eric!

He'll go back into the hospital today for labwork.

I do have another prayer request...for Trey Martens and his family. Trey is a beautiful 9 yr. old boy that stayed 2 doors down from Ryan when Ryan was first in the hospital in April - June. Trey was diagnosed in January and has been fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia, another rare form of cancer in children. Ryan and Trey, as well as their families, have formed a bond during this time. I ask that you please pray hard for Trey and his family. I'm praying for God to grant this family a miracle. This is tough. There are so many questions. But, I will continue to pray for miracles and pray for strength. Praying is what I can, and what you can, do. And, I will always trust in God...even with all of these questions. Cancer is evil. We must find a cure!

Barry is participating in the Light the Night Walk on October 18th. This Walk benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for additional research for blood cancers such as the one Trey has. Barry's goal is to raise $2,008. If you'd like to help support Barry and help to provide further research for this devastating disease, you can donate funds through this link:

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnColumb/2276_bsalmonsLTN1

Thank you so much!

God Bless,
Aunt Amy