Wishes, a Relay and Whole Lotta Blue!

"May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground....carry on, carry on." I know it has been awhile since I have updated. It has been intentional and unintential really. Time is flying by so quickly so our blog seemed to get put on the back burner but also there really has not been any changes as far as Tucker's health to update about. I also needed time away from the blog to not think about what we have been through or talk about the details of how cancer has affected our lives. Although still very painful everyday seems to heal just a little bit more than the last. They are few and far between but some days I am able to go through an entire day without even thinking about cancer, scans or the uncertainty of our future. That is progress. I hope as the days go on that those single days will turn into multiple days, weeks or even maybe months. I hope eventually cancer will be somewhat like a book that I take off the shelf from time to time instead of one that stays open on my desk for the words to be vividly read at any moment. Everyday the book gets a little closer to the bookshelf. I know God will continue to heal us and Tucker. Tucker was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish foundation of South Carolina. He chose to visit "Mickey's House." So on our spring break we packed up and headed to FL to enjoy a week of letting him have fun and be a kid. We stayed at an amazing place called Give Kids the World. It is a place that families of children with life threatening illnesses can go and escape. It is truly a magical place and they do such a wonderful job creating a week full of special memories for the children and their families. Tucker now has a miracle star in their planetarium that will be there forever. He was able to eat ice cream any time of the day at their parlor and we let him. :) For that week we let him enjoy every single moment of whatever he wanted to do. They had a train, water park, mini golf, candyland playground and so much more. He really could have happily spent everyday there and not even gone to Disney! It is an amazing place that is mainly run by volunteers. We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to get away for a week with Tucker and make special memories that will forever be dear to our heart. About a month ago Tucker participated in his 2nd Relay for Life event as a survivor! Last year Tyler put him on his shoulders as he made his survivor lap. This year Tucker said he wanted to RUN his lap. And he did! He ran and ran and ran and I was so proud of him. He was so proud as people cheered for him and celebrated. I still tear up thinking about it. His zest for life and accomplishing his goals already at 4 teach Tyler and I how we should strive to live. Early October Tucker will be a big brother to baby boy Wyatt! I am way outnumbered now :) but I love it. We are so excited that Tucker will have a sibling. Tucker wants to call Wyatt, "mater." He loves the Cars movies so I am guessing that is where that came from. He is getting so excited as we start to buy things and prepare. He will be a great helper and so loving to Wyatt. Update on Tucker's Health: Tucker saw his radiologist in Florida back in December and they were so pleased. He said if he was going to have severe effects from radiation as far as paralysis ect he would have shown symptoms by now so he feels he is out of the woods in that aspect which was wonderful! As with any radiation things may come up down the road but he feels he was spared the major concerns we discussed in the beginning. He said Tucker's vertebrae where radiated will be a lot more susceptible to fracture so contact sports are probably not in his future but he said water is very healing for Tucker's bones, muscles and ligaments so maybe he will be a swimmer. :) The most concerning thing we need help praying about is secondary cancers caused by the radiation. Please help us pray that he will not have to endure that. He said those typically start to show up 3+ years after treatment. We are praying and trusting that God will heal Tucker long term without any ill effects from his treatment. Please help us pray that prayer. He saw his oncologist yesterday and they are so pleased with Tucker's progress they feel that after his August scan (as long as everything looks good) they can start doing scans every 6 months instead of every 3. His port removal surgery is scheduled for Sept. 16th. We are so incredibly blessed and beyond grateful that we have reached this point. We give God all of the glory and honor. July 24th will be 2 years since his diagnosis. We are looking forward to all of the amazing things God has in store for our family. Thank you for your continued prayers and support they mean the world to us. Wishes Granted on PhotoPeach

The Importance of a Phone Call

July 25th 2011. Like it was yesterday I can vividly see Tucker and I playing in his bedroom. The night before was the first night we had slept in our own home in 3 weeks and we were enjoying not being in a hospital. I was blissfully thinking that the "hardest part" was over and took a deep breath...a sigh really. My phone rang. I answered cheerfully only to hear a somber voice on the other end. "Hi Mrs. Reeves Tucker's final biopsy came back and I am going to need you and your husband to come to my office tomorrow so we can discuss them in detail." Me: silence..."Mrs. Reeves? Is tomorrow ok?" I stumbled for my words but managed to ask her if she could elaborate. "Mrs. Reeves Tucker has cancer." I heard the words, radiation, chemo, year, aggressive as I started to cry but managed to confirm our appointment before laying the phone down as I sobbed harder than I ever thought was possible.

Friday I was awaiting the results of Tucker's MRI and my phone rang from THE number I had been waiting for. I took a deep breath and I was ready for whatever I was about to hear. I honestly was. I had a peace about the results after the MRI was done that was unexplainable. I wouldn't say that I knew it was going to be good results but I was peaceful as I waited. The anxiety of waiting had disappeared and as I answered the phone I was prepared for whatever news she had. Much like the later phone call it was a whirlwind of words that I pieced together but this time, this phone call ended with tears of JOY. "Mrs. Reeves the MRI looks wonderful. There is no enhancement and no evidence of disease." You would think that my first reaction would be to scream and shout in excitement but you have to understand that when you have literally been through hell on earth and seen/experienced things that are so heartbreaking you tend to hesitate and not let your emotions get too involved as a coping mechanism just to survive. So I honestly was quiet for a moment and very emotionless and robotic I can hear myself say "Can I be excited about this?" Crazy question I know but I needed permission. I needed to hear her confirm that yes you have a valid reason to be excited and its not just hopeful excitement but this is REAL. She said "Yes Mrs. Reeves be very excited! This is wonderful news. I could not have asked for anything better. Have a wonderful weekend with your family." I barely remember ending the conversation but I know I thanked her several times. :) I hung up the phone and sobbed much like July 25th.

We know that just because Tucker is cancer free today does not mean that he will remain cancer free forever. He very well might and that is what we pray happens. But we are not in denial that it might rear its ugly head again. However, through all this we have learned to live for TODAY. For us to come this far in 6 months is a full blown miracle. We are so grateful and we fully understand the magnitude of God's gracious blessing. Too many families will never get to hear that their child is cancer free...ever. For us to hear those words is something we will never ever take for granted. We will continue with chemo as planned for the next 6 months. The true test will be what happens when chemo stops. We pray that Tucker is completely healed. God has done amazing things for our family. It is motherly instinct to worry about your child but I can honestly say that I am not anxious about Tucker's future. God has literally picked us up and carried us through an unimaginative 6 months. Why would he stop now?

After telling a friend our amazing news she said " Amen. Now you can take a breath and start to live again." I am going to try to do just that.

Holly Jolly Christmas

December has been full of exciting events as we all geared up for Christmas.

We started things off by going to Hollywild Zoo to feed the animals and look at lights. Tucker especially loved the big cow that stuck his head in our car window and licked his arm (ewww!) and feeding the goats with a bottle. Santa was there, but Tucker preferred to look from afar.

One Saturday Tucker and I made a "gingerbread house" out of a small milk carton and graham crackers. He was so proud of his finished house. He really concentrated on every single piece of candy he placed.

Next, we had an opportunity to go to the Polar Express Train in North Carolina. When they boarded the train each child was handed their golden ticket which was later punched by the conductor. Tucker held on to that ticket literally until we got back home hours later. He really enjoyed himself and was super excited that Santa gave him a jingle bell. It was rainy that night but we all had a great time making memories with friends.

The Monday before Christmas Tucker and I had this conversation that melted my heart.
Tucker: Mommy you know what? Were going to have a Christmas party today!
Me: We are?
Tucker: Yea! For baby Jesus' birthday. We are going to make him a cake.
Me: Oh Tucker that is a wonderful idea!
Tucker: We are all going to share it and then when it is my birthday I will share my cake with baby Jesus too.

Tucker has such a sweet caring heart. It makes me so proud that he is already thinking of doing nice things for others. We shared the cake he made with our neighbors and friends.

This was the first year that Tucker has anticipated Santa's arrival so that was fun. He was begging us to go ahead and go to bed so Santa could come. :) Apparently Tucker thought that Santa was going to put presents in his bed. So when he woke up and didn't see any he called for us and said he was sad because he missed Santa!! All was ok when he walked into the living room. So cute how their little minds work. Maybe next year Santa will leave one present in his bed to excite him when he awakes. Pretty cute idea he had in mind.

As most of you know Tucker's first post radiation MRI shows that there is less blood supply to his tumor. Hopefully it will continue to be less and less and eventually just be scar tissue. This was exciting news. For now things are moving in the right direction. We know that is because we have so many faithful prayers going up for us everyday. Thank you for everyone that is still praying for us and our journey. Tucker is still handling chemo very well and has only been sick once (a nasty cold) which is such a blessing. His body fought off the cold very well without needing additional support which is another huge victory for a child on chemo. Tucker amazes me every single day. He is one very special little boy. I feel so honored that I was hand picked to be his mom.

December Festivities on PhotoPeach



christmas 2011 on PhotoPeach

And We Wait

“Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done. God may have been waiting centuries for someone ignorant enough of the impossible to do that very thing.”
G. M. Trevelyan

We are finally home and somewhat settled. Tyler and I have been back to work this week and Tucker is staying with Grammee. I will be taking chemo days off and other appointment days as needed. Tyler will be working 3rd shift soon so that he can be very involved with his appointments as well. We left Florida with Dr. Danny telling us to go home and try to make your lives as normal as possible. We are trying to keep Tucker's routine as it was before our trip and make each day as normal as we can because we now just wait. He will continue with chemo every other Friday till next September. They have really helped Tucker not get so sick from his treatments through a combination of medications. He is tired and puny after them but we will take that over non stop vomiting any day. We are thrilled they can make this as comfortable for him as possible.

The next steps: In 8 weeks they will do an MRI to get a baseline of what his spinal cord looks like. Dr. Danny (his radiologist) anticipates that because his spinal cord will still be very swollen from radiation we will not be able to tell much. They will do another MRI at 6 months 9 months and the year mark. By the 12 month MRI we should know the full results of Proton. We will have to go back to FL for his 6 month and 12 month check.

Side Effects from Radiation: These could take years to develop. Our prayer is that they never develop at all. However, if paralysis occurs we could possibly start to see that in 5 months to a year and a half from now if it were to occur. Other effects such as bladder and bowel issues could show up 5 years or more down the road. Nerve damage and pain could show up at any time. So unfortunately the Dr. said we will never be able to have a sigh of relief because side effects can continue to pop up for the rest of his life. However, the goal is for Tucker to be with us, enjoying life cancer free. We can handle whatever comes up down the road.

Things to pray about: That Tucker's MRIs show the tumor is gone. That the radiation and chemo will kill every single cancer cell so that he will remain cancer free and live a long happy life. We pray that his radiation treatments cause little to no side effects. Help us pray for patience as we await his scans and we ask for strength to continue to work and handle what life brings. Please continue to pray for Tucker's physical and emotional well being through his treatments. And as always continue to pray and have faith for a miracle of complete healing.

I am touched everyday by the kindness others are showing to our family. It has been truly amazing and I am so grateful. Not a day has gone by that someone has not tried to do something to help our family. Meals, donations, cards, calls, SMILES and hugs have filled our days. We are blessed beyond belief. Thank you God, for blessing our life with such amazing people. It helps us put one foot in front of the other everyday and that is such a gift.

And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.
2 Corinthians 6:4-5

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Psalm 27:14

God Bless. Much Love from the Reeves Family.

From Messy to Magical

“Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~ Groucho Marx

Tucker LOVED Disney. What kid doesn't? It was priceless to see his face when his jaw hit the floor as he realized POOH BEAR was standing 10 feet away from him. He was star struck!! :) The other highlights were meeting Tow Mater and Lightening McQueen and having BUZZ LIGHTYEAR...yes THE buzzlightyear ;) wave at him. He told every single one of the doctors and nurses at proton about that awesome moment. It was so precious. He loved the toy story ride and could have ridden it a million times which surprised us because he normally doesn't like rides but he really loves toy story in general so I guess that helped. We saw the Disney Jr. Show which is a puppet show of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and other pirate characters from the disney channel that I don't remember the name of but were cute. Tucker clapped and danced to the music which was sooo good to see after he had been sick for so long. Tucker did not get sick the entire weekend and really enjoyed himself, so we in turn really enjoyed ourselves also. If Tucker is happy and feeling well we feel like we are on cloud nine it is such a blessing. I don't have a lot of good pictures from our weekend. Tucker liked to see all the characters from afar so we didn't get pictures with them. And it was so crowded we barely could stop for a second to take a pic without worrying about loosing our toes to another stroller. :P But i will share the pics I did take below. A HUGE thank you to my aunt Linda for getting us into Disney and helping us create such wonderful memories. We spent Sunday at my aunt's and enjoyed catching up with them. Tucker got to play with 2 of his second cousins and they had a blast. It was so nice to spend time with family. Thank you again aunt Linda we love you!

Today is Saturday. Tucker had a chemo treatment yesterday...his last one in FL hooray! They changed up his meds a little bit and his experience this time has been wonderful. As you know last treatment was awful. He was terribly ill for 7 straight days. This time thanks to all of your extra prayers Tucker is doing wonderful. He did not get sick during his treatment at all which was huge because last time he got sick several times before his drip was even over. He has eaten pretty good last night and today and his energy is no less than during the week. Last time he was a limp noodle for several days before we even had strength to sit up. So as you can tell it is an extremely different experience this time. Praise God!! What a wonderful blessing for our last chemo weekend in Florida. We are just taking each treatment as it comes and we know that every treatment may not be like this one from here on out, which we are prepared for, but we will definitely celebrate when it goes smoothly and praise God through the good and the bad. No matter how bad some situations seem, someone is always going through something worse. We have so much to be grateful for.

This week HOME seemed to pull at my heart strings a little more than it has prior. (Hence the carolina song playing with the disney pics..i know it doesnt really match but i love the song and its my blog so i can do what i want right? ;) I miss the beginning of fall in Greer. The pumpkin and pansy stands on the side of the highways, the vibrant leaves dancing on our trees around our house, the crisp morning temperature that perks you up when you step outside. I even miss seeing all the over the top fall and halloween decorations that adorn the neighborhoods. If we were home we probably would have gone apple picking by now and I would have gotten so excited to buy my first jug of apple cider of the season. The only way you would know it is fall here are the signs at Starbucks tempting me to buy a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Which I indulged in one morning and it was sooo yummy...but then it made me miss all my friends at home who also love pumpkin spice lattes and Greer in the fall! So needless to say yes I am missing home but I am keeping my eye on the prize and I know that it won't be long and I will be home. And we will be just in time to take Tucker on a hayride and pick out a nice fat pumpkin and finally welcome fall in Greer for ourselves! :) I can't wait.

Isaiah 55:12 - "You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

Disney on PhotoPeach

Messy Weekend

Well there is no way to sugar coat it...Tucker responded awful to chemo Friday afternoon. Before the first bag of medicine even finished he was vomiting. Vomited several times thereafter until he had nothing left to come up, but he continued to dry heave so they gave him a cocktail of benedryl and steroids to calm his little system. It worked and helped him nap but the sickness continued friday night saturday, sunday and today. Lots of middle of the night bed and pj changes and days of keeping a bucket close by. He did not play very much he was too weak. He just laid on me like a limp noodle. As I am typing he is sleeping and I am hoping he wakes feeling stronger and able to eat dinner. They gave him extra fluids today at the Proton center to help make up what he had lost these past few days. Tucker is a tough boy, he does not complain and he hardly ever crys...but he has had enough. Today I had to wake him up exhausted to tell him it was time to go to the dr. and he immediately cried and did not want his "dingle dangle" back on, did not want to be messed with, and I do not blame him.

Chemo days are a hard dose of reality. We have become very numb to the radiation process. We had to become numb to it in order to endure it everyday. Everyone at the proton center helps it be a pretty "enjoyable" experience. We talk with other families Tucker plays before and after he gets his sticker we all leave happy that we made it another day down and go on with our day. There is nothing "enjoyable" about chemo and its effects remind you...your child has cancer. Your child is sick. It is not an experience you can become numb to. I am however going to see if maybe they can switch his nausea meds to possibly get a little better of an outcome for next treatment. Everyone knows chemo is awful, we expected that Tucker would get sick from it. It just is hard to see. The only thing keeping me from taking him and running far far away is knowing that the very thing that is making him so terribly sick is also the thing that is hopefully saving his life. Knowing God has his little hand while I hold the other helps too.

****please notice he still has a smirk after his lousy afternoon of treatment...our little superman*******


This is the probably the first post that is not too uplifting and spiritual. I have to "keep it real." Cancer is not butterflies and puppies. It doesn't give you warm feelings. I get those from God. God understands I have days that are not so positive and he doesn't expect me to act like everything is ok all the time. Hopefully everyone can respect my honesty. This weekend was awful but in time Tucker will be back to his bubbly self and that will carry us to his next treatment.

God had foresight to Tucker's trials. My parents were originally supposed to come last weekend. That didn't work out but it was best they were here during our rough weekend. They were able to give us a little break Sunday night to enjoy a dinner date while Tucker stayed at their hotel. It was much needed and appreciated and came at a perfect time. It was also wonderful to see my parents after 3 long weeks. All of us drove to St. Augustine Sunday afternoon. We got rained out of going to the beach but we ate lunch and strolled Tucker around an alligator farm. He was too weak to really get into it like he normally would have but he enjoyed getting fresh air and seeing the gators.

Our family is super excited about taking Tucker to meet Mickey this weekend at Disney World. After proton on Friday we are heading to Orlando to enjoy some FUN. Can't wait!!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (NIV)

3 down 3 to go

I can't believe we are half way through our treatment plan in Florida. The time is really passing quickly. Most of you know that Tucker's spinal tap came back showing cancer cells had not spread to his spinal fluid. That good news will carry us through the rest of the trip, it gave us a little pep in our step again that we so desperately needed. We give God all the glory for that good news and our ability to endure the past 3 weeks of treatment.

Tucker will get his second dose of chemo tomorrow. His radiation has not caused any major changes at this point. His skin is starting to darken in that area just a tad. He has settled in our routine and is finally taking a nap during the day again. The first 2 weeks he would not nap because everything is so different but his body needs as much rest as possible so we are so happy to see him nap again.

Last post I asked you to pray for the other children in proton with Tucker so I wanted to update you on them. The children getting treatment with Tucker now are Cruise, Jessica and another little boy that just started yesterday and I haven't met him yet. There are only 4 right now but I am almost certain more will start next week. The other children finished their treatment plan. Joseph however went home just 2 weeks into treatment due to an MRI showing that his tumor had taken over more of his brain than they felt could be fixed. They took him home to make memories. Our hearts broke for their family we continue to pray for them as they experience a parent's worst nightmare.

We have really enjoyed getting to know Jessica's parents. Jessica is 18 months old. They are our age and from the UK. We went out to eat with them tonight and it was so nice to feel "normal" for a few hours. They are a sweet sweet family.

My parents and brother are coming down Saturday. We are excited to see them. Tucker will be thrilled to see grandmee and grandpee again. We hope to go to St. Augustine Beach if Tucker feels up to it on Sunday. They have to leave Monday but at least we know we only have a few more weeks till we are HOME.

THANK YOU to everyone that have showered us with cards. We are like little kids opening presents on Christmas morning when we receive our mail. It is the highlight of our day and we truly appreciate the time people take out of their lives to make us feel special. The lady at the front desk even commented one day about how much mail we get. She said " I am amazed everyday by how much mail you get. You get more mail than anyone in this house. I tend to double check and make sure your pile is all yours." :) That just shows what loving, compassionate, generous, kind-hearted people God has blessed us with and we will be forever grateful.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Tucker's complete healing. I will update as the next weeks pass. Tucker is doing amazingly well for what his little body is going through. Most days you honestly would not even know he was sick to look at him but all the doctors around him kinda give it away. :)

"who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls" 1 Peter 1:5-9