2nd Chemo Voyage - Round 3

    Mason went back into the Calgary Childrens Hospital again today for another round of chemo. He started the treatment in the hospital clinic where he met a new friend. This friend is a 14 year old boy who was in receiving blood platelets. 14 years old and 6 feet 3 inches tall!!!! He and Mason played Wii for most of the afternoon. Mason will receive this treatment of chemo and then have another CT scan before a decision is made on the path forward.

    Justin and Kale left for Calgary after school this afternoon. Safe trip. Godspeed. And another wonderful reunion with your precious family.
    The picture: Kale holding his brand new brother Mason, the day he came home from the hospital.
    Many thanks to all of our friends and family for your continuing prayers and loving thoughts.

Ups and Downs - Great Ups!!!!!

Mason had to go to the hospital last Friday to receive hemoglobin for four hours. Then at noon on Sunday he had to be admitted to the hospital. He had developed a high fever and was admitted to begin receiving antibiotics through his chest “port”. His white blood cell count was very low. By Monday he was feeling much better and his last high temperature was during the night. His average blood count (AGC) was still too low to count. Jade and Mason watched a lot of TV and Mason made a box for his rock collection. Auntie Bev came by for a visit in the evening.


On Tuesday, Mason had a CT scan in the morning. Dr. Brindel, the surgeon, paid a visit in the evening. She didn’t know that Mason was in the hospital but she saw his name on a register and took the time, after her long day, to drop by and see how Mason was doing. She also didn’t know that Mason had the CT scan in the morning. After checking the computer at the nurses station, (there’s also a computer outside every room), she invited Jade to have a look. They both celebrated the reduction in the size of the tumors! Dr. Brindel said that the tumor on the right side is now only about the size of the small tumor that they removed in October. They couldn’t even see the tumor on the left side, but the radiologist report had not been completed yet. I can’t explain the relief that I felt in Jades voice when she told me. We are so grateful for Dr. Brindel. She is so calm and understanding. Jade feels good just seeing her.

We don’t know yet what the doctors will decide for the next step. We continue to have faith that God will choose to have our dear little boy come home and live life to the fullest.

Cousin Ashley Slade came for a visit on Tuesday afternoon. She had flown in from Saskatoon and they had a great visit. Ashley has a wonderful presence and Mason loves to see her.

Mason found a tricycle in the hallway and even though his knees almost hit the handlebars he had a lot of fun scooting up and down the halls. He practiced his parallel parking and played on it until long after the lights were turned out!!

Today, Wednesday, Mason has been discharged from the hospital and he and Jade are back at Uncle Rick and Aunt Bev's. Jade says that Mason is feeling great!! They are planning to go out to supper with Ashley and Uncle Collin.

On Monday, Masons AGC was too low to count. On Tuesday his AGC was up to 220. Today it is over 2000!!! An AGC below 500 is considered neutropenic (very low immunity). His white blood cell count has come up from 1.1 to 4.2. Normal white count is between 4 & 5!! Way to go Mason!!!

The pictures are: Kale and Mason at Lake Louise, Easter 2006 - Kale and Mason posing with Darryl Sutter at the 2010 World Junior Championship Game, Saskatoon, Jan. 2nd, 2010.

The hospital is scheduled to call Jade tomorrow with news of what comes next. We’ll do our best to keep you updated. In the meantime, we thank you for keeping Mason in your thoughts and prayers. It is very comforting to know that our friends and family are there for Mason and for all of us. Thank you.

Chemo #2 Finished

Mason got out of the hospital yesterday and now gets 2 weeks off!! He did really well throughout the chemo. The whole family is in Calgary at Uncle Rick and Aunt Bev's. Mason has a bit of a cough and is on a preventative antibiotic. There is a CT scan scheduled for April 13th. A decision will be made after the CT scan about the next step. For now, since it is Easter break, the family can enjoy a few days together in Calgary - not a bad place to have to spend some time!! There's a good chance that Jade and Mason will travel back to Moose Jaw for a few days before Mason's next appointment. The pictures are of Mason at three days old - the day he and his Mum came home from the hospital. The 2nd one is from a family wedding in 2003.                                                                   

Round Two of Chemo

Mason started round two of his chemo yesterday. He had a really good day, painting, doing some "dolphin art" and he and his Mum popped popcorn and watched a movie. Justin and Kale rose very early today and arrived in Calgary by 11 am! It is so nice that the whole family can be together for this Easter weekend. Mason and Kale are busy playing video games and doing that "brotherly" thing. They really enjoy being together. Mason had an x-ray on Wednesday and a preliminary look says that the tumors are shrinking! Thank you Lord. We also thank our many wonderful friends and family members for your prayers and support. May this Easter bring the healing and renewal that we seek. We are also thinking about and praying for our friend Joshua Hurlburt. Josh has undergone a second bone marrow transplant for Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD) at the Calgary University hospital. He has been battling this disease for about 24 yrs, since he was first diagnosed at 3 years of age. He is waging a major battle right now. You can get in touch with Josh on his blog site: http://www.joshuasride.com/ Please add Joshua to your loving thoughts. He is another very special young man.