Take Me Home Country Roads To The Place I Belong

Mason had some really great blood test results today and he is on his way home!!!! Uncle Jordan had travelled to Calgary last week to suprise Jade on her birthday so he is leading the way in his car and Jade and Mason are travelling behind in Jades car. Jade hopes that they will be able to stay until possibly the 9th of June so will be happy to have her car at home. They won't get into Moose Jaw until about 12:30am so will need some rest time tomorrow. Mason will have some follow-up blood tests done in Moose Jaw on Thursday. Hopefully, he will be able to have a visit with his favorite lab technician and friend, Sandra Wendt.

    Photos are memories of Disneyworld and Universal Studios in February.

Chemo - Round 4

    Mason went back into the Calgary Childrens Hospital on Tuesday, had blood tests and began hydrating for another round of chemo before the results of the blood tests came back. The blood test results were high enough that he started "round 4" at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

     Sometimes it begins to feel that these "rounds of chemo" are becoming routine and just another day in the ongoing struggle. I forget sometimes that this isn't a natural state of affairs. I think that I become complacent and because I don't have to be there moment by moment and day by day I sometimes just go on with my own life and don't realize the uncertainty that my beautiful daughter and my wonderful grandson have to live with every day. At other times I connect somehow and am most nearly brought to my knees. God, please, let it be me!                              Justin and Kale travelled to Calgary last nite and are spending their time today with Mason and Jade at the hospital. Mason has done really well once again and all things being well, as we expect, Mason will be discharged once again tomorrow. This will allow the whole family to spend some quality time together, over this long weekend, before Justin and Kale have to return to Moose Jaw.

    The first picture is of Mason and Kale on their DisneyWorld holiday in February this year. The other pictures were taken at Kales inline (rollerblade) tourney in Edmonton, May 14th to 16th. Good fun with the Beattie children.
SUNDAY, MAY 23rd, 5:00p.m. - I didn't get the update notification sent out last night so can now inform that Mason did get out of the hospital today. I spoke with Jade moments ago at uncle Rick and aunt Bevs. Mason is doing well and the family is considering what they will do tonite. Justin and Kale need to leave Calgary fairly early tomorrow. Justin needs to get ready for the annual camping trip with his grade 7 students and the forcast is calling for rain. Mason will have blood tests once again on Tuesday or Wednesday. He is also scheduled for a CT scan on June 7th and a PET scan on June 10th. Jade thinks that they will likely have to stay in Calgary throughout this period while Masons blood levels are rebuilding.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog!

Mason and Jade flew back to Calgary last Wednesday evening after a wonderful 6 days at home.  Mason and Kale and Jade helped grandpa Greg pick out a 7 yr. old Samoyed, Sasha, at the Moose Jaw Humane Society. Grandpa and Sasha have had a few trials and tribulations over the last few days. Mason had blood tests on Thursday. The doctors were planning another round of chemo but Masons blood levels were too low. As luck would have it, Kale was to attend an in-line (rollerblade) hockey tournament in Edmonton this past weekend. Justin had to stay in Moose Jaw for a training course so uncle Jordan volunteered to take Kale. Since Mason would not be in the hospital now, Jordan and Kale went to Calgary on Thursday and all 4 of them went together to Edmonton on Friday. Another great family time! Mason had a great weekend at the rink with Kale and the Moose Jaw team. They lost their first game on Friday 6 - 3. On Saturday they won the morning game 15 - 2. In the afternoon, they won 8 - 4. On Sunday, today, they won the morning game something like 8 - 4 also and qualified for the gold medal game in the afternoon. They played the team that they had lost to on Friday and ended up winning 14 - 0!!!!!! Kale had 2 goals and 3 assists in that game and 4 goals and 7 assists in the previous games. Way to go Kale!!! The big news is that they have now qualified for a tournament in San Jose!!!! Get your wallets out Moose Jaw - there's going to be a lot of fund raising before they can make it to San Jose!!

    Jade and Mason and Kale and Jordan are on their way back to Calgary as I write. Jordan and Kale will travel to Moose Jaw tomorrow. I suspect that Mason will be having more blood tests tomorrow as well.

    We are grateful for your continuing thoughts and prayers for Mason and will try to keep you all informed of his progress.

Mason is in Moose Jaw!!!!!

    Mason and his Mum flew home from Calgary last nite! Mason had to hold his mothers hand because she really doesn't like flying all that much. Masons blood counts bounced back dramatically once again.  Way to go Mason!!
    Kale was performing in a school musical at the Mae Wilson theatre when Mason and his Mum arrived. It was a great suprize! And it was a great musical too!!
    They will be home until next Wednesday, May 12th, when they will have to fly back to Calgary. Lots of rest and time with friends and family is in order.

"A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner" - English proverb

    Mason had to go back into the hospital early yesterday morning. He had been coughing some and woke up at 4:30 a.m. with a fever. He and his Mum arrived at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. There was some "gurgling" in his right lung. An X-ray revealed a touch of pneumonia. The X-ray also revealed that the tumors continue to shrink!!! What conflicting emotions! Jade was so afraid that some more terrible circumstance had presented itself that she broke down and cried with relief when the X-ray results came back. The oncologist had trouble understanding how she could be relieved upon hearing that her son had pneumonia. Doctors are wonderful people and we are so grateful for them. Still, they don't hold a candle to the beauty and importance of a loving mother!
    Mason was put on antibiotics for the pneumonia and a blood transfusion for a low haemoglobin count. They were both very tired yesterday and hopefully got enough well needed rest.
    This morning I received a text from Jade...."His fever stayed down all night and they said that he sounds better. His blood counts need to come up before we can leave. Mason couldn't sleep last night so we are very tired and need to get some sleep. Will call later."
    This episode has been even more disappointing because we had been talking about the possibility of Jade and Mason flying home - even if only for a couple of days. They are getting quite homesick and this has been another long stretch. We are hopeful that they will still be able to come home for a couple of days. Mason is going to help his grandpa choose a new pet!

   On another wonderful note - The Brentnell boys organized a headshaving event at Lindale school last Friday. Ethan Brentnell is 6 months younger than Mason and they have been very close friends for a number of years. Kael Brentnall is close to our Kales age and they too are very close. The Brentnells (mum, Alysha and dad, Chris) live at the same lake development as Kale and Masons grandpa and they have been such good friends to our whole family. Mason was able to watch the event with a web cam and the "Skype" internet site. The children at the school were able to see Mason on a screen set up in the school gymnasium. It was a really good event and we thank the Brentnells and the staff at Lindale school and all of the children and their parents who donated so generously of their time and money.

   

Still in Calgary

    Mason was released from the Calgary Childrens Hospital on Wednesday, Apr. 28th after his third round of chemo this year. Mason was fantastic once again! He had a couple of "off" days but all in all, he lived up to his reputation for taking things in stride and maintaining such a positive and happy outlook. I spoke with him a few minutes ago on his Mums cel phone and he told me that he is feeling "GREAT"!!!! Mason, you are just amazing!!
    He and his Mum are being so well looked after in Calgary by Uncle Rick, Aunt Bev and Darren. Uncle Collin picked them up from the hospital when Mason was released and took them out to supper. Right now, Mason and his Mum are having supper with Uncle Jerry and Auntie Marilyn Cox (Nana Liens cousins) and Auntie Brenda, Ashley and Haley Slade are there also - down from Saskatoon. What would we do without such faithful family!!
    Mason is scheduled to have another CT scan on Monday. A decision will then be made about what will happen next.
    The pictures are a sampling of what Mason has been doing recently in Calgary.

    As always, your continuing thoughts and prayers are most welcome. Thank you.

Calgary Flames win the "Cup" - again and again and again!

We posted this picture (taken at the World Junior Championship game on Jan. 2nd, 2010 in Saskatoon) to the blog on April 14th. On April 16th, Darryl Sutter put pen to paper and wrote a wonderful letter of support to Mason. He also had this picture blown up and signed it for Mason. Eric Nystrom and Jay Bouwmeester also added signed portraits. This was all initiated through a friend in Moose Jaw who is friends with a girl who works for the Flames. Mason received the package when Justin and Kale brought it to the hospital last Saturday morning. Mason wasn't having a great day but that was made instantly better by the receipt of such a great gift.

This wasn't the first time that The Calgary Flames went out of their way to support Mason. When Mason underwent his first chemo - from January to September, 2008 - our friends and family organized a steak night. At that time, Dion Phaneuf and the Flames donated some very special jerseys and memorabilia for an auction held at the event. Dions signed jersey was "for Mason only" and now hangs proudly on his bedroom wall. The whole family also received game tickets and special "box seating" as well as the opportunity to meet some of the Flames great players and staff. It is hard to explain just how much this has meant to our entire family. "Win or lose isn't nearly as important as how you play the game". In our hearts and in our minds the Calgary Flames always own a special "Cup" and we thank them from a very special place within all of us.