A Little Help From Our Friends

For some time now we have known that Mason will be undergoing surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. We don’t know when Mason will be going to Toronto or how. We do know that Mason will not be able to fly after his surgery. We also know that this next step in “Mason’s Miracle” is going to be an expensive one. If any of our friends and family would consider helping out with this added expense we would be most grateful. I have included banking information below. Thank you so much for your help and continued thoughts and prayers.

For those wishing to make a donation, there are the following three options:

- If you are a Royal Bank member and are set up with online banking, you can choose to make a straight money transfer from your account to "Other Royal Bank Customer". You will need the following information in order to complete the transaction:

Branch # 05188
Account # 5081930
To Surname/Company Name: Clewis
To Given Name or First Initial: Jade

- If you do not have a Royal Bank account, but live in Moose Jaw, donations can be made at the Royal Bank in the Town & Country Mall as long as you have the account information listed above.

- For those wishing to make a donation by cheque, they can be sent to the following address:

Greg Lien
P.O. Box 783
Moose Jaw, SK.
S6H 4P5

Off to Calgary... Again!

Despite the belief that the next stop for the Clewis family would be Toronto, they have once again made the journey back to Calgary for another round of chemo.  Call it a hospital blunder, or perhaps a communication breakdown, either way the Clewis' will be in Cowtown for the next couple of weeks.  I think we all know how difficult it can be when you're lead to believe one thing, only to have the proverbial rug pulled out from under your feet.  All in all though, these past three years have taught us that nothing is written in stone and surprises can happen in a matter of seconds... Keep up the positive attitude Mason!  I know I'm not alone when I tell you that "I know you will."  Seems as though Papa Greg has made a serious error in judgement by giving Uncle J creative control of the blog... for now!  You'll notice I changed the background.  Much love to Cousin Amanda for creating this wonderful form of expression for the Clewis family but them dots in the background were driving me crazy - lol!  After reading Mason's blog I would continue to see dots for a long time after.  So you can consider the change very self serving... I'm good with that, I have broad shoulders.  As always people, your thoughts and prayers are more than welcome... They're cherished!  I'll do what I can to update any info that comes my way, and once Gregger gets off his butt and sends me some pictures, I'll post them as well (Can you feel the love there? haha).  Love to all! Pictures are canoeing in Bowness Park in Calgary.

A Very Special Gift

    On the first day of his most recent chemo in the clinic at the Calgary Childrens Hospital, Mason was informed that he would be having a visit from some Calgary Stampeder players. He got ready for this visit by quickly making a poster that said "Go Riders Go". He taped this poster to his bedside table!

    Three Calgary Stampeder players came and visited Mason. They got quite a chuckle from Mason's obvious "RIDER PRIDE" and they told him that he was absolutely right to cheer for his home team and to never let anyone change his own choices. There was another man who came with the players but he didn't get in the photos......he chose to stay out of the pictures and away from the attention, but he has become a very special person to Mason and to our whole family. This man was stricken with cancer, non-hodgkin's lymphoma, when he was fifteen years old. He was a very skilled athlete when he was fifteen and full of energy. His battle with cancer was very long and grueling with many similarities to what Mason has undergone. His name is Vince Danielsen. On top of the strong and loving support of family and friends, Vince remembers that during his own chemotherapy treatments he had a very special visit from Lui Passaglia - the famous placekicker of the B.C. Lions. Vince loved football dearly. When he recovered from his battle with cancer he went on to his own successful 8 year career with the Calgary Stampeders during which he earned 2 Grey Cup Championship rings in 1998 and 2001.

    Remembering how Lui Passaglia had gone the extra yard and made such a difference to his own life inspired Vince to start his own "Every Yard Counts Program". As Vince says, "Survival was the product of all the support I received and all the experiences that fueled my positive attitude. I started the "Every Yard Counts Program" to provide children with cancer a one day "getaway" from their treatment schedules. A day where they could have their minds taken away from cancer. A day which, like me, they would never forget." The program was started in June 1997 in unison with the Stampeders and the Alberta Children's Hospital.

    Mason received four tickets to the July 1st, Calgary vs Toronto game donated by Vince Danielsen, along with special seating with Vince. The whole family got to go and they were treated royaly. Mason was welcomed to the game by the broadcast announcer, given an autographed hat, an encouragement package and a letter of encouragement from Vince. After the game, Mason, Kale and Dad got a guided tour of the locker room to meet the players and receive autographs (Mum had to wait outside the locker room - LOL)

What a special day it was indeed!                              

 Another never to be forgotten day!

In the locker room with Vince Danielsen.                            

Update on Mason's treatment:

    Mason made it through round 5 of chemo for this year on June 27th. Mason once again did a spectacular job - staying positive and impressing the nurses!! As reported earlier, the family managed a quick trip home on July 11th only to be called back to Calgary for more tests on July 16th so they only had 3 days at home, starting and ending with a day of driving. The tests went smoothly and the good news was another day of driving right after the tests were completed! So, the whole family is at home once again and we've had some decent weather, visits with family and friends and even some good times at the lake.

    The doctors have been deliberating recently on the next step. We have for some time been aware that one of the most likely scenarios will be a trip to the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children for some rather tricky surgery. It is now appearing that this will be happening in the near future. We will do our best to keep you all posted and thank you for your continuing prayers and support.

A week off at HOME !!! - Or NOT !!!!!

Mason and the whole family got to come home for a week!! They arrived home on Sunday, July 11th and will hopefully have an entire week at home. Mason was released from hospital, after round 5 of chemo, on June 27th. Justin and Kale arrived in Calgary on June 29th so the whole family have been spending time in Calgary since then going out to see some of the sights and parks in Calgary and checking into the hospital to monitor blood levels. The whole family received Calgary Stampeder Football game tickets from a special friend - more on that later - and had a great time at the game and visiting with some of the players after the game. The Brentnell family from Moose Jaw stopped in for a visit and they all had a good day at the Stampede and another day in Banff. Mason is waiting to have another CT scan together with a bone scan.

    The pictures are: 1. Mason working on his "Fencing" model which he made with plaster cast bandages.

                              2. Mason and his art teacher displaying the "Fencing" model and his Pink Pig with Purple Polka Dots!!

                              3. Making some great music with Marc, the resident music teacher.

                              4. Outside the Calgary Childrens Hospital on the teeter totter with his constant "friend" the I.V. cart!

                              5. Exercise - the "in hospital" way!!!!

Jade just got a phone call from Calgary which informed them that they have to return on Thursday for the CT and bone scan which has been scheduled for Friday. It is quite disappointing that they don't get to stay for the weekend. Two days of driving and only three days at home! Oh well, we're happy to have them home for whatever time allows and will send them back to Calgary with our love and good memories of the times that we have had.

Another round of chemo

Jade and Mason and Papa Greg drove back to Calgary last Tuesday. The #1 highway was still closed beyond Maple Creek but they made a quick detour through Golden Prairie which saved a couple of hours. Mason went back into the Calgary Childrens Hospital on Wednesday for round 5 of chemo for this year. He is on day 4 and is doing really well. If all continues to go well he will be finished the chemo tomorrow, Sunday, and will be discharged on Monday. Justin and Kale will hopefully be driving up to Calgary by then also. Still no word on upcoming treatments.
   Picture of Mason at Bowness Park in Calgary on June 13th.

Mason is in Moose Jaw!!!!!

Mason had been scheduled to return to the Calgary Childrens Hospital on Friday for more chemotherapy. This decision was made on Thursday following a lengthy meeting with Dr. Brindel, Mason's surgeon, and Dr. Struthers, the head oncologist. More testing will be required prior to a decision regarding further surgery. The P.E.T. scan did not turn out to be as effective as was hoped, probably due to residual chemotherapy drugs still in Mason's system which dampened the normal biological processes that were to be studied. In the meantime, more chemotherapy will hopefully continue to shrink the tumors. The doctors are very happy with the amount that the tumors have reduced in size.
    Blood tests that were done on Friday morning revealed that Mason's blood levels were not high enough yet for further chemotherapy and Jade was given the green light to make a quick trip home for the weekend.
    It didn't turn out to be such a quick trip!! Flooding, due to record rainfall at the Alberta/Sask. border, closed the Trans-Canada Highway and Jade and Mason were forced to make a 5 hour detour - north at Dunmore (just east of Medicine Hat) to Oyen, then east to Rosetown and south again to Swift Current - on secondary highways that have never seen such traffic (5,000 vehicles per day)! The flooding that went through Maple Creek is the worst ever recorded!
    Jade and Mason arrived home at 1:30a.m. They will likely have to return to Calgary again on Monday.
    The pictures are of Mason at a playground near to Uncle Rick and Aunt Bev's. Feeding ducks, paddle boating and enjoying Bowness Park in Calgary. Mason entering the P.E.T. scanner. Two pictures of flooding across the Trans-Canada Highway.

Back to Calgary once again!

    Mason and his Mum drove back to Calgary on Tuesday. Mason had a CT Scan on Wednesday and was scheduled for a P.E.T. Scan today but this Scan was postponed until tomorrow. From "Wikepedia" : Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body.  PET scans are increasingly read alongside CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, the combination ("co-registration") giving both anatomic and metabolic information (i.e., what the structure is, and what it is doing biochemically).
    Jade is requesting as many prayers and positive thoughts as possible right now since these tests are to determine how effective the chemotherapy has been. As usual, Mason is his same happy, positive self.

     Your loving thoughts and prayers are most welcome at this time.