A Big Christmas Surprise and a Prayer Request

Well, it was quite an amazing Christmas at the Bradburn house. We now have a new member of the family.  An 8 week old Cockapoo boy named, Max.  He is absolutely precious.  It was a BIG surprise as we have always told the boys "we are never getting a dog, we have kids".  But, after the year that Forester has had we agreed that if any boy deserves a puppy, it's Forester.  He's been asking for a dog since he was three and he is a big animal lover. He loves to watch animal planet and has decided he wants to be a snake wrangler and have his own snake show.  Well, we're not getting any snakes so a puppy it is!  Max was in a big box in front of the tree with a big bow on top and the boys were in shock when they opened it up.  I think Forester was truly stunned!  Max is already snuggling into our family just fine... though the housebreaking is quite a challenge.  We've never had a puppy before!  I thought I wasn't having any more kids - I guess I was wrong.  Max is baby # 4! ha!

Max's arrival also marks a milestone in Forester's treatment.  The day he was diagnosed (Feb 24th 2009), the Oncologist told us "no new pets" until after treatment. And here we are on the other side of the hard core chemo and embracing a new furry friend.  Thank you, Lord for the victories in Jesus!

Health wise our family has still been struggling a bit.  The stomach bug hit about 10 out of the 17 of us and about half of us are still battling a cold/cough.  Thankfully Forester hasn't really had much in the way of symptoms of either - miraculous! But, when he went to the clinic on Wednesday his white blood count was really low which probably means his body is trying to fight off something.  So, we're trying to keep him protected. Thankfully, he seems fine!  Thank you so much for your prayers of protection over Forester's body.  Keep it up!  They're working!

Prayer Request:  Tomorrow at 9:40 AM Forester will undergo another MRI of his brain to make sure everything looks as it should and that there are no traces of cancer.  He will be under general sedation for this procedure which will last about an hour and a half.  Please be praying for peace for him, that everything goes well with the sedation, and that the scans look PERFECT!  Also, please pray for me (& I know that you are) that I, too, will have God's peace.  It's so hard not to be scared and anxious about these scans.  Strangely, in this last month I  feel scared about Forester's health all the time. I'm not sure why as one would think I would be breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe because we're stepping into new, uncharted territory and I just don't quite know how to "be".  Maybe all the emotions of the last year are catching up with me (again).  I'm not sure but I do feel a bit like I'm suffocating sometimes and I'm not sure how I'll continue to live in this overwhelming sense of fear.  I need God's peace and healing and I know I need to trust Him.  I also know I need your help by asking you to pray. Please pray.

Thank you.  As I've said before, words are not adequate in expressing my gratitude to you.  For reading our blog, loving our son, praying for our family, and keeping us encouraged.  Your friendship is an amazing gift. I pray that you were truly blessed over the holiday season.  I was more than ready to kick 2009 to the curb and welcome 2010 with open arms.  We are praying that 2010 and beyond will be CANCER FREE for our family.  We're praying for you, that 2010 will bring to you more than you ever thought possible.  Amazing joy, amazing peace and the amazing love of God.

Happy New Year!
Whitney

To view short videos of Max, click HERE and HERE!

Feeling Better!

Slade has been moving around a bit today and eating and drinking a little bit more.  I am feeling much better than I was last night and am going to attempt to sing tonight! No matter how it sounds, to God be the glory.  Thanks so much for your prayers for all of us.  Blessings to you all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Whitney

Keep Praying

Slade is making progress, drinking some and having a few cheerios, she is crying a lot in her sleep and very restless.  It's almost midnight now and she is crying. Poor girl.
I seem to be close to miserable with tons of pressure in my head, sneezing, aches, chills and even jaw pain - huh?  Anyway.  Pray that tomorrow is a brand new day.  It's CHRISTMAS EVE!  Unless a miracle happens overnight I don't think I'll be singing tomorrow.  Sad. :-(  I was looking forward to being with my worship team family tomorrow night.

Ultimately though, this is a praise report!  As of now no other family members have come down with anything.  Keep praying that coverage.  THANK YOU!

Goodnight!
Whit

Little Prayer Please

Slade and I came down with a stomach bug yesterday and while I am feeling much better, poor Slade still can't keep anything down and has had a consistent fever of 100.  She is pitiful! Please pray for protection over the rest of our family.  All the Browns(my parents & sibs & kids) have been together here in Charleston since the weekend.  There are 16 of us!  Please pray no one else gets this nasty bug, especially Forester! I also seem to have come down with a cold as of last night.  I know!  !?!?  I'm supposed to be singing at church tomorrow night and a cold seriously complicates things.  Pray that this cold does not get in the way! Or better yet, just goes away!
I still have so much to do before Christmas morning and I so want it to be Forester's best Christmas ever after the year he's had.  Sickness was not part of my plan! Please also pray for me, that I can keep what really matters in perspective and not get too anxious about all of this.  I am really good at getting anxious...
Thank you for your prayers.  May God bless you!

Whitney

Yesterday's Labs & Hearing Test

Forester's labs were pretty good.  Everything is almost in the normal range except for his hemoglobin.  It continues to hover just under 9.  They usually transfuse if it goes under 9 but since it's not continuing to go down they want his body to recover on it's own. We don't have to go back for 2 weeks which is nice.

The results of Forester's hearing test showed that he has lost a little bit more in the higher tones.  I was told yesterday it's possible for him to lose even more as a residual effect from the chemo.  What can I say.  It's very disappointing and I'm sad.  I'm praying the hearing loss stops.  I really don't want him to have to have hearing aids on top of everything else he's endured.  I'm discouraged so I would really appreciate you praying in faith on my behalf.  My faith in this area feels a bit deflated.

Love,
Whitney

Every one slept great last night! Thank you for your prayers!
-Whit

Transition

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post.  The wonderful Christmas craziness has begun and I haven't had a chance to update you. I never did finish a slideshow of Slade's first year.  After the New Year, I guess...

There isn't a whole lot to report.  Things have been going smoothly and Forester is doing well. We're still trying to adjust to this new schedule of normalcy!  After so much this year, I find it a little bit difficult to transition back into our old life.  Of course, it will never be our old life because that was a life without a child with cancer.  I was talking with another cancer-kid mom the other day and I said something like It's hard to imagine what life will be like when this is over.  And she posed the question: "Is cancer ever really over?"  I wasn't sure how to answer that.  Forester will have MRI scans for the rest of his life.  How do I not live in fear that his cancer will come back every time he gets a scan? Will it always define him?  Will it always define us?  I don't know. 

Right now, we're working on transitioning Forester back into school by sometime in January.  He has a lot of progress to make between now and then but I think we can do it.  The biggest challenges for him will be stamina and schedule.  He's used to taking a 2 hour nap everyday,  eating whatever he wants whenever he wants, and in general, a whole lot of flexibility.  We've started to cut out the naps and as of this evening Forester will finally be sleeping in his own room - not on the floor in our room like he has the last 10 months.  Kinda sounds like I'm transitioning an infant doesn't it?  All 3 kids in their beds by 8pm tonight sounds like a dream!  Pray that it goes well.  Forester wasn't too excited about leaving our bedside.  He's become quite attached to his little space in the corner.

Forester continues to go to the hospital clinic once a week for blood labs and this week he'll have another hearing test.  He'll have another MRI of his brain at the end of this month.  He still takes a handful of pills 3x times a day but hopefully as time goes on the amount of pills that he needs will decrease. Accutane will start back up after Christmas.

Hard to believe it's less than 2 weeks till Christmas!  Remember when you were a kid and it took forever for the month of December to go by?  We've really enjoyed getting ready.  We have a beautiful tree, lots of other decorations up and several Advent calendars.  The boys love counting down the days until Jesus' birthday and Santa's visit! Forester keeps reminding me that we really need to move all of the stuff that's in front of the fireplace because it will be in Santa's way.  They've even been a little nicer to one another as the Elf on the Shelf is watching... 

We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas.  I hope during all the busyness of this month, you have a chance to stop, look around and truly be thankful for all the blessings in your life. 

Love to all,
Whitney

One Year Ago Today...

One year ago today, I was extremely uncomfortable and anxiously awaiting the following morning so it would finally be the day my daughter would be born.  Some of you remember I was hugely pregnant and measured 6 or 7 weeks ahead for the last 12 weeks or so of my pregnancy due to extra fluid.  Plus, there was a big baby in there (9.2)! I couldn't wait to meet my baby girl. I was also a little apprehensive about being a mommy to 3 kids. Could I juggle it all? Especially with Pete's travel schedule? I definitely thought that adjusting to being a mother of three would be the biggest challenge I would face this year.  Who knew only a few short months later all that would change. What a year it's been! I am so thankful for my beautiful, sweet sunshine, Slade Katherine, who has been a constant source of joy in the midst of such a trying year.  Thank you, Lord for blessing our lives with her!


I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We had a lovely low key Thanksgiving here in Charleston. Forester had to go to the ER for blood labs on Friday because the clinic was closed but it was a relatively short trip and he didn't need any transfusions. Right now we are getting close to the end of his Accutane cycle so he's starting his monthly peel.  His head and face, hands and a few other spots peel as if he had a bad sunburn and his lips get very raw and chapped. He'll stop Accutane on the 4th and thankfully his skin recovers within days of stopping the medicine. This will be the first time we won't be in the hospital for chemo during his last Accutane dose.  It feels weird. We head back to the clinic on Wednesday to check blood counts again.
We got our Christmas tree on Saturday and I've been busy decorating.  Last year I was so pregnant and then had a newborn so my family did most of the decorating for me.  I'm really enjoying it this year. I love Christmas!

I'm working on a picture slide show of Slade's first year and I will post it tomorrow on her 1st Birthday!  Sadly, Pete has to be out of town on business so we're postponing a party until Sunday. :-(

Got to get back to decking the halls!

Whitney