These months seem to be flying by lately.  Tuesday we headed back up to clinic for more chemo.  I was really happy Skyler only had to get Vincristine  and no chemo in his spine, but when I told Skyler that he didnt have to get the sleepy medicine  he started crying.  Definitely not the response I was expecting.  He looked at me totally bummed out and said "NOOO!  I really want to have my backpoke mom."  His reason why...he really wanted to play with the helicopter they have in there while he is getting his sleepy medicine.  It was a little slap in the face and reminded me that he really is just a child.  He just seems so much older to me with all the things he knows, has been exposed to, and has to do that sometimes I forget he is just a little boy.  Its crazy that he has no problem having to go without food, get anesthesia and a giant needle stuck in his back if that means he gets to play with a toy.  He seiously amazes me and I know I wouldnt be able to do what he has to do with the attitude he does it with.  I read this saying the other day and it is so true for me.  "Most people never get to meet their HEROS, I gave birth to mine."

Despite not being able to play with his helicopter in RTU, Skyler did really well at clinic.  His counts came back really high but not as high as they were last month.  This just means that his body is still trying to fight off whatever infection he had when he had those fevers.  They didnt bump up his oral chemo anymore because they are expecting his counts to drop back into normal range this month.

Physically Skyler has been doing really well until yesterday when he started coughing and sneezing and had a runny nose.  I was hoping and praying it was just allergies or something, but throughout the night and this morning it has gotten worse.  He has a full blown cold and Im afraid we might end up either in the ER with a fever or in ICS with croup.  Before diagnosis Skyler's colds ALWAYS turned into croup and he always ended up in the hopsital getting breathing treatments and steriods.  I pray his cough this time just stays a normal cough and that his body can fight this off like any other kid.  It's a good thing his counts are high so they will help fight this cold before it turns into anything more.  Before cancer I never in a million years thought a cold could bring this much anxiety, worry and panic.

Skyler's favorite song right now is Stronger by Kelly Clarkson.  It's totally a breakup song but he doesn't know that.  He says it makes him stronger every time he listens to it.  On our last clinic appointment Skyler told me it was a good thing he listened to his song today because it made him stronger to get his chemo and sleepy medicine.  I managed to sneak this video of him listening to the music video.  This was his fourth time in a row.

                        http://youtu.be/5-LkV-WivOE

I have been really busy lately and I have alot of stuff to catch up on, including Skyler' star raising party, but here are some pictures of some of the things we have been up to.  Skyler has been doing really well and having fun playing with cousins.  From the moment he wakes up he is on the go.  His favorite thing to do now is go play at his cousins or both of grandma's houses by himself.  Since I have been letting him do things without me sometimes he is taking full advantage of it.  He loves feeling "normal" again.  I read this off of another cancer buddies blog before he passed away and it really hit me hard.  "What's the point of trying so hard to save our child's life if we don't let them live it?"  That has stuck with me and its what I have been living by lately.  This mother decided she wasn't  going to keep her son in a bubble anymore, she was going to let him live his life.  The following year he died.  It just goes to show you never know what the future holds, so make the most of what you have today. 


                      We went to Wheeler Farm with cousins...

We had a WONDERFUL Easter!  The picture above is Skyler and his two bestest buddies on Easter morning.  I know that is not the most flattering picture of Jagger, kids cover your eyes.

My mom had an Easter egg hunt and a treasure hunt at her house.  This is Skyler's face when he saw all the eggs!

Grandma gave all the kids sunglasses and towels for their prize after the treasure hunt.  I think they like them!

  All the grandkids!  Skyler loves his cousins, he told my mom later that day that he wanted to erase the whole day so he could do it again.

We also went to a Bee's baseball game.  I love watching baseball so this was really fun for me.  Skyler's favorite part were the treats and playing in the suite we had.

CORRECTION: The universal blood type is O Negative not O Positive. 

I'm sure everyone is sick of me talking about this but its just so important to me.  I made a video of some facts about donating blood.  Before I was thrown into the cancer world and transfusions became a part of my everyday life,  I didn't know much about giving blood except for it sounded scary.  I thought only accident victims needed transfusions and that it didn't happen very often.  Boy was I wrong! 

 We still have appointment times open, so if you are able please let me know and I'll put your name down.  Walk-Ins are welcome but the process is faster with an appointment and I need to know how people are coming so we have enough staff. The best way to reach me is to text at 801-628-6768.  Thank you so much for helping make this a success!

Skyler's birthday is getting closer and what better way to celebrate than by helping others be able to celebrate another birthday as well!  A huge part of why Skyler gets to celebrate his 6th birthday is because of the generous people who donated their blood to him.  Skyler has used 184 units of blood and platelets from ARUP so we want to give back.  We want to get as many people as possible to come donate.  Think about all the lives we could help save!  It will be amazing! 

Also for those of you who are terrified of needles, Be the Match will also be there to sign people up for the bone marrow registry.  Its only a quick swab of the mouth, no pokes.  There are so many people out there right now, including one of Skyler's little cancer buddies, that are waiting for a match from the registry.  You could be that match, you could literally save their life!

This is something that I am very passionate about because I get to give my little boy a big hug and kiss tonight because of people like you who were willing to donate their time and blood to help him.  So if you are able, PLEASE come out and help us celebrate Skyler's birthday by making many more birthdays possible this year.  There will also be a bounce house for kids to play on while you donate or get your cheek swabbed!!!

You can either leave a comment here or email me at crystaln_isaacson@yahoo.com if you are interested.  WALK-INS WELCOME

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending the Make-A-Wish Easter egg hunt at Wheeler Farm.  Skyler was super excited about it and has been looking forward to going for awhile.  They had different places for different age groups to go and at first he was so confused because he could see them all laying there on the ground.  He didn't get why they weren't hidden but as soon as it started he was having so much fun seeing how many he could get in his basket.  My mom came as well and said it looked like the kids were a vacuum sucking up all the eggs as they ran.  It was really cute watching him run after those eggs.  I almost got a little choked up watching him run around with all the other kids with a big smile on his face.  I'm so thankful that we were able to go and have a great time.

He was able to spin a wheel and get a prize.  He won some candy and a free kids meal.

    He also had fun doing a bean bag toss and winning another prize.

                     He helped make his own bracelet as well.

                                 Making a cute Easter craft.....

             This was his favorite part.  He loves animal balloons!

          He asked for a red bunny.  Look at that smile on his face.

                                   Running after the eggs!

 
I love this picture because there is two of his cancer buddies behind him.  These three kids are my heros.

 
                              Thank you Make-A-Wish!!