The DJ Tag

Daniel James (DJ) was born on March 29, 1992. He was one of those easy babies where I could load him up in the stroller, he would fall asleep and I could shop for hours. Until he was 7 years old, it was basically him and I against the world, we were partners.

Jump forward to now. Do you remember when you were 16? Oh, the life! He has a car, great friends and a job. Life is good. He is a honor student, stuggles a little with Geometry, but who really uses it after high school anyway? DJ excels in the arts, his 5th teacher, Mrs. Hales, raved about his artistic abilities. Truthfully, I didn't see it. Now, I am a believer! We have framed many of his pieces. Music is also an interest to him, he has many music genres on his IPOD, screamo, rock, rap, and reggae, many of the bands he listens to are obscure.

DJ has a passion for BMX. When he was 11 years old I bought him his first BMX bike, since then I've lost count of how many frames, bars, and wheels I've purchased. He spends hours upon hours perfecting his many tricks like the 360, the turn-down and disaster. DJ and his friends have been known to ride from Ogden to Layton on their bikes visting all the skateparks along the way. He has combined his love of biking with his talents in multi-media by filming him and his friends performing jumps to music. These feats are dangerous and he has scars from head to shins to prove it.

In the winter, you can find DJ on a mountain snowboarding with his buddies. DJ has a real love for the outdoors and being active. One of the many things I admire about him.

My DJ is a great kid. He has made his mistakes - we won't go into last years end-of-summer incident where I was roused out of bed at 3 a.m. by the Clinton City Police Department. Hey - we both learned alot that night! But I do know he tries his best to do the right thing. These past few months, DJ has been there for a shoulder to cry on. Once again, he's been my partner when I really needed him.

Home for a Little Bit

Friday's test showed that Travis' 2mm size leak has not healed. But thanks to the amazing staff at Salt Lake Regional, Travis was able to come home over this past holiday weekend. What a blessing it was! The case managers surprised us on Friday afternoon that all had been cleared with our insurance to give Trav a break and let him come home for a bit.

We brought him home on Saturday afternoon, a home nurse came over and showed us how to give him his meds, etc and left us alone!! Yay, no nurses or doctors!

Travis' took to the recliner not skipping a beat and started watching the car races. I wouldn't be surprised if that leak healed up while he was home! You can't underestimate the power of family and home and where it can take you.

Last Thursday, our doctor said that he had a "rep" call and talked to him about a stent that can be inserted into the esophagus by endoscopy to patients where surgery is not an option and the tumor is blocking food/liquids to pass through the esophagus. Our dr asked, "Can this be used to help a leak heal?" and the rep said, "Yes." Our dr started calling physicians out-of-state who have tried this procedure and they told him that they believe it would work. This could be the answer to our prayers.

Tomorrow, the rep is coming to town to assist our doctor in the procedure. Since it is done by scope, no surgery is required. The stent will be temporary to allow the tissue to heal and then removed again by scope. We have done some investigation on the internet, actually Angie has :), and it looks very encouraging.

We had a conversation with our doctor a few weeks ago. And we told him that, of course, we are disappointed that Travis' surgery has not gone as planned. Who could have foreseen the complications we have had to deal with? No one. But we ultimitley believe that Travis was diagnosed with cancer for a reason and that was to help others. And if our doctor can use Travis' case to help others with radiated damaged tissue then this experience is not all for nothing.

Travis Update Plus a Shout Out to T

To give everyone an update, when our surgeon came back into town, he studied the film and thought that maybe the position of the chest tube was some how not allowing the leak to close, last Thursday he brought the chest tube down a few inches. Yesterday, a test was done by turning off the nose tube suction and waiting to see what happened. What happened was that it showed that the leak is still there. The book answer to the healing of these types of leaks is for it to heal on its own. Surgery is not recommended, but could be a possibility later. Another swallow test will be performed on Friday to see if the leak has improved at all and then we will go from there. Of course, our main dilemma is that Travis desperately wants to come home, and when the Dr told him about his plan for Friday's test, he was OK with it. So, we are in the wait and see mode again. I told Trav that leak is becoming a four letter word for us now.

We know everyone is anxious for him to recover and return home. Our doctor to be included. The first surgery went so well, we thought we were home free. We know with God's help Travis will get to come home soon.

Thanks for all of your prayers and if I haven't asked enough for your positive thoughts I have one more request.


Please include another fighter that's battling Esophageal Cancer - his name happens to be Travis, too. Travis P. is my niece, Angie's, brother-in-law. He is 33 years old, with 4 children and an amazing wife, Mandy. T was diagnosed shortly after Trav, also at Stage IV. He has gone through chemotherapy and radiation and now his surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. And although, the two Travis' have never met, they are going through this journey together in spirit. Travis asks about T daily, and I know that Mandy and T are always thinking about us. How did two Travis', around the same age, that know of each other get this disease? I guess that will remain a mystery to us, but I know Trav and I have fed off T and Mandy for strength. Even though we wouldn't wish this on our worst enemy - it makes you feel better that we are not alone. If you would like to view Mandy's blog and read their story it has been added to my list of bloggers.

Good Luck T!! We will be praying for you all day long. We are positive you will do great.

Not So Good

I wish I could give you all better news, but its just not happening right now. The test revealed another small leak. These leaks are all due to radiation damage of the tissue. Our main surgeon is out of town until Wednesday afternoon. We are going to regroup and come up with another plan of action. Our first priority is getting Travis home. We strongly feel that Travis will heal better at home rather than the hospital. We truly did not anticipate this long of an ordeal, and I guess we are learning the lesson of God's timing.

Same ol', Same ol'

I'm kind of running out ways to say the same thing, but I know that many of you are wondering how Trav is doing. So here goes - He is doing OK. Hey, it could be better - he could be kickin' it in the lazy boy watching a little HD TV! His numbers (white blood count, heart rate, chest drainage) are all still in the normal range. The next test will be Monday, if all goes well they'll take the nose tube out on Tuesday and he can start eating and drinking on Wednesday. If you ask me, that's when the real "test" is. So far, all the tests have come back clear, it's when he starts eating that trouble starts.

Say a little prayer for Trav's spirits - will ya? As I said last week, he's tired of getting knocked around.

Thanks to all those who have pitched in for us lately. Words can't say how much you've touched our hearts.

Playing Tag With 5 Things You Don't Know About Me

1. My dream job is to be an auto parts delivery girl. How great would that be?! The only stress you would have is traffic.

2. I have a terrible memory. At first, Travis would get really frustrated when he started a story off by "Remember when . . . " and I'd look at him with a blank stare. But now, he just deals with it. I can't remember many things from my childhood, nor things that happened last Tuesday. And lately, all the days are running together. So, if I owe someone money, a favor or whatever, please tell me, I've probably forgotten and need to pay you back!

3. I'm reading the Bible. And I must say, I know the reason why they call it "The Good Book", its because its a good book! Great stories about Jesus, miracles, forgiveness, hope, on and on.

4. I love to people watch. Sitting at the airport waiting for someone to arrive doesn't bother me a bit. It's a bonus when I see a semi-famous person from the local area. I sometimes see local newscasters, etc. My latest "spot" was the Bishop of the Salt Lake Dioceses.

5. This might not be a surprise, but I like quotes. Although I can't remember most of them (see #2 above) I still enjoy reading them. I was excited to find that the new interior design rage is vinyl lettering. In Travis' hospital room, I put up a new quote every day. I know I've done good when he says, "Good one, Babe."

Holdin' Our Breath

Surgery number 3 (in case anyone has lost count) went well. The doctor tried something different this time. He pulled some tissue from the rib over to where the leak was, therefore, giving it a blood supply to help it heal.

I'm starting to think that surgeons are glorified mechanics. One of the nurses wished we could give Travis some fix-a-flat! If only it would be that easy. Nothing comes easy when you are dealing with the big C.

Travis' spirits are certainly taking a hit. You know, his whole life is devoted to us. The kids and I are his #1 priority, no question! So, when he sits in the hospital, he has many hours to think and wonder what he's missing. No matter how often I tell him, "Things are fine or it's been taken care of . . " He still is worried about us. When he gets home he's gonna see that it was all good on the home front. Hey - I'm an independent girl - I can handle things, plus I'm not doing it on my own - I have help. But dammit, he better hurry home, this is getting old. (JK)

So, we are in Week 5 of the hospital stay. Travis' white blood count is improving, heart rate looks good, things seem to be going in the right direction. The next test will be either next Friday or the Monday after that. Until then we are holdin' our breath and lookin' up for help.