10 Months

Hard to believe that 10 months have now passed since Ethan was on prednisone. Ethan, Adam and I were talking in the car the other day. The best conversations I find, happen in the car! Such amazing things get discussed while we are driving. Somehow we stumbled onto what life was like when Ethan was on prednisone. Especially when he was younger, I am so thankful that Ethan doesn't seem to remember those early years. Adam on the other hand does! He told Ethan all about how he acted and how it made him feel, I think it was a good experience for both of them.

Then came the tough question, Is Ethan healed? Or can he get this again? I tried my best to explain that we don't know, we hope that Ethan is healed. It appears that the chemo drug has done it's job, giving Ethan much needed time off all the drugs. He has even been sick with colds and still no relapse, which is a good sign. Each month that goes by, gives me more hope that he is indeed healed. But I am still cautious, as we were told that he could still relapse even after a year or longer of being off his medications.

 Neither one liked the thought of having to go through this all again. It was a great opportunity to explain how God has been faithful to us and how our prayers have been answered. Not always the way we wanted but just what we needed. I love my boys, although I was glad they went back to School this week!!!! Adam was super excited to get back and Ethan was NOT. I left him holding back tears as I said goodbye yesterday. I was worried all day about how he was doing, only to find him happy and giving me the thumbs up when I came to pick him up. Although he still calls School torture, he went much more happily today!

If you want me to.

I love music and books, nothing speaks to my heart more than wonderful melodies and words on a page. I came across this song recently and I was touched by it's lyrics. The singer, songwriter, has been blind since she was two years old. Like the song says, I am clinging to that promise. No matter what lies ahead,  Jesus is with me and he isn't finished with me yet!

If you want me to, by Ginny Owens.

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why you brought me here
But just because you love me the way that you do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If you want me to

Chorus:
Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise, you're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to you
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But you never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear you answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering
Your love put you through
And I will go through the valley If you want me to

Happy Birthday Ethan!!!

Today we are celebrating Ethan's 9th Birthday. He is having a great day spending time with his cousins who have arrived from out of town for a visit.  Today is not only special because it is Ethan's Birthday, but it also marks the first time in years that Ethan has not had to take any medications on his Birthday!  I remember feeling so sad for him, especially last year as he was taking large amount of prednisone and was about to start a chemotherapy drug. I am so thankful that Ethan continues to do well, it has been such an amazing experience to see him healthy.  Ethan's middle name is, Isaac, which means "Laughter".  He has definitely lived up to that, his mischievous smile and laughter are infectious. Nothing sounds better to me than hearing my boys laughing together. Adam and Ethan's relationship has improved so much since Ethan has been off prednisone too, they are the best of friends. They do argue and fight like normal siblings, but for the most part they get along very well.  I had to laugh at Ethan yesterday as we were driving by his School. He said with a huge smile that the best part of School is coming home!!!! Yes, that is my Ethan!!!!

Spring

Spring is in the air, can you feel it? It has actually felt like Spring for quite awhile already. Winter brought very mild temperatures this year. Spring is almost officially upon us, I never forget the first day of Spring as it always falls on my Birthday. Spring is such a beautiful time of year, the growth and new life springing up from the ground and trees. Spring also brings with it, at least in my house, itchy eyes, sneezing and runny noses. Jeff and our boys seem to get hit hard with allergies every Spring and Summer, with our early Spring, Jeff seems to be reacting already.  

Spring is described as the season of growth, to come to the light, to rise from the Earth, begin to appear. These past few months have brought me closer to my goal of health. I have been working with a Naturopath since December and slowly but surely my headaches are getting better. At times I have been very tempted to give up, as the program I am on, eating wise, has been hard. The upside is that I have finally lost weight, 17 pounds so far! Getting rid of the weight I gained during times of stress with Ethan, feels so good. I could not do this program if Ethan was not healthy, especially the eating part, I am so very thankful that Ethan continues to be well.

Kidney Month

Did you know that March is Kidney awareness month? A recent survey posted on the Kidney Foundation of Canada's website reveals, Canadians don’t fully understand the vital importance of their Kidney's. I have to admit that before Ethan was diagnosed, I rarely thought about my Kidney's and what they do. I have included below, the link for the Kidney survey results. Please make sure you take the time to review the Kidney disease risk factors, such as Diabetes and High Blood Pressure. Kidney disease often progresses rather quietly, as was the case with Ethan. It wasn't until his symptoms were quite severe that we noticed there was a problem. Take Care of those precious Organs and Happy Kidney Month!!!



http://www.kidney.ca/Page.aspx?pid=406

9 Months

Saturday is the official day that marks 9 months of Ethan being off prednisone. I must admit that the more time that goes by without a relapse. The more I am finding myself able to relax, gone are the days where I would test Ethan's urine, sometimes more than once a day. I am finally able to go a few days between testing. Although, I still breathe a sigh of relief every day that I see a yellow stick, instead of green. I don't know if I will ever get to the point that I can fully relax, maybe that will come after a few years. The relapse rate is 90% for Nephrotic Syndrome. So I know that even though Ethan is doing well at this point, he could still relapse. The longest Ethan has made it without a relapse is 14 months. 

One verse that has been coming to mind a lot lately is Lamentations 3:22-23 " Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness." I thought this was a perfect verse for how I am feeling. Even though many times I felt like I was being consumed by Ethan's illness, God was faithful and was always with me. 

Life

Well the dreaded stomach flu, hit our house this weekend. I was the lucky receiver with Adam following a few short hours later. So far Ethan and Jeff have managed to stay healthy. I have not been sick all winter so I guess it was my time to catch something.

Ethan has been doing great, he has improved his grades in School, he received the only perfect score on a Space test last week. He was very happy about that, and his stomach and anxiety issues have been improving as well. Ethan and his class enjoyed a wonderful day of snowshoeing at our local ski mountain on Friday. Ethan said the first hour was all uphill and many kids were complaining, he said he didn't complain though ☺.  I am so thankful that Ethan felt well enough to enjoy this outing with his class, if he was on prednisone, I know it would have been much harder.

 Adam's class is going snowboarding/skiing this Thursday, he is very excited about that too! Adam has been doing very well in Grade 5, he is certainly getting more independent, he loves Social Studies and Science. He also received a perfect score on his Science test, so very proud of my boys!