Changes ahead!

The complete Jack Morton Foundation site is almost complete! And it rocks! Check it out on the permanent link to the right. As soon as everything is finished, I will no longer be hosting Jack's Fight, but Laurie's great posts will continue in the Blog section of the foundation website. However, I'm still here until everything is a go-go! So check it out! Tell us what you think!

Update from Laurie, April 29, 2010

We made it through night 3 of chemo! Jack got sick one time last night, but I don't think it had anything to do with the chemo, but more with the mouthcare that he has to do 3 times a day.  I just think he didn't like it at the moment so that was that!  He has been full of energy.  We have a roommate this time that is a 16 year old boy, Corey, and Jack will not leave him alone!  He plays with him all day and Corey is being so great with Jack. It's nice to be stuck in this little room with a family you can actually relate and talk to.  We have one more night of chemo and then he will be done!

Update from Laurie, April 28, 2010

NOTE:  This update was actually posted yesterday by Laurie...So her reference to "last night" was really night before last.  Sorry for lagging behind!!

Jack had a great night last night after completing his second day of chemo.  He didn't get sick and that's great for everyone!  He has been eating great today and we were able to go and play in the playroom this morning.  Hopefully he will be up this afternoon and we will go and play again.  I am trying to get him to take a little nap so we can play later, but he is acting as if he just ate a ton of sugar and bouncing off the walls so a nap might not happen this afternoon!  Tonight is the last night of having to do both chemo's and then Thursday night will only be one of them.  We probably won't be able to go home until Saturday since we started so late on Monday night and he needs to complete all his fluids before we go home.

Hopefully tonight goes as well as the past 2 nights...halfway there and then round 3 will be done.

Update from Laurie, April 27, 2010

We are done with the first night of chemo...only 3 more to go!  Jack did pretty good last night.  He started his first chemo at 9 and his second at 10:15.  I finally got him to go to sleep around 10:30 but he was up every hour on the hour to go to the bathroom so he didn't sleep all that great.  He started to get a little sick to his stomach around 4:30 this morning, but nothing bad.  They gave him an additional medication for his stomach and he is feeling better now.  He wanted cereal, a waffle, and a banana for breakfast so that is what we ordered!  He ate about half of everything so that's good. We don't want our little guy to lose much weight while he is here so hopefully he will keep it all down this afternoon.  He starts up again tonight at 9 PM with chemo so we will see how this all goes!

Update from Laurie, April 26, 2010

Good news! We have been informed that when they tested Jack's bone marrow, it came up negative for Neuroblasto​ma! There is a little side note though...wh​en they did a biopsy of it, there were traces of Neuroblasto​ma cells, but they said that if they weren't seeing any in the liquid, then we should be pleased with the results. They are saying that there is a limited amount left in his marrow so we are thrilled. We will be talking with the Dr later (hopefully today) about the results of the MIGB scan (bone scan) so let's hope we get 3 good results from 3 different tests!


Today​ will be the beginning of cycle 3 of chemo and we had to check in at the hospital for this round. We have been here all day and he will not start his chemo until tonight. He needs to have a lot of fluids before he starts so they are assuming he will get his first dose at 7 PM. They have told us that one of the types of chemo that he is getting is pretty hard on his stomach so to expect him to be sick this time. Of course he will get a lot of anti-nausea medication, but we are not looking forward to having him be sick this week. It will be great if he surprises everyone once again and goes through this week without being too sick! He will hopefully be done by Thursday night and be able to go home Friday...I will continue to update as we get going

The move went pretty good this weekend, but we are not done getting everything unpacked and put away. Jack is very excited to be at the new house with lots of room to run and play and since that is pretty much going to be his playground for the next year, we are happy that he is happy.

P4L Bootcamp for Jack is TOMORROW!!

If you live in the Valley, and you want to help yourself while helping Jack...then get yourself on down to Cesar Chavez Park in Phoenix at 7:30 AM tomorrow for the P4L Bootcamp for Jack, hosted by Giber Becera!  Bring your yoga mat, water, and a kick-butt attitude!

Free movie passes will be given away!!

In lieu of payment for the bootcamp, Gigi is accepting donations for The Jack Morton Fund...100% of the proceeds collected will be given directly to Jack's Fund to be used for Jack's continuing care.  Used ink jet cartridges and old cell phones will also be collected to be recycled...the more cartridges and the more cell phones collected translates to more donations to Jack's Fund!

So come on out and sweat it off for a great cause!! 

A big Thank You to Giber Becera of Performance 4 Life and SPR for his offer to host tomorrow's Bootcamp for Jack!  Questions??  Contact Gigi at coretrainingu@gmail.com

Amazing Update from Laurie!! April 22, 2010

Jack's Dr called us this afternoon with some preliminary results...t​he CT scan showed that his tumor in his chest has shrunk by 37%! We are so happy! We would have been satisfied if it stayed the same, but this is wonderful news. He said that he would have more details on the bone scan and the bone marrow biopsy tomorrow so let's keep our fingers and toes crossed that we get great news from those 2 tests as well. We are so thrilled with this. 2 days of good news...fina​lly.

Jack wanted pizza for dinner, so that is what we are having. That and ice cream...per​fect.

We will keep you all updated tomorrow when we know more...

Update from Laurie, April 21, 2010

Well Jack finished his MIGB, CT scan, and his bone marrow aspiration about a hour ago and we are already home and he is running around playing his Nintendo DS and trying to program his IPod. Soooo....ev​erything is pretty much normal tonight! He did really well during the tests. He came out of it well and asked for something to drink and a Popsicle right away. After that he said, "let's get outta here"...so we did!

We will hopefully hear about the scans on Friday and if the bone marrow got to the lab in time, we will hear about that as well. If not, we will hear the results of the marrow on Monday. I guess it's another one of the "hurry up and wait" ordeals.

We will let you know as soon as we hear of anything!

We are finally moving this weekend and Jack is so very excited! Nana is coming in town Friday to help us out for the week so that will be great.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers....k​eep them coming...

Newsflash!! Offer from Scentsy and Darla Edwards!!

We received this comment to the "What would YOU do" challenge from last Friday from Darla Edwards, an independent consultant for Scentsy... 

"I am going to set up a fundraiser in Jacks name tonight and everyone that orders under his fundraiser I will donate 15% of all sales up to $1000.00 if sale go beyond that I will donate 20% of all sales. So anyone that needs a gift for mothers day, birthday, ect. send them my way. Also part of our sales go to the Spiegel Burn Foundation. Please let me know if I can volunteer in any other way. Let's help Jack get better. You're in my prayers."


Click HERE to order! 
 
A click-thru link will also be posted permanently on the right side of the blog. 
 
Thank you to Darla!!

Update from Laurie, April 20, 2010

Today was a great day for both of our boys! Jack went in this morning with Zac to have his stem cells harvested. When he got there, his number went up to over 130 and his ANC was 10,000! He did great today while they were there. He took a little nap and watched a few movies with Zac. His platelets were low (which they told us would probably happen after having the stem cells taken from him) so he had to get some before he left the hospital. I picked them up and he was in a great mood and looked wonderful. Jack and Zac went over to the park and Zac ran and pushed him around the lake and then off they went to the playground.​ While they were gone, I got a call from the hospital and they told me that they needed 5 million cells per kg of weight for it to be a succesful draw...they took 23.8 million cells per kg of weight from Jack today so he did wonderful! He gave more than 5 times what they needed so we are clear to move on to the next step. We are going in tomorrow at 2 for his MIBG scan and to have his bone marrow tested. We will not know the results until Friday night so say a prayer for him!


Braden had his appointment with the cardiologis​t this morning and I took him to that. He had an EKG done and after reviewing it and listening to his heart, they said that they think that the holes are closing since it is a higher pitch noise that they can hear. He will stay on the medication he is on now but they had to up the dose since he is gaining so much weight (he is over 13 lbs now!). He has to go back in a month and have an xray and an echo. If those look good, they will take him off the medication because they think they may just close on their own. If his scans don't look as well as they want them to, then they will add another medication to help his body close the holes. So, all is good! It sounds as if he is doing great...fin​ally, a good day of great news!

GREAT Update from Laurie, April 19, 2010

Jack had a Dr's appt today to check his blood levels. We got a call tonight to say that his ANC level (immunity) was over 6,000 and that is always great to hear! Other than his ANC level, he was being tested to see if he was ready for stem cell harvesting.​ The magic number he was supposed to be at in order to harvest his cells, was 10. He was over 80! They told us that he is an amazing boy and these numbers are just great. His body is recovering so well after each treatment and we just hope and pray it continues to be that way.


Since his number was so high for his stem cell count, he will be going in at 7 AM tomorrow to have his cells harvested. This is going to be an outpatient treatment and he should not have any sort of a bad reaction or down time. He will also be getting an dye injection for his MIBG scan on Wednesday. He will also be getting his bone marrow pulled on Wednesday to see how it looks. We only pray the results are as good as our little Jack seems to feel because he acts as if he is the healthiest little boy.

Braden has his cardiologis​t appt tomorrow as well so we will let you know how that goes. We are expecting everything to be pretty much the same, but since he is doing so well with eating and sleeping and he isn't showing any signs of heart failure, we feel as if we are already ahead of the game. He is also a strong little boy...and a big boy too!

We will update tomorrow night after we get through another day...


Go Jack and Big Baby B!!!  You guys can do this!!!

Just a reminder!  This coming Saturday, April 24 is the P4L Bootcamp for Jack!  Join valley fitness expert, Giber Becerra, as he dedicates one of his weekly fitness bootcamps to raising funds for Jack and The Jack Morton Foundation.  All the action starts at 7:30 am at Cesar Chavez Park in Phoenix. 

Come on out and sweat it off for a great cause!

Thanks to Gigi (Giber)!!

P4L Bootcamp for Jack promo video/commercial

In a heartbeat, everything about your life can change. 

In a heartbeat, YOU can change a life!  Even the smallest things can have big impacts!  We've got the weekend ahead of us, and what if we all stopped a minute to think.  What can you do to impact others this weekend?  Will you help an elderly person load their groceries into their trunk?  Will you drop your change from your fast food order into a donation bucket for Ronald McDonald Houses?  Will you pay it forward at Starbucks and purchase the order for the car waiting in line behind you?  Will you donate gently used clothing to Goodwill or to a crisis shelter?  Will you volunteer your time in some way?   

Let's have some fun with this.  Come Monday, report back.  What did you do?

Update from Laurie, April 14, 2010

We confirmed today that Jack goes in next week on the 21st to be rescanned to see how well the chemo is working. We are hoping and praying that there is less cancer in his body than there was before, but the Dr said he would be happy as long as it hasn't spread and if it just stayed the same. I am sure Zac and I will be a bundle of nerves for a few days until we get the results...i​n a way I feel like was are starting over at the beginning with the "hurry up and wait" deal. Let's all just pray that our little man is beating all of this faster than "normal."


Li​ttle brother Braden isn't really little anymore! He weighed in at 12 lb 9 oz at his 8 week appointment today. He is such a little chunk and we love it! He is a great eater but wasn't too thrilled at all when they gave him shots today. Funny because Jack never cried when he was little with shots...it'​s like he didn't even notice the pain. Braden on the other hand, screamed to high heaven...

Ja​ck has a Dr appointment tomorrow to check his levels and then we should be good until next week when he gets scanned...

Announcement!!

Giber Becerra, a valley area fitness trainer and founder of Performance for Life, has recently announced that he will dedicate the proceeds from one of his weekly fitness bootcamps to Jack and The Jack Morton Foundation. Join him April 24 at 7:30 am at Cesar Chavez Park in Phoenix and sweat it off for Jack!

Giber attended the Shave-Off on Saturday after finding out about it on Facebook, and said that he felt so touched by Jack's story that he just had to help out in any way that he could. See below the promo video he put together for his upcoming bootcamp! It is amazing what total strangers are doing for Jack. So stop asking yourself if one person can really make a difference, YES they can!!

P4L Bootcamp for Jack Morton Foundation

Update from Laurie, April 13, 2010

Jack had a Dr's appointment yesterday and all went well.  He ended up having to get blood and platelets, but we weren't too surprise at that.  He also had to get an xray of his chest and an ekg in preparation for the harvesting of his stem cells in a week or two.  He did well with both the xray and the ekg...he is becoming an expert with all the test that he has to take.  They said that the tumor is not pressing against his trachea like it was before, so that's good news (hopefully it's shrinking!!)!  He will be getting a few scans next week as well as another bone marrow aspiration to see what everything else looks like.  We will let everyone know of the exact date when we figure it out so we can get some extra prayers going for those days!  As usual, Jack is running around the house right now, playing Cars on the Wii and yelling "chica, chica!" 

We go back to the Dr on Thursday just to check his levels and then we will go from there!

Braden is doing really well too...he is such a little chunk now!  He has his 2 month appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow and then another echo next week.  He is all smiles now and tries to "talk" which is so cute!

AZ Cardinals Video Coverage of Shave-Off!!

Check it out HERE!!!!!!

Again - thank you to everyone. 

Update from Laurie, April 11, 2010

Jack completed his 2nd round of chemo on Friday and he was able to handle it so well! He didn't get sick the last 2 days and that is always good news to us. We start the 3rd round at the end of the month so lets hope that we have the same great response as we did this time.


Yester​day was the shave-off for Jack and I can't even begin to explain how great it was. We want to thank everyone who came out to support our family while we are going through this hard time. It was so great to see some old friends as well as meet people who can relate to what we are going through. This event has left us speechless and we want to thank those who pulled it all together. We can't even begin to explain how much this meant to us. Please continue to pray for Jack as well as for our little Braden as we travel through this journey.

We love you all so much,

Zac, Laurie, Jack and Braden

Thank You

The list of people to thank for their generous input to the Shave-Off is a mile long.  I'm afraid that if I started naming names, I would surely leave someone out by accident...but that is simply because the number of people who helped was enormous.  To say that the shave-off was a success would be a gross understatement.  It was epic!  The support that total strangers showed Jack and Laurie and Zac was amazing.  There is so much good in this world!!  Toddlers, boys, women (yes, women!!) and men all sat down on those stools and bravely got their bald on so that they could match Jack!  I've never seen so many beautiful fuzzy heads in one place!

A few thank you's...

A special thank you to Adrian Wilson and Steve Breaston...two of the nicest, most genuine men around.  Not only did they brave the almost 90 degree heat to shave nearly 100 heads in the Arizona sun, they did it because they wanted to.  They are truly kind people.   Because they volunteered their time for us, our little event grew to something beyone our imagination.  And for that, we thank them. 

To the brave Shavers!!  Thank you for publicly showing your support for Jack and for all of those who are touched by cancer. 

To Loco!!  Thank you for letting us have our event at your amazing place.  Thank you all for everything you gave, everything you did. 

To everyone who is Loco for Jack!!  Thank you for your support.  Every single penny you gave will go directly toward Jack's continuing care.  We totally sold out of all 200 t shirts we ordered, and could have easily sold an additional 200 more. 

To all who helped in the planning and publicizing that helped to make this event such an amazing success!!  You all know who you are, and our graititude is endless.  Thank YOU (every single one of you) for everything you did.  The flyers you designed, the Facebook event you created and invited thousands to, the donations you gathered, the amazing raffle items you donated, the raffle buckets you decorated, the t-shirt selling you did, the hair sweeping up you did, the heads you shaved, the planning you did, the decorating you did, the last minute errand running you did...the list goes on and on.  Without every single one of you, we could not have had such a great thing happen. 

Some fabulous friends of Laurie and Zac's have set up the official Jack Morton Foundation.  Please click here to view the new website.  And for all of their hard work in setting it up, thank you. 

We are working on getting photos from yesterday up, so check back for an update soon!

Update from Laurie, April 8, 2010

Today was a great day for Jack...we have completed day 4 of chemo and he didn't get sick at all today! He was in a great mood today and played as if all was normal. He spend some time with the nurses today as I went to meet another mom in ICU who has a daughter has been diagnosed with neuroblasto​ma as well. It is nice to talk to someone else who is feeling the same thing that we are feeling. Please keep sweet McKenna and her parents in your prayers...


W​e have one more day to get through and then we will be heading to the shave off on Saturday. So excited to see everyone there!

Jack will be getting scanned on the 20th or the 21st too see what progress he is making so keep those dates in mind and pray that there has been a positive change...

Extra - Read All About It!!

Interview with Adrian Wilson on KTAR

KMLE Country 108

AZ Central

USA Today

Sports Overdose.com

Sports News Daily

Revenge of the Birds.com

Just a small sampling of the news that has hit today!!  WOW!!!

REMINDER!!

Just a reminder to everyone. The Shave-Off for Jack at Loco Patron Scottsdale is TOMORROW from 2 - 6!! We have celebrity barbers, exciting raffles and surprises! T-shirts available, as well! Come on out and join us for food, fun, and clippers!

A special reminder from Laurie and Zac! If Jack is able to attend, we kindly ask that all hugs and kisses be given through smiles and encouraging words. Due to Jack's low immunity, we cannot risk him being exposed to any germs at this time. We wish with all of our hearts that he could hug and kiss you all, but its just not possible at this time.

Update from Laurie, April 7

Today was a busy day for us...Jack got sick this morning right as we pulled into the hospital, but within seconds he was back to his old self again. They say that the car causes motion sickness and we figured he would get sick to his stomach while going through chemo. He did great today at the clinic for his 3rd day of chemo. We had a meeting today with the Dr's to figure out his treatment plan and our little Jack has a tough road ahead of him, but we are still confident that he will pull through this like no other. We know there will be tough times and we are obviously dreading them, but we can only take it a day at a time and as of today...he is doing great. We are so proud of our little man. After we got home, he got sick again but instead of being upset about it, he actually told me that he was sorry for getting it on my shirt and asked if I wanted to change real quick. Funny how he thinks of everyone else while he is going through this.


We are so looking forward to this weekend and the shave-off at Loco on Saturday. We cannot wait to see some friends that we haven't seen in awhile and be able to support Jack's journey together. I am sure that we will be overwhelmed and I am sure I will be a bit of a mess that day, but I cannot wait. We are hoping that Jack will be able to come with us for a little bit, but we will not know until Friday if that will happen or not. If he can, we just have to make sure that he stays germ free while we are there. While we wish that he could be hugged and held and loved by all our friends and family, but that cannot happen right now. We hope that everyone understands that while he has the energy and strength of a "normal" 2 year old, his immune system disagrees. We have to keep him healthy and in our arms while we are there and I know that everyone will understand that.

We want to say thank you again to everyone who has pulled together this event for Saturday. You all know who you are and we are so very grateful. Hopefully we can do an event like this next year and raise some money for another family who is going through this. We love you all and thank you so very much...

Hi all, Stacey here.  Last night after Laurie and Jack got home from the hospital clinic, Jack asked me to go outside and bwow bubbles with him.  I cannot believe how full of life and energy he is.  It amazes me that children can be so resilient. 

And of course I get to stay with this little lump of yummy goodness all day long.  Braden is still doing quite well and continues to eat well and gain weight.  His condition is apparent when feeding him, as he seems to have a hard time mastering the swallow and breathe technique, but he's obviously getting by just fine judging the size of this little moose....

Update from Laurie, April 6, 2010

Day 2 has come and gone and Jack has done so well! He is still full of energy and hasn't been sick this time around. We are so happy that he is acting "normal" but wonder what he will be like when he is better...he will have so much energy that we are not sure we will be able to keep up with him! He spent some time today playing with another little girl around the same age as him and that was so cute! We w​ill post some pictures later after we download them. We really don't have too much to say since he is acting so great and responding so well! He will be doing a round of scans in the next couple of weeks to see how his body is reacting to the chemo so hopefully we will have a better idea of what is going on in his little body.


On to day 3...

Update from Laurie, April 5, 2010

Today was the 1st day of the second round of chemo and Jack did wonderful. He was in high spirits all day and as always..ful​l of energy. This was our first time doing chemo as outpatient and even though it was a long day at the clinic, it was so great to be able to bring him home at night. When his last iv was done, he yelled "we're outta here!" and as usual he told everyone that he was leaving to go and see his baby brother. I have no clue where he gets this energy from because I am totally drained after being there for almost 8 hours, but I am so happy he has it!

On to day 2...

First-hand update!

I arrived yesterday morning in Arizona to help out Laurie and Zac while Jack receives round 2 of his chemo treatments this week. 

Seriously folks, chemo is not what they are shooting into Jack's veins.  It's some type of super-powered energy hyper-freak out juice.  For sure.  To say that Jack is a ball of energy is a slight understatement.  He never stops running around.  He even hates to take time to pee!  He just runs and talks and plays and pretty much goes bonkers all day long.  His noise is music to our ears!  It's just got to be a great sign.  Laurie said that Jack's doctor came in mid-way through the treatment today and did another double take.  He asked Laurie if the drip had even started yet, and she said that he was already done with his first medicine and was getting ready to receive his second.  She said that the doctor smiled and shook his head, and told Laurie that, "He's so strong.  He's one special kid."  Yeah, tell us something we don't already know!  But it is so comforting hearing things like this from his doctor.

While Laurie and Jack were at the clinic today, I stayed here at the house taking care of Braden.  Braden is a little champ, I tell you.  His heart condition makes him fall asleep during feedings, but he still sucks down his entire bottle and is gaining weight at the rate of about a pound a week.  Which is great news. 

Watching Braden smile and blow bubbles and watching Jack run around the house a mile a minute, it's difficult to even imagine that both of them are sick.  But we take small victories as positive signs that all is well. 

Update from Laurie, April 2, 2010

After over a month of having my sister Nikki here to help with every little thing that we needed, she had to go home to Idaho today! Jack was a bit upset that she had to leave and kept asking her not to go as she tried to convince him that she could just fit him in her carry on and take him with her. We have been very lucky and we are very grateful for all the help we have had over the past month, but we want to say a special thank you to Nikki for all that she did for us. She instantly became Braden's second mommy and was up for anything that we needed. Jack loves having her around and I know he is looking forward to having her come back for the shave off next weekend. Thank you Nikki...we love you so very much! Now if only her and Shawn could move closer.......​


My other sister, Stacey, comes in town Sunday morning to visit and help us as Jack begins his second round of chemo on Monday morning. My brother-in-​law, Scott, will arrive on Wednesday as well so we are really looking forward to having them here! We will be in the clinic at PCH all week, but so happy that we get to go home at night. I pray that Jack makes it through this round as well as he did his last. As long as his levels are good, which the Dr's think that they will be, he will be making his bald headed appearance at the shave off on Saturday. He will only be able to be there for a short time...enou​gh time to shave off some hair and see some friends that he hasn't seen in awhile.

Plea​se keep your prayers coming...we are just at the beginning of this long road and we will take all the prayers and well wishes you can give!

"Yeah-Yeah-Yeah"

And now, the world premier video of Jack Morton and his back up singer, Aunt Nikki, singing their chart-topping hit, "Yeah-Yeah-Yeah".  Please forgive the cell video quality, this is a bootlegged copy...

As you can clearly (well, not so clearly) see, Jack is feeling great!  And isn't he just stylin' in his new slick 'do??  I especially love the outfit he chose to perform in.  Pants are totally overrated.

I will be hopping on a plane Sunday morning and I am so excited to see the little rock star in person. And to meet Porky Pig Braden for the first time!  I will be overloading the blog with pictures and updates, as I'll be there first hand!

Monday is the start of round two of Jack's chemotherapy, but as you all remember it's going to be outpatient!!  Woo Hoo!!  This hopefully means lots of demand performances in the kitchen, as seen above.  I can only hope and pray that he breezes through this treatment as well as he did the first round.  Jackers - you truly are a rock star!!

Oh, and say a quick pretty please prayer.  Laurie may have found a great house for them to move to that's much closer to the hospitals and both of the boys' doctors.  It will be such a relief to get out of their tiny temporary condo and back into a real house with room to play and a grassy backyard.

3000

Wow!  Over 3000 visits!!  In just a few weeks!!  To this little blog!!

I'm not sure why this excites me so much, but it sure does.  Oh, and we totally rocked the Philippines today.  Several different cities from there, as a matter of fact.  AND we've got the luck o' the Irish, as we had a visitor from Dublin today, as well. Keep spreading the word, keep spreading the hope, keep spreading the prayers!  Go Team Jack!!!

Nikki's friend, Ann, from Scottsdale made up this flyer for us, as well!  Thank you, Ann!!

Shave-Off!

EDIT:  The flyer is getting some changes....have one back up soon!

A special THANK YOU to my fabulous BFF, Leigh Pye, for making up one of our flyers!  Doesn't it look great?  We are getting geared up for this event and we are EXCITED!  So many surprises in store...you've all just got to be there!  And I'm serious.  You ALL need to be there.  And if your not...I'll come find you and shave your head myself.

Update from Laurie, March 29, 2010

Jack had another appointment today with the clinic at the hospital to check his levels and it went great! All blood levels were up and his ANC (immunity level) was up over 3,500....th​at is a great number considering he was under 50 last week. We don't have to go back again until next Monday to start his chemo so we have a whole week without Dr appointment​s for Jack! We do have an appointment tomorrow for Braden so lets hope that goes well...


Jack has been in the best mood and has so much energy. He has always been full of life but now he is beyond that level. He runs and runs and doesn't get tired. When we went in today I asked him what the thought the nurses would say about his new haircut and he said, "I'm a cutie"...is​n't that the truth!" He showed everyone his new hair and they all loved it. As I am writing this, he just went into the middle of the room, turned around and pulled down his boxers and said, "look at my butt everybody!"....​oh my...what are we going to do when he is 16?!

What a success.  Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the Benefit Sale to be as huge as it turned out to be.  We ended up with literally hundreds of items for our sale, most of which was donated by others - many of whom we did not even know. 

Saturday morning it started at about 6:45 AM.  The pro's were there with their flashlights as they picked their way through the items.  Clothing, furniture, appliances, shoes, designer handbags, framed art, candles, books...and of course the ceramic pig collection.  And they bought.  And bought.  And bought.  And if they didn't find anything to buy, most would walk up with a folded bill and hand it to one of us as they looked over our shoulders at the blown up photos of Jack and Shawn. 

All us us in both families want to thank everyone who had their hand, and heart, in making this weekend such a success.

Thank you.

Shave-Off Challenge!!

My mom, Jack's nana, has a friend named Virginia.  Virginia's granddaughter, Shantel, is a cancer survivor and has issued a challenge!!  Here is what I received from Nana Karen....

My friend, Virginia Kirnberger, is challenging her friends on Facebook to donate for the Shave Off on April 10. If enough friends support her, she will be shaving her head! Now, THAT'S a friend!!! Here's her post and the link to Jack's Fight blog:


Hey there, Don't know if you all remember Karen Reno but I worked with her in Recap. Her 2 yr old grandson is fighting cancer and there is going to be a shave off fund raiser on April 10 at Loco Patron in Scottsdale. I am going to volunteer to have my head shaved bald if we can get enough donations for the family. You can go to http://Jacksfight.blogspot.com for more information. Please spread the word and let me know if you make a donation for me to have my head shaved...

Let's get this party started and get Virginia to join the Chrome Dome Club!

Holy Garage Sale, Batman!

Um, hi.  I'm officially stunned.  STUNNED.  You will not even believe how much money we raised today for Jack and Shawn at the Benefit Sale today.  And the best part is that we have tomorrow still to go!  But, because I'm in the mood to keep you waiting, I'm not going to let you know how much we raised until after we're done tomorrow. 

More updates manana!

Time to celebrate!

Update from Laurie, March 26, 2010

Well we knew the time would come for us to shave Jack's head, but we didn't know it would happen so soon! Jack's curly blonde hair started to fall out yesterday and today we decided it would be a better idea if we took him down to get his head shaved. He did better than we did! He laughed the whole time and thought it was no big deal. When we asked him where his hair went he said, "It all went away!" He is just the most handsome little boy. With his shaved head, he looks like he did when he was little since it took him so long to even get hair.

Since Jack has been feeling so good, we also ventured out to the park this afternoon which he just loved. Gett​ing out into the fresh air and sunshine alone was well worth the trip.

We go back to the Dr on Monday to have his levels checked again so we will keep you updated!

NEWSFLASH!!

We are very excited to announce this amazing news!!

Adrian Wilson #24 and Steve Breaston #15 of the Arizona Cardinals have signed up to be Celebrity Barbers at the Shave-Off for Jack benefit to be held at Loco Patron Scottsdale on April 10th!!  Come on by and get your bald on with the Cardinals!!

EagleRider Phoenix has generously donated a One Day Rental of a Harley-Davidson to be raffled off!!

We are also going to have several fantastic raffles thruought the day!  More exciting news to come!!  Stay tuned!!

A special and heartfelt Thank You to Evon Yaro-Fig, Adrian Wilson
Steve Breaston, Loco Patron Scottsdale and Eaglerider Phoenix. 

UPDATED!! It's a Small World After All...

I started this blog about a month ago, but it finally dawned on me 11 days ago (I'm quick like that) that I needed to put a stat counter on this bad boy.  You know, just to stalk keep track of the visitors we have to Jack's Fight, since it's pretty nifty seeing how far we're reaching. 

Today is an anniversary, of sorts.  We've received our first 1000 hits!!  In just 11 days, Jack's Fight has been seen 1000 times.  I can only imagine that's 1000 prayers.  I cannot tell you how excited, thrilled, over the moon that makes us all feel.  EDIT:  It's now Friday, and we've already doubled our hits!!  In just two short days we gathered our second thousand!!  New locations have been added below!

And...get ready for it...we've skipped over the pond, baby!  That's right...we're global!

We've had visitors from 37 states, including several cities from:

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington, DC, Wisconsin. 

And internationally from:

Auckland, New Zealand
Bangkok, Thailand
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Cracow, Poland
Dublin, Ireland
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Farnborough, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Jerusalem, Israel
Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany
London, England
Madrid, Spain
Melborne, Victoria, Australia
Miskolc, Hungary
Perth, Australia
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Is anyone else singing that Johnny Cash song, "I've been everywhere, man..."??  No?  Oh, that's just me.

Updates and Ramblings

Hi guys, Stacey here.  I spoke with Laurie today after she took Jack in for his levels test this morning.  Happily, he is still feeling great and playing like a two year old should be playing.  His immunity count was up from 37 earlier this week to over 800!!  You go, SuperStar Jack!!  His blood counts however, were down a bit, so they decided to go ahead and give him a transfusion to help boost him up.  While we were hoping for a different outcome, this was totally expected in the back of our minds; but, it adds about four hours at the clinic to Laurie's day. 

BUT!!!  Dum Dum Dum DAAAAHHH!!!  She did receive some very positive news:  Jack's next treatment will be outpatient!!  Woo hoo!  He will have to go in April 5 - 9, but it will be as an outpatient.  So that means he gets to sleep in his own bed and enjoy being at home, just as he should.  

We are also VERY busy with our planning of the Shave-Off.  We're receiving the t-shirt proofs today, which is very exciting!  We also are working on a few BIG surprises...so stay tuned for more updates.  If you know us girls, then you know we've always got something cooking...

UPDATED!! Shave-Off for Jack to be held April 10 at Loco Patron Scottsdale!

SEE UPDATE BELOW!!

Phoenix area guys (and possibly gals!) - save April 10th for your next haircut!  We are very excited to announce the "Shave-Off for Jack" to be held at the fabulous Loco Patron in Old Town Scottsdale.  April 10th is sure to be a great day as supporters of our Jack come together and we have a big ole' Shave-Off!  For a $20 donation, guys (and possibly a few gals!) can be treated to the newest and coolest hair style around...The Baldy.  100% of the proceeds will go directly to Jack's Fund!  Thank you to Loco for their generous offer. 

UPDATE:  The Shave-Off at Loco for Jack will be from 2:00 to 6:00.  But the party just may last a bit longer!  We already have one hair dresser confirmed for 4:00 to 6:00.  We need one more to take the 2:00 to 4:00 shift.   Special t shirts will be available for purchase for those of you who would like to contribute, but shaving just isn't an option!!  So come join us at Loco Patron Scottsdale April 10th from 2:00 to 6:00 (or later) for the biggest party Loco has EVER seen!

Update from Laurie, March 22, 2010

Jack had his dr's appointment today back at the clinic at the hospital to check his levels after having his chemo treatment. We expected them to be low, and they were, so we had to stay for a little bit so he could get a platelet transfusion.​ His main Dr walked by and saw him and did a double take and with his eyes wide open he said, "wow, he looks great." He sounded a bit surprised so we are taking that as a good thing! Jack has been so full of energy and acting like his normal self when he should feel as if he is down for the count. We go back on Thursday to check levels again and if they are lower, he will probably need blood. He is doing great with taking his medicines, doing mouth care, and taking his shots at home. He struggles at times when he really doesn't feel like taking a time out from playing to do any of these things, but he is doing well for what he has been going through.


W​e have to thank you all again for all the love, support, and prayers that are being sent our way. Zac and I are just amazed by how many people want to help and how many people are going out of their way to show their love for our little boy. It is truly amazing and there are many times when we just don't know what to say except thank you. We wish we could see each and every one of you to express our gratitude and hopefully one day that will happen!

Join Team Jack!!

Join us May 22 as we participate in the CureSearch Children's Cancer Walk in Dallas!  If you live in the Dallas area and are interested in walking on our team, please click HERE!  Once you follow the link, click on the My Team Page at the top, then click on Join My Team!

The CureSearch Walk celebrates and honors children whose lives have been effected by childhood cancer, while raising funds for lifesaving research. You can help us by encouraging your friends, family, co-workers and community to champion our cause.

And remember!  All donations to BOTH the CureSearch walk AND Jack's Fund are 100% tax deductible and both sites have printable donation receipts.

2000!!

WOW!  In just 12 short days, Jack's Caring Bridge site has had over 2000 views!  That is just amazing!!  Keep viewing and keep leaving those guest book entries.  Some day when Jack is older and cancer-free he will read his guest book and know just how many folks love him! 

Our dear friend April has started a Facebook page, "I'm Praying for Jack!".  For those of you who aren't direct FB friends, please search out the page and become fans.  Let's see how many we can get!!

I'm happy to report to you all that Jack had a great weekend at home.  He is sleeping well in his own bed, he's playing with all of his toys, and he just loves being a big brother to Braden.  He's our little champ.

Stacey here - a quick note to all of the fellow bloggers out there.  I have been asked if it would be ok to link Jack's Fight to their blog, and I am responding with a gigantic YES.  The more people we have praying for Jack - whether it be to God, Buddha, Allah, Bubba, or the tree in your backyard - the better.  At this point, we'll take all the prayers/well wishes/good vibes/rays of light that we can get!

Thank you!!!

Update from Laurie, March 19, 2010

After over 2 weeks in the hospital, we were able to come home yesterday in time to celebrate Zac's birthday. It was pretty much the best birthday present that Zac could have wished for. Jack has been in a great mood since we have been home and is having so much fun playing with all his new toys. I swear, this little boy has so many new toys that we just don't know what do to with them all. In the picture, he has a Thomas the train sticker on his nose...than​ks Aunt Stacey!


We love being home as a family and you can tell that Jack loves being back. He is so loving to Braden and to everyone that is here with him. Nikki has been here for the past couple of weeks and I am not sure what we would have done without her here. Jack loves having her around and we do too!!

Welcome Home Jack!

Here's a few pictures from Jack's first afternoon home....

Folks, that is one cute kid.

Jack is home!!  After being in the hospital for over three weeks, Jack is home.  And to make it even more special, he got to come home on his Daddy's birthday.  The next two weeks will hopefully be spent playing, catching up with baby brother, and just generally acting like a normal two year old.  He will have to make twice weekly trips to the Children's Clinic to test his levels, and Laurie and Zac had to learn how to give Jack his injections, but at least he is sleeping in his own bed.  He will return to PCH for his second round of treatment in 14 days, and hopefully the pattern will be established...five days in, two weeks at home. 

A special "Happy Birthday" goes out to Zac.  The bestest Daddy in the West.  The boys (and all of us) are so lucky to have you! MWAH!

Update from Laurie, March 17, 2010

Jack has completed his first 5 days of chemo and is doing great. He has been in a good mood and playing all day. We had to learn how to change out the dressing on his broviac today and that was a bit of a struggle. Zac changed it while I had to hold Jack and after we were done, Zac had it looking much better than it was when the nurse did it. Hopefully Jack's levels will look good tomorrow and we will be able to go home for a little bit before starting the next treatment cycle. It is Zac's birthday and we would love nothing more than to be home and have dinner together as a family!


Whil​e I am on the subject of Zac, I just want to say how much of a rock Zac has been for me and our family. I have always know​n that Zac was a strong man, but over the past couple of weeks he has just shown me time and again what a great father and husband he is. I am very lucky that he is standing by my side through all of this and even more lucky that he will be there for the rest of my life. I love you babe.

Visit from Grampa Reno

Stacey here!  Our Dad, Jack's Grampa, flew to Arizona today from California for a visit.  He was more than happy to report how well Jack was doing and what a "trooper" he was being.  Of course, we've heard this time and time again from Laurie, but I'm sure seeing it for himself is a great comfort for our Dad.  He forwarded me a few pictures taken during today's chemo treatment. 

Jack and Grampa

Always ready to play with trains

Hugs for Mommy

Happy Guy

Whew!  Getting better is hard work!

Seeing the pictures always makes me feel better, but at the same time it makes me want to go outside, get into my car, and drive straight through to Arizona.  Right now.  But if Jack can sit still and be patient while receiving his treatment, I can certainly sit still and be patient waiting for April 1st when Scott and I get to go outside, get into the car, and drive straight through to Arizona. 

NEWS!!!  May 22 is the CureSearch Walk: Conquering Children's Cancer Together event, and I am planning on organizing a team to raise pledges and walk with me in honor of our Jack, and in honor of all the kids who are forced to fight this disease.   For information on where/when, please click the link above.

Update from Laurie, March 16, 2010

Jack had a little surprise today at the hospital. There is a new hospital being built right next door and we can see it from the hallway window. Zac's brother-in-​law, Allen, is part of the constructio​n team over there. Allen, along with Dede and Alli, painted a large sign that wished Jack well and let him know that he was loved. Allen had us come to the window at 11:30 this afternoon and he had all the guys come out on the ledge and they dropped this huge sign so as we were standing in the window. Jack loved it! He was so happy that he had a sign just for him. I, of course, cried. Everyone was wanting to know who Jack was and it made him feel pretty darn special...s​o thank you Allen, Dede, and Alli.


Jack has completed his 4th day of chemo with flying colors. I swear this chemo makes him more hyper or something because he is bouncing off the walls! He was feeling very good all day but is a bit sleepy now after a late nap. One more day and then hopefully we get to go home on Thursday for a little bit and take a break from the small hospital room.

Again, thank you to everyone for all the support you have given our family.

Update from Laurie, March 15, 2010

Well Jack has been a tough little guy once again today. He did great all day and is still just so strong. He makes us laugh all day and always keeps us smiling. He got a little sick to his stomach this evening, but within minutes he was back to his old self again.

Jack has become very interested in all the equipment that they have here. He has learned what a stethoscope is and wants to listen to everyones heart and see if they are ok. He knows how to work the blood pressure machine and helps the nurses when it comes time to take his vitals. After he is done, he checks the nurses and then Zac's. He calls himself Dr. Jack. Zac told him he was sick today and asked Jack what he should get to make himself better and Jack recommended chemo...who would have ever thought that our little boy would even know any of this. In one way it is just amazing and reminds us how smart he is and in another it makes us sad that he even knows. It just confirms though what we have always known...Jack is smarter than us.

As for Bradens' appointment today....our little chunky boy now weighs in at 9 lb 6 oz. He has gained almost a pound in 5 days so the Dr's are extremely happy. His murmur is still the same as it was when he was born, but hopefully it will end up closing on it's own since he is growing at such a great rate and getting stronger every day.

On March 27 and 28, we are having a Benefit Garage Sale in order to raise money for Jack's Fund!!  We will be splitting the proceeds 50/50 between Jack's Fund and Shawn Hull.  Shawn, husband and father to a 5 month old, is a good friend of Scott and I's who was recently placed on the kidney transplant list.  We are busily gathering donated items for the sale, and boy do we have some great stuff!  We even have a full pallet (500 square feet) of sod that was donated to be raffled off!  It's spring and who doesn't need some new grass??!!  We will even have a bounce house for the kids to enjoy, hot dogs and cold drinks, music...it's sure to be a great time for two GREAT causes!

For anyone who lives in my area and would like to donate, please contact me at stacey@redishconstruction.com.  We will gladly come to you and pick up your items!  We look forward to having a great time and meeting some of the people out there who want to support our friend and our bestest little guy, Jack. 

Also, Jack is in day three of his first round of chemo and I'm so glad to report that he's doing great!  He is feeling great, playing a lot, making jokes, being silly and smiling all the time!  What more can we ask for?!  

Update from Laurie, March 14, 2010

Well we officially have finished our 2nd day of chemo and you would never know if you were here with Jack. He is in great spirits and playing as if everything is normal. He has grown to really like 2 of the nurses here and loves when they come to visit him. I think he has a thing for blondes!


Every time one of the medications is done, the machine will beep. Zac has taught him how to call the nurses on the remote and when they ask what he needs he yells, "I'm beeping!!" Pretty darn cute...

On another note, Braden has his dr's appointment with the cardiologis​t tomorrow so hopefully they will have some good news for us. He eats like a champ and has been gaining good weight so that's a good sign. 

-Braden is Jack's newborn brother.  He was born almost a month ago, and when he was about a week old we were told he has a medium to large in size hole in his heart.  We knew of Braden's condition before Jack's.  He is visiting a cardiologist weekly, but is doing very well.  As you can imagine, the stress of having both of your children ill is really something to handle.  But Zac and Laurie are doing fantastic and are totally united in their common goal.

Morning all, Stacey here.  I just wanted to let you all know that I talked to Laurie last night for the first time in almost three weeks since this all started.  She sounded in good spirits and shared a few funny stories about Jack and his nurses.  My favorite one was about how Jack likes to point his "water gun" - his fingers - at the nurses, shoot them with "water" and then holler, "Now shake like a dog!!". 

Jack had his first chemo treatment yesterday morning and he did so well.  He even fell asleep during the second part!  He's being such a little trooper through all of this.  As soon as Laurie updates her journal at Caring Bridge, I'll copy and paste it over here.

Keep praying!

Hi, this is Stacey again.  I just wanted to say a huge "THANK YOU!" to all of Jack's well wishers and to those of you who have donated to Jack's Fund.  We are humbled by the generosity and the outpouring of love for our boy. 

Update from Laurie, March 13, 2010

Well we had another little setback last night...Jac​k has developed a little bit of a cold and we decided to wait until this morning to start the chemo since we weren't sur​e if it was more than just a little virus. He seems to be doing good today and he has tested negative for anything "serious" so we will be starting his treatment this morning. We are a little nervous as parents, but we are looking forward to starting this and killing the cancer in his little body.


We have been moved to a different floor since the floor we were on was the "clean" floor. We will be up here for a couple of days until his runny nose goes away and then we will be moved again back down to the clean floor before going home. We didn't really get to sleep much last night, but hopefully Jack will be able to get a nap in today to catch up.

Update from Laurie, dated March 12, 2010

Jack had a very busy day yesterday going through the last of the tests that were needed. We were informed with the news that the cancer has spread to many of the bones in his body. This has not changed the treatment plan that they have for Jack. He will start his plan tonight with chemo and we will go from there. We are not going to go in to the details of his treatment plan because it would be too confusing. All everyone needs to know is that he has a long road ahead of him, but that we are confident that he will be able to beat this.

Since Jack will be starting treatment, we are going to be cutting down on vistors at the hospital. While we wish we could see you all every day...we just can't right now. Please let us know if you are wanting to come over so we can limit the amount of people that are here at a given time.

We want to take the time to thank everyone for all the support Jack is getting. W​e wish we could take the time to thank you all individuall​y, but obviously that is impossible right now. We appreciate all of the encouraging words and wonderful gifts that have been sent his way.

Thank you again and we will continue to update you all as we go...

Zac and Laurie

Hi there.  Welcome to Jack's page!  I'm Jack's aunt, Stacey.  I'd like to tell you a bit about our boy.  Jack is two years old and recently became a big brother just a few weeks ago.  His mommy, Laurie, and his daddy, Zac, are two of the best parents that these little boys could ever ask for.  Jack loves trains and going to the park.  He's a wiz kid with electronics and can unlock any cell phone you hand to him!  He has a bright and ready smile, and has the funniest little personality you've ever been around.  He has a family full of aunts, uncles, grandparents and friends that all adore this little guy.  Jack's diagnosis was sudden and it was shocking.  It was something that none of us had ever even considered, much less expected.  But we know now what has to be done, and we are all ready to begin to fight with Jack. 

My husband, Jack's uncle Scott, has set up a donation fund to help the family out with the expenses that are being incurred during Jack's long treatment.  While the family has good insurance, co-pays and other unexpected expenses are sure to stack up.  I know that times are difficult for everyone right now, but even a few dollars adds up quickly.  100% of the proceeds of Jack's Fund go directly toward Jack's care. 

With so many people that love our little guy, and with so many prayers that are being said, we just know that everything is going to be ok for our Jackers.