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.