Tyler - 17 year old fighting cancer!

Tyler - 17 year old fighting cancer!
Ready for Battle!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Chemo Underway Again

Well, Tyler has had 2 days of chemo treatments so far this week. They are keeping a really close eye on his kidneys to make sure they continue to function even with the chemo treatments. The doctors said we probably won't see any effects from the chemo until today or tomorrow.

Tyler continues to be sedated and on some really heavy pain killers, but that isn't preventing him from waking up. Again, he's very emotional when he wakes up...crying, pointing, sometimes beating his chest. It's such a heartbreaking thing for us to see and we can't help him, or even know what he's asking us, to give him an answer. It's very emotionally draining for all of us. Please continue to pray for strength for this family and that the doctors would have great wisdom in managing his pain and agitation.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

If you want to donate blood - see below

Tyler is in need of blood transfusions. Tyler is O+ and can receive O+ or O- blood. If you want to help Tyler and are one of these blood types, we have a prescription set up at the Red Cross so that you can donate directly to him.

The blood is only good for 21 days and you can only donate every 8 weeks. So, if you can't do it this week, we'd love if you can wait a few weeks. We have lined up quite a few donors already (such a blessing...Thank you!). We'll send a few reminders out as we need more.

If you're type O blood and eligible to donate, can you email me directly if you'd like to donate. Send an email to jetfields@yahoo.com with your full name and the Red Cross MI location you would prefer to donate. We'll get you set up on the list and let you know when we need you to donate.

If you're not type O, giving blood saves lives, so go ahead and make your appointment today anyway!

Thanks everyone! I'll leave you with some nice shots of Ty at his graduation last May.





Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Starting Chemo Again and Needing Blood

The oncologist, and the other doctors on Tyler's team, have agreed he is stable enough to start chemo again! It's strange to be excited that he can have chemo. But, we're thankful for this news because we're back to the cancer battle after this 3 weeks or so of a huge set back. The cancer treatment is more complicated now, with the stomach issue, so they are going to give him small doses instead of the aggressive doses of chemo they started with earlier this month. That will start tomorrow.

Tyler is also in need of blood transfusions. He took 2 full bags yesterday. Tyler is O+ and can receive O+ or O- blood. If you want to help Tyler and are one of these blood types, we have a prescription that we are setting up at the Red Cross in Warren. Someone will be dropping that off later today there and getting everything set up. Starting tomorrow (hopefully), you can go there and tell them you want your blood to go directly to Tyler and they will clean it and bring it to him daily (if anything changes on this, I will post an update). Here is the address for the Red Cross:

Red Cross
13260 E 11 Mile Rd
Warren, MI 48089


Please continue to pray for Tyler. The chemo is a double edged sword with the stomach complication, but they have to address this tumor! Please also continue to pray for Tyler's pain management. He is waking up a lot and is in pain, uncomfortable and crying. It's so heartbreaking, especially because he can't talk with the ventilator. He's our baby and we hate seeing him this way! So continue to pray for strength for those that love him so much. Thank you!

I was just looking back at some of the posts and wanted to again thank you for your prayers. We give God all the glory for choosing to answer. 3 weeks ago, we feared Tyler would not make it through this stomach recovery. We were in need of a miracle. We praise God that he has made it this far.  Last Thursday, I asked for some specific prayer points in this post. He answered many of those requests. Praise Him!

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:10)

















Monday, October 29, 2012

Progress Report

I like to call it that, because Tyler continues to make progress, in terms of healing from the stomach surgery! We're so happy to report that his numbers are all going in the right direction. His kidneys are fully functioning again and the swelling is still coming down. The surgeon came in today and said that he is still critical, but moving in the right direction. The plan is still to keep him at this hospital.

In terms of the cancer, the oncologist (cancer doctor) will make the decision on when he can start chemo again. Once he is healthy enough, they can do the chemo even if they haven't closed the stomach. We were relieved to hear that. I'm also happy to hear them mentioning the oncologist again because a few weeks ago they had said that the cancer isn't the concern right now...we have to get him through this stomach recovery. That tells me there is progress, although maybe it's not as quickly as we'd like. 

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We praise God, our Comforter and Healer, that He is answering. We continue to pray that Tyler will be fully restored to good health. Please also pray that Tyler will be able to get comfortable and that the doctors will be able to manage his pain. It's so difficult to watch him in pain and not be able to help! We're also so thankful for this team of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff for saving his life. We pray for continued wisdom for them as they treat our boy!

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Today is Ty's 18th Birthday

Happy Birthday to our buddy. He's still stuck in the ICU, and not able to talk or eat or truly celebrate, so we'll have to celebrate when he's out. Normally, we'd be gathering at the coney warehouse for some pizza and Chicken Shack and watching football for his bday. Then we'd get the ice cream cake out to sing and he would be really annoyed by all that attention. He'd be rolling his eyes and suffering through it...just because he knows his annoying family is also generous and would give him some cash for his bday after the painful singing bit.

Tyler continues to be in a lot of pain and discomfort, but making progress on getting better from being septic. We will be finding out tomorrow what the plan is from here. There has been some talk of getting him transferred to UofM or somewhere else that specializes in this rare cancer. Please pray that the doctors and Michelle will have great wisdom on what the next move will be. Please also pray that his insurance coverage isn't affected by his age, and that everything will be covered. If not, we continue to be blessed by the generosity of those that have donated. If you want to wish Ty a happy birthday by giving a donation, we would so appreciate that.  His mom is unemployed, as some of you know, and she still hasn't left his side. Such devotion! If you find it in your heart to donate, just click here http://www.gofundme.com/1drbvk . Thank you!