Life Changes

After hearing just one sentence, one instantly realizes what's truly important in his/her life. Time is so very precious & limited. And when times like these are upon someone, there's choices to be made. Jason and I are extremely thankful that God has given both of us such love and grace. God is the one that gives us the strength to wake each morning and find hope and peace in the new day. We are making some life changes today so that we may live each day to the fullest and make as many memories with our children, family and friends as possible. Although Jason has thoroughly enjoyed coaching the Creek baseball team, he has decided that it is time for him to step down as head coach. This is not to say that you won't see him out at the field watching or maybe even helping the team out at times.This decision allows for some much needed & desired Daddy, Taylor, and Easton time! I have also decided to step out of my nursing program at this time so that I, too, can be included in that Daddy, Taylor & Easton time! Our hope is that some fabulous memories will be made in the days and weeks to come & that our children will have them to cherish & remember for many years to come.

We do not know what the future holds, but we do know that today is a good day & so it makes for a great day to spend it with family & friends. So if you're wondering whether or not to call or visit, just remember that today is a good day & we'd love to share some laughs & make some more memories!

Please know that Jason, myself, and the kids greatly appreciate your love, support and prayers! May God bless each of you!

PET Scan results

Jason and I just got back home from Duke. He had his PET scan this morning. The results were not what we were hoping for. The scan was what they call "very hot" which means that there is a lot of active cancer cells. When we asked about the size of it, Dr. V said that he estimates it to be the size of a grapefruit. Surgery & radiation are not an option. Jason's treatment now will include taking a low dose of oral chemo daily along with another drug that he will take 7 days on & then 7 days off. He will also have Avastin every three weeks. The doctors anticipate that the side effects will be minimal & may even feel like a respite from the harsh therapy that he's been on for the past year.
I have a really hard time understanding how Jason is walking, talking, teaching, etc with such a large thing in his brain--it makes no sense. Even the Doctors are surprised by his functioning level. They said that he is in the top 1% of their patients in regards to functioning level especially with the size of the tumor and the amount of swelling. So we will choose to focus on the positives of the situation rather than dwell on the negatives. I won't lie--there are a lot of thoughts running through my mind & many of them are not so great, but I also know that we have a God that wraps His loving arms around us and catches every tear. He will be our Strength!

So many months have passed

Where does one begin when we've allowed so much time to pass. Anyway, I will start with Jason. Tomorrow marks Jason's 23rd of 24 treatments for his 12 month treatment plan--he is ready to be finished to say the least. January 6th will be his last treatment. January 18th, he will have a PET scan to see if there are any active cancer cells. Depending on the results of the scan, the Dr. will help us determine the next steps. Jason has been having a MRI every 8 weeks and they continue to remain stable. Our hope and prayer is that the PET scan will show no active cancer cells and that Jason will be able to start a maintenance phase of treatment consisting of just Avastin. He would not have any chemo drugs--this would be such a blessing as those are the drugs that make you feel utterly exhausted. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't worried about what the 18th of January will bring. January has not been such a great month for us the last few years--originally diagnosed on Jan. 19, 2008 and then reoccurance on Jan. 19, 2011. It's quite mind-boggling to think it's been almost 4 years now since his original diagnosis. Praise God!

As for me, I just finished up my first semester of my nursing program. I get a little break for Christmas and will start my 2nd semester on Jan. 9th. It has been very nice having some time off right now and will be difficult to get back in the groove. Time management is essential when working, going to school, taking care of the family! I believe I have mastered my time management skills :) I truly am blessed to walking the path that I am and am humbled by God's grace & peace that He so generously gives me!

Taylor is doing great in 3rd grade. She continues to be active in the arts--she's in the youth honors chorus program at the Midland Center for the Arts, ballet & tap at Gina Beebe Dance Studio, and she just finished up being in the "Gospel According to Scrooge" musical at our church, Messiah Lutheran. She loves to perform and has such an energy about her. She truly amazes me and she loves deeply. I'm so proud to be her mother!

Easton is doing fantastic in 1st grade. It is so neat to listen to him learning to read and seeing his excitement for learning in general. He is the definition of energy I think. He is constantly going. He's in his 3rd year of hockey and I have to say--he's pretty darn good. It's amazing to see him on the ice. Not only is he fast, but he is very intuitive as well. He understands the game and he anticipates his next moves. I'm so proud to be his mother as well!

Merry Christmas to you! May God give you peace this Christmas season. Take time to slow down and truly enjoy & cherish your time with family and friends! Blessings, Joslyn

Jason had his Dr. appt at Duke and his MRI looks even better than last time! The treatment is kicking some major booty right now and we are loving it!

This time of year always seems to fly by. Here we are in the middle of May already. We've been busy. Easton celebrated his 6th birthday at the end of April. He's getting to be such a big boy--he'll be in first grade in the fall. Taylor and Easton are both playing ball this spring. Taylor is much more excited about softball this year--she likes being on a team of all girls and having the coaches pitch rather than hitting off a tee. Easton is playing coach-pitch baseball and he's doing good. He loves to catch and works really hard behind the plate trying to stop each pitch. Even though they call it coach-pitch, the boys actually pitch most of the time--so you can imagine the balls flying all over the place:)

Jason's varsity team is in full swing as well. They are doing alright--they are a rather young team so hopefully the years to come will make for a great team. Jason's feeling pretty good right this moment but tomorrow is his 3 drug treatment day so the next few days will be "not so great" for him. I have to tell you though--he handles the treatments really well. I'm amazed by all he does even when he's loaded up with a bunch of drugs that make you feel really yucky.

So, if you'd like to see us in the next few weeks, you can find us at one of the ball fields! Have a great week.

Significant shrinkage!

Just saw Jason's Dr. at Duke and he said that the tumors have significantly shrunk. The plan is to continue on with the same treatment. Praise God!

Back from Florida

We spent spring break in Florida, and it was lovely (except for the couple of days full of rain)! Jason had his 4th round of treatment today. He's at baseball practice right now but I'm pretty sure he'd rather be in bed:) He seems to be handling the treatments alright just really tired. We travel to Duke for his Dr. appt on Tuesday, Apr 12. Praying the MRI shows some positive changes!