During this difficult time, it's hard to think about our blessings. But it's more important during these times that we list each blessing that comes our way. Whether it's big or small, we will count them all.
1) We are blessed to have our God. He has not abandoned us. He is walking with us on this journey and He knows what we need. He is the one who is keeping us strong and hopeful. He is a merciful and loving God.
2) We are blessed to have a strong, active and prayerful support group. We are hearing from many family, friends, co-workers and classmates from around the world who are praying for Jayson and our family.
3) We are blessed that we are here in San Diego when Jayson's illness was diagnosed. Many of you may have known that we had just moved from Oahu, Hawaii this past April. Although I know our friends in Hawaii would take care of us. I can't imagine having to go through this so far from our family in San Diego.
4) We are blessed for the pancreatitis that brought us to the emergency. Because of it, tests and screenings were done to determine the cause of his stomach pains. It was in these tests and screening that the doctors saw some of the abnormalities in Jayson's body that later required further screening which lead to his cancer diagnosis.
5) We are blessed that the cancer that Jayson has is not as rare as the one the doctors feared. Yesterday (Friday, Dec 16th) I brought Jayson in for his follow-up appointment with his oncologist. She gave him a physical exam and we discussed the pathologist's final report and diagnosis. Jayson was diagnosed with Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. It is a form of sarcoma cancer that arises from cells that normally develop into muscle cells. It is more commonly seen in adolescents and often occurs in the arms and legs. Although this cancer is still rare (400-500 cases/year in the U.S.), it is more common than the other type they thought it was which had 200-300 cases/year in the U.S.
6) We are blessed that the skin nodules on his chest and back have gotten smaller after the first round of chemotherapy. These skin nodules have cancer cells in them according to the results of a skin nodule biopsy done on December 6th. We are thankful that there are signs that the chemotherapy has started to help.
7) We are blessed to have Jayson's friends who keeps him smiling, laughing and his spirit high. I took him to school yesterday to visit his friends and classmates. I was so touched when they gave him a standing ovation and encouragement. He's received many visits from friends who came just to talk and hang out. We welcome more visits from friends, but we ask that arrangements be made beforehand to make sure Jayson is feeling well enough to receive visitors.
I'm sure there are more blessings that I haven't thought of or mentioned, but we will be thankful for each one of them as they come to mind.
As my brother mentioned in the last blog, we are taking Jayson to the Sarcoma Center at UCLA on Monday morning to get a second opinion. We will be driving to Jerry's house on Sunday afternoon so that Jayson can spend some time with his little cousins and other relatives in the area.
As for today, it looks like a quiet weekend. Jayson didn't get much sleep last night, so, he'll probably sleep alot during the day. Besides going to church this evening, we will probably go to a Red Lobster restaurant for lunch. Jayson's been craving for Red Lobster's shrimp food since he was admitted in the hospital and was put on a No Food/No Water Diet for 2 days in order to treat his pancreatitis. He was just being hydrated with liquid through his IV. He told me during the second day that when he was dreaming of the fried shrimp from Red Lobster, he could almost taste it. Now, he doesn't have to imagine it. I'm sure he'll be savoring each and every bite.
Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers. Our family will continue to be positive, hopeful and thankful for our blessings.
Hi Jessie, this is Faye M. (Remember me?) I saw Jayson's video last week when Dinah posted it on Facebook. Please know that Jayson, you and your family are all in my prayers.
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