Auctions worth bidding on!!! Help sam

Saturday, October 17, 2009 4:51 PM



SAM'S MOM WROTE



Hi, it's Mom again. I am back at the hospital with Sam and have taken over for Mike's shift. I was able to go home yesterday and spend some quality time with our girls. I really needed the break and it was nice to have that time at home. The girls are now spending the night with a friend tonight so Mike can have some down time and relax as well.

Sam slept for most of last night b/c he was still weaning off of the drugs that they gave to him to sedate him for his MRI. Mike said the MRI took over 2 hours. I am going to ask the doctor why Sam needed to be sedated or in for a scan for that long of a length of time. We do not have the results of this scan yet but the MRI was done of his legs.

When Sam woke up this morning he was complaining of his eyes hurting him and not being able to open them. Sam was taken to see an eye doctor here at the hospital. Apparently he has an abrasion on one of his eyes. What happened is that one of his eyes partially opened during the MRI yesterday when he was sedated and his eye got dried out. He is now on prescription eye drops and ointment for his eye and he was given Morphine for the pain. Mike said he seemed to feel a little bit better earlier this afternoon and was awake for awhile with both of his eyes open. He is now back asleep again. He has eaten very little (hardly anything) in the past 36 hours but Mike was able to get him to eat some chicken for lunch today. Nothing about cancer is easy or predictable. Sam has had the Methotrexate twice before and did really well with it. This has been a much more difficult admission though. The chemo does not seem to be making him to sick so this is a Praise. He has just slept a lot more this time around and is much more lethargic. The pain in his eyes have also made him uncomfortable. We are still praying he can go home tomorrow but we will have to wait and see how his levels have cleared of the Methotrexate.

Sam's friend Joe stopped by today with his wife and another friend of theirs. Sam was glad to see them but since he had a hard time opening his eyes it was still difficult for him. We continue to receive many gifts in the mail and financial donations as well to help with Sam's medical care. We feel truly blessed that so many people care about Sam and our family and we are so thankful for your generosity. Thank you so very much for reaching out to our family. It means more to us than we will ever be able to express to you.

I will sign off for now since Sam wants me to get a movie going for him. He loves the portable DVD player he received as a gift and it has really come in handy. I can put it right on his bed while he is laying down and he can still watch/hear a movie close to him. Thank you Pam for this wonderful gift. What a blessing you and your grandaughters are to our family. Expecting a miracle and praying always for Sam

Saturday, October 17, 2009 8:50 PM

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Sam is having a really rough time and his eye is really bothering him tonight. He was just given some Morphine for pain. PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALING ON HIS EYE!! It is very hard for me to see Sam in pain. Chemo is hard enough without having to deal with this as well. He can't even really open his eyes at this point and I know that is making this even harder for him. He wants to watch a movie so badly and just relax and he can't even open his eyes to watch the movie. He is listening to a movie right now. I was singing some Jesus songs to him earlier and it seemed to calm him down for a little while. Calling out to all of his prayer warriors to pray for healing on his eye.

Sunday, October 18, 2009 9:18 AM

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Things are looking up. Sam has not had any morphine for the pain in his right eye since 8:00PM last night. He slept well last night and is awake now, eating some breakfast, with both eyes open and watching a movie. Thanks so much for lifting Sam up in prayer last night for the problems he was having with his eyes. We are still hoping to come home today but won't get the official word until this afternoon. The eye doctor will stop by to check on Sam this morning as well.

Monday, October 19, 2009 8:46 PM

SAM'S MOM WROTE



WE ARE HOME!! We actually got home last night close to 9:00PM. Sam enjoyed sleeping in his own bed last night and so did we. Sam's eye is not causing him anymore pain or discomfort but we are still continuing the eye drops for the next few days. Sam relaxed alot today and just enjoyed being home. Our girls got their flu shots today and I am just thankful that is done and out of the way.

We have not received scan results back from his long MRI on his legs. The EKG and the bone scan came back fine and his hearing test also came back good...no hearing damage or damage to his heart at this point though chemo can cause both of these things. Dr. Yeager did say that the scan of his lungs did show a few other nodules that were not previously noted but they were calcified. He believes they were probably there from the beginning but were not noticed and have since been reacting to the chemo.

Mike, Sam and I have decided on amputation for Sam's upcoming surgery on his right leg. After much thinking and praying about it along with seeking other opinions we just feel that this will give him a better quality of life with a lesser chance of reaccurance of cancer in his leg. This is the hardest decision we have ever had to make as parents His surgery is still scheduled for October 30th unless it is delayed from side effects of the chemo. We will keep everyone posted.

Expecting a miracle and praying always for Sam!

Wow, I am reading all of these posts and I unfortunatly am facing cancer with my finance. She just found out she has colon, liver and ovary cancer and was given a 30% chance. We moved our wedding up to 11/15/09 from 09/10 because we might not have until next September. I am so sorry to hear about Sam and his cancer, my heart breaks for him. I lost my brother to cancer 9 years ago and that was hard but the Lord knows what he is doing even when we can't seem to understand why. Please know that I will be in prayer for Sam and for the family, it is hard on everyone. God Bless you.

We will keep your family in our prayers also!

Take Care...

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 11:14 PM



SAM'S MOM WROTE



Sam has had a really good few days at home. Hard to believe we have to head back into the hospital again on Thursday morning for more chemo. Sam's eye is much better and does not seem to be causing him any more pain. Sam's friend Joe came to visit him today and hooked up an XBOX 360 for Sam which was given to him from Joe, his wife Holly and a dear friend of theirs. Sam was so excited about this new game system and we appreciate so very much those that gave Sam this video game system and put such a smile on his face. Sam also had a visit from a good friend Becca tonight. They have been friends for such a long time and I know he enjoyed catching up with her. Thanks Kim and Becca for a wonderful visit. You both are dear friends in our lives. Tomorrow another dear friend is coming over to our home to do feet imprints of Sam's 2 feet and also of our girls. I never would have thought to have this done before Sam's surgery but my best friend Robin arranged all this for me all the way from Boston. Thank you Robin for being such a support to me...wish you lived closer. And thank you Erin for coming over to do this precious gift/memory for my family. I will treasure these garden stones with the kids foot imprints forever.

I have been thinking a lot about Sam's upcoming surgery and about his feet. As a parent when your child is born the first thing you notice is that they have all their fingers and toes. I have accepted the surgery that he is going to have and know it is in his best interest. The mother in me though is having a very hard time with the reality of all of this and all of the changes taking place so suddenly in Sam's young life. Next Friday will be a very hard day for our entire family. Please be in prayer that Sam's surgery is successful. He will not be cancer free after his surgery but he will at least be cancer free of the main tumor site. We will rejoice in this. We meet with our orthopedic oncologist this Friday morning at 11:00AM for our last surgery consult while we are at the hospital. I am also going to ask about getting some psychological support for Sam and our family both before and after his surgery. We can use all of the support we can get right now. Expecting Sam's miracle and praying always for him!

Thursday, October 22, 2009 12:06 PM, EDT

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Hello to all. We are here at the hospital now and Sam is being hydrated for a few hours before his Methotrexate can start. He is doing well and is playing his Nintendo DS in bed right now. The hardest part of chemo sometimes for him is just getting his port accessed. He hates it! He tends to have a rough time with this but once it is accessed he does just fine. He enjoyed going to see the movie "Where the Wild Things Are" last night. Sam is a big movie fan and loves going to the movie theater. He is already making his list of several new movies coming out that he wants to see.

Our family continues to be blessed by the outpouring of love and support from so many others. We will never have enough words to express how much your kindness and generosity means to our family. Our kids received a few packages yesterday that included books, candy, stuffed animals for the girls and another package that had some creative animal scarves for all 3 of the kids. Please know that even if you do not receive a personalized thank you note that we appreciate all of this so very much and that you are blessing our family. I do have to extend a heartfelt thank you to the "Deer Community". There is a community of Deer Farmers that live in several different states. Thank you for being an advocate for our family and praying for our son. This community of people have been raising funds and auctioning items off to raise money for our family. We received some of the checks yesterday. We are so grateful for all of the support and truly appreciate your generosity. All of the donations coming in will help go towards Sam's medical expenses. Thank you to everyone who is praying for our family or helping our family out with donations or gifts for our children. You are bringing smiles to all of our faces during a time in our lives when we don't have a lot to be smiling about.

I will keep everyone updated on Sam's progress. We hope to be released Sunday afternoon so we can take Sam to a Fall Festival called Trunk or Treat at our church. The fresh air will do him good and seeing friends will be good for his moral. Praying always for Sam and expecting ou Miracle for our boy!



Thursday, October 22, 2009 8:35 PM, EDT





SAM'S MOM WROTE

We received back the results of Sam's MRI on his legs. The chemo is working and the tumor is dying. Sam will still need to have his surgery next Friday to have the tumor in his right femur removed along with the spot on his left fibia. He will still be getting his right leg amputated above the knee. This will allow him to have as active of a lifestyle as he would like once he gets fit for his prosthetic. Sam met with the Physical Therapipst today for a short period of time and will have a lot of PT after his surgery. We meet with our surgeon tomorrow at 11:00AM to have our last surgery consult before next Friday.

Sam's chemo of Methotrexate is already done. It only runs for 4 hours. Now he will continue to be hydrated for the next 3 days along with getting rescue drugs so the chemo does not harm his other organs in his body. He has done really well so far and I am hoping he has a good night. He is lying peacefully in bed watching a movie.

I was able to visit with my friend Wendy earlier today. We have been praying for her son Garrett who I asked for prayer for a few weeks ago. Garrett was involved in a serious car accident and was hospitalized with a brain injury. He is 6 years old. He is currently doing very well and actually is able to come home from the hospital next week. This is a huge answer to prayer. Please continue to pray for this family in the days and months ahead.

Saturday, October 24, 2009 7:32 AM, EDT

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Hello to all. I am writing this entry from home this morning. I was able to come home yesterday and spend some time with our daughters while Mike was at the hospital with Sam. I have not talked to Mike this morning yet to find out how Sam's night went but I do know that he had a great day yesterday. As of last night Sam had not gotten sick even 1 time yet from his chemo. He was active yesterday and wanting to be in the "teen room" on the floor where his room is so he could play some different xBOX games in there. He typically does not even like to leave his room so I was so glad to hear he was wanting to be out and about. Sam saw the Opthamologist yesterday morning and his eye is completely healed- PTL! Sam has had his appetite during this hospital stay which is not very typical for him- he normally does not eat much when he is receiving chemo. He is doing really well. Thanks for praying!!!

I have posted some new pictures on this website of Sam and his sisters. Check them out. Some of the pictures are from our Texas trip. Enjoy! Expecting a miracle and praying always for Sam!

Saturday, October 24, 2009 8:59 AM, EDT

SAM'S MOM WROTE

I would like to send out a very special (and a little overdue) THANK YOU to Mr. Bill Wotring and his school in New Matamoras, Ohio. Mr. Wotring had heard about Sam and contacted me several weeks ago wanting to help. His school where he is a principal in New Matamoras, Ohio have adopted Sam as an honorary BULLDOG. They have sent him cards over the last few weeks and even had a poster made up for Sam with his name on it as an honorary, adopted BULLDOG (their school mascott). The school even had a fundraiser for our family and collected some money to help wtih expenses for Sam. Mr. Wotring came to visit about 2 weeks ago at the hospital to present me with the poster and a check for Sam. I am blown away by the generosity of people that are praying for our family and for Sam. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Mr. Wotring and your wonderful school. We truly appreciate your generosity and your support! Sam is excited about being an honorary BULLDOG now as well as a French Run FIREBIRD (the mascott where he goes to school).

Saturday, October 24, 2009 10:42 AM, EDT

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Greetings Prayer Warriors!



Another successful night here at the Chateau Nationwide. He did great all night! He has been in a good mood all day yesterday and the morning has started out great. He discovered the Tony Hawk game for the XBox360 and has enjoyed playing it in the activity room here on the floor. He slept well during the night, and we now need to figure out what to munch for lunch.



Miss Lisa stopped by yesterday to say "hi" and Sam really enjoyed the visit.



He is in great spirits and is showing no concerns about his surgery. I can only give credit for that to prayers and the grace of God.



Thank you everyone for your love, prayers and continued support. We appreciate it more than words can express.



God Bless

Saturday, October 24, 2009 1:50 PM, EDT

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Our family has met a really nice family up here on J5 who has a little girl named Kayleigh who is only 3 years old. We would appreciate you keeping Kayleigh Justice in your prayers as well. Her mom is also pregnant with Kayleigh's little brother and he is due in December. For those that would like to pray and follow Kayleigh's story her caringbridge website is

caringbridge.com/visit/kayleighjustice



Sam is doing really well. I am here at the hospital with him now and he is watching a movie and he just had a chocolate milkshake that I brought for him. Sam's Uncle Jim is going to help out by staying with Sam tonight at the hospital to give Mike and I a break so we can both be home together with our girls. We truly appreciate this. Looking forward to hopefully being discharged tomorrow afternoon so Sam can go to the fall event at our church. Expecting our miracle and praying always!

Sunday, October 25, 2009 2:59 PM, EDT

SAM'S MOM WROTE

Sam has cleared his Methotrexate and we get to go home!!! We are just waiting to be discharged. Our first stop before going home will be going to our church for our fall Trunk or Treat event. Sam seems to be looking forward to it. We brought his costume to the hospital and he is dressing up as Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars.

We just had a visitor who brought us some colored rocks to hand out at Trunk or Treat tonight. We are going to give everyone a rock and tell them to put it in their pocket and pray for Sam every time they touch it on Friday. Thank you so much Kim for this thoughtful gesture. We truly appreciate you thinking of us. We enjoyed meeting you and your daughter today. We will continue to lift up your son Chase as well as he goes in for further scans in the future.

Praying for a good week. Praying that Sam can experience some fun things and see some friends before his big surgery on Friday. Praying for peace for Mike and I as well as Sam as the surgery date is approaching. I am finding myself moarning the loss of his leg already. I know this may seem silly but this is how I am feeling right now. I know we have made the right decision for Sam but I just feel like we are losing a part of him. Please pray for peace for me regarding this. All of you are helping us to get through a very dark period in our lives. Thank you so much for holding us up when we don't think we can stand any longer. We truly feel your support and it is such an encouragement to ou family. Expecting Sam's miracle and praying always for him!!!

SAM'S MOM WROTE



Sam and his new friend Jo. What an encouragement and blessing Joe has been to Sam and our family.



Sam and his Oncologist Dr. Nick Yeager



The Evans family was our host family in Texas and are wonderful new friends in our life.



Our honorary Texan



Sam at the Downtown Aquarium in Houson with his new fish friend that he named Shrimpy.



Sam and his Orthopedic Oncologist Dr. Joel Mayerson (along with some orthopedic residents)





Sam and Dr. Pete Anderson at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas



Sam as the pilot on our Southwest Airline coming home from Texas.



The Bish kids enjoying some seasonally warm fall weather.



Our beautiful boy! I am trying to take alot of feet/leg pictures before Sam's surgery on 10/30/09.



Dad and Sam on a ride at the Aquarium in Houston

Monday, October 26, 2009 10:35 PM, EDT



SAM'S MOM WROTE



For those that have asked about if one last scan will be done on Sam prior to surgery....

The final scans on Sam's legs were done 2 weeks ago. While the scans did not show complete healing of Sam's legs at the site of the tumors, it did show some improvement- the tumors are responding to the chemo and not getting bigger or spreading to other locations. Even though complete healing has not been granted to Sam at this point, we still believe that Sam will be healed even after he has this surgery. We feel God's presence through all of this and believe in our hearts that this is the right decision for our son. The peace that Sam has about his upcoming surgery is even more proof that God is working in his young life. Please remember that Sam has other locations in his body where there is cancer. He has nodules on both of his lungs along with 1 spot on his spine. Please continue to pray for healing in his body. Osteosarcoma is a reoccuring cancer- many children tend to relapse with this dreaded disease and we are praying this does not happen for Sam. We are praying for healing on his body even if he has to go through the different surgeries to have this healing. We are TRUSTING God along with the doctors that Sam is receiving the best care possible. When you are praying for the surgery on his right leg on Friday please remember as well that he is getting 1 "spot" removed on his left leg as well near his fibia. This means that even his good leg will have to heal and it will make walking and moving around more difficult in the beginning for Sam. We are trying to get some things moved around the house to make mobility issues less of an issue for Sam once he is home. PRAYING ALWAYS FOR OUR BOY AND EXPECTING THAT MIRACLE IN SAM'S LIFE IN WHATEVER FORM THE MIRACLE COMES IN!

Thursday, October 29, 2009 9:08 PM, EDT



SAM'S MOM WROTE

Sam and his sisters had a great time trick or treating tonight in our community. We had some friends over and everyone really enjoyed themselves. Sam actually wanted to walk most of the evening instead of riding in the wheelchair. He knows and understands what kind of surgery he is facing tomorrow and I think he just wanted things to be as normal as possible tonight with his friends.

Our family needs to be at the hospital by 8:00AM tomorrow. The surgery is scheduled for 10:00AM and is supposed to be around 4 hours. Sam is very accepting of what is going to happen tomorrow. He honestly does not even appear very nervous or upset about his surgery. He does get uncomfortable when he sees me cry though. Mike and I prayed over Sam and his leg tonight. We actually anointed him with "healing water" that someone sent to us. I got very emotional which made Sam upset but everyone is alright now. Please pray for strength for all of us tomorrow. Pray that Sam is not fearful or anxious before his surgery. Pray for a calm for Mike and I as we wait with family and friends tomorrow. Pray that God will guide the doctors hands as the surgery is performed. Pray for Sam's recovery and that he is not in to much pain. Pray for his emotional state (and ours as well) after his surgery when he sees his amputated leg for the first time. Please just stand in the gap and pray for our family tomorrow and that everything will go as smoothly as it possibly can.



a little info about the cancer Sam has

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/cancer_osteosarcoma.html#

Friday, October 30, 2009 11:27 AM, EDT



SAM IS STILL IN SURGERY HIS MOM WROTE



Sam is currently 1 and a half hours into surgery. He was taken back at 10:00AM and the surgery is scheduled to be around 4 hours. We arrived at the hospital at 8:00AM. Sam has really had a great morning. He has not cried once and was not anxious about the surgery. When we arrived here this morning one of the transport people that Sam has gotten to know took him for a walk/ride in his wheelchair around the hospital. Kathy and Sam flew parachute men off of the balcony. It was so nice to see him smiling and having a some fun before surgery. Sam even played some video games back in the room before they took him back to surgery. We had some friends show up early that were able to come back and pray with us and Sam before surgery. We are now waiitng in the surgical waiting room for updates with some dear friends and family.

Signing the surgery paperwork was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.....signing a consent to have our sons leg amputated. As much as I know this is the best thing for Sam for the future it was very difficult to do. Sam has been happy this morning and even smiled when they took him back into surgery. He really has a great outlook about all of this and I just pray it continues once the surgery is over and he adjusts to his new leg and new life. Praying for my son and expecting that miracle in his life! We feel the prayers. As hard and emotional this morning has been, we feel the presence of the Lord along with the many prayers of all of our friends and family.

Friday, October 30, 2009 1:15 PM, EDT





SAM'S MOM WROTE

Sam's surgery is almost done. The nurse just called out to us in the waiting room and said he should be done within the next half hour. He has remained stable throughout the entire surgery...no unexpected problems. Pray for him in recovery as he wakes up. Pray that his pain will be managed and is not to unbearable for him. PRAYING FOR OUR SON AND STILL EXPECTING THAT MIRACLE IN HIS LIFE!

God bless you sam