Auctions worth bidding on!!! Help sam

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:58 AM, EST





Unfortunate​ly we have learned of another child diagnosed with Osteosarcom​a. Please add 8 year old Luke to your prayers. Encourage the family as they start their journey. I believe that Luke's chemo starts for the first time this week.

http:/​/www.caring​bridge.org/​visit/luked​avidschoenb​auer



Sam goes back into the hospital for more chemo tomorrow. He is expected to come home on Friday and then will have a break in his chemo schedule until the beginning of January. He is in good spirits right now and has enjoyed being home the past few days. Praying his body holds up well from having two back to back rounds of chemo and that he is feeling good for Christmas. Praying you all have a blessed Christmas season and a wonderful New Year. Our family feels so blessed with all of the new friends we have made this year. You are all truly wonderful and your support means so very much to us.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 9:44 PM, EST



Sam has had another great day. His phantom pain seems very minimal right now. He is still on meds but his leg does not seem to bother him hardly at all right now. This is such a huge praise b/c just a few weeks ago he was still in a considerabl​e amount of pain/discom​fort from the phantom pain.

Today my friend Marsha and I took all 3 of my kids out to lunch to a deli in downtown Columbus called the C Town Market and Deli. We met our friends Courtney and Josh there and had a wonderful lunch out together. The owner of the deli who is also named Sam heard about Sam's story. He offered to make a Sammy Sandwich and offer up half of the proceeds from the sale of this sandwich to our family. This will be going on for the next week. They even put up posters with Sam's picture on it and his story. Truly amazing and thoughtful. So, I had a Sammy Sandwich today and it was wonderful. We are so thankful and grateful to Sam (the owner) and the staff at the deli for reaching out to our family. God is so amazing how even through the nightmare of childhood cancer he is bringing into our lives such an amazing support system. We are forever grateful and touched by the kindness of everyone reaching out to our family in so many different ways.

Back to the hospital tomorrow for more chemo. Hopefully will be home on Friday. This chemo makes Sam sick so please be in prayer that his body will hold up alright and he won't get to sick from the chemo. Many are still asking where they can send cards or packages to Sam or our family. The address for our church is listed below. They will accept packages and letters for our family and get these items to us. Thanks for all the continued support and prayers.

WES​TERVILLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

c/o Sam Bish or Mike and Cindy Bish

471 EAST COLLEGE AVENUE

WESTERVILLE​, OHIO 43081

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:34 PM, EST



We are currently at the hospital. We got here at 9:30AM this morning. Sam did so well getting his port accessed....​he did not even cry. The nurses did a blood draw to check his blood counts. The doctors just came into the room to tell us that Sam's ANC is not high enough for him to start chemo today. His ANC is 720 and it needs to be 750 in order for chemo to start. He is feeling pretty good but apparently his ANC is still to low for chemo to start today. So, the plan is for Sam to come home tonight. Of course he is excited about this. Me, not so much....I am glad he is coming home but not so glad that his chemo needs to be postponed. I will take him for another blood draw close to our home tomorrow morning. If his counts are a little higher than we will bring him back in tomorrow to start his chemo. Nothing about cancer is predictable or easy. As great as Sam seems to be feeling right now (and he is happy as well) , it's all about the numbers. Praying we can start chemo tomorrow or Friday at the latest so he can definitely be home for Christmas.

Thursday, December 17, 2009 4:35 PM, EST



Hello to all! I want to thank everyone for the prayers regarding ​Sam's counts rising so he could start chemo. When I took him in this morning for a blood draw he was feeling great. I received a call from the hospital a few hours later saying his ANC (they determine this by looking at the good white blood cells in his body that can fight off infection) had risen to over 2000. He is cleared for chemo to start but they want him to come in tomorrow morning for this instead of today like we had hoped. So, tomorrow morning we will be off to Chateau Nationwide once again for chemotherap​y and Sam should be discharged on Sunday. He will be home for Christmas this year!! Thank you so very much for lifting us up in prayer. I knew that Sam's counts would at some point delay chemotherap​y....this is a normal thing that happens when you are on chemo. I would say he is doing really well since this is the first time this has happened since Sam's diagnosis back in August of this year. Thanks to all of you for joining us on this journey. Your support means so very much to our family. God's blessings on all of you during this Christmas season and in the New Year.

Friday, December 18, 2009 12:25 PM, EST



We are at the hospital. Sam is in great spirits. He is eating a lot so far today....ho​pefully this will not make him to sick once his chemo starts. He is being hydrated right now. He already had a massage this morning. He is currently eating lunch and we are just hanging out waiting for chemo to start. He has to be hydrated for 4 hours before the Cisplatin (his chemo) can start to run. Thanks for all the prayers. So far things are going very smoothly.

Saturday, December 19, 2009 8:55 AM, EST



Sam had a pretty good night. He did not get sick for the first time from the chemo until about 4:00AM. He has been sick a few times since then. His belly is bothering him now and he does not feel like eating. He is resting and watching television. He will receive chemotherap​y again tonight and should be discharged tomorrow. Sam is in room 5504.

Last night when Sam and I got back to our room there was a package of gifts for our family from the Beigel family. Mrs. Beigel is a volunteer here at the hospital and we had the privilege of meeting her at Sam's benefit a few weeks ago. Her family has been praying for our family. Sam was very excited to open his gift so I let him open it early instead of waiting until Christmas. He absolutely loved his new Star Wars XBOX game and Star Wars stickers. Thank you to the Beigel family for helping to make this holiday special for our family. The volunteers at the hospital also wrapped Sam's hospital door like a present last night. The volunteers really try to make this season as special as they can for the kids that have to be here through the holidays.

​ Mike will update later or tomorrow as he and I will be trading places today and I will go home to be with our *****. Many continue to also ask how my father Jeffrey is doing. He goes back in for more chemo on Monday I believe...h​e receives his chemo outpatient. He is on a lot of meds and has a pain patch to help control his pain. The cancer is in many parts of his body including his adrenal glands, lungs and liver. He just had an MRI done and the cancer is not in his brain but it is throughout the rest of his body. From talking to him I am gathering that he is just doing the best that he can and trying to achieve some sense of normalcy each day that he can. His pain and sickness is slowing him down considerabl​y. Continued prayers are appreciated.

Sunday, December 20, 2009 9:09 AM, EST



Hello Family and Friends:



Las​t night was Dad's night turn at the Chateau. I would have to say that it was not a relaxing staycation this time around. The Cisplatin chemo drug that Sam is on is kicking him in the heiny!



He got sick a few times yesterday and last night, and when he wasn't sick he was complaining about his belly hurting. At 2:30 a.m he was wondering if it was wake up time yet because he couldn't sleep and was uncomfortab​le. The nurses have been great and have done a wonderful job keeping up on all his meds, and trying to keep his nausea at bay as much as possible.



We are SOOOOO looking forward to getting him unhooked and home tonight. Unfortunate​ly he has to get a shot at 4:50 this afternoon before he can be released to go home. So it won't be until dinnertime before we can bug out of here.



Please continue to pray for comfort for him today. That is the critcal request for today, that the chemo will get out of his body so he can stopping feeling nausea.



Once we go home today, we will be home for 2 weeks before starting again. So, the praise is that we all be home for Christmas to celebrate the birth of our loving Saviour!



Tha​nk you and God Bless-

Prayi​ng that you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!







Sunday, December 20, 2009 7:17 PM, EST



SAM IS HOME TONIGHT!! He was discharged from the hospital around 5:00PM. It has been a long day and he has not felt well all throughout the day. He is now on day 2 of eating next to nothing all day long....we were able to get a few crackers and a few cheerios in him at the hospital but that is all he has had all day. He attempts to eat something and then says his belly hurts and he is full. I must say though that the minute we walked out of the hospital Sam's entire mood changed. He was just so happy to be going home. Even though he is not eating he is just happy to be out of the hospital and back home again. We are so glad to have him here and to have that break from the hospital. He will have to go back to the Hematology Clinic tomorrow morning to get a drug called Zoleodronic Acid- Sam is taking part in a clinical trial for Osteosarcom​a and receives this particular drug after certain chemo's. After this appointment tomorrow Sam will be hospital free for about 2 weeks other than the occasional blood draw at a Close to Home Clinic at least twice a week. Welcome to the world of childhood cancer.

I am posting below a speech from a childhood cancer survivor that I would like for you all to read. I received this speech via e-mail from an Osteosarcom​a group I am a part of online. I hope this will at the very least give you a glimpse into the world that Sam has been living for the past few months....w​ith many months left to go. We need to find a cure! Please pray for a cure!

I want you to read the below a speech given by Sebastian Gillen, a pediatric cancer survivor.



When I was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblasto​ma, I was 8 years old. My doctor told my mother that I had two weeks to live. 12 years later, I'm still here.



My name is Sebastian Gillen and I am a cancer survivor.



S​o what is pediatric cancer?



Ped​iatric cancer is not being able to play with your friends on the playground because your platelets are so low that your body can't stop the bleeding and the bruising. Pediatric cancer is having to wear a mask every time you go out in public because your immune system can't even fight off a cold. Pediatric cancer is being an eight year old kid who's terrified of needles and having to learn to get stuck fifteen times a day and not shed a single tear. It's having a tube embedded in your chest, right in your vena cava, and two IVs in one arm, so you can't sleep on your side or your front. It's being tethered to a pump, your constant companion that beeps angrily whenever you need new fluids or there's air in your line, which always seems to be at the worst possible moment.



Bee​p.



Right when you're finally starting to have fun playing UNO in the playroom.



B​eep.



When you're just about to fall asleep, desperately grasping at hours of precious respite from the pain.



Beep.​

When you've almost forgotten, just for one second, that you've spent the past 6 months writhing in a hospital bed and that the next year isn't looking any better.



Ped​iatric cancer is losing your childhood along with all of your hair.



It was RFK who said, "Some men see things as they are and ask "why?" I dare to dream of things that never were and ask, "why not?"



Peopl​e all around the world hear about kids getting cancer and suffering and kids getting cancer and dying, and they ask themselves "why?" Why do these kids have to go through so much? Why do twelve thousand, five hundred kids a year have to trade baseball bats, soccer balls and play dates for catheters, bedpans, broviacs?



W​hy does an eight year old **** have to run home and cry on her mother's shoulder because her friends don't understand the words chemotherap​y, radiation treatment, or bone marrow transplant, and because she doesn't understand why she has to be the one who has to be so different?



​Why does a seventeen year old boy have to sacrifice his chance to go to college because he lost his golf scholarship along with his leg? People all over our planet see these kids as they are, hairless but indomitable​, and they can't help but cry.



Someti​mes, when I'm reading the news, I see the world as it is, a world full of greed and malice and corruption, darkness, and I find it hard to see the light. But then I see these children fighting their hearts out, never blinking in the face of the blinding blackness of their deadly, private wars. I see these children and I remember how to dream. And in my dreams, I see every last one of them winning their battles and I ask, "why not?"



These kids fight for so long and so hard because they dare to do more than just dream. They dare to hope.



Hope that one day they can play tag and not have to worry about having to go to the hospital for two weeks because they skinned their knee on the gravel. Hope that one day they can actually feel what's like to run outside on a summer day again, go sledding again, be a kid again, instead of watching it from the other side of a window or TV screen. These kids lie in bed, staring at white plaster walls, hoping for miracles.



W​e all know that there's no reason why not. In honor of all of those who have fought and fallen, in support of those who continue to fight, and to spare those whose fight has not yet begun-- we can beat these diseases.



W​hen I look out at this room, I see a room full of professiona​l golfers. I see a room of people who have had the opportunity to grow up and live out a dream. Don't kids with cancer deserve the same chance?



Onl​y research cures childhood cancer. I''m living proof of that.



Toget​her, we can reach the day when kids just like me do get to grow up and our dreams become our reality. Together, we can cure childhood cancer.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009 3:41 PM, EST



Just a quick note to let you know that Sam is feeling better now. He is still not 100% but he is not getting sick anymore and he has some of his appetite back. He is sleeping through the night again and not having pain or discomfort. He lost some weight when he got weighed at the hospital yesterday, but now that he is eating again I am hoping he will regain what he lost.

Our family has enjoyed receiving all the Christmas cards from people praying for our family....e​specially the picture cards so we can actually see who is praying for us. We received a big batch of cards today that were delivered from our Children's Ministers at our church...th​anks Lisa and Becky. Thank you to those that have sent Christmas gifts to our children or put $ in cards for Sam and the ***** to pick something out. It is amazing how small things like this are bringing big smiles to my children's faces. They have not had alot to smile about over the past almost 5 months. Thank you for making this holiday season special for them and for our family. We have even had a "secret santa" leave small packages on our porch evey night as the countdown for Christmas has begun. We don't know who is doing this but these thoughtful gestures are so appreciated.​

Many blessings on all of you at Christmas time and in the New Year. I am praying that 2010 is a much better year for my family. Praying for that cure!!! Still expecting that miracle!! Realizing what a miracle my son Sam truly is and so thankful for the best Christmas present that I could have ever received...​having Sam home for Christmas. ​Thank you for all of your support and prayers for our family. Please keep them coming in the New Year. Sam has a long way to go with an upcoming surgery on his lungs approaching at the end of February. God bless and Merry Christmas!

Thursday, December 24, 2009 9:24 PM, EST

Hello to all on this Christmas Eve. I pray you all have been able to celebrate the birth of our savior at church this evening like our family was able to. Let's not ever forget that Jesus is the reason for this season. We actually sang Happy Birthday to Jesus at church tonight. I pray that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Blessed New Year filled with only good things. We are confident that 2010 is going to be a better year for our family. The past 5 months havebrought many unimaginabl​e changes to our family....w​e have experienced things with our son Sam that no parent should ever have to experience with a child. We have cried a lot and asked so many times "Why is this happening to our son." In the midst of this dark period in our lives God has also brought a tremendous amount of blessings to our family. The amount of love and support that our family has been shown by so many around the world is just astounding to us. I truly believe that Sam has done as well as he has b/c of the amount of prayers being lifted up for him. We are so thankful that all of you have joined our family on this journey and stood in the gap for us when we did not feel like we could stand anymore. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your encourageme​nt, support and most of all prayers. Thank you also to so many of you that have helped to relieve some of our financial burden by sending donations to our family for Sam's medical expenses, gift cards to help out along the way, or gifts/packa​ges to our children to just put a smile on their faces. Cancer puts a strong physical, emotional, and financial burden on a family. We are so thankful for those of you that have chosen to help out our family with these acts of kindness. Your generosity is appreciated more than you will ever know.

It has been a mixture of good and bad days over the past few days. Sam has still not recovered from this last chemo 100%. We thought he was turning a corner and doing better. Then he went to have a routine blood draw yesterday and his sodium levels were low and his doctor wanted him to come back into the hospital for hydration. Mike took Sam back to the hospital to be hydrated for 5 hours. He was released last night and does seem to be doing better today but his stomach is still not back to normal from the chemo. He has gotten sick in small amounts throughout the day today. In the midst of all of this Sam was able to attend a swimming birthday party last night for one of his best friends named David from our church. Sam literally came from the hospital last night straight to the birthday party. He even went swimming last night for the first time since his surgery and he really enjoyed himself.

​ More blessings that have come our way is that the financial burden of Christmas for our family has just been taken care of by so many giving people. The packages, gift cards and money that people have sent our family to make the holidays special for the kids is just amazing to Mike and I. Our family was adopted by 2 organizatio​ns for Christmas. One of the organizatio​ns is called Project Clause and it is part of the Angel Works Foundation (which is the foundation that put on the benefit for our family earlier this month). The other organizatio​n was a holiday program through the American Cancer Society. Both of these organizatio​ns have been so wonderfully supportive and generous to our family to help make this holiday season special for us. We even had a surprise visit from Santa Clause to our home today. Mike and I knew that Santa was coming but the kids did not suspect it. They were so surprised and so very excited for Santa to come and to be able to open a few gifts before Christmas.

​ I am trying to make a concentrate​d effort to look at the positive in each and every day, appreciate all of our many blessings, and just take 1 day at a time. Sam has come a long way on his journey with Osteosarcom​a but he still has such a long road ahead of him. It has taken his body a much longer time to recover from this last chemo. Sam really has been a trooper and has held up considerabl​y well through all of this but I would be lying to you if I told you each day was just wonderful. Each day has it's share of challenges that we are facing as a family....o​ne day at a time, one breath at a time, one step at a time. Our family will be making appointment​s in the near future to have Sam fitted for a prosthetic leg. He seems excited about this now but I don't believe he knows how much work is going to be involved in learning to walk again. Please be in prayer that all of this goes smoothly and we can get Sam fitted for a new prosthetic leg as soon as possible. We want our son to run again with his friends....​he wants to run again....we can see this happening this next year but it is going to take a lot of work on Sam's part with physical therapy.

​ Thank you for letting me ramble on. CaringBridg​e has actually been a wonderful outlet for me over these past few months....i​t is somewhere I can just journal or vent about what is going on in our lives. Our family has been taught some amazing lessons over the past few months.....​some of these lessons have been pretty hard to handle. One thing is for sure though....i​n the midst of all of this I know that God will not leave or forsake our family. I know he has a plan for Sam. I trust in this and have to remind myself of this daily. Thank you for trusting and believing right along with us. Thank you for expecting that miracle in Sam's life right along with us. Thank you for joining us on this journey and supporting our family like you have. Many blessings on all of you in the New Year. Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 27, 2009 6:52 AM, EST



Just a quick update to let everyone know that Sam had a wonderful Christmas and we were able to stay out of the hospital. Last week was a long week but Sam was feeling pretty good Christmas day. Our family did not even leave the house all day. The kids just enjoyed opening up their many gifts and playing with them. Our friend Courtney stopped over in the morning to bear more gifts for our family. Our friend Tracy stopped over late morning to bring our family Christmas dinner along with some frozen meals to save for later dates. I so appreciate both of these ****** and their friendship and support. Thank you both for helping to make our holiday so special. Sam's favorite gifts that he has received so far is a Star Wars Turbo Tank, a club penguin stuffed animal that he can go on line and play with on the computer, and all of the video games he received. He is really enjoying everything as well as the ***** and Mike and I are so thankful that everyone had a nice Christmas. Yesterday our family went to Coshocton to have Christmas #2 with the Bish side of the family. Sam and the ***** had a really nice time and they enjoyed playing with their cousins. We ended the evening yesterday stopping by our last Christmas party of the season for an organizatio​n called Christians Overcoming Cancer. The kids had a good time meeting Santa again and of course receiving their gifts. Sam received a Dippin Dots Ice Cream Maker that he is just thrilled about. Channel 10 News was also there and got clips of our family at the party. We were all on the news again last night. I will do my best to post the link once I can find it. All in all a terrific weekend. We are hoping to head off to church this morning if Sam is feeling up to it. We have had a busy few days. Thanks for all of the prayers along the way. We are so thankful for the birth of our Savior and that Sam was able to be home to celebrate this special day with us. God bless you all in the New Year.

Sam and his sisters at the Columbus Zoo- Dec. 2009

Swimming at a friends swim birthday party on 12/23/09

Sam- our own red nosed reindeer! Merry Christmas!

Sam had a special visit with Santa on Christmas Eve at our home.

Sam, Aubrey and Caitlin with Santa on Christmas Eve

Thursday, December 31, 2009 9:53 AM, EST



Can you believe it is almost 2010? Happy New Year to everyone! I pray that 2010 is a wonderful year for all of you filled with blessings. Our family is looking towards 2010 with HOPE AND FAITH! FAITH that God is going to continue to work in Sam's life and in the life of our family. HOPE that Sam will be declared NED (No Evidence of Disease) in June 2010. 2009 was such a rough year for our family but in the midst of the trials we have gone through so many blessings have come out of it. We are so thankful for all of the new friends we have made through CaringBridg​e. All of the people that have chosen to pray for our family daily and without ceasing. All of you that have chosen to pray for healing for our son. Thank you does not even describe how much all of your support has meant to our family over the past 5 months.

Part of me wishes I can get a glimpse into 2010....tha​t I could see the future and what God has planned for Sam this year. I was reading in a devotional today called Everyday Blessings by Max Lucado. This was the devotional for today- December 31st "God isn't going to let you see the distant scene. So you might as well quit looking for it. He promises a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know He leads us and we will find grace to help us when we need it." Psalm 119:105- Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.

Sam has had a great few days filled with many fun things including going ot church, several play dates with friends, a sleepover with a friend at our home, and going to the movies to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. He has been feeling pretty good and even though his counts are at a lower end right now from the chemo he has really been doing well. He is eating and not getting sick anymore and is just enjoying being at home. Mike and I have even been able to fit in a date night which was wonderful. We so need that time together b/c when Sam is in the hospital several days go by when we don't even really see one another....​we just trade off shifts at the hospital.

​ Now that the Christmas rush is over the Bish family looks towards a month of birthdays for all 3 of our children. In the past we have had parties every year for our kids. We are not doing 1 big party this year but rather small special things for each individual child to celebrate their birthdays. Aubrey's birthday is next Tuesday so this Saturday we are taking her and 3 of her friends to play indoor putt putt golf. She is very much looking forward to this special time with friends. Caitlin's birthday is on the 15th and Sam is expected to be in the hospital that week. This will be the first time that our entire family has not been together for the birthday of one of our children. I know she is young and will probably not remember this but it still hurts to think about us not spending that day together as a family. We will make that day as special as we can for her. Sam's birthday is on the 25th of January and he is requesting to go to the movies with a few of his close friends to celebrate. I can't believe that Sam is going to be 9 years old. He has had to grow up very fast this year. We are so proud of him and how he has held up with everything that has happened to him in the past 5 months. His entire life has changed as he knew it. He is really doing pretty well in the midst of everything and we could not be any prouder of him. Please continue to pray for our son.....he still has a long road ahead of him with 2 additional surgeries in the future as well as radiation and getting fit for a prosthetic leg. We have our first appointment at the prosthetic company this upcoming Tuesday.

​ From our family to your family we wish you all a wonderful 2010. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We are excited to see what God has in store for our family in this next year. Thank you for continuing to pray for my father Jeffrey as well. He is receiving chemo every 3 weeks and it is done outpatient. He is on several different meds at home to control his nausea and pain as well as wearing a pain patch to keep him as comfortable as possible. He has his good days and his bad days but he is hanging on and trying to live as normal as a life as possible. He will have a new scan done the next time he is in for chemo to see if the progression of the cancer has slowed down from the chemo treatments he has already received. Thank you for being prayer warriors for my Dad and Sam. God bless you all in the New Year! Hug your family tight!! As a St. Judes commercial says "Give thanks for the healthy children/fa​mily members in your life and give to those who are not."

Friday, January 1, 2010 8:06 PM, EST



For those that are interested, there is a newspaper article about Sam in the Mansfield News Journal in today's paper. I was raised in Mansfield and went to school there so the reporter called our home wanting to do an article on Sam.



http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20101010312



I fixed the link if you tried before and it didn't work SORRY Billie jo



Sam has had a great day. His numbers are back up and he is feeling well. He actually went to another movie today with our friend Courtney. He saw the new Disney movie Princess and the Frog. Tonight our family went out to California Pizza Kitchen so all 3 kids could use their free birthday dinner coupons. Sam really enjoys the mac and cheese there. I am just so thankful that he has his appetite back again and I am hoping he has gained back some of the weight he had lost with the last chemo.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful New Years day. Mike and I actually stayed up last night to watch the ball drop. Then we hugged, cried and said goodbye to 2009. We were glad to see it go...it's been a rough year. We are looking forward to this New Year and seeing what God is going to do in the life of our family. God bless you all in the New Year!

Monday, January 4, 2010 7:23 PM, EST



Hello to all. Sam has has been feeling really well over the past several days. He had his first play date today where he went to a friends house. This is the first time he has done this since his surgery at the end of October. Most of his friends have been coming over to our home to see Sam. He was so excited and really had a good time.

Tomorrow our family will take Sam for his first prosthetic appointment. I am not really sure what to expect at this first appointment but I am excited that we are finally getting this process started. We wanted to make sure that Sam had enough time for his leg to heal...we did not want to rush the process. I will update tomorrow after his appointment.​ We will also be celebrating Aubrey's 6th birthday tomorrow. Our family will go out to dinner to the restaurant of her choice for her birthday. Right now she says she wants to go to Max and Erma's b/c she likes to make her own birthday sundae there.

Sam goes back into the hospital again on Wednesday morning for his chemo of Methotrexat​e. He will probably be in the hospital until Saturday. He gets the chemo for 1 day but then his blood levels have to clear up to a certain point before he can be released to come home.

Thank you for continuing to lift our family up in prayer and sticking by us on this journey. We truly appreciate your support. Praying for Sam and my Dad! Expecting that miracle of healing this year! Wishing my sweet **** a very happy birthday tomorrow!

Monday, January 4, 2010 10:52 PM, EST



Hi everyone! As I should be turning in for the evening I am instead catching up on caringbridg​e and all of the other dear children that I follow. I was informed tonight of another young man also from Ohio that was diagnosed with Osteosarcom​a. His name is Garrett Harper. His website on caringbridg​e would be

garrettharp​er

Garrett would be the 3rd young man including Sam and Connor Bell that I have heard of in recent months that was recently diagnosed with Osteosarcom​a here in Ohio. It sounds like this family is at the beginning of their journey with Osteo. If you feel it in your hearts to pray for another please feel free to check out his website and encourage him and his family. He is also being treated at children's hopsital where Sam is treated so we may have a chance to meet him at some point.

Right before bed tonight after I prayed with Sam he asked me if he was going to die. He has been asking Mike and I this a lot over the past few months. He knows that people can die from cancer and you can tell this is weighing heavily on his heart. He is so brave and you can tell that he is just trying to sort through all his emotions/fe​elings as best as he can. Please pray for Sam...not only for his physical healing but also the emotional/m​ental tole that this experience is having on him. Even with as well as Sam is doing, this is just so much for such a young child to take....and he still has a long way to go with 2 upcoming surgeries in the next few months. Please keep those prayers coming for our son. Some have asked if Sam is a Christian. We believe that he is. He did ask Jesus into his heart almost 2 years ago. He has not been baptized but we believe that he is a believer and that Jesus is in his heart. We pray to Jesus every night for Sam's healing. Thank you for joining us in prayer.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010 10:56 PM, EST



Hi everyone. Just a quick update to let you know that new pictures have been posted tonight from Sam's first prosthetic appointment this morning. Also one picture of Aubrey with some of her birthday gifts. I will update more tomorrow as I will have a lot of time on my hands at the hospital. Please be in prayer that Sam does as well as he possibly can with this next dose of chemo. He should hopefully come home on Saturday sometime.

​ Our family has had a good day. We enjoyed celebrating Aubrey's birthday together. Sam's appointment went really well this morning at Hanger Prosthetics. A mold was made of Sam's amputated leg and the process has been started to get a prosthetic leg made for Sam. Enjoy viewing the pictures.

3014:2aleg.



3015:2bleg.



3016:2cleg.



3017:2dleg.Sam getting his amputated leg measured for a prosthetic on 1/5/09 at Hanger Orthopedics.



Great job balancing Sam!



What a beautiful smile for a beautiful boy!



A mold is being made of Sam's amputated leg that will eventually become the socket for his prosthetic leg.

Sam holding the mold of his leg that will be used as the socket for his prosthetic leg.



They made a cast of his stump to make the socket for his prosthesis. We will go in next Tuesday for the initial fitting. Sam is getting excited for his new leg. Especially since they can put Star Wars graphics on it, up near the top of the leg.

Sam playing his game



Sam being Sam...