Auctions worth bidding on!!! Help sam

To your family,

You tell Sam I decided to make him my best friend. Along with that would be a hunt waiting for him anywhere I guide, with expenses paid. Of course the family would be welcome to join him. I'm sure we can muster up some airline tickets as well. From one head cheerleader to another( I am Sam's) may you all be blessed this year.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 7:44 PM, EST

SAM'S MOM WROTE

For those that are interested, Sam's room number is 5328



Hello to all from snowy and cold Ohio. Sam and I (mom) are at the hospital tonight. Sam is currently receiving his chemo of Methotrexat​e. It started around 4:30PM. We got to the hospital this morning by 9:30AM and spent most of our day in the day hospital until we finally got back into a room. Sam is doing pretty well. He did get sick once so far right before his chemo started. He had a headache and a belly ache and probably some nerves about chemo starting. He just does not want to be here and he has had a few short crying spells about wanting to go home. He is currently doing alright though and watching a movie. Keep those prayers coming!! We should be here until at least Saturday.

​ For those of you that inquire about my Dad Jeffrey....​I do not update every day about him b/c there is not always new news to update about. My dad receives chemo outpatient 1 time every 3 weeks. He spends his time at home during his chemo treatments trying to live as normal as a life as possible. He has days where he feels alright and days where he feels pretty bad. Continued prayers are appreciated. I believe he is supposed to have a scan soon to see how the cancer is responding to the chemo that he has already received.

​ Thank you for the continued prayer and support for our family. Stay warm...I hear that a cold streak is hitting many states in the US including Florida. I am personally not really a winter person and can't wait until Spring.

Instruction​s on how to send Sam e-cards at the hospital:



Go to the hospital web page at:

www.Nationw​ideChildren​s.org

and click on the parents/fam​ilies/visit​ors link on the left and click send a greeting card. Follow the instruction​s and once you finished they will actually print the card you made for Sam and deliver it to his room.Sam's room number is 5328 Sam Bish

You can make an e card the hospital prints and takes them to the child...

Here is mine from this time!

I will call you tomorrow Billie jo...any particular time? You and the deer community are amazing that you are continuing to support our family not only in thought and prayer but through finances. We appreciate this more than you even know. Thank you so much for all of your support. I appreciate you. As for me, I am doing alright tonight. Sam has not gotten sick to many times so I am alright when he is alright. Hoping and praying for a good day tomorrow. I will get to go home tomorrow as well and trade places with my husband. That will be a nice break for me and it will be wonderful to see our daughters. Did you see the recent pictures I posted on my FB page of Sam at the prosthetic company yesterday for his first visit?

Billiejo-



I know Cindy thanked you for all your support, but I want to as well. Your support is very much appreciated. In this time of economic uncertainty, the generosity of you and your friends is amazing! We appreciate the prayers and financial help SO much during this time. We have been blessed by an incredible network of new friends that truly want what is best for Sam. God has used him as a tool to bring people closer to Him! We are so blessed to have met so many wonderful and caring people.



Thank you, and I pray that God will bless you abundantly for your generosity and thoughtfulness.



Michael

Thursday, January 7, 2010 9:12 AM, EST

SAM'S MOM WROTE

Sam had an okay night. He got up about every 2 hours to go to the bathroom. He is hydrated the entire time he is here so he has to use the bathroom much more frequently. He also got sick a few times last night but in very small amounts. The methotrexat​e chemo does not seem to make him as sick as some of the other chemo's he receives so we are hoping he has a good day. Sam just woke up and said his belly is hurting him so he is receiving meds for nausea and then I will try to get him to eat a little bit of breakfast. He never has much of an appetite when he is in the hospital so I am hoping he will eat a little bit today....I would hate for him to lose more weight again from this chemo stay. That is the only update I have up to this point. We were able to briefly visit with our friend Kayleigh Justice who is also up here on J5 right now. It is always nice to catch up with people you have met up on J5 when you are here inpatient. You wish they were not here as well but it is still comforting to see some familiar faces. Sam's room is located in a different wing up here on J5 this time around. We have never had a room on this side of the floor so we have some new nurses this time around that we have not had before. Many thanks to my dear friend "Aunt Marsha" who came and spent some time with Sam and I yesterday and also brought me dinner. It makes the time go by so much faster when we have company up here. Also big thanks to Miss Lisa (Sam's Children's Minister at church) who also came to visit us yesterday and she makes a point to try and come to the hospital almost every time that Sam is admitted. I know he was a little grumpy/tire​d and not feeling very well when you were here but I also know it meant a lot to both of us that you both came to visit. Thank you.

Stay warm! Keep those prayers coming! Dad will update later sometime on his shift here at the Chateau. Thanks for all of the support. Also big thanks for all of the cards that we continue to receive in support of our family. We have enjoyed receiving the Christmas picture cards so we can see some of the people/fami​lies that have been praying for our family. Thank you also to the many who continue to send monetary support to help with the medical expenses we are having. Your support means so very much to us and we cannot thank you enough for all of your help. The gift cards have also been such a huge help as we travel to and from the hospital and other medical appointment​s for Sam. Thank you for your generosity towards our family.

Friday, January 8, 2010 8:11 AM, EST

SAM'S DAD WROTE

Happy Snow Day Prayer Warriors!



Ye​sterday starting around 12:00p.m we had the first part of a decent snow fall begin. It went all day and very quickly began to snarl traffic throughout the area. I believe our final total snow fall from yesterday was 5 inches (we would be in trouble if Columbus was in Colorado). There are over 300 school cancellatio​ns throughout Central and southern Ohio. Which I could admire the beauty of the snow. The view from our Chateau window is a parking garage about 100 yards away. I need to complain to management of the Chateau because this is not the view they had in the brochure. The pictures show beautiful fields and hills, and I get the parking garage view! What's up with that?



Sam had a good day yesterday, for the most part. He has not gotten sick once since I started my shift yesterday at about 12:30. He took a nice long nap yesterday afternoon, and slept well during the night. He is currently on the couch trying to wake up. He has been clearing his methotrexat​e well and we are anticipatin​g his release tomorrow afternoon.



O​n Tuesday, we have another appointment at Hanger Prosthetics for a first fitting of what will become the socket for his new leg. Then on Wednesday, we will be back at the Chateau for a 6 day stay for his next round of Chemo. After that he will be home for a few weeks. At least he will be home for his birthday on January 25th, in which he will turn the 9! His last year in single digits!



Than​k you one and all for your endless supply of prayer and support. We wish only the best for all you in the upcoming year. You have been a tremendous blessing to us, and we have thoroughly appreciated your prayers and support!



Mic​hael

Saturday, January 9, 2010 9:01 PM, EST

Sam's mom wrote

SAM IS HOME! Thank you for all of your prayers. He is feeling really good and is happy to be home. He was discharged about 4:00PM today from the hospital. He is expected to go back in again for chemo this upcoming Wednesday (unless his counts are not high enough in which case they will send him back home again). We are going to try to enjoy these next few days at home together which will include going to church as a family tomorrow and Sam getting some tutoring in with his 3rd grade teacher both tomorrow and Monday.

Update on my Dad- he went in for a PET scan yesterday (Friday). He should have the results on Monday. He is waiting to see if the cancer has reacted at all/slowed down to the chemo he has already received. Based on the information he gets from the PET scan, he has a lot of serious decisions that need to be made regarding his health and quality of life. Please continue to pray for him and also that it will be possible for us to see him and my step mom sometime soon. They live in Florida. With both my Dad and Sam both in active treatments for cancer, it has been difficult to plan a visit to see one another. Thanks for lifting our family up in prayer.

Mike took Sam for a prosthetic fitting today.We thought he was just getting his socket fitted (which is the top part of the prosthetic leg). Our rep actually attached a prosthetic leg to the socket. SAM TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS TODAY WITH A PROSTHETIC LEG!! This is the first time he has walked w/out the aid of crutches since August. We are so proud of him!!



Just posted pictures of Sam walking with a trial prosthetic leg from his appointment today. He did not get to come home with the leg but he will receive his own fitted leg within the next few weeks.

Here's the last one!!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 3:28 PM, EST

SAM'S MOM WROTE

NEW PICTURES ARE POSTED FROM SAM'S PROSTHETIC APPOINTMENT TODAY.ABOVE



Sam had another fitting at Hanger Prosthetics today. We thought it would just be another fitting for the socket (the top part of the prosthetic leg where his amputated leg will fit into.) Our rep at Hanger actually attached a prosthetic leg to the socket and Sam walked today on 2 legs for the first time since August of 2009! He has not been able to bear weight on his right leg since he was diagnosed in August. He has been using crutches or a wheelchair since his diagnosis. For the first time today Sam took those first steps with a prosthetic. We could not be any prouder of our son. He was so proud of himself. He did a great job. I have added a few new pictures from Sam's appointment today and of him walking with the test leg. He still has 1 or 2 more fittings and then he will receive his own prosthetic leg in the next few weeks. Way to go Sam!!

Sam goes back into the hospital tomorrow for a 5 night 6 day stay for the chemo drugs of Ifosfamide and Etoposide. He did fairly well with this chemo the last time he received it and we are praying he will tolerate the chemo well this time around. The hardest part of this chemo will be the very long hospital stay. Please be in prayer not only that he tolerates the chemo well but that he mentally/em​otionally won't get discouraged about the long hospital stay. He is not looking forward to going back and is pretty sad about returning for that long of a period of time. Thanks for the continued prayers. Please keep them coming. Enjoy the pictures of our Superhero Sam! I am sorry I have not updated much in the past few days. We have just been enjoying some fairly normal scheduled days at home. Sam was able to go to a hockey game with his Dad and they met some friends there on Sunday night. He saw the Columbus Bluejackets play. This was Sam's first hockey game and he loved it! I am so thankful he had some great days at home before returning to the hospital. He seems to be feeling well and he is eating pretty good and for this we are so thankful.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 1:57 PM, EST

SAM'S MOM WROTE

SAM IS HOME THIS AFTERNOON



Sa​m was admitted to the hospital this morning at 9:30AM. His port was accessed and he was given fluids. His blood was drawn and about an hour later the doctor came to talk with Mike and I. Sam's ANC was not high enough for him to start chemotherap​y toady. His ANC needed to be 750 in order for chemo to start. Sam's ANC was 450 today. The plan is for Sam to be admitted again to the hospital on Monday morning and hopefully his ANC will be high enough at that point for chemotherap​y to start. Sam is acting like he is feeling pretty good but b/c his white blood cell count is low (from the chemotherap​y he received last week) he cannot receive chemotherap​y today. Thanks for all the prayers. We are just going to enjoy these next few days of Sam being home as a family. The praise in all of this will be that Sam is home and our family will all be together for Caitlin's 3rd birthday on Friday.

​ We were able to meet Garrett Harper at the hospital this morning. I have mentioned Garrett on our website before. He was very recently diagnosed with Osteosarcom​a and is in the beginning of all of his treatments. He will be in the hospital until Friday so if you get a moment, send him and his family a message of encourageme​nt on their caringbridg​e website.

or you can just enter his website name as www.caringbridge.org/visit/Garrettharper I also want to reach out to the deer community on behalf of Garrett.



I know that there is a large group of deer hunters and deer farmers that have been following Sam's story for months now. This is an amazing group of people that have also raised money for our family to go towards medical expenses. We cannot thank you enough for all of your support. Garrett Harper is a big deer hunting fan. He really enjoys hunting deer and being outside.

His hospital page even has deer on it.

I am sure his family would really appreciate if some of the deer community reached out to him and his family through his caringbridg​e website. Thanks so much to all of you for all of your support and prayers. I'll keep you posted on how Sam is doing but we are just expecting the next few days at home to be time for Sam to relax and get his counts back up again.

Thursday, January 14, 2010 10:11 PM, EST

Sammy's mom wrote

Just a quick update to let you know that Sam is continuing to do well at home. Despite his low blood counts he seems to be feeling pretty well and is still eating. It is a true answer to prayer that he has not had the problems with mouth sores which is a very common side effect from the Methotrexat​e which is the chemo he had just received last week.

Tomorrow we will spend the day celebrating our youngest child's birthday. Our daughter Caitlin will turn 3 years old. Her wrapped presents are waiting downstairs for her on our kitchen table. Someone has offered to make cakes for all 3 of our kids for their birthdays. Thank you so much Lauretta for all of your hard work and for this thoughtful gesture. We just received Caitlin's cake tonight. She will have a Barney cake for her 3rd birthday tomorrow.

​ Many have asked where they can send our family mail or a birthday card for Samuel. I am posting the address of our church which is still accepting mail on behalf of our family. Samuel's birthday is on January 25th and he will turn 9 years old. He has had to grow up very fast this year. We are so very proud of him and how he is handling this adversity in his life. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. You are all such an encourageme​nt to our family.



Birt​hday cards for Samuel can be sent to:

Westervi​lle Christian Church

c/o Samuel Bish

471 East College Avenue

Weste​rville, Ohio 43081

Sunday, January 17, 2010 7:53 PM, EST

Sammy's mom wrote

Hello to all. I hope this journal entry finds everyone doing well. We have had a nice few days at home together that were unexpected since Sam was supposed to go back into the hospital last Wednesday. He has enjoyed being home and we have enjoyed this break from the hospital. He is supposed to be admitted tomorrow morning at 9:30AM. They will do another blood draw at this time and we are praying that his counts are high enough where he can receive his chemotherap​y. He is expected to be in the hospital for 5 nights and 6 days receiving the chemotherap​y of Ifosfamide and Etoposide. These are 2 additional chemo drugs that are given to Sam along with the regular Osteosarcom​a protocol b/c Sam's cancer had metastasize​d upon his diagnosis back in August. Please be in prayer with us that Sam will be able to start chemotherap​y tomorrow and he will not be sent home again due to low blood counts. If he does not start his chemotherap​y tomorrow then he will be in the hospital for his 9th birthday....​I would hate for this to happen and this makes him really sad to think about. Thank you for joining us in prayer. I will update tomorrow once I know if we are staying to be admitted at the hospital.

A special Thank You for all of you that sent Caitlin special birthday wishes. She had a wonderful 3rd birthday and it was extra special since Sam was able to be home with his family. Thank you also to many of you that have sent Sam Birthday cards through our church address. We received several of them today when we went to church this morning. It put a smile on all of our faces to see all of the cards he received. Today Sam also received a wonderful book of art pictures that were done for him by a man named Butch that has been praying for him. Butch created his art pictures of an imaginary land called Wopalula....​the design and pictures were so creative and beautiful. Butch does not sell his pictures or story of the creatures in Wopalula. He made a wonderful book just for Sam with his art. We were very touched by this gesture. Thank you so much for thinking of our son Butch. We truly appreciate your kindness. You do beautiful work

Monday, January 18, 2010 1:12 PM, EST

Sammy's mom wrote

We are home. I wish I had better news to share. Sam's counts were still not high enough for him to start chemo today. This is the 2nd time we have been sent home trying to start this one round of chemo. His ANC was 713 and it had to be 750 in order for them to start chemotherap​y. We are going to try this again tomorrow and pray that he can start his treatment then. The doctors are hopeful since his counts are moving upward that he should be fine for tomorrow.

I am so very thankful that Sam is doing as well as he is with his treatments. He has not had to be hospitalize​d yet for fevers, transfusion​s, or mouth sores. He is doing so well and he is a trooper. This is very frustrating for Mike and I though to be sent home again. I am a very organized person. It takes a lot of planning to arrange child care and plan out the week when you know you are going to be in the hospital. I am thankful we live as close to the hospital as we do (only about 20 min. away) but their is still alot of frustration to be sent home yet again. I think that God might be trying to teach both Mike and I patience through this entire experience. Cancer is so very unpredictab​le. You really can't plan anything unless you go into it knowing that your plans may be broken.

We continue to trust that God has a plan for Sam and our family through this entire experience. If Sam is admitted tomorrow he can still possibly be released on Sunday which would mean he would be home on Monday for his birthday. This is my prayer. I am just going to encourage Sam to get some much needed rest today so we can be ready for the possibility of starting chemo tomorrow. Keep those prayers coming.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:49 AM, EST

SAMMY'S MOM WROTE



3RD TIME IS A CHARM! SAM HAS BEEN ADMITTED FOR CHEMO. HIS COUNTS WERE HIGH ENOUGH FOR HIM TO BE ADMITTED TODAY. Thank you for all of the prayers and support. It truly means a lot to know so many people are lifting us up in prayer.

Sam is currently in the teen room playing some XBOX. He was able to play some games with his new friend Garrett Harper. I have mentioned Garrett on our website before. He was recently diagnosed with Osteosarcom​a. I am glad that Sam has a new friend up here on J5 that he can "hang out" with when he is not in his room.

Sam's room number is 5324 if anyone wants to send any e-cards to him. I will update as his chemo starts to let everyone know how he is doing. Here are the instruction​s for sending e-cards:

Go to the hospital web page at: www.Nationw​ideChildren​s.org and click on the parents/fam​ilies/visit​ors link on the left and click send a greeting card. Follow the instruction​s and once you finished they will actually print the card you made for Sam and deliver it to his room. Sam is in room J5324

Thank you for all of the prayers and support!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 11:01 AM, EST

SAMMY'S MOM WROTE



Good morning to all. Sam had a pretty good day yesterday. Chemo was finished being administere​d by around 10:30PM. He did not get sick at all yesterday and even had some food to eat for both lunch and dinner. Eating is sometimes a battle with Sam here at the hospital so I was happy he was at least able to eat something and keep it down. He has been in pretty good spirits for the most part. He does tend to get pretty moody here at the hospital. One minute he will be happy and smiling and the next minute he will be crying and grumpy. He just does not want to be here and he knows this is a longer hospital stay for him so he is upset about this. I am thankful he has made some friends up here on J5 so he can distract himself with some other children throughout the day.

We had the awesome opportunity last night to meet 2 Ohio State Football players. Thanks to Jeff Harper (Garrett's Dad) he arranged the visit for his son Garrett and then for Sam as well. Sam was able to get a picture taken with the players and an autograph as well (the autograph was on the back of the hospital menu but hey...you do what works right?)

Sam did get sick once this morning. I am thinking the milk he had with his breakfast did not agree with him. Then he got a headache. So, after Tylenol was given he fell asleep and he is currently napping right now. I know he needs his rest. Even if the chemo is not making him very sick to his stomach it does a number on his body and he just needs to rest as much as possible. Sam will receive chemo again today through the end of the week. We are still hoping to come home on Sunday.

Dad will update tomorrow as we are switching shifts at the hospital today. I did not sleep very well last night so it will be good to go home for a period of time and see our girls. I am feeling slightly run down myself so hopefully a good nights rest will do me some good. If you can please say a prayer for Aubrey as well. She got sick to her stomach last night and threw up 2 times. She was kept home from school today. She has no temperature but apparently has some kind of stomach bug. It is probably a good thing that Sam is in the hospital now so he is not at home and around his sister while she is under the weather. Thanks for all of your support! Enjoy your day!

Thursday, January 21, 2010 11:03 AM, EST

SAMMY'S DAD WROTE



Salutations Prayer Warriors!



So far, this staycation at the Chateau has been pretty good. Sam got sick yesterday before I got here, but has not been sick since. He has not even complained of nausea.



He had a good night last night, and woke up with a great appetite. He is already looking forward to lunch! It's a far cry from past visits. Sam (and us) are more than ready to go home and anxiously await for Sunday afternoon when we can go home.



Sam is currently in the teen room playing the XBOX and is hoping his new friend Garrett will be able to join him soon. Cindy is on her way in, so I can go off to work for a few hours. We have to pay for this place after all.



Thank you for your steadfast prayers to our Creator King! We appreciate the support more than words can express.



God Bless,

Dad

Friday, January 22, 2010 10:34 PM, EST



Hello to all of our faithful prayer warriors. Just an update to let you know that Sam is doing so very well. He has not been sick now in over 48 hours. He has a very healthy appetite and his mood has been pretty good for the most part. Mike and I have discovered that as much as we can get Sam out of his room during the day the better. There is a parent lounge on Sam's floor that has a big couch and a big television in it. Sam has had his dinner in this lounge over the past 2 nights. I think it probably just makes him feel a little bit like home to be able to sit on the couch and watch television. Sitting in the room all day can be very depressing so I am very happy that Sam has ventured out of his room a lot during this hospital stay. Sam has received tutoring instruction over the past 2 days at the hospital. This has been so very good for him. He has missed so much school and has not had very much tutoring this year at all. It has been very hard to juggle all his medical appointment​s, hospital stays and how he is feeling and trying to incorporate school into all of this. We are thankful for any amount of tutoring that he has been able to receive up to this point. Sam even went to Occupationa​l Therapy one day this week and was able to go down to the hospital gym and play with 2 of the therapist for a little while. This is the first time that he has done this and he really seemed to enjoy it.

I am writing this journal entry from home tonight as Mike and I traded places at the hospital earlier today. I am thankful to be home with our girls tonight. Aubrey is feeling much better and only seemed to have a 24 hour bug...thank you so much for the prayers for our daughter. I am still feeling run down tonight and am hoping that a good nights rest will help me to feel better. Running to and from the hospital like we do when Sam is inpatient really takes alot out of a person. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband and father to our children who shares this responsibil​ity with me as we take turns staying with our son. He is never alone at the hospital. So many kids have to be left alone for various reasons while they are inpatient....​I see it everyday when we are up on J5. It breaks my heart to see these young children w/out a parent with them but I trust that everyone is just doing the best that they can. I am so thankful that Mike and I are in a position that one of us can always be wtih Sam....I would not have it any other way.

Thank you for the continued prayers. Sam is really doing well and is expected to come home on Sunday. He will have Monday off for his 9th birthday and he is very excited about this. Tuesday he will have to go back to the hospital for a clinic visit and to get a chemo drug that he is taking as part of a clinical trial. The drug is called Zoleodronic Acid. This will be done outpatient. Mike and I also have our first appointment with the lung surgeon on Tuesday morning before Sam's clinic visit. Sam's first lung surgery is tentatively scheduled for the end of February. I am already starting to feel very anxious about this but am trusting in God's plan for Sam's life. We will keep everyone updated as we know more. Thank you for not forgetting about our family. Thank you for not forgetting about our son. I know that most of my recent journal entries have been positive ones. I am so thankful that Sam is doing as well as he is. We cannot forget though that he is fighting for his life. He still has cancer in his body. I wish he did not. I wish the cancer was gone after his amputation surgery but that is not the case for our son. He still has many many weeks of intense chemo, upcoming surgeries and radiation in the spring. The end is in site but such a long road that still must be traveled. Thank you for being faithful prayer warriors for our family. You will never know how much your support means to us. I truly believe that Sam is doing as well as he is b/c God is hearing all of our very many prayers being lifted up on Sam's behalf.