Here's Jacob with his big brother. Blake's hair started falling out on Saturday. So that evening we shaved it off.
Real robot footage
Here is a video of Blake's team in action. The three team members are facing you when the video starts. One is driving, one is controling the arm and the third is coaching. For the first 30 seconds the team can load pieces into the robot (when on the starting point) and then it drives and performs pre-programmed tasks. For this match, Redlands scored two pieces into and then fed four pieces to their partners (who were from Singapore!). At the end of the round, the white pieces double the points and the black piece zeros out the score of the stack.
Blake did a couple of rounds of operating the arm, but he enjoyed designing the robot more than controlling it.
You can see more videos on Blake's YouTube Channel.
Fun times!
We had a super time in Anaheim at the World Robotic Championships. Redlands ranked 36 out of their pool of 99 teams. There were a few odd events that cost them a couple of wins. But everyone had a great time and the team enjoyed the competition.
Blake had a good energy level and his leg stayed safe. He got a bit tired of wearing a mask and a protective boot, but really enjoyed the whole event.
In the photo below, you can see Redland's robot with 2 red pieces in its grasp. Those two pieces will placed in a tube to score points. In the near future, I hope to post a video of the team competing.
Robot time!
Thursday we're all off to Anaheim where Blake will compete in the 2012 VEX Robotic World Championship!
We are thrilled that Blake can attend. He will stay in a wheelchair, wear a mask, and wear a boot on his leg. Your prayers for his saftey and health during this event are appreciated.
You probably wonder what these robots do. Here's a video I found online of this year's task. You will see 4 robots competing in teams of two.
Origami Yoda
He's had a bit more energy lately...
Dr. Zuckerman
Jen, Mary (Grandma) and Blake met with Dr. Zuckerman today. He's the orthopedic oncologist specialist who will operate on Blake's leg around the middle of June. The appointment was very positive. He took an X-ray and is happy at how the tumor is reacting to the chemo!
He also spent a great deal of time explaining different surgery options to save Blake's leg. Amputation is a possibility. But he took the time to tell us about all the different methods he can use to save Blake's leg. There will be a MRI about two weeks prior to surgery. At that time we will discuss the best option considering the condition of Blake's tibea. It was encouraging to hear about how many various techniques there are for repairing the damage.
Blake continues to be very brave. He asked the doctor a number of questions himself and Dr. Zuckerman was helpful and explained things. We're very proud of our son and the character he's showing under adversity!
I'm dying to ask Zuckerman about his famous pig. Do I dare? You can add your advice in the comments.
Weekend fun and tech suggestions
Blake's had a great weekend. He's felt pretty good with minimal nausea. He helped his robotic team pack up their robot for World Championships, saw some friends and went to church. We had a banana pancake morning on Saturday and have enjoyed each other and our friends.
Someone asked me if there was a way to get notifications when this website gets updated. I found one solution called Feed My Inbox. This will send an update to your email when something new is posted. I'm not familiar with this service, but it seems like a good thing.
Another option is to seriously increase your geek cred by using a RSS feed agregator. Google Reader (help video) is the general favorite. By using it, you could keep track of all sorts of websites. I use it for everything from Laker news to updates from some of my favorite authors.
Thanks to God for a great weekend!
Movie night
Relaxing evening at home!
School
Many people have asked what Blake is doing for school right now. Mega-thanks to our good friend Brad Mason (who is at the district office in Redlands) who helped us navigate this process.
Brad met with Blake's teachers on our behalf. They worked out a plan where Blake's grades will be frozen from his last attendance and then Blake will be receive an early exit in May with those grades becoming his semester grades. This is very generous of Blake's teachers! Obviously, the difficulty of Blake's situation played a role in this decision. Also, his courses are difficult, if not impossible to offer through the usual independent study options. Latin and Honor-Algebra 2 are not courses that home/hospital teachers cover!
So for the next few weeks, Blake does not have academics to worry about. We are going to try and slide a good novel into his routine when he is feeling well. But we're not too worried about his brain turning into mush--when he's feeling good, Blake keeps himself pretty busy!
He does have a new piece of "curriculum" at home to occupy his time. Blake's multi-media teacher, Kevin Bibo, had written a grant and recently purchased Maya for his classroom. Maya is a full 3-D animation software package. It was used to make a little movie you may have heard of: Avatar. The software came with a home-install license and Mr. Bibo kindly gave the home version to Blake! This will clearly give Blake a great opportunity to advance his 3-D animation skills using a professional tool.
Many thanks to RHS, Blake's counselor, Brad and Kevin for all the help!
Thanks
There is much to be thankful for on this road so far. Here are a few things I'm thankful for:
- Mike Coen, who sped Blake through the diagnostic and referral process. He also helped us get a handicapped placard already.
- The nurses at Loma Linda who are amazing.
- Doctors who are experts and take the time to listen and answer questions.
- Our health insurance which will cover almost all of the expenses.
- Our many friends who have cooked, cleaned, mowed the lawn, prayed, hugged, kid-sat, sent gifts, cards, and emails.
- The network of charities that support children with cancer.
- Family close by who love us so much.
Home sweet home
Blake was discharged on Monday afternoon and we left the hospital at about 7pm. It is good to have everyone home. He has a few follow-up appointments over this next week and then checks back into the hospital on April 26th. It will be nice to have a couple of weeks at home.
Blake can have visitors, but it is important that anyone who is sick not visit. Chemo will lower his immune system and we need to try and keep him healthy.
More later. Thanks for all the prayers!
Eating!
Yesterday Blake at a small lunch and bigger dinner. That's good news. We'll see what the doctor says today (Monday).
Stomach
Well, I reported yesterday that nausea is under control. I should probably fine-tune that statement. Blake has not thrown-up, which is great. But his stomach has been uncomfortable and he's eaten very little for the past few days. He feels that if he does eat, it will have bad consequences. He continues to receive a variety of anti-nausea medications, some of which make him sleepy. We are hoping that his need for these meds starts to decline today and tomorrow. So far all the numbers in his blood have been good. He'll get a thorough blood panel in the morning.
He's very ready to be home. Please pray that his stomach pain decreases.
Did you know that Benadryl is a great anti-nausea medication? Plus, it leads to nice, relaxing naps!
Our Lord is risen! Happy Easter to you all!
All in
The first round of chemo is all in. It turns out that one type goes in for four hours, the other for eight. So it took two half days to get it all in. The chemos he's getting are light-sensitive, so that's why the bags are shrouded.
The anti-nausea medicines are doing their jobs. So far no real nausea. Although one of the medicines can make you a bit grumpy and yesterday that was the case for a chunk of the day. He didn't really want to eat much and wasn't in the best of spirits. Certainly understandable! After an afternoon nap, his spirits rose and he ate some dinner. His aunt Stefani has been cranking out one of his favorites: Pasties (a savory meat pie of Michigan origins!) He's been enjoying them.
Now they'll start monitoring certain counts and we hope to go home........ Some day. Soon? No promises. So we wait and pray. The next chemo will be April 26th. Not sure what day they would admit.
Good news! Blake has been cleared to attend the world robotic competition in Anaheim that his team qualified for! We look forward to that event on April 19-21! He'll be in a wheel chair and wearing a mask, but he gets to go!
Please pray. We pray for a quick release in the next day or two. We pray for Blake's safety between now and when they operate on his leg. It is very fragile right now. Dr. Bedross clarified yesterday that he is to put no weight on it until the surgery in 10 weeks.
Easter is upon us! We cling to this hope in a time of need.
Chemo
Well the medicine is flowing. It started at 2pm. So far no side effects, but time will tell.
Blake's been in good spirits today. His neck pain from the insertion of the port is subsiding. He used his crutches and went for a couple of walks. He made some foil-backed paper with the teachers in the hospital school and started making a sculptural origami mask!
Jen was home with Victoria for most of the day. They had a great day together. Jen made a tasty meal and brought it to the hospital where we all ate dinner. Jen made lots, so we shared with some fellow patients, one grandma, and the staff. Go figure! It's hard to slow down my wife!
Praise to God for his tender mercies. This road is is difficult. Yet we see moments of blessing and His goodness in many ways.
Chemo?
It still hasn't started. We hear that Thursday morning should finally be the beginning. Once that happens, a calendar kicks into gear. Thursday should mark Day 1, Week 1.
He will receive two different chemicals in this round of chemo. One will take only 4 hours to administer (by IV) and the other 48 hours (also IV). Once they start, the staff will start monitoring four different numbers in his blood. And helping minimize all symptoms. A nurse explained to us tonight that they have MANY different anti-nausea medications and they are very creative at counter-acting that dreaded side effect. When Blake's symptoms are under control and the counts in his blood are sufficiently high, he gets to go home. How quickly that will be depends on how he reacts to these chemicals. Everyone reacts differently.
His roadmap has his second round of chemo scheduled for week 4. So the plan would be that he receives round two on Thursday, April 28th. With a similar schedule of two days of administering the chemo and monitoring of side effects and watching numbers.
Looking further ahead, he is scheduled for weeks 4, 5, 6, 9 and 10. Each week would start on Thursday.
More later. Thanks for the prayers. Blake's spirits have been fairly high and we're all impressed by how brave he is in the face of this disease.
Many thanks!
We continue to receive cards, letters, texts, emails and phone calls! Thanks so much for all the support. We received phone calls from Brazil and Austrailia! The global prayer warriors that are holding us up right now are such an encouragement.
We've also had many visitors young and old. Some of Blake's good friends have stopped by, as well as family, friends and pastors. Tonight we had a nice couple of hours with just the 5 of us and that felt great. We'll continue to keep you posted as to Blake's energy level and his capacity to have guests.
Please forgive us if we don't always reply. It's been busy keeping everything running and we don't always have time and energy to reply. But know that every message is encouraging!
Rancho Rocks!
The staff I work with at Rancho Cucamonga High School chipped in and got Blake a new iPad! Thanks so much!! His smile says it all. We really appreciate the support and encouragement from RCHS!
In the morning
Chemo will start tomorrow. Blake's heart is in great shape. That is the end of he pre-testing. The workers here are amazing. Jacob and Victoria got clearance to visit today and enjoyed being with their brother. Pray for minimal (no!) side-effects to the chemo!