kaedyn is fighting for his life he needs your help

Kaedyn and I have been very busy. I am seeing a chiropractor 3 times a week for my back and neck pain because of the accident. My back is still aching and by bedtime I am very uncomfortable. Our dog Peaches had her surgery on Thursday to fix her badly fractured leg and is doing great. Her leg will be back to normal in a few months!!! This weekend we said goodbye to our wonderful Uncle Joe who passed away from Pneumonia. He was the most friendly man.! He leaves behind my Aunt Bobbie who is not able to be out and about that often because she has Rheumatoid Arthritis. Please pray for her to have strength and peace during this time of mourning.
Kaedyn and I were ready to spend some mommy and Kaedyn time together today. We went to a park to play, feed the ducks and to stroll around. When we were walking around looking at the ducks Kaedyn plopped down in the grass. I could only say Kaedyn get up there could be… And then he was covered in ants. I started patting his butt to get them off but then he started crying so I stripped him down naked. Luckily, I was fast enough to prevent him from getting bit more than he did. We came home to clean up the 10 ant bites. He was so tough he kept saying mean ants bit me. He even helped me clean his bites with alcohol swabs.
Afterwards we played in his pool with nice warm water from the hot water tank. It took me about 30 minutes to get the pool all set up and right as I finished he said mommy I don’t want to swim anymore.!. I love the attention span at this age. About 20-30 minutes and we are on to something else.
Around bed time tonight we were eating cereal in bed and watching his favorite movie Peter Pan. He loved the cereal but afterwards he started breaking out into hives. I had to give him some Benadryl as the hives were getting worse. His little mouth was covered with little bumps that looked like pimples. His skin is very sensitive which could be from all the drugs that have gone through his body. Chemotherapy can really affect things you would never expect. After the Benadryl his hives went away and he was asleep shortly after.
As for his treatment Kaedyn is now entering his final half of Maintenance phase. We have about 6 months of treatment left. He will continue on with nightly and weekly chemo all of which he handles great.
Thank you all for your love and support,
Shelsie Ballew

Kaedyn had a rough day yesterday,  We think due to the procedures and the medications he had Thursday and Friday he was having side effects.  He threw up several times and couldn’t hold anything down.  He wanted to cuddle and be held all day.  He looked so sad, but we know it was because he wasn’t well.  It was all I could do not to cry, but was trying hard to hold it together and not let him see me upset.  There were many times yesterday I prayed and asked God to help him get through it and for the side effects to end very soon.  I feel blessed that I can be with Shelsie when she has to see her son go through days like this.  It is a Mother’s love that says I wish I could take her pain away.  We thank you for praying for our little guy these last few days. 

I cannot imagine going through this without prayer, and knowing that our Father is right there to carry us when we are sad or feeling like we can’t handle anything else. Your prayers are working as it was evident in how well Kaedyn handled the procedures and medication he had Thursday and Friday at Shands. 

It was a brighter afternoon when Shelsie received the call from Shands that Kaedyn’s spinal fluid was clear.  She heard the news from a sweet nurse and nurse practitioner and that news made her smile after having a tough day.  The PA that did Kaedyn’s spinal tap Friday thought the spinal fluid looked clear with the naked eye, but said it needed sent to the lab for confirmation.  Every time Kaedyn goes through a spinal tap and the spinal fluid reflects no cancer cells it is a relief and gives us hope for this beautiful little boy.  We know when you hear the results you share in our hope and joy. 

May God bless and we send love and hugs to each of you.

NanNan

We should respond to the storms of life with a spirit of faith. We must press on in faith, knowing that God will not subject us to more than we can handle. His love endures through every struggle and every trial. His compassions never fail and great is His faithfulness toward us. Lamentations 3:22-23

Today was a special day for Mom. She will not be happy knowing I am making this all about her but she deserves it. Mom drove to Gainesville today to have her port accessed and to receive her last dose of Herceptin. Herceptin is the drug that is supposed to shut down the very aggressive gene that causes cancer and causes the cancer to spread like wild fire. She is nervous as to what her cells will do now without having this drug to shut down the gene. I know she is trying so hard to remain positive, but we all worry as to what her body will do. We have high hopes and we pray that her body produces only good cells! Her Oncologist reminds us of how serious Mom’s cancer is and how aggressive it is.
I feel like we have one down and one more to go. Let’s keep this positive and the healing energy going and bring it right to Kaedyn. Both of them deserve a cancer free life!.!. I love them both so dearly and I am so blessed to have them in my life.
On the 13th of this month, Kaedyn will have 6 months of treatment left. It’s amazing to think about that. We are so close.
I ask you all to pray for the cancer cells to remain gone in both of them. Also, pray for our Uncle Joe who is in the hospital with pneumonia. He is suffering from cancer too but right now they are more concerned with getting his pneumonia under control. My uncle is 84 and has lived a long life, but he is a very sweet man and we certainly want him around.
Thank you all for your love and prayers.
Shelsie

Love this little guy so much.  Mommy and Kaedyn were throwing mulch at one another. Of course, she was barely tossing it at his shirt and he was throwing it as hard as he could.  Mommy said, ”got to love boys”!  He is happily playing in a shirt that certainly expresses much about this little guy.

Kaedyn was having obvious fun at a park yesterday. It is fine for him to play outdoors, but must avoid being around people indoors until he has the immunoglobulins procedure Thursday. This moment in the picture is priceless knowing what he faces Thursday and Friday. Please cherish every smile you see and every laugh you hear from your children and grandchildren.

Thursday will be a LONG day for Kaedyn at Shands and Friday will be difficult as he has the spinal tap that morning. Your prayers are helpful not only for him, but for family members (especially Mommy) watching him go through these procedures.

We will update you about Kaedyn’s results from the spinal tap as soon as we hear. Our fervent plea in our prayers are ZERO cancer cells reflected in his spinal fluid, and he gets through these two days with no side effects. Remember following the spinal tap he could experience headaches and his lower back will be very tender from the long needle used in the process. Thank you for praying him through these two days.

My husband and I had the blessed experience of enjoying an Acapella Jubilee at our home congregation this past weekend. Our theme and songs expressed how God is able. It was an uplifting time of singing and embracing thoughts of how our Father is able, loves us and is always right there when we are obedient followers of His word. There were moments of having chills and tears as the words in the songs expressed God’s majestic love. It was impossible not to think of God’s love being manifested toward us, as He sent His only Son into the world, that we might live through Him and that His Son was the propitiation for our sins (I John 4). What a beautiful weekend to learn more about living in His favor and love.

We send love and hugs to each of you.
NanNan

Monday Kaedyn was scheduled for an IV infusion to boost his immunoglobulins at Shands oncology clinic.  Due to Shelsie being in a horrible car accident and the roads remaining closed Kaedyn’s procedure was rescheduled.  She is fine and is grateful to survive such a tragedy as there were fatalities and others hospitalized with serious injuries.  Please pray for the families that are burdened with the grief of losing a family member as a result of the accident over the weekend.  Our family is thankful for the blessing of protection that Shelsie and her friend Aimee had as the accident took place.  We are saddened for others who didn’t survive and feel a deep compassion for their families.

In Shelsie’s previous post P 4 P  she asked that you pray for Paxten as she was suffering from complications after having a bone marrow transplant. Sweet little Paxten didn’t survive and has gone to Heaven.  Please pray for her family asking God to bless them with comfort and strength as they deal with their grief.  It was truly a sad weekend for others.

Please continue to pray for strength for Kaedyn as he will have chemo, the postponed six hour IVIG infusion and RSV medicine next Thursday.  A spinal tap delayed from last month will follow the next morning.  He has gone through these procedures time after time since diagnosed and has bounced back in an amazing way.  I type these words in tears because I know in my heart your prayers, love and support and great medical care at Shands has helped Kaedyn get through all this with great tenacity.  My tears are those of appreciation and being grateful and thankful for the steadfast prayers and love for our family.

This post expresses sadness, but we can find comfort in reading the bible and the promises that sorrow will turn to joy for those that serve the Lord.

“Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.”  John 16:22

Love,

NanNan

Beautiful and precious Paxten

Hello folks.
Kaedyn is doing super. We have been keeping busy this week with trips to his favorite park Silver Springs or the “zoo” as he says. He loves the animals and I can’t wait to take him to the real zoo with many more animals!
As of now we are back to nightly and weekly oral chemo. Kaedyn will go in 2 weeks for his IV chemo and spinal tap.  Monday we make a special trip to Shands for an IV infusion of IVIG to boost his immunoglobulins.  It will be a long day as the infusion lasts 6 hours.  This will help his little body fight off infections, bacteria, germs, viruses and all the nasty stuff that invade our bodies.
Good news for Mom as she will receive her last IV Herceptin treatment Monday.  It has been a long year for her too!  She will meet with her Oncologist in March to discuss port removal and her progress!  You go Mama.
The title of this blog is P 4 P.  It stands for Prayers for Paxten.  She is a baby I have meant through the Infantile Leukemia Support Group on Facebook.  She recently had a bone marrow transplant and is having major complications.  Paxten is in ICU and had a lobe removed from her lungs that was infected with a mold.  She is very ill and her parents are praying for a miracle, but know she may be going home to heaven soon.
Thank you for your love, support, and for your prayers concerning Kaedyn, my Mom and other children we ask you to pray for.

Love,
Shelsie Ballew

Kaedyn has bounced back from that nasty stomach bug and Mommy feels he can handle getting back on chemo.  It was a long week of not feeling well.

He is going to Shands today for IV chemo and the medicine to keep him from contacting the RSV virus.  It will be great to have his counts checked and to have medical staff look him over.  This is the longest break for Kaedyn and Mommy from visiting Shands Clinic since he was diagnosed.

Thank you for your prayers during his recent illness and for praying he’d get strong enough to get back on track with treatment.  Pray all goes well today with receiving chemo and that Kaedyn’s counts are right where they need to be.

May God Bless, and we appreciate your continued prayers, love and concern.

Love,

NanNan

 Looking precious and innocent as he sleeps.

Kaedyn has been a sick little guy since last Friday.  The chemo and spinal tap scheduled for this week have been delayed.  His little body isn’t ready for the chemo and the spinal tap is rescheduled for next month.  He will get IV Vincristine (chemo) sometime next week when he has bounced back from the awful stomach bug, and of course when Mommy feels he is ready.  Your prayers are wonderful as Kaedyn has improved, but needs to regain strength and get his appetite back.  Keep praying he gets strong enough to get back on track with treatment and his stomach can tolerate the oral chemo.

As you pray please lift sweet little Paxten up in your prayers.  She is fighting ALL Infantile Leukemia and has relapsed.  She was given a 40% chance of survival with a bone marrow transplant.  Paxten had the transplant a few months ago and is presently sick from pneumonia, and other complications.  Please pray her family look to our Father for comfort and pray Paxten gain strength to bounce back from the pneumonia and complications so she can fight the cancer.

Thank you for caring about these children, and pray every day a cure is found so precious children do not suffer with cancer and side effects from treating the awful disease.

Knowing that God doesn’t change and He is our strong foundation doesn’t mean we won’t have burdens to bear and sleepless nights.  When the world changes around us, either by our choosing or not, our God stands firm.  Our God does not change!  His love will always be with us whatever change we experience.  As we obey, rely on, and trust in God we can find confidence, assurance, and peace in the fact that He is unchanging regardless of what happens in our life.  He promised in writing that He never changes.  We have His word on it!

“For I am the Lord, I do not change.”  Malachi 3:6

May God Bless.

Love,

NanNan

We are thankful and happy to inform you that Kaedyn and family are back in Ocala.  Shands medical team thinks he has a stomach bug that is making many children and adults sick.  Hopefully he will be well, playing and running around soon.

Thank you for your prayers tonight.  Please remember to pray concerning Kaedyn’s medical procedures this week.  He is getting chemo Thursday and has a spinal tap on Friday if all goes as planned.  Please pray for no cancer cells in his spinal fluid and ask he be relieved of fear and pain as he has the procedures.

Thank you.

NanNan

Nothing is too big to ask God to handle.  When we plead and ask Him to answer our prayers we should be happy to give Him the glory and grateful for those answered prayers.

Sweet little Kaedyn has been very sick yesterday and today.  Shelsie held his oral chemo last night to give his tummy a break and he probably couldn’t hold it down anyway.  He hasn’t been very playful and has been sleeping much of these two days.  Mommy called Shands earlier this evening and they wanted Kaedyn brought to the ER to be examined.  They are thinking he has a stomach bug.  Shelsie and Nic are waiting for blood work at Shands to see if he is nutripedic and they are checking his electrolytes to be certain he isn’t dehydrated.  If Kaedyn’s blood work is normal he can return home.  We are hoping he doesn’t have to be admitted.  Please pray he is strong enough to fight this off and is well very soon.  Our family tries very hard not to be fearful when he is ill.  Prayer is a beautiful and comforting way of keeping our thoughts positive and to remain focused in having our hope and trust in God.

Thank you so much for praying for our wonderful little Kaedyn.

May God bless each of you.

Love,

NanNan