Chemo...Round 2

Has it been 3 weeks since the 1st round? It sure has. These last 3 weeks have been a "watch and wait" kind of thing. We had to see how Evan's body was going to respond.  This is new to us, but basically, he goes and gets labs drawn to see if his "numbers" are good and they leave the IV cath in. Then he visits with the best doctor ever, and then back to the chemo area and sits and waits as the nurse changes bag after bag administering the different chemo meds. One of the ones he gets is a shot for the cancer in his bones. The nurse made us all laugh when she asked where he wanted it (stomach or arm) and he chose his stomach (the 1st time). Anyways, she said she was supposed to inject it into his fat of which he has zero body fat. The medicine did not want to go in. She kept laughing cause she just couldn't believe how muscly he was and the resistance of it having no where to go. Which made us all laugh. He still had a 6 pack. It's kind of an interesting observation but I don't think there was anyone in there under probably 60 years old. Seriously...at least that day.

We now, we have an "idea" of what to expect and we hope it is doing its job. His bones were achy the first night and the next day he was generally ok. Day 3, he got a fever and was nauseated and just plain didn't feel good. Evan was very fatigued and he needed the rest. He hasn't been able to work and he knew immediately he needed to withdraw from school. There was no way he could keep up. He has spent a good deal of time in bed but he doesn't complain. You have to "drag" it out of him. 

So here he sits...surrounded by love and some of those fantastic friends who keep making him smile that shy little smile of his.

This 2nd go-round has definitely been harder. Evan got sicker and has been down even more. Between beginning treatment and now, he has gone out when he can to try to have as much of a social life as he feels up to. Evan's friends are truly amazing. They have been here watching ball games, playing games on his Play Station 4, and sometimes just being with him keeping him company. They play softball, and while he can't run, he can swing the bat as best as he can. He tries to go the gym and he'll do whatever he can or even just hang with his buddies while they workout. This mom can not say enough good about these young men. They all have jobs and are going to school and they keep Evan engaged. As much as we as a family do everything we can, his friends are his friends and there are things that only THEY can do. And he needs them in a different way. They have been there every step of the way. Our hearts are filled with a profound gratitude for each one of them.We love you guys! #everyone4evan

Brotherly Love

Steve and I had 5 kids for a reason. Most importantly because we LOVE kids and the joy that they are. And, we wanted them to have each other. What an amazing blessing to see them "love" each other. We had all kinds of "brotherly love" going on in one weekend. ANYONE who knows Evan, KNOWS how much the Dodgers mean to him. Evan's older brother, Taylor, worked his magic and got some tickets to the MLB playoffs in California. His dad and one of his best buddies, Jordan, got to join in on the excitement. The Dodgers playing against the Cubs. Talk about a dream for this boy!

Meanwhile, back at home, Garrett and Madi were busy, busy! I helped where I could but this was all them. They worked night, day, and night trying to surprise Evan before he got back from the Dodger Playoff game in Cali. It was a huge labor of love.

Now, the REAL fun begins... Talk about working together!

And....we have one very happy brother! 

Attention to every detail down to the air purifier and humidifier to help his breathing.

 
A very VERY special thank you to Garrett and Madi, Mark and Jessamy Bowie (Madi's parents), Madi's grandparents, and aunts and uncles. As well as donations from the great folks at Mark's work at Banyan, in Orem, Utah. Parker and Aspyn Ferris, two other dear friends, also helped in making his room complete.

2 of our Kids at 2 Different Hospitals

Hopefully, you've had a chance to read the back story on the gofund me page. If not, I hope you'll take the time to do so. It pretty much sums up the how, what, and where of how our Everyone4Evan story began.  https://www.gofundme.com/evanmoss  

This boy is a winner! He has really been through the ringer! While it's too extensive to tell you all he's had to go through, I can tell you he's had the fluid drained twice and then again during his surgery and hospital stay. The 1st time, (Sept. 9, 2016)they removed 3.3 liters! Yes, that's right. A whole Mountain Dew 2 liter bottle plus some! Only this one looks more Mountain Dew Code Red. How applicable, huh?  

The 2nd time was 2 liters and we were told that they really don't like to take out more than 2 liters at a time because it's too hard on the lungs to re-expand.  The 3rd time, with the thoracic surgeon doing a procedure, they took out 3.6 liters. No wonder he has trouble breathing! 

October 7, was a pretty intense day on so many levels. It's 5:45am. Evan and  his sister, Hailey, each had to be at their respective hospitals. Evan would be having his surgery to hopefully open up the collapsed lung and getting it to stay open and stick to the chest wall. Hailey, on the other hand, was down the street at the mother/baby hospital, and  was 41 weeks pregnant. They were trying to see if they could get her labor going or if she would need to have a c-section.  Dale and I and Steve and Kim were at the main hospital with Evan. Evan's thoracic surgeon came out after surgery and told us that the lung didn't cooperate as well as they were hoping and that we would know more by the next day. While that was a little disappointing, we were all anxious to get chemo started so we could face this cancer head on and knock it out. So while Evan was recovering from his surgery, sleeping most of the day away, Kim stayed with him while Steve and I ran over to be with Hailey and Marty. Her delivery was quite a challenge, at best. In the end, we have a hearty and healthy 9 lb. 1 oz little boy named Logan and one very tired mom.

By this time, word was getting out about Evan. His friends are what every parent prays for when their son is in need.  One by one, they came and showed how much they care about what he is going through.  It was a somber experience and it was great to have their very presence in his room.  Those friends haven't stopped. They are the very essence of hope and uniting friendship.

Most of these friends have been friends since they were 8 years old playing baseball with the Indians and some have come into his life later. Irregardless, they are strong and they are true examples of what it means to be a friend. There have been so many acts of kindness. So many "meetings" and brainstorming of ideas on how to help Evan. Our hearts have been deeply touched. Some may think they are doing nothing much but it means the world to us. Things like Susan Larsen, setting up the gofundme page. THAT is no small task, I can promise you!

To the boxes of Ensure from Scott and Renee Gibson to help Evan gain his weight  back. To the room makeover of those who so generously donated and the time it took to plan and the hours to do. Garrett (Evan's older brother) and Madi spent hours upon hours giving his room a new look and things that will help him with his breathing. Thanks on that goes to  Mark and Jessamy Bowie, Madi's parents and family. As well as Marks colleagues at work. And the gift cards to Orange Peel from Annette Graf, Dee Brklacich's neighbor, so that he can have healthy nutritious drinks while his tastes change thru chemo. And then you have the high schools. At the Desert Hills High School football game, Ashlee File passed around a coffee tin for donations. And when Snow Canyon High School heard about it, they passed it around on their side too! Talk about melt our hearts. In all, they collected $800.00!  Susan then reported that she was able to collect some more money from her bowling league that she's in at Sunset Bowl. Oh my gosh, people are SO good and they have no idea how much greatness they are doing. 

Then there are the visits from all the kids and even some parents. Dee and Mark Brklacich are truly like 2nd parents to Evan. Thru the years they have invited Evan on their family trips. And Brian and Julie Santiago and Scott Gibson. Their love for Evan is tangible. To the Lerman family, Ipson family, Bowie family, to the Reeder family, and Roland Lee for his artwork for one of the fundraisers. The Bott family, The Fee's, The Brown's, Summitt Athletic Club. And  every single donation on gofundme. To the facebook messenger messages.  To those who can't donate but can "share" the gofundme page. That is AWESOME and we thank you! And we ask you to share it again. Someone, somewhere in this world of friends connected thru facebook is someone who is waiting to help. There are SO many good people out there. This cancer isn't going to die out on its own. Everyone4Evan! We feel your love and concern. For this, words are not enough. This is not all, these kids and their parents are still working on all kinds of ideas that are in the works. I just have to name some of these friends who are constantly in our home or taking Evan out. Jordan, Braden, Zac, Dylan, Shyanne,  Austin, Bryce, Ty, Parker, Aspyn, Wyatt, and Carson. As parents, we want to squish you with hugs to thank you but know that Evan would be mortified. So...we won't. ;) But we DO thank you THAT much!

A boy and his dog!

When things feel out of control, you control what you can, right? The very first thing we did at home was to get Evan his dog back home where she belongs. My mom and Tim have so generously loved Kassi until we could get our backyard put in. We tried bringing her home without the yard in and she was stubborn on learning where to do 'her duty' AND she's a runner. We didn't want to risk losing her or her getting hit by a car. Evan continued to ask when she was coming home. Well, Dale and his dad made it happen that weekend. Kassi has her mini backyard that will keep her safe. And, more importantly, Evan has his dog!

What? How? and hope!

We know, right? "What" seems to be one of the first things people say. Complete shock and disbelief and leaves us all speechless. We agree. It takes some time to wrap your head around that even being possible. Especially, when it was diagnosed as "pneumonia." "How" often comes next. THAT even stumps all the doctors. The pulmonary doctor we had said that "in his 35 years of practicing medicine and the 20 years specializing in pulmonary, he's NEVER seen this." Never in someone his age. He also said Evan would have had to smoke 5 packs of cigarettes a day for 50 years to see what he's seeing in Evan. It's beyond human comprehension. BUT then comes the oncologist. He gives us hope! LOTS of hope! He says he has had the same conversation with a few of his patients and they are at 7 years post diagnosis, 5 years post diagnosis and 3 years post diagnosis.With Evan being a dedicated athlete who weight trained 5-6 days a week up until it became too hard on his breathing, he is strong. And not just physically, but mentally as well. Plus, he has always been conscientious about what he eats to enhance his strength. When he feels good enough to go to the gym, he still goes and adapts to what he can do. Even if it's just to lift some dumb bells or watch and talk with his amazing friends. Oh how we love those boys!

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Evan, Tyler and Dale at Bass Lake