Update and yearly reflection

 During the first part of this two week treatment, he did really well.  He only got sick to his stomach one time.  His pain was minimal.  Yesterday, he started to feel the symptoms associated with this treatment, IL2.  He spiked a 105+ fever at one point.  He mostly felt blah and achy as of late.  He is now done with his first week of treatment.  He should start feeling better and lose the fever very soon.  He's getting blood now, so that should help his hemoglobin level to go up which in turn will make him feel better.  Because of having to get blood and everything, we would have a later discharge time, so we decided to stay in OKC.  We will re-admit on Sunday for the next four day treatment which is expected to be rough.  

While Jack stays at the Korral with Nana or Mimi and wakes up at 6am everyday, Sonja, Coltrane, and I have been enjoying sleeping in until 8 or 9am everyday!  This is something we haven't been able to do really since 2010 when Jack was born.  :)  

We are doing well.  It's hard to see Coltrane so sick, but we can see the end, and it's close!  We've had a really rough year last year.  We started off the year with me (Justin) being diagnosed with depression.  The next month we lost our third child through miscarriage, Emory, which crushed us.  A couple of months later Coltrane was diagnosed with cancer (exactly one year today, hence the 2014 year recap).  As if that wasn't enough, Sonja's dad Rick died in August.  We were crushed again.  I then found out I had to have a surgery which I had to somehow manage to fit in our crazy schedule.  After that, we learned that my dearly loved grandfather died at the end of the year.  The year was..........no words.  It was the worst year of our lives.  Through all of this crazy stuff that most people didn't know about, God was with us the whole time.  I had no idea how we'd get through it without Him.  It would be easy for someone to say, "Oh, you just got through it and you stayed strong and whatever.  All by your onesies."  But we believe and know that God was planning something good and great to happen out of this.  We have grown, no doubt.  We might not be able to see all the growth, but I know it's shaped us in ways that only He knows.  We are happy to be getting toward the end of Coltrane's treatment.  It's hard to think it's been a year!  Can it get worse than last year?  Why sure!  But we will trust in God and His plan.  Our world stops, our plans cease, our minds go crazy with worry.  God is the only constant.  We have heard so many positive things and experiences that people have had from hearing our story.  This I know is part of the good that God works out of the imperfections in this world.  And there is more to come......We are hopeful.  It's amazing that God is using our family in such a powerful way.  Please know I say this in complete humility.  I boast only in the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  

Thank you all for praying for us.  The verse that speaks most to me at this time during treatment is James 5:16  "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

That is the truth.  Even though we've had "setbacks" during our son's treatment, this verse holds true, as it would of course.  I say try to prove it wrong.  It won't work.  I have complete faith as so many righteous people (made so by Jesus' sacrifice) are praying for him.  These prayers are POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE.  This is the perfect combo!  

Please pray that:

Next week goes smoothly

The pain medicine will ease his suffering

Fevers will not continue after the infusions are complete

He won't have any unexpected side effects 

The medicines will do their job in killing all the cancer cells

He will take the Accutane easily

The Accutane will have no negative side effects

Our family's faith, trust, and relationship with God grows in ways we cannot imagine

We love you.  

Love, 

Justin, Sonja, Jackson, and Coltrane the ImmunoTrain