We Need Your Prayers!

Baby Jason is in need of your prayers. The MRI results came back. The remaining brain tumor has grown 33% since the last time they took an MRI (before the 6 rounds of chemotherapy). The spine / brain stem tumor is still the same as it was before he started the chemo.

The doctors have decided to perform another surgery on Monday morning (5/17), in attempt to remove the second brain tumor. The family is trying to stay very positive, and they could really use your help! If this brain surgery is as successful as the removal of the first brain tumor, then the doctors will assess everything and (more than likely) start him on chemo again.

If you would like more information on the time and location of the surgery, please feel free to email me and I will answer any questions that I can. brandon.stokes@gmail.com

Someone much smarter than I once said “Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” Let us continue to fight the good fight. Many thanks to you and yours!

-Brandon Stokes

Updates All Around

Baby Jason went for his 4th and 5th rounds of Chemo last week, and he went for a 6th round this week. Now that he has gone through this many rounds of therapy, they want to do an MRI to see how everything is looking. I have not gotten that update, as of yet, but I will post it as soon as possible. The doctors have said everything is going really well and that he is doing great -- all things considered. Hopefully the scans show shrinkage. Susan (Baby J’s Grandma) said to have everyone keep praying and we'll continue to hope for the best!

The Golf Tournament is only a couple weeks away. We are really looking forward to it! There has been several local businesses donate prizes and gifts to the players. It is definitely going to be a good time. I believe there is still time to sign up. Please contact Tracy at the phone number listed on the flyer below.

There have been several people wanting to get involved in some way to help out the family. I have had several people pass on this website link to their church, blog readers, family members, friends, etc. It is amazing what the power of numbers can do.

As always, you can donate by clicking the PayPal button on the right side of the page.

Thanks again!

Golf Tournament for Baby Jason

There is going to be a Golf Tournament, thanks to Tracie and Pecan Ridge! This is bound to be a blast! I hope everyone can make it!

Saturday, May 22nd
Pecan Ridge Golf Course
8930 FM 1390, Scurry Tx 75158

To register contact Tracie Spivey, Pecan Ridge at (972) 486-4653

Click on the image below to enlarge:

PT and Round 2 of Chemo! Staying Strong!

Baby J had his first round of Physical Therapy on Monday. They want to work with him on several things, like increasing muscle strength and flexibility, especially in his neck. He goes back to Children’s hospital today for his second round of Chemo. He will be admitted for about 48 hours. Last time he only got sick once. That kind of treatment is strenuous on a baby, so keep him in your thoughts and prayer over the next couple of days. It can take a toll on the family, watching your little guy get physically sick by something like a treatment plan for getting better.

There are some measures that must be taken to keep Baby J healthy. The poor little guy has to wear a mask outside of the home/hospital. It is important that he remain in a clean environment. The picture is of him on his way to the Physical Therapy earlier this week.

Thank you everyone who has donated money! It is helping the family out immensely, and they have expressed nothing but gratitude for you all. This is going to be a long, hard road for them, especially the next year or so.

I am currently tossing around ideas for a fund raiser of some sort. If you have any friends or family members that own a business or any ideas for a cool fund raiser that we can do for the Jason and the family, please contact me at brandon.stokes@gmail.com

God Bless!

First Round of Chemo Done.

I just wanted to take a minute to update everyone. Baby Jay had another surgery this weekend to replace the malfunctioned port. Everything went well. He is such a strong little man!

On Saturday, he went through his first round of Chemotherapy. It lasted about 24 hours. He only got nauseated once. It was exhausting for him, I am sure.

I wanted to provide some information and statistics that I found online, for those of you (like me, prior to this) do not / did not know much about infants with malignant tumors.

How common are brain tumors?
Central nervous system tumors (tumors of the brain and spine) make up about 20 percent of all childhood cancers; they are the second most common form of childhood cancer after leukemia. Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor in children. 28,000 children in the U.S. are living with the diagnosis of a primary brain tumor. Each year 3,750 more children—10 each day—are diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor in the U.S.

Want to know more?
There are 130 different types of brain tumors. Improving the outlook for children with brain tumors requires research into the causes of and better treatments for brain tumors. Survival rates for some childhood brain tumors have increased over the past 30 years, but survivors often suffer side effects of treatments. Surgery and treatment used to fight brain and spinal cord tumors can cause many changes in the body. But the body is amazingly resilient and adaptive despite the trauma often caused treatment.

Research that focuses specifically on pediatric brain tumors is crucial to saving children’s lives and improving survivors’ quality of life.

There are several organizations that you can team up with, if you are interested. I am currently working with Young Texans against Cancer (YTAC). They raise money to fight all kinds of cancer. If you are looking for ways to get involved, let me know.

As always – there is a donation button on the right hand side of the road. Baby Jason will be in the hospital for a while during this round of chemo. If you can spare any, please do! Please continue to pray! I really appreciate it!

Treatment Starts Soon!

Baby Jay is still doing well. He went into the hospital on Monday, April 5 to have an MRV done. This is similar to an MRI, but it’s used specifically to visualize veins. MRV stands for magnetic resonance venography. It is an MRI study of the blood vessels. MRVs are typically used to assess abnormalities in the blood vessels, but in this case, they used it to check out Jason’s port. It seems to not be working properly, and they want to address this before they move forward. He will more than likely go back in for another minor surgery to replace the port before he starts chemotherapy. It will more than likely be tomorrow or Thursday, and then they will just go ahead and stay there for several days to start the treatment. I went out to visit him 2 weekends ago. He looks so much happier at home. He was in a good mood. He has tons of loved ones around him at all times, caring for him. The next few months are sure to be difficult. Your continued prayers are much appreciated! Take care!

Hope

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell." -Lance Armstrong

Today is the day we found out our little loved one is in fact battling cancer. Today is the day we continued to pray. Babies are very strong and resilient. A friend of mine told me today that they actually have a very good survival rate when battling cancer.

Baby Jay was released from the hospital today. There isn't much more they can do for him until he is finished healing and until they get the pathology report back. The doctors still have to find out exactly what they are dealing with. In about a week or so he will check back into the hospital and start chemotherapy. He is happier than ever to be at him own home. He seems more himself at home. I am sure being in a hospital, hooked up to all of the machines and monitors is scary for the little man. He is a fighter though and we will continue to be there for him and his father throughout the fight.

Thanks again to all of the people who have reached out to me or one of the other family members. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Remember, you can donate to the family on the right side, through PayPal. $5 or $10 means more than you know! This thing is hard enough without the worries of money. God bless you. -Brandon