Translate This Page To: Spanish German French Italian Portuguese Norwegian Brought to you From FreeTranslation.com Give a gift in honor of this child. Cheyenne At cancer kids party. Send cards to: Cheyenne Fiveash c/o Roy Fiveash 11821 Lagoon Lane San Angelo, TX 76904 Current Page Page One Saturday, February 21, 2004 8:42 PM CST Slowly but surely I am getting my old Cheyenne back from the flu! This morning she was up early and ate a big breakfast (that's 2 meals in a row). NO nausea or fever, just a little sore throat and cough is all that is left of this nasty bug that has kept her down for a week. This evening Cheyenne was ready to play some basketball, so it was off to the 5pm game. Unfortunately, the Mystic Slates suffered their 3rd loss of the season, but it was a hard played game. Also unfortunately, there is only one game left in the season. I am not sure what Miss Cheyenne will do after basketball season is over. Just in case I haven't mentioned it, Cheyenne LOVES her basketball, her team, and THE Coach. After the game, we had the honor of meeting Erica Landers, a young lady from San Angelo that is about Cheyenne's age and a 7 year cancer survivor. Way to go Erica. Hopefully the girls can get together sometime. After going through all that they have, they have an automatic bond. Tonight Cheyenne is writing a few of her caringbridge friends, drawing some pictures, etc. and having a grand old time. Earlier tonight, we were driving home in my big blue pickup. I am having problems with the diesel fuel pump, which I have yet to figure out. As we were driving down the road, the truck started cutting out. I looked at Cheyenne and she said, "Well, it looks like Old Blue is coming down with the flu!" Ha. Even her sense of humor is coming back. Thank you for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Friday, February 20, 2004 8:39 PM CST Well, now it is official. Cheyenne gave whatever bug she has to me, so she should start feeling better shortly. This virus really has a hold on Cheyenne. I don't remember her being this sick, ever. The good news is, that each day she is a little better. This morning she felt really bad, but has not had anything for her fever since noon, and she is holding her own. As a matter of fact, tonight at dinner Cheyenne actually ate. This is probably her first meal that she has eaten since Monday. As I was going through of our friends websites tonight, I found quite a few with what sounds like this same thing. It is amazing how it gets around, all over the country. Since Cheyenne was still sick today, she missed basketball practice tonight. Oh, she wanted to go, even if to just sit there and watch. We have told her that if she has a good night tonight, and gets up tomorrow symptom free, we may let her make the 5pm game tomorrow. That is a lot of "if's", but she really wants to go. But then we have to be careful, as if she is contagious, we can't afford to give it to anyone else. Maxie's Grandmother, Julie, emailed me earlier tonight to tell me that Maxie was enroute to the hospital for a really high fever that they couldn't control. So if you get a chance, please say a little prayer for Maxie. I have been so busy the last several days with my little sick pumpkin, I haven't really had a chance to sign her caringbridge friend's sites. Hopefully tonight!! Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Thursday, February 19, 2004 8:56 PM CST Today was a much better day for Cheyenne than yesterday. All in all, she felt pretty good today, although it is obvious that she is still sick. We started the day with ibuprofen to keep the fever down, and it worked fairly well most of the day. On the drive home she was in a really good mood, very talkative, and we had lots of fun together, talking, watching movies, and just kidding around. Late this evening, she was fine one minute and then her fever spiked the next, causing some concern. After taking tylenol, the fever finally started dropping. So as of right now, she does not feel real well, and hopefully she will get to bed and feel better tomorrow. Sorry for the short journal tonight, but I really need to try to go and make my pumpkin feel a little better. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Wednesday, February 18, 2004 11:09 PM CST Today, at least the first half, was a miserable day for Cheyenne. We were up early this morning to take off for our regularly scheduled Doctor's appointment, and Cheyenne was sick, sick, sick. Still running a low grade fever, nausea, headache, sore throat, stuffed up nose, horrible cough, and every joint in her body hurt. We gave her some over the counter medication (Tylenol Day Cold) and it did not seem to do much at all. All the way to San Antonio poor Cheyenne was miserable. At the doctor's appointment, her counts came back excellent, no tumor related problems or symtpoms found, just the "bug". She had lost 1 1/2 lbs since the last appointment, but like I explained to the Doctor, she probably lost that much just throwing up from this bug and not eating in almost 2 days. While at the Doctor's office at 3pm, we gave her some plain old Ibuprofen, forget all the fancy over the counter stuff. When we left the Doctor's office about 45 minutes later, Cheyenne was singing in the truck. Now she is still sick, but her singing was music to my ears. The rest of the evening Cheyenne was 1000% better than this morning. Her biggest complaint this evening has been sore stomach muscles from coughing for the past 24 hours. Whatever bug this is, I hope and pray it has run its course. Thinking back, this is the first time since diagnosis that Cheyenne has caught anything, so I guess we have been pretty lucky. The timing on this was just really, really bad. The chemo had just started taking its toll from this round, the Protocel had just kicked into high gear from a slight schedule and dosage change, her allergies had again just flared up, and then this virus. This was just a little too much for her little body to handle all at once. The Doctor is convinced that this is a virus and that it should run its course within the next day or so. Just to be on the safe side, he did prescribe antibotics in the event she does not feel better after tomorrow. But there is a problem. The Dr prescribed an penicillin derived antibotic. I didn't notice this until we were back at the apartment. Cheyenne is allergic to penicillin. So, tomorrow before leaving San Antonio, I will have to contact the Dr and get the prescription changed. It is now after 1130pm, and Cheyenne is still up, so I had better go and get her to bed to get some rest. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Cheyenne is being featured on a new website by the Tumbleweed Foundation. This foundation is in memory of and to honor one of our very good caringbridge friends, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom, Judy, has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. Tuesday, February 17, 2004 8:43 PM CST Today was another one of those days for Cheyenne. Another day she felt too bad to go to school. She is still pretty tired, but it is the low grade fever, nausea and yukky feeling all over that is is getting her down. She spent the day laying around the house with Grandma B., not really doing anything but watching TV. If she was feeling better this evening she wanted to go and watch her Mystic Slates team mates practice. But she didn't even feel well enough to do that. I really hate it when my little girl doesn't feel good. Tomorrow we travel to San Antonio for her regularly scheduled Doctor's appointment. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day: feeling good, having fun good, and not sick good. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Monday, February 16, 2004 6:57 PM CST Today was not a very fun day for Cheyenne. Last night, after going to bed she began to get nauseaous and had a stomach ache all night with a low grade fever. This morning, she really wanted to go to school, got up and dressed, but she was really feeling too bad to go. After getting nauseaous again this morning, she decided that we were right, she had better stay home again today. All day she had minor flu like symptoms, body aches and pains, slight nausea, low grade fever, headache, etc. Most of the day was spent sleeping in my recliner. It really hurts to see my pumpkin feeling bad. This is really a strange journey that we parents of children with cancer and tumors take. Many times, the treatment causes more discomfort than the current state of the disease. We have to just keep reminding ourselves of the end result of the disease, and without the treatment, there is no possiblity of a cure. Fortunately, today being a federal holiday, both Donna and I were off to care for Cheyenne. To help Cheyenne feel a little better today, mom made some of her home made chicken noodle soup. And as Cheyenne would say, it was Delicish!! Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. I noticed tonight that Emily is finally getting to go home! YEA!!! Let's keep those prayers going and continue the healing for all these wonderful children. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Cheyenne is being featured on a new website by the Tumbleweed Foundation. This foundation is in memory of and to honor one of our very good caringbridge friends, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom, Judy, has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. Sunday, February 15, 2004 9:47 PM CST Today turned into a very special day for my little pumpkin, Cheyenne. First of all, she wasn't sick all day long, and maybe not the energizer bunny that she normally is, but still on the go and having fun. This morning we attended services at Glen Meadows Baptist Church with Cheyenne's brother, Michael and his family. There Cheyenne was able to say hello to a few of the members that continually pray for her and support her in this journey. Following church, we went to Christopher's house for a birthday party for Maddie (our little granddaughter and Christopher's baby). She turns 2 in a couple of days. It was lots of fun and playing there for Cheyenne. Immediately after leaving the party, we dropped Cheyenne off at Coach Slate's house (THE Coach Slate!!!!) for dinner followed by a trip to Glen Meadows to see the ROCFISH with Coach, some of her teammates and friends. Rocfish is a christian musical group of teenagers from Australia that are currently touring the US. I am assuming that Cheyenne had a really great time, as when I picked her up tonight, she was singing our loud, looked over at me and said, "I had a REALLY GREAT TIME!!!" Right now I am trying to get her to bed (it is 1015pm, way past her bedtime) for school tomorrow. Also, Cheyenne was on the FRONT PAGE of the San Angelo Standard Times Newspaper today. Rick Smith, a local journalist, called yesterday and said that many people have been calling and writing him asking how Cheyenne was doing. Rick had run an article about Cheyenne in the paper when she was diagnosed and undergoing radiation. He asked for permission to print a few excerpts from this daily journal. It was a very well written article all about Cheyenne's struggle, her conventional and alternative treatments, and how WONDERFUL she is doing. We bought 5 newspapers today. Ha.. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. None of the parents of cancer and tumor children could bear this burden alone. It is wonderful people like yourselves that keep us moving. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, February 14, 2004 10:13 PM CST Today was almost a clone of the last few days. A few minutes after awakening, she became nauseous, but then the remainder of the day was FANTASTIC. Oh, how our life has changed in the past 8 months! We knew so very little about pediatric brain tumors and cancer. Now we are veterans. The only reason I bring this up, is that one of the many symptoms of tumor pressure is nausea immediately after awakening in the morning. Back in the OLD days, that is in July, August, or September of 2003, before we were veterans of this horrible illness, Cheyenne's early morning sickness would have scared us to death. But now, believe it or not, we have learned that there are "different" kinds of nausea. There is nausea from tumor pressure, nausea from chemo, nausea from radiation, nausea from Protocel, and nausea from eating something you really shouldn't have. And the strange thing is, since we have experienced them all on this journey, we can actually tell the difference. I am sure that as many of our caringbridge parents out there read this, they are shaking their heads, yep, I can tell. Today's little nausea spell has been written off to Protocel doing its job. One of the few times that nausea is a good thing!!!!!! This afternoon Cheyenne and the Mystic Slates had two basketball games back to back. I am so proud of these girls. In both game 1 and game 2, the Mystic Slates scored early and never lost the lead, winning both games handily. CONGRATULATIONS GIRLS!!!! At one point in the second game, I thought that they seemed to be tiring, but their second wind came and it was off to the races. It was a fun game to watch. ALL the girls, including Cheyenne did a FANTANTASTIC job. After the ballgame, several of the girls, their parents, and the Coach met for ice cream at Dairy Queen. There were some happy girls there. There are only two more games to go this season, which is not near enough for the girls. I know Cheyenne never wants the season to end. In case I haven't mentioned it before, (Ha) Cheyenne just LOVES basketball. Tomorrow appears to be a really busy day for our little girl. First thing in the morning, Cheyenne wants to attend church services at Glen Meadows Baptist Church. I am sure she will be giving out those "Cheyenne Hugs" to all the wonderful people there that care, support, and pray for her so very much. Not a single day goes by without her either getting an email, card or letter, or a guestbook entry from a member of Glen Meadows. They really know how to make a little girl smile. Immediately following, we are off to Cheyenne's brother, Christopher's house. They are having a joint Maddie/Christopher birthday party. That will be lots of fun for Miss Cheyenne. We also plan to leave from there and get back to Glen Meadows, for the Rockfish Festival. I am not sure, but I believe it is a Christian band from Australia. So tomorrow is shaping up to be a pretty awesome day for Cheyenne. Tonight, if you have a chance, please drop over to a few of Cheyenne's caringbridge friend's sites, and say hello. I know that Emily, Jessie and Ross Joiner are still in the hospital and in need of a few additional prayers. When you get to know these children and their parents as I have, you will find yourself richly blessed. These children are the most faithful, caring, couragous, wonderful children I have ever met. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Prayers are AWESOME, and they are working. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Cheyenne is being featured on a new website by the Tumbleweed Foundation. This foundation is in memory of and to honor one of our very good caringbridge friends, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom, Judy, has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. Friday, February 13, 2004 11:37 PM CST This morning Cheyenne was still a little under the weather and stayed home from school. However, by the time I got home from work, Cheyenne was back to her old self, full of spunk and energy and feeling great. Tonight, she made the hard decision on whether to go to basketball practice or the Valentines day dance. After a few phone calls from friends, the dance won out. Mom, Grandma B. and Aunt Judy dropped her off and I went later to pick her up. When I arrived, you could pick her out of the crowd. She was the one doing the most jumping, laughing the loudest and having the most fun. She was one active little girl at this dance. After about 30 minutes she finally saw me, and it was a mad dash and jumped into my arms, almost knocking me down. I think she had fun!!!!!! Tonight at home there is a fine dusting of snow on everything, and you would think it was 2 feet outside. She is so thrilled that it snowed. Now it would be nice if there were 3 or 4 inches on the ground tomorrow so we could have a few snowball fights, but I don't think it will happen. Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. I noticed tonight that Ross Joiner is really in need of prayers, as he is in ICU tonight. Also remember Jessie and Emily, who are also still in the hospital. These are such couragous children. May God be with them and give them strength to overcome all that is currently threatening them. Again, Thank you and God Bless you all. Our God is a very merciful and caring God. Cheyenne's dad Cheyenne is being featured on a new website by the Tumbleweed Foundation. This foundation is in memory of and to honor one of our very good caringbridge friends, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom, Judy, has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. Thursday, February 12, 2004 10:20 PM CST Thanks to Microsoft Technical Support, a technician that barely speaks english, and a 2 hour phone call, we just came back on line with this computer. This morning Cheyenne really, really wanted to make it to school I could tell that she didn't feel well, but she insisted. So after warming up the truck, getting everyone dressed, we made it out the door and almost into the truck before Cheyenne decided that she did not feel well enough to go to school. So, it turned into a stay a home day with Grandma B. and Aunt Judy. As the day wore on, Cheyenne felt better and better, and by the time I came home after work, she seemed to be feeling fine. It is the mornings that get her the most. At this point, Cheyenne plans on attending school tomorrow morning, but we will just have to wait and see what the morning brings. This weekend is already shaping up to be a busy fun filled weekend, as long as Cheyenne is feeling well. She already has double plans for tomorrow night. Both basketball practice and a Valentines dance at school. That is going to be a hard decision. Saturday she has 2 basketball games and karate. Sunday is normal church day, plus Cheyenne wants to attend a special evening event at Glen Meadows Baptist Church. I believe there are a few more things thrown in there that I have temporarily forgotten. I am sure she will remind me. Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful prayers, words of support an encouragement for Cheyenne and all the other children. None of us could make it without you. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Cheyenne is being featured on a new website by the Tumbleweed Foundation. This foundation is in memory of and to honor one of our very good caringbridge friends, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom, Judy, has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. Wednesday, February 11, 2004 10:29 PM CST Cheyenne is being featured on a new website by the Tumbleweed Foundation. This foundation is in memory of and to honor one of our very good caringbridge friends, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom, Judy, has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. This morning found Cheyenne a little under the weather, sick to her stomach shortly after awakening. The good news is, however, there was no doubt it was 100 percent lysing from Protocel. Immediately after this short lived sick period, Cheyenne was ready to go to school, and off we went. Between 10 and 11, unfortunately, Cheyenne experienced another round of lysing, and called me at work to come to school and get her. I imagine that it is pretty embarrassing for a 12 year old girl to get sick to her stomach at school. After getting home, there wasn't much for Chey to do, so I convinced her to take a long needed nap. After a few hours of sleep, Cheyenne was ready to take on the world and felt fine. I imagine that we may see this again over the next few days, as I have mentioned, the chemo, heavy Protocel lysing, and sinus problems all hit at the same time leaving Cheyenne more tired than normal. Tomorrow is a planned school/work day, although the weather is predicted to be possible snow and ice. For you non-West Texans, we don't really enjoy driving on snow and ice, so we will just have to see. Most of the afternoon and evening my son Michael and I have been working on my computer, and wound up installing a new hard drive. Thus far, I know that I have lost all my addresses in my email, but most of my caringbridge favorites are still here. Soooo, there will probably be some that I routinely email that may not be hearing from me until I receive a message with their address. Also, we are having some problems locating certain software, such as the ones we use to modify photos to load on Cheyenne's site. So, there might be a little delay in redesigning this site for a few days. I have not yet had the opportunity to visit any of our friends sites tonight due to computer problems, so please, when you say your prayers tonight, remember all these little ones and their families. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Tuesday, February 10, 2004 9:26 PM CST Hey Everybody, This is Cheyenne typing. Today I Stayed home and slept in. Me and grandma B.,and Aunt Judy really did nothing. I didn't wake up till 11:30. When I got up all I really did was watch tv. Today was a Hercules special"I think". They were One hour long but There was about Twenty showing right after another. Later that night I went to basketball practice. It was fun. We worked on lobbing the ball a cross the court. Man I love Basketball. I love playing. I love Practiceing. I also love to just go, because I have the best coach ever. So cool of a coach. Coach Slate thats her name. the best coach in the universe. I also have the best team anbody could ever have. My team mates are"Christene, Ariel, Jessica, Cassie. Macie, Leah, and Becca. Yep that the best team ever because we were taught by the best coach ever. After Basketball Practice we went to eat at KFC and It was delic. But of course after that I was sick to my stomach. But when we got home guess who was there. My daddy. Just seeing him my stomach ache went away and I hopped on my daddy's lap. Well, I guess that about wraps it up for my little pumpkin's day, all in her words. Of course, you might notice the time, it is now almost 10pm, and she is still on my lap as I type. God Bless you all and thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Cheyenne and Cheyenne's dad Monday, February 9, 2004 10:54 PM CST Today was another one of those extremely busy days, but turned into a fabulous evening. Cheyenne was still dragging quite a bit today. According to her, more tired than ever before. She even laughed about falling asleep coming home on the bus from school. But she is going through a lysing period right now, in conjunction with just ending this round of chemo, so, this too will pass. I know my little pumpkin will get her energy back within the next 1 to 2 weeks. This evening was DADDY/DAUGHTER DATE NIGHT in San Angelo. Each year the city sponsors this right before Valentines. Of course I took Cheyenne and we had an absolute fabulous time. And, from all the fun that she had, you would never believe for a minute that she was tired. We left the house around 5:30 and stopped at Cheddar's for some appetiziers and desert. Following Cheddar's, we made it to the dance just as they were opening the doors. It was then 2 full hours of listening to music, dancing, laughing, giggling, and having a blast. The theme of this year's Date Night was the 80's. After tonight, I realize that I must have slept through the 80's, since I did not recognize but a handful of songs. I can't remember when Cheyenne laughed so much in one night. This was FANTASTIC. I found out today that Cheyenne is one of the children being featured on the Tumbleweed Foundation website. This site is in memory and to honor a very good caringbridge friend, Little Angel Julia Levy. This site is a very worthy site that is just now beginning to take shape. If you can, PLEASE pay it a visit at www.tumbleweedfoundation.org . As soon as I can, I will be adding a permanent link on Cheyenne's site. Also, if you get a chance, Angel Julia's mom has been having some difficulties, and could probably use some support and encouragement. She still reads and updates Angel Julia's site daily (listed under our little Angel links). Thank you. I have not had an opportunity to visit any of our caringbridge friends tonight, as we were running all night. These children and their parents mean so much to me. We are now family, tied together forever. When you say your prayers tonight, please remember them all. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Sunday, February 8, 2004 9:40 PM CST Earlier this afternoon I received an email telling me that dear Caitlin had become one of the newest angels in heaven. She no longer has this beast of a tumor, she no longer has cancer, she no longer is in pain. Caitlin undoubtedly is looking down on her family from heaven where they all will be reunited someday. Please say a prayer for Caitlin's wonderful family, as they go through what no parent should ever have to face. Tonight Cheyenne finished round #6 of her 10 rounds of chemo. Understanding that the full effect of this round really won't hit her for a few days, Cheyenne still weathered it pretty well. The last two days saw her really zapped of energy, and an occasional stomach ache, but it was still a good week. We are praying that nothing worse is to come. This morning was Sunday School and Church. Cheyenne really likes her Sunday School and Church, and has lots of good friends there. She has been talking about wanting to get back to Glen Meadows Baptist Church to see her friends there, so we are checking our schedules to see if it will be next Sunday, or the one after that. This afternoon Cheyenne's brother Christopher and his two little girls came over and it was a busy afternoon. Lots of playing, laughing, and running around. It was a really nice afternoon and evening, which we topped off with a Lasagana dinner. After the kids left, Cheyenne decided that she had better finish her homework. My Gosh, do they assign homework at that school!! We worked on it for what seemed forever, and was able to finish most of it, hopefully, we can get up early tomorrow and get the rest out of the way. Cheyenne still does not have a lot of energy, and to top it off, she was hit in the eye during the ball game the other day. Today it is swollen, and really red. If she looks out of it just right, it burns and hurts. That is not really a good environment to study and do homework in. Every night we have a very large number of children that we pray for, but there are always a few that are in a little more desperate need. Tonight, please say a little extra prayer for Emily, who is still in the hospital, Samantha, sister of little Angel Zach, who now has biopsy scheduled for Feb 13th, Trevor Joiner as he prepares for another stem cell transplant, Jessie who has additional tests, beautiful Celeste who will be having an MRI soon, and our best bud Jake as he takes on this tumor head on for the second time. Also, please remember Caitlin's family during this extremely difficult time. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, February 7, 2004 11:51 PM CST We are finally all home and settled in from a busy evening. This morning Cheyenne slept in until around 9am, and she was still zapped of energy. As a matter of fact, today became what we affectionately call a "chicken noodle soup" day for Cheyenne. We really didn't expect it for a few more days, but it seems this time the chemo was taking effect a little sooner than expected. By noon, Cheyenne was still not feeling well at all, very tired and a little nauseaous, so she asked her dear old dad to make her chicken noodle soup for lunch. This afternoon, we were surprised by quite a treat. One of our favorite girls in the whole world called. Yep, Maddie called. Maddie and Cheyenne got the chance to catch up a little with each other and then I had a real good conversation with her mom. That seemed to start the spark for Cheyenne's energy. After that it was a little go karting, loving her horse, and then off to the big basketball game. She seemed to just flip the energy switch and there was no stopping her from this point on. I want to say this in public, Sorry Coach, I will NOT predict the outcome of the Magic Slates games again. I think I jinxed them. They are now 2 and 2. After the game, several of the girls and Coach Slate went to the ASU Ram Belles and Rams game. Of course the Ram Belles won (they have such an awesome team) and the Rams won. Cheyenne ran into lots of people that she knew. Kasey from the Ram Belles, Pastor Harry Mathews from Glen Meadows, my cousin and his family just to mention a few. I started to count up all the hugs that Cheyenne handed out tonight at the game and stopped at around 10. I knew she was feeling great and having fun when I arrived to pick her up from the game. I saw her coming from across the Junell Center, running at about Mach III, grinning from ear to ear, and she jumped into my arms to give me a big hug. Of course, every single night we have a very large number of children that we pray for, but there are always a few that are in a little more desperate need. Tonight, please say a little extra prayer for Emily, who is still in the hospital, Samantha, sister of little Angel Zach, who now has a biopsy scheduled for Feb 13th, and Trevor and Ross Joiner . Also, please join me in praising and thanking God for Jessie getting HOME from the hospital, and all the wonderful friends that Cheyenne and family have made since beginning this trying journey. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Friday, February 6, 2004 10:38 PM CST For the very first thing tonight, I want to share some news with you of Cheyenne's very good caringbridge sister and friend, Maddie. Miss Maddie had her MRI today, and preliminary results are in:::::NO CHANGE! What that means, is that Maddie and Cheyenne are both kicking this tumor's butt!!! This, the fastest growing, most deadly, tumor out there, is losing its battle with Maddie and Cheyenne. Maddie and Cheyenne may have a way to go, but both are up for the fight and will NOT give it up. You GO GIRLS!!!!!!!! Today was a pretty good day for Cheyenne, but to be perfectly honest, the combination of staying up late, being in the middle of this chemo round, in the midst of a horrible allergy/sinus problem, and her presently in one of her Protocel lysing periods has taken a little of her energy. She was tired when she woke up this morning, tired all day, and ready to go to bed by 9:30 tonight. If you know her, this is not her usual energetic self, but again if you know her, you know that she will snap out of it very quickly. Cheyenne attended school all day today and had basketball practice tonight. We are going to let her sleep in tomorrow morning, and her basketball game is scheduled for 5pm. Of course, by letting her sleep in, she will be missing her karate class. She was looking forward to it, since we have missed so many, but I really want her to recuperate a little. So, Sifu, if you are reading this, we will be there shortly, promise!! As always, I want to thank everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. In this world of incurable cancer, prayers work miracles. Both Maddie and Cheyenne are prime examples of miracles in progress. Our God is an AWSOME and MERCIFUL God. Thank you God! Of course, every single night we have a very large number of children that we pray for, but there are always a few that are in a little more desperate need. Tonight, please say a little extra prayer for Jessie and Emily, who are still in the hospital, Samantha, sister of little Angel Zach, who now has biopsy scheduled for Feb 13th, and Trevor and Ross Joiner . Also, please join me in praising God for the MRI results over the past few days of Maddie, Fisher and David. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Thursday, February 5, 2004 9:57 PM CST Today was Cheyenne's 2nd day of the 6th round of Temodar chemo and she is handling it like the Champ that she is!! She was a little more tired than normal, but had very little nausea associated with the chemo today. We did allow Cheyenne to stay home from school, so I imagine she had a GRAND day at home with mom. Today Cheyenne received an AWESOME surprise in the mail from Kim Nicks and her family. A huge box filled with all kinds of neat things. A pair of pants (exact size that she wears) that are the wildest things I have ever seen. But, Cheyenne just absolutely loves them. Blue denium on top with the rest white denium with red roses!! Then to go with them a blouse that says " I am a Princess, So What?! Now that fits her to a tee! Jewelery, purse, address book, on and on, and the softest, cuddliest stuffed puppy dog I have ever seen. And just to keep Cinnamon from being jealous, a bag of doggy treats. Cheyenne is all smiles tonight. Thank you Kim, Kyle and family. Also tonight Cheyenne's Grandmother and Aunt came in from Milwaukee, Wi. Grandma Barger and Aunt Judy didn't know what they were in for. Now Cheyenne has a captive audience for all those board games she has. A few minutes ago (and it is now almost 10:30pm) Cheyenne had Aunt Judy cornered playing Simpson Chess. As always, I want to thank everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. In this world of incurable cancer, prayers work miracles. Our God is an AWSOME and MERCIFUL God. Thank you God for all the daily miracles. All one has to do is look for them, they are there! Of course, every single night we have a very large number of children that we pray for, but there are always a few that are in a little more desperate need. Tonight, please say a little extra prayer for Jessie and Emily, who are still in the hospital, Samantha, sister of little Angel Zach, who now has biopsy scheduled for Feb 13th, Trevor and Ross Joiner and Cheyenne's best friend and adopted caringbridge sister, Maddie, who has been feeling a little poorly lately. Also, thank you for the prayers over the past few days for Fisher and David. Both MRI's were completed with all GOOD news. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Wednesday, February 4, 2004 8:59 PM CST Today was the first day of Cheyenne's Round # 6 of chemo. That means she is officially over 1/2 way through with chemo. Hopefully, she will never have to take any other kind of chemo, ever!! Today was a normal school day for Cheyenne, with the two of us up early and off to school. Boy, I love these trips to school. I guess because it is just the two of us, and we can just talk, laugh, cut up, and talk about anything in the world. I understand that Cheyenne had a really good day at school with no sickness or bad feelings all day. When I arrived home from work, Cheyenne and her mom were busy as beavers cleaning and straightening the house. Hmmmm, I wonder what could be going on around here? Could it be that Donna's mom and sister are coming in tomorrow? Na, that wouldn't do it, would it?? Ha. Glad I was at work. Actually, Donna is feeling pretty poorly. She has come down with some kind of a bug. We are hoping and praying that it is a quick thing and neither Cheyenne or I get it and it is over by the time our visitors arrive tomorrow. Tonight since Donna was not feeling real well, I took over a few of the chores and Cheyenne took in a little TV and homework. Cheyenne is one special daughter. As I write this, she is making me a 'Milk Shake". Now isn't that sweet? She really likes to take care of us anyway that she can. As always, I want to thank everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. In this world of incurable cancer, prayers work miracles. Of course, every single night we have a very large number of children that we pray for, but there are always a few that are in a little more desperate need. Tonight, please say a little extra prayer for Jessie and Emily, who are still in the hospital, Fisher who was to try to get his MRI again today, Samantha, sister of little Angel Zach, who now has biopsy scheduled for Feb 13th, Trevor and Ross Joiner and Cheyenne's best friend and adopted caringbridge sister, Maddie, who has been feeling a little poorly lately. Also, please join me in prayers for Angel McKenzie's and Angel Lyone's family during this extremely difficult time. Pray for God's peace and understanding. Thank you and God Bless you all, Cheyenne's dad Tuesday, February 3, 2004 9:19 PM CST The best description of Cheyenne's day came from Cheyenne as we were leaving San Antonio this afternoon. She looked over at me with a big smile and said, "Dad, I had fun today!!" We actually slept in past 8am this morning (we were up past midnight the night before watching TV) and made it over to my old office to visit and attend a meeting with one of my former managers. As soon as we arrived, Cheyenne immediately made it into the "Girls" offices. I kind of feel bad as they have work to do and all, but they are soooo very good to Cheyenne. They stopped their work and visited, making Cheyenne's day. A lunch was planned and after my meeting, we all met for lunch with the girls. At the cafe, Cheyenne found a claw machine (of course!!). Within a couple of minutes there were 3 stuffed animals on our table (there were already 2 in the car from 2 other claw machines that we had ran across yesterday). Thank you Haydee, Karen, Norma and Carmen for making my little girl smile all the way home!! Tonight was basketball practice, so we arrived at home in just enough time to unload the suitcase, and leave. The Mystic Slates had a good practice tonight, and based upon how they practiced tonight, I predict a major victory Saturday. Thank you everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. In this world of incurable cancer, prayers work miracles. Of course, every single night we have a very large number of children that we pray for, but there are always a few that are in a little more desperate need. Tonight, please say a little extra prayer for Jessie and Emily, who are still in the hospital, Fisher who will try for his MRI again tomorrow, and Samantha, sister of little Angel Zach, who now has biopsy scheduled for Feb 13th. Also, please join me in prayers for McKenzie's and Lyone's family during this extremely sad time. Pray for God's peace and understanding. Both of these wonderful children are now tumor and pain free, and they will be reunited with their family again. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Monday, February 2, 2004 10:20 PM CST This morning Cheyenne and I took off for San Antonio while mom went to work. Someone has to make money around here!! Thanks Mom!! While enroute to San Antonio, we had breakfast in the car, from the World's famous, Diego's Burritos in San Angelo. Cheyenne just loves their egg, sausage and bean burritos. Of course, Cheyenne was starving right up to the minute we started the truck to leave Diego's. YOu could see the green coming over her face. From experience, this is not a good sign, and we have had the burrito, car enroute to San Antonio, barf bucket experiences before. To be on the safe side, it was time for a quick Zofran. Within 5 minutes Cheyenne was feeling fantastic and had her breakfast with no problems. The rest of the day was another one of those GREAT days, no sickeness at all. The Memorial Service for Justice in San Antonio was very nice. Also, there were many, many of my friends there, and as a result, Cheyenne received about 1,000 hugs. Tomorrow we were planning to go to the office for a short meeting and then hit the road back to San Angelo. However, Cheyenne and the "girls" had other plans. I guess we will be going to lunch with the "girls" tomorrow before heading back. They are sooo good to Cheyenne and Cheyenne just loves hanging out with them. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. In case you haven't had time to check, a few of the chidren need a few extra prayers. If you could, please join me in lifting these couragous children up to the Lord in prayer. Jessie is still in the hospital while the Doctors attempt to determine what is causing a few problems, Fisher and David both have MRI's scheduled for tomorrow, Mitchell starts chemo tomorrow, Sweet little Emily is still in the hospital and had a very scary seizure, and Trevor Joiner is preparing for his 2nd stem cell transplant since the first did not take. Again, thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne says hi to everyone. Cheyenne's dad Sunday, February 1, 2004 8:52 PM CST Today was one of those WONDERFUL days that we wish would never end. Cheyenne felt GREAT all day long, and had lots and lots of fun, smiles, and giggles all day. Right now as I type this, she is playing Simpson's Chess with her mom, and every few minutes she breaks out in a song, singing at the top of her lungs. Even her mom joins in every now and then. This morning Cheyenne had the opportunity to teach her first Sunday School class. I understand she did a WONDERFUL job, and wants to do it again. Her topic this morning was "Truth". Truth of God's promises, Truth of Christ, etc..She really prepared for it, with 9 pages of notes, and it paid off. She was supposed to have a "helper", but she did not show up, so Cheyenne did it by her lonesome. This afternoon, Cheyenne had other church activites and says that it was also lots of fun and she learned alot. The church youth group also was having a Super Bowl party afterwards, but Cheyenne wanted to come home and give Dad a Super Bowl party. After coming home and riding her Go Kart for about 30 minutes, she came in and prepared every kind of chips, dip, etc for dear old dad. We are watching the game, but it is actually just in the background, as we are all doing something else at the same time. Tomorrow Cheyenne and I will be off to San Antonio to attend a funeral of a friend. I told Cheyenne that she did not have to go, but she thought she should, since her and Justice had talked a few times about their sicknesses together. I guess she feels connected to her. And actually, it is not a funeral, but a memorial service. Thank you to everyone who came over and checked on our little girl. Also thank you for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Prayers are such an AWESOME power. I noticed that this next tuesday, both David and Fisher are having MRI's and Mitch is starting this round of chemo, so please keep them in your prayers. Also Cheyenne starts her next round of chemo on Wednesday morning, and we are praying for a non-eventful round. Cheyenne also asked me to ask for prayers for 2 of her very special friends, Maddie and Jake. Cheyenne just loves both Maddie and Jake and talks about them as if they were brother and sister. Maddie is doing real good, but has had a few occassions of double vision lately, and Jake is also doing pretty good, but has a few rough days. We are praying for complete healing of these wonderful young people and for them to start having nothing but GREAT days. Thank you again, and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, January 31, 2004 10:28 PM CST This morning we lost another one of Cheyenne's friends. Little four year old Lyone DaSilva of Japan, became an angel this morning a little before 11am. It has become a daily occurrance around the Fiveash household to talk to his mom and dad, Kenny and Jess, as well as little Lyone over the phone and internet and we have become quite friends over the past few months. Watch over your parents and sisters, Lyone, until you meet again. This makes 3 of our friends that we have lost in the past 3 days. I know that it has to be taking a toll on Cheyenne, as it certainly is on me. This morning Cheyenne missed Karate class, due to a conflicting schedule. We have so many things on our schedule, it sometimes gets very confusing around here. Cheyenne felt very good most of the day, with the exception of a few minutes of that upset stomach feeling. Shortly after noon, we left the house to pickup Cheyenne's Grandparents near Paint Rock to take to the basketball game in Ballinger. We pretty much made the game a family affair, as Mom, Dad, Diana, Grandpa and Grandma, as well as Christopher and his family were all there. It was the first loss for the Mystic Slates, but the girls played a pretty good game. They just couldn't seem to get it together after the 1st half. Cheyenne hopes to play this team again, to show them what the Mystic Slates are all about.. Following the game, several of the team mates and their families met at the Lowake Steak House for dinner. For those who have never been to the Lowake Steak House, it is highly recommended! Cheyenne is currently in bed, and I have noticed that she has a pretty good cough tonight. Her allergies really kicked in a couple of days ago, so I hope that is all that it is. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Please continue to think about them and pray for them daily. If you get a chance, also leave a little note in their guestbook just to let them know that you care. It means so much to these children and their families just to know that they are not alone in this struggle. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Friday, January 30, 2004 10:33 PM CST All in all today was a good healthy day for Cheyenne. This morning both of us overslept for about 30 minutes and almost missed school. Cheyenne's last dose of Protocel is at midnight each night, and we get up very early for work and school. So, by the time that Friday rolls around, we are both verrry tired. I would try to set the alarm for midnight and just go to bed, but I am afraid I might not hear it, so it is just easier to stay up. After school today, Cheyenne had her friday night basketball practice, so she had her daily exercise running up and down the court. She can still outrun me anyday. After practice Cheyenne had a nausea attack, nothing serious, but enough to make her uncomfortable. You could tell by just looking at her that she did not feel well. Also, I guess the cold front that blew through here yesterday brought something in that she is allergic to. Her nose was completely stopped up today. As you know, yesterday Cheyenne's friend McKenzie became one of Heaven's newest angels. We intentionally chose to not tell Cheyenne until today, so she wouldn't have to go to school in an emotional state of mind. When her mom told her this afternoon, Cheyenne didn't really say much. After some time, her mom asked her how she felt. Cheyenne said that she wasn't sad, because McKenzie was now with Jesus and was now healed. If only more adults had the faith in God that our children have!! Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Tonight there are a few of the children that need a little extra prayers. Jessie, still in the hospital: The Joiner brothers as they attempt to grow new cells, and little Trevor having a setback: Emily, still in the hospital and doing great after a very successful surgery, but still has a long way to go: McKenzie's family. Yesterday was a pretty rough day around here, with the loss of 2 friends in one day. If not for our faith in God, and all the prayers and words of encouragement from all of you, this would be so much more difficult. Thank you so very much. Our God is an AWESOME God!! Prayers do help. Cheyenne's dad Thursday, January 29, 2004 8:21 PM CST This evening Cheyenne's very good caringbridge friend McKenzie, became one of the newest angels in Heaven. She is now free of pain and free of this horrible beast of a tumor. Her family and friends miss her terribly, and could use your prayers during this time that no parent should ever have to go through. This morning Cheyenne awoke with a tummy ache, and actually asked me for a Zofran before school. She normally never asks for medication of any kind, we have to almost force it on her. A few minutes after taking it, Cheyenne felt fine, and it was off to school. It seems that we have had quite a few Zofran mornings lately, but upon review of her daily journal, they have actually decreased in number and severity. (We keep a daily log of her medication, dosages, sickness, etc). After a good day at school, Cheyenne came home to find her big sis Diana home for the weekend from school. I understand that the two girls had a great time talking girl stuff and doing homework. As I write this, Diana is helping Cheyenne learn the states and capitals for a test tomorrow. We finally received the written radiology report from the Neuro-Radiologist from Cheyenne's last MRI. The written report was actually even better than we were told. When we had called Dr. Estrada last week, he stated that the enhancement was less conspicious and smaller than 3 months earlier. In reading the report, it was noted that there was now no appreciable enhancement identified even though there was mild patchy enhancement present in the scan 3 months ago. Also, radiation therapy had caused moderate inflammation and thickening in the sinus area, which is now decreasing. This morning a good friend and co-worker passed away from cancer. She was diagnosed a few weeks before Cheyenne, and we had last seen her shortly before Christmas while in San Antonio on a Doctor's appointment. Cheyenne had the opportunity to visit with her for quite a while that day and we have spoken of her several times since diagnosis. I know Cheyenne felt connected to her due to their similar illnesses. It is hard when you lose someone you know, but it is even harder when you are traveling this journey that we are on. We are so indebted to all of the wonderful people that visit Cheyenne's and the other children's sites, offer prayers for their healing and well being, give us inspirational words of encouragment in our guestbooks, and support us so very much. This journey would be so much more difficult to withstand if not for you. Thank you and God Bless you. Cheyenne's dad Wednesday, January 28, 2004 7:13 PM CST Cheyenne had another one of really good days today. We were up early and off to school on time (I ususally get her to school about 30 seconds before the bell). On the thirty minute drive to school, we laughed and joked around quite abit, but that is why I drive her, I just enjoy spending the time with her. When I came home from work today, like ususal, she ran as fast as she could up to me and jumped on me, giving me the biggest hug in the world. Boy, I love this kid!! Tonight, I am home alone, as Donna gave Cheyenne a ride to church for youth activities. Also, Cheyenne is teaching the Sunday School class this Sunday, and she had to pick up a few notes for the class. I am thinking about sitting in through her class Sunday, if she will let me. I just received some really sad news about a very good friend and former co-worker who has pancreatic cancer. Justice apparently is not doing very well at all tonight, so if you get a chance, please remember her in your prayers. Also, just a few minutes ago I learned that the news on Emily's surgery just keeps getting better. Praise and thank God for this wonderful news and please continue to remember this sweet little girl in your prayers for continued healing. Thank you so very much for all the prayers, kind words of encouragement, guestbook entries, and emails. We could not do this without you. I know that none of you realize how much support that you have offered us during this struggle. Literally, we would be lost without you. God Bless Cheyenne's dad Tuesday, January 27, 2004 8:48 PM CST Today was a pretty normal day for Cheyenne, which is a very good thing for a change. I am sure she would like to turn back the clock and just have things the way they used to be, normal. She went to school all day with no sickness, studied, did her work, and had fun. Isn't that wonderful? This evening after school, it was homework, riding the go kart, and hanging out with mom and dad. This was one of the first days in a long time that we didn't have something scheduled. I know I had fun just being normal and being with my family. I had a thought today at work, and won't bore you with all the details, but I have added something to my prayer list that I will share with you. I now pray that more and more people discover what we have discovered. The things that are truly important in life. It is not about being wealthy, about being important and "in charge", or even about only work. Your faith in God, your family, your friends, your generosity, your kindness, your caring for other's, those are the things that are truly important. If you have those, the other things will fall into place. Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful prayers and encouragement for Cheyenne and all the other children. A few of our friends are in need of special prayers tonight. Cheyenne's very good friend McKenzie, Emily who flew through successful surgery today and is in recovery, Jessie who is still in PICU after successful surgery, Zach who is still in the hospital with high temps and probably a nasty cold, the Joiner brothers as they are getting better each day and trying to grow new cells, and our dear sweet friend Celeste, who is starting a new round of chemo and is getting better each day. Also, I believe I missed Gooch's birthday yesterday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOOCH!!!! Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Monday, January 26, 2004 9:53 PM CST This morning was another one of those Zofran mornings for Cheyenne. But, as usual, 2 or 3 minutes after getting sick, she was ready to head to school for an entire day. It is sad that cancer families become so accustomed to being sick to the stomach. I guess all those treatments of radiation and rounds and rounds of chemotherapy just do that to you. It is just part of our life now. Every car we own has a barf bucket in it for those "emergencies" . We are so very fortunate that Cheyenne now only gets sick on rare occassions rather than everyday, and it passes very, very quickly. Of course some of it is lysing from Protocel, which is a good thing. We have seen so much lysing around here we can spot it from 100 yards. We received another bit of GREAT news today. In speaking to Cheyenne's Oncologist to see if he had received the written radiologist's report, he said that he had. When questioned about the report, we were told that, Yes the scans were classified as "No Change", however, it was noted that the enhancement was actually less conspicious and smaller. WOW, that is FANTASTIC news. Each day Donna takes off work early to pick up Cheyenne from the school bus, and I normally call around 4:15pm from work just to see how her day was. Today when I called, Donna answered the phone. I asked if the little stinker was there and Donna said, "No, she made a big mess on the couch and I put her outside!" Now you can imagine the thoughts that went through my head. It is 40 degrees outside, with a wind chill of about 20 degrees. Donna put Cheyenne OUTSIDE! Well, as it turns out Cheyenne was safe and warm INSIDE, and her little puppy, Cinnamon, was outside. And, Donna only kept Cinnamon outside for a couple of minutes. This evening Cheyenne wanted to attend Karate Class, so we spent the evening watching Cheyenne and her Karate friends go through their forms, punches and kicks. Cheyenne still has it!! She realllly enjoyed karate tonight. Several of her friends were promoted tonight. Cheyenne has missed so much class she is 2 promotions down, but she says she will make a comeback. Right now it is 1020pm, Cheyenne is still awake, finishing her homework. Her schedule is so busy she hardly has time to think. She has some activity almost every day of the week. Thank you for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and the other children. Cheyenne asks that if you would, please say an extra prayer tonight for her very good friends McKenzie, Jessie, Lyone, and Trevor and Ross Joiner. Also we will be offering prayers up for Emily today as she undergoes another round of surgery. Good night and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Sunday, January 25, 2004 8:57 PM CST Today was a wonderful family day at the Fiveash household. Cheyenne felt good and even though not much was done, it was still a very good day. This morning was Church and Sunday School where Cheyenne gets to be with all her church friends. They are very good friends. Hopefully, one Sunday soon, we will return to Glen Meadows Baptist Church to see her friends and supporters there. This afternoon, Cheyenne's Grandpa and Grandma from Paint Rock came over, as did her brother Christopher. It was a nice visit, although a little short, as Grandpa gets a little antsy and has to get back on the road to get home. Cheyenne spent most of the afternoon and evening printing pictures for a photo album she is creating from the Make A Wish trip. She has been working on the album for a couple of days already whenever she has a little free time. It is shaping up really well. I on the otherhand, spent several hours trying to get this computer to work the way it is supposed to. It crashed again today and I almost panicked. HOW can I check on our friends or enter her journal with a crashed computer???? I never did find and fix the problem, but a temporary fix got us back on the internet this evening. I just LOVE computers!!!! Thank you everyone for all the prayers and guestbook entries. They help so very much. The power of prayer is so AWESOME. It also helps keep us a little unstressed and more faithful. We know that we are in God's hands, and that He is a merciful God, but we still need to be reminded to remain faithful and He is watching over us. Please remember our very dear friend McKenzie and her family in your prayers tonight. Also Lyone, Ross and Trevor, Zach, Celeste, Emily, and all our other caringbridge friends. Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, January 24, 2004 11:13 PM CST Today was one of those BUSY days. They seem to just keep coming, one after the other. Someday we are going to just sit around the house and talk, not go anywhere, not answer the phone, just sit and talk. After a verrry late night last night (or this morning) we were all up pretty early this morning. After her morning cartoons on the Disney Channel, Cheyenne broke out the Go Kart and took it for a spin. She sure looks big on that thing. It is just like having a car for her. Following all the fun she could have on the Go Kart, she decided to help old dad with some carpentry work. I am building shelves in a storage building during my free time (Yea, free time, Ha!) It turns out Miss Cheyenne is a very good carpenter. We were able to get another 8 feet of shelves built this morning. Right after noon, we needed to go into town for a few things for Cheyenne's bathroom that we are remodeling. Fortunately, we brought her entire days medicine as well as her basketball uniform. The short trip to town turned into an all day affair, not arriving back home until 10pm tonight. Cheyenne had her 2nd basketball game tonight. The Mystic Slates did a wonderful job on the court and again came out winners. Their team is getting better each week. Today was also photo day for the team, so hopefully by next week we should have a few professional photos to post of Cheyenne and the team. In case I didn't mention it, today was one of those GREAT days for Cheyenne. As happens fairly frequently, she had a few tummy aches, but nothing like it has has been in the past. The great part is that it passes very fast and then she is fine. She was pretty zapped of energy tonight, and was ready for bed shortly after 11pm. I guess all that running up and down the court wore her out. She did get a big surprise at the game, Sifu Ector Troncoso of the Martial Arts Academy, Cheyenne's Karate instructor, made it to the game with his family to watch and cheer for Cheyenne. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the children. A few of the children do need extra prayers tonight: our very good friend Mckenzie and her family: Zachary in the hospital today with a high fever: Lyone in Japan not doing real well these last few days: Cheyenne's sweet friend Celeste who has a clinic appointment Monday: Trevor and especially Ross Joiner as they are trying to grow new cells after their transplant: Emily who is scheduled for additional surgery next week: Kolin, Kody's little brother now home from his surgery and probably feeling pretty poorly: and one of our newest friends, Ross who also has this same beast of a tumor that affects Cheyenne and is due for an MRI monday. Thank you and God Bless you all Cheyenne's dad Friday, January 23, 2004 10:34 PM CST Today was back to the old grind for Cheyenne, mom and dad. School,Work and Work!! This morning turned out to be a Zofran morning, with Cheyenne having an upset stomach when she woke up. Fortunately it was not too bad, as nothing came up, so it was a victory, and off to school she went. This evening Cheyenne had her beloved Basketball practice. Her second game is tomorrow. They won the first last week easily, and the team seems much better this week, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Following Basketball practice tonight, Coach Slate took the girls to pizza, which was VERY MUCH fun for Cheyenne, as they had a Claw machine. I wonder how much money I have spent since diagnosis on claw machines?? Donna and I turned the pizza dinner into an event. Today is our 2?th wedding anniversary. Since we both worked today and had basketball practice tonight, we had not seen each other all day except for about 10 minutes total. So to make up for it, we held hands and walked into the pizza resturant for our anniversary dinner together. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DONNA, I LOVE YOU!! I just wanted to mention to everyone again, how humbled and thankful we are of all the prayers and guestbook entries over the past few days as we were facing the dreaded MRI wait. Please join me in praising and thanking our Lord for the wonderful report. Also, you may have noticed and I may have already mentioned it, but Chris also had an MRI recently and has had MAJOR SHRINKAGE over the past 12 weeks. Also Cameron had a GREAT MRI with no change. Way to go Cameron and Chris!!! Thank you God!! When you say your prayers tonight, if you would please remember our caringbridge friends and their families. Especially McKenzie and her wonderful family: Benji and his family at the passing of Benjie's great grandmother: Kolin, Kody's brother who had surgery today: Maxie and his entire family as they are all sick and feeling really bad: Ross Joiner as he is fighting an infection and needing cells to begin growning following his transplant: Emily, who is in the hospital following her last surgery, and is anticipating her MRI followed by additional surgery. Thank you all and God Bless you. Cheyenne's dad Wednesday, January 21, 2004 8:58 PM CST I apoligize that it took so long for an update, but today was a very long day. First right to the GREAT News. AT this point our Doctor has not yet seen the MRI results, but has talked to the Neuro Radiologist on call for the day, who reviewed the MRI. This doctor stated, "There was No CHANGE" between this MRI and the one 3 months ago. Considering how fantastic the one was 3 months ago, we are OVERJOYED at the report!! Of course we had thousands of questions for our Doctor, but he couldn't answer any of them due to not personally reviewing the MRI himself. The MRI 3 months ago showed so much tumor regression that no tumor mass could be seen, only a small area of enhancement that was possibly tumor activity. Hopefully tomorrow, I will be able to personally review and photograph the scans and compare the enhanced area. The written radiologists report should be prepared within the next day or so and it will be mailed to us by sometime next week (if we are lucky). Today started as an early day, with Cheyenne and the family at Children's Methodist Hospital before 8am for an 8:30am appointment. We finally made it into radiology at around 10am. The radiology tech giving Cheyenne the IV, blew the first attempt, sticking through the vein. So it was, Change arms and try again. A different tech came in, and used a HUGE gauge needle to get into the vein. I could tell it hurt, and I felt SO bad for my little girl. The MRI was finally finished sometime around 11am. Now, since we knew that today was blood count day, and Cheyenne had already been stuck twice, and very painfully both times, she asked for the IV to stay in place. Poor girl, for the next 3 hours she could not bend either arm. One due to pain from the blown vein, and the other because of the IV. After getting a bite to eat at the hospital, Cheyenne wanted to quickly return to the apartment to wait for the 2pm Doctor appointment. You should have seen this little girl. While at the apartment, she realized that Cameron was having his MRI today also, so there she was , stiff armed and all, trying to type in his guestbook to say she was praying for him. It was more painful watching her type than watching her try to eat. We arrived at her 2pm appointment a little early. Her blood counts were taken (all GREAT), a routine checkup preformed (no symptoms or problems), and the next chemo schedule and appointment planned. At that point, we expected to hear the verbal results from the MRI. BUT, no phone call from the Neuro Radiologist. Finally a little after 5pm, he called with the 5 second report. After the fantastic report, we decided to celebrate, so Cheyenne and family went to her favorite place in San Antonio, Dave and Busters. She really had a blast playing all the games. While there she found a HUGE, Super Big, CLAW machine. Now, if you know Cheyenne, you would know that she LOOOOVES playing the claw machines. Couldn't resist, and for her trouble, walked away with a huge stuffed puppy dog. We finally arrived back at the apartment around 9pm. Very Tired. We have not yet had time to check on our caringbridge friends, but we did read Cheyenne's guestbook entries tonight. All of those prayers!!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! God Bless you all. Please join me in Praising the Lord for the wonderful report. We are in His hands and He has been very good to us. Thank you God! Again, Thank You and God Bless All of You!! Cheyenne's dad Monday, January 19, 2004 9:28 PM CST Today was another Great day for Cheyenne, although she had school all day. But then, she just loves school. As a matter of fact, she was telling us who her favorite teachers were today. She has FOUR!!! Four favorite teachers!! When we asked her about it, she said, she just loves school. Never was my problem!! Tonight we met Cheyenne's brother Christopher and his family at Pizza hut for dinner. Cheyenne had a great time with the girls, playing and laughing. Tomorrow we are on the road to San Antonio for the Doctor appointments and MRI on Wednesday morning. Please keep us in your prayers. Even though we know that Cheyenne is doing great and having great days, it is still real scary. We are trying to not let the "What if's" come in. We are just remaining faithful to the Lord, we are in His hands. Thank you to everyone for all the wonderful prayers, thoughts, and guestbook entries. You are all so kind and generous. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Sunday, January 18, 2004 10:11 PM CST Cheyenne was really full of spunk today, feeling great and being a little stinker. You can really tell when she has a good day, singing, dancing, and acting up. This morning was church, and Cheyenne was one of the acolytes (lighting and extinguishing the candles). She did a WONDERFUL job. After church we decided to venture out in the cold for lunch and ran into Coach Slate, and her team mates Christene and Jessica, along with their families. Cheyenne was still talking to them about the Ram Belles game. I guess we will have to break down and get season tickets next year. Cheyenne has now decided that not only does she want to go to Medical School when she gets older, she wants to play ball at ASU during her first 4 years. This evening was again Church for Cheyenne, as she goes every 1st and 3rd Sunday night. Mom took her and stayed with her throughout her lessons. Cheyenne has really amazed us alot lately with her knowledge of the bible. The other day she added a screen saver on this computer, which is a verse from the New Testament, and twice lately she has used the computer to make a card for someone, and all by herself, writes the greetings on the inside. In both cases it was Bibical related, and quite good I might add. Just before bed tonight, Cheyenne was again spinning around on her toes, ballet style, arms outstretched, singing a Little Mermaid song. Then just to prove to me that she could do it, closed her eyes and began to stand on one foot, then the other, alternating feet. Also tonight, she surprised me when she told us that her eyesight is better than it was. That the blind spot on her left side (where it becomes fuzzy and double) is smaller than it was previously. Tomorrow is back to school for Miss Cheyenne, although mom, dad and sis are off from work and school. As Cheyenne put it, I HAVE to go to school tomorrow to finish my History project. She is drawing a large map of the United States. On Tuesday, we are off to San Antonio for Cheyenne's 3 month MRI on Wednesday morning early. Please keep the little stink in your prayers. That afternoon, we have a regularly scheduled Dr appointment with her Oncologist. We should have a vebal report on the MRI by then and be able to view them by Thursday morning. This afternoon and night, I have been talking to our friends Kenny and Jess in Japan. Little Lyone has had a rough 24 hours and is in need of prayers if you have time. Also remember Emily as she recuperates from surgery. One last thing before going. If you happen to have a spare minute, I have linked a site belonging to an amazing 14 year old boy at the bottom of Cheyenne's page. His name is Chance and he is from Savannah, GA. Reading his journals show what an amazing young man he is. Cheyenne has a new friend in Georgia!! Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Only through God can these horrible diseases be beaten. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, January 17, 2004 11:30 PM CST Cheyenne had a really great and fun day today, especially considering she was a little party girl last night. Last night at the sleepover/birthday party, I understand that the girls stayed up past 3am playing games and having fun. When I dropped by at about 10am to pick her up, she was already up playing computer games. So, no more than 6 hours sleep at best. This afternoon Cheyenne and the Mystic Slates had their first basketball game. The girls all played a very good game for the first one of the year, and won the game. But then with the "Best Coach in the World", they don't lose many! Immediately following their game, Coach Slate took Cheyenne to see the ASU Ram Belles and Rams play basketball. Cheyenne really enjoyed the game and Coach Slate had a few surprises up her sleeve. Just before tip off, Megan of the Ram Belles pitched Cheyenne an autographed ball. Then the Ram Belles went on to win big time over the other team. After the game, the Ram Belles asked Cheyenne into the locker room for the post game meeting where Cheyenne says she met her future coach, Coach Brooks of the Ram Belles. There were lots of photos, hugs and handshakes. Cheyenne has become the #1 Ram Belles fan. The Rams lost a disappointing game in the last 1 second when the other team made a 3 pointer. Better luck next time Rams! We finally made it home at around 1030pm and Cheyenne crashed in my chair at around 1130. Not bad for just 5 or 6 hours sleep. Her little battery just needed to be recharged. Thank you for checking in on Cheyenne and a very special Thank You for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, January 17, 2004 0:09 AM CST Today was another one of those WONDERFUL days for our girl Cheyenne. First of all, her school was out today, and a no school day is always a good one. She felt wonderful all day long. And her big sis Diana came in last night from college and took Miss Cheyenne shopping all day. Now that was a way to spend a day. Donna and I met them for lunch and I couldn't help but notice how Cheyenne would look at her sister. She admires her so very much. Both those girls love each other and respect each other so so much. It is really great. This evening was the final basketball practice prior to tomorrow's first game. They play at 4pm at Edison Jr High in San Angelo. After the game, Coach Slate is taking Cheyenne to the ASU Ram Belles game. I don't think Cheyenne will read this before, so I can safely say that Coach Slate has a couple of surprises in store for Cheyenne at the game.. Immedately after practice tonight, Cheyenne went to a very good friends house, Shasta, for her birthday party and sleepover. They were so nice to Cheyenne, even though we couldn't get there until after 8pm, the girls waited to blow out the candles and cut the cake until Cheyenne got there. Wasn't that sweet? SPEAKING OF BIRTHDAYS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE. YOU ARE NOW 14 YEARS OLD!!!! ALso, Cheyenne called Maddie tonight on the phone and said "Hey". I believe from all the "Oh, My Gosh, it is Cheyenne" sayings, she was surprised. We love ya Maddie, keep up the good work! I haven't had an opportunity to check all our caringbridge friends yet tonight, but I did notice that Trevor and Ross Joiner are getting better every day. Their counts are now beginning to rise after the transplant. FANTASTIC. Our God is an Awesome God. Thank you Lord for this wonderful news. Also, I spent awhile on the phone and messenger with the DaSilva family in Japan. On the MSN messenger we were able to see sweet little Lyone laughing, playing, and goofing around. It is so wonderful to witness God's miracles first hand. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful prayers, guestbook entries, and support for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Thursday, January 15, 2004 8:58 PM CST This morning had another one of those "sick" moments in store for Cheyenne as we were getting ready for school. It quickly passed and she made it to school with about 30 seconds to spare before the bell rang. Considering how many of the other days were immediately following chemo, she is still doing remarkable. I understand she had another really good day in school with no problems at all. Since it is rainy here today and tonight, she has spent the evening inside playing games with her mom. She is one game playing little girl. She has a pretty big weekend planned this weekend, starting tomorrow night with basketball practice. On Saturday she has her first game and then is going to the ASU Ram Belles game with her coach immediately following. Can you believe it, our little girl is going to be PLAYING basketball. No one in their wildest dreams would have thougth that she would be PLAYING basketball this year. GOD has been so very good to Cheyenne and our family. Cheyenne just seems to get better and better each day. Right now, Cheyenne is going to bed, but is laughing so hard her side hurts. Her little puppy is running arround at about Mach III through the house terrorizing her mom's little fat fuzzy dog, knowing very well that mom's dog can't catch her. Cheyenne thinks it is the funniest sight in the world. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Prayers are a very powerful thing in this fight against childhood diseases. Tonight if you will, please say and extra prayer for little Emily, Angel Zach's sister Samantha, and Jessie. Also our very good friend and former San Angeloeon, Benji, is having an MRI on the 20th and has asked for continued prayers. AND, if you have time, tomorrow is Maddie's 14th birthday. She is one sweet young lady and would love for you to drop over and say hi. God Bless you all Cheyenne's dad Wednesday, January 14, 2004 8:48 PM CST Today was another really good day for Cheyenne, althought it didn't start out that way. This morning when it was time to get up and go to school, Cheyenne just couldn't get up and get started. She seems unusually tired and had a little of a tummy ache. So, good old mom and dad let her sleep in most of the morning. When she finally got up and started moving around, she felt fine and re-energized, so it was off to school. Since then she has been unstoppable. She says she had a very good day at school and had lots of fun as well. I worked late tonight, but Cheyenne said that she spent the evening after school watching her favorite TV shows, riding the go kart, and DOING HOMEWORK..Now that is fun, especially the homework!! Of course it is now her bedtime, and she isn't even close to being ready to go to bed. She must take after me on that. Also, when I asked her what she had for dinner, she told me Chili Dogs!! What I didn't know, is that she now gets them 10 at a time at Weinerschnizel and freezes them. Boy does she love Chili dogs. Tonight as I was going through our caringbridge friends sites, I laughed out loud when I read one journal. Now, Carolyn, I didn't mean to laugh, and I know it was serious for Fisher, but I just couldn't help it.. If you get a chance, please jump over and read Fisher's journal, titled "The one about toliet paper". Thank you all for the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God is looking after our children, and I know he is answering your prayers. A couple of the children need extra prayers tonight as they face a few obstacles in the next day or so. Jessie, who had some fabulous test results today, has a few more to go through. Also beautiful little Emily will undergoing surgery in the next few days. And of course, I will be praising and thanking God for the WONDERFUL MRI results for Luke. Thank you to everyone, and God Bless you. Cheyenne's dad Tuesday, January 13, 2004 8:41 PM CST Last night after the journal entry, Cheyenne began to complain of an upset stomach. By the time her 1 am Protocel dosage rolled around, she couldn't hold it back and became sick to her stomach. She bounced right back, though, and was able to get some sleep. This morning she was again bright and chipper and ready to take on the day at school. Cheyenne was still feeling great by the time I got home from work. She finished the day enjoying her go kart and helping me feed the animals. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and being daddy and daughter. Tonight turned into "payback" for missing school yesterday. Lots of makeup work. Also tonight I had a real pleasure that brought a tear to my eye. As I was having a conversation with Kenny and Jess DaSilva of Japan, little Lyone got on the phone. Lyone, only 4 years old, just had to talk to me and say hello. In the course of the conversation Lyone said "Hello, Roy, I love you!!" Now that is sweet! One more thing I wanted to mention. In case you didn't know it, another one of our very good friends is having a birthday Friday. Maddie is going to be the big 14. We just love this girl. If you would, please drop over and tell her Happy Birthday. She is absolutely the most fantastic teenager I have ever had the privledge of knowing. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Lyone is not yet linked to Cheyenne's site and is still in need of prayers as he fights this massive brain tumor. Thanks to the many prayers going his way, he has been improving daily. God Bless you all Cheyenne's dad Monday, January 12, 2004 7:41 PM CST This morning when it was time to get up and get ready for school, Cheyenne gave us that look, and hinted that she didn't feel that well and should stay home from school. Since she had just finished this round of chemo last night we didn't give it a second thought, and let her sleep in. I am kind of slow, but I started to catch on by late this afternoon. I guess it was the totality of the events that finally gave Cheyenne away. I had a 10am dental appointment this morning, and when I asked Cheyenne if she wanted to go with me or if I should cancel, she bounced out of bed and was dressed in about 30 seconds. I should have noticed. As we were walking into the dental office, I tried to give her a hug and with a gleam in her eye said, "Only if you can catch me". I couldn't catch her, I couldn't even come close. Maybe then I should have noticed. And then, I guess I should have picked up on the 3 chili dogs that she ate throughout the day. She looooves chili dogs from "Wienerschnizel". No lack of appetite was a good clue. And then when we were back home and she was on the go kart, riding all over the place, smiling from ear to ear, that was another clue. And when I saw her riding back to the house from the gate "lickity split" (another good Texan term) as the school bus passed so the bus driver didn't see her, another clue. So, after looking back on the entire day, even though Cheyenne stayed home sick from school today, I tend to believe she had a wonderful day. Right now, she is helping her mom paint her bathroom furniture in the middle of the floor. By this time next year, we may have Cheyenne's bathroom finished. I want to thank everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other caringbridge children and families. Cheyenne is proof positive that the power of prayer is AWESOME. Thank you again, and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Sunday, January 11, 2004 9:02 PM CST Hope I don't jinx anything, but this has been the easiest round of chemo for Cheyenne yet. Has to be all those prayers. This morning was church day and Cheyenne loves going to church and being with her friends. She has some true friends at church in her youth group. This afternoon, we had hoped to go visit Cheyenne's Grandparents near Paint Rock. But due to the waterbed problem, we decided we had better stay and get the bedroom ready for the mattress delivery tomorrow morning. And yes, we did finally get the 300 plus pound watersoaked waterbed out of the house. It was a 4 person job, and we only had 3 people, counting Cheyenne, but we did it. Afterwards, Cheyenne wanted to practice her artistic ability. She had decided that stained furniture would not fit into her idea of a perfect girl's bathroom, so she started to paint some furniture for her bathroom that we are remodeling. So, Cheyenne spent the entire afternoon painting. She did a real good job, and hardly no mess.. So as it stands tonight, the bedroom is upside down due to the waterbed thing, one bathroom is completely upside down, 1/4 remodeled (or 3/4 unfinished), Cheyenne and mom are sleeping on the couch rollout bed, and I am in a bunk bed in the room with the Gerbil. That's the Gerbil that runs on its excercise wheel, ALL night long. Fun, Fun, Fun... Tomorrow is work and school, so I had better go. Cheyenne wants me to tell everyone hello and thank you from the bottom of her heart.... God Bless you all and thank you all for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, January 10, 2004 11:26 PM CST Day 4 of this round of Chemo, and Cheyenne hasn't even blinked. She is such a tough little cookie. She was up before me this morning (I did sleep in a little) and playing games with her mom and sister. (That makes me the last one up today if you didn't notice!). We spent the morning draining our waterbed. And yes, it did take alllll morning. We have had a waterbed forever, and by the way I hated it, but anyway, it burst yesterday. Not just a leak, it blew!! Cheyenne and I finally got it drained a little after noon. Now we just have to figure out how to get a 300 lb wet foam filled waterbed out of the bedroom and outside.. After the waterbed adventure, we were off to a special treat. A few days ago we received in the mail, a beautiful invitation. Upon opening it, it was signed by Cheyenne. Her church youth group had decided to prepare a special meal for all their parents, sent out invitations and all, and no one leaked the secret.. We had a wonderful dinner of spagetti, meat sauce ,salad, tea, and dessert, all with our very own personal server, Cheyenne. Then as entertainment, Cheyenne and a couple other children put on skits. They are a talented group. Following the dinner, mom took Cheyenne to the new skating rink in town where she skated her little heart out. But the best part was when they were leaving, Cheyenne asked her mom, "Do you know what the best part of tonight was?" Mom responded, the skating? No, Cheyenne said, "just being with you"!" Wasn't that nice?? Thank you for all your prayers, guestbook entries, and your caring and support for Cheyenne and all the caringbridge children. As you probably know, they and their families are really special to me. Again, Thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Friday, January 9, 2004 11:57 PM CST Before I get into today's journal, I need to make a heartfelt comment. Most importantly, the parent that asked me not to list the details of their child's condition on this site is only trying to protect the privacy and rights of the most important thing in their life, their child and family. I understand completely. On day 3 of this round of chemo, Cheyenne was again the energizer bunny. After an entire day at school, she was pumped up and ready for basketball practice tonight. I missed most of it, but Cheyenne had a great time running up and down the court. She does tire a little easier than she used to, but that is to be expected. She gets out there and runs "suicides" on the court just barely slowing down before finishing. I couldn't do a tenth of one if my life depended on it. After basketball practice, which ends at 7:30, she wanted to go to a new roller rink in town to skate all night. Fortunately for me (I was a little tired and didn't feel like spending 4 hours at the rink, although I would have!!) she opted for going to dinner with Coach Slate and her family. We had a great visit and it was nice to just sit there and talk. Following dinner, (now this was crazy) we needed a few things at the store, so Cheyenne and I dropped by Walmart. Did you know that at 1030 at night, it is just as crowded as in the afternoon? Then, on top of all the people, the clerks are stocking all the shelves, so there are carts and boxes everywhere!! We finally got home a little before midnight. Our first chance to sit and relax all day. This evening I received news of one of God's miracles from across the ocean. Donna and I had a very long conversation with Kenny Desilva in Japan. Kenny, the father of Lyone who is suffering from a massive brain tumor, called and asked that I thank everyone for all the prayers for Lyone and to please continue as they are working a miracle. He also asked me to thank all the Protocel parents that have helped with their experiences in various forms of chemotherapy, steroids, and of course, Protocel. Kenny and Jessica were told by their doctors that little Lyone would probably not see this Christmas. However, on Christmas day, Lyone began a heavy lysing period (Protocel's way of ridding the body of cancer cells) which is still continuing. Today Lyone is beginning to walk again, regaining the use of his left hand, and playing, laughing, and enjoying life. Thank you GOD!! Thank you for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Thursday, January 8, 2004 8:55 PM CST You may notice that I am changing the way that I journal. Even thought it was never my intention, I apparently may have caused some undue stress or hard feelings over privacy issues with another caringbridge member. For this I humbly and sincerely apologize. I feel very strongly about the power of prayer, and often ask for prayers for some of those children that are currently in need. I attempt to visit a number of children’s sites each day in an attempt to bring a smile, give some encouragement, or just to let them know that they are in our prayers. In writing Cheyenne’s daily journal, I sometimes mention the specific need of the child as listed in their caringbridge journal. Generally I ask permission from the parent prior to including their child’s site as a link on Cheyenne’s site, however, it is possible that I may have failed to do that in every case, as I have had my stressful moments as well. I also strongly believe that all caringbridge children and parents are due their privacy. I will continue to offer prayers to our caringbridge children in private, but until such time that I can contact each parent of every child linked to Cheyenne’s site I will not be listing specific prayer requests or needs of the other children. Again, I am truly sorry for any undue stress that I may have inadvertently caused. Today was day 2 of this 5 day round of Temodar, and other than about 30 minutes this evening, she is handling it very well. Unfortunately, the 30 minutes was right at dinner time, and tonight turned into a Chicken Noodle soup night for her. We have been real fortunate that Cheyenne has not lost a lot of weight, but she is still sooo thin. She still weighs the same as when diagnosed, but she has grown a couple of inches in height. I really missed taking Cheyenne to school this morning, our 30 minutes in the car talking about everything and solving the world problems. I had to work early, but Diana came through (still home on break) and gave her a ride. This evening Cheyenne enjoyed herself on the trampoline, and is now playing games with her mom (It is past her bedtime but I won't remind mom if you don't). Oh, I can't leave this out, today was report card day for Cheyenne. All A's and B's. WAY TO GO MY BABY GIRL!!! Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. I have personally experienced the power of prayer, and it is awesome! God Bless you all Cheyenne's dad Wednesday, January 7, 2004 9:23 PM CST Today was the beginning of round # 5 of a total of 10 rounds of Chemo for Cheyenne. Chey breezed through the day without a hint of nausea or other problems. As a matter of fact, like they say, a picture is worth 1000 words. Well, unfortunately I don't have a picture, but I will describe the scene when I arrived home from work. Cheyenne was in the front yard, twirling around in circles, standing on her tippy toes, with her arms outstretched as if dancing ballet, singing out loud. When she saw me, she danced over to me, still singing ,and gave me a big hug and kiss. They don't make days better than this!!!! Tonight, as always, prior to writing Cheyenne's journal I read her guestbook entries, then checked on our caringbridge friends. Tonight I wanted to dedicate this journal to a few of these children. First of all, if you know me, I have a soft heart for beautiful little girls. As I was reading Cheyenne's guestbook entries tonight, I read the entry by Kathy concerning our friend Emily. Of course I jumped over to Emily's page to see how she was doing and discovered that she needs a few prayers right now as she goes through a rough period. So, I added a link to her site on the bottom of Cheyenne's page. This little girl is so beautiful, if you ever visit her page, you'll be making return visits.!!! While I was going through some of the sites, I was overwhelmed with so many children experiencing miracles and having good news lately. I just had to thank God and ask you to help me thank Him and praise Him for all the good news. Keep in mind while reading them that modern medicine says none of these kids should be doing as well as they are.. Zach is out of the hospital after 1 day. As I mentioned earlier, Chris's MRI basically shows his tumor as stable. Tuesday, January 6, 2004 9:01 PM CST Today was another very good day for Cheyenne, both a school and afterwards at home. She even brought home homework!!!! That wasn't too much fun!!! But the good news of the day is that Cheyenne didn't get sick at all today. We cherish those days. Tomorrow is chemo day, and she is all ready for it. I guess she just knows that it has to be done and steps up and does it. I really respect this little girl. She is my hero. I would like to share a little Protocel story with you even though it doesn't involve Cheyenne. As you know, Cheyenne takes all the conventional treatments as well as an alternative treatment called Protocel. Protocel is an FDA approved supplement, but is not approved to fight cancer, even though that is what it was invented for. Anyway, I have had this spot on my ear for about 1 1/2 years that was most likely cancerous. Skin cancer runs in the family and both my brother and father have recently had to have cancerous portions of their faces removed. About 3 to 4 weeks ago, since we have so much Protocel around the house it looks like the Protocel warehouse, I started taking it with Cheyenne. More than anything it was a way for her to take it a little easier since it does taste bad. We have a kind of contest taking it. I thought, what the heck, I know it can't hurt, and I was also curious about the spot on my ear. Well, after only 3 1/2 weeks, the spot on my ear has completely disappeared. When will modern medicine quit being so hard headed about Alternative Treatments? Also because so many people have asked, my hand is doing ok. It is just hard and painful to type with one hand swollen. I accidentally drove a thorn through a knuckle while clearing brush in the pasture over the weekend. Painful but I'll live. Thank you all for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. The power of prayer is an AWESOME thing. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Monday, January 5, 2004 10:38 PM CST Just a quick and short journal tonight before calling it a night. Today being the first day of school as well as a work day, we all are really wiped out tonight. That's what we get for going to bed so late and getting up so early in the morning. Cheyenne was up early this morning, feeling her oats and ready to go to school. She has had a run of very good days, feeling good as well as having fun. But with school starting, some of her fun is coming to a close. This evening I was asking her about school, and apparently school wasn't as much fun as she remembered. She really didn't talk about it, but I am sure it is just that she has gotten so used to playing with friends or her brother all day, every day during vacation. She is already looking forward to the weekend! (But then so am I! HA! Cheyenne starts her chemo (Temodar) again Wednesday morning, but in the past, she handles it very well until a few days after the round is over. Then the nausea starts settling in for a few days. Hopefully we can pass on that this time. I am really tired, I injured my hand yesterday and it is a bear to type, so I am going to check on a few of our caringbridge friends and get some sleep. Thank you for all the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. They are God's precious gift to their parents. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Sunday, January 4, 2004 7:09 PM CST Hello everyone. I thought I would update Cheyenne's journal while she is away at church. Lately, she would rather me sit with her, play games, watch TV, or just talk to her rather than update her journal. I really don't blame her, and I really don't mind at all. As a matter of fact, I am thrilled. She is gone doing something almost every second of the day and we don't get to spend as much time together as we would like. This morning was a normal church morning, and it being the 1st Sunday of the month, it is also church night. I chose to stay home this evening while mom took Cheyenne to church. I am trying to remodel the bathroom, and thought I could at least get the sink in before they returned. Well, it is 1/2 in, but I have to wait for the calk to set and hold the sink in place before attaching the plumbing. If anyone out there wants to come help put in tile, feel free!!!! Tomorrow Cheyenne starts school again. Hopefully most of the flu has run its course and there aren't as many sick children at school. Then wednesday, Cheyenene starts this round of chemo. We are praying that it will be a noneventful round like most of the previous. 2004 isn't starting off as I had hoped. As I was checking Cheyenne's caringbridge friends this evening, I discovered that Julianna Banana has relapsed. This is one sweet little girl. Fisher and Monika have become somewhat symptomatic again, but we are hoping and praying that it is something else causing this. Sweet little Celeste started running a fever last night and her mom took her to the emergency room. Jessie had excellent scan results, but her liver counts were suspicious, so additional tests were ordered. Samantha Herrera, sister of Angel Zach, is having tests tomorrow due to a pain and a spot located near her spine. McKenzie was referred to hospice, but is fighting this beast of a tumor with all her heart. God Bless you kids!!! Thank you to everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne, her family, and all the other children. Only with God can we get through the bad days, as well as the good ones. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Saturday, January 3, 2004 9:00 PM CST Hello Everyone! Today was a "nothing special" day for Cheyenne. We were up early for basketball practice this morning. Cheyenne's first game will be next Saturday, but we do not have the schedule yet. Her team is a realllllly good team. Several of the kids started their first year with this team and get better each year. The girls this year asked Cheyenne to name the team. They are the "Mystic Slates". ("Slates" in honor of the best girl's basketball coach in the world, Coach Slate, who by the way, is the current coach of the "Mystic Slates". Late this afternoon, Cheyenne went to Bethey's birthday party at McDonalds. Bethey was three today. It is so cute each Sunday watching her, she just loves Cheyenne, and makes a point of always saying hi and waving during church. I am hoping that tomorrow Cheyenne will not want to be as energetic as usual. Hopefully after church, I can convince her to just hang around the house and rest a little since the next day is a school day. Thank you to everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Tonight I am asking for a prayer for Misty and Samantha Herrera. Misty is Little Zach Herrera's mom and Samantha his sister (Zach is linked to this site). Zach became an angel in September 2003 from this beast of a tumor and now Samantha is having an MRI Monday in an attempt to determine what is causing some problems she is experiencing. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Friday, January 2, 2004 9:45 PM CST Hello everyone. I apoligize for not writing much tonight, but I have been thinking about the last year, all the friends that we have lost, and I don't feel my best. I guess I jinxed ourselves last night when I mentioned that Cheyenne had not had a hint of nausea in quite awhile. Not 5 seconds after writing the journal, she came down with a stomach ache. Since then she has had minor bouts of nausea, but only lasting 30 to 40 seconds, 2 or 3 times a day. But, this is sooo much better than it was 2 weeks ago, we are not complaining. We did receive her Chemo in the mail today, so she will start this round on the 7th. Today Mom took Cheyenne and some of her friends to a movie, where I understand they all had a wonderful time. Following the movie, the kids came over and it was fun running around the house and playing on the trampoline. It is so nice to hear her laugh and giggle! Tomorrow will be an early day with basketball practice early and a birthday party later in the day. Cheyenne goes, and goes, and goes almost 24 by 7. I have a hard time keeping up. I really wish she would slow down a little, but it is hard making her. She does suffer a little from all the activity. Thank you for all the prayers for Cheyenne and please remember all the other children. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad Thursday, January 1, 2004 8:27 PM CST I hope and pray that 2004 is a better year for all our Caringbridge families. 2003 was such a devastating year. Already today, the first day of 2004, we have lost our sweet little Ashley. She has gone to be with the Lord. Free of pain, free of this beast of a tumor, now home. Please remember her family in your daily prayers, as well as all those that loved her so very much. Today, for the 5th day in a row, Cheyenne was away from home all day long, with friends. I am beginning to get jealous. She has so much fun at her friend James' house. They both like to play board games, watch movies, and just goof around together. I understand that Donna may be taking them to a movie tomorrow while I am at work. Cheyenne had another really good day today. It has been days since she had the slightest hint of nausea. Hopefully her chemo will arrive tomorrow in the mail, as her next schedule starts on the morning of the 7th. We are praying for a nausea free treatment this time. It would be nice if she could have one complete month without gettting sick. Thank you everyone for the wonderful prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. While we have so much to ask of the Lord, we also have so much to praise and thank Him for. God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad ADDED: 11-07-03 Cheyenne was diagnosed with an extremely rare inoperable brainstem tumor (diffuse pontine glioma) on July 09, 2003. Cheyenne began 36 treatments of radiation and many weeks of chemotherapy treatment on July 28th, 2003 in an attempt to slow the progress of this tumor . In addition to standard treatment, Cheyenne also began an Alternative treatment of PROTOCEL soon after diagnosis. CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON A DIFFUSE PONTINE GLIOMA CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION RELATING TO OUR CHOICE OF PROTOCEL AS AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT. Latest News: November 6 Today turned into a really special day for Cheyenne and family. This morning we were up early and after making one more round through the Give Kids The World Village, cleaned up the villa and checked out. The morning was taken up by doing a little shopping, and changing out rental vehicles from the Make A Wish vehicle to one in our name. By the way, for those of you in West Texas, it probably rained another 3 hours on us today. And I mean rain where you could barely see to drive. This afternoon we loaded up our rental vehicle and took a little trip to Leesburg, Fl where we met with the coolest family in Florida. That's right, we spent the afternoon and evening with the one and only, the very famous (or is it infamous), KODY BEAR!! (I just realized that I forgot to get his autograph.) And of course, we had the distinct pleasure of finally meeting and sharing several hours with Karl, Kim, Kolin, Kyle, and Kaysha as well. They are a special family that provides so much support to so many other caringbridge families, while at the same time suffering through this beast of a tumor in our hero, Kody. Cheyenne, Kody, and Kaysha hit it off immediately, instantly becoming best friends. Now, they all want to live near each other. I believe Cheyenne had as much fun tonight with Kody, Kaysha and Kolin as she did on any of her previous days at the amusement parks. And by the way, for those who have not personally met Kody, he is even cuter, smarter, and cooler in person. We are already talking about the next time we can get together, either here or in Texas. In the meantime, Cheyenne has her very own Kody Bear. When they met today, Kody gave Cheyenne a big brown teddy bear with a "Kody Bear" tag around the neck. As we were leaving tonight, the hugs were free flowing. Karl, Kim, Kyle, Kaysha, Kody, and Kolin, we already miss you all..Stay healthy!! I am not sure exactly what is planned for tomorrow, there is soooo much to do and soooo very little time to do it. Most likely, weather permitting, we will spend most of tomorrow back at Universal Studios. Of all the parks, our favorites are definately Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios. Of course, we may be a little prejudiced, as both of these parks treated Cheyenne like a princess, whereas the other parks were just so so. Thank you everyone for all the prayers for Cheyenne and all the other children. Prayers have an AWESOME healing power. Again, thank you and God Bless you all. Cheyenne's dad