Translate This Page To: Spanish German French Italian Portuguese Norwegian Brought to you From FreeTranslation.com Give a gift in honor of this child. Travis Sign Travis's Guestbook      Travis's Photo Album Current Page Page One UPDATE: 9-15-08 We went to school today. Travis had a really full day. We got to school and he put his belonging's in his locker and went straight into the class. Getting his stuff back into his cubby and then picking out a new book to bring home. You know the pre-k routine. Today MissMichelle came for music and the kids all enjoy that. Travis has his special chair to sit in. One for him so that he doesn't have to get on the floor and up and down. That is hard for him with his brace, even without his brace it is hard. But today he wanted to sit criss-cross applesauce with Miss Michelle. He just love playing with the bell's. I am gonna have to look those up for him to get. Travis helped extra at making cookies in class, rolling out the sugarcookie dough. They made handkisses, cutout hands with hershey's kisses on them. Everyone enjoyed. He is still up right now and watching WONKA, of course. I am surprised that he is up. Only because we were in Wal-Mart tonight for at least 2-3hours shopping with the sister's. Well 3 out of 4 shopping. I found some pull up pants that are big enough in his size, JEANs too. Of course I am gonna have to hem them up. Alway's new there was a reason why I have a sewing machine. After we got home from school today then we came in and made lunch. We finished eating and outside we went. Had to go and swing. Then we walked over by the apple tree's. We did manage to get one good apple off the tree. There has been a total of maybe 6apples that we have been able to eat off the tree's this year. The yucky bugs got to the tree's. Travi took his nap and I did school work on the computer. Like I should be doing right now. I'll get to it. I dont have much time left before my class is up. Well tomorrow is picture day and all are in bed except us. Kilee is checking out her new clothes and Travis is looking outside right now. Trying to figure out some noise. I better get off, get my lil'man to bed for the day. We have to get up extra early to make all handsom for his picture's. God Bless.... UPDATE: 8-8-08 Hi to all. Well I have to say having a boy is a new journey all in it's own. Travis has been doing the crazy stuff, I never adventured with my girl's. He put a pink tiny beed into his nostril, a couple of week's ago. That was a crazy sight. And I almost didn't even see it because it was lite pink. It came out okay and I asked if he put any more in he shook his head no and said no as it came out and I really dont think he enjoyed it coming out. Now for the crazy thought. Travis had said in the past when playing with his little magnet's with the stick's ya know and the ball's that attache. Well he had made the comment to me in the past that one was in his belly. Hoping that it not be true. I did come across the same kind of ball in the toliet. Now Travis is potti trained and has been he just get's help with wiping his bottom. Seeing the ball in there I left it alone, the speech, cuz he never said anything. Well, yesterday the kids had the silver balls on the marble track game. Travis said stit's mommy, stits. He wanted me to play with him and I told him just a minute, I was putting the laundry in the dryer. Okay, now one of his sister's was sitting right next to him and watching a movie. Well before I was done, Travis is in by me and telling me glump, the noise you make when you swallow. I said what did you swallow. He say's BALL'S. Okay, I go in the living room and all the balls are gone, he patted his stomach and said glump, he swallowed them. Now I know they too shall pass. But it just scare's the heck out of me. Never a dull moment, but I gave him the lecture and now I have gone thru the house again to see what might he do next. OH, also called ER and asked good ole' George what he thought, maybe an xray just to see what is in there. Well sis had the van at work, so have to call the doc, this morning to see what he thinks. Travis sure has been tooting. I told him yea it might not feel to good when you do have to poop. Other than that he is up and in to all, wanting to do all. Like normal. We went to Peoria to see the dentist Sat. and he really had a great, I say GREAT, experience this time with our new pick of the dentist's. Dr. Rick, they got the xray's and he got treated with the gloves being flavored.Cherry. Travisman is definately going to be put under for surgery to remove a couple of teeth. I wish I was imformed of all the medical critieria at St.Jude. Mayber I was and didn't remember. The law is that if not on treatment the dentist there can't see you. Not ever knowing during all his treatment all his life from 8mnths.old and on until after radiation. GGGGGGGGGGGGGg, ya think with the exam's in clinic at the hospital and knowing that his teeth had decay that one of our doc's would of mentioned that. But GGGGGGGGGGGGGgg, I am his mommy and I should of said more. So, I am to blame. Now I have to worry about all the after affect's that can occur after the surgery. Like him not healing fast. All of the above on that aspect. God never give's us more than we can handle. Right...???? Okay, so we are on Monday and we shall see what this week is like. Hope you all have a great day. Thankyou for the prayer's and GodBless. UPDATE: 7-21-08 We are here. In Memphis, We got off to a good start. Pizza was here and balloon's for Travis. That made a great entrance and now the car game is working and he is on the road. We haven't even been up to our room yet. He walked all the way from the luggage area to the Tenn.CarrierVan. He wanted to walk. Of course my allergy meds. have worn off. and I am sneezing like crazy. Time to go to our room. Be back to let ya know how Travisman is doing UPDATE: 5-30-08 Well today was the picnic at the park. Travis' last day to share picnicing with his friend's from school. We took our cold salad and went to share all the fixen's. Travis played for a while on the playground, and he had a great time. He recieved his certificate for completing pre-school. We will miss all the friend's and some we have said we will get together over the summer for play-dates. Alot of the children are going on to Kindergarten. Which Travisman wont be, but he might be going on his own next year. I know he would love to ride the bus, but we will have to see what scan's tell us in July. Travis love's his teacher's. It really is a blessing that Ms.Kathy lives right down the road from our house. So close that we can practically hear each other's home's. We can here the noise across the field. Well, it is one week from tomorrow and we are off to Camp Casey for the weekened. Michigan here we come. It is going to be a great way to start of the summer. Now we pray for the warm weather to get here and stay for a little bit longer than just a day here and there. Even tho Travisman is watching SantaClause as I type this. He is a big fan of HotCocoa too. I am waiting for him to say the saying whooooooo-Santa's feeling a lil'buzzed. Ya, know the movie with TimAllan. Anyway, our trip is going to be great. We will check in on Fri. and return home on Sun.(6th-8th) Now that we have our awesome van we will put here to the roadcruise test. It should be a breeze, she drive's just perfect. Well, the rest of the kid's still have school and go back for their report card's. Travis has to go for his EEG on Monday, Sunday should be real fun. Trying to keep him up until 12am and then rewaking him at 4am, until we get to Peoria, the test is the worst of them all. I hate the thought of having to do this all again, but we need to do it. Seizure's are not what I want to lose to. If you know what I mean. Then on Thurs, we are of to the dentist. Boy I hope it all goes softly, I know he is Brave, but I wish I could just get rid of all the pain for him and be done with. I just want my son to be free, and live life with a great smile everyday, more than he normally does. With no worries that is it. No More Pain. No more.................. Well, I thankyou all for the prayer's and will update again later. GodBless UPDATE: 5-16-08 Well today is almost over. All of my youngen's are in bed. Including my older two. Travis was of course the last to go to bed tonight. But that is okay. He of course had his good nap in the afternoon. Well, we went and found that the tumor is still the same size as it was on 3-27-08. We did the MRI early due to the wondering(worrying)of the headaches. If any one has the right to complain of a headache I guess Travis can. So, we came home right away. We will go back on the 16th of July for our next scan's. Travis was a little different on the way home. Well that maybe wrong of me to say. It was the redness in his right cheek that I do see more than I want. The redness in his earlobe and then he is just really sluggish. I wound up taking picture's of him this time and I called the doc and I will show them of course they are going to tell me nothing. I was asked is his eye happen to be druupping(SP)???? Yea, his eye has a drup since the stroke, but he really looked like hell on the plane for a bit. I dont understand it. It happen's more often than I would like it too, without any explanation for it. Boy I'm getting tired. Travis is going to school tomorrow and he is going to go on his field trip this week too. TRAIN ride! The big long ride from Princeton to Mendota, I do believe. I think I am going to go wipe off the bed and hit the pillow's myself. Yea cuz I cant type and I forget what I was gonna say. GodBless to all, and thankyou. UPDATE: 4-25-08 Well all are in bed and it is time for me to follow. Travis has had a couple of odd moments, seizure wise. He had one on sun.morn.4a.m. that I noticed. It was different for me to see his eye movement to go back and forth. Not just the way to the lft. deveation that I am so use to. It was dark but I could tell that it was different for him as well. At school on Tues. he had a seizure that I could tell was starting as he was sitting at the table and it came on but he was still talking and was wanting to go to the bathroom. We did and as he walked down the hall I had to help. I asked if he wanted to wait and he said no,kinda a stupid ? for me to ask, if ya gotta go,go. But by the time he was washing his hands the seizure had stopped. I talked w/ Dr.Nick today and told him of the difference that I had seen on sun. that is the only time that I noticed it that way. But Travis has been complaining of headaches more often. Not long lasting. Some complaints, then a nap follow's the complaint. That's when I pace the floor in the house. He pushes pressure on the right side of back behind his ear. I'm not a doctor but I do beleive that to be in the pressure area of the 7/8th nerve that they were so concerned of where the tumor is growing. I have a real hard time beleiving that the growth isn't going to be there in June. Of course the doc asked me if he had been throwing up? No, if he was I'd be on the plane. But do I really have to wait that long to figure it all out. I don't think so. I do have to tell that the past three day's at school has been very good for Travis. It was playground time in the Morning this week on arrival. It was so sweet to see Travis talking and being understood. He was playing with the wagon. What was cute that he was giving Abby a ride in the wagon, pulling her around and then it was his turn. Abby is no where near as big as my Travisman. I need to take the camera more often, but I still need someone to show me how the heck to put the pic's on here. Then he had this lil'guy Christian pulling him, now he is tinyyyyyyyyy and they were just going. What wheel's can do for ya. Then of course the lawnmower was spotted, so him and Lee went round and round, of course stopping for gas ups. It was hard last week going to the Airport in Peru and not getting on any of the planes. That was a field trip that the class got to take. We all know how plane crazed the boy can be. Of course that is all he ask's for. Plane,Plane.... It has been a week of all about Plane's in class too. It was cool hearing him tell the other kid's in class today when he was asked of all the different stuff you see in a plane. Travis know's it. Next week we are to go to the Marina Boat's, that is going to be the next new thing. I have to say that living where we live is good, Travis get's to see so many Tractor's he can't wait for Jeff to bring the Tractor to the house. Tommorow unfortunately we have to wait for the fedex guy to get here with his med's. That could be all morning, and mom has to sign for it. But my house is completely quiet, next to my dog snoring, so I best get myself into bed. Thankyou all for the prayer's, greatly needed and appreciated. GodBless. UPDATE: 4-20-08 Hi to all... Wow, all I can say is that I feel like when I first did with the waiting game. Just looking at the home page of Travis' site, had to go back home and wait the first four weeks. Now we are on week three almost of the time since the finding and I have so many thought's running thru my crazzed mind. We are to go back on the 3rd of June for his next MRI. Since we have been home I have done some research and plan on doing more and more. I have to say thankyou to everyone out there that have been helping me and my family get thru some of these rough times. Someone very dear to me in my heart signed Travisman's site and it made me cry with a smile. We are blessed in so many ways and I don't want to take any of it for granted. Travis is asleep, had to watch Wonka, one of his favorite's lately. Got that from TinaSanta,she is a good one to, she spoiled me and the kid's. Travis is doing well, once again one of the sister's is sick. I have to say that this year my children have been sick more than usuall. Except, Travisman hasn't really been to sick. It's more the girls than him. Thank God, he has enough going on, right. Tomorrow he has to get his injection shot, in the rump. He say's in my buttt. We were in Peoria last week and all his labs came back great. Now we will go back there in 3wks. to reaccess his port. With it being new and all, I dont want to mess with it here in town, not just yet. I still am very leary of the port situation, with all that has happened in the past. Travis is ready for the warm weather that is for sure. He was laying out on the deck today with the cat. She was drinking some of TRAVIS' cereal milk and he was laying there watching her. I told him it would be good for the cat cuz she has babies in her belly. HUH....He was so full of wondering thought's to that. I just want all to know that Travis is doing well right now and we are living to the fullest at home and we are planning on alot of adventures for this summer with all the sister's and hope I can make all his dreams come true. I guess I really dont need to ask for anyone to keep him in your prayer's, I know that so many of you do. Thankyou for so much, and God Bless. I need to get to bed, 6am comes very fast for me. UPDATE: 4-5-08 hi to all, not gonna be to long Travisman is on the run. he is playing the race car game right now. we had breakfast and all is raining outside. we found out our news on thursday from the scans. the fact is that the tumor has gone off vacation and is returning to grow. there is not a big signigicant amount of growth, but enough to change everything once again. we were going to take out his port on friday and put a larger one in except for the problem that being masked to be put to sleep and then to try and find a vein for an iv to give him the real sleepy meds. they got a vein except for the fact that travisman started to have irregular heart beats, so they canceled the thought of doing the surgery. also that his potassium levels were on the low side and not understanding why that is. my son eats banana's all the time. anyway he was put inpatient and monitered. we will find out more on monday. yes we were to go home saturday so all is changing. i have to run, travisman is out the door. god bless UPDATE: 12-1-07 Well, I called clinic today and got the news after his MRI this morn that the tumor is stable again. That is all great. Not what i was hoping for. but i know that the good lord is watching over my son and he is giving him life. and it has been one year almost complete from radiation and we are here. that is the news and he is off and running out of the room so i am very happy with that answer today. now off to catch up with travis because he left the play room. godbless and thankyou. julie UPDATE: 8-17-07 Hi to everyone, Hope all has had a great summer. Yes, it has been a lonnnnnnng time since we've updated. Well, Travis has been at home since last MRI being all of a boy wanting to learn, play, and have to say be very adventurous. If my son was not comprimised on the left side, I think I would never sleep. Travis is doing well. Seizures are still an issue. He is on 3 kinds of meds as of last week for them. They are still very mild though. The 3rd med seems to be helping out even more. He is my trooper, Travis takes all with NO complaint. Travis is in MRI right now. Yes, We are in Memphis. Got in last night and so far we are off to a good start. I went and got some food and Prayed to God that all of this is going to tell us all Great news before the week is over. So, I dont have time for alot and I need to get back down to hear for them to call. To be short and sweet, Travis is growing,smileing and we thank GOD everyday for everyday that he is giving us with Travis. I need to say Thankyou to all that have helped with the Prayer's that we need for our lil'Travisman. God bless and have a great day. I will return with the news of the MRI. OK........................ Now for a real quick note, due to Travis wanting to play. We were told today that the tumor is shrinking. For the FIRST time in FOUR years have I finally heard that word. SHRINKING. Thankyou God. UPDATE: 5-11-07 OK, We were given the news that Travis' tumor is stable. Travis is doing very well. He is growing like a weed and he is trying out all in life. That is all that his mommy will let him. Travis is definitely all boy. He is in to all and has NO FEAR what so ever. Does not surprise me. The news that the tumor is still stable is and has put me into a great thought of our life. I watched him in disbelief this week of seeing him walking onto the shuttle bus and him wanting to walk thru the hospital. Of course walking to go to the radiation dept. to see Dr.P. It is always that direction since radiation. Maybe Travis feels something that we dont. Well I know he feels so much that I have NO clue, No idea as of to what is really going on with him. Travis is growing and I have to let him. I have ALOT to deal with. I have to let go of him everyday to grow. But than I see when Travis still needs me. BUT....Travis has come a long way, Travis has overcome so many trials and tribulations. I do believe in Miracles and he has always been the first to make me believe. This short trip in Travis' Journey has left me with a lot of questions and has given me alot of reality checks. Travis, his sister's,Jeff, my family and a whole lot more has gone thru this brain of mine. I am really ready to go home. I am proud of my son. Thankyou all again for all of the prayer that is thought for Travis and all of my family. Thankyou isn't enough. I cant even begin to type how I feel right this minute. Travis is watching a young girl behind me driving a car game and they are conversing and Travis is saying No like he knows it all. NO,NO....oh,ohhhhhhhhh...stop. He is so cute sounding like he has driven so many of these games. yellow, red is yellow. He is everything. All five of my children. I thank GOD everyday for helping me see so many different and new things thru there eyes. I also sit here regretting so much of what I should of and could of and should not haves. I am trying to tell myself, move forward. Dont stay in the past and dont stand in the same place either. Move go forward, LIVE! LIVE,LEARN,LAUGH,GROW,LOVE AND BE HAPPY. Well it is Travis' turn. Thankyou and GodBless to all. UPDATE: 4-6-07 Hey to everyone, I have no fast access to the comp. So right now I will make this real short. As of Feb.22, the tumor is STABLE so they tell us. That is the best news in 6 mnths. Travis came home and we celebrated with him on his fourth birthday. We got him his AMTRYKE (thanks with help from Bear Necessities. Travis really loves it. It is a bike that is like a tryke for him to be able to peddle and move with the handle bars. The chain is attached to the handlebars from the peddles. He loves it. I will get pics up soon as possible. As of right now today Travis and Jeff are down in Memphis. He had to get down there for EEG VideoImaging, to get a real grip on the seizures he is having. This is something that he has had since the stroke, but he is on high dose meds. and they seemed to go away after the radiation with the help of the meds. But 2 weeks into Jan. they started up again. They are at Lebohner for this because St.Jude doesn't have all the tech that they have to get this taken care of. So, Trav has 20some electrodes on his tiny head and is covered like a mummy, bandaid as he will say. He is doing good right now. Jeff said that he is sleeping alot since yesterday. They gave him some Adavant yesterday and after that it really knocked him to sleepy land. Then they took him off one med to get the seizures to happen. this is to determine where they are coming from and all of this is to determine what to do where to do it and all of the above. I hope they are home by this Fri. I will update again. Travis has been recieving alot of mail from his chemoangles still and he loves all of that. We do alot of therapy at the Y and he loves that too. The pool is great therapy for him. The reason of me being here and them being there is that crazy thing called Spring Break. Spring, it feels like winter right now. The girls are all home. Me Im going crazy because I'm not there and It really is tearing me up but I know he is in Great care and I talk to him all the time. Please say a prayer for Trav. I have learned so much from him in the past four years.It really is a tear jerker for me when someone stops me and the kids in the store and says"excuse me, is that Travis?" yes, I pray for him everyday, we all do, in this woman's family and it made me cry. I said thankyou and what more can I say. I feel as tho our prayers, your prayers are the soul to Travis being so strong. I have to go, the girls and I are going to the movies, so we must eat and get going. God Bless to all. UPDATE: 2-23-07 Hi to everyone. We are back at the Grizzly House. Travis and Jeff and I got here this afternoon. We will be here until Sat.morning. Tommorow Travis has to (suppose to) have an 8 hour eeg. This is going to be hard. Travis has been really having alot of seizure activity. His meds are higher than ever prescribed. So they want to do this and check the med levels. His MRI is on Thurs. morning. I am nervous, because of the "what if" game and how things have been with the seizures. The waiting game stinks. But Travis is doing very good. Him and Jeff are next to me trying to figure out the 007 game on the Xbox down here in the teen room. We flew in the 6 seater. It was a nice flight in. Not an all day fly, 1hour and 15min flight. Figures the week we come all our snow back home will be melting and it was finally getting warm enough to let Travis go out and play. The sleds have been out and Travis loves it. All of the kids and the Biggest (JEFF) love to sled, even I got my but out there to sled with them. Our dog Candy chases the sleds,well gets in the way sometimes. She is in heat when we left. The girls are all at home with my sister and her fiance and my nephew. Tommorow is a long day, if it can be done. I remember the last time we did this it was not as long and it was not easy for the tech to even try to put the electrodes on Travis and his head is so much more tender right now that I am not thinking it will go smooht in the morning. So we will see. We still dont have internet access at home so that is why I haven't updated. Just to say thankyou to all that still keep Travis and my family in Prayer. God Bless to all that are there for us. Travis is still the boy that is full of life. The one difference is that with age he is starting to show the shyness. Yea, Travis shy. I laugh as I type it. I will update again this week. God Bless to all. UPDATE: 1-19-07 Hey to all. I had to make a stop at my sister's so I grabbed the keyboard. Well, we had a good ride home. No Deer. Just a trooper in MO. that just stopped to see if we were all right and we were just my big but up in the air to switch seats with Jeff. Of course I was just climbing into the driver seat and Jeff had just got in. The trooper was laughing cuz I sorta screamed cuz I didn't know he was standing next to the door. He laughed and went back to his car. He probably thought that we were a bunch of Hillbillies with the way the van was so packed and thought just to let us be. Anyway. Travis got to play in the snow the week after we got home. I took pics and will get them all up real soon. Christmas was good. Rough for me I wound up with having strep on X-mas Eve. So we all put it on hold with the rest of our family. But it was Beautiful. WE were home and all were healthy, and Santa was Great to all the kids. We got a Computer from Santa. It was a rebuilt(GREAT)comp. given to us. But we have no internet service. NO landline at the house. Hopefully soon. Travis is doing very well. I have to say this week is a little different. He has been more tired. Yesterday he really slept alot. Travis has also had to have his Seizure meds. higher. A week went by,good they seemed to stop. But 2 days ago he had a couple. For today I took him to Mcnonalds. As he call's it. His appetite changed a little too. So he really is doing good. Wanting to go out and play in the snow again but he can't it is tooooooooo cold to play in the snow. Above 30 degrees and we can. Every one else all the girls are doing good too. I will try to update again sooner. Thankyou to all and godbless for all the prayer's. ADDED: 3-22-04 Condition: Pillomyoxoid Astrocytoma (Brain Tumor) Comments: Travis is one year old and was diagnosed in October of 2003.