CCCF Summer Barbeque

A few weeks ago we attended a party for cancer families in Utah County. The Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation (CCCF) is an amazing organization that sponsors this event as well as a Christmas party in December, as the name would suggest.

I’ve tried and tried over the last two weeks to compose a blog post about this incredible foundation, but every time I do it sounds clichéd or overstated. Nonetheless, I want to tell you about CCCF and it’s founder, Mac Boyter.

Mac was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer maybe 15 years ago and after finishing his treatments and “dodging the bullet” as he described it to me, he wanted to do something to help people with cancer, particularly children and their families. So he just started gathering toys for Christmas presents and the idea expanded from there. Soon the BYU basketball team got involved and the group of volunteers grew; now the foundation hosts two events each year and provides families with presents and a chance to get to know other people going through similar experiences. It’s been really great to be a part of this very generous, unpretentious foundation. I look forward to the day when my family and I volunteer at the parties too. 

Mac wasn’t at the summer event this year, though, and we learned that he has cancer again—melanoma this time. It was a sobering moment for all of us who already feel the sting of this disease. Of course we all wanted to send him little notes of gratitude and encouragement and Scott spotted this note and snapped a picture. I don’t know the boy who wrote it but it’s really touching isn’t it? Truly, these cancer kids are amazing.

Mac is definitely in our prayers right now and this wonderful summer party was a reminder of our blessings and some of our struggles too—the blessings being the good people all around us.

If you’re interested in more about the foundation here are some links…

Deseret News Article 12/13/10

Video on Mac Boyter KSL.com

CCCF Website (also on sidebar)

Clinic 6-25-12

Monday was Jacob’s monthly clinic visit; this means he’s been in Maintenance for 12 weeks now. Every three months he gets chemo (Methotrexate) in his spine which means a visit to the “sleepy doctors,” known to most as an anesthesiologist.  It’s a quick little procedure, about twenty five minutes from the time he’s out until he’s awake and eating goldfish crackers.

The little red mark on his face is just some irritation from the mask he wears while walking around the hospital. His skin is so sensitive since chemo started.

Jacob gets his “back poke” in the RTU (Rapid Treatment Unit) of Primary Children’s Hospital and the staff there are just amazing. He hasn’t been down there since April, but everyone still remembers us. Becky, one of the nurses, bought him a package of Angry Birds fruit snacks and saved it in the back cupboard! Isn’t that so sweet? He was elated—once he was fully awake. And, of course, Jacob was given an iPad to play with pre-procedure, everyone touting that he was “an Angry Birds professional.”

The rest of the clinic visit included a blood draw to check his counts (ANC is 3,400), a visit with his oncologist and an IV chemo (Vincristine).

Picture Post

Most Facebook friends have already seen these pictures, but I wanted to get them on the blog—even if they are slightly outdated. And the story of this photo shoot is one that I love to tell anyway.

In March Jacob finished his “more intense” chemotherapy and I wanted to take some pictures of his bald little head before his hair came back. I enlisted the help of a fabulous photographer friend and began brainstorming places for the photo shoot. Should I dress Jacob up in his Sunday best and find a nice picturesque location? You know what I was thinking—magazine cover or Kids Gap commercial at least.  Well, wise and wonderful Robyn suggested that we just take pictures of Jacob in his jammies. At home. Playing with his Star Wars Legos.

Real Life? What a genius idea!

The purpose of the pictures was to capture this part of life before it passed, so why pretend that it was any different than it really was? Jacob in his jammies. At home. Playing with his Star Wars Legos. That’s really what he did for most of the winter. And I love how these photos turned out and the story that they tell.

Once the boys warmed up to being on camera, an epic light saber battle commenced…

…that quickly escalated into an epic squish-your-sibling-wrestling match. That’s real life, my friends—real life.

Then Mom had to break up the fight. Looking back now, I should have jumped in and joined the fun. I was a little camera-shy, I guess. But I really wish I had wrestled right along with them. How awesome would it have been if I’d belly-flopped onto the bed? Maybe I’ll do it the next time someone comes to photograph my kids in their p.j.’s (which will likely be never). But hopefully I’ve learned my lesson…

For a link to Robyn’s photography blog, click here.

And to conclude today’s photo post, a few pictures of the infamous Angry Birds hat given to us by a very sweet friend of a very sweet friend. Thank you Krystal! (Sorry I don’t have better pictures, it’s such a cute hat and Jacob *loves* it).

Back to Blogging

I started reading other cancer-kid blogs eight months ago when Jacob was first diagnosed. In the beginning I didn’t read a lot about others experiences because it was so overwhelming. But weeks later I was ready to learn about what other people had been through and what I might except during Jacob’s three years of treatment.  At that point I read several blogs beginning to end—sometimes in one sitting.

I found in my reading that many mothers stopped updating their blogs at about the six month mark. Or at least the posts significantly decreased in frequency. I guess I knew that life got back to normal for these families but I still wondered, “what comes next?”

And now I find myself in the next phase or the “new normal” as many call it. And my blog posts have significantly decreased in frequency. We Woodwards are back to regular life in many ways and blogging has been on the back burner or, rather, completely removed from the heat and rapidly cooling for the last several weeks.

But regardless of the temperature of my blog enthusiasm, many friends have asked about Jacob and our family and how we are all doing, including sweet, seven-year-old Lizzie who told her mother while looking at my last, now stale post, “Mom, that’s old! We already read that.” Thanks Lizzie, for the motivation to get back to blogging!  

I am happy to report that we are all doing really well. Jacob feels great most of the time. He takes a low-dose chemo pill every night and has IV chemo once every four weeks. He also still takes a steroid (grrrr) once a month. I growl because it makes him a little cantankerous, hungry and a bit of an insomniac. But, overall, things are going well and Jacob feels good as you will see from the following photos.

So, for your update enjoyment, here’s a few snapshots of our life since last post:

Jacob went back to school on April 18th. His class made him a welcome back sign. He made it back just in time for all of the fun stuff like the field trip, water day and the end of year program.  Here he is with his teacher on the last day of kindergarten.

 

  

When we decided to keep Jacob home from school Isaac said he wanted to stay home too. So he missed most of his first year of preschool but made it to the graduation party on the last day! He’s quite proud of his one-day-attendance accomplishment.

Since school is over now, some of our summer pastimes have included swimming in the kiddie pool and teaching Grandma to play Chess…

As well as playing games and reading (OK, those are just sticker books…)

(you can see how much Jacob’s hair is growing back in that photo of him holding his Leapster).

Wrestling Daddy is always a favorite activity…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As well as any unsuspecting uncles that may let you hop on their backs…

But by far the best summer activity is playing at the park, especially on the swings. Jacob likes to push Ellie and Isaac loves to go “higher!”

We also took a little road trip to Colorado to visit Scott’s grandma and other seldom-seen relatives, including this handsome bunch of boys:

Scott and I also escaped to New York City for a few days to see his sister. It was a wonderful, much needed getaway for the two of us.

So there’s two months worth of highlights in one long, non-medical, back-to-normal sort of a post. I’m committing to posts with greater frequency and more brevity in the coming weeks.