Kyle went to visit his oncologist today.  Had his blood counts checked - everything is looking good.  Hopefully the chemo is doing it's work on the tumor. 

Yeaaa!!!  Snow is here.  Can't wait to build a snowman.  Kyle's feeling pretty good.  His shingles are better.  And the bit of a virus that he had seems to be better also.  His energy levels are pretty good.  And so far there are no noticeable effects from the chemo.  Aunt Katie & cousin Brian have been in town since Thursday afternoon.  Hopefully they won't have any trouble with their flight tomorrow - heading back to New Jersey.    

FYIThere will be a Mass offered for Kyle on Saturday, December 1 at 8:00 am at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1801 LaCrosse Ave, St Paul. 

Kyle is feeling pretty good.  He does have a cold - but who doesn't. Today is the day he got his new chemo treatment.  He and Dad went to the U this morning for the 10 minute IV treatment.  In three weeks, he'll have another MRI.  And if the chemo is able to slow the growing tumor down at all, then he will have another treatment. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!Better news for Kyle.  He is feeling good.   The shingles seem to have run their course.  He has lots of energy today - is helping Mom bake apple pies and is watching the parade.  Kris heard from oncology yesterday.  They decided that they would bypass another MRI and start this new chemo for Kyle on Tuesday.  Hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Kyle's news today isn't good.   He was scheduled to have a chemo treatment this morning.  He and Mom got there ready for the treatment to find out that he now has shingles.  So -  no chemo.   He is now on an anti viral drug.  On Tuesday he'll see the doctor.  They will decide what to do next.   This chemo protocol calls for an MRI before the treatment can start.   So this treatment is on hold for now.       

Kyle's latest news!Kyle saw Dr Mortel today - his past oncologist who is now at the U.  Next Tuesday Kyle starts a new treatment there with Dr. Mortel.  He will have a 10 minute IV infusion of a chemo drug.  21 days later he will have an MRI.  The results of the MRI and how well he is tolerating the chemo will determine whether he'll have another treatment.  This chemo drug has the potential to slow down the growth of this tumor but if Kyle has any ill effects from it, they are going to stop it.  Hopefully there won't be many side effects.  This drug is part of a research study that is in Phase II - the process of checking for effectiveness on Kyle's kind of tumor - an ependymoma.  Phase I checks for the toxicty on the body.  And Phase III is when they actually use it as a protocol. 

Kyle's latest!!!This mean viscious tumor is now growing very aggresively.  It is showing 2 new spots of growth and is starting to put pressure on the brain stem. He needed to buy a little more time to qualify for radiation. There are a couple of chemo protocols available that might be able to stall the growth.  It is unclear at this point as to how the chemo drugs will make Kyle feel.  These protocols are in early research stages.  Also as fast as the tumor is growing the chemo drugs may not be effective to slow it down.  They will meet with Kyle's old oncologist - Dr Mortel - next week. 

The preliminary results from Kyle's MRI are back and they are not good.  The radiologist has consulted with the oncologist.  There appears to be substantial growth of tumor since the surgery.  Mom, Dad and Kyle will have a meeting with the doctors on Monday morning. 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Hope everyone has a great day. Kyle and Ryan are very excited. They love this day. Ryan’s costume is a police officer and he sure is a good one. And Kyle is a race car driver. Nascar – here he comes.

Kyle is doing so well - feeling very good. He is just getting over a cold which he kindly shared with Ryan – what are brothers for. These two guys sure have energy. It is fun to watch them play. They get down on the floor and wrestle – rolling around and twisting themselves around each other. Kyle holds his own very well.

Hard to believe but it is time for Kyle’s next MRI – which will be Thursday morning. Please keep those prayers coming. It is so obvious what the power of prayer has done for Kyle.

I want to apologize for the length of time between updates. The website is experiencing some technical difficulties which hopefully will be worked out soon.