April 24, 2010
Drew turned 10 Years old!!
It was about
this time three years ago when Drew came home limping and soon after
his tumor was discovered and all of our lives were changed
forever. His birthday reminds us of that time but more
significantly it reminds us how grateful we are for his life!!
As a family we decided it was important to update Drew's
website. When Drew was at his sickest we would search every
blog we could find to try and see what it would be like for Drew after
the chemo, after rotationplasty etc. Most blogs we found
ended when the treatment ended or the last surgery. As his
parents we longed to know what life would be like after all of
this. So, this update is to share what life it like after all
of that.
Drew is healthy and strong. He has been participating on a
swim team 5 days a week after school. He's been doing this
since September. He has been able to compete in swim meets
and has won some ribbons! This past school year he has done
so well academically and socially. He almost always gets the
highest scores on everything he does and he has made some friends
including his best bud who he loves to play legos with. He
continues to participate in scouts and just earned his Bear
badge. In March Drew had his two year post chemo scans and
everything was clear- YEAH!! This week he got to pick up his
new prothesis. This is his second prothesis, which Shrinner's
made for him. It's pretty cool looking black with red
flames. Drew loves riding his scooter and rides it every day
to school unless it's raining or snowing. Drew continues to
struggle with running and riding his bike. We are planning to
get back into physical therapy and work towards learning to do these
things. Drew is a happy kid and still rarely complains about
his situation! As his parents we continue to be amazed by him.
July 01, 2009
It's been a
busy summer so far and we keep
forgetting to update the journal! Here are few hightlights from the
past few months...
Drew is on a swim team
and took second place in the back-stroke in his first meet. He will
continue to swim through July. He has also taken a
photography class is attending guitar lessons.
Last month Drew had the
oppurtunity to attend Camp Hobe for a week. Camp Hobe is for children
who have, or have survived cancer. He had a great time at camp and
looks forward to going again next year.
Drew is doing very well
with his prostethsis and wears it morning to night.
April
29, 2009
Drew received
his Wolf badge at pack
meeting. He is so please to be able to advance in the scout
program into the Bear cub.
April 24, 2009
Happy 9th
Birthday Drew!
Drew was so excited about his birthday and so are we. The new
American Cancer Society's commercial about them being the official
sponsor of birthdays really rings true to us!!
Drew woke up to decorations and balloons filled with 9 $1 bills (thanks
Trish J. for this great tradition)! He opened his present- a
Havoc Helli he had wanted for months. Then he
got to skip the first part of school and go to work with his dad as it
was Take Your Kids to Work Day! Drew thought this was a great
treat to fall on his birthday. Brady and Mom met up with them
at Red Lobster for lunch. Drew order his two favorites-
Broccolli and Crab Legs!! Drew was a bit disappointed to have
to go back to a couple of hours of school. That evening we
had all of family over for cake and ice cream. Drew special
ordered a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and gummy
worms. Cousin Zach spent the night and on
Saturday Drew, Zach and a friend spent the afternoon at Boon
Docks. It rained hard so they missed out on the slick cars
but they still had a lot of fun with the other activities.
Going to Boon Docks was significant in that almost every time we drove
to Primary Children's for chemo, Drew asked if we could go to Boon
Docks. The answer always was when you get better and when you
can walk again. So, it was a great way to celebrate his
birthday, good health, and his ability to walk!!
April 22, 2009
Drew was
presented with a Ryan's Lion by
Ryan himself. This is a
wonderful new foundation. Check out the web site and the
story behind
it! They named a lion after Drew, sharing his story and
donating it. www.ryanslion.com
April 7, 2009
Drew's
prosthesis needed some touch up work-
a screw fell out so Dad
and Drew made a trip to Shriner's hospital. Afterwards they
met with
our Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Randall for a three month check
up. Dr.
Randall seemed pleased with Drew's progress. He noted that
Drew
limps/wabbles from side to side as he walks. He informed us
that some
of this would continue until he joints grow to be at equal
heights.
His knee-ankle is is lower than his knee as they did it this way
projecting
he would "grow" into it in his mid teen years. Dr. Randall
stated we
did not need to come back until his 6 month cancer scans!
This
month Drew continued to participate in weekly physical
therapy. He
receives all therapy services at Shriner's hospital in SLC.
Mark is
his therapist and does a great job at trying to make it fun for
him.
He has him ride 3 wheel bikes (they sent one home for Drew to use but
Drew does not like to ride it and is holding out until he is ready to
ride his two wheel bike). They climb a rock wall, play games
etc. The
main focus of P.T. continues to be strength and getting his knee-ankle
to
bend more fully, which will equal strength. We have daily
home exercises
such as stretching, going up and down stairs, walking straight
lines etc. Drew does have
a limp but hopefully with strength and growth he will
continue to
improve as we have already seen a great amount of progress.
Drew
rarely uses his crutches at home but like to take them in public mostly
for security not necessity.
March 14 - 25, 2009
Make-A-Wish Trip!!!!
Our
family spent 12 days in Florida & The Bahamas.
Drew was granted a fabulous wish to go on a Disney Cruise. We
sailed from Port Canavaral, FL (watched the space shuttle launch from
the our ship) and sailed to Nassua. We spent a day at the
Alantis resort which was incredible. Drew was able to play on
the beach, go on water slides, experience the best and longest lazy
river and enjoy the aquariums. The next day we went to
Disney's private island- Castaway Cay. Drew swam with Sting
Rays and snorkeled. His dad literally had to drag him out of
the water to board the ship in time. Our last day was spent
at sea. It actually worked out well because Drew had to
recover from a really bad sunburn. We coated him with
sunscreen several times a day but think a combination of him not being
in the sun for almost two years and an old bottle of suncreen were the
contributing factors. It was hard to end our Disney Cruise as
we had looked forward to it for nearly 18 months- canceling it 3
times. We are so thankful to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and
all the may individuals who made this wish of a life time come
true. We experienced the power of a wish first
hand. Drew received special treatment from Disney and it was
an amazing gift to see him experience pure joy. This trip
truly gave us the gift of hope in being able to look to the future as
well as a life time of wonderful memories.
Our trip did not end there. On our own we were able to extend
our trip to visit family. We enjoyed Disney World, Sea World,
Busch Garden's (Drew's new favorite as he was able to ride almost all
of the roller coasters), and Universal Studios. We also spent
time with Grandma Great Burks and Drew's great aunts and
uncles. We visited Grandpa Great Burks' and Grandpa Burks'
grave sites. This was the first time as a family we had been
back to Florida since they had both passed away. We sure
missed them!
March 10,
2009
Drew got his
first round of (repeated)
immunizations.
February 2009
Drew had his
one year post chemo
scans. All tests were clear- no sign of cancer!! Drew was
cleared to begin receiving his immunizations all over again.
Because of the chemo it was as if he never had them! Can we
get a refund for those???
February
14- 20, 2009 Mom
and dad went to
Ireland. Dad had a business trip and mom went to site
see. This was the first time mom and dad both left Drew since
he was diagnosed for more than overnight. Mom and Drew were a
little nervous but of course everything went well with the help of
Grandma Bonnie, Grandma Debbie and Aunt Paige- Thanks!
January 14, 2009
Drew walked today all by himself!!
Drew took a couple of steps all by himself today while getting into the
car to go to school. Kilee and Addie (cousins) were there to
witness this so we all yelled, clapped and jumped up and
down. Drew asked if mom would come with him to school to show
his classmates. Drew ended up walking all the way across the
classroom and back. His whole class was there chearing and
yelling, "Mrs. C. Drew's walking, Drew can walk!" It was
Amazing! Mom just cried as the kids looked at her wondering
what was up with that. Later the same day Drew went to P.T.
and they gave him some canes to use around the house until he is
confident enough to use them out in public.
January 12, 2009
Drew went
to the dentist today. . . this was the first time since he was
diagnosed, another sign of progress!
January 6, 2009
Drew
starts physical therapy today! This was Drew's first physical
therapy session with his prosthesis. Drew's new therapist is
at Shriner's hospital in SLC. His name is Mark. He
taught Drew how to go up and down stairs and some exercises to help
strengthen his leg. He also got to play the Wii fit to help
him with his balance.
The
CCCF provided BYU tickets to all those at the CCCF Christmas
party for tonights game vs. Western Oregon. At half time there was
a special video presentation about the CCCF program this year.
All of the CCCF families then walked across the court
to a standing ovation. Pretty cool expereince for all those involved.
Thanks again to CCCF!!
January 3, 2009
Drew got
baptized today!! He waited 8 months to be able to do
this. It was really special. It was a private
baptism. We felt so loved by the support we received from
family and friends including two of Drew's best buddies came- Ricky and
Jamie. So many friends from the ward were there to support
him and we appreciate every single person.
