Subject: Brian Update # 12

Monday, January 5th
Dear Friends and Family,
Some of you have asked what specifically to pray for.  This week it is
important to pray that Brian gets to go home for a few days before his next
round of chemo.  He needs to know that he will get to go home.  It will be a
big emotional boost for him.  We are hoping that Friday will be the BIG DAY!  

Stan's back was hurting him, so he did not get to play in the golf tournament
on Sunday.  He and Sara did get to go out for breakfast, do a little shopping
and go to the movies before returning to the hospital.  Stan is in Santa Rosa
working until Wed. evening.

We've started to think about some positive things about Burkitte's Lymphonma.
Many of the children on our hall have leukemia that requires years of chemo
with no hope of a cure.  The best that can be expected is keeping it under
control.  For Brian, he can be cured for life after 6-9 months.  His
protocol--[I finally spelled it right!]--- (treatment plan) is very aggressive
and horrible---he must repeat this chemo regimine 9 times---but Burkitte's is
curable!   For this we are very thankful.

The battery of evaluation tests scheduled for today did not happen.  We've
come to realize that changes in schedules happen constantly.  Nothing ever
occurs "on time".  

Talked to Sara and got the latest plan----
Hopefully Brian will be well enough to go home Friday.  He will return to the
outpatient clinic the following Tuesday for all the evaluation tests and then
return home until Friday, Jan. 16th ----when chemo starts again for a week.

Brian did not sleep again last night.  They lowered his morphine basal rate to
1.5 and he was in pain all night and could not sleep--even the pentobarbitol
did not put him to sleep.  They raised his morphine basal to 2.0 and he was
comfortable all day, but did not sleep.  We need to pray for him to be able to
sleep.

He is still on oxygen.  Pneumonia has made his breathing a problem.
Respiratory therapists came in twice today to give him breathing treatments.

He has not eaten anything.  He drank some juice and immediately vomited.  He
still has a lot of nausea.  He must get an NG tube for feeding tomorrow.  He
can't get enough nutrition any other way.  He will go home with this tube and
Sara will have to feed him cans of Pediacare through this tube using a pump or
an IV pole.  He will get 2/3 of his nutrition this way.

Sara gave him a buzz haircut today.  The shedding of hair is so annoying--hair
everywhere.  It is itchy.  The buzz may help.  He has very little hair left.

His neutrapenic level is now up to 4600.  That is very good.  It was zero for
a long time.  5000 is normal.

Janet Veatch--clinical pediatric specialist--is our most valuable source of
information.  She told Sara today that the next chemo treatment will hit him
even harder than what we've seen so far.  (This is hard for us to fathom.)
Janet said he only has 1 week to heal before he gets hit again; whereas, he
was a healthy boy before the first chemo.  She said we can expect worse
mucousitis.  His mucousitis this time was quite severe.

BUT right now we want to concentrate on getting Brian well enough to go home
for 1 week.  We will face the other stuff as it comes.  You all have been
walking with us and praying for us and we've come a long way!  Prayers are
leading this cancer battle and Brian is winning the fight.  

Thank you for your prayers.  
Love,
Susan