Andrew's dad, Dave, has posted a new site for Andrew with a bunch of pics, some videos and all the updates. You can visit anytime at www.andrewvanderploeg.com
XOXO!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Move
I am excited to report that I am officially a homeowner...again! The closing went off without a hitch, and the new stairs look beautiful! Wait...rewind...I suppose I have to explain that one. The inspection turned up one major issue...the main staircase was not uniform. The bottom step had a 7" rise, the next 10 had an 8" rise and the top step had a 9.5" rise! Not only a code violation, but a significant trip hazard. I'm shocked that no one had done a header down the stairs before. Having just spent the past 6 years of my life working in insurance claims, I could not, in good conscience, accept that kind of liability, so I had to give a hard line demand that it be fixed or I wouldn't buy the property. That required that the entire staircase be taken out and replaced...which they did!
SO...back to the update...the stairs look beautiful, and the place is all mine! I really love it! We closed on Wednesday, and Thursday morning the movers showed up with my stuff. My friend Stacie was generous enough to take the day off of work to come help me move stuff from my temporary apartment, direct movers and be the official record keeper to check off boxes as they came off the truck. HUGE help!!! (she also tried to re-enact the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet off of my front deck, but no one was willing to play Romeo...)
We moved most of my stuff out of the apartment in the morning just in time to meet the movers at my new home. The moving crew was fantastic, and all of my stuff was in the house, set up and unpacked (out of the boxes anyway) by about 12:30pm. They even found a way to get my huge bed and couch up the stairs...well, not really the "stairs"...they sent them up over the back deck and through the back door instead. I chose not to watch...way too scary!
There was still a TON of work to be done organizing and putting things away, but seeing my furniture in the rooms of my new house really made me feel like I was home.
Once the movers left Stacie and I made a trip to the apartment to get the rest of my stuff and turn in my keys, but were met with...let's call it a "surprise". The cleaning staff hired by the relocation company had already been there to clean and had THROWN AWAY ALL OF MY STUFF!!! Clothes in the dryer, Clothes hanging to dry, a full fridge and freezer, a new leather laptop bag (luckily not containing the laptop!), some exercise equipment, a couple of boxes...and the list goes on. How they could possibly think that I had moved out is beyond me, but that doesn't change the fact that my stuff was GONE! The Relo company actually had maintenance guys go look through the dumpsters to see if they could find anything worth salvaging...or at least to help me inventory what I had, but they couldn't find anything. My guess is the cleaning woman didn't throw them out so much as put them in her car. They've agreed to pay me for everything, and I put together an inventory with prices, so hopefully I'll get a check soon.
Once I got over the shock of my "surprise" I headed back home to start the massive job of putting stuff away. Stacie headed back to her family, and I was alone in my home for the first time. Surreal! Several hours later, and a lot of trips up and down the many stairs in my house, I was ready to call it a day...and sleep in my own bed!!
It was about 11:30pm and I was exhausted. A quick shower and off to dreamland for me! Oh, wait...there's no hot water!! I headed down to the water heater to check it out and discovered that the pilot light was out. Good reason. The gas was turned OFF. No gas. Sin gas. Nada Gas. UGH!! I took a very cold shower and headed to bed.
The gas company apologized and told me that the previous owner's order to stop service and my order to start did not get matched up like they were supposed to, so instead of doing a change over they shut off the gas. No one bothered to call me about it, so I didn't figure it out for 2 days. They gladly set me up with a maintenance order and told me that someone would be at my house to turn on the gas "some time between 8am and midnight on Saturday". The tech would call me 20 minutes before he came, and if I didn't answer the phone my appointment would be cancelled. Amazing customer service!!
Anyway, the gas is now on, I have hot water, and I just took a really long shower! Ahhhh...
I love being a homeowner!
For anyone who just read that entire saga and is STILL reading (I'm so sorry!) and I should probably give you a bit of an update on Andrew! He's doing really well! He got out of ICU on Monday and has been up and about, walking without assistance. He should be able to go home in the next couple of days!
Still waiting to hear specifics on when the radiation and chemo will start, but we do know it will be aggressive. He'll have to undergo the treatments 5 days a week, 3 weeks on-3 weeks off, for 9 months. He'll be doing home school because he can't go to school while undergoing the treatments (his immune system will be shot).
Your prayers are still needed, welcome and greatly appreciated!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Regarding Henry
I'm increasingly awed by the incredible strength and character that shines through our little Andrew as his journey continues. In an effort to share my a bit of what inspires me, I thought I'd introduce you to Henry.
As I've mentioned before, Andrew has been a bit clumsy for a few years now...often tripping, knocking things over and spilling things. Last year he began to blame his little mishaps on "Henry". When he'd knock over his milk he'd proclaim, "It wasn't me, it was Henry!" It became a silly joke among the family. According to Andrew, Henry was his brain, and sometimes Henry just messed up his ability to control things.
Over the last week, we've discovered how real Henry really was; except that Henry was not Andrew's brain...Henry was the giant tumor. On some level Andrew knew that there was a stranger in his brain.
The most amazing part of this little story for me is not just that Andrew knew about Henry, but that he embraced him. With a smile and a little giggle he accepted Henry as a part of himself without frustration, irritation or complaint.
Always a smile. That's our Andrew.
As I've mentioned before, Andrew has been a bit clumsy for a few years now...often tripping, knocking things over and spilling things. Last year he began to blame his little mishaps on "Henry". When he'd knock over his milk he'd proclaim, "It wasn't me, it was Henry!" It became a silly joke among the family. According to Andrew, Henry was his brain, and sometimes Henry just messed up his ability to control things.
Over the last week, we've discovered how real Henry really was; except that Henry was not Andrew's brain...Henry was the giant tumor. On some level Andrew knew that there was a stranger in his brain.
The most amazing part of this little story for me is not just that Andrew knew about Henry, but that he embraced him. With a smile and a little giggle he accepted Henry as a part of himself without frustration, irritation or complaint.
Always a smile. That's our Andrew.
New Site for Andrew
Just a quick update to let everyone know that we've set up a site specifically for Andrew. You can go there to get info anytime, and we'll update it with anything new.
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!!
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewvanderploeg
Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!!
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewvanderploeg
Friday, October 3, 2008
So Much Love
I am so touched by the outpouring of love and concern shown by just about everyone I've come in contact with in the past week. There is something beautiful about the unifying energy of a tragedy like this one. So many people of different races, cultures, religions and lifestyles, all with the same desire...for Andrew to be healthy.
Thank you so much for the words of encouragement, the good thoughts, phone calls, emails, texts, prayers and love. We have all benefited in many ways from the wealth of positive energy being thrown into the universe by so many!
Andrew had a pretty low key day today. He did a lot of resting, which he obviously needed. He's still on a lot of medication, but it was easy to see that our little Andrew is definitely still very much himself. I was able to talk to him for a bit this morning, and he is still as pleasant as ever. Not a single complaint...except maybe that he didn't want to eat any more jello because he really wanted chicken enchiladas. Unfortunately his little tummy didn't even want him to eat the jello, so I think the chicken enchiladas may have to wait a day or two.
He was singing songs, making jokes and smiling his sweet little smile whenever he was awake. He has many fans among the hospital staff, and they all love his sweet little disposition. He just never says no to anything they ask him to do!
They did a CT Scan this morning and found a 1/4 inch blood clot just above the area where the tumor was removed. They are hoping that his body takes care of it on it's own, but are watching it closely. There is such a huge range of implications for a clot like that, in that location, that it's scary to even think about, so we're dwelling on the fact that they do believe his body will be able to dispose of the clot on it's own. Hopefully we won't have to deal with it any further.
They also discovered that his top cervical vertebrae were out of whack so they gave him some muscle relaxers to help relax the area so his body could let the bones move back the way they were supposed to be.
Tomorrow they will be sedating him again to take a full body MRI so they can see a detailed view of his brain, brain stem and spinal chord. They'll be studying it closely to see if they can find any residual parts of the tumor or evidence that the tumor spread to his spinal column. The surgeon feels fairly confident, based on the size of the tumor and what he saw when removing it, that it had not spread, which is good news. Apparently, if it spreads to the spinal chord the tumor presents more like grains of sugar sprinkled on the nerve tissue rather than a solid tumor so surgical removal is not possible. It requires a much more intense and aggressive chemotherapy and radiation regimen to treat and is much more likely to resist the treatment.
If the tumor has not spread, he will still begin both chemo and radiation treatments very soon, but the outlook is much brighter.
They expect to put a semi-permanent tube in his shoulder near his clavicle to assist with taking blood and administering the meds while he undergoes the treatments, but at this point, if that is the ONLY tube he has to deal with I think that Andrew will be elated. He doesn't much care for the catheter or any of the other MANY tubes and wires hooked up to him right now, but they seem to be decreasing as time goes by.
Carrie, Ashley (my other sisters) and their girls arrived early this morning, and Taylor was elated to have her cousins to play with for the day. We're all hoping to do what we can to make Brittany's life a little easier as she continues to find the strength to deal with all of this.
It was nice to have my sisters here and wonderful to be energized by the loving spirits of my little nieces. I am truly blessed!
Thank you so much for the words of encouragement, the good thoughts, phone calls, emails, texts, prayers and love. We have all benefited in many ways from the wealth of positive energy being thrown into the universe by so many!
Andrew had a pretty low key day today. He did a lot of resting, which he obviously needed. He's still on a lot of medication, but it was easy to see that our little Andrew is definitely still very much himself. I was able to talk to him for a bit this morning, and he is still as pleasant as ever. Not a single complaint...except maybe that he didn't want to eat any more jello because he really wanted chicken enchiladas. Unfortunately his little tummy didn't even want him to eat the jello, so I think the chicken enchiladas may have to wait a day or two.
He was singing songs, making jokes and smiling his sweet little smile whenever he was awake. He has many fans among the hospital staff, and they all love his sweet little disposition. He just never says no to anything they ask him to do!
They did a CT Scan this morning and found a 1/4 inch blood clot just above the area where the tumor was removed. They are hoping that his body takes care of it on it's own, but are watching it closely. There is such a huge range of implications for a clot like that, in that location, that it's scary to even think about, so we're dwelling on the fact that they do believe his body will be able to dispose of the clot on it's own. Hopefully we won't have to deal with it any further.
They also discovered that his top cervical vertebrae were out of whack so they gave him some muscle relaxers to help relax the area so his body could let the bones move back the way they were supposed to be.
Tomorrow they will be sedating him again to take a full body MRI so they can see a detailed view of his brain, brain stem and spinal chord. They'll be studying it closely to see if they can find any residual parts of the tumor or evidence that the tumor spread to his spinal column. The surgeon feels fairly confident, based on the size of the tumor and what he saw when removing it, that it had not spread, which is good news. Apparently, if it spreads to the spinal chord the tumor presents more like grains of sugar sprinkled on the nerve tissue rather than a solid tumor so surgical removal is not possible. It requires a much more intense and aggressive chemotherapy and radiation regimen to treat and is much more likely to resist the treatment.
If the tumor has not spread, he will still begin both chemo and radiation treatments very soon, but the outlook is much brighter.
They expect to put a semi-permanent tube in his shoulder near his clavicle to assist with taking blood and administering the meds while he undergoes the treatments, but at this point, if that is the ONLY tube he has to deal with I think that Andrew will be elated. He doesn't much care for the catheter or any of the other MANY tubes and wires hooked up to him right now, but they seem to be decreasing as time goes by.
Carrie, Ashley (my other sisters) and their girls arrived early this morning, and Taylor was elated to have her cousins to play with for the day. We're all hoping to do what we can to make Brittany's life a little easier as she continues to find the strength to deal with all of this.
It was nice to have my sisters here and wonderful to be energized by the loving spirits of my little nieces. I am truly blessed!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Another Andrew Update
I made it to Boise today, and was able to spend the entire day with Brittany, Taylor and my parents among many others who were here to support Andrew and lend their prayers as we waited for the surgery to conclude.
We knew it was going to be a long day, and my dad talked to Andrew about it this morning, asking him how he felt. They talked about how long the whole thing was going to be and Andrew pointed out that it was going to be a really long day for everyone else, but it wouldn't be too bad for him because "time goes really fast when you're asleep". He never once appeared to be afraid or sad and never once complained. Such an amazing kid!
He went in to Pre-Op at about 10:30am and was not out of surgery until about 9:20pm. It took another 30 minutes or so to move him to recovery and then another hour before the surgeon came out to give Brittany and Dave (Andrew's Father) the full update on the outcome of the surgery.
I'm happy to report that he was immediately able to speak, count to 4, grip with both hands and pass rudimentary motor tests. The surgeon said we'd get a better idea for his motor function and vision once he's had a chance for the anesthesia to wear off, but overall Andrew did great, and functionally the outlook is good.
Unfortunately, he also reported that the tumor appears to be malignant - medulloblastoma. They have a few more tests to get back, and want to do another MRI to get a good look at his brain stem and the rest of the area to be sure they got everything, but either way it appears that Andrew will have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
They'll also be doing a CT scan to look for any blood clots, and he may need a blood transfusion in the next day because of the blood lost during the surgery, but there was not enough bleeding to make it necessary immediately, which I guess is a good thing.
It's strange to have a desire to celebrate when being told that someone has cancer, but something inside of me just wont let me dwell on that part. Andrew is alive. He's talking. He's moving. He's Andrew. For those reasons alone we have reason to rejoice!
The trial ahead is not a small or easy one, but today we were blessed with a victory!
I got to spend a lot of time with Taylor today, which was wonderful. We spent some time learning Cat's Cradle and Jacob's Ladder string tricks so she can teach them to Andrew. I discovered that this particular game is not one of my strengths. Luckily she is much better than me!
My other sisters and their kids are driving up tonight and will be here to add to the masses tomorrow morning. Taylor is so excited to see them, and I can only imagine that Andrew will have the same reaction. The kids all love each other so much and really love being together. More positive energy to buoy Andrew and his recovery is sure to arrive with them.
Thank you so much to those of you who have sent your prayers and good wishes. I'm lucky to have such wonderful people in my life! Please keep the prayers coming!
I'm going to sleep tonight feeling incredibly blessed.
We knew it was going to be a long day, and my dad talked to Andrew about it this morning, asking him how he felt. They talked about how long the whole thing was going to be and Andrew pointed out that it was going to be a really long day for everyone else, but it wouldn't be too bad for him because "time goes really fast when you're asleep". He never once appeared to be afraid or sad and never once complained. Such an amazing kid!
He went in to Pre-Op at about 10:30am and was not out of surgery until about 9:20pm. It took another 30 minutes or so to move him to recovery and then another hour before the surgeon came out to give Brittany and Dave (Andrew's Father) the full update on the outcome of the surgery.
I'm happy to report that he was immediately able to speak, count to 4, grip with both hands and pass rudimentary motor tests. The surgeon said we'd get a better idea for his motor function and vision once he's had a chance for the anesthesia to wear off, but overall Andrew did great, and functionally the outlook is good.
Unfortunately, he also reported that the tumor appears to be malignant - medulloblastoma. They have a few more tests to get back, and want to do another MRI to get a good look at his brain stem and the rest of the area to be sure they got everything, but either way it appears that Andrew will have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
They'll also be doing a CT scan to look for any blood clots, and he may need a blood transfusion in the next day because of the blood lost during the surgery, but there was not enough bleeding to make it necessary immediately, which I guess is a good thing.
It's strange to have a desire to celebrate when being told that someone has cancer, but something inside of me just wont let me dwell on that part. Andrew is alive. He's talking. He's moving. He's Andrew. For those reasons alone we have reason to rejoice!
The trial ahead is not a small or easy one, but today we were blessed with a victory!
I got to spend a lot of time with Taylor today, which was wonderful. We spent some time learning Cat's Cradle and Jacob's Ladder string tricks so she can teach them to Andrew. I discovered that this particular game is not one of my strengths. Luckily she is much better than me!
My other sisters and their kids are driving up tonight and will be here to add to the masses tomorrow morning. Taylor is so excited to see them, and I can only imagine that Andrew will have the same reaction. The kids all love each other so much and really love being together. More positive energy to buoy Andrew and his recovery is sure to arrive with them.
Thank you so much to those of you who have sent your prayers and good wishes. I'm lucky to have such wonderful people in my life! Please keep the prayers coming!
I'm going to sleep tonight feeling incredibly blessed.
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