7 More to Go!

My apologies for the late post, but the last several weeks have been extremely busy. I know that everyone has so many questions and concerns, so I will try to answer as many of the most important ones that I can through this post. We have also been battling the flu this entire week, so that hasn't helped me catch up the blog either.

How is Tzadok doing? As far as short term side-effects are concerned, Tzadok is doing miraculous. He has had no skin redness or irritation. He has had no vomiting or uncontrollable fever. Tzadok has also had 4 MRI's since being here and the tumor has shown no growth whatsoever from treatment. He has had nausea issues off and on and he is becoming more fatigued which is inevitable. So we still need prayer for these last treatments that there is no new short term side-effects, and that we can continue to keep him hydrated and fed. He actually likes going to the hospital now and he has a fan club up there including Dr. Ho, the MRI doctor. Tzadok is the youngest patient to actually complete the MRI's fully awake.

How is the rest of the Fam. doing?  Rachel and I are exhausted, but we are overcoming. It has been difficult, but it was the right choice to keep the family together. Aside from the flu, the boys have all been coping well. It also helps when they have an endless supply of attention and gifts from doctors, nurses, social workers, well wishers, and foundations. I can tell that they are tired and are ready for things to get back to normal,a new normal. We know our lives will be different but that's okay.

What are our Next Steps?  We are starting the process of preparing for the future. Tzadok will start his follow-up appointments in mid-February with St. Jude, which for the first year will be every 3 months. He will have in depth MRI's, CT scans, and endocrine tests. He will also be placed on growth hormone, but we are not sure hen that will begin.It will be at least  year. With all that being said, Tzadok finishes on Jan. 7 and we will leave Jacksonville no later than the 16th. We need to find a new place to lay our heads after that. We are trying to figure out where to go next, but we aren't sure if we need to return to middle Tennessee, or find new lodging around the Memphis area because of Tzadok's doctor visits. We want the Father to show us the next step and right now the only thing we know for certain is that we are not going to stay in Jacksonville.

What can we be praying for and what can we do? We need continued prayer for protection over Tzadok as he finishes treatment. No short term side-effects! Along those same lines, we need prayer against long term side-effects, which are many and severe. Please, pray for this for many years to come. This will always be a need for the rest of Tzadok's life. Our Go Fund me account is still active for anyone who wants to help aid us in the next leg of our journey. Any funds we receive will help us secure housing in the area of the Father's guiding. And prayerfully things will start to get a little back to normal in the Legatzke household. We have been blessed abundantly with prayer and aid during this time, and in many ways we feel unworthy but a very special thank you belongs to L.A.M.B Fellowship, First Baptist in Opelika, AL, and Victory Baptist Church in Darlington, SC. We also want to thank all of our friends and family that continue to stand by us through cards and love. We also want to thank to all those on Rachel's grandparents email list (Don and Yvonne Sledge) who have and continue to stand with us. We have gained so many friends all across this country and the world through this experience. We will update the blog again shortly as treatment comes to a close.

Praises, New Challenges, and Almost Half Way There

It is so hard to believe that we are almost half way into Tzadok's treatment. I know I keep repeating this same statement, but Tzadok is a warrior. We have settled into a routine, which has helped him get more accustomed to this new normal. Every Friday his port buddy is deaccessed and on Monday he is reaccessed. For a visual, deaccessing and reaccessing is describing the needle connected to a small IV line that is used for drawing blood, giving medicine, and administering anesthesia to him. His port buddy, as we've come to call it, is the instrument that was surgically implanted next to a vein in his chest due to the amount of times he will have to be stuck with a needle over the next several years. Every Tuesday is picture day (MRI) and on Wednesday we have a doctor appointment along with normal treatment. It seems strange and unsettling that this is our weekly norm, but it is as close to a normal week that we have had since leaving Kansas. Most of Tzadok's anxiety has subsided, so as always thank you for your prayers and concern for Tzadok. All of Tzadok's scans since the initial scan have shown no growth of the tumor, which again is a major testimony to the Father's greatness. If the tumor grows, the radiation field will have to be widened, so no growth is the absolute best case scenario! Another praise is that Tzadok has not had any headaches since the first week, so his headache may have been unrelated to treatment. He is having some new difficulties however. Nausea is the main side effect we are facing right now. One of the major short term side effects for Tzadok is nausea because of all the anesthesia medicine he is given. He hasn't vomited but his appetite has definitely decreased. It appears that our next prayer request will be that we find ways to get him to eat and drink. Right now he will eat his favorite foods and he will drink as long as we push the fluids, but if we go a little outside of this realm he is not even slightly interested. The nausea also spikes when he rides in the car, so trips outside of the house are always taxing. If he has to eat spaghetti with chips and salsa for a month, than so be it, but we would like to vary his diet as much as possible. I will try to update again over the weekend, since our routine has become more stable, but please keep Tzadok and our family in your prayers and thoughts. Oh, I almost forgot if you would like to add a few other children to your prayer chains their names are Zen, Zoe, and Cole. Zen and Cole each have Craniopharngioma like Tzadok; however, they are 9 and 13, and Zoe, the little girl, is going through Cemo and radiation at the same time. She is so young facing so much. She is close to Tzadok's age. These are all amazing children that we have met and become close with. Even their stories are similar to ours. Please remember them, as you have remembered us. We miss everyone terribly and I pray blessings on all of your houses.

More Blessings, More Beginnings

   Hello everyone, I pray this Monday evening finds you well. In many ways, we are at another beginning with Tzadok's treatment. The Father has been very gracious to us by allowing us to settle into this new momentary schedule. Since beginning Tzadok's treatment a little over two weeks ago, we have had four treatments total, which have given us the time to settle in to our apartment and brace for the full time schedule that has just begun. For the next three weeks, Tzadok will have five treatments a week with another week of four treatments before the Christmas holiday. In addition to this weekly routine, there will be weekly MRI's scheduled to monitor the potential growth of the cyst during treatment. It is not uncommon for the cyst to grow in size during treatment because the radiation will cause it to become inflamed. Eventually, the goal is for the cyst to stop growing and the radiation to kill it.  Tzadok recently went through one of these MRI's, which he did fully awake for ten minutes with no movement! The MRI did show growth of the cyst, so we are praying that there is no more growth because if it becomes to large they will have to widen the radiation field, which we do not want at all. Also, it would have to be drained and a plethora of other concerns. On the bright side, we watched the Jaguars beat the Giants in a nail bitter. Tickets were free, but the seven dollar Pepsi's weren't. Tzadok himself is doing well. He complains of nausea and headaches, which are small side-effects in the grand scheme, but some of his anxiety seems to be calming down. The most gut wrenching thing for me is when he says "nothing I have." Many times he's rewarded with toys or food for his co-operation and good attitude, so what he is saying is that there is nothing he has or gets that will make him feel better about going through the trauma he is being asked to endure. That is truly difficult. Even at such a young age, he understands that possessions are meaningless. Again, we would like to offer our sincerest thank you's to those who have stood by us. We see many families trying to walk alone with households divided and parent's stressed about money, housing, or any number of other stressers. The stability of our family standing united is a blessing in which we are constantly reminded and eternally thankful. Without all of you none of this would be possible. We have not had to worry about financial stresses because of your generous hearts. Again, there's not enough thank you's and it is a blessing to focus on Tzadok solely at his greatest moment of need.