Movie Night

Good evening everyone, its movie night tonight. Melissa bought me Casino Royale before she left back to Medicine Hat so I am going to take some time and treat myself to a movie. Today was a day with lots of people in and out of my room so hopefully the night is quite.

This morning they gave me platlets so they could do a spinal chemo this afternoon. Well those platlets only bumped my numbers a few so they gave me plasma, its kind of what holds the blood cells together. That didn't work either so I didn't have my spinal chemo today, but I should have it tomorrow.

My red cells dropped below 80 again this morning so I am having some red cells tonight, which makes it perfect for a movie because I will be in bed anyways. To get my platlets up tomorrow some more and to get me ready for the spinal chemo, I am having platlets and plasma tomorrow morning again. Hopefully not at 5:30 am again.

For the last 3 days I have been receiving G-CSF shots, which give a kick start to rebuilding white cells. 2 days ago I was 0.2, yesterday I was 0.3 and today I was 0.6, so they seem to be working but I have a ways to go still.

Today I felt pretty good. I had a decent nap this afternoon which helps with healing and also with keeping me energetic. My mouth is still sore but today does feel a little better than yesterday. I just need to keep up with my rinses and the hospital has me on iv med's for the mucousitis in my mouth, so those help as well. I am doing well still, I am still in good spirits even though I have been tired the last few days. Mom was here with me this weekend and she left today at noon. Melissa is back tomorrow so I am excited about seeing her, not that I was happy to see Mom go home.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support of our family. We truly do appreciate it and I look forward to being able to see each one of you once I am healed to say thank you in person.

Colin

Clear show polish

Does anyone have any clear shoe polish? The reason I ask is my hair really started falling out today so they shaved my head. As soon as the little bristles are gone in a couple days, I might want to shine my head!

Yes my hair did start falling out today. I could grab a clump of hair and sure enough it came out with no pain. Now I just have to wait until the eyebrows go.

This morning my cell counts were up and down. Red and platlets went down, red enough they are giving me a transfusion again today. On the other hand my white cells went up from .2 to .3. I also had another G-CSF shot this morning to help my white cells recover.

I was able to drink some soup for lunch and I have been able to drink apple juice and water mixed because the apple juice is to sugary for my mouth all by itself. My mouth is quite raw and does not feel the nicest, but it does feel like its maybe starting to get better. My lips look gross because there are sores on them and they are kind of white.

I am feeling pretty good today. I can actually visit with Mom because I am not so sleepy today. Unfortunately she is leaving tomorrow but it has been nice having her here with me while Melissa was back in the Hat this weekend. Please keep Melissa in your prayers especially Tuesday as she is driving back to Calgary.

Some Set-Backs

Hi! It's Missy here, i'm actually in Medicine Hat for a few days, to regroup, repack and spend some much needed time with our kids. Colin's mom is there for the weekend, so it makes me a little more comfortable to leave him. Unfortunately, his symptoms from the chemo are hitting him REALLY hard. This morning i talked with him, and i'm glad i did, because now, he can't even really talk. His mouth and throat are raw and he is extremely susceptible to sores, which can very quickly cause infection. He is running a fever which also is not a very good sign. Right now, he could go from bad to worse in a matter of hours. There was a spinal dose of chemo scheduled for today at noon, but when they tried in his room, they had no luck, so now on Monday they have to take him straight down to X-Ray and do it there, where they can see exactly where to place the needle. He's been throwing up today as well, so now all of his meds are on IV drip, and he's on constant morphine for the pain. Please pray for his symptoms to subside and for no further infection to plague him. All his blood levels are coming up except the most important white blood cells (which fight infection) no change in those today again. I wish so badly that i was there with him, but i do need to be at home with our boys, if things get any worse, i will be there within hours.
I wish i could bring better news today, but i do want to direct you to watch online, where there was a feature story on the Police Grad (and a bit on Colin as well)....on CHAT news last night.
www.chattelevision.ca to watch the story

Please pray for strength for Colin, that he continues to fight through this pain, that God protects his body from any further infections and that his white blood cells start recovering so he can fight these symptoms.

Aug 28, 2009

So today is my police grad and unfortunately my health just won't allow me to attend. I am disappointed but I also know my health is the most important thing right now.

The nurse was writing my cell counts on the calendar today and asked if I had a platlet transfusion because they are going up each day so that's good. My red cells are at 81 which just about transfusion time again, they transfuse below 80. My white cells are at 0.2 again and hopefully will start rebounding in the next week. They have to come up to a certain level before the next chemo cycle. I feel good though and am excited because mom is coming from BC today to stay with me for a few days. I am also sad though because Melissa is going home today until Tuesday then she will be back. She's lucky because she gets to see the boys for the weekend.

To my classmates today, I am so proud of each and everyone of you and I wish I could be there with you. Enjoy the day and embrace it! Congradulations to each one, be blessed and remember this is your day and make it what you want! I will see you all soon.


Colin

We are Speechless...

Today, like a lot of days in the recent weeks, we were speechless.........there are truly no words to really explain to you all how we feel. Colin and I are absolutely overwhelmed at how people have responded and come forward to help us during this time. Today many of you attended a BBQ on our behalf.....we have cried such happy tears of thanks, to all who have today, and in the past weeks supported us. I just wish there was something I could say to really get through just how much we've been blessed by your help, but everytime my mouth opens, i start to cry. What amazing people we are surrounded by and we have been praying God's Richest blessings on you all! Your generousity overwhelms us, and Colin and I are so proud to be apart of a community of people with such BIG HEARTS! God provides, and He has done so, through you all, so we want to thank you (especially to the little boy who emptied his piggy bank so that he could help our family, Bless you, little one, you have no idea what your precious gift means to us!)

I do want to mention Chad and Nicole, the people who planned the BBQ today, how blessed we are to know you!

Colin is taking each day in stride and his focus is trying to stay healthy, but he is especially thinking of each one who will recieve their badge tomorrow (friday) in Lethbridge! CONGRADUATIONS RECRUIT CLASS #6!!!!! This is your day, enjoy every minute of it!

(Melissa)

Here's How it is...

So, today is a good day........we did talk to the Doctor, and we all decided it is in Colin's best interests to stay in the hospital instead of going to Lethbridge for Grad. Although it meant a lot that he try to go, he is just at too much of a risk for infection.......They have seen poeple here go from feeling fine, to being in ICU in 30 minutes, so Colin is safe here, and we need to keep him as healthy as possible throught this time! I'm thankful that we are at peace with this decision and that God ultimately knows where Colin is going to be safe, and i'm glad the Doc's didn't back down!
I did want to mention that we found out on Wednesday that Colin passed his final exam, so even though he will not be at Grad, he still has completed his academic portion of his training! Thank you for praying, it helped him through the exam!

We're just having lunch here now, and my plan is to take Colin outside for some fresh air and a nice long walk! (his long, is not much, but it's something physical, it's just nice to see him walking!)

luv, Missy

BBQ Lunch, Thursday, August 27th

Hey Everyone out there in blogland. This is Colin's friend Chad inviting all of you who are from Medicine Hat to a fundraiser BBQ tomorrow. As you can well imagine, this whole process has affected our good friends in a financial way and to try and do something to help out we will be offering a BBQ lunch of a hot dog, bag of chips and can of pop for a recommended donation of $3.50. The BBQ will run from 12:00 - 1:00 (or whenever everyone's been fed!) and will be held at the Kingsland office at 1870A 6th Ave SW. We are located in the light industrial area on the far east side overlooking the Kincoulee Dip/Dog Park. I hope to see you all there for a great lunch for a great cause.

Bad News

ok, so we just talked to another Doc on rotation right now, whom wasn't so excited about Colin going to grad at all.....she was very negative about the whole idea and basically said, that nothing short of a miracle would get Colin to grad on Friday, not even for a couple of hours. Both our hearts sank, and we're kinda angry as well. The Doc who admitted us seemed hopful that grad was a possibility, but this Doc just didn't really even seem to care. We understand that with really low counts that Colin is in very real danger with going to Lethbridge, so i guess we have to pray for a HUGE miracle, that somehow in the next 24 hours, Colin's counts show signs of improvement and that the Doc clears him to go.
Nothing is more important than Colin's health right now, so if he's safer in the hospital we have to be ok with that, but we are both heart-broken at missing this monumental event in Colin's career.
Please pray for encouragement, and for that miracle that we could still get him to walk across that stage!
i'll update when we know more!

Melissa

Just wanted to let you all know where we are at today....this morning marked the end of the 24 hour chemo round for Colin, but today was a little rough.....Colin's blood levels continue to drop (which is completely normal); and as a result of the chemo and low levels, he is EXTREMELY exhausted, and his mouth and throat are completely raw (side effects from this particular chemo drug). Because he is considered anemic right now, simply brushing his teeth is dangerous for him! Along with that, he is so suseptable to infection as well, but he has reovery time until the weekend, and there's a good chance he'll get a platlet transfusion in the next day or two, so everything is very normal for this stage in his treatment.
We're still looking forward to keeping him well enough to get him to grad this weekend, and that is his main focus to stay healthy, i think it would be the best medicine for him to go and be there with his peers and fellow recruits!
Please pray that the doc's clear him to go, that he stays well enough and his body can recover enough to get there!
Tomorrow is a new day, and today honestly wasn't too bad, i know that it could've been so much worse, so Praise God for that!
Aside from the fatigue, he had an ok day.........let's see what tomorrow holds!
you'll hear from me soon!

Melissa

24 Hours of Chemo Today

Howdy All!
Colin and i had a great 24 hours with our kids and our family.....what a God-send! It was the perfect timing, because now our journey is going to get progrssively more difficult. Today was the big, 24 hour chemo cycle......and also day 10, which the Doc says is usually the day that most of the cell counts and blood counts take a huge dive, and infection can creep in and make Colin very sick. Colin's cell counts are down, but honestly, there have been no indicators of infection, yet, so we can only pray that it keeps going that way! I'm praying that he can get to Grad......it means SO much to him that he can be there with the other recruits. The Doc's won't say something for sure until they see what his body does in the coming days! Please keep praying that God takes these chemo effects away, as HE has already, and that He keeps Colin safe through this!
If it isn't too much trouble, please keep our kids in your prayers as well, my parents have them at home now, and i know how exhausting our boys can be.......Corban is still crying and not liking when me or my parents leave him.......also our good friends are watching the boys through the day while my parents are at work.......please pray for strength for everyone and that Corban will feel safe with whomever he is with!
Thanks very much!
5 hours down, 19 more to go
Luv, Melissa

Good sleep, hopefully

So I am writing this post from Andrew and Nat's place. The doctor came in to see me today and asked if I was from Calgary or if I had a place to go in Calgary. I answered yes, then she said okay well how would you like to spend a night at home or away from the hospital? I almost jumped out of my skin! I said yes. So tonight I got to be with my family at Andrew and Nat's place! I don't have to be back to the hospital until 8pm tomorrow night! So that's the latest news from us. I am bushed, going to bed! Good night all!

Colin

Reflections from Colin

Lastnight I got my laptop from Medicine Hat. Glen brought it up for me so I can have a computer in my room and it sure takes away the boredom that comes with sitting in this room. I did get to see my boys lastnight and made me soooooo happy to see them. I miss so much not seeing them everyday. The chemo is easy to deal with, the nausea is easy, being in a hospital is easy, not seeing my family and especially my boys is truly the hardest thing in the world. I miss so much being able to play with Corban and now even Keegan. The joy kids bring to people is so amazing and such a blessing. I praise God though that I can still visit with them and I was actually strong enough to pick up Keegan yesterday and sit with him. It wasn't for long though because he motors now! In 4 months he is going to be running circles around me.

I love having Melissa come up and spend so much time with me, but its not the same as well. Its so hard to fall asleep in a hospital bed already and then knowing I am alone physically, because God is always there with me, is hard. Melissa and I always used bug each other they were hogging the bed, but I miss that so much too. Being in the hopsital fighting this Lymphoma has 100% truly made me realize how much I have and how much I take for granted. There are so many people in our world, in our communities who don't have anything and yet they are so grateful and happy. MAN WAS I SELFISH!

Today has been a good day for me. I had some chemo this morning but I am not feeling any ill effects from it, so that's always a plus. I feel good right now, but the nurse said my red cells were down again and I am going to get another tranfusion later today. The best part about that is it will only make me feel better! Praise God!

Melissa is shaving Keegan's head today so there goes his little surfer hair. It was so blonde from playing outside all summer and it was a little longer then the tops of his ears. He is so cute! Corban already has his head shaved to look like Daddy, even though I haven't lost anything hair yet. Melissa even said she would shave her head, but I put a stop to that.

Anyways, I should go and do my exercises they gave me to keep up my strength. Please pray over this next week that my strength stays up and also my white cells come back up so I can go to my police grad ceremony next Friday in Lethbridge! I really want to go, but mostly its upto the doc's here. I have chemo Monday, its a 24 hr, then nothing for the rest of the week, so pray my strength comes back quick. I really want to join my class on our graduation day, even if I can only go to the ceremony and not the BBQ.

To quote Bon Jovi, "Keep the faith!" I miss you all and I thank each and everyone of you for your prayers and support. I am tough guy, I know :), but everything everyone is doing for us and the prayers that are flooding in have made me cry some of the happiest tears of my life and I love each and everyone of you for that! May God bless each and everyone of your families for fighting with me!

Colin

Well, I just had two of the most amazing days with my husband! Colin had two whole days off of his chemo treatments and he was in the greatest mood! (well, who wouldn't be if they a bit of rest from the worst process of their life?!) Anyways......Colin has been the happiest i've seen him in about 10 weeks, laughing and joking and smiling! It's good that we've had some good days before the worst comes.......it makes him so much more stronger for the tough days ahead! We took the boys up to see him today and we really had the most amazing time hangin' out and spending some quality time together all 4 of us again! He's walking and even climbing stairs..(Keegan, too!)...every little bit of exercise helps him heal and beat this thing! I'm thankful for this time......it gives us something to hang on too, until we get another great day to spend together! God knows what we need, and He knew that we needed some smiles through this, so I thank Him for the little blessings!
Another blessing was meeting another Burkitt Lymphoma patient, at the end of his treatment. He only has 3 weeks left of chemo until he gets to go home for good! We needed to hear that someone else with stage 4 cancer is living the other side and doing great! It meant a lot to us both and that he and his wife took the time to share their journey!
God is good, and on that note, i'm gonna get some sleep!
Luv, Melissa
oh ya, Colin found something that made him want to eat, ALOT.........Wendy's cheeseburgers! haha, he thought he'd only eat a few bites but he ended up making my brother go out and get him another one last nite, and he made me go out to get him one for lunch today! Doc says, if he finds something that he likes, get it for him, so i just hope i don't have to make any late nite runs, Calgary is a big city! (Now i know what he felt like when i was pregnant! LOL)

Good Morning

Hey everyone, this is Colin. I thought I should come update the blog after talking with Dr Peters this morning. I asked for my cell counts just because I like to know where I am at everyday. She told me the regulars and then about an LDH cell. She called it a 'Marker' cell that tells them how fast the cancer cells are multiplying. Never heard of this one before so she went right back to when I came into the hospital. My LDH cells were over 2000 when I came in last Friday. This morning, Thursday, one week later, I am at 660. She even figures I will be down to a normal persons level by the end of next week. So that's good news. Dr Peters also said they are really happy with how I am responding to the treatments. So that's my medical news for the day.

Lastnight I had a few guests show up, a couple expected and a couple passing through to some holidays. You know all day I felt tired and run down from Chemo and slept until about 3 pm. Once Melissa showed up and then the visitors, I had a wonderful night! Sometimes all you need is to see a best friend to make you smile. Praise Jesus for the people who surround us and for family, but today especially for best friends.

Sorry this is so short but I need to study. I am writing my final exam for police recruiting tonight. Please pray I do well and for strength to get through.

God Bless,

Colin

All Because of Your Prayers!

ok, so i know it's ridiculuously late, and i need to get some sleep, but i just wanted to share something that Colin and his Doc talked about today. She told him how amazing she was that his blood counts (hemoglobin and white cells, along with his platlets) were so high considering he has been on chemo for almost a week. Her words were that there was "something else going on here". We know it is God's hand because of all of you who are praying! God has been answering our prayers to keep Colin's body strong through this process, and He is being SO faithful in showing us His power, even after such a short time into this ordeal.
Of course Colin is still tired, which is comepletely normal, but he is in great spirits and he's smiling and laughing, his pain is manageable and God is a good God who takes care of our needs one day at a time. He will not leave us alone through this, and that's where we have so much hope to just keep going!
Some great friends came up today and took Corban and I to the zoo this afternoon.....what a great time! Such a blessing to spend some quality time with my little boy. He has not been coping so well with me coming and going, so please pray that I will be able to find a balance between making sure both Colin and the boys are cared for....My parents are to take them back to Medicine Hat for the coming week, so please pray it is a little easier than this past week has been! Keegan is just along for the ride, and he's been quite happy and a little bit of a handful, but his little grin makes it all worth it. My Mom and Nat have done amazing with all four of the kids, such a blessing to not have to worry while i'm with Colin!
I need to get some sleep, but i will write more tomorrow.
Colin is off chemo for a couple days just to let his body recoup for some tougher, more stronger doses next week. Keep praying that he feels little to no effects from his treatment and that there is no long term damage to worry about!
Good Night!
luv, Missy

Just One More Thing!

Hi, i just saw our Doc a few minutes ago, and she told me the cell results are in from today's spinal fluid and now they're down to 0.6!!!!! AWESOME! She had a huge smile on her face and was VERY pleased at how quickly those results came!!!!!!!! There is no way we can lose hope when God answers prayers so quickly!
okay, now i should go! i'll keep bringing the Doc's updates as i know more!

Some Good News!

Hello All.....It's Melissa here.
I just wanted to give you all a quick update about our day today. Colin had 2 rounds of chemo today, one through his central line (near his heart), and one injection into his spinal fluid. He's tired, but we did manage to go for a little walk around, just to keep him moving. Right now he's sleeping so i thought i'd come and tell you a few things, while i had some time. The Doc came in today for his spinal injection with great news.....his cancer cell counts at the beginning of treatment (Friday), came back at 100, they are supposed to be at around 5! But with just two injections, the results from Sunday's fluid samples came back that the cancer counts were 2!!!! From 100 down to 2 in just 2-3 days!!!! Praise God! She says that she thinks the cell counts will settle around 1 but that it's not unlikely that they could be 0 and stay that way! This is what we needed to hear.....that the Chemo is doing what it needs to do, to kill this ugly cancer! Also, another praise note, is that his red blood cell counts and his platlets (in the bone marrow) were up as well! it's good that he doesn't need a lot of transfusions this early on, they tend to stop working the more he gets, so if his body can stabalize itself, it is a VERY good thing! We do know that his white cell counts (the one's that fight infection) are going down slowly, but still going down, so please pray that he doesn't get any illness because of this. It's a very serious risk, and that is why we ask that no one, even thinking that they are getting sick, come to visit.

We are amazed on a daily basis at how God is providing for our every need through this battle, and we are brought to tears at the kindness of people being prompted to help!
we cannot say it enough, thank you for your prayers, and support...however that may be, we know who you are, and we are so very grateful for the help! It takes such a load off of Colin, to know that our family is being taken care of! We just don't have the words to say how much love we have felt!
I should get back to check on Colin, hoping that he feels good to touch base with you all again soon!

Today, The Sun will Shine!

Hi!
It's Missy here......i'm up at the hospital now, Mom came back up from the Hat this morning with Hella Striefler (THANK YOU, Hella for taking the time to drive her up!). She and Nat will be watching the 4 kids in total, while so i can be up at the hospital with my sweet Colin. Today is a good day! The things that were sent up from the Police Recruit Class, Sgt. Brandt, and the Police Association were SO much appreciated.......Colin's day was brightened by your kindness! THANK YOU FOR MAKING HIM SMILE! You have no idea how much it means to me to see his smile today!
We went for a walk and were able to enjoy some of the views from the 5th floor, here at Tom Baker......it was good to see him in great spirits.
Colin is sleeping now.....it really doesn't take much for him to be totally exhausted, so we take what we can get and his rest helps him heal and fight so i'm glad he's able to find comfort in sleeping!
Even though, it really hasn't been that long that Colin has been sick and started treatment, we have prayed that God will continue to provide for our family.......my dad said it best, that when we pray for God to provide, and He does....and we are surprised by it........I never questioned God's power......but wow.....those of you who have blessed us with donations to help with our bills and extra costs throughout this process....Thank You! May God richly bless you for your generousity and kindness.......you have been faithful to give in our time of deepest need, and Colin and I pray God's Richest Blessings upon you all! Our LOVE and big HUGS go to each one of you!
I praise God for a good day....the sun is shining, Colin smiled for the first time in so long! I never thought a good day could come so soon into this process, but we know there are so many praying, and those prayers are sustaining us everyday. I have never felt prayers so strongly until now......we've had our nurses and Doc's tell us they are surprised at how well we have handled everything thus far.......i tell them we have an army of support behind us to lean on!


I can't say it enough.....THANK YOU! WE LOVE YOU!
we'll keep the updates coming!

Thank you

I just wanted to put a huge thank you to everyone once again! Today I want to name a few people and I am sorry if I offend anyone, but you all know who you are that have contributed to helping us out. Of course our families! Andy and Nat, thank you so much for taking the boys this week and giving Melissa time to be with me in the hospital. The Voth family for all you have given to us to be sustained when we didn't quite pack for the right weather. Darlene Garrecht and her family for offering to maintain our yard while I am away in hospital in Calgary, thank you so much! For those who don't know Darlene, she is a member of the MHPS with me and I have met her only a few times! Thanks for your help! The last people I want to recognize today is a couple I have never met! Luke Day came to visit me today but unfortunately I missed him. He left me a wondering inspiring card telling me he heard about our situation when his family was out east on holidays. Luke's wife's parents, whom I have never met felt so compelled to help us out they gave a donation to help pay bills! Thank you Jesus for a family that extends far beyond blood lines! Luke and Cindy, and Cindy's parents, sorry I don't have your names with me right now, I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart! We love you in Christ!



So those are a few people who are on my mind today! I know there are so many others out there and there will be so many more. As I can I will try to thank you myself and if I miss you I am truly sorry.



Today was pretty good, a little more chemo this morning which wore me out and also my platlets and red cells where low. I have had platelets transfused today and as I write I am getting red cells which is picking up my energy levels. I also had a spinal treatment of chemo again today to kill any cells that are in my spinal fliud and around my brain. Keep praying those go down fast. The doc says everything is going well and everyone is very optimistic.



I should probably go, because Mom and Dad are coming to see me on their layover between Regina and Abbotsford. Can't wait to see them!



To anyone from my Police Recruit class reading this, I miss you guys and wish I could be there working hard with all of you!

Day one down!

HI Everyone,

It's Colin. I know you all are like "what's he doing on a computer?" Well I needed to stay in touch with everyone and let people know first hand how I am doing. Last night was rough. First day of chemo and it was not so pleasant. I got the chills and nauseated at the same time so they covered me with warm blankets and I held my bucket til it came. Unfortunately because it was part way through a treatment, the nurse restarted that dose. In the morning the other nurses said it wasn't necessary, but oh well. I finished my first day of doses this morning and those went okay. I felt a little sick but nothing else came up. Melissa and Glen came up to see me today and we had a good afternoon. I slept a little because my night was so rough. I had a shower and supper and feel better now.

I want to say thank you to each and everyone who has offered to help, who has helped to do anything for Melissa, Corban, Keegan and I. I cannot name everyone right now but thanks to everyone. I cannot begin to think of all the people who have come forward to offer to help us. Also to all of those who are praying for us! I feel those prayers here in the hospital and I know Melissa and the boys are feeling it too!

Keep praying for us and also for our extended families. Please pray for Mom and Dad as they are going to be pretty far away in BC and for strength to know I will be okay and I have the best doctors looking after me.

I know people might be wondering about visiting and how that is looking right now, and from my perspective I don't mind but please phone ahead to see how I am feeling that day. Also if you in any way, shape or form are sick, have a cold, please, please do not come. Thanks

In closing I want to say congradulations to KRIS and JENNIE BURRITT! Today they were married and I am so proud to be in a family with you two. Love you guys lots and we'll see you soon.

• Colin

Prognisis and Treatment

So, to keep up with the whirlwind of events, we spoke to the Doc yesturday and within minutes of finishing our meeting with her, she answered our questions and started the first round of chemo. They have discovered the Burkitt-Like Lymphoma is in stage four BUT that doesn't not by any means give Colin a death sentence! Yes the cancer is VERY aggressive, BUT it responds very well to chemo, so we are praying hard and we need you all to pray hard for our miracle! Yesturday was the longest most painful day of our lives, and we really haven't even processed everything happening. It's overwhelming that this treatment is going to take about 4 months, give or take depending how Colin responds and how his body will hold up. I haven't even begun to figure out how I can be both a mother and a wife, but i know God is going to take care of all the details and He is already providing! The effects from the chemo are immediate, but there are so many things to counter the side effects, so they are trying to keep Colin as comfortable and pain free as possible. He is sleeping a lot, and he needs to keep up his rest so his body can fight this!
The people who are praying and putting this on church prayer chains, THANK YOU.........God is here, I promise you that! Keep praying, keep believing........right now our family needs to lean on those around us......Calgary keeps us from getting help with caring for the kids and things like that, but we are depending on your prayers!
Pray that Colin will have little to no side effects from this chemo
Pray that there are no lasting effects as well
Pray that the cancer responds and he gets into remission

it's early so i've not been up to the hospital for the day yet, but i will lpost on how Colin is doing later today!

HUGS~ Missy

I just wanted to mention to our families (both sides) what a strong support and help you've been to us this past week and with Darlene and Nicole helping getting us packed up to leave for Calgary so fast! THANK YOU! The phone calls and emails and comments are getting us through this time! Please don't think you are imposing in any way!
We love you dearly!

Day 1: Tom Baker Cancer Clinic

Today is a very busy day........spoke with the Doc this morning and he will be going through a whole load more tests today to determine how advanced the cancer is, and where it has spread to, in his body. Chemo could possibly begin as early as later today, or tomorrow for sure....we are still unsure the details and still have a lot of unanswered questions.......so we wait to speak with more Doc's about treatments.

Just wanted to let everyone know that because everything is still so new, and Colin and i and our families are still processing what is happening and what will be happening......that you don't call the hospital directly or come by to visit right now. I (Missy) am here at the hospital right now, and i have access to the blog anytime, so i will be updating constantly!

Please pray for Chemo treatments to be successful and for Colin to be strong through it all. We are tired......in every way, but God is carrying us and we just really need your prayers.
Again, as we know, you all will know as well!
Just one day at a time!

Colin admitted to hospital

Hi everyone this is Colin's mom Darlene. We just wanted to let you know Colin is admitted to Tom Baker Cancer clinic next door to Foothills Hospital in Calgary. There are a few things to know if you are wanting to go see Colin. He cannot have any flowers, any fresh fruit should be cleared at the nurses station. He is on the 5th floor room 93 in Unit 57. Limit of 2 visitors if possible also, no children under 10 yrs.
Continue to pray as Colin is in a fair amount of pain. The nurse was going to be giving him something for the pain tonight. Melissa will be staying with her brother with the boys in Calgary. If you are uncertain about going to see Colin - try and call the hospital to see if he is able to have visitors.
Darlene

Here We GO!

oh, man....i can't believe what has transpired in the last few hours! this has to be short because we're packing up now, to leave for Calgary......Colin will be admitted and because he is in a lot of pain they can better mange him and keep him comfortable there! Please pray for the kids as they are with Andy (my brother and his wife). Please pray for the Chemo treatment, and for successful results! This is a very fast growing cancer, and we cannot wait......the results of this disease is very dablilitating, so we have to act now to beat this thing! Please pray for strength and wisdom for the Doctors.......if any of you need to find out any more info...you can call Hillcrest Church 403-526-4010.......and i know that Renate Kurpjuweit will also be in contact with us, so you can call her as well.
I will update as soon as i can, but we just need your constant prayers and petitions on our behalf.
Thank you! and i wish i was writing better news, but God is Powerful so keep praying and we're gonna see some pretty amazing things!
luv, Missy (Melissa)

Finally some answers

Today we finally got the call which confirmed the Burkitt Lymphoma. Things changed again and I will be in Calgary for treatment. They would like us to call tomorrow morning and maybe admit me to Foothills then as well, but there is no way we can get there until Friday. I still need time to think and we also need time to pack up the boys and ourselves and get things figured with Nat and Andy.

Mom and Dad got here today and it has been awesome having them here. Its nice to see them again. Unfortunately I will not be able to go to Kris' wedding this weekend. That sucks. Today hasn't been a good day. The Fentenal patch they gave me lastnight for pain, has made me sick today so there is more icing on the cake for me.

Anyways that's all I got tonight. I am sure Melissa will be writing sometime soon and once we get to Calgary, I don't know how things are going to go. Melissa will probably be the only one blogging.

Please keep praying for us and for healing. Keep in mind especially Melissa and the boys as they are going to be displaced for a while and even more for Melissa as she is going to be back and forth from the hospital again.

Andy, Melissa's brother, had a good idea and we might order those gel wristbands with something on them and a verse, so if we order them let us know if you would like one. Not sure of the price yet thought. We'll let you know.

Colin

Just the facts

Hi Everyone,

So I was at the track today getting ready to review the driving exercises we did yesterday ( I was not actually going to be driving lots today I was sore) and I got the CALL! I had a doctor's appointment at 4pm. I figured well let's get this figured out and what the next step with be.

So Meliss and went to the dr, while Ati watched the boys for us! We knew something was up and it was not going to be the best news. Dr Glas came in and said the ridges in my stomach were in fact the cause of the whole debocale going on within me. This is the same thing Dr Nohr told me last Friday it was nothing to worry about.

SO no more leukemia talk from Dr Glas and the pathologist and hemeotologist in Calgary also agree, but there is 1 more slide they will look at tomorrow. So the diagonis now and won't change, pending something super wierd showing up in that slide is whats called Burkitt Lymphoma. IT is an aggressive type on non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

So yes I will be enduring Chemo and treatments, but probably here in the Hat. I have told everyone I have talked to today since I found out, that I will be this thing and being to live my normal life again! PLease pray for me healing and strength through tough times. We will be meeting with an oncologist hopefully in the next 2 days and he will give us more answers regarding treatment, cure rates and expectancy. We'll keep you posted.

So to ice the cake tonight, we have my sister and her hubby, Nicole and Simon show up tonight from BC before Kris' wedding and also Ati and Clark were still here too. My body decided back spasms were in order again, so yes I was back down to the ER to get fixed up once again. Just as we were leaving our house, Chad and Jessie showed up to come support us and se how we are doing. Poor guys barely got to say hi to me. Anyways after some morphin and ativan to take pain and to relax me, I am home now writing to all of you!

We love you all so much and cherish your prayers during this stage of out lives. Be blessed in your days and all you do, may God's grace flwo freely to you all!

Just remember, this is an obstacle the Lord has given to me and he will be walking me through this and that is why I know, I WILL BEAT THIS!!!

Colin

Hi All! It's Missy here, just so you know, I called the Doc's office AGAIN this morning, and nothing, they want to see the most recent blood counts from yesturday that Colin had done, so I'm not crossing my fingers that we'll hear anything today, but we do have someone calling us to see if Colin's blood counts are stable, or in the normal range. I hope his transfusion at least helps his levels stay in the normal range! It's funny, but i think we're almost getting used to this waiting game.......i find we're not so anxious (probably more from your prayers than anything else), and that we're just trying to enjoy each day as it comes......it's amazing how each day becomes a little more sacred when one is faced with these unknown circumstances~the little things become very BIG blessings!
The plan is for us to go to Regina this weekend, Colin's little brother Kris is getting married.....it'll be good to get away and be surrounded by family! The Burritt side of the family starts coming today, so we're excited to have family to distract us and keep us in the present, instead of where our minds can sometimes take us!
Was reading in Psalm 62 about God being our defense and our protection......How amazingly lucky we are to have such a Powerful God fighting on our behalf!

Just wanted to say again, we've been getting such an overwhelming response from all those we know and love, and I just wanted to say, how thankful and how blessed we are to have each of you in our lives.......it's amazing to be able to lean on so many......believe me, if we need anything, i know we are in good hands and God is teaching me that in our time of need, that it's ok to ask for help.....so thank you to those who have offered.....it may not be right away, but if we need you, we will call...the willingness to help makes me cry, so i'm going to stop now and get a kleenex and spend some time with Corban! LOL
Colin is at work again today, i think he might have overdid it yesturday, but he's learning his limits and he's stepping back when he needs too!
i'm sure he'll write tonite!
love you all, and Thanks again for everything you all have done!

You did what?

So I thought I would come write about what I did today since I am apparently the ill one right now. I sat around home all day wondering why me, what's going and those sort of thoughts. WRONG!!! You all know me better then that! I went to work today! That's right, I had my first day of EVOC, emergency vehicle operations course! It was awesome! I cannot believe the limits we pushed on out police cars! Sorry no sirens or lights but we did do tight steering, corners and a slalom course! I felt good all day, hopefully the LORD has decided to heal me and I know he gave me the strength for the day. Same thing tomorrow and for the rest of the week.

Please pray my strength will stay up and that I will know when to step back if I get to tired. Again you all know me and know how well I step back when I am supposed too! The instructors have been awesome asking how I am doing and if I need breaks.

Anyways I am going to go enjoy some time with my beautiful wife! Good night!

Colin

Wish There Was SOME News!

Hi guys, just thought i'd quickly write and tell you that i talked to the Doc's Office this morning and the nurse said it could possibly be another 2 WEEKS until the final results come in.......as i told her the situation and how much waiting we've already been doing, she assured me that she would call up to Calgary this afternoon to see if she could get us something....some sort of news just to know what we're dealing with. So, again, we sit and wait......I took the kids to Echo Dale with some great friends, just to get our minds off of what was to come. It was good to get out, Colin is trying to be at work.....he's on modified duty, just the classroom stuff, and he has to wear a respitory mask, just so he doesn't catch any germs. I haven't heard from him yet, so i'm guessing no news is good news and that being with his fellow recruits will help take his mind off of the inevitable life changes in our near future!
Keep praying, I just hope something comes soon......it's been a blur of emotional ups and downs and we're no better off than when this whole thing started........God is BIGGER, my prayer is that He Alone, guides the Doc's to find the diagnosis!
Natalie (my sis-in-law XOXOX) gave me a verse from Romans 8, that could not have come at a more perfect time. God knows our hearts, even when we don't even know what to pray or in this case how to pray, the Holy Spirit is praying on our behalf (just the idea, obviously not word for word)......never has God's word rang more true than it has in the last few weeks! It's sad that growth has to come with such a cost, but I know the God that we serve is a Mighty Healer, and He's carrying us now, as we wait!
Pray, also, that the stress of the situation doesn't affect the kids......we're both finding that our fuse is a bit shorter lately, and their high energy can be a bit much at times, being as exhausted as we are!
Again, i want to Thank you for your prayers, and for even taking the time to read what's been going on! i'll be sure to update as soon as i know any bit of info!

Just some more details

Hi guys! I know Colin just posted, but i thought i would get you all up to speed. Just so we're all on the same page here. This whole whurlwind of events went down about 10 days ago now. Colin and i were both feeling like there was just something not right with his health, and we was losing a bunch of weight and his color was whiter than white in his face. So, on that friday, when he got home from training in Lethbridge, we both decided he needed to go to Emergency here in town and demand that they find out what was really going on. We never thought he'd be admitted that night for low blood counts and have a gamat of testing done within the next 24 hours. Chest, Back X-rays, CT scans and more blood were ordered as soon as possible and we had to wait until Tuesday to get a Bone Marrow screening and a stomach scope done. They thought it could've been anything to more bones out of place to some internal bleeding. Never in a million years did we expect to be hearing that the best case scenario would be a small bleed in his stomach to the worst case, being some sort of leukemia! What a rollercoaster of emotions to go through in such a short time, at such a young age. BUT we have been learning that what matter most to God is what and how we act and react in our journey.......to HIM, the end result is just something earthly, but where we grow and become wise and have our faith tested is in the journey. I have felt the prayers of the army we have behind us right now, and we want you to know, that although we're worried and afraid, GOD is carrying us, and we are strong because of those prayers and people standing with us during this time! I have never experienced the love, like i have this week from our friends and family, and we are so very grateful to each and every one of you!
So here, we sit, waiting the weekend to hear the result of these specialists in Calgary........just waiting......Colin had a blood transfusion on thursday nite that took 9 hours to complete with little or no sleep because of all the nurses checking on him round the clock. So, he's tired and weak and sleeping a lot, but it's good to have him home. At least now we can all be together as a family!
To sum this up, out of all the testing done this past week, the Doc's have narrowed it down to his Bone Marrow, something is not working right and there are cells there that should not be there.......the Doc's are working now, on a diagnosis........so PRAY! Pray that the diagnosis is not deadly, not serious.....that it will be treatable and that Colin will have his health quickly restored. We love you and thank you for praying, and i promise we will post something when the results come to us!

Here's the deal folks!

Hi Everyone,

Talking to Mom B lastnight we discussed how many people we have been talking to and needing to phone, email, etc. She suggested we create a blog, this is wierd. Anyways we hope this helps more people stay in touch with what is happening with my health and what to pray for with our family.

So right now, I am sure most people know we are waiting on results of my bone marrow scan in Calgary. Hopefully we will know about it tomorrow, Monday because we are eagerly waiting and wanting to be able to continue on with whatever God has planned for us.

You will hear from me sometimes but probably more from Melissa especially if I end up in intense treatment, let's pray not, but if that is what it take to heal me, then so be it.

Love you all and we will probably be in touch tomorrow.

Colin