Seth Good

April 23rd THE LAST BLOG ENTERY

2010-04-24T09:07:00.006-04:00

It has been quite a journey for Seth and our family to travel. Cancer was never in my plans for my children but it came anyway. We learned many things through our journey such as... how much our kids really do love each other, that through Christ we are stronger then we thought we were, but most important thing we learned was that God never abandons us! With every test result and every surgical procedure God gave us the strength and He especially gave Seth the strength to not only get through all of his trials but to do it with a smile on his face (except through radiation). I know people might think that because all of the pictures we took of Seth he is smiling that this past 2 years were not that hard. But I look at it differently.... I see God's faithfullness with every smiling picture I look at. God does not say life is going to be easy but He does promise to never leave us. We along with Seth have been scared together, cried together, laughed together, found joy in the little accomplishments in life like the other day Seth said to me with a proud smile on his face..."mom you are going to surprised on how fast I can run." Since chemo he has been trying to regain his ability to run and it is finally starting to come back. I looked at Seth's school picture the other day and tears welled up in my eyes as I thought that my son might grow up to be a man. That is the first time I have allowed myself to think that way since July 2008. So many times we take the precious time with have with each other for granted. God has done great things in our family!!!! Thank you to everyone for all your support! We love you all!!!!

March 23rd

2010-03-22T21:27:00.004-04:00

Seth had his wish finally granted last week. His wish was to ride 200 mph in a race car! And that is what we did. Todd, Shane, Seth and myself were blessed with a crazy NASCAR ride, one we will never forget. Due to their ages Sarah and Laura were only able to 110 mph around the track but they still had a blast! Thank you to Make a Wish I got to see my kids faces light up with true joy! I have seen a lot of children battling cancer and it breaks my heart to watch them in the hospital instead of enjoying life like other kids their ages. Cancer robs kids of their childhood and my dream would be to see pediatric cancer become extinct. But until then Make a Wish does a wonderful job of helping kids feel like kids again. We were treated so special and I can not say thank you enough to the organizations that helped make Seth's dream come true!

February 23rd

2010-02-23T13:36:00.003-05:00

I was cleaning out one of our third floor rooms and found cards that people had sent us in the beginning of Seth's journey. How touching it was to read all of the love and support again. I sat and cried to remember how scary of a time that was for us not knowing the outcome of this journey. At the time I did not know if Seth was going to survive brain surgery. In my heart I knew that God was big enough to save Seth but I also knew the reality of what we were dealing with when you operate on a major part of your body. I am so thankful to look back through the past 2 years and be in owe of Gods faithfullness! On February 15th we celebrated Seth's 13th birthday. He is now officially a teenager! Seth told me last year that his wish would be that he would be able to run again for his 13th birthday. Well.... he ran! Not super fast like he used to but he is starting to run again...another milestone that Seth is crossing on the road to recovery. In two weeks our family is taking a trip to Charlotte North Carolina. We are going to the Richard Petty driving school. This is Seth's Make a Wish trip. He has waited for this trip for 2 years and it is finally going to happen. Seth's wish is to go REALLY fast in a race car and that is what he is getting. BTW.... Seth is not getting a brain stress test that was a miss communication between us and the doctors. The next time he goes to Hopkins will be for routine blood work.

January 27th

2010-01-27T08:42:00.002-05:00

Good news again!!! The MRI was normal! Today Seth is starting is journey back into full time school. He seemed excited about it. This will be the first full day of school since he was in 5th grade, he is currently in 7th grade. In March they want to do a stress test on Seth's brain to see if radiation or chemo has put stress on his brain. It is a routine test and we are believing once again for good results. Thanks for praying :)

January 25th

2010-01-25T16:39:00.004-05:00

Another MRI completed! Seth did very well through the MRI this morning. The travel there and back was not fun with heavy rain and losing one of my brake lights and turning signal on the van. But God was good and protected us :) Tomorrow Todd is traveling back down to Hopkins with Seth to find out the MRI results and for Seth to have a routine checkup with his oncologists. Amazing enough there was peace in the MRI room today. Seth and I said we must be getting used to this because he slept through most of it and I was falling asleep too. I will post tomorrow when we find out the results. Thanks for praying!

The picture I am posting is from our skiing vacation we took last week. For the first half of the day we all tried snowboarding but by lunch time we were ready to trade our snowboards in for a skis. We thought with Seth weak ankles that cause a balancing issue for him it would be hard for him to snowboard. Funny.... he did better then any of us! Thank you to the Believe in Tomorrow Childrens Foundation that blessed our family with a free vacation :)

January 9th

2010-01-09T10:31:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a good New Years and a wonderful Christmas! Ours was awesome :) It feels so good to have things going towards normal life. Seth is doing very well. We have finally seen progress in his foot drop healing... yeah!!! He will be starting school full time on January 27th. This will be the first time he is in school a full day since Sept. 2008. This will be another milestone of healing for him. On January 25th Seth gets his routine MRI if you think of him you can be praying for him on that day. His MRIs are 2 hours long and he is an amazing trooper. You can also pray that Todd and I have peace as we wait for the results (that is always a nerve racking time). Many days I smile as I reflect the faithfulness of God over Seth's life these past 2 years. But as I look into the future I still need to take each day one at a time because we do not know what the future holds but thankfully we know God holds the future. I will update with his MRI results. Thank you everyone!

December 6th

2009-12-06T17:33:00.003-05:00

I am happy to announce the port removal surgery went very well. Seth is still sore at the incision but I am sure that the pain will go away soon. Thank for praying! Seth's next appointment is January 25th, 2010 for an MRI and then January 26th for a routine doctors visit and to find out the results of the MRI.

December 2nd

2009-12-02T07:21:00.002-05:00

Happy December!!!! Seth is doing very well! Yesterday we were at Johns Hopkins for a routine hearing test and found that the chemo has not destroyed anymore of his hearing. Seth still has the high frequency hearing loss in the left ear but some of the other frequencies have actually improved. So all in all that means that he will not have to wear a hearing device... yeah!! After the hearing test Seth and I went to clinic for an appointment with his oncologist. Everything went well and his blood test showed that his body is rebuilding itself. Even though Seth's blood counts are still low his counts are showing an improvement from the last time. And improvement is what we want to see. I told his doctor that I finally feel like I can "breathe" again. Tomorrow will be a special day it will truly mark the end of chemo (at least for me). Tomorrow is the day they are taking the port out!! Finally that device that gave access from the chemo to Seth's main vein is coming out. The procedure is schedule for 8:45am. You can be praying for Seth at that time. Before we left clinic the doctors and nurses celebrated with Seth. They had an ice cream cake and they sang a song of congratulations to him. They also gave Seth a T shirt that was signed that said "You Did It" across the front. How proud I am of him!!! But then you look around and see the other children so sad and you read it in their eyes them saying "what about me? Why can't I be done with all of this treatment?". As I celebrate with Seth and rejoice in all of the good news my heart is heavy for all the innocent children who are missing out on their childhood and having to deal with cancer. It is a horrible thing to watch your child go through and my heart just aches for the children and their families. Seth's cancer journey does not end tomorrow but will continue for years to come. Seth will be getting MRIs and having visits at Johns Hopkins every 3 months for the next year. Then it moves to every 6 months for 3 years and then after that once a year. I told Seth one time it is not a question is cancer going to change you because it will change you but it is more of a question on how is cancer going to change you, for the better or for the worse. Things are going to happen to us in this world it is our choice... do we become angry and hold onto unforgiveness or as hard as it might be do we find joy in the mist of our trials.

November 17th

2009-11-17T07:41:00.002-05:00

Good news... Seth's blood work looked really good. His platelets came up and so did his white blood counts. We met with the surgeon who is going to be removing Seth's port and he gave us the go ahead to schedule the port removal appointment. Seth's port will be coming out on Dec. 3rd!!! This is exciting!! It feels wonderful to be moving in this direction. Seth also amazed us yesterday when he brought his report card home and showed us the he made second honors. Even though he has missed almost 4 out of the 12 weeks of school this marking period he still was able to achieve A's and B's in his classes. We just got the results back from his PSSA test that he took last spring when he was in the middle of chemo and it showed that he scored advanced in everything. This is so awesome to me because one of the common permanent side effects of chemo is learning disabilities. I pray that this is a sign to us that God protected his brain! One thing you could pray for us is for wisdom on know when to send Seth back to full day school. At the time I still pick him up at 12pm. He is able to have History, Algebra, and English in the morning and currently gets excused from all of his specials (gym, art....). Thank you all for your continue prayers Seth seems to be doing well.

Seth's Video

2009-11-09T21:46:00.003-05:00

It was so good to see all of you who came Sunday night. For those who coulldn't make it we missed you and thanks for your support this past year. Here is a video of the last + year that we showed . God is so good. We will be making a trip to Johns Hopkins on Friday to meet with Seth's surgeon to discuss having his port removed. Another reminder that our long journey is nearing the end. Please pray for good success and health for the removal of the port. At this point Seth's platelets are to low to have the surgery. Please pray that his counts will raise so that he can have the surgery.

November 4th

2009-11-04T08:03:00.003-05:00

Seth's appointment went well yesterday. His blood counts are not at what I was hoping for but they said with as much chemo as he had it would take awhile for his body to recover fully. Seth's white counts are 1,500 (up), platelets 64,000 (down), red count 8.6 (same), and ANC 800 (up). Seth's red counts are low enough for another transfusion but because of the chemo treatments being over they are going to see if it can come up on its own. His next appointment is for Friday Nov. 13th for labs and to talk to the surgeon about taking out Seth's port. If his counts are high enough for surgery it looks like they will remove the port by Thanksgiving. That will surely be something to be thankful about!
Some of you might remember a brave little boy named DJ who we have asked for prayer for . That brave little boy got his angel wings. Please remember his family in your prayers.

November 2nd

2009-11-02T09:45:00.002-05:00

Happy November!!! Seth is doing so good and I praise God for that! Seth is once again bald. His hair was falling out too much that is was getting in his food and down his shirt and making him itchy. So the other day he had his first hair cut in 15 months. I thought his first hair cut would be a memorable moment not realizing that it would consist of me shaving his hair off and making him bald again. Seth and I were able to laugh about it and said maybe we should call him patches because he had hair some places and not others. It might sound silly we laugh about hair falling out but you have to take some things lightly or you get so frustrated with it all. School is going ok for him. He is having some trouble keeping up good grades because of all the school days he has missed but I am thankful for understanding teachers. Tomorrow Seth and I go back to Johns Hopkins for a checkup. I think this is the time we will find out what the future will look like such as appointments, MRIs and when should we expect Seth's port to be taken out. I can honestly say the future scares me a little bit. But the Lord reminds me how faithful He has been to Todd, me, and our children and that will never change. Just last week I was able to let myself be happy the treatments are over. I know that sounds crazy but when you are on the "journey" your goal is to get to the end and be down with all the chemo and radiation. But when it is over you are faced with the idea that the cancer could come back. And to watch any of my children go through that again is almost unbearable to me. But I praise God that He has placed an excitement in my heart for our future and a joy to be able to celebrate with my son! I am so proud of Seth even though he had to give up a year of his childhood, he is still filled with joy and makes us all laugh. And also our other children, Shane, Sarah, and Laura who have been amazing supporters to their brother through all of this. But we am most thankful to our Lord and Savior who with Him our family was able to walk a journey of cancer with peace in our hearts knowing God was in control.

October 26th

2009-10-26T13:31:00.002-04:00

Today was the first day in almost 2 weeks that Seth was back in school. I am sure his blood counts are not up to normal yet but both Todd and I had peace about sending him back. Seth prayed last night that God would protect him from the flu. We believe God is more then able to do that. When I picked up Seth today for school he said everything went well but he started to notice that his hair is falling out again. It seems strange that his hair is falling out now when chemo is over. But I remember the doctors telling us that any change in his chemo schedule can cause his hair to fall out again. It reminds me that even though all the treatments are over his body is still fighting off all of the chemo that was put into his system. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. We hope to see you at the celebration for Seth on Nov. 8th @ 6:00pm. If you have not already emailed us and left us know if you can come please do so.

Thank you :) tmgood@ptd.net

Ocotober 21

2009-10-21T07:50:00.002-04:00

Blood results.......
Red blood- 8.2 (normal 11-13)
Platelets- 52,000...up..(normal 250,000)
ANC- 671...up
White blood-1,100..up..(normal 7,500)

The doctor said everything looks like it is coming up and we do not need to go to Johns Hopkins till November 3rd for a routine visit. They also said it is up to us if we want to sent him back to school or not. You could pray for wisdom for us to know what to do.

October 20th

2009-10-20T08:02:00.001-04:00

Seth has been out of school since last Tuesday. He feels fine but his blood counts are too low to be in public places. I am taking Seth for blood work today and hopefully his counts are coming up and the doctors will give the ok to go back to normal activities. The other day we did let him go to a "food fight" party with his youth group. Since the party was all outside we thought the germs would not be as bad and besides being at home 24/7 gets old fast. He was all excited about going but later told me how frustrating it was because he kept tripping when he was trying to chase other people in the field. His therapist said that she does not see any more improvement in the left foot. I know I ask for this a lot but it means so much to Seth to know that he will be able to keep up with the other kids again. Please pray and agree with us that his left foot will continue to heal. (the picture is of our kids at the food fight)

PARTY TIME!!!!!!!!

2009-10-16T14:03:00.004-04:00

We would like to invited all of our blog supporters to a celebration of God's goodness!!!! Each and everyone of you have made a difference in our lives whether you were a big "commenter" or not. We definitely felt your prayers!!! Our family would be honored if you came to Seth's celebration party.... THE END OF TREATMENT.....

When: Sunday November 8th
Time: 6:00pm dinner provided
Place: Newport Dove 656 W. Newport Rd, Elm Pa 17521 (if you type the address into google maps use a Lititz address instead of Elm)

The only thing we ask is if you could email us and let us know if you plan to attend. Children are welcomed.

Our email is tmgood@ptd.net

October 16th

2009-10-16T13:48:00.002-04:00

Seth did get his first platelet transfusion on Wednesday Oct. 14th. Everything went very well. Thankfully he did not have any negative reaction to the platelets. They told us that his white counts were lower then we thought they were. Basically Seth has no immune system right now which means he is pretty much house bound. If you know Seth you would know that being house bound is miserable for him. He hates the idea of not being able to go to school or even out in public. But even though it is hard for me to watch another time that my son have to give up some of his childhood I know that in the end it will be for the best. Seth is not aloud to go back to school until his counts come up and the next blood test will be done on Tuesday October 20th. Today Seth and I were working on his school work. When I was in school I hated Algebra and now I get to teach it to Seth (oh how fun!!!). I can tell Seth is getting frustrated with this whole ordeal. He does not say that exactly but just watching his reactions to things you can tell he is more emotional and has more tears then smiles. Seth had 9 sessions of chemo. The first 8 sessions he had no transfusions or delays then on the last session ,when we were so excited about being done with treatment, he had is first delay, first blood transfusion, and first platelet transfusion. We take one day at a time and praise God for the strength and peace He has given us (especially Seth).

blood count results...

2009-10-13T18:35:00.002-04:00

We just got Seth's blood counts back and they are very low. His white counts are 100 (normal is 7500), platelets are at 12,000 (normal is 200,000) and is red counts are at 9.6 ( normal is 11). I am going to call down to Johns Hopkins first thing in the morning and see if they can give Seth a transfusion. Keep praying for protection with his counts being so low.

October 13th

2009-10-13T09:45:00.003-04:00

Today is Seth's routine blood work to see how much the chemo hurt his blood counts. Hopefully his counts are good and he does not need any transfusions. He is scheduled to see his Doctor at Johns Hopkins on November 3rd. I am thinking we will hear details at that meeting about when his next MRI is and when they are planning on taking Seth's port out. Seth is doing really well :) He has more energy and his walking is getting better. We went away this weekend and drove to a boulder field. I was surprised that Seth went out on the rocks and had the balance and strength to walk across the rocks. It is at times like that that I see how far he has come since last July and I am just so thankful!! We are still planning on doing a celebration but need to schedule the place. I plan on posting the celebration date in the next few days.

October 3rd

2009-10-03T20:36:00.001-04:00

I can not believe it... Seth's treatments are over!!!! We got home last night from the hospital and all is well. Seth feels fine and is so happy to be done. He still needs to get blood counts drawn in 2 weeks and they told us there is a good chance he will need a platelet transfusion. We are praying he does not need one but even if he does God will take care of him. If there is one thing I have learned this past 15 months is that God is trustworthy. Yes God answered our prayers with Seth but the thing that touches me the most is that God,the Creator of the Universe, never left our side. He gave us peace when we were scared, strength when we were week, wisdom to make parental and medical decisions, and joy in our sadness. As we are near the end of this journey it overwhelms me to think of the years of MRIs and checkups, but God will be with us every step of the way. Thank you so much for the prayers!!! We are planning on having a celebration party for Seth and we want to invite our blog supporters. We will be posting the date, time and place the celebration will be.

October 1

2009-10-01T16:32:00.003-04:00

Seth was admitted today to the Hospital for his last round of chemo. YEAH!!! It was amazing to see how much his blood counts come up with the transfusion. His red blood counts are almost in normal range and his white blood counts have come up a lot since Monday. His platelets are coming up but not near normal. They usually want to see his platelet counts at 75K before they do chemo his are 60K. The doctors left the decision up to us, do we want Seth admitted and to get the chemo over with or go home and come back next week and try again. If we chose to be admitted today that makes his chances of needing a platelet transfusion after this round of chemo higher. I asked Seth and he said lets do the chemo and be done with it! So here we are... Seth is doing very well and is currently doing some of his school work. Keep praying that all goes well. Chemo should start around 5:30pm and then again tomorrow at 5:30pm.

September 29th

2009-09-29T10:16:00.001-04:00

We came home last night around 8:00pm. The transfusion went well! Seth and I will be heading back to Hopkins on Thursday to see if his counts are high enough to admit him for chemo.

September 28th

2009-09-28T11:48:00.003-04:00

We are here at the hospital and just got Seth's blood counts back. His first delay in chemo is happening today. Seth's blood counts were not high enough to get chemo and he will be getting a transfusion today. It looks like we will be here for an other 6 hours then home we go. They will try again for chemo next week. Be praying that Seth does not have an allergic reaction to the new blood.

September 27th

2009-09-27T22:05:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow Seth and I are leaving for Johns Hopkins and we will be there until Wednesday. This marks Seth's last round of chemo. After this impatient chemo he will have to get some routine blood counts done to see if he needs any transfusions. So far none have been needed. It is hard to imagine that his journey is almost over. Last year at this time we never thought this time would come. God has been so good even in the difficult times. Since Seth has been on chemo he has not grown at all. The other day he said to me that he thinks he is shrinking because his friends are getting taller then him. Please pray that the chemo has not harmed his growth and also that his feet will continue to get better. His right foot is doing great while his left foot is having trouble retuning to normal. This the verse we have been claiming Proverbs 3:23 Then you willgo on your way in safety and your foot will not stumble.

September 18th

2009-09-18T07:49:00.002-04:00

We got Seth's blood test results back and good news again! His counts are rising which means he does not need a blood transfusion... yeah!!! Seth gets admitted on Sept 28th for his last round of chemo. Wow, a year ago I thought I would never see the end and now we are able to grasp it. Even though I am so excited about God's faithfulness over Seth it burdens me to see other kids suffering so much. A long time ago we introduced you to a little boy named DJ. DJ had a brain tumor the same time Seth did but later we found out their cancers were totally different. I just found out little 4 year old DJ is not doing good at all. Please as you pray for Seth remember DJ and his family in your prayers too.

September 9th

2009-09-09T09:12:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. We celebrated by going camping with family and we had an awesome time! Seth had another routine blood test yesterday and we got a call from our family doctors office to tell us that his counts are once again critically low. His platelets are at 22,000; white blood counts are at 1,000; and his red blood count is at 7.24 (this one would answer the question on why he is so tired). Since we choose to have most of Seth's blood work done at our local family doctor's office we usually hear from them first and then we wait to hear from Johns Hopkins what the next step will be. So far I have not heard from Johns Hopkins.
It was hard for me to send Seth to school today because as a mom you just want to put your arms around your kids and protect them from any possible danger. But God keeps reminding me that I have to let Seth go and trust that He will be always be with him. You can pray that Seth's blood counts come up and for physical strength to be able to go to school each day. At the beginning of this process the doctor's at Johns Hopkins told us that chemo will be like a boxing round. With each punch the boxer has a harder time of getting back up and continuing to fight. So with each round of chemo Seth receives it will be harder for his body to recover. And we are finding that to be very true.

September 3rd

2009-09-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

Exhaustion has hit! Seth was so tired he could not function this morning at breakfast. So I left him go back to bed. With his red blood counts being so low he tends not to have very much energy and tires very easily. So I have learned to listen to his body and let him rest. His body is fighting off a lot of junk with the chemo and we need to let him take care of himself. Seth was in tears over frustration this morning. He wants so badly to go to school and have fun with his friends and yet his body is telling him to slow down. Please continue to pray for emotional strength for him.

September 2nd

2009-09-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

Day 3 of school and all is going well. Like Seth has told you he is really enjoying being with his friends again. He does not seem embarrassed about wearing his foot braces or not having hair but he did tell me that it bothers him to hear his feet slapping, due to his foot drop, in the hallways of the school. I am sure no one else really hears it but you know how it is when you are self conscious of something, you hear it 10 times more then anyone else. Everyone has been so good to him and for that I am very thankful.
I just heard from Johns Hopkins about Seth's blood counts and once again his platelets are low(28,000), his white blood counts are at 1,200 which is OK and his red blood counts (give your body energy) are low. He will be getting his blood drawn on Tuesday to see if his counts came up. This whole process is getting old and tiring. Do not get me wrong, I am very grateful for all of the good things that have happened through this journey but, it gets to a point when you are just tired. Pray for protection for Seth since his platelets are so low and also that his blood counts come up by Tuesday.

September 1st

2009-09-01T20:16:00.002-04:00

Today I had my second day of school. I had lots of fun being with my friends again. During school I have English, Pre-Algebra and History, so far I like all of them. Nobody made fun of me about not having hair or wearing foot braces. My mom picks me up at school around noon. And when I get home I eat lunch and then take a long and relaxing nap. I am glad to be back at school!
~Seth

August 28th

2009-08-28T14:44:00.003-04:00

How the summer flew by!!! I was looking at some of our pictures from this summer and smiled because I remembered before summer started being worried it would be the worst summer ever. But the pictures showed the opposite. Even though Seth had chemo we were still able to do a few family vacations and have fun as a family. I view our summer as different but good. God is so amazing! School starts on Monday and I have peace about sending my kids. Not only is Seth starting school again, our daughter Sarah is going to be in the Middle School for the first time, our other son Shane is entering 9th grade at the High School and our youngest Laura is going into 2nd grade. Lots of changes but change is good. Our school district has been so wonderful to work with. They basically do what we request, what a blessing it is to have the support of the school district. I can not say enough about how good they have been to us! Seth is starting half days of school on Monday and probably continue that through Thanksgiving. The district was able to change his schedule so that he could receive all of his core subjects in the morning. We were at the pool the other day and a friend he knew from school came up to him and was so glad to see Seth. The friend asked if he was planning on going back to school, Seth said yes and the boy high fived Seth and shouted "alright man!" Little things like that are some of the ways God shows us his faithfulness. I was concerned about how the other kids would treat Seth but God always lets us know His is taking care of our worries. Seth's legs are continuing to get stronger and his walking is slowing showing signs of normality. On Monday Seth will be getting his routine blood work done to see where his counts are at. You can continue to pray for good results. Most of his counts were on the lower end when he got the last dose of chemo so hopefully they do not drop too much.

August 20th

2009-08-20T08:43:00.002-04:00

Another chemo treatment down..... yesterday Seth and Todd came home from the hospital. Seth did not get sick but was very tired. Seth usually does not sleep well in the hospital because he is up most of the night going to the bathroom due to all the fluids they give him to help protect his organs from the chemo. All in all everything went well. In a week they will start testing his blood to see if any transfusions are needed. I have been in contact with our school district to see if we can work out a plan for Seth to start school. I am amazed at how easy they are to work with. Seth is going to try to start school for half days, I have to be honest I am a little nervous. Seth and I were home together all last year, we cried together, laughed together, I walked through a lot with him and now it is time to let him go. To me our last year has been a consent walk of faith and trusting in God, even when I was so tired and weary God was so strong. So once again I need to trust that God will protect Seth from sickness, injuries, and ridicule as he regains some of his normal life back and goes to school. Thank you for all the prayers they are making a big difference in our lives!

August 18th

2009-08-18T17:42:00.002-04:00

Today is the start of session #8. Todd and Seth left for the hospital this morning and will be there until tomorrow evening. We found out yesterday that some of the chemo has caused some high frequency hearing loss in Seth's left ear. The hearing that he did loss will never come back it is a permanent side effect. The chemo that Seth is getting tonight is the cause of the hearing loss. Pray there will not be any further damage. This past weekend we were camping with our youth group. Seth hiked up and down a step part of the mountain that was hard to do with normal function of your feet. He also jumped rope, I know that sound easy but prier to this weekend he was not able to jump off the ground. He is now able to jump about 2 inches off the ground. That is a good sign that the nerve damaged by Vanchristine (chemo) is starting to heal. He is also getting his appetite back, well at least he was before this chemo treatment. Another good thing is his platelet counts came up to 90,000 which means he is out of the danger zone. Please continue to pray that Seth has the strength for these last 2 rounds of chemo. Even though the end is so close it can fell so far away.

August 13th

2009-08-13T20:52:00.004-04:00

We just got back from a fun time away with friends. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. Seth got to go tubing and even though he wanted to stand up on the tub while the boat was moving he controlled himself and settled for sitting on his knees instead. Due to the possibility of Seth having low platelets I did not want him to hit his head in the water. We told him next year he can be as wild as he wants to be. Seth has not had his blood counts tested lately but we are believing the platelet count is rising. He is scheduled to have a routine hearing test on Monday, August 17th. The reason they test his hearing is because the one chemo he gets can destroy some of his hearing. They have told us it is not a matter of if Seth's hearing is harmed it is a matter of when. But so far his hearing has been perfect. So once again we stand of faith that God will protect him. Seth had physical therapy today and his right leg seems to be getting stronger but the left is not quite there yet. Continue to pray that the nerve that controls the muscle in Seth's left leg starts to heal and that he will be walking without his braces soon. There is a Bible verse that Seth keeps by his bed, Proverbs 3:23 "Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble." Today we were out at the mall and I bought Seth a backpack for school. I know this seems so simple but the smile on his face, when I said "this is so exciting that we have to buy this because you are going back to school" , brings tears to my eyes. Seth's next chemo session will start on Tuesday the 18th he will be in the hospital for 2 days. This will be session #8 we are getting to the end of the chemo journey but we are not quite there yet. Please pray for everything to go well and that he does not get sick.

August 1

2009-08-01T12:31:00.005-04:00

The summer seems to be flying by...... We found out yesterday that Seth's platelet count went up!! As of a couple of days ago it was 37,000, that is 10,000 more then before. He still needs to be careful since the counts are still low but praise God they are rising and it looks like once again no transfusion. Seth left with Todd and Shane to go on the father-son camping trip. Thank you for all the prayers he was so looking forward to this weekend. Seth once said if he could live anywhere it would be in a cabin in the woods. He loves to camp! Although Seth is happy to hopefully start school with the other children he was very bummed that he was not able to play fall baseball with his brother and cousin. Continue to pray for him as he have to give up things that a 12 year old boy loves to do, all because of cancer. His next chemo treatment will be in mid August. We will find out exact date closer to the time. I will keep you posted.

July 28th

2009-07-28T09:23:00.002-04:00

I just got off the phone with Seth's doctor from Johns Hopkins. It looks like his platelets are not low enough for them to transfuse him. Which means another blood test on Thursday to see where the counts are at. Seth is supposed to go on a father son camping weekend with Todd and Shane, he is so excited. Please pray that his counts are heading back to normal so he can go. Also we have some good news... the MRI was clear!!!!!! I feel like a weight was lifted off my shoulders and now I can breathe again.

July 27th

2009-07-27T16:49:00.002-04:00

Today Seth had another blood test done to see if his platelets came up. Unfortunately they did not. His platelets were at 30,000 last week and went down to 26,000 this week. Just to give you an idea... a normal persons platelet counts are 200,000 and up. It looks like we will be taking him to Hopkins for his first transfusion. Please continue to pray for protection since having such low platelet counts can result in a lot of bruising and if he hits his head it can bruise his brain.

July 23rd

2009-07-23T15:33:00.002-04:00

We have not heard about the results of the MRI yet but the hospital did call about Seth's latest blood counts. His counts were ok except for the platelets which were low. He needs to get his counts tested again on Monday to see if the platelet counts come up. If they do not I assume he will need a platelet transfusion. We were also told that Seth may not do any activities that might result in a head injury this is due to the platelet counts. When your platelets are low hitting your head can result in brain damage. Please pray for protection over him as we wait for his counts to come back up. I will post the MRI results as soon as we get them.

July 18th

2009-07-18T20:04:00.006-04:00

Today marks a year since Seth's diagnosis. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday and other times it seems like forever since I saw Seth just being our crazy Seth. How we are so thankful to the Lord for helping Seth get to the one year mark. I anticipated this summer to be hard but so far it has been better then we all could have expected. There are times that my hearts desire is to see Seth running everywhere and climbing trees (I would even love to see him climbing out of our bathroom window again!!). But I have to believe that this is a season and seasons change. We praise God for all the answered prayers and the strength that He has given Seth, Todd and me as parents, and also Shane, Sarah and Laura as the siblings. Tuesday we will be taking Seth to Johns Hopkins for a routine MRI. Please be praying for a clear scan!!! Also remember me as it seems these are challenging on me. I tend to be anxious about each test and I usually dread the waiting process. Seth seems to be at peace and thinks it is just something that needs to be done. Wednesday Seth will be getting blood work done at our home doctors to see where his counts are at (so far Seth did not need any transfusions). If all goes well his next chemo will be the middle of August which will be session #8. Yeah!!! 2 more session of chemo to go. I will keep you posted with the results. By the way... Thankyou to everyone who has sent Seth cards this past year, he saved everyone of them. He told me he counted 225 cards today. What a blessing to have so much support! The picture above is of Seth and his siblings Shane, Sarah and Laura, also his friends Nathaniel, Nicolas, and Noah.

July 10th

2009-07-09T10:21:00.002-04:00

Seth and I came home from the hospital on Tuesday night. So far he does not feel sick at all just a little tired. He went to his youth group last night and came to me when he got back and with a smile on his face said "mom, I ran tonight". Even if it is with the help of his foot braces I still rejoice with him! It has been an entire year since I heard those words and it was wonderful to see how hopeful his face looked. I was thinking about it on the way home from the hospital how we trust the doctors because of their knowledge and schooling. How much more should we trust God because of his knowledge and wisdom. The one scripture that has been going through my head lately is "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding....." Since Seth was diagnosed almost a year ago I have found that I could not answer a lot of Seth's many questions or understand why he was going through childhood cancer, but I have learned to trust God and not rely on my own thinking. Well once again I leave you with a big Thank you for all of your prayers! The doctor told us that the chemo drug that Seth got this time leaves most kids feeling sick as a dog but Seth has not had a bit of nausea and is able to eat normally. Praise God!

July 6th

2009-07-06T17:25:00.002-04:00

It is almost 5:30pm and we finally got a room. We got to the hospital at 9:00am for Seth's blood counts but did not have to be back for the admitting till 1:00pm. So Seth and I took the Metro into Inner Harbor and had a fun couple of hours at the Aquarium. Dr. Cohen, Seth's head doctor, decided because of the foot drop that Seth suffers from he is going to take out the Vanchristine chemo totally. Seth is very happy!! I am also happy but a little nervous on how this is going to effect treatment. The doctors say if happens a lot so we are trusting their judgement. One good thing is instead of a 3 week break between chemo treatments he will have a 5 week break since he does not need to go to Johns Hopkins for the outpatient chemo. It looks like Seth will start getting his chemo this evening some time. It is a 6 hour chemo drip and then he needs 12 hours of hydration. Thanks for all the prayers!

July 5th

2009-07-05T22:13:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! We celebrated with a cookout with friends and then watching the fireworks. Tomorrow is the big day... the start of session #7. Seth and I, mom, will be in the hospital for 2 days. Seth has been doing really good except he realized last night that the hair he was growing back has started to fall out again. With the help from the foot braces that he wears Seth is able to keep up with the other kids this summer. So the summer that he was dreading has turned out to be better then we expected. Keep him in your prayers this chemo tends to be hard on him.

June 30th

2009-06-30T08:39:00.002-04:00

Seth had his routine blood work done to see where his blood counts are at. Thankfully he does not need a transfusion. So we have finished session #6! Seth will be admitted on July 6th to Johns Hopkins for the start of session #7. The chemo that he gets during this session tends to be hard on him. They are also starting the Vanchristine again. It was so nice to watch his walking improve but now with the Vanchristine we expect it to get worse. Please pray that he does not get sick on the chemo and also that his walking continues to improve.

June 22nd

2009-06-22T09:32:00.006-04:00

We are home from a wonderful vacation at the beach! We were very blessed to stay at the Believe in Tomorrow Children's House at Fenwick Island. The foundation let us stay at the house for free and local Ocean City businesses donated tickets to their attractions. Wow..... how touched we were to be recipients of such generosity! We were given meals out, water park passes, mini golf, laser tag, pizza, bike rentals, our kids even got to drive the Coast Guard boat. It was so nice to be away from the busyness of home life and have fun as a family. Seth had great time being with his siblings. It was neat to see him and his brother playing around on the beach just like normal kids again. With the help of Todd, Seth was able to go out in the ocean and dive under the waves just like before. We also got to meet a lot of neat families that are in the same seasons of their lives as we are.... a child with cancer.

I am not sure when Seth's next hospital appointment is yet. I will let you know when I find out. They reduced the amount of the Vanchristine chemo to help his walking improve and it seems to be working. Seth is using his braces on a regular bases and is doing very well with them. All in all Seth is doing really well. His attitude is better but it helps we now have "crazy" days with all the kids home from school. But we love "crazy" days!!

Thank you for all the prayers!!!! God has been so faithful giving us strength and grace for this journey. I take one day at a time and try not to think of the "what ifs". I am thankful for each day and each smile.

Wednesday June 10th

2009-06-11T11:22:00.002-04:00

We arrived home at 10.30. Seth is doing well and looking forward to vacation at the beach next week. It is nice to be home again.

Monday June 8th

2009-06-08T21:48:00.003-04:00

Today Seth and I reported for his 6th session. After a morning blood test we had a three hour break. We went to inner harbor for our free time. We were able to tour the light house and enjoy eating on the pier. I tried to take a picture of Seth at the light house but my camera battery was broken. Anyhow we had a great time. We checked into the hospital at 1.30 and things are going well. Seth is getting treatments through the night and tomorrow. the doctor said we may be released tomorrow night; we were originally planning to stay till Wednesday. Please pray that Seth's does well with treatment.

Thanks Todd and Seth

May 29th

2009-05-29T15:37:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial day! We had a good time being with family. Seth enjoyed having his cousins to play with and do crazy kids stuff with:). He was even out playing baseball and made it home a few times.

Today was the day Seth got his foot braces. It is amazing how much better he can walk with them. Seth said he really likes them but is a concerned that other kids are going to think he looks weird. Seth finished school a few days ago so he is officially a 7th grader:). He seems to be doing well emotionally and is eating well. Thanks for all the prayers! Seth's next chemo session will be on June 8th.

May 20th

2009-05-20T11:46:00.002-04:00

Seth's week seems to be going better. We started out the week with a "field trip" to the Whitaker Center with Bryce, one of Seth's good friends. They had a lot of fun walking into a hurricane and seeing a 3D show (those are NOT Seth's new glasses!). Seth told me he is not looking forward to the summer because he will not be able to run. But I know that God has been so faithful and He will give Seth the grace he needs. Even though I know that in my heart it has been difficult for me to watch. I can see in his eyes the desire to be right up there with the other kids running and playing but his feet hold him back. I have been reading the promises in Isaiah 40.... "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will walk and not grow weary, they will run and not grow faint". Seth is almost done with school and it looks like he will graduate 6th grade with honors. We are so thank-you for all the prayers!

May 15th

2009-05-15T16:24:00.003-04:00

It has been a hard week for Seth. He is tired of going through all of these treatments and seemed to be depressed the past few days. After he found out today was Friday and his siblings are home for the weekend it seemed like a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He really wants to be back to what he was before all of this. Please continue to pray for him and also for Todd and I. We need wisdom to answer the questions he asks us.

May 12th

2009-05-12T15:14:00.006-04:00

Today was Seth's last day of chemo for session #5 and still no blood transfusions needed! His next round will start on June 8th with a 3 day admitting to the hospital. Today the doctor said that it looks like Seth's walking has been getting worse and he thinks it is time to reduce the Vanchristine dosage. Vanchristine is the chemo drug that is causes the foot drop. Reducing the dosage will hopefully help his walking to improve. I told the doctor that Seth's goal is to be able to run on his 13th birthday (Feb. 15th). The doctor just looked at me with doubt and told me it takes close to a year to run. We are still believing for a miracle! Until then Seth will be wearing braces on his feet to prevent him from tripping over his toes. He was fitted for them yesterday and we should have the braces by the end of the month. Seth seems to be fine with wearing the braces even though a year ago that would have been the worst thing you could have done to him. I think it is harder for me to watch him have to rely on braces to help him walk (because I know how bad he wants to be back to normal) then it is on him. I guess that is normal for a mom :). I would like to leave you with a poem Seth wrote for school it is called "Just Because".

(The top photo is of Seth getting the cast made to fit his braces

The bottom photo is of him and his brother canoeing)

Just Because

Just because I have cancer

I'm not weird

I'm not dumb

Just because I have cancer

I'm not scared

I'm not embarrassed

Just because I have cancer

I'm not bad

I'm not mean

Just because I have cancer-treat me like a

normal kid.

by Seth Good

may 4

2009-05-04T15:00:00.002-04:00

Thank you for praying for me. My eyes feel better. Tomorrow I will be getting the outpatient chemo.
-Seth

May 1

2009-05-01T14:18:00.004-04:00

Seth has been having pain in his eyes. This is a side effect of the last dose of chemo. Please pray for the pain to go away!

Arpil 29th

2009-04-30T08:56:00.004-04:00

We came home from the hospital yesterday early evening. Seth did not get sick at the hospital and says he is still feeling fine. We are thankful for that but as we have learned in the past side effects from this chemo can come a few days after chemo. This past weekend we were able to travel to Indiana for a wedding and to visit Todd's family. We had a wonderful time! It was nice that the doctors left Seth have an extra week off chemo so he could enjoy the trip. Seth officially half way done with his chemo treatments! He is not celebrating too much because for him the end still seems far away.

April 28th

2009-04-28T18:22:00.002-04:00

Seth and I are in the hospital today for the start of session #5. As we were driving to Baltimore today I noticed some flowers along hwy 83. It struck me that we have seen the changes of all the seasons on 83 south this past year. We started this journey in the heat of the summer, we saw the leaves on the trees changing colors and falling off. We have driven in ice and snow storms and now we are witnessing new life blooming.
Thank you so much for praying for Seth's walking. It is not back to normal but we have noticed an improvement in the last week. We are also thrilled to find out that the chemo drugs have not harmed his hearing. Seth has gained some weight, he is up to 78.5 lbs! Please pray that this chemo treatment goes well. That he does not get sick and that the chemo will not have lasting side effects.

April 18th

2009-04-18T09:22:00.003-04:00

We hope you all had a happy Easter! Since the last blog update Seth has been doing better emotional. He is even eating and trying to get all his calories in on his own! But now it seems like his walking is getting worse. Seth was scheduled to be admitted on Monday the 20th for chemo but we have asked to wait until Tuesday the 28th. We are traveling out to Indiana and thought he would have a much better trip if he was not coming off the chemo treatment. We are looking forward to a nice weekend as a family! Continue to pray for Seth as his mind tries to sort through all his questions. Also pray for his walking that it would not get any worse.

April 6th

2009-04-06T11:03:00.005-04:00

Praise God... Seth did not need a platelet transfusion!! His counts are still low but they are out of the dangerous zone. Last week was a really hard week emotionally. He lost 4 pounds and was so frustrated with eating and having to go through all of this crazy stuff. Yesturday I realized how drained emotionally I really was. It is hard to hear your son tell you that he hates himself and hates his life. But who can blame a 12 year old boy for hating to have to go through cancer. I feel his frustration with it and also share the same hate for cancer, but the other day I was thinking of it from a different prespective. Cancer has brought a closeness to Seth and his brother that they have never had, it has made us utterly dependent of God (realizing that we can not make it through life without God) and has made us as parents take joy in the simply things in life. How amazing it is that God can take something so horrible and bring some good out of it. This morning Seth's attitude is really good and seems to be happy and eating again. He still continues physical theropy every Monday and is being schooled with his homebound tutor. Seth is really looking forward to having his siblings home for Easter break this week. Thank you again for all your prayers! Also a special thankyou to Danielle Kreider who made a "count down to the end of chemo chain" for Seth. He cuts one off every night and makes sure he reads the bible verse on the one he removed. Words can not explain how blessed we are for all you!

March 27th

2009-03-27T09:26:00.002-04:00

Seth is a "plump" 77 pounds!!! The chemo treatment went well yesterday and it is good to be done with chemo for a few weeks. Seth is having a good day today. The other kids have off school and I can hear him and Laura making up songs and laughing together as I am typing. Seth is going to have to have his blood counts tested on Tuesday. His platelets were 49,000. A low count for someone not on chemo would be 120,000. If his do not go up by Tuesday he will need a platelet transfusion. You can pray they come up on their own. The next round of chemo will start on April 20th.

March 26th

2009-03-26T08:52:00.003-04:00

Today is another trip to Baltimore for chemo. This is the last chemo treatment in session #4. After this Seth gets a 3 week break. We all love the breaks!! He is still doing really well on the chemo. The only visible side effect is his difficulty with running and walking. Seth is currently in physical therapy to try to help keep the muscles loose. The one Bible scripture that God showed me was Proverbs 4:12- When you walk your steps will not be hampered and when you run you will not stumble. That is Seth's desire!! I continue to pray that there are no perminate side effects that are not visible to our eyes, such as learning disabilities and growth stunting. But I have to remind myself that God has done amazing things for Seth and He will continue to be faithful. Seth's emotional state has continued to be good. He has also taken responsibility for some of his eating during the day. According to our scales he is gaining weight!! We cannot say Thank you enough for all the prayers. You might not see the effects of your prayers but we see them daily! I do not think there has been a time that we posted our struggles on this blog and the problem was not resolved. We stand in owe of God's faithfulness!!!!!

March 17th

2009-03-17T11:01:00.002-04:00

Thank you everyone for praying! Seth's emotional state is so much better. He was laughing and joking around yesterday. He was even eating food without us sitting beside him and encouraging him to take each bite. That does not seem like much but it was HUGE to us!! I am sure Seth lost some of the weight that he gained just from having some sickness from the chemo. Seth and I will be going to Johns Hopkins on Thursday for his out patient chemo and then again next Thursday for the same chemo. After that a 3 week break and thus ends session #4. Almost halfway to the end!!

March 12th Home Sweet Home

2009-03-12T21:09:00.004-04:00

Seth and I arrived home about 6.00 this evening. It is nice to be home again. Seth was able to keep his food down the rest of the day praise the Lord. We are almost 1/2 way finished with the treatment. This was the beginning of session 4 and we have a total of 9. Thanks everyone for your prayers and support. God's grace is so good.

March 12th

2009-03-12T11:34:00.005-04:00

Good morning all from Johns Hopkins,

We found out great news yesterday the Seth's MRI results are clear and no mass is forming. We stayed overnight as Seth got his chemo last night. he doctors and nurses were so impressed the Seth has gain weight. If you have seen the show the biggest loser our family was like that the last couple of weeks except we were the biggest gainer. Marie has been Seth's personal trainer. Well yesterday was our weigh in and Seth gained a whopping 5 pounds. It was like all those tough times were worth it. We are hoping that this weight gain will inspire Seth to continue eat more. He still not sure.

Last night was a tough night. Seth threw up 5 times during the night. We slept into 10.30 since our night was so restless. Please pray that Seth will be able to keep food down and be able to leave. We will be able to leave around 3.00 today if Seth is able to keep everything down.

March 11th

2009-03-11T09:47:00.002-04:00

We have not heard Seth's MRI results yet. We are hoping that means good news. I think we will find out the results today since Todd and Seth will be at the hospital. Today is the start of session #4. He will be staying over night and usually gets his chemo during the night while he is sleeping (or trying to sleep). This is the chemo that makes him sick so please pray that all will go well and his body will not react to the poison they are putting into his body. So far Seth has gained 4 pounds! This is not as easy as it sounds. Seth does not have a huge appetite at least not the kind it takes to gain weight. Todd and I are consumed with his eating. This is getting very tiring for all of us (Seth included). This past week was especially hard with lots of emotions and tears. Seth has been asking questions again the kind there are no answers for such as "why did God pick me to go through this?" and "If God says ask and you will receive how comes when I ask him for this to be over He does not let it happen?". Please continue to pray for emotional strength for our family.

March 5th

2009-03-05T22:52:00.003-05:00

Today Seth had his routine MRI scan of the brain and his hearing test. The hearing test showed that the chemo has not effected his hearing at all! We did not find out the results of the MRI so once again we are anxiously waiting for the news. I think the nurse thought we were a little crazy because when she told us Seth's MRI was going to be 30 minutes long we practically jumped for joy. Since the other 3 MRI's Seth had were 2 hours long we expected the same for this one. But like I told the nurse we are happy with every good thing that happens and a shorter MRI was reason to celebrate!

Febuary 27th

2009-02-27T16:01:00.002-05:00

Seth does NOT need a blood transfusion!! His counts are rising on their own. He is very happy and so are we!!!!!!!

Febuary 26th

2009-02-26T11:43:00.002-05:00

Good news!!!! Seth actually broke the 70lb mark!!!! He is gaining weight! He is eating about 3000 calories a day and at least 70 grams of fat. I can even tell he has more energy. It is amazing how a little weight gain can bring so much happiness. But when you stop and realize that God even cares about those little things how exciting is that? We are still waiting on blood test results to see if his counts are starting to come up. If they are not Seth will get a blood transfusion. Seth really does not want the transfusion but there seems to be a peace over Seth about it. (It might have helped that he saw he can play video games while he gets a transfusion....) The next things on the agenda are... March 5th MRI and hearing test and then March 11 admission to the hospital to start session #4. Please be praying that the MRI is clear and there is no signs of tumors and continue to pray for his hearing. They told us it is not if he is going to loss some of his hearing it is a matter of when. We are believing that his total hearing will be spared from damage.

February 20th

2009-02-20T08:56:00.004-05:00

I first want to thank everyone that sent Seth a card for his birthday :) He really appriciated it! He takes time to read every card word for word. Seth very much enjoyed his birthday. We surprised him by having his friends come down after church.

Yesterday was his outpatient chemo for session #3. We found out that his ANC count was at 126. ANCs are a type of white blood cells that fight off infections. A normal healthy persons ANC count would be 4000+. His dropped 90% in a week. Now we have to be really careful of germs and sickness. If he gets a fever for any reason he will be admitted to the hospital. Pray he stays healthy. Next week Seth is going to have his blood work done to see if he needs a blood transfusion. His weight is another problem. They were not happy that he is still the same weight. He is so skinny I can see every bone when he takes off his shirt. His checks even look like they are sinking in a little. Seth and I have had most of our disagreements over food. It tires me and him out to be constantly thinking about what he eats, when he eats, and how much he eats. His eating is not anywhere close to what he was eating before surgery in July. I came home yesterday and cried. Seth is so frustrated with being sick and not being able to be a normal kid. Pray for strength for him to get over these hurdles and for grace on our family.

February 14th

2009-02-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! We came home from the hospital on Wednesday as scheduled. Seth did not get a single side effect from this round of chemo, yeah!! We are believing that the chemo will not have any long term side effects on Seth's body. Seth is maintaining his weight. Even though we want to see him gain more pounds we are just happy he is not losing any. His attitude is good most days but along with his good days he has bad ones too. Days when he does not understand why he has cancer. But all in all he is doing well. We are meeting a lot of amazing kids at the hospital. Brave kids that are fighting so hard with this horrible disease. I have never really question out God too much and asked why us but I did feel that way this past time in the hospital when they told us the pediatric oncology floor was full. I thought why are there so many kids with cancer and so many families hurting. I do not think we will ever know the reason but we do know that God is still in control. I always have to have a good cry when I come home from Johns Hopkins just thinking of everything. Seth's next chemo will be on Monday. This one will be an outpatient chemo and then he will have a few weeks off to recover. He will officially be 1/3 of the way done!!!!!!

Febuary 9th

2009-02-09T16:52:00.002-05:00

Well we are in the hospital for the start of Seth's 3rd chemo session. Seth will be hospitalized till Wednesday. Pray that his body will handle this dose of chemo well. His 12th birthday is this Sunday and he does not want to be sick for it. This birthday will be a special one because without all of these treatments he would not have been here to celebrate turning 12. Lately Seth has realized that he is able to do a little more then he thought he could. He and I rode bike a little and when we got home Seth had a smile on his face that reached ear to ear. He might not be able to run this summer but he will be able to ride bike short distances and that realization meant the world to him. He also had fun sledding with his cousins. But Seth found out that rollerskating is going to have to wait till after chemo. Seth was determined to try rollerskating at our church skating party but due to his "foot drop" fell over 20 times in a 15 minute period. Even though Seth was extremely disappointed he still came home with a smile. I thought he might be physically weak but his "heart" is very strong. Continue to pray for health for our entire family so far no one has gotten sick this winter.

January 27th

2009-01-27T14:59:00.004-05:00

Good News!! No blood transfusion needed!!! Thank you so much for praying Seth is very happy with the results. The next time he will be admitted to the hospital will be on February 9th. That will be the start of session #3. Seth is doing amazingly well for going through chemo. The foot drop has made it harder to walk but at least he is able to walk and does not have to be in a wheel chair. His weight is still a concern for us but he is eating more so hopefully it will show on the scales. Seth has been able to keep up with his school work and received straight A's on his report card. It is amazing to me that even in the hardest of times God gives you the grace to endure each day. I was telling a friend yesterday that this life style ,we are living with a sick child, has become our normal. If we look back and dream about how life used to be that is when we lose our focus. We have learned to live day by day always looking forward and never behind.

January 21st

2009-01-21T09:49:00.002-05:00

Wow how time flies....... Seth is on his way to Cornerstone Family Health Center with Todd to get his blood work drawn. This will show if his counts rose or fell. If they fell his will need a blood transfusion. Seth is really nervous about the test and the results. Please keep him in your prayers. Other then that all is going well. Seth does not seem to have too many physical side effects from the chemo Praise God but the emotional ones can be just as hard. Yesterday Seth told me, with tears in his eyes, he just figured out that this summer when all his friends are running and playing games he will not be able to play with them. I told him that God is always with us and He will give him the strength to get through the summer.

January 12

2009-01-12T21:58:00.003-05:00

Today Seth had another chemo treatment. It all seemed to go well. His blood counts are low and they want him to get his blood counts tested in a week. If they continue to drop he might need a blood or platelet transfusion. We did hear some good news today. Seth is afraid he will never be able to run again but the doctor assured him his inability to run is temporary. That was encouraging to him. Without being able to run Seth has taken more of an interest in drawing. His latest is drawing the Calvin and Hobs comic strip pictures. If Seth does not have to get any transfusions his next admitting date will be February 9th. That will begin session #3.

We were very grieved to find out that a brave little boy we have been praying for has passed away due to cancer. Please remember Jeff and Kris Wagner's family as they have released their little angel to heaven.

January 5th

2009-01-05T22:12:00.003-05:00

What a day!! First we started our day out with a trip to the Hospital. Seth found out that he actually gained 1/2 pound and his whited blood counts increased instead of decreased. But his drop foot seems to have gotten a little worse. The doctors are suggesting physical therapy which we are going to pursue. Pray that the muscles in his foot will not get worse so he does not have to eventually be in a wheelchair. God has been showing us He is still in control and He still cares. While Seth and I were riding the parking garage elevator our ears tuned into what was playing on the radio. It was, what we call Seth's theme song, God Will Take Care of You. What are the chances of that song being on at the perfect time in an elevator. Isn't God awesome!! After a good ride home from Baltimore. We rested a little and had to get ready to go to the next place. This time it was for fun. C.V. High School raised $6,500 so Seth's Make a Wish could come true (Seth wished to ride in a NASCAR really fast). Since Seth's favorite sport is basketball, the C.V. Varsity Basketball team asked him to be the guest of honor. They gave him 3 shirts, a signed basketball and an opportunity for a night of fame. Seth was a team captain for the night and also got to throw the jump ball to start the game. It blessed us so much to see how caring the students and the staff were. Because of them Seth will get his dream come true. Thanks C. V. High school!!!

January 1st 2009

2009-01-01T21:30:00.002-05:00

Happy New Years!! It has been 2 days since Seth's last chemo treatment and so far he is not experiencing any side effects. He was even able to go to our youth group's New Years Eve party. Even though Seth is not able to run and jump he still had fun joining in and playing the games. He gets right into the game and makes the best of it. That inspires me to see his attitude on life. Continue to pray for his weight gain. Seth lost 1/2 pound this past week. If he does not gain any weight in the next 3 weeks they are going to seriously look into the feeding tube.

Monday Night Dec 29th

2008-12-29T21:35:00.004-05:00

Hi Seth here I am with my dad in the hospital. It is cool I have a computer and play station right at my bed, I beat my dad at Risk. I am planning to head out tommorrow. I am currently getting meds put through my port and will get my chemo treatment at 10.45. My nurse said if I am sleeping she will wake me up because one of the chemo's are a pill. I am feeling good and thank you for praying.

Good night

December 29th

2008-12-29T14:18:00.003-05:00

The beginning of session #2. Todd went with Seth to the hospital and the last I heard they were having some father -son time playing battleship and waiting for the blood results to come back from the lab. If Seth's blood count are good he will be admitted over night for chemo. I told him that I will miss him and he said " I bet I will miss home more..." Remember him in your prayers tonight.

December 26th

2008-12-26T15:13:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful time with our children this Christmas. Watching the excitement as they opened up each gift and realizing their joy was a gift to me. Seth if glad to have his brother and sisters home from school but knows that in a few days chemo must start again. Seth and Todd will be going to the hospital on Monday Dec. 29th for the start of session #2. Seth will be in the hospital for 2-3 days. Pray his blood counts are up so they do not have to delay the process. Seth is doing so well and enjoying his short break it is hard to send him back and make him suffer again. But we understand (and Seth does too) that each delay will prolong the process. Please pray for Seth to have strength to once again face his fears of chemo.

December 19th

2008-12-19T22:56:00.002-05:00

Good news.... Seth gained a pound!!!! His hearing test results were good and his blood counts are starting to come up. His blood counts still need to rise 350 points for him to be able to receive the next session of chemo on Dec. 29th. Our hopes are that chemo will not have to be delayed since Seth already feels like 11 months of this is too long. Keep praying for his hearing. The one doctor told us "chemo will eventually destroy his hearing." But are are believing Seth will have better hearing then when he started chemo. Seth's spirits are much better then the other day. He is really enjoying playing piano again and plans to play for our Christmas Eve service. Thanks for all your prayers!!

December 18th

2008-12-18T08:57:00.003-05:00

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho it is back to Hopkins we go..... I wish it was that merry leaving for the hospital (Seth needs a hearing test today) but once again we start the day with a battle over eating. I feel like my life is consumed with getting Seth to eat enough and keeping his moral up. Seth is starting to ask the "why is there cancer" questions. You know all the questions you wish you had answers for and don't. The other day Seth was having a really hard day emotionally. He could not focus on any of his school work and said he was so bored he could not stand it anymore. It sounds common but it was more then boredom that is just the word he used to describe it. He was feeling despair and hopelessness. Seth has given up most of the fun things that 11 year boys like to do such as run, go over to friends houses, go to school, play basketball and so on.... Every day he is surrounded by reminders of what he is forced to lay aside for the next year. So when he looked at me with tears in his eyes and pleaded with me to make the doctors stop doing all this to him it was terribly hard to tell him "I wish I could, with all my heart I wish I could, but I can not. " So far all of Seth's test have been good results so it is hard for his mind to comprehend why he needs to continue treatment. Pray that we can have insight to all of Seth's questions and wisdom to run our family. If anyone would like to send Seth a card and let him know there are still people that remember him and are still praying for him, he would appreciate it.......
Our address is
Seth Good
PO Box 175
Elm, PA 17521

December 15

2008-12-15T21:14:00.003-05:00

Seth is still doing well except for the leg pain he started having Sunday morning. We are thinking that is from the last chemo treatment he received. Seth has another hearing test scheduled for this Thursday. Pray that the chemo is not destorying his hearing and continue to pray that his blood counts rise so we can continue the treatments without delay. We are still working on Seth's weight gain. I guess we will see when he steps on the hospital scale if all of his effects pay off.

December 10th

2008-12-10T07:23:00.002-05:00

Seth is doing well :) He is not running around and energetic but he is getting bored during the day when all of his siblings are at school. Boredom is a good sign that he is feeling better. Seth is not sick in his stomach and does not have any pain and for that we are very thankful. But even with him feeling better we still have to be careful where we take him due to his white blood counts being so low. The hospital called the other day and said Seth will need to get hearing test throughout his chemo treatments. The reason for that is because some of the chemo that he gets can destroy the hearing. Please pray with us that his hearing will not be harmed. Seth's eating and weight gain are an all consuming subject. If he does not start to gain weight he will need a feeding tube and that is something he really does not want!! Seth has been trying very hard to eat more and it does seem to be working. Continue to pray that his effects are fruitful and effective. The other day he said "mom I could be in the Guinness Book of World Records.....look" and I looked over only to see my son with his shirt up and also every rib sticking out. It was too much for me to bear the reality of how skinny he has become. Thanks everyone for your prayers we can feel each one of them!!

Decmeber 1

2008-12-01T22:07:00.004-05:00

I can not believe it is December 1st already. I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving. Our family has a lot to be thankful. Seth had a great Thanksgiving!! It always boost his moral when he is with his cousins :) I included a picture of Seth with some of his siblings and cousins............

Seth is doing OK on this chemo journey. He just finished session #1 of chemo today. Seth said he can not be really happy because he knows he has 8 more sessions to go till the end. Every time we go to the Hospital we have to face the reality of what Seth's body is dealing with. Once again this week Seth has lost weight, his blood counts are the lowest they have ever been, and he is having problems with the muscles in his feet. As parents we want to believe that this medicine will not hurt our son but with each weigh in or each blood count result it brings us back to "earth" and reminds us how horrible these drugs really are. In spite of all this Seth is still smiling and seems to be in good spirits. But he has his moments when he feels like the end of this journey will never come. Please pray that his digestive system starts working better so he will be able to eat more. Also pray his blood counts come up so when he starts is second round of chemo his body will start at a good point.

November 22

2008-11-22T16:03:00.002-05:00

Seth has been feeling much better then he did in the beginning of the week. Yesturday when we were driving to Johns Hopkins it was snowing very bad and I had to tell Seth to stop talking to me (that is a good sign since before he would lay in the back and not talk at all). He was talking non stop on the way down and trying to convince me to go 100 mph on the highway. Just to let you know I was not convinced but he kept begging :). It was also good to hear him tell me the other that he was going to start exercising. But he wanted me to know it would only be 5 push ups a day. I did not care on what it was just the thought that he initiated it was wonderful to hear. Little things like that are signs to me that he feels like he can make it through this year. Chemo went well yesterday and he still feels good today. Seth even gained 1/2 lb. That does not sound like much but after watching our son loose 24lbs in a matter of months, a half pound was music to my ears!! Keep praying that he can gain weight. Thank you to every one who prays for our protection in our travels. After 3 1/2 hours of driving on the icy 83 North the traffic came to a stop. They had shut down all lanes of traffic North bond and South bond of 83 due to so may accidents. We were able to get off at an exit and head back towards Maryland. When we got off the exit we grabbed dinner and a hotel room. Shortly after we checked in I heard the hotel turning people away. I was so thankful that we had a nice bed to sleep in and that we did not have to sleep in our car on 83. God was looking out for us. We made it home safely this morning.

November 18th

2008-11-18T22:48:00.002-05:00

Seth has been dealing with some of the side effects from the chemo treatments he received this past weekend. He started with some eye pain, vomiting, weakness, and tired. He also complains about being cold all the time. Pray that he feels better and has the courage to face this year of treatments.

November 15th

2008-11-15T16:33:00.003-05:00

So far so good...... Chemo went better then expected. Seth did not get sick at all in the hospital but there could still be side effects up to a week later. Last night Seth had to take oral chemo, vancristine, and have a 6 hr chemo drip on him while he slept. Between the chemo drip, vital signs and blood work during the night Seth did not get much sleep. He is tired!! I could tell Seth was really nervous about the chemo last night. Every time the nurse came in to change the liquid bags (which she did often) he would say "is that the chemo?" You could tell the nerves in his voice. But God is good Seth was scared he would be throwing up when he woke up but he was not. We know that this is the beginning of a long journey but I am happy Seth seems to be starting on a better note then we thought he would. Talking about notes... Seth even found a keyboard in the playroom but to his disappointment some of the keys are broken.

November 13th

2008-11-13T16:14:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day. Seth's chemo journey will begin. He will be admitted for the weekend and he is not looking forward to it. Please keep Seth in your prayers this weekend.

November 10th

2008-11-10T13:06:00.003-05:00

It is sad to think that this is the last week of Seth's break. He is doing so much better which makes it even more tough to send him back to the hospital and watch while the chemo treatments destroy some of his health. At times I just want to put my foot down and say no more!!! But I know he needs to go through this last part of the journey. I asked Seth today if he is nervous about chemo on Friday and he said yes. But I told him God was with him through brain surgery and radiation and He does not plan on leaving him for chemo. To be honest with you though I am a little nervous too. Pray that Seth can enjoy this week and not worry about Friday. Also pray for our family as we once again put our normal life on hold for the next year.

November 6th

2008-11-06T07:23:00.002-05:00

Good News!!! The MRI was clear they did not find any tumors. Praise God!!!!!

November 4th

2008-11-04T08:29:00.002-05:00

Seth made it through his dreaded 2 hour MRI yesterday... yeah!!!! we do not know the results yet but are praying all is clear. He also had another hearing test yesterday. They told us it was not uncommon for him to lose some of his hearing through all of these treatments. The bad thing about that is when your hearing is destroyed there is nothing they can do to fix it. Seth had a hearing test before radiation began to see where his normal hearing was at. We are praising God that he has not lost any hearing but his hearing has improved. His test results yesterday showed better scores then the test taken before radiation. I could tell he was relieved yesterday when the whole day was over. He was talking, smiling, and laughing on the way home. It is wonderful that God has given us another glimpse of his faithfulness. We rejoice with this positive hearing test result but we know we have to sit and hear the results of the MRI. Please pray with us that the MRI test shows good results also.

PS.... do you like Seth's new wig?????

November 1st

2008-11-01T14:33:00.003-04:00

Happy Fall to all of you!!! We are getting back into the swing of things after our 6 day vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada. Seth is doing much better then the last time we wrote on the blog. His body seems to be getting back to normal. He is starting to eat more and gain a little weight back. His shingles are gone and he is getting his energy back (he even had enough energy to hike at Canada). Life is feeling more normal and that is a good thing!! The sad thing is Seth has more treatment ahead of him and he is going to feel much worse before he is through all of this. We can only trust that God got him through this far and He will carry Seth the rest of the way. On Monday Seth has an MRI please prayer because this will take 2 1/2 hours. He also has a hearing test on Monday to see if radiation destroyed any of his hearing. We just found out that his first chemo treatment will be on November 14th and he will be admitted to the hospital. That will be the first of a set of 3 treatments to equal session #1. He will have 9 sessions before he is done with treatment.

October 22nd

2008-10-22T21:49:00.002-04:00

Sometimes it feels like we take 2 steps forward and 1 step backwards. I took Seth to the doctors today because of a rash on his abdomen only to find out the rash is shingles. Seth also lost another pound. Pray that the the shingles go away also pray that he can gain weight.

October 20th

2008-10-20T20:55:00.003-04:00

Every day Seth wakes up he feels better then the day before. We said he hit a recorder breaker today. He went the whole day without laying down on the couch!! Way to go Seth!!! Yesterday was a fun day for him. After church he played football in the gym of our church. (that was the first we saw Seth play since his surgery in July). Later that afternoon we went go-carting to celebrate the end of radiation. I can not tell you enough how good it is to see our son smile and joke around again. We are really enjoying every little positive thing we see happen through this recovery time. Do you like the picture of Seth? He is trying to get caught up on all of his school work. Keep praying that Seth gets most of his energy back and strength to start the next phase of treatment.

October 17th

2008-10-17T16:41:00.005-04:00

Seth is still tired and he is having trouble sleeping at night. He has not gained any of his weight back but has now decided to try to eat more. Seth does seem to have his sense of humor back. His tutored even commented about it. It is good to see our old Seth coming back even if it just at short intervals of the day. He is enjoying not going to the hospital every day and I am enjoying having some normality to our lives again at least for a little. I included a picture of Seth surround by his sisters and brother.

October 12th

2008-10-12T21:28:00.002-04:00

Seth is done with radiation but is still experiencing side effects from his chemo treatments. His joints are sore and stiff and his back is in pain he is still exhausted and at times takes nausea medicine. Seth said mom can't you just post it on the blog so people can pray and this can go away. He is so frustrated. He wants to enjoy his break and not have to deal with all this junk. Please pray he can enjoy his break and for the side effects to go away. Also we plan on keeping the blog going even on Seth's break. His 11 month of chemo will start in November.

The Final Day of Radiation!

2008-10-10T15:35:00.006-04:00

It has truly come!! Radiation is over and Seth is happy! It was awesome to see him ring the bell and declare that he was able to finish phase one of treatment.

Yeah.... we figured out the video. Todd is reading the picture on the wall before Seth rang the bell. It says....

"Your day has come to strike the bell!

Your silent heart has much to tell

and much to toll the proud new day

treatment done you are on your way."

Seth made it through 31 radiation sessions ,6 chemo treatments, brain surgery, port surgery, two spinal fluid tests, 3 MRIs, 2 CAT scans ,and many sick days with "chuck", his up-chuck bucket by his side, all since July 17th. He is ready for a well deserved break!

October 9th

2008-10-09T15:41:00.002-04:00

Praise God Seth did not need a blood transfusion today. The doctor said his counts stayed the same as last week. Tomorrow is the big day, the day we will celebrate with Seth the end of radiation.

October 8th

2008-10-08T07:52:00.003-04:00

Seth is down to 2 more radiation treatments and 1 more chemo treatment before they let him have his 4 week break. I am so proud of Seth for making it this far. When I stop to think of everything he has been through since July it amazes me. It is more then most adults face in a lifetime. Seth seems to be in better spirits this week. I said to him yesterday "3 more days to go doesn't that make you happy?" He responded "no, I will be happy when there are 0 more to go." Seth continues to loose weight. He lost 2 pounds since last week. We still need his red blood counts to rise and he also needs to eat and gain weight. Thanks everyone for your encouragement and prayers.

October 5th

2008-10-05T08:39:00.002-04:00

Seth needs some prayer...... his red blood count has been dropping consistently every week and if it continues he will need a blood transfusion on Thursday. He really does not want one and neither do we want that for him. Pray his red blood counts rise!

October 2

2008-10-03T08:03:00.003-04:00

Can you believe it is October already? What do you think of these 2 cool dudes? The other day Todd left the house with hair on his head and came home with none:) It put a smile on Seth's face to see his dad bald. Seth is trying to stay up with his school work but does not have enough energy to complete more then one paper at a sitting. He still has a tutor coming to the house twice a week and that is going well. Seth has his moments where he is sitting on the couch engaging in conversation but for the most part he is just laying on the couch listening to what is going on around him. Last night, though, he got off the couch and went to the kitchen to get some food for himself. He got hungry, that is huge!! I do not remember the last time I saw him do that. Praise God!! Keep praying he is down to 6 more radiation sessions. It will be so wonderful not to have to drive to the hospital everyday and watch Seth go through those side effects of radiation but we will miss our friend we made. Keep posted we might figure out how to add a video to this blog so you can all join us in the celebrating of Seth's famous bell ringing ceremony.

September 29

2008-09-29T23:13:00.004-04:00

Seth had wish granters from Make a Wish Foundation visited him at our house tonight. He was given the opportunity to make a wish, any wish he wanted. They will then try to grant him that wish. Seth's number one wish is to ride (really fast) in a NASCAR race car. Sounds like fun doesn't it? What a wonderful organization to give the kids who are going through so much pain and suffering a reason to hope and a goal to look forward to. Seth is doing about the same today as he was the other day, very tired. His stomach is starting to give him problems again. The chemo that he gets on Friday is not nice to the digestive system. He had his 22nd radiation treatment today which means we are finally in the single digits... only 9 more to go!! That will end phase one. Seth seems to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Pray he continues to have the strength to get out of bed and face another day at the hospital. And also please remember our other children (Shane, Sarah and Laura) in your prayers as they are being effected too. My prayer is that our family will walk this journey hand in hand and at the end will be closer and stronger then before the cancer was part of our lives.

September 26

2008-09-27T09:20:00.003-04:00

It is amazing to me the power of prayer! Seth had a horrible beginning to the week he was like a different kid at the end. His stomach is better and he is starting to eat (like a bird but at least he is eating something). He still needs to gain weight by his next doctors appointment which is Tuesday so you can be praying for that. Seth had his chemo day yesterday and all went well. So far he has not experienced most of the side effects ,from the chemo, that they said he would experience. Such as tingling in his fingers, jaw pain, leg pain, and problems with his feet. We know God is hearing everyone's prayers. God gave us all the physical and mental strength to finish out this week. And now we are happy to have the weekend off. Seth has 10 more radiation session to go!!! On the last day he will be able to ring the "bell". When ever anyone finishes their radiation session they ring the bell. It is an emotional sight knowing the person has finished a part of his or her journey and made it through. So we look forward to the day our Seth will ring the bell and declare he made it through this leg of the journey! I posted a picture of Seth watching Saturday morning cartoons. That has always been his favorite t.v. time and this is the first Saturday since the surgery in July that I found him watching them. He must be feeling better!! Once again thank you so much for praying. It amazes me to know that when we post things on his blog people start praying and we have seen instant results because of all your prayers!

September 23

2008-09-23T08:23:00.003-04:00

Lately each day seems to be harder then the one before. Seth always feels sick, is hardly eating, and has belly aches from not being able to go to the bathroom. We are now on the count down for the radiation treatments. There are 13 more to go!! But the end is still so far away for Seth. We are all feeling drained emotionally and physically. Pray that God gives us(especially Seth) the strength to get out of bed every morning and face this horrible sickness. We would also appreciate if you pray for Seth to begin eating and is able to keep down what he eats.
Sarah our daughter has missed some school because of a fever and sore throat ,Todd seems to be coming down with something he said he had chills when he woke up this morning. Pray for health on our entire family.