Well, as I'm sure most of you are aware, Baby Ben is a total rockstar. To make this short and sweet, he gets to go home today. He's doing great. He's standing and is up and around. So, our happy little trio of Ben, Jenny, and Dave along with a number of their supporters, get to go home today. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one excited about this. Great job Team Ben!
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Big Day
Hi everybody.
So Benny's surgery was scheduled for 1 pm today. It got moved up to 11:30 am and then he actually went in at about 10 this morning. The surgeon thought it would take 4-7 hours. Jenny was actually woken up 2 1/2 hours later and told Ben was out already. The surgery went really well. The surgeon got 98% of the remaining 5% of the tumor. The hope is that the small amount that they didn't get is actually dead material. When I last talked to Beth she said they had seen Bennet, he had been in some pain, they gave him morphine, and he was sleeping. I guess he has a pretty big incision across his belly where they opened him up. Obviously, everyone is relieved that today went so well. Benny has been an absolute superstar since this all started in June, as have Jenny and Dave. I'm not sure what the next step is. Originally Beth told me Ben would spend 5 days in recovery at Doernbecher, but I don't know if that is still the case. I'll make sure to keep everyone up to date as to what is going on as I hear it. Thank you to everyone who sent good thoughts and prayers to Benny, Jenny, and Dave, I know they helped.
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
So Benny's surgery was scheduled for 1 pm today. It got moved up to 11:30 am and then he actually went in at about 10 this morning. The surgeon thought it would take 4-7 hours. Jenny was actually woken up 2 1/2 hours later and told Ben was out already. The surgery went really well. The surgeon got 98% of the remaining 5% of the tumor. The hope is that the small amount that they didn't get is actually dead material. When I last talked to Beth she said they had seen Bennet, he had been in some pain, they gave him morphine, and he was sleeping. I guess he has a pretty big incision across his belly where they opened him up. Obviously, everyone is relieved that today went so well. Benny has been an absolute superstar since this all started in June, as have Jenny and Dave. I'm not sure what the next step is. Originally Beth told me Ben would spend 5 days in recovery at Doernbecher, but I don't know if that is still the case. I'll make sure to keep everyone up to date as to what is going on as I hear it. Thank you to everyone who sent good thoughts and prayers to Benny, Jenny, and Dave, I know they helped.
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Surgery
I just wanted to pass on the information that the surgery to remove what is left of Bennet's tumor is scheduled for Tuesday. I'm not exactly sure what time its scheduled for, just Tuesday sometime. Ben and Jenny, along with at least Beth, Collin, and their two girls headed for Portland tonight. I don't know who else went up, but they should be there by now or pretty close. Please send all the positive thoughts and prayers you can their way these next couple of days.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
More Chemo and Surgery
Hi all,
Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but there hasn't been a ton going on to post. Benny has completed his fifth round of chemo. It was a three day round and he got through it like a champ like always. He, Jenny, and Connie took a trip up to Doernbecher a couple weeks later for an MRI to see how that round of chemo did. Ben was a little sick for this trip but the oncologist didn't want to wait for him to get better to see what was going on. Luckily, the tumor had shrunk even more. It had shrunk enough that it was no longer encroaching on his spine or rectum if I remember what Beth told me correctly. Because of that news, the oncologist and surgeon had to decide what the next step was. Apparently, again from what Beth relayed, the options were to leave what was left of the tumor and just keep an eye on it or do surgery to remove what is left of the tumor. Obviously, both of these options have pros and cons. And either way, Ben is done with chemo for the time being. Jenny was supposed to hear from the surgeon with a decision I believe last Monday, but it took until this afternoon for him to finally call. The decision is to do the surgery to remove what is left of the tumor. The surgery will be sometime next week from what Beth has told me. Jenny is waiting for a call back from the surgeon either tonight or tomorrow morning with a plan for when the surgery will be. It will be done at Doernbecher and apparently Benny will have a five day stay there for recovery afterward. That is all I have at this point. When I hear when the surgery is, I'll be sure to pass that along. For now, please keep up the good thoughts and prayers and send them Ben, Jenny, and Dave's way.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Sorry for the lack of updates lately, but there hasn't been a ton going on to post. Benny has completed his fifth round of chemo. It was a three day round and he got through it like a champ like always. He, Jenny, and Connie took a trip up to Doernbecher a couple weeks later for an MRI to see how that round of chemo did. Ben was a little sick for this trip but the oncologist didn't want to wait for him to get better to see what was going on. Luckily, the tumor had shrunk even more. It had shrunk enough that it was no longer encroaching on his spine or rectum if I remember what Beth told me correctly. Because of that news, the oncologist and surgeon had to decide what the next step was. Apparently, again from what Beth relayed, the options were to leave what was left of the tumor and just keep an eye on it or do surgery to remove what is left of the tumor. Obviously, both of these options have pros and cons. And either way, Ben is done with chemo for the time being. Jenny was supposed to hear from the surgeon with a decision I believe last Monday, but it took until this afternoon for him to finally call. The decision is to do the surgery to remove what is left of the tumor. The surgery will be sometime next week from what Beth has told me. Jenny is waiting for a call back from the surgeon either tonight or tomorrow morning with a plan for when the surgery will be. It will be done at Doernbecher and apparently Benny will have a five day stay there for recovery afterward. That is all I have at this point. When I hear when the surgery is, I'll be sure to pass that along. For now, please keep up the good thoughts and prayers and send them Ben, Jenny, and Dave's way.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Friday, October 15, 2010
Latest News
Ok, so I'm a little behind. For that I apologize. I was in Medford visiting for 11 days from September 30th to October 10th. The first weekend of my trip Benny, Jenny, and Dave were up in Portland at Doernbecher for tests to see how Ben was progressing in his fight. He had a heart test, a hearing test, and I think maybe a visions test, and possibly one other test to see how the chemo was affecting his body. All of the tests came back good. The kid is strong and his body is doing fine with the chemo. They also did another MRI to see how the tumor had reacted to the chemo. When the MRI results came back we found out that the tumor has already shrunk by 85%! That was great news. The doctors told Jenny and Dave they could go home but would need to return this week (the week of the 11th) for an IMBG test. This is a test where they inject Bennet with a dye or ink. I believe it is radioactive though I could be wrong about that. In any event the dye/ink is somehow able to search out any cancerous cells and light them up in another sort of scan. So this week on Tuesday Ben was injected with this stuff and on Wednesday he had the scan. Basically the doctors did this in order to see if the remaining 15% of the tumor was a sort of scar tissue or if it was still cancerous. Today the results of the scan came back. It turns out that there are still cancerous cells in the 15% that remains. I don't know how much of it is cancerous or if all 15% is. What I know is that Ben with have to undergo more chemo. He will have one more round (not sure when or how many days at this point) and then in three weeks they will head to Portland again for another MRI to see what this round does to what remains of the tumor.
Obviously, this is not the news were all hoping for today. But in my mind, its still positive. Ben and the chemo have already taken out 85% of what seemed to me to be a huge tumor, especially in someone so little. The kid is obviously a fighter. And really, that 85% has been destroyed in just under four months. We all want Benny to be healthy again and for Dave and Jenny to get back to a normal life with their little man. But, they don't get to do that just yet. But after 85%, we're hoping that this last 15% will be a walk in the park. The good news is that the cancer hasn't spread and its just that 15% that remains. My guess is that Benny will continue to fight the rest of this cancer the same way he did the first 85%. He'll continue to be a little trooper with a smile on his face and laughing. Luckily for him, he has two loving parents that have been very strong through all of this. We should all be so lucky to have parents like them willing to fight for us. Plus, well, they all have a hell of a support group behind them. Please, when you have a minute, continue to send good thoughts and prayers to Ben, Jenny, and Dave.
I know I continue to learn life lessons from little Ben day in and day out.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
Jake
Obviously, this is not the news were all hoping for today. But in my mind, its still positive. Ben and the chemo have already taken out 85% of what seemed to me to be a huge tumor, especially in someone so little. The kid is obviously a fighter. And really, that 85% has been destroyed in just under four months. We all want Benny to be healthy again and for Dave and Jenny to get back to a normal life with their little man. But, they don't get to do that just yet. But after 85%, we're hoping that this last 15% will be a walk in the park. The good news is that the cancer hasn't spread and its just that 15% that remains. My guess is that Benny will continue to fight the rest of this cancer the same way he did the first 85%. He'll continue to be a little trooper with a smile on his face and laughing. Luckily for him, he has two loving parents that have been very strong through all of this. We should all be so lucky to have parents like them willing to fight for us. Plus, well, they all have a hell of a support group behind them. Please, when you have a minute, continue to send good thoughts and prayers to Ben, Jenny, and Dave.
I know I continue to learn life lessons from little Ben day in and day out.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
Jake
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Heading to Portland
Hey all. I just wanted to let everybody know what's going on with Bennet this weekend. I talked to Beth today and she said Jenny got a call from Doernbecher this morning. They had an opening at 11:30 on Friday for Benny. So, our little trooper and his parents will be heading up to Portland tomorrow afternoon. I believe Ben has appointments both Friday and Monday so they will be staying the weekend in Portland. I guess most of the results of the various tests the doctors will be doing won't be available until sometime Monday. And for those that don't know, these two days of tests and results are to give us an idea of how the tumor/cancer has reacted to the chemo. So we'll know where Benny is in his fight and the doctors will give Jenny and Dave an idea of what the next step(s) is(are). So obviously, its that time again where Team Ben needs to send good thoughts and prayers north to Ben, Jenny, and Dave. I shouldn't need to say this as you should all have still been doing this. But just in case you forgot and needed a reminder, keep it up and spread the word.
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Chemo Round 4 and a Benny Event
Hi all. So first off, Benny started his 4th round of chemo yesterday and rocked another day of it today. One more day tomorrow and he's done with round four. I believe the next step after this will be to head to Portland in two to three weeks (not sure exactly when yet) for a day of tests up at Doernbecher to see what the tumor is doing. Obviously, we're all rooting for a best case scenario of the tumor being gone, but I'm not a doctor and have no idea if that's even in the cards at this point. My not being a doctor won't stop me from thinking good thoughts that this is in fact the case though.
Item number two for today as the title states is a big Benny event going down this weekend in Medford. This big Benny event has been put together by Benny, Jenny, and Dave's friend Kathrine Henry. The basic details are as follows:
Baby Ben's Charity Yard Sale
Date/Time: Friday 9/17 and Saturday 9/18 9am-4pm both days
Location: RE/MAX Ideal Brokers parking lot (across from airport)3539 Heathrow Way Medford, OR
Donations for the yard sale can be made and you can volunteer to help out by either sending an email to teambensfriends@gmail.com or calling (541)770-3325. Donations can also be brought directly to RE/MAX by the end of business on Thursday, or they will happily be picked up if you call or email. You can also show up to help price items and organize whenever you have a free minute or two to spare. Volunteers to help work the actual yard sale are also welcome. If you don't have anything to donate or time to spare to help out, at least try to head down to the yard sale and check out what's for sale, maybe buy something if you find something you like, on Friday or Saturday. If I'm not mistaken, depending on how Ben is feeling after the chemo this week, Jenny is going to try to bring him out at least for a little while on both days. Thanks to everybody making donations and helping out. I wish I could be there to help out, but I can't, so those of you who can should check it out, take pictures, and send them to me at rideforclyde2010@hotmail.com so I can post them here on the blog. Great job Kathrine!
That's all for today.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Item number two for today as the title states is a big Benny event going down this weekend in Medford. This big Benny event has been put together by Benny, Jenny, and Dave's friend Kathrine Henry. The basic details are as follows:
Baby Ben's Charity Yard Sale
Date/Time: Friday 9/17 and Saturday 9/18 9am-4pm both days
Location: RE/MAX Ideal Brokers parking lot (across from airport)3539 Heathrow Way Medford, OR
Donations for the yard sale can be made and you can volunteer to help out by either sending an email to teambensfriends@gmail.com or calling (541)770-3325. Donations can also be brought directly to RE/MAX by the end of business on Thursday, or they will happily be picked up if you call or email. You can also show up to help price items and organize whenever you have a free minute or two to spare. Volunteers to help work the actual yard sale are also welcome. If you don't have anything to donate or time to spare to help out, at least try to head down to the yard sale and check out what's for sale, maybe buy something if you find something you like, on Friday or Saturday. If I'm not mistaken, depending on how Ben is feeling after the chemo this week, Jenny is going to try to bring him out at least for a little while on both days. Thanks to everybody making donations and helping out. I wish I could be there to help out, but I can't, so those of you who can should check it out, take pictures, and send them to me at rideforclyde2010@hotmail.com so I can post them here on the blog. Great job Kathrine!
That's all for today.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Friday, August 27, 2010
For Benny
First off, our brave little Benny finished up round three of his chemo today. That means one more round, then back to Portland for tests to check on what the tumor is doing. From what Jenny told me, Benny slept a lot during treatment yesterday but was still his usual happy little self. I haven't heard today how day three went. I do have something else to share tonight though. This one is another little personal effort on my part.
I met Bennet the day he was born. I consider myself his uncle though I have no actual blood relation to him. I'm lucky enough that Dave and Jenny also consider me his uncle. When Ben was first diagnosed with cancer, I had been growing my hair out for just over a year. By today it had been about a year and three months. Before I continue I need to explain a couple of things that happened last night. When I was getting ready for bed, I looked in the mirror. What I saw reminded me a little of the look crazy Joaquin Phoenix has adopted. I knew it was time for a change. Jenny also happened to mention last night, that the nurse told her Benny's hair would probably fall out with this round of chemo. So, tonight, I started to lose my hair too. The pictures that follow here are a before, a couple piles of hair, and after. The basketball is used as a reference for the pile of hair. My hair is now an eighth inch long, and I plan to shave the rest bald when Ben loses the his hair. I'm planning on keeping my head shaved until Benny's hair grows back as a statement of solidarity with the little trooper in his fight. Here are the pictures:
 | |
| Before |
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| The pile of hair |
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| I Ride With Clyde! |
 | ||||
| After |
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Good News!
Yep. Benny's counts were all good today! That means round three of chemo started today. I talked to Jenny and she said that it is a three day round, but they get to go home in between treatments. She also said Ben did great today with the treatment, though he did have a blood clot that made it so they had to access his port twice. That's all I know at this point. More chemo tomorrow and Friday. When I get updates I'll pass them along. For now just keep good thoughts for Bennet while he works on kicking that tumor's ass.
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Another Go Round
Hi all. Well, they'll be checking Baby Benny's counts again today. If they are back to levels the doctors like, another round of chemo will start today. If I'm not mistaken this round will last three days. So, please send your good thoughts and prayers to Medford to Ben, Jenny, and Dave. I'll let you all know how things go today when I get home from work this evening. Kick that tumor's ass Benny!
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Low Counts=No Chemo
Well a little bit of bummer news tonight. Like the title kind of eludes to, Baby Ben had a low white cell count again today which meant no chemo. From what Jenny said they'll wait until next week and check his counts again. If they're back up, they'll start another round of chemo. This means we just have to keep up the good thoughts for high counts so that they actually are up come this time next week. Luckily, Benny is still his smiling, laughing, happy little self. That's it for now on the Benny front.
But because, I am in charge of this blog, that's not all the asking for good thoughts I'm gonna do tonight. I know this blog is about Bennet and his fight with cancer, but tonight, someone else very near and dear to our family needs some good thoughts. I'm not going to name names because this person gets embarrassed and doesn't necessarily want the attention, but please send good thoughts for us up to Portland tonight and tomorrow. One of the members of my family is having surgery tomorrow and while we know everything is going to turn out ok, we're all still a little on edge. So good thoughts and prayers couldn't hurt and are definitely appreciated.
Thanks all!
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
But because, I am in charge of this blog, that's not all the asking for good thoughts I'm gonna do tonight. I know this blog is about Bennet and his fight with cancer, but tonight, someone else very near and dear to our family needs some good thoughts. I'm not going to name names because this person gets embarrassed and doesn't necessarily want the attention, but please send good thoughts for us up to Portland tonight and tomorrow. One of the members of my family is having surgery tomorrow and while we know everything is going to turn out ok, we're all still a little on edge. So good thoughts and prayers couldn't hurt and are definitely appreciated.
Thanks all!
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tomorrow
Hey all, just wanted to give you all a quick heads up about what's going on tomorrow. Benny will have his blood counts checked again tomorrow and if they've come back up from last week, he'll start another round of chemo. So, please think good thoughts for high counts so Ben can rock the chemo and continue kicking the tumor's ass. From what I understand this round of chemo will last three days. I'm guessing that means it'll be a little tough on our little trooper, so keep good thoughts that it won't be too bad as well. I'll let everyone know how tomorrow goes when I hear.
On a side note, some kind amazing soul used on of the donation methods to deposit $800 in the Ride With Clyde bank account on Monday. I'm not posting this as a way to get other people to donate. Rather, I have no idea who made this generous donation. The family is trying to thank everyone making donations and buying t-shirts, but we have no way to thank this person at the moment. If it was you, or someone you know, please send me an email at ridewithclyde2010@hotmail.com so we can thank you properly. That's all.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
On a side note, some kind amazing soul used on of the donation methods to deposit $800 in the Ride With Clyde bank account on Monday. I'm not posting this as a way to get other people to donate. Rather, I have no idea who made this generous donation. The family is trying to thank everyone making donations and buying t-shirts, but we have no way to thank this person at the moment. If it was you, or someone you know, please send me an email at ridewithclyde2010@hotmail.com so we can thank you properly. That's all.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Monday, August 9, 2010
T-shirts, Again
Hi all. So t-shirt orders have slowed down and I've had a couple questions about where to get them the last couple of days, so I thought I'd repost all the links so they're easy to find. As always, if you have questions, comments, or suggestions for new shirt designs, feel free to send them to me at rideforclyde2010@hotmail.com. Here are the links:
http://www.cafepress.com/L
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/C
http://www.cafepress.com/E
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/E
http://www.cafepress.com/F
http://www.cafepress.com/H
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/W
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
http://www.cafepress.com/L
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/C
http://www.cafepress.com/E
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/I
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/B
http://www.cafepress.com/E
http://www.cafepress.com/F
http://www.cafepress.com/H
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/T
http://www.cafepress.com/W
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Check That
Apparently my information last night was not completely up to the minute. I guess the doctors told Jenny and Dave yesterday that Benny would be doing two more rounds of chemo at home at RVMC before heading up to Portland and Doernbecher for an MRI in possibly September now. That's the latest that I've heard.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Transfusion
Well, Benny had his counts checked again today. I think this was the fourth time in the last couple of weeks or so, but I'm not positive. Earlier in the week his counts were low, but not low enough to necessitate a transfusion. Today however, his platelets were low which means he had to have a platelet transfusion. Kind of a bummer, but hopefully it will help him to feel/get better more quickly. From what Beth has told me the gang (Bennet, Jenny, Dave, Beth, Collin, and their girls) will be headed back up to Doernbecher's in Portland next weekend. Benny has some follow up appointments if I'm not mistaken and they'll be doing the next round of chemo there as well around the 13th. Not sure what this round of chemo will entail, but I'll keep you posted when I hear. That's it for now.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Just A Couple Things
So I talked to Ben's uncle Collin today. He mentioned that Ben, Jenny, and Dave stopped by the house today. They checked Ben's counts today and while they were low, they were not as low as the doctors had expected. So that's good news. The little man is through his second round of chemo. I guess this time around was a little harder for Benny, but he's still smiling. I think Jenny mentioned he was a little nauseous. I think that's all I know on that front at this point.
Just as a reminder t-shirts can still be bought, just scroll through the older posts and find the links (we haven't sold any since the 6th) and you still make donations. They're still coming in, less frequently, about one a week at this point or so. That's it.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Just as a reminder t-shirts can still be bought, just scroll through the older posts and find the links (we haven't sold any since the 6th) and you still make donations. They're still coming in, less frequently, about one a week at this point or so. That's it.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Pictures and Quick Update
So, I don't have a lot to update you all with at this point. Bennet is crawling, which is a good sign as it tells us that the chemo is still working and the tumor is still shrinking. Other than that, Ben should be starting his next round of chemo tomorrow assuming his blood counts are still where they should be. Last I heard, if the counts are down they will do a transfusion instead of chemo. But, we'll all keep good thoughts and another round of chemo will hopefully go off without a hitch. I think this round is just going to be one day, so Ben will be at RVMC for a few hours and then will get to go home.
That's it from me right now. Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been really busy at work and dealing with some family issues of my own. I'll let you all know how Bennet does tomorrow when I hear from Beth.
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Friday, July 16, 2010
Little Update
So from what Beth told me today or maybe last night, Bennet will have more blood work done next Thursday to again check his counts. If they look good like they did yesterday, they will do another round of chemo. I guess they're just planning on doing a big dose on Thursday and calling that good for this round. So Benny would be in the hospital for a few hours and then he'd get to go home. We aren't sure why they've dropped it to one day. I for one am not going to question it. We also don't know the plan beyond that as far as the chemo goes at this point. If for some reason Ben's counts have gone down, there is a possibility they could do a blood transfusion instead of the chemo. But we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. For now we'll think chemo thoughts instead of transfusion thoughts.
I just saw on Jenny's facebook page that someone that doesn't know Bennet made him a quilt. I think that's awesome. So if whoever did that is out there reading this, thank you from all of us for thinking about Benny, Jenny, and Dave and for taking time out of your life to make him something so special. From where I'm sitting, I can say that I've been amazed by the willingness of people who don't know Bennet, Jenny, or Dave to help out. Its really cool and I'm glad Bennet, Jenny, and Dave have people in their lives that have friends with such big hearts. Thank you to all of you.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
I just saw on Jenny's facebook page that someone that doesn't know Bennet made him a quilt. I think that's awesome. So if whoever did that is out there reading this, thank you from all of us for thinking about Benny, Jenny, and Dave and for taking time out of your life to make him something so special. From where I'm sitting, I can say that I've been amazed by the willingness of people who don't know Bennet, Jenny, or Dave to help out. Its really cool and I'm glad Bennet, Jenny, and Dave have people in their lives that have friends with such big hearts. Thank you to all of you.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Thursday, July 15, 2010
No Transfusion, Woohoo!
Just like the title says, Bennet did not have to have the blood transfusion that was planned for today. They did some blood work to check his counts again and his red blood cell count is back up on its own and no transfusion was needed today. This is good news in that it again looks like Benny will be able to do the next round of chemo at RVMC and he, Jenny, and Dave will not need to make the trip to Portland for it. They may still have to go back up to Portland for an appointment and the third round of chemo, but from what Collin told me they should be able to do at least this next round at home. Obviously, the good thoughts and prayers continue to work. So keep them up and I'll let you know when there's more news.
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
F*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sorry for the Slacking
Hi everybody. I want to apologize for the lack of updates lately. I drove up to Medford last Friday to welcome everyone home from Portland and have been catching up a little since getting home. I actually beat everyone to Medford, but only got to see Beth, Collin, their girls, and Connie on Friday. Dave and Jenny were asked to keep Bennet away from other people for the most part until they had a chance to see the oncologist Monday in Ashland. This was because they weren't sure of Ben' white blood cell count and didn't want him around people who may be sick. We did however get to see Jenny, Dave, and Ben on Saturday. We went by their house and then walked to Lithia Park and had a picnic lunch. It was the first time I had seen any of them since the day Ben was admitted to the hospital back in June. It was great to see Benny happy and smiling still. Dave show be the x-ray of the tumor and I was amazed at how big it was. Dave also showed me where Ben's port is and other various things leftover from the various procedures. It was really good to just talk to them and hear all of what has been going on. Even if it was a short visit and I had to keep my distance from Bennet, it was worth the drive up.
Now for the update from yesterday's visit to the oncologist in Ashland. They did some blood work on Benny and his white blood cell numbers were back up which is good. Unfortunately, his red blood cell count is now down and it looks like he'll be getting a blood transfusion on Thursday. If I'm not mistaken both Dave and Ben's uncle Collin share his blood type, so one of them should be able to donate blood for the transfusion. It also looks like Bennet, Jenny, and Dave are going to have to go back up to Portland for some appointments, the next round of chemo, and possibly another MRI to check on the tumor. They aren't sure when this will be yet as they have to make an appointment with the surgeon (I don't know why). It could be sometime next week, but we'll know for sure when they make the appointment. I think that's it for now on the updates.
Now for a piece of my mind. I've been hearing from the family that some people are finding the "F*ck cancer!" shirts to be offensive. Like I've said before, I'm sorry if they offend you, but its what we're thinking at this point. There are other options for those that find them to be offensive. Personally, I don't find them offensive. My grandfather passed away when I was 7 years old, 11 days after he was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. I also have a number of family and close friends who have lost loved ones to cancer. As such, I bought one of these shirts for myself and wore it proudly on Saturday when we went to see Bennet, Jenny, and Dave. Beth and I were both amazed at the reception the shirt received. Walking around Ashland four people commented on the shirt all in positive ways. Throughout the rest of the day at the family pub in Medford and out at Southern Oregon Speedway, the shirt received at least four more positive comments, though it was more like 6. No one told me they were offended by the shirt. I think this has to do with the idea that almost all of us have been touched by cancer in some way, shape, or form in our lives. No one likes the disease. We all share the sentiment the shirt expresses, just not all of us are willing to admit it. So I'll continue to wear my shirt proudly for my grandfather and Bennet, and those of us out there unwilling to do so. But please do us a favor, if you find the shirt offensive, we don't need to hear about it. Buy another shirt or don't, either is fine, but this is how we feel.
That's all. Sorry for the rant. I'll be back soon when I have more news.
As always, f*ck cancer, I ride with Clyde!
-Jake
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