Psalm 69:1-3

Please pray for Kyler.

Today at his weekly appointment with the pediatric oncologist they discovered that his blood counts have continued to drop. He is severely neutropenic. (see last blog entry for definition). His immune system is gone. There are no white blood cells in his body. Your immune system can’t be any more suppressed than his is right now. Our doctor told us his body has no defense against viral or bacterial attack.

They have admitted him to the hospital since he was running a mild fever and they were concerned he might be coming down with something. We don’t know how long he will be hospitalized. As of this writing, we are waiting for the results of some blood cultures to tell us whether or not he has contracted anything. The hope is to be able to combat any infection that has gained entrance to his body before it results in sepsis, an infection in the blood, which is life threatening.

He will be getting another transfusion as well to help raise his platelet and hemoglobin counts. The average persons platelet count is somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 and Kyler’s is at 23,000. Sandie was concerned about some small red spots that had developed on Kyler’s chest and it turns out that when your platelet count is extremely low and a capillary bursts that the red dots appear.

Please pray for Sandie as well. The stress is taking a toll on her body. She is experiencing shortness of breath and tightness in her chest. I just got off the phone with her and it has gotten to the point where she is going to talk to one of the doctors about it.

Thank you for your continued support and prayer.

Darrell

First day of School

First day of School

Kyler and Kendrick started school this Wednesday. They boys were very excited. Kyler had six friends in his class from pre-school or the neighborhood. Kendrick made some friends the first day since none of his buddies from last year are in his class.



Kyler really likes his teacher. And Kendrick’s teacher Mrs. Stone seems to be good fit for him – kind of goofy and fun loving. She also makes household chores part of her homework program. Kendrick is learning how to wash and fold laundry.



Sandie said Kyler’s appetite was huge at lunch today. Great! We’re still trying to pack on the pounds for him. (Hagen Dazs ice cream has 18 grams of fat and 270 calories in a ½ cup serving)

Thanks for keeping tabs on what’s going on with us and praying.

Sandie’s Dad goes home Tuesday of next week. He continues to improve. Thanks for lifting him up in prayer. Pray for the adjustment both he and Ann will have to make in this next season.

Blessings,

Darrell Haskins

Weekly Check-up

Well, we spent most of the day today at the hospital. Kyler’s weekly check-up, which started at 10:30, turned into an all day affair after they discovered his platelet and hemoglobin counts were extremely low. Kyler was looking rather pale to his doctor and she was not surprised to learn how low his counts were. There is a nifty word for the condition when your immune system is so depleted (you have next to no white blood cells) that you are susceptible to just about anything – neutropenic. The number they use to mark the definition of the condition is 500. Kyler was at 600. Kyler’s last count before chemo started was 2300. At his first check-up after chemo it was 1400. Today it was 600. Those drugs really are effective at killing cells that rapidly reproduce. The good news is that he is up almost three pounds from last week!

They marched us right upstairs for him to get ‘typed and crossed’ (which sound much scarier than it really is) for a match to his blood type. We went to lunch while they prepared the blood and platelets and then we then spent the rest of the day sitting around while Kyler received it. Actually, I took Kendrick out for a while to run some errands and get some good dad time in while Kyler did his thing on the sixth floor.

It was getting to be 6:00 PM, we were the last people in the outpatient area, and the two remain nurses were very ready to go home. Unfortunately, just before Kyler finished receiving the last of the platelets he had a bit of a reaction. He said he was feeling very itchy and we found a few welts. The nurses had to stop giving the platelets and call the doctor to get orders for what to do. Fortunately it was nothing that a bit of Benadryl wouldn’t fix.

We got home just after 7:00 PM. It was a much longer day than I expected.

I’m hoping he sleeps well tonight because tomorrow he starts kindergarten. We had a chance to meet with his teachers and get them up to speed on what’s going on with him and start to get a game plan together. She seems really great. Kyler is excited because he has six friends already in his class from pre-school or the Lincoln Mom’s Club.

It’s good he got the blood and platelets today before starting school so he will be better prepared to fend off any bugs that might try attack him.

Please pray that his system recovers quickly and that he has a smooth transition to school. We have four more weeks till his next chemo treatment (September 19th).

Chemo No. 1

Chemo #1

It has been one week since Kyler’s first chemo treatment. He handled it surprisingly well. The nausea was controlled well and he did not throw up at the hospital. His blood work going into his first round of chemo was very strong. We were thankful for that. We were expecting a two-day stay at the hospital, but when we got there we were informed that, barring any unforeseen complications, it would only be a 24-hour stay. He did so well that they were able to release us even earlier.

Kyler’s weekly Tuesday visit with his pediatric oncologist went well today. He was able to remain calm while they accessed his port. His blood work looks good still (especially considering he had chemo last week). However, he has lost 1.5 pounds. We can’t seem to get that boy to gain weight. It’s hard to look at him sometimes because he is so gaunt. As of today he weighs 30 pounds. I know toddlers that weigh more than that and he is starting kindergarten next week.

Tonight he was having a hard time making himself eat half of a piece of toast with cashew butter on it. “I’m never going to like food again”, he said. That was hard to hear. Nothing sounds good to him and he is having a hard time getting anything of substance in him. If we push for the extra bite or two he often vomits up everything we’ve been trying so hard to get in him. It’s very stressful.

He has been understandably tired this last week. We are hoping that both energy levels and appetite continue to pick up.

On a positive note, Kyler started reading some very simple books today. We were all very excited about it. I could tell Kendrick was proud of him. He seemed almost just as excited as Kyler. “He’s not even in kindergarten yet”, he would say or, “You’ll probably be the smartest kid in your class, Kyler.” That was fun to see Kendrick make a big deal over his brother.

The weight and appetite issues are the biggest ones for us right now. He has five more weeks till his next chemo treatment. We could also use your prayers for his adjustment to going to school during treatment. I can only imagine how odd it might feel to try and go to school and have people ask about your hair being gone or why you missed a few days of school. All the kids will quickly find out what’s going on and we are hoping they will all be supportive and kind. We are also asking God to help us to be able to work closely with the teacher to help him do his best and find the balance between keeping him challenged without over-taxing him.

With much gratitude,

Darrell Haskins

Message from Sandie

This has definitely been a crazy season for our family! Last week we were preparing for a 4-day vacation with my parents and my sister and her kids. On Saturday night we got a call from my mom saying that my dad had fallen on the golf course and was taken to the emergency room at Mercy hospital in Redding. We drove out that night to be with him. Turns out, he had a massive stroke and his memory, eyesight, and right side of his body have been affected. The doctor was surprised he was not blind but only limited to being able to see from the left sides of his eyes. The doctor also said he will never drive again.

My mother has been shaken up quite a bit but is relying on the Lord to be her strength each day. He is now in Chico at Enloe Rehabilitation Center. He loves to see his kids and grandkids. He remembers all of us and all his friends too, but the next day, will forget that he had a stroke and not remember that he had any visitors. He has a special interest in Kyler because of what he has been through. It was so sweet to see Kyler crawl up in bed with my dad and rub his arm like I would do with Kyler after his brain tumor surgery. It’s hard for all of us to see my big strong dad look frail and helpless. Please be in prayer for his recovery in all areas.



This Tuesday, August 8th is the first day of Kyler’s first cycle of chemotherapy. To say that I’m not looking forward to it is a huge understatement. I have to lean into the Lord constantly to not fall apart with worry about what those poisonous drugs could do to Kyler. His oncologist tells us that the drugs could make many of his organs fail and his hearing will probably be affected. We have several pages of all the “possible side affects” that they have to tell you up front. It’s very hard for me to understand the treatment in light of two clear spinal taps and two clear MRI’s.. We as parents don’t have a choice to go with any other course of action. This is where we really have to find peace in God and trust Him to do what we cannot do.

This first cycle of chemotherapy is 6 weeks long. The first few days will be spent in the hospital as they administer the chemotherapy and monitor him. He will have to be monitored weekly during the cycle to make sure he is doing well. It is expected that his immune system will be down for a while as his body recovers.

Specific points of prayer for Kyler:

• Protection of organs, ears, and good cells
• Good appetite and lack of nausea
• Quick repair of immune system and blood levels

Thanks for your continued prayers for Kyler and our family. We are more grateful than you can know.