Thursday, Dec 10th update

Tanner and his mom left early this morning to go back home (Lebanon, MO). As we are so grateful that he will start to transition back into a normal teenager life, there are a lot of different emotions running rapid. This journey has brought all four parents closely together, as well as our families. We know Tanner is excited to see his friends and be able to sleep in his own bed.

He will return back to St. Jude at the end of next week for his final PET Scan. We still do not know when his port will be removed, but as he said last night, he will feel the finality when that is removed.

Thank you for continued prayers and support. We will still be posting updates and hopefully, some photos.

Tuesday, Dec. 8th update!!

Every Monday we meet with Tanner's team of specialist, and we were told that yesterday marked his last official visit with his oncologist! Even though we knew this would be coming soon after being told that Tanner was in remission, it felt surreal to hear the words. It's hard to say how everyone was feeling, especially going through this emotional rollercoaster, but I know we all gave thanks to God first with hearing of this news.

Tanner has two full days of appointments this week. Today, he will be receiving an MRI and a spinal tap. Tomorrow, more tests and meeting with hospital professionals. This aides in future studies for St. Jude! We were told he could go home after this Wednesday's appointments and then return next Thursday for his final PET Scan.

Tanner has been in a really good mood lately and feeling back to his jovial self. We can't imagine what Tanner feels or even try to put into words. Yesterday, we saw a full of life Tanner with that sweet smile that melts your heart.

On the 5th of Sept., we heard the most devastating news and now, we hear Tanner will get to go back home to start to live a "normal life" as a teenager again. We can't expect Tanner to go back and transition quickly to the boy he was before this journey, but we know that the strength that our Heavenly Father gave us to get through this, will be the same strength that Tanner will go to, to aide in his transition.

All four parents never gave up hope that Tanner would be healed from this, but it has opened up our eyes to the many, many children we come across at St. Jude every day that still suffer from this horrible disease. We will continue to pray for the children that are still fighting this battle. If you ever have a chance to pay it forward or to contribute to St. Jude, please go to their site and look at the different ways that this can be done. We were told that the St. Jude Marathon weekend raised eight million dollars and this equates to keeping the operating expenses working for four full days.

We will be posting about the upcoming appointments and the progress of Tanner. We thank all of you for the precious blessing of giving of yourselves selflessly to show us so much support! God Bless all of you! Please know you made a difference during this most challenging time.

 

Sunday, Dec 6th update

Today, marks the 21st day of Tanner's last chemo session. We have been blessed that Tanner has stayed "outpatient" status during this time. His recovery has taken a little longer than expected, but of course Tanner's team of physicians want to make sure he is fully recovered before they schedule his release. As of today, we are not aware when Tanner will be released from St. Jude. We are hopeful to hear this next week. What still lies ahead is PET Scans, other tests,  as well as, the scheduling of the removal of Tanner's port where his chemo is administered. We continue to receive so much support from family, friends, and the community. We have been  humbled by the kindness through this whole experience.

We would like to highlight some items during Tanner's last chemo session. Tanner's grandparents flew out to Memphis to spend Thanksgiving with all of us. This lifted Tanner's spirits up and we were so appreciative.  We had a wonderful time together as we had so much to be thankful for.  Yesterday, family and close friends were able to attend the St Jude marathon weekend. Tanner was able to walk through the 5k event and it brought much joy to see Tanner feeling well enough to do this. We know that having his friends walk beside him pushed him even more. We thank the moms that brought down the group of friends to walk with Tanner.

As soon as we know of an exit date for Tanner, we will update everyone.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!




 

Sunday, Nov. 15th - Fantastic update!!

On Friday, we found out that all test and scans came back clear and no evidence of cancer in Tanner!!! He has one more round of chemo left to ensure that all cells are completely gone and to help remove any chances of relapse. As parents we are still taking in the news from Friday. Its a little surreal and a lot to process since this journey began on Sept. 3rd. We do not falter in faith or question because we are witnessing true testimony through the wonderful news of the term "remission".

The oncologist used remission, which means according to medical terms that the test, physical exams, and scans show that all signs of the cancer are gone. Some doctors also refer to complete remission as "no evidence of disease".  The doctors and nurses are amazed at how quickly Tanner has gone through this treatment. We are in amazement ourselves. It has been said that the quickest treatment was five months and Tanner will before Christmas.

There are major contributions that we want to recognize that aided in Tanner's journey. The wonderful individuals, which include the Dr's, Nurses, and the Administrative Staff at St. Jude that gave their undivided attention, professional care, and positive outlook every day. We can't thank them enough. We also know what helped contribute to Tanner's remission is the most humbling and undying support from our families, friends, and many people we do not know that kept Tanner in their prayers every day. We also want to recognize Tanner's resilience and strength in having a positive attitude that this is a journey was given to him for a reason that doesn't mean that it wasn't very difficult for him.  The number one recognition above all is our Father in Heaven for his abundant blessings upon Tanner. Tanner has been chosen for a specific reason which has not been revealed, but God has a special plan in store for Tanner.

As parents, we are truly blessed and we get down on our knees to say thank you to God for sparing this special boy, as we see children at St. Jude every day that are going through a different journey have been called to Heaven.

Tanner's numbers have increased and although he is still in isolation from the viral infection, he has the green light for his FINAL ROUND OF CHEMO that starts on Monday. In a little more than three weeks, we are hopeful that he will be going back home to MO.

We are so thankful and feel very humbled by the news on Friday, but we will save the last breathe when Tanner packs his bags to leave Memphis and go back to his home.

Thank you everyone!!! A photo of  Dr. Ribeiro, Tanner's head Oncologist on the day he delivered the remission status.

 

Wed. Nov 11th great news!! #Tannerstrong

Tanner's bacterial tests came back negative and he was taken off his antibiotics!!! He will be discharged this afternoon to "outpatient" status. We are so grateful for his strength to fight through this and for God's blessings.

Tanner has a scheduled PET scan on Friday and this will let us know where his diagnosis stands, and how long his stay will be at St. Jude for future treatment. We will update everyone then.

Thank you!!! We are all feeling very happy and blessed!

Wed., Nov 11th - update

Tanner had a good night and he felt no pain or problems. We played a fun game of clue (old school). His blood pressure numbers looked good. His labs are all in good ranges and Tanner's appetite is in full force. We should find out when he will be released back into "outpatient" status.

Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and support!

 

Tuesday, Nov. 10th update

The Dr's decided it was best to give Tanner another blood transfusion last evening, instead of going back on the epinephrine medication. It seemed to help him and he didn't feel as tired. His blood pressure has stabilized on its own. Its still was not the numbers they wanted but high enough that everyone felt better. He is on a low bacteria diet which includes quite a bit so Tanner is a happy camper being able to eat again.

Tanner is officially out of ICU and has moved to the rooms that we are very familiar with, as well as the nurses. He's been tired this afternoon and has been sleeping a lot but we are sure his body has taken its toll between his chemo treatments, the backpack of meds, and his BP dropping so low yesterday.

They are monitoring closely and he's on a massive amount of antibiotics. The viral infection will unfortunately just have to run its course and his "fighter" cells are down to 300 (from an average norm of 18000). However all in all he is doing much better and we want to thank everyone for the prayers that were being said. We can breather a little easier today!

Monday, November 9th update

Well.......We might have been getting a little to comfortable with Tanner's "outpatient" status and was looking forward to some good news today; possibly Tanner going home for a few days before his next chemo treatment. We received a huge reminder that we are not in control of Tanner's cancer and/or his conditions.

Today, there were scheduled appointments and we were hopeful for a PET scan date to let us know the status of Tanner's cancer and future treatments. That was not the case!

Last evening, Tanner's temperature was unstable. This is one of the signs that keeps us on notice if there is something wrong.  This morning, his temperature was higher than usual and a call into St. Jude ended up with Tanner going in earlier than scheduled appointments. He definitely had a fever. His ANC number was down to 100 ( neutropenia status) and his blood pressure dropped pretty low (95/33). Tanner was coherent, but in a blink of an eye, in came two head oncologist on Tanner's team, the head of ICU, and a group of nurses. This caught us off guard.  His blood pressure had everyone pretty alarmed so he was admitted into ICU for obvious precautionary reasons. The "Team" decided he needed to be monitored and fluids were administered to aide in getting his BP up. We are still waiting on the results from the blood tests, but a nasal swipe showed that he does have a virus. Tanner is NPO which means no food or drink until further notice. Not a happy camper.

His BP was stabilized by late afternoon. I will post as soon as we get an update on when he can be released from the ICU. We know he is in the best hands at St. Jude and we have constant prayers being said.

We were so disappointed and worried today (more than usual), but grateful for the instant care at St. Jude and God's loving hands.



 

Saturday, Nov 7th update

Quick update

Tanner has been "outpatient" status since the last update. This is great news!! This past week he had appointments pretty much every day. He has been receiving the "G" shots every evening since Tuesday and his numbers are rising which means he has a little more energy.

Today,  Tanner went in for his labs and his hgb was at 7.0 so this required a blood transfusion. This went well.  We don't have any complaints with Tanner's status as of today, and are very grateful for how well he is responding to the chemo.  Next week, we will find out when Tanner's PET scans will be scheduled. We are looking forward to this because his "Team" will let us know where Tanner stands in getting future treatments at St. Jude, and his current status with the cancer. Tanner has endured so much during his chemo treatments and we can't say enough how brave this 14 year old has been through it all.

Thank you for the support and many prayers!

Saturday - Oct 31st update

Hello!


I apologize for the lapse in updates for Tanner. Its been a busy schedule.


Tanner had a great time going back home and seeing his family and friends, especially the friends :).
He was able to talk to young students about the impact of cancer and what chemo does. We are amazing about his perspective about this journey and how he has been positive lately and can communicate this to his community. He had a wonderful time back home and really, really pumped his spirits up. Thank you!!!


He returned back to St. Jude on Monday, the 26th and started his 4rth session of Chemo. He was "inpatient" for a few days and was released to "outpatient" status on Wed. night. This treatment is not as harsh as the last two, but it's still Chemo and with that being said, Tanner has been experiencing some side effects like mouth ulcers. We always try take a positive from this and since he is "outpatient" right now, he gets to carry a backpack with a CAD pump to dispense one of his drugs over a 24 hour period. He is very happy to be out of the hospital but does have his regular appointments scheduled. His numbers will drop in the next few days and he will feel tired and not have as much energy.


We do have to say that he is looking more like himself and gaining some weight back. We are very grateful that Tanner's body is very susceptible to the Chemo and is going through the treatments a little quicker than expected. We do know a lot of this is attached to the best Dr's and Nurses at St. Jude and the power of prayer. We are so very blessed to see Tanner getting better and have high hopes that he won't be at St. Jude as long as we all expected.


We want to thank everyone for the continued support and prayers. Have a wonderful weekend! I will be posting some photos soon of his trip back home.

Thurs - Oct. 22nd update

Tanner has been experiencing better days lately. Over the last weekend, a group of friends came to see him and we had a nice bbq for everyone. Seeing Tanner interact and hang out with his friends was wonderful. He actually was able to be a normal teenager again.  He had a lot more energy than expected so this made everyone happy.

Since Tanners numbers are on the rise, he was able to get out last Sunday and enjoy the day. The Dr's gave him the green light on eating out so he wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. It was one of the best days to see this boy enjoy a day and get away from St. Jude and the Target House.

This past Monday, Tanner had a follow up appointment with one of his oncologist. His oncologist said everything is progressing as expected and granted Tanner a release to go back home for a few days. We were all pretty surprise, but was so relieved to know that he is doing well enough to travel back home.

Tanner has two more sessions of Chemo. He will start his 4rth session on Monday, Oct 26th. It will not be as hard as the last two sessions. We never know what to expect from the side effects of Chemo, so we take a one day at a time attitude. We are so grateful for these past few days and we know that the all the love, support, and prayers are working.

We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for the continued support. We will be posting photos soon!

Lymphoma Statistics

 

What are the odds. Tanner's diagnosis Burkitt less than 1%

 

 

#tannerstrong photo

Here is a recent photo of Tanner. We just want to share! Thank you everyone for your constant support for #tannerstrong. Your love, support, and prayers have made a huge difference!!

 

 

 

 

 

Thurs - Oct 15th update

Tanner was released back to "outpatient" last evening.  He is feeling better than he has over the last few days. Right now, Tanner is in Neutropenia status due to the Chemo treatment. This is when his ANC ( numbers) counts are down.  Hopefully, his numbers will climb back up by the end of the weekend. After his follow up appointment today, we found out that Tanner's isolation status has been lifted!!! Yeah!!!

Tanner had classes today at St. Jude and is whizzing through his math. He is back at the Target House.  Overall, he's having a better day and we are grateful for this!!

We want to post a photo of the meds that Tanner takes with him when he goes to "outpatient" status just to give people an idea of what is required. When he is in the rooms of the hospital this is normally administered through an I.V. Tanner's Mom has become an expert on medication and when to administer them! Most of the meds are given every day, but depending on Tanner's pain or what he might be experiencing at a certain hour, some of the meds may be only administered during that time.

 

Tuesday - Oct. 13th update

On Sunday, it was a beautiful day at the "Target House" and the whole family got to go outside to bbq. Tanner was determined to make it out and got to enjoy a little bit of normalcy. I know this made everyone happy and put a little smile on everyone's face. We even got a chance to play monopoly.

On that note, there has been a luring pain that Tanner has been experiencing for the past three weeks which was thought to be from the mucositis. He began to cramp over the weekend and this was different pain, than what he had been experiencing prior.   On Monday, it was going to be addressed when he went in for his scheduled appointments. Sunday evening, one of Tanner's line was not flushing correctly so as a safety precaution, he was brought back to St. Jude. Yes, back to the hospital. The cramping was pretty bad at that time and the Drs. and nurses took notice and put him on some pain meds. Blood work and cultures were done.

Monday morning, Tanner had an ultra sound and the results came back with Colitis and C. difficile through out his intestine.  "Colitis" is the inflammation of the colon and "C. difficile" is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. He was immediately put on antibiotics and other medications to aide the infection. Tanner is back to "inpatient" status and will be in isolation for at least two weeks after a clear culture comes back free of bacteria. If  he does get released back to "outpatient", he will be confined to his resident room at the Target House.  Tanner was put on a liquid diet which he was very unhappy with. He doesn't need to lose anymore.

This morning, he woke up and was given the green card to eat from the low-fat/low-bacterial menu. He was very ecstatic. The cramping seemed to be clearing up which means the antibiotics are working. He has been given his "G" shots since Sunday evening and his numbers have started to drop He is closely monitored for fevers and any other infections. He was given his first blood transfusion and he didn't have any adverse reactions. That was great news!

We always look at the daily blessings. This weekend was really nice to be all together ( both sets of parents and Shyla, Tanner's younger sister) with Tanner and enjoy a little bit of normalcy.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. I can't mention enough how much we are so grateful that Tanner is in the best hands at St. Jude. We also know that he is in a lot of prayers that being said from a lot of wonderful people.

We thank God every day for another day closer to the end of the journey.




























































 

#tannerstrong favorite night nurse support!

 

 

 

 

 

We want to give a big shout out to Tanner's favorite night nurse!! Alicia rocks big time! This was taken about two weeks ago. She is a big Patriots fan and gives Tanner a little teasing about him being a Bronco follower.  It's awesome to have such a cool nurse that truly cares about this special boy! We love Alicia!

 

 

 

 

Saturday - Oct 10th update

Tanner is on his 6th day of his 3rd Chemo Treatment or the COPAM session. For the first few days of this past week, he was feeling back to himself. That is always a good thing to see and for him to feel. He spent the past week in "inpatient" status receiving his chemo meds. He is now starting to feel the side effects, but they are not as bad as the last session. Every session can be different depending on the patient. However, his team of physicians felt that the 2nd session was really harsh due to his body being introduced to the chemo medications for the first time. Thus far, the side effects have been mild and as soon as he feels something, he is given something to counter the effects.

Friday evening, he was discharged to "outpatient" status and went back to the Target House. He wasn't able to sit down with both sets of parents and have the enchilada dinner, but had a craving in the late evening and was able to eat some. When he is awake and needs to focus on something else other than the medication, he plays games on his I-pad mini and works on Sudoku. His bowel movements are still pretty painful and intense. He has had weight loss because his appetite comes and goes depending on how he feels and is a challenge at times with the nausea. Tanner has to consume a minimum of 2400 calories a day in order to maintain his weight.

As of today, he had appointments this morning at St. Jude for his spinal tap. He is back at the Target House today resting.

Thank you for the continued prayers and support.

Monday, Oct 5th update

Blessings ~

Last week, Tanner was told from the physicians that he could be given an opportunity to go home for a day or two before his next chemo session. On Friday afternoon, Tanner and his mom took the 5 hour drive home to Lebanon, MO. It was blessing for him to feel good enough to travel.  Of course, his medications went with him. It was a little emotional at times as everyone can imagine that he has not been in his actual home since Sept 3rd.

He was able to see some of his family and friends,  and made a surprise visit by his church on Sunday morning. We are sure it was  hard for Tanner to say goodbye on Sunday, but we know that this visit helped his morale to go through the journey that still lies ahead.

We thank everyone for the support and the visits. We know Tanner really appreciated it. It was wonderful to see the smile on Tanner's face again. What a great blessing indeed!

Tanner is back at St. Jude today and will be starting his 3rd session of chemotherapy this afternoon. Thank you for the constant support and prayers.

Here are a few photos from his visit over the weekend.

 

#tannerstrong support

We really do appreciate all the #Tannerstrong support. Here is just a few photos. Thank you!!
Everyday is #Tannerstrong day, but on Tuesday, a lot of the community, family, and friends wear red for Tanner! Tanner is feeling the love!

Thurs - Oct. 1st update

Just a quick update. Tanner has not had a fever in almost two days. That is great news! Tanner is not isolated to his room any more, because all of his test and blood work came back infection free. As of today, Tanner still has pain in certain areas of his body, but seems to be dealing with it. It's not that he has much choice.  He still is  "inpatient" status, but we will see if that will change. Tanner is feeling a little hungry and the focus is for him to eat to keep his weight from dropping any further than it is.
During this past Chemo session, we have seen a courageous young boy go through pain that most people could not imagine. We want to thank the St. Jude staff over and over again for their continued support for Tanner and all the other children that battle this horrible disease.  They are truly the angels.

On a different note. Tanner started losing his hair this past week and it was a little devastating. We all know hair is not his identity, but it was the last little bit of "normal" we were hanging on to. This week is head was shaved. It will be up to Tanner if we wants any photos to be posted. His Father and Uncle and others have shaved their heads in support for Tanner. Thank you for the show of support. It lifts all of us up!

We appreciate all the love and support #Tannerstrong!