Hearts Full of Gratitude

Coming Out of the Woodwork

I have often wondered if the friendships that I have made throughout my life are meaningful or frivolous. Not because the friends that I have are frivolous but because I have not put enough effort into cultivating those relationships. We've all experienced it. You make a friend, spend some good times together and have some very meaningful conversations over a period of time, then you are distanced from one another either physically or circumstantially. Ten years down the road you think of this person and wonder if you should get in touch with them. Do they even remember you? Were you meaningful to them? Did you have something of value to offer them at the time? Was it enough that they still think of you and wonder how you're doing? Maybe it is just me that thinks of those things but it happens quite often. Or at least it used to....

Ever since we found out that Archer was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, we have received an overwhelming amount of support. I've mentioned this before and it may seem like it is just a typical way for me to express myself. It isn't. I don't get overwhelmed. That is something of which I am actually very proud. Or at least I used to be....

The reason I say it is "overwhelming" is...well, because it is. People have done so much for us lately and continue to ask what more can be done. You would think that people eventually run out of steam from service but I can tell you, they don't. At least not the people that we know. We really wish that we could list off everything that has been done for us and everyone that has done it. However, that would take me an incredibly long time and, for the sake of anonymity, I will refrain.

Fundraisers

There have been a lot of people who have organized and conducted fundraisers for little Archer. My family collecting money at a mountain man rendezvous, a friend setting up a GoFundMe account, cousins organizing a 5K, quilt raffle, bake sale, yard sale and donating all profits for a day from their tire/lube shop, another friend designing and selling t-shirts, and even a BYU Entrepreneurship group who saw Archer's picture on GoFundMe.

There are also still fundraisers that have been organized that haven't happened yet, including a quilt raffle (it is currently ongoing) at Jaker's Pumpkin Patch in Springville tomorrow night and Monday and a LuLaRoe skirt/dress party on November 8. 

Acts of Service

This could get hairy. There have been so many acts of service that I will never be able to list them all so I will have to generalize a bit. We have had a bunch of meals provided, rides to and from the hospital, babysitting, gifts of all sorts, a secret admirer that drops things off at Aubrey's parent's house, donations galore, people bringing us weeks worth of frozen meals and groceries, people reaching out to express their love and support and countless prayers on our behalf.

The Mushy Stuff

Aubrey and I have shown a lot of emotion lately, no matter how much we have tried to hide it. We have shed many tears. Tears of sadness, tears of fear, tears of joy, tears of gratitude and tears of love. Love for all of you. Love for you because you have taken your turns, carrying us on your backs though this dark forest of an unknown future. We could not do this without you. We love you all dearly and we pray for you constantly, as you pray for us. Words cannot begin to describe how grateful we are to you and how much your love and support mean to us, though I hope this gives you a sliver of an idea. Thank you!

A Long Time Coming

An Abundance of Joy

Let's get this off the table first, as I know this is what is at the forefront of most of our minds: How is Archer doing? I am so thrilled to tell you that he is doing remarkably well! Ever since he recovered from not being able to keep any food down for more than 20 minutes, he has gained about four pounds (five pounds in less than two weeks but he has since lost a pound) and he is no longer on the IV feeding pumps so he doesn't have to tell you to grab his backpack whenever he wants to go more than a few feet. Now instead of running around yelling "backpack" he runs around and just screams "Fun! Fun! Fun!" His personality has really come out lately as well. He is such a sweet little kid and has such a great sense of humor. He has so much energy and has been feeling so good lately that it is hard to believe he is fighting cancer and going through chemotherapy.

In the picture to the right, Archer pulled off his socks and said, "Eww! Gross!" And then started sniffing his feet. After he smelled them he said, "stinky stinky!"

He keeps us and pretty much everyone around him cracking up all the time but he has been especially silly lately. He likes to say his name in a deep, raspy tone (I may have taught him that) but the other day when my parents (Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Shayne) watched him, he refused to answer to Archer. He insisted that they call him Frank and he made sure and pound that idea home by saying "Frank" in his deep, raspy tone whenever they would call him Archer. He hasn't said anything like it since and I have no idea where that came from and why.

The Foreseeable Future

Archer's first week free of hospital visits is this next week and we are looking forward to it dearly! It just so happens to be my Fall Break from school and also Kaesia's Fall Break from preschool. We are looking forward to being able to spend some time together as a family and not have to worry about sleeping on a hospital couch, not seeing each other for a few days, or having to drive to Salt Lake. After this week off, Archer has two weeks of chemo then a week of recovery before testing and surgery. The surgery to resect the tumor on his liver is scheduled for November 13. The surgery will be quite extensive and he will need to be hospitalized for 7-10 days following the procedure. There is a lot that can go wrong but we do have one of the world's leading surgeons as his doctor. Prayers for a good procedure and quick recovery definitely would not hurt, however. After he is released from the hospital, it will be another week or two before they start his post-operation chemo treatments.

A Fun Tidbit

Kaesia started preschool just a couple of weeks ago and is so excited about it. She loves packing around her Minnie Mouse backpack and lunch bag (still attached and with the tags on because Kaesia "want[s] it to stay new") even though it has nothing in it. She has learned a bunch already and loves learning more each time she is able to go. It is really good for her to go and interact with so many other kids and learn so much. 

A Post of It's Own

I really wanted to mention so much of the support that we have received over the past several weeks but don't feel like it would be nearly adequate to just tack on in another post. I am going to post again tomorrow and focus on highlighting all of the different things that people have done to help out. So...WATCH FOR IT!