|
6/20/2018 0 Comments Fundraiser!!Hello Everyone! We have been so busy with Sawyer’s surgery we didn’t get to do a post about the fundraiser. On June 9th our neighbors threw a wonderful fundraiser for Sawyer and our family. We were blessed with an absolutely beautiful day, we had rain in the morning, but it stopped about lunch time and then sun came out. It was a great day filled with friends, family, food, and fun! I’m pretty sure everyone had a great time especially the kids! We are so thankful to everyone who came out and showed their support, but we want to take a moment to thank all of those who made the day possible. A big thank you to the Blevins and Mann families! Jen, Jason, Ben and Becky thank you so much for your organizing, cooking and you support. You are amazing! Everything was perfect, you guys definitely knocked it out of the park! We do not have words to fully express how grateful we are to have you in our lives. Your friendship has meant so much to us. Thank you for all your help. We love you! Thank you to all our silent auction contributors!! Especially to Theresa Lokatis for the beautiful gift baskets. Everyone loved them!! Hanane thank you for the items you donated and all your help. You’re the best! Another big thank you to our neighbor Jenn for the delicious cake you made! Thank you to all our neighbors and friends who let us borrow items. All of you have been so wonderful we could not have asked for a better neighborhood. At the fundraiser I shared a story about when we first came to the ER at Lurie Children’s Hospital. The ER Dr. confirmed our pediatrician’s initial thoughts that Sawyer did have cancer and he used the word Neuroblastoma. This was the first time I had ever heard this word so after he left the room I got on my phone and I typed the word in and it popped up with the search results and underneath the word Neuroblastoma was the phrase “very rare” and I was taken back for a second because something is only “very rare” until it happens to you and then it becomes “very REAL.” In an instant our lives changed forever. There was hardly any time to process everything before we were thrust into dealing with this very new reality: in and out of the hospital, multiple surgical procedures, chemotherapy drugs that we can’t even pronounce, regular nurse visits, daily line flushes and all while dealing with the regular occurrences and necessities of life. We realized very quickly that we were not going to be able to this by ourselves. Thank you to all of you who have really stepped up for us! All your help with childcare, with meals, check-ins it has meant so much to us. We love you all!! Sawyer will be going back on the 9th to start his 6th round of chemo. As always please continue to keep Sawyer and our family in your prayers and intentions. Thanks for reading. Jen, Jeremy, Sawyer, and Calvin P.S. Don’t forget to check out the pictures page for some fun photos from the fundraiser. 
0 Comments
6/20/2018 2 Comments Surgery UpdateHello Everyone, we wanted to post an update about Sawyer since his surgery. Thank you for all your prayers and support Sawyer is doing amazing! We can’t believe that just a week ago Sawyer had a major operation. When he was initially sent to the PICU he had an intubation tube down his throat, an NG tube down his nose draining from his belly, a chest tube, a belly drain, a foley, an arterial vein IV monitoring his blood pressure, and two additional IVs in each arm. As well as a hockey stick incision which runs along his left side past his belly button up to just under his nipple line. We have slowly been monitoring his progress by when his tubes are removed. He was having fevers the first couple of days which did require some extra pokes and a little bit longer stay in the PICU, but all of his cultures came back negative and the fevers subsided. He has been moved off the PICU floor and is currently in Acute Care with only his belly drain remaining. All his surgeons and his team are very happy with his progress. He has been able to eat whole food for the past couple days, is having normal body functions and has not been having any issues with nausea (thank goodness). Hopefully they will be able to remove his drain tomorrow but either way tomorrow we will be going home. Sawyer is an amazing little boy, he completed a big hurtle and we are so proud of him. He will be starting his last round of chemotherapy in about 2 weeks. Thank you all again for your prayers and support! Until next time! Jen, Jeremy, Sawyer and Calvin  6/13/2018 6 Comments Surgery DayHello everybody, today is surgery day! Sawyer just went back to the OR. Surgeons called us in a bit earlier than expected but still anticipate the surgery lasting around 6 hours. We will try to update this post when we get updates.
Update 12:30 PM- The surgeons have started the procedure and are starting to move towards the tumor. Thing are going well and we should expect to hear more in 1-2 hours. Update 2:40 PM- We were just informed things are going well. The Doctors are slowly making their way through to remove parts of the tumor that they can. Will probably be in surgery for a bit longer. Update 4:40 PM - Doctors are still working on removing the tumor. They have mainly been working in his abdomen, but now are moving to remove what they can in his chest. They estimated it taking a few more hours . They said he is doing very good. Will do another update in a few hours! Update 5:45 PM One of the surgeons just came in to the waiting area, they are done removing the tumor and closing up his chest and abdomen. She said the removed at least 50% of the tumor and was happy with the results. He will be transferred to the ICU when completed, and will likely keep the breathing tube in overnight as a method to reduce pain he would experience. They are unable to do an epidural block due to the location of the tumor along the spine. We are waiting for them to finish closing up the incision, before heading to post op, them ICU. Update 7:00 PM Sawyer is out of surgery and being transferred to the ICU. The surgeons were pleased with the results of the surgery. Jen and I are waiting to be called to the room to see him. He will have the breathing tube in for at least tonight and maybe tomorrow which means he will be asleep. Total surgery lasted nearly 8 hours. Update 6/14 9:15 AM. Hello everyone. Sawyer is doing well, and he had a good night. He is still on the ventilator be to let him rest today and limit his movements. He has such a large incision they do want to give it time to start to heal. He also did receive a lot of fluid which is pushing a little on his lungs, he is rather puffy and swollen he needs time to let those fluids absorb into his tissues. He is being given various drugs to keep him medically paralyzed as well as controlling his pain. The Drs. just rounded and it sounds like if he keeps progressing the way he has been they will be taking him off the ventilator tomorrow.. Hello Everyone!! As most of you know our wonderful neighbors are having a fundraiser for Sawyer tomorrow Saturday, June 9th. If you have not yet RSVP’d please do so. This will be combined with our neighborhood block party so from 2pm until 8pm S School St will be closed from E. Madison St. to E. Washington Blvd. Please check out the enclosed map for parking suggestions. It should be a wonderful day! We can’t wait to see you all!! Don’t forget to wear your Super Sawyer shirt if you have one!! If you are not able to attend but wish to contribute Sawyer’s Aunt Bridgett has created a Go Fund Me account for him. Here is the link Help Sawyer Kick Cancer’s Butt . Thank you all so much for your support for Sawyer and our family! Love to you all!! Jeremy, Jen, Sawyer, & Calvin  6/6/2018 3 Comments Field Day/Sawyer's Next StepsOn May 25th Sawyer’s school, St. Pius X, hosted their annual field day. Calvin and I joined Sawyer and his class. They participated in lots of fun activities: bubbles, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, dancing, and free play. All the kids had a blast and Calvin acted like he was one of the kids in the class, we’re pretty sure he’s ready for school in the fall. The field day was very special for us because the Student Council sold T-Shirts as part of a fundraiser they had for Sawyer. It was so wonderful seeing all the students and faculty in their yellow shirts showing their support for Sawyer as he goes through his treatment. Another big thank you to the St. Pius X community for everything you have done for Sawyer and our family it has been so wonderful!! Please check out the photo section for some fun pictures! We have some new information regarding Sawyer’s treatment. On May 29th we took Sawyer to the hospital for an updated CT Scan in preparation for surgery. Last Friday Jeremy and I had a meeting with Sawyer’s surgeons to discuss them. Sawyer’s tumor has not reduced in size much, but it has stopped growing and has not spread anymore, so he will be having surgery as planned. His surgery will be on June 13th and will be approximately 6+ hours. They will be going in threw his abdomen and remove what they can from his abdomen and chest. They will not be able to remove everything, but they will be removing more than 50%. He will be in the hospital for 5-7 days after surgery. Neuroblastoma wraps around the blood vessels which makes it difficult to remove all of it surgically. Surgery is just one piece of the puzzle and the remainder of the tumor will be removed during the rest of his treatment. This is a big hurdle for Sawyer so please keep him in your prayers and intentions!! Until next time. Jeremy, Jen, Sawyer, and Calvin  |
Sawyer's Parents
We are Jeremy and Jennifer Hunter, the loving parents of Sawyer and Calvin(Sawyer's little brother). We firmly believe that it family always comes first and would like to keep everyone updated through this site and this blog on the treatment and care of Sawyer during his fight against Neuroblastoma. Archives
July 2021
Categories |
RSS Feed