Update on Cade

Wow! Sorry it has been so long since we have posted updates on Cade. Things have actually been pretty slow and good around here. Where to start? Well, since we left off in September I'll give a brief update of our life since then.

At the end of October Cade was able to go on his annual North Dakota Pheasant hunt with his Dad and brother. Last January when he was diagnosed, he was super worried that he would have to miss this trip. But luckily enough, he felt good and was able to go and have a great time!

December brought Cade and I the best gift we could ever receive! Our beautiful baby boy Luke joined our family on December 3, 2011 weighing in at 6 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches long. He is so perfect and Cade and I were immediately in love. We can't get enough of him! We feel so incredibly blessed to have him in our lives.

Since our September post Cade has had a few different scans. The beginning of January he had his normal MRI which brought good/not so good news. The thick, center part of his tumor had shrunk by a couple millimeters!! I couldn't believe it! We were so happy! Then Cade's Oncologist told us that the top part of his tumor looked a little bigger. He told us that he believed it was just inflammation due to Cade's Radiation treatment he had in the summer. To be sure it wasn't tumor, he wanted Cade to have another MRI in one month instead of waiting the usual three. Last week, Cade had an MRI, Spectroscopy, and Profusion scans. We met with the Oncologist later that day and he said that the spot he was worried about had gotten a little bigger. He still thought it was just inflammation, but to be sure he wanted to present Cade's scans before the tumor board and see what all the other specialists thought. Well, today was the day. We met again with Dr. Coleman and found out the verdict. Because something is clearly growing (we still aren't sure if it is actual tumor growing or just increasing inflammation) they decided to start Cade on Chemotherapy. It is actually in pill form (which I had never heard of) and Cade will have to take one pill a day starting next week. He will possibly have to be on Chemo pills for up to 2 years. He has another MRI in a month to see if anything has changed and Dr. Coleman will let us know at that time more of a definite time line for the Chemo.

It's so hard to take it all in. The past year has been so full of ups and downs. 2 days ago marked one year since Cade's first brain surgery. (It's really been a year?!) I'm so grateful for Cade and for how strong and brave he is. I'm so happy he is fighting this and with such a good attitude!

Thank you all so much for the love and support the we continue to receive! We are surrounded with so many wonderful people and we are so thankful for you all!

I'm gonna love you through it...

It's been so long since we have updated the blog, and I apologize for leaving you all hanging. Where to begin??

The Dutch Oven Dinner/Silent Auction went great!
We had such an amazing turn-out and really enjoyed the night! I am still amazed by all the love and support that people continue to show us. I have been blown away with all the thoughtful acts of kindness that have been shown to us over the last 7 1/2 months and I will never be able to put into words how appreciative me and Cade are for everything! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

Last month, Cade and I went down to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to meet with one of his many doctors. It was his first appointment since receiving radiation treatments and we were so anxious to hear the results from his MRI the previous day. We first met with the doctors assistant and he told us not to get our hopes up because sometimes right after radiation the tumor will look bigger because it has been irritated by the radiation treatments. Seriously?!?! Are ya kidding me?! I was already freaking out, but he just made it so much worse!! I thought he was prepping us for the news we were about to hear and to be honest, I was pissed that we had to hear it from a guy we have never even met that really doesn't know what he is talking about! I was so grateful to see the doctor next. He was so nice and soft spoken and absolutely the right kind of guy for this job. He pulled up Cade's pre-radiation MRI and his post-radiation MRI and talked us through it as he compared the two. He told us that it looked like Cade's tumor is starting to shrink a little bit! He pulled up a bunch of different angles and images and said that it has either started to shrink or it is the same in all areas, but that it has not grown!! Also, he pulled up another kind of image and said that the cancer cells aren't as active as they have been in the past few months. OH.MY.GOSH. I felt like I could finally breathe after 6 months. The radiation will continue to work over the next few months and hopefully the tumor will continue to shrink and miraculously go away completely! From the time Cade was first diagnosed to the start of his radiation treatments, his tumor had grown ten times it's original size! Horrible and scary right? So you can imagine how elated we were to hear this news!

I don't really love to pour my heart out on here because I feel like mine and Cade's feelings about this situation are so personal, and I want to keep those feelings just between the two of us. But I will say this. The second the doctor told us the tumor was either the same or shrinking I saw an immediate change in Cade. I can't even describe it. It's like a HUGE burden was just lifted off his shoulders. He finally had some hope and the twinkle in his eyes is back :) I love Cade more now, than I did the day we got married. This situation had brought us so much closer than we have EVER been and even though I LOATHE cancer with all of my heart and soul, I'm very grateful for how much more we love each other. Cade is so incredibly strong! Through this whole process, he has had to comfort me more than I have had to comfort him. I pray with all my heart that the Lord will grant us a miracle and take away the tumor and that someday Cade will be cancer free, but even if that never happens, I'm gonna love him through it :)

Cade called me from work a month or so ago and told me to look up this song (below). As soon as I heard the first sentence I burst out in tears and turned it off. It took me awhile to listen to the whole thing. It's just all still so fresh. It is however an incredible song and even though it's not talking about the same kind of cancer Cade has it's very, very touching. Whether it's brain cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer etc. I feel like all cancer patients are connected. Take a couple minutes and listen to the song. You won't regret it :)



Aly

Dutch Oven Dinner and Auction

We are having a Dutch Oven Dinner and Auction benefit for Cade!

Where: Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W. Brigham City
When: Friday, August 19, 2011
Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm Open House
Price: $12.00 per plate

We are also having an Auction/Silent Auction that night with some GREAT items to bid on. There will be various firearms, home decor, clothing, furniture, baby items, photography sessions, scentsy baskets, Lagoon and Toads passes and much, much more! We will also have a few amazing packages that include: A weekend getaway to beautiful Star Valley Wyoming, a guided hunt with free taxidermy, gym membership and gift certificate for new gym shoes etc.

Please come support Cade and have a great evening with an awesome dinner! It's Open House style so show up when you can.
If you would like to pre-register you are welcome to click on the "Dinner Registration Form" on the left side of the blog. Or, you are welcome to just show up that night. We hope to see you all there!

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us at careforcade@gmail.com

Care for Cade 5K day!!

The 5K turned out to be a huge success! We had many more people there than we had hoped for, and we were thrilled with the turnout! We are so grateful for all those who came out so early to support and run for Cade. It was an amazing day that we will never forget. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all those who came!! We will forever be thankful for you!

5K RUN

Hurry everyone! The 5K Run for Cade is just 3 days away! If you want to participate, please click on the 5K link and get signed up! Or you are welcome to just show up to the park on Saturday morning. Please come and support this amazing couple!

When: Saturday July 30, 2011
Time: 7:00 am to pre-register, 8:00 am Run starts
Where: Snow Park in Brigham City

If you have any questions please e-mail us at careforcade@gmail.com

Dutch Oven Dinner and Auction

Hi everyone!  We are having a benefit
Dutch Oven Dinner for Cade....

WHERE: The Brigham Community Center
WHEN: August 19th
TIME: 6:00pm
PRICE: $12.00 per plate 

We are also having an auction and silent auction that night! :) We have alot of GREAT items!  It should be a lot of fun and such a great cause to support!!! :)  For any of you who aren't familiar with Brigham the address for the Community Center is 24 N 300 W Brigham City UT.

Please fill out the online registration form by clicking the link below. You can either pay through PayPal once you submit the form or bring your payment with you the night of the dinner.

Dinner Registration Form

A BIG thanks to everyone for all your love and support!!

Mckenzie & Bryan

Update

Cade came down to the Huntsman Cancer Institute Wednesday afternoon for his routine radiation treatment. We were a little worried because Cade woke up early this morning with the same type of horrible headache that he had in Lincoln, the type of headache that lead us to find his brain tumor in the first place. So he went to his treatment appointment thinking that he would get some sort of steroid to help. Well, after an emergency CT they found that the Hydrocephalus had really kicked itself up a notch on the side of his brain that does not have the shunt. So we are sitting in the hospital today waiting for him to get out of surgery. They are placing a programmable double shunt in his brain hoping to relieve the pressure and water that is on his brain. We will update everyone after his surgery and let you all know how he is doing.. Thank you to all of our family, friends, and even strangers for your continued love, prayers and support in this VERY difficult time.. We love you all very much.  Cade is truly the bravest man I know and we are all so grateful to have him in our lives..

POSTED BY: Heidi :)