He's come a long way :)

Look at how Luke has progessed. It's amazing. He's so relaxed while the nurse is giving his meds that he is drinking lemonade DURING the med administration while watching tv. Praise God!

By the way, his bloodwork is looking great. They are escalating his methotrexate dose.

Side Effect of Methotrexate

It appears that methotrexate can cause darkening of the fingertips, nailbeds, and nails. We noticed a few days ago that Luke's fingertips were noticeably darker.

August 20 Clinic Visit

As I looked around the infusion suite, I saw many kids and their families who face similar situations. It is amazing how kids seem to help other kids, and how families seem to help other families...many times, without words being exchanged. Do I wish we didn't have to go through this? Yes. We continue to look for God's purpose every day. We do see Him daily, in our lives, through Luke and his progress, as well as the strength and peace He continues to provide.

The picture here is an example of progress, and God's faithfulness. Here's Luke, getting more comfortable in the infusion area....and more comfortable with the hospital workers and other kids.

August 16th, 2010 - Reflection

Nowadays, when I look at pictures of us from the past (beyond a few months ago), I stare to see what we looked like before Luke was diagnosed with leukemia. I would imagine that the look we had was typical of anyone else going through life, with usual ups and downs. Although I haven't studied pictures of us taken after Luke's diagnosis, I am interested to see what they'll show. Many times, we think of the person afflicted with the disease, and focus on that person, but what may escape us sometimes is looking at their loved ones. A picture says a thousand words, they say. They also say, the eyes are the windows to the soul. I wonder what our eyes say today. Our eyes have been filled with tears more in the last 3 months, than they have been in the last 10 years. God grants us mercy, and we continue to hope for the best.

When we were in the clinic last Wednesday, I was sitting with Luke as the nurse was infusing the chemo into his port. Luke sat quietly by my side, looking on bravely, and he held my finger, perhaps for comfort. As I looked down at his hand, it reminded me of an image I saw once before, when he was born... a picture of him holding onto this Mommy's finger. As we looked at the picture at that time, we thought, "what a small hand". "His hand will be in ours for some time, and he is so precious, we must take care of him", we thought. As we sat with him in the clinic, and as he held my finger, I couldn't help but be sad for our little Luke, who must endure so much... more than either of us, and more than many of those reading this post.

I want to share that picture of him as a newborn, and the picture I snapped last Wednesday.

August 11 Update

Today is Luke's first iv methotrexate dose. We pray that he tolerates it well. His blood counts as of today are good. The fact that he had a cold last week and he recovered basically shows that his immune system is working, which is a blessing. As we wait for the infusions at the clinic, Luke is enjoying the playroom. That is definitely progress.

Here's a picture of Luke this morning before we left the house. As usual, he is not a fan of the hospital...poor child.

Kurian Appacha Visits Luke

Luke had a visit from Kurian Appacha from New Jersey. Kurian Uncle spent a good amount of time teaching us how to cook Kerala-style food, which was helpful. Ok... he really made a lot of stuff while we watched, confused. Just kidding. It was a great visit, and Luke enjoyed Kurian Appacha's time with him. It was really a great time, and Luke spent quality time with Kurian Appacha. In this video, we see Luke destroying a camera. Sorry Kurian Appacha! Hopefully, it's not permanently broken. Tongiht, his last night of the visit (August 9th), as we prayed, we continue to thank God for blessings. Earlier in the evening, Luke was playing around with a "walker" babies use when trying to walk. It reminded us that just a month and a half ago, we had to take that thing out of the garage, to help Luke re-learn how to walk again. Our hearts are full as we think of how much progress Luke has made, and how God is so faithful.

Miscellaneous Cool Pix - June/July 2010

Cheesing for the camera - August 9. 2010

Checking the blog to learn more about what is going on in his life :)

Here's Aunty Christine, as usual, putting a smile on Luke's face. He is so blessed to have her as an Aunty. Luke really loves his Aunty Christine!

Here's Luke and Aunty Lena at the MTC sports tournament. Luke was really happy to see his Aunty Lena, and was also excited to watch some basketball. This was one of Luke's first outings since being diagnosed with Leukemia. It was special for us. Also, we displayed our "Team Luke" t-shirts, compliments of Uncle Alvin.


Here's Luke's friend, Sanjay, with Uncle Shibu and Aunty Shiny. The day before his port placement, they stopped by to hang out. It was a great evening, and perfect for Luke, since he had a big day ahead of him. What a blessing to have such loved ones.
Luke and Uncle Alvin. Alvin has been in Luke's (and our) corner since the beginning of this ordeal. Luke is blessed to have such a loving and caring uncle. Luke always lights up when he hears Uncle Alvin is coming!

Thank you, God. Three blessed years with our precious, precious, precious, sweet, loving child. Our hearts are full when we think of Luke and the blessing he is. May the good Lord continue to draw us close and keep us safe.

Grandpa's Visit

Luke was blessed to have a special visit from Appachen. It was a blessed 10 days where Luke enjoyed nonstop good times with Grandpa. It was also special because Appachen had an opportunity to join Luke as he underwent the accessing of his port-a-cath, and also, a spinal tap, along with intrathecal medication. It was definitely a life-affecting experience for Appachen, as he saw what Luke has to endure. We are really blessed that prayers continue to be answered, and also, that Luke really is not experience a great deal of discomfort. He is in great spirits. His health and well-being was definitely peaking, as he spent time with his Appachen.

Luke's guitar

This video could've been great, had it not been for Luke spotting the camera man :)

Luke's "1st" Bday Party since having Leukemia

After we had clearance to go out, since Luke's blood counts have improved, we took an opportunity to have him attend his friend, William's, birthday party. He had such a great time, it made us feel great. Thanks to God for these blessings, that many times, we take for granted (or we took for granted before Luke was diagnosed with leukemia).

Here's Luke and Mommy, digging up some dinosaurs -

Got milk?

It has definitely been encouraging today (June 6) to see him eat pretty well. He topped off his eating with an Oreo. He had a great day today, despite trying to overcome the residual cold virus he has.

Luke is getting over a cold

On Sunday, August 1st, we had to take Luke to the emergency room. Part of the protocol for Luke is that if he ever has a temperature of 101 or more, he must go to the emergency room to be seen. Since Luke's leukemia diminishes his ability to fight off infections, and since chemotherapy also diminishes his immunity, any sign of infection is treated aggressively. For a brief moment, I found myself starting to feel a little "angry" at God. Despair shows its face every once in a while folks. Thankfully, I quickly got over it. God brought Luke to us, and he will take care of him (and us). There's a purpose that is to be fulfilled, and thinking that way gets us through (sometimes). It ain't easy, though.

Nonetheless, they sent us home the same day, basically telling us it seems like a virus of some kind, but not bacterial, so we could go home and watch him. His temperature went down. Praise God. The next few days, we have see some congestion, sneezing, and coughing, but he is looking good right now, with the ever-so-slightest cough. He is great spirits, running around (full-speed), kicking the soccer ball, drinking well, eating well, and excreting well (no need to elaborate, right?).

We are praying vigorosly that the infection he is fighting leaves his body, and also, to clear his lungs.