The Family Net

This is long overdue, but I know everyone would like to know how Nicholas is doing. Nick is doing quite well now. He is not at his 100% normal self, but overall he is feeling good. His chemo treatments make him a little nauseated, but he can still eat anything and bounces back a few days after treatment. Other boys in the family have been sick with one germ or another, but Nicholas has never run a fever since his hospitalization last summer. This is a miracle, as there have been many times that Nick could have caught a bug but never has. His main difficulty now is walking. His treatments have caused some bone loss in his back. Physical therapy has eased this somewhat. He has a blood clot in his right upper leg which has caused some nerve problems in his right foot. He wears a leg brace to help him lift up his foot. Hopefully this device will help him gain more strength in his foot. As for his cancer status, this is mixed. Every few months he has a set of scans done to determine his remission status. The latest set showed that all areas that had been of concern are resolved, except for one. This spot, in his upper left femur, has decreased since his last scan. That's good. The concern, however, is that he has 5 remaining treatments yet he is not in complete remission. The doctors aren't sure what exactly this spot in his femur is--the only way to know that is to have a biopsy done. This surgery could be damaging to his being able to use his left leg. At this point, we are not considering surgery. It would be nice to know the pathology of this troublesome spot, but the cost could be too great to Nicholas. Overall, his doctors are very hopeful for him. Except for this one spot, he is doing so well. Most likely, we will have him complete his treatments, the wait and see what happens. We pray that his cancer will not return. I have reviewed Jeff's post about his ear surgery. I agree with him about the power of the priesthood and prayer. We have certainly felt your prayers in behalf of Nicholas. I have also been studying the subject of faith and healing in the scriptures, particularly the Doctrine and Covenants. I have been reading Talmage's Jesus the Christ, as well. All these spiritual resources have been such a blessing to me. I continue to ask for your prayers in his behalf. In particular, I would like to make a request of my famiy. Would you pray specifically that Nicholas be free from his cancer? So many aspects of his case have been uncertain. This one spot in his leg seems to be lingering. We all desire that he be able to enjoy his life as he would like to do. Being free of disease would be a miraculous blessing. I would never want to go against what our Heavenly Father desires for Nick. But I feel strongly that this blessing of health is a righteous desire. I miss and love you all. Love,Susan