I made it to Lehi safe and sound this evening at about 7:30. When I got here, I called to see if it would be a good time to come and visit Juan. I talked with him for a minute over the phone to let him know that we were coming. They are staying in Ronald McDonald housing and it was a neat set up. They have a small apartment for long term use. It was so great. He was so excited to see me and he looked great. His papa had shaved his head for his radiation treatments. He has lost a bit of weight and I could really tell it in his face which used to be really round, but he still looked good. He looked strong and not tired. He took the cards that I brought and devoured each one. He read them carefully and it was so cute. He had a pile and after reading each one, he would meticulously place it at the bottom of the pile and then pick up the pile and straighten it up, then he would read the next one. We read some of them together. I helped him with some of his homework that he was a little confused on. Mom, Kelly, and I talked with his mom and him and it was so nice. His mom said that the type of cancer is called medulloblastoma. She said that the MRI's he has had look good and the dr. said there is no evidence of any remaining cancer cells. He will be finished with his radiation treatments next week and they will be coming home. They hope to be able to do the rest of his chemo treatments in town, but return to Salt Lake off and on.
What a brave soldier! I know that he has faced some great fears. His mom shared some times when his fear was evident. I told him that I thought he was so brave and asked him if he was going to get better. He said he was and I told him that was the most important thing- for him to believe it. What a hero! He is fighting hard.
His mom is amazing. She shared with us that she had a hard time having children and had two other failed pregnancies. She said "God gave him to me and I feel like He is giving him back to me now."
She also talked about how he doesn't want to eat and has had a hard time holding down food. She said, "I make him tortillas and he won't eat them because he said they taste different. He can't taste them." I guess the radiation has affected his sense of taste. I kind of laughed inside and we talked about it afterward in the car . . . little Mexican boy who won't eat the tortillas. Kidding aside, I felt really bad for him. I really could tell that he had lost a lot of weight for a boy his age.
I noticed a guitar in a box under the coffee table and I said, "Juanito, did you get a guitar?" He kind of got red and said, "yeah." I said, "Can you play us a song?" And he said, "No, I don't play very good yet." I told him that I really wanted to learn to play the guitar.
As we were leaving I asked if I could get a picture with him and he said sure. Kelly took a picture and said, "Say queso!" We laughed and then I wanted a second one (I always need 2 "just in case"). So I said, "Okay, Juanito, let's say "Sponge Bob!" He thought that was pretty funny and I think I got a better smile that time.
As I left, I told him that I was up for a karate tournament and that I was scared. He laughed and I told him I would send him some pictures and let him know if I win any medals... He thought that was great.
What an awesome kid! My mom and sister loved him and his mamacita.
Keep up that fighting spirit Juan!
"Sponge Bob!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
So today, I woke up thinking that it was Wednesday and I didn't realize until halfway through the morning that it was actually Thursday. During the morning announcements, the principal reminded the teachers that faculty meeting is tomorrow morning and how he knew we were all so excited to be there bright and early. I thought, "Since when do we have faculty meeting on a Thursday morning?" I seriously was confused all morning and expected to hear that he had made a mistake, but then I was doing something and looked at the calendar to see the date and ta-da! the light came on and I was so excited! Tomorrow is Friday! I love Fridays so much! I was sincerely happy and excited to the max!
Also, I finally was able to speak with Juan's mama today. I tried to call PCMC yesterday and found out that he is not staying as an inpatient like I thought. So I thought he must be at the Ronald McDonald House or something. I got the number for the translator and left her a voice mail explaining that I was coming up over the weekend and wanted to see Juan if it worked out for him and his family. She talked to them, but I ended up talking to his mom before she got back to me. I was proud of myself because I was able to use my Spanish really well and converse with her largely in her language. She actually is better with English than I remember, and so it was easier than I expected it to be. It sounds like the outlook is better than I had heard. He is doing a strong regimen of radiation almost every day and started a chemo cycle that is quite heavy too, but they are planning on coming back home next week and he will get treatment down here for a while, then go back up to SLC in a few months. I feel so much better after speaking to her. She did say that he is having a hard time, missing school a lot and that she has had a hard time trying to explain to him that all this is "for his good to make him get better." I can't imagine trying to explain that to an 8 year old. "This is making you sick, but it will make you better." So, she said it would be fine for me to come visit and I hope he is doing well.
The tournament is Saturday morning and I am still freaking out! I hope my nerves can settle down pretty soon or else I might just do something totally embarrassing and freeze up.
P.S. Happy birthday, big brother! Michael is getting old!!!!!!!!!!
My heart is hurting so bad for Juan. Our principal made a formal announcement of his illness at an after school meeting today with the teachers. I guess one of Juan's neighbors has made some tins to set out in locations to collect donations for his family. Although he is at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, which treats all children regardless of their ability to pay, his father is not able to work now because of the situation and Juan's vigorous treatment. I guess the form of brain cancer that he has is so aggressive that they are treating him with chemotherapy and radiation at the same time and they do not send him home at all because of the chance that the treatment alone could kill him, so they keep him there to constantly watch him. I have spent much of this afternoon in tears and full of pain. The whole situation is so overwhelming to me and I just break down every time I think of his beautiful face and huge smile and bright mind...
So the principal made a "challenge" for us teachers to encourage our students to donate to the tins for Juan. I would like to extend this challenge to my friends. I know you don't know Juan, but if you see a tin with his sweet grin here in St. George, please drop in your extra change. If you aren't here in St. George, I would challenge you to donate to the Pennies by the Inch campaign for PCMC to support their ongoing treatment for all children who need it. My brother was also a patient there as a young child and I believe that all of their staff are angels, as well as anyone who supports them. I don't do a lot of campaigning for causes but this one has always been close to my heart and definitely is today...
Some facts about PCMC and Pennies by the Inch . .
- Your donation, large or small, will help Primary Children's Medical Center continue to care for children in need.
- One hundred percent (this is the part that makes me feel the best about donating to this cause) of your contribution to Pennies by the Inch is used for charity care.
- No administrative or fundraising costs (again, this makes me feel good about helping) are taken from your donation.
- Devoted to caring for children regardless of their ability to pay.
- Cares for children from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada, and Montana; the largest service area of any children's hospital in the United States.
- One of the top ranked children's hospital in the United States.
- Treats children with diabetes, birth defects, cancer, and many other complex injuries and illnesses.
- Grateful for donations that combine with hospital funds to provide over $8.6 million in charity care annually; covers nearly 11,000 hospital visits by needy children.
-Dedicated physicians donate their services for charity care patients.
Visit the PCMC website at this link. You can click on the "Pennies by the Inch" link or "Giving and Volunteering" (in the green section on the left) in order to make a donation.
http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/
primary/
So I have wondered what happened to one of the boys that I had as a first grader a couple of years ago. His name is Juan and he is an amazing, smart boy. The other day it occurred to me that I had not seen him this year and I assumed that they had moved. Today I found out that he is in another 3rd grade class, but has not been to school. He is at Primary Children's Medical Center and has a brain tumor. He had surgery at the beginning of the year and is going through radiation or chemo. I do not know what the outlook is. They do not expect him to come back to school this year at this point. I was hoping that he would be in my class. I was thrown for a loop when I found this out! I can't believe it.
Oh, Juanito! I am praying for you and I hope you get better. I miss you. Don't give up.
Please, please pray for little Juan. We need him to get better.
