Update on Ollie

We've been soooooooo busy lately! We just got back from Oliver's Make*A*Wish trip to Florida so I'll be trying to update the blog with photos and such! It's been hard to update the blog because we want to spend all the time we can with Oliver, not to mention I have three other children including a very active 2 1/2 year old and a sweet little 4 month old that take up a lot of energy! :O)

Oliver's Health --

Oliver has been pretty steady with regards to his health. He finished his 6 weeks of radiation on February 11 and has been weaned off the steroid. We are opting out of chemo at this time because we want him to feel the best he can. Ed and I both agree on this decision.

He is always wearing an eyepatch on his left eye since his eye is turning in due to the tumor location. He sees double otherwise resulting in more nausea than normal and headaches.

He doesn't complain much about headaches or nausea much anymore. He rarely complains about anything... sweet kid. If we get in the car, he most likely will throw up either in the car or shortly after we reach our destination. This makes travel pretty hard on him. He has anti-nausea meds and motion sickness meds, but usually throws them up shortly after taking them.

He staggers and drags his legs a bit more than normal. This is due to the tumor pressing on the right side of his brain causing muscle weakness on the left side of his body. He's always been active and very much into sports and has been frustrated with the fact that his 'arms and legs aren't doing what they should be doing'. He is in a wheelchair whenever he has to do a lot of walking, but still breaks into a run every now and again. He still has light saber duels and wrestles with Jaren. It's just hard to see the different things that he's no longer able to do.

Since it's hard for Oliver to navigate stairs, he is no longer able to attend school but he will be going on the 3rd grade field trip to the Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque as long as he's feeling well. I try to let him play with friends every once in a while as well since he misses his buddies.

Upcoming Events --

May is Brain Tumor Awareness month so wear gray to support and honor those who have gone through this. We may be going to a 'Homerun Walk' in Omaha to support 'The Cure Starts Now', a foundation started by the parents of a little girl who passed away from DIPG. Also, we will be placing another order for 'Ollie's All-Stars' bracelets. They are $1 each and are gray for brain tumor awareness. Oddly enough gray is also Asthma and Allergy awareness as well, which Oliver has suffered from since infancy.

Oliver starts baseball on May 6. We've been practicing hitting and he can still hit it, but he may need someone to run for him. All three of his coaches from last season came to his benefit along with some teammates and told him that they wanted him on the team NO MATTER WHAT! He's very excited, but I can tell he's nervous as well. He wants me to paint an eye patch for the Braves, since that's his team!

Saturday, June 5th in Des Moines there will be a kids day with the Des Moines Blaze, a semi-pro football team down there. One member of the team heard about Oliver and wants him to be an honorary team captain for that game. He said that he's always wanted to start a cancer foundation and this will be his start. I'm not sure of the prices and times yet. There is going to be fun games and activities for the kids as well! We are very excited!

Please keep us all in your prayers. Pray for strength to get through the rough days, peace with the unknown and hope for a miracle. We love you all and are soooooo grateful to be strengthened through your thoughts and prayers. We are also very grateful for the thoughtfulness of so many in the wonderful cards and things you've done for our family, especially for Oliver. :O)