Friday, June 17, 2011
Another succesful day
The doctor appointment was planned at 1:30. Well, we did not get to see her till 2:45. I think next time we'll avoid scheduling appointments around lunch time. :) The news from the Doctor were wonderful! She gave us pictures of a scan from November and from today. If Mat can figure it out, maybe he can post it on the blog. Wow, what a difference!!! Our baby is cancer free and hopefully ( very low chance of reaccurance!) we'll never have to battle again.
Looking back, it is not an experience we asked for, but it was surely a very important lesson. Trust in the Lord, always have hope, never give up, be grateful for everything you have and remember to live in a moment, even one day at a time. We love every milestone Evan goes through. He is going for tooth #5 and still has no front 2 teeth. He looks like a little vampire with those fangs.:) He is still not liking being on his tummy, but sitting up quiete strong. He loves to explore his taste buds, and starting to pull away from baby food. He is starting to wave "good bye" and nozzles for kisses.:) He is not afraid on Charlie and Fuzzy, thinking that they are just moving stuffed animals.:) Oh, I could just go with this list.... I am just LOVING to be a mom to an infant again, even after 8 years!!! He is such a joy to all of us and now that he is doing well, we are starting to enjoy normal life again.
As always, thank you to all of you, our friends and family, for being there for us, physically or emotionally.... God bless!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Hello Everyone
Friday, April 1, 2011
A young warrior scores big!!!
We went back to the waiting room they had set aside for us. We waited about ten minutes and the doctor and nurse rolled him out to us and we proceeded to the short stay ward to wait for him to wake up. The only hitch was he started to open his eyes and look around as they stopped the gurney in front of our room. He was already starting to wake back up. The Doctor was really amazed. She could not believe he was already looking for us with his drugged out eyes and movements. It was so funny and cute to watch this precious little man wake from such a unusual situation and then look at us as if everything was just fine and there was nothing more to worry about.
Over the next fifteen minutes as we watched Evan come out of his fog I had an incredible feeling of peace and assurance that everything is going to be fine. Evan came back to himself and we were cleared to go. Directly after his scan we had an appointment with his Oncologist and we were able to take a look at the new scans. We compared what he started out with and where he is now, what an amazing child this is and what an amazing blessing our Heavenly Father has given us. The doctor described the tumor as having no measurable form or mass for a measurement. The tissue is still there, but it is inactive and looks more like smooshed mashed potatoes than the mass that we saw just three months ago. The scans show that his gut, liver, veins and vessels have all moved back into their proper places. His chemical levels came back well within normal ranges and all we nee to do for now are monthly check ups. Thank you for all of your prayers and support over the last seven months. God has heard us and answered them for all of us.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Six months baby check...
Grandma "babushka" went home last week. It is an adjustment for everyone in the house. Our helping fairy is gone and routines had to change. Evan is getting out more and so far he is good exploring the world. Yesterday we went to Sea Life in the MOA. He just stayed in his stroller and enjoyed the bright colors of underwater world. Today we went on a walk. What a relief to see this snow melt! And again, he just sat in that stroller and looked around. We look forward to this summer to see him grow and enjoy outdoors after being cooped up for so long!
Next stop - scan on April 1st..... Please, continue your prayers for Evan's health. God bless!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Two months after chemo
November 235/289
December 92/89 (after 2 rounds of chemo)
January 34/22 (no treatment)
February 22/15 ( no treatment)
I am AMAZED by this boy's power to fight! I am AMAZED and testify of power of prayer! My heart bursts out of gratitude to all of you, our friends, for praying for our little boy. He is in the top percentage with his weight and height development. For the first time on Friday the doctor actually said that I can stress Evan out a little and let him cry at night if he asks for a bottle.:)
We are definitely moving in the right direction. Evan will have this monthly tests till 36 months after treatment, and scans every 3 months for 12 months and then he will be on the watch every 6 months and then every year. We are hoping for no more surprises and looking at this experience as our trial of faith. We know that God is watching over Evan and we are blessed to have him in our lives and grateful for the lessons he taught us. He is such a joy, he makes us laugh, started sitting up and loves to play with toys and take a bath. He already pulls his sisters' hair and gets frustrated when he wants attention. Evan has the cutest smile and he loves music and lights. He is the most spoiled child in our family and so far his siblings don't have a problem with that.:)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Baby check appointment
Monday, January 31, 2011
*Thank You*
Evans has been doing so much better and making improvements everyday. And we would just want to write a thank you for all your help, prayers and words of faith towards us. These things lift us up and have helped us get through Evans fight against cancer. We all hope that one day we can show as much love and friendship as you have shown us for the past year. I remember the very beginning of all this, with moms complications during those 9 months. I remember her in the hospitol just waiting for all this to end. But not only do I remember that, I remember all the people who came to the hospitol to see mom or to see Evan. And for all the people who came to the Fundraiser (hosted by Brittany Checketts) and not only donated but also took the time out of their day to be there. I also thank all the people who brought dinner for us or who were there for us DeVol kids as well, I know some of you may think these things are very small but it made a big difference in our lives. I have learned a lot of lessons in the past year and I thank you all for that. May god bless you,Thank You.
Sincerely,
DeVol Kids
*Written by Nadia DeVol
The boy without strings
Well, Today was the day!!!! Mom, Dad and Evan braved rush hour traffic in a snowstorm to get to Children's Hospital. We were only an hour late...the snow was terrible, traffic was even worse. Our appointment was for 7:45 am we left at 6:30 thinking we would get there with time to spare...boy was I wrong. We arrived at 8:45 and thankfully we were able to call ahead and warn them. The Hospital staff was great of course. The proceedure took all of an hour to take out the central line, stitch the tiny cut, and slap a band aid over the line site. This part they tell me will scab and heal on it's own with out a stitch. Amazing!!! Thank you for all of your prayers and angelic blessings of support and most of all friendship. We feel extremely blessed for all of your prayers and fastings that you have performed on our behalf. We are so grateful for all of you who have placed our names in the temple. We know that God lives and loves each of us here on this planet. He gives us challenges in life to prove our faith. To prove whether or not we will remain faithful to Him. Our challenge is not over, we understand this...Evan is only five months old... Life will roll out something else to overcome, hopefully something else we can overcome together with your help and especially the help of our Heavenly Fa.ther
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Evan Almighty :)
On Monday, the 31st, we'll have to deal with another sedation, cause Evan's line will get removed. As silly as it sounds, I can't wait to give him a bath without any protecting covers on his chest.:)
My heart is bursting out of gratitude to all of you, our friends, for your prayers, to the team of doctors who made the wise desisions in treating his desease, to all the nurses who had to take care of him in this journey, to Tiffanie who was here every Monday changing his dressing, getting his vitals, labs, weight and just being SO supportive.
The journey is not over yet, I know, but where we are rightnow is a great feeling....
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The longest weekend ever...
With my worries about over 50% tumor being there... As the doc explained to me yesterday of what possibly happening. The chemo destroyed the active tumor cells, and whatever left there, Evan can possibly fight on his own. And I know he can, because he is a fighter and he is surrounded by love, and he is watched over and protected by our loving Heavenly Father. We've seen a lot of miracles already and believe that with faith and hope everything is possible!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Can't wait till Friday
Wanted to share that Evan has been gaining nearly a pound every week for the last 3 weeks. He definetely has a good apetite and looks like a very cute chubster. I could just eat his cheeks, so cute! That gives me hope that he is strong enough to fight on his own without any treatments. Looking forward to find out on Friday...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Waiting...
It's all peaceful in DeVol's home for now, thanks to all your good friends prayers and support! And we hope it will stay this way. So, January 21st next appointment, couple of days to wait for test results, and then we'll know what's next. Please, continue keeping our little Evan in your prayers...
Love
Zhenya