The Abram Family

In His Hands. . .

2010-10-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

This post is being written by Lisa Eggebrecht on behalf of Linda...

After struggling to swallow and keep down fluids October 14th John was admitted to the hospital. Tests determined that John had a hole in his esophagus. On Sunday, October 17th, the GI specialist was able to place a stint over the hole. Sunday evening was the first time in a while that John was able to swallow and keep down fluids.

On Monday, October 18th, during his dialysis treatment John developed sudden complications that could not be overcome. Surrounded by his family and close friends, John stepped off this earth and into the arms of his Heavenly Father.

As you know this fight has been long and hard. I have never known a man who was as strong and courageous as John. Never have I seen a man meet such enormous challenges with such dignity and grace. But it was not just because of who he was but because of who he was in Jesus Christ. And while we are all heart broken, there is a sense of peace knowing that John is in Heaven with no pain, no sorrow and no more limitations. He made an impact on so many of us and will be greatly missed.

Please join us on Thursday, October 21st as we celebrate who John was and what he meant to each of us. And, most importantly, come help us celebrate his eternal life that began that day.

The Refinery Christian Church

600 N Bullard Ave #A10

Goodyear, AZ 85338

623-925-2000

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

4pm - 7pm - The Viewing\Visitation

7pm - 8pm - Memorial Service

To Jerome or Bust!

2010-10-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time on our trip to Sedona that we decided that we would try and get out more often. We decided to take a day trip to Jerome the following Saturday. John got to feeling a little rough so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as Sedona. Also, the road was so windy that it was difficult to navigate. Still, all-in-all, we built a memory.
Daddy and Daughter! That is a beautful sight!

I really did take this picture :)

Not the best picture, but the food was amazing! We ate at Quinces - very yummy!

We are trying to collect something from every trip we go on. We found this at a Christmas store they are... so cute! One for John, Alaina and me!

A Trip to Remember

2010-10-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing time on our weekend trip to Sedona! We are so thankful for those of you who were able to come out and spend some time with us! Thank God John was feeling great that weekend so it was even more special! It was also a little pre-anniversary party too!

We stayed at L'Auberge of Sedona. The location is beautiful and the weather was fantastic!

When we first got there several people came over and hung with us at at our cottage. Then we headed over to eat at Olde Sedona Bar and Grill. After we ate, we went back to hang out and play some games. In the morning we had brunch by the creek at L'Auberge!

John, Alaina, and I are very grateful for such a super memory!

* Look at this picture I took *

Honestly! Can my man be any hotter!!!! :) Love you babe!

Check us all out! We had such a great time! From top to bottom: Ryan, Carrie and Emmy, Russell and Rosemarie, John and Kay, Jay and Lewie, Jaime and John, Terry, Rachel and Dennis, John and me, Kristin and Jacob, Greg, Barry, Alaina, John, Rob, and Paul!

John Rob & Barry Brooks hanging out before our dinner!

John and his mom ~ so blessed to have such a great mother!

Jay and Lewie - They are like family to us!

Deb and Dean could not make this trip, but made sure to let John know that they were there in spirit. There was a beautiful bouquet of flowers, sparkling cider, chocolate covered strawberries, and a sweet card for John!

Long time friends ~ John Rhodes, John Abram, and Paul Shell.

Love him!

We are so thankful that we have each other!

Our party filled up two big tables! The food and the service was great - but the friends and family really made it a night to remember!

Jacob and Kristin Gaston came to hang with us!

Who said no after party! After dinner we came back to our cottage and played a dice game!

When we got up in the morning, John and Alaina spent some quality time together. They looked so sweet that I wanted to secretly capture the moment... I guess I wasn't as sneaky as I thought as you can see in the next picture... When it was my time to chat Alaina took one too!

Alaina took our picture in the morning relaxing by the creek!

John and Kay - What a special time we had with them! They are always such fun!

Rosemarie and Russell - They love John so much! They were so happy to relax and spend some time enjoying fun times with John.

Ryan, Carrie, and Emmy enjoying some yummy food!

Sitting at the head of the table - The Man John Abram! And, yes, he is an avid Cardinal's fan! John ate so good on this trip! Greg told the Chef John's story and so he made John an omelet fit for a king!

John and Greg have been working together for years. Over that time their business relationship has turned into an amazing friendship! Greg and Linda mean so much to our family and are so thankful for them!

Oh yeah baby - this is the life!

John and Paul Shell - Back in the day they created lots of memories in Sedona, we are so glad that they were able to create even more!

Alaina - The apple of our eye!

Sunday was great hanging out by the creek and enjoying some serious story time! John was trying to come up with reasons to stay longer as he was having such a good time! Thanks to all that came out, we deeply appreciate you all! For those of you who could not make this trip, we are getting ready to plan another one!

*no I did not really take that picture!*

Faithful Family and Friends...

2010-09-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take this time to thank our family and friends that help us get to and from dialysis treatments! John goes three times a week for 4 hours! It use to be the two of us, but one of the biggest changes that John has had to deal with from this disease is his strength in his arms and legs has really depleted.

A couple of months ago I mentioned that he fell getting into the truck, thankfully he did not hurt himself too badly from that, but it made it obvious that I needed some help. We are very blessed to have such selfless people around us that take time out of their lives to help us each week. Every dialysis day one of the guys comes to help John to the truck, follow us to dialysis, help him from the truck to his chair, and then come back after the treatment and do the same thing again. Plus they load the wheelchair in the back of the truck for me :) Some days John is stronger and just leans on them a little bit, and other days a little more!

John's dad (John) is the first person in the week to come and help get back and forth. He stays the entire time and visits with his son. I usually run some errands, get a bite to eat or - back into an innocent car or two - yikes! This is John before treatment and he is feeling pretty good!

Chad takes John for the second dialysis treatment of the week. He is a great friend who happens to also be our pastor... Chad learned a valuable lesson this week, and that is to drive nice and slow to our house. Luckily he was given a warning :)

Russell has been amazing!!!!! He has been to our house so much that he could probably drive in his sleep (he may have a couple of times). John is always happy when it is Russell's turn because it is the last treatment for the week!!

Matt Segal from our small group comes through for us when the "regulars" aren't able to make it! He is also going to do a few things around the house to make it easier for John - and fix our doorbell :) Matt's wife (Tabby) found out she had cancer shortly after John was diagnosed with his. Thankful she is doing great! We are so happy for her! - and I got to see her today at church that made me smile :)

So far today is a great day! We were able to make it to church and worship God together!!! It is crazy I always liked going to church with John, but after this journey that we have been through, being able to sing with our church and praise God's name, next to the man I love is absolutely indescribable!!!

Nana's 70th B-day :)

2010-09-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

We had a little get together for my mom's birthday! John and I wanted to do a little something for her to show our appreciation for all that she does for us. We invited some of her friends that she has known for around 50 years. When I was thinking about how long they all knew each other it made me think about how long they all had been married. If you average that the 6 couples have been married for 45 years that makes 270 years experience in marriage. So move over Dr. Phil just get these couples together and they can tell you how to make it work! It was so nice to have all of them over most of them have known me my entire life and feel like family. The only bad part about that night was that John was feeling pretty bad and had to spend the evening in bed. He hasn't had a bad night like that in several days now though :)

We love you Nana!!!

Post Game Party

2010-09-19T18:04:00.001-07:00

What a great day. The game was not so great but we had a good time with family and friends!
Mom, Rose & James, (they are John's cousins that live in Texas,) Joanne & Hugo, (They are John's cousin's also) and Russell - all came to wish John a happy day!

John has an amazing family - we are truly blessed!

Game Day

2010-09-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

John is having a good day - YES! So I busted out the camera and took some photos! Hopefully he continues to feel good because we are having more company later! Love to you all!

Daddy's and Uncle Vincent's girl - gotta feel the love!!!

Hanging out watching the game!

John and Vincent! Yeah we finally got a picture of the "boys" together! They have been friends for years!

Greg came over to watch some of the game - and brought us a a signed JJ Heller CD - she is the one that is singing on this blog - I know some of you thought it was me huh? All we got him was a Cardinals hat! Maybe we should go get a jersey signed?

John and Greg being goofy!

John and Nana! She has been staying here for the last few weeks, but is going home tonight :(

Ahhh! Love love love him!

John and Ryan hanging out watching the game... Ry is waiting for his Cardinal's jersey!

40 years Old REALLY?

2010-09-10T15:29:00.001-07:00

John was feeling pretty rough so gave the credit card to my mom and said- throw Linda a great party! And she did! I had an amazing night with lots of family and friends!
Ryan, Carrie, and Emmy!

Lisa and me at the end of the evening!!

My super 80's theme cake --- yummy

Crazy kids!

Thanks everyone for a great day! I am behind in my thank you cards, so this may be all the thanks you get :)

10 years Old! Really?

2010-09-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Despite John and I refusing to believe that Alaina is getting older - she is :) She has brought incredible joy to both of us! We consider her our best blessing! I am proud of the person that she is - I like her values, her kind heart, and her willingness to help others! I am so looking forward to see her journey through life!!!

Lisa EggeBrecht took some amazing pictures of Alaina!!!

I love that smile! Buttercup is Alaina's first dog!!!

Jay and I took some of Alaina's friends to Arizona Grand to celebrate her day!

Wild bunch -

Happy Birthday Alaina! We love you much!

Hope

2010-08-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

First, I have to start this out by saying that John is the strongest-willed person I know. For those of you who know him understand this statement to be true. Throughout our relationship, I have seen him set his mind on something and he makes it happen. I have heard many childhood stories of John’s desire for a particular want – and next thing you know he has it. As his wife, I think that is the hardest part of the last year. John has all the will in the world to make the cancer go away – and yet it is here. He has tried all of the treatments that they offer him, even when he knows that the treatment will wipe him out. He goes to his dialysis treatments and makes it the entire time, even when at the end of the treatment he feels like he has been run over. He does all of this with dignity and grace that I can only pray I would still have after all this time.
As mentioned in my previous posts John, was given his first IV chemo on the 10th of August. His treatment was scheduled for the 10th and the 17th. (He had been doing an “inhibitor” cancer treatment for 33 weeks that initially seemed to be keeping the tumors at bay, but stopped working.) We were very nervous about how John would react to the chemo because he has no kidneys to clean the toxins out of his body. About five hours after the treatment his body started to confirm our fears. He had high fevers, chills, and confusion. This was a very long week with lots of possible trips to the ER. He received his second dose on the 17th – and was going to start the other chemo along with it – but when he got his second dose he became very confused and was in extreme pain. By Wednesday afternoon, he was in the hospital. The doctor told us that he would not be able to do the chemo treatments any longer. The positive “issue” with having no kidneys is that the chemo that he did have stayed in longer with him than the average person, so it may have helped with some of the tumors!
John wanted to fight this with everything he has – and he did! There comes a time when you have to say that the quality of your life is more important that the quantity. Right now John is very weak, and is having an extremely hard time keeping food down. We are praying that as the chemo dissipates out of his body he will start feeling better. As we all should our family is going to make every effort to spend time together.
I do not claim to know the future as to what will happen to John or any one of us – our God is the True Great Physician. I do not know if God will heal John’s body here on Earth or if He will take him home to be with Him for his ultimate COMPLETE healing. But I do know that God loves us even when we do not feel it. I know that if given the chance to go back in time, I would not change a thing – other than argue less, and love more. With that being said, I am going to stop blogging and go hang with my family!
Romans 5:3-4 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” We choose to keep our hope in God.

Friends & Family - Make Life Sweet

2010-08-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind in my "blogging" it has been a crazy month and we are playing serious catch up! Here are some pictures from the beginning of August. My camera stopped working towards the middle so I missed some pics! Alaina got a camera for her B-day so I am ready for some more! John and Sue came from Nevada for the weekend and spent a long time hanging with John, and Sue made me go with her to get a pedicure! -Thanks!

Another trip from Canada for Debbie!

Alaina hanging with Uncle Dean & cousinsKristin and Jake Gaston - Love them :)

Greg came all the way from Maricopa - he should have carpooled with the Gastons!

Paul Shell- one of John's best friends from waaaayyyy back when!

Lewie - What an amazing friendship they have :)

Thanks for all of your love and support!

Too Low...

2010-08-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update... John's white count is too low to start his chemo regiment. - We thought we were going to start the IV treatment today. To increase his counts he is having to get 5 injections (1 every day for 5 days) of a drug called Neupogen. The doctor is fairly certain that this will get his counts up to where they need to be so he can begin next Tuesday.

We were a bit discouraged at first because it always seems like just one more thing! But we do have an amazing God and we continue to give Him the glory regardless of the circumstances.

We have been having lots of company the last week and we love it. I have a huge thanks to Lewie and Jay who came over and cleaned out our garage to get it "John" worthy. Most of you know how clean John likes things so the garage was driving him crazy! Also we have been getting lots of help from the family in transporting to appointments! After the weekend John's legs and arms became pretty weak so he has been needing stronger arms than mine to get in the truck! And of course everyone from family to friends have been helping with Alaina - :)

Thanks for all of your prayers, and words of encouragement! I will let you all know how John does when he starts his chemo! - and the next post will have pictures!

Faith

2010-07-27T18:27:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday we received the results from John's PET scan. They were not the results that we had been praying for. There are multiple new tumors. Two small ones in his lungs, and multiple new ones in his belly area. (Explains why he is having such a hard time eating and the shortness of breath).

The doctor told him that there is one last treatment that he would be willing to do for John, one that he has hesitated to use because it will be so hard on John's body. This treatment consists of one oral chemo tablet taken once a day, and an IV treatment taken once a week - three weeks on, one week off. The side effects of this treatment are: skin rash, flaking of hands and feet, nauseousness, vomiting, diarrhea, and low blood counts. John will most certainly have to have blood transfusions while on this treatment plan.

The other option the doctor gave him was no cancer treatment at all, and live out his life as comfortably as he can. John asked him how long he thought he would live if he chose that option. Dr Choi makes it a point that he is not God and can not tell anyone the time line of cancer, but given how this disease has behaved with John, he feels that it would be highly unlikely that John would live a full calendar year.

John has decided that he is going to continue to fight this and give it everything he has. Please keep our family in your prayers as this is going to be a very rough road ahead for our family. Pray for John's body that it will be strong enough to handle the chemo, and that the chemo will do it's job and kill the cancer. Alaina will be turning 10 years old and going back to school the same week that John will be starting this, keep her in your prayers as well.

Over the last year there has been a verse in the Bible that expressed more than I can explain how I feel. It is Romans 8:26 "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

My Man is Hot :)

2010-07-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

Even when John is feeling awful - he is still looking good! This was a rough one though so we asked Amber if he is feeling this bad again if she could come to our house and cut his hair. She said absolutely! :) John really likes the way she cuts his hair, and she has done mine too! If you need a great hair stylist let me know!
When we got home this is what we saw outside :)

Thanks for all of your love

Alaina's Turn for a Ride in an Ambulance...

2010-07-24T19:04:00.001-07:00

Be still my heart! What started out as a semi normal day went a bit crazy! OK the day didn't start out that good either...
First when we all jumped in the truck to hurry and get John to dialysis, and Alaina to an eye doctor appointment. Went to start the truck - but the hot summer day had put an end to the battery. Luckily it was not "dead enough" and we were able to quick start it with a battery charger that plugs into the wall. So off we go. Get John to dialysis walk over to the next building for Alaina's appointment. She did great - the doctor dilated her eyes we went to see if the glasses she liked fit her face - the next thing that is happening, Alaina is passed out and having what appears to me as another seizure. It lasted for about 1 minute. Her little face was turning blue - and my heart was breaking! She slowly came to and was very scared!
The paramedics were called, they pricked her little finger to test her blood sugar - that was fine. And they gave her some oxygen. We decided to take her to Phoenix Children's Hospital just to be on the safe side!
When she got in the ambulance they had to put an IV in her, she was amazing! They let me get in the back and hold her hand for that one!
Thankfully John's mom was with him at dialysis, and my mom was very close by as well. My mom followed the ambulance, Rosemarie stayed with John, and Russell took my battery and got a new one at Costco! And people wonder how we manage! It is because of our AMAZING family!
By the time we got to the hospital she was talking the paramedics ear off (I was talking the drivers ear off. We both talk a lot when we are nervous.)
At the hospital they ran an EKG and pricked her finger again (she thought that was a bit much) but still she was a great patient!
We are going to get her in to see a neurologist before schools starts so we can see what is causing them!

Alaina busting out of PCH! She was sooo brave!

I am really praying that we can all stay out of the hospital for the next year!!!!

PET Scan Day - Started Out with the Smell of Smoke

2010-07-24T18:48:00.000-07:00

When we got to the hospital and were headed to the PET scan department there was a strong smell of smoke! The girl that was doing John's procedure was running down the hallway as we turned the corner... but apparently they found out what it was! Made for little adventure anyway!

John drinking the "yummy" drink before PET scan! Could there be a more handsome man? I think NOT! :)

John getting wrapped up like a burrito! First they do a CT scan that is like 5 minutes - then the PET scan starts and I can go in and sit with him. They have a stereo with some jazz music. They try and make it as relaxing as possible!

We should be getting the results of the scan on Tuesday.

Summer Time Update

2010-07-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been very hard for John. On July 6th John's white blood count was very low. He was given an injection called Neulasta. It works with his bone marrow to make more neutrophils. Because it is stimulating bone marrow it made him feel very sick, but it did the job and brought his white blood count up! His hemoglobin level is not reacting as well to the epogen that is given at dialysis so his levels there continue to stay on the low side. - The hemoglobin is the the oxygen in your red blood cells - when that is low his energy level is low too. The doctor at dialysis just increased his dose last week so hopefully that will do the trick, if not John will have to have another blood transfusion, and he does not want to have to do that again.

John is also having a very hard time with eating consistently. He never really feels like eating and then when he does it is a 65% chance it is not going to stay down :( The best day that he eats is usually on Sunday night then it starts all over again! Probably the biggest prayer right now would be that John's appetite would increase and that he could gain some strength back!

When his white blood count was low Dr Choi (Oncologist) had him stop his treatments for two weeks. Two weeks have now turned into five! Because John is feeling so bad right now Dr Choi decided he should have another PET scan. So back to Good Sams we go! But because he will be getting it done early in the week we should get the results quicker! Waiting for results from the scans can make you crazy! So with all this being said John's physical body is really being put through the ringer. John's attitude continues to be an inspiration to all, but there are days that he just does not feel like getting out of bed - I am actually sitting in bed next to him while I do this blog because it is just one of those days.

I can't believe that our summer here is almost over (mainly because it is 115 degrees outside) But we only have a few more weeks before Alaina goes back to school! She is also freaking her dad and me out by going and turning 10 soon! She has had a very active summer with her grandparents and friends! God has really blessed us by providing an amazing family and awesome friends, that have really made her summer not boring at all!

Thank you all for your continued prayers, I will update the blog as soon as we get the results from the PET scan!

Birthday Number 45!!!!

2010-06-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

We had a super birthday party for John this year! We weren't sure we were going to be at home for the party, because John was in the hospital until Thursday night! What an awesome celebration we had! There were over 45 people who came to wish John a happy birthday! I was able to get most of your pictures but I missed a few! Those that I missed were captured on the video! The pictures and video etched this in our minds but the love of our friends and family will forever be etched on our hearts! You all have been such a blessing to us. God has truly shown us such favor by surrounding us with such an amazingly supportive group of people!

After the Saturday celebration John started his fourth set of radiation. This is a very strong dose of radiation so it completely wipes him out. We are looking forward to having a nice restful Sunday and trying to regain some of his strength back!

Take some time and check out John's B-day pictures...My dearest friend Lisa is going to make a CD for me so as soon as we get together I will send some out!

John and Alaina have a very special bond...Father, daughter love is priceless!

Beautiful mom and daughter! Debbie came all the way from Canada to celebrate her brother's B-day! She comes several times to see him!

Nana came and helped me set up for the party! She is our rock!

Grandpa John and Papa wishing John a happy day!

John's super cool nephew and nieces! Vanessa, Christoper, and Michelle!

Beautiful Emme and Carrie --- Carrie brought John homemade cinnamon buns! Yummy Yummy! Thank you!

The bad-boy gang!!!! They have calmed down some now! :)

John was very happy to see his Aunt Karen!!!

Jon and Jamie Hart came by to wish John a happy day!

John Rhodes and Russell - Great guys! Russell and Ryan had come before the party for some preparty celebration... we sometimes say we need help when we really just like them to come over! :)

Tom came to celebrate with John. They have been friends for years!

Tim and Kristen came for a visit from Nevada!

David and Angela were one of the first arrivals ---they helped me set up!

Our dear friends Greg and Linda Zehring

Dan and Kelly --- We love you guys!

The girls rocked this party!

Alyssa and Alaina sang a beautiful song for John's birthday. You have to check it out! It is by Sidewalk Prophets called "The Words I Would Say" . It made all the women cry!

Taking a Spin

2010-05-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great day on Sunday; went to church, out to lunch, then John's brother, Ryan, came over. He & John took Alaina's 50's out for a ride throughout our neighborhood. Weather was amazing - in high 70's. --- click on the picture so you can see how he rides in style :)

Back to Radiation :(

2010-05-21T16:20:00.000-07:00

John getting prepped for radiation...

On Wednesday we received the results from John's PET scan. The tumors that John had radiation on have not gotten any bigger! We were hoping that they would go away completely, but at least they did not increase in size. However, we were also told that the cancer had spread to his lungs. This was very heartbreaking. One of the advantages we had against this cancer was that it had not traveled through the bloodstream (just the lymph nodes) needless to say we all shed a few tears when we got that news. Thursday we had another consultation with the Radiation Surgeon. We asked a lot of questions and feel pretty positive about the radiation keeping those little tumors from getting any bigger. John immediately had to get prepared for the radiation surgery. So after our consult he had his pre-CT scan, they marked him all up for his next series of treatments.

John's biggest complaint at this time is still the neuropathy. He is having a hard time walking and the pain is absolutely unbearable at times.

Alaina is out on summer break, and has already hit the slumber party train! She had a great year academically. Have to brag on her a bit - all A's except for one little B that snuck in there! She is our little pride and joy - to know her is to love her!

Thanks for all your prayers!

The Day of Testing....

2010-05-15T10:24:00.001-07:00

Our only week day off from medical appointments was spent at Good Sams Hospital getting John's CT/ PET scans. It ended up being a pretty good day though! I was a bit nervous at first because we waited a little over one hour for his first scan. It was his CT scan and it only lasted 5 minutes! Then we crossed over to the other side of the hospital for his PET scan - we were two hours early for that one, and yippee they got us in! Because we ended up having some extra time together we spent it hanging out and having some fun!

This is John's 4th PET scan so he is a pro at knowing what to do! First he has to drink the contrast drink, yuck-- he then waits 20 minutes while the contrast goes through out his body. Next he goes into a little room with a bed and they put an IV in with a tracer. He has to lay very still for 45 minutes while the tracer looks for any tumors. He slept really good for those 45 minutes!

Next he is wrapped up like a burrito for the test. He slept through this one too! This part of the test lasts for about 45 minutes. I get to stay with him and help him out if he get a itch on his nose!

If you look closely you can see the image of John's body on the computer. We know the crew at this location and they are really nice!

We should be getting the results of the tests on the 18th of May. Thanks for all of your prayers and love sent our way. We will continue to keep you all posted on the results! :)

Camping Out in Style!

2010-05-13T20:14:00.001-07:00

After all of the treatments, John needed a night out! So Lewie and Jay came got our trailer, parked it on their land in Cave Creek, and we hung out all night! What an awesome time we had! One of John's favorite things to do is go to the dunes --- we can't go duning right now so they brought the dunes to him! We are so thankful for everything you all did! Can't wait to do it again! :)

Reminiscing about the night before!

After a night by the camp fire, Lewie brought out the muffins!

Had a blast with Terry

Dennis came all the way from New Mexico!

Can you believe this is only an 45 minutes away from us?

Beautiful scenery --- the trees were planted back in 1969!

They set us up in a beautiful location! Jay even cleaned out the trailer and made the bed for us! Love you Jay!

One of Jay's and Lewie's trailer :)

Terry's pad!

Don's trailer

Thanks for such a great memory!

One Day at a Time!

2010-03-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a year since we found out that John has cancer. In some ways, it feels like it hasn't been that long---then in others, it feels longer. Just sitting here trying to sum up all of the emotional ups and downs that we as a family have gone through makes my heart heavy! First and foremost we continue to give God glory in every way. To see John grow closer to God when he could have turned his back on Him and become an angry person is a testomony to his faith. John has decided to remain faithful to God even in the midst of the hardest time of his life. John is such an example to others. He is a wonderful husband, father, son, brother and friend! One of the blessings over the last year has been the support of family and friends. Some of you have asked how we have gotten through this last year, my response is this...God has given us strength when we needed it, and family and friends to be there throughout every situation. There have been many days that I have thought this unfair for anyone to suffer as John has. I have never seen anyone go through the kind of physical pain that he has endured and still be able to keep fighting. When John has a rough day, we fight it together. Then he comes out of it for awhile and we enjoy the day. Today, he was able to work out on the treadmill - a very difficult task when you can't feel your feet. Alaina has been so great through out this year as well. She has some pretty amazing friends and, of course, her grandparents have been a huge encouragement to her. Even with the changes that have happened this last year, she has continued to be a great daughter, friend, and student. I am so glad that she has the personality she has! What a super little person she is!

One of the great days! Mom and son watching Alaina at her riding lessons!

Buttercup was feeling a little left out so... here she is

Beautiful picture of father and son! LOVE it!

Ryan, John, and Alaina love to watch the Supercross.. Such fun! (and yes I left my name out of there on purpose!!!)

Greg has been such an amazing friend! He came all the way from Tucson-- OK it's not that far but pretty close! He and his wife Linda let us know how much they care in someway every week! We love them both so much!

Hanging with the Family!

2010-02-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

John has been so blessed this year with lots of visits from his sister! She and her family have made several trips all the way from Canada! John loves her so much!!! Alaina even got a super cool Vancouver sweatshirt that she has worn almost everyday! We went to Rosemarie's and had dinner Thursday and Saturday. John had an amazing day on Thursday but it was much harder for him on Saturday, and on Sunday he spent the day recuperating. Still I know he was happy that he got out for a little bit!

Alaina used to be the "little" one now she is the older cousin ~~ YIKES where did our baby girl go?

Russell and Rosemarie have been so amazing!

2010-02-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday John had to have his third blood transfusion so my mom took Alaina to her first horseback riding lesson! Lucky for us she brought a camera so that we all get to see! Thanks Nana! Alaina did a great job and really likes her teacher and the horse Princess! There is so much to learn!

First she has to get the horse out of the pasture and then bring her to the stable to brush her!

Next she has to clean out her hooves. She is going to have some serious arm muscles!

Alaina taking Princess out for the first time!

Alaina needed some speed so Tamra jumped on with her and they went for a run!

I love to see that smile!

She had her second lesson today and did great! Her teacher was very pleased with how much she remembered, and that she was applying everything she learned just from one lesson!

Update on John!

2010-01-28T19:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have not kept everyone updated as much as I should have! We have been crazy busy with holidays and a full schedule of medical appointments! I will try to do a better job of keeping this blog updated...

John is doing OK right now, but we are hoping that he will be feeling better soon! His body has just been through the wringer with the combination of dialysis, cancer treatment (Torisel) and low blood counts. He is wiped out pretty much all of the time. Imagine having the worst flu you have ever had and then working out for an hour without any water you might come close to how he feels! With that being said he still makes it a point not to complain or get too down in the dumps. I have been and continue to be so amazed at his strength!

Because of dialysis, and probably Torisel, John has become very anemic. The drug that is usually given to dialysis patients to get them back to a normal level has the potential to spread cancer, so for him to get his levels up and start to regain some of his strength he must have blood transfusions. This Saturday will be his second one. We are praying that he will feel better afterwards. We just purchased a new treadmill so that he can work on getting strength back in his legs.

We do have some good news! The first good news is; John's PET scan came back that the cancer has not gone into any of his organs or into his bones (we were concerned that it may have gone into his bone because of his legs hurting so badly). Also the cancer has shown very small growth! The second good news is we have one of the best Radiation Oncologist in the state who is willing to do radiation for John! When we first found out that his cancer had spread we asked about radiation and were told that it was too advanced and no one would do radiation. Thankfully we have been fortunate to have the team of doctors working with us who are willing to be aggressive with their treatment. The great thing about doing the radiation is the fact that it does not have harsh side effects on John's body! Dr. Briggs is the Radiation Oncologist; the main Oncologist is Dr. Choi who is keeping Dr. Brown in Tucson updated. The awesome thing about Dr. Choi is he knows John's Nephrologist (Kidney Doc) so everyone that is treating John is communicating. How wild is that!

As I said in the beginning, we have been very busy in the appointment department! Monday Wednesday and Friday John has dialysis, Tuesday cancer treatment and soon he will be adding radiation to the regiment. Add that to an occasional Saturday 5 hour blood transfusion. That means 6 days of treatment sometimes! Obviously with a schedule like that we have to have help with Alaina, and we have been crazy blessed with lots of people "watchting" her at the drop of a hat! So for the ones that have helped out over the last year in helping to keep us at peace, you all get a big THANK YOU! And Nana you get an extra one for watching the wild dogs too! :) and keeping me from getting behind in my laundry!!!

Some of you have said you want to call but you don't want to bother us ~ please don't worry. If we can't answer the phone we won't! And if John isn't feeling good I will tell him you called :)

We love you all! Enjoy!

Super Cross with Jay and Lewie!

2010-01-28T19:40:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the Supercross, but it was very rough on John. Not that you can tell from the pictures because John looks so great, but it took so much strength for John to go this year. We are hoping that next time around he will feel much stronger!
Best Buddies

Alaina has some protective men around her ~ poor girl she will never be allowed to date!

Christmas Time!

2010-01-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

I am ashamed to say I did not take a lot of pictures this Christmas ~ ugh! So I will have to tell you about it! We had a great time. We are really trying to celebrate each day and really spend quality time together ~ so when holidays come it is even more of a reminder of how important it is to take that extra moment to let your loved ones know how much they mean to you!

Alaina made her very own ginger bread house! It has a guest house ~ love her!

I have no real reason to put this picture in I just think it is funny!

Nana and Papa got Alaina a super cool microscope! She has been following Taz around trying to collect slobber... for any of you that have had the honor of meeting Taz that is not a hard thing to find!

Holiday Time is Family Time

2010-01-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

We are all so excited to have the youngest member of our family around us! Yep Emmery is a blast and can always make John smile!

OK I just love this picture!

Alaina loves her new school. She tried out for choir and has a wonderful teacher. It has been a great way for her to meet other students. She is also part of student council ~ although that means I have to get her to school 30 minutes earlier 4 days a week! She is a great daughter and John and I are very blessed to have such a wonderful little girl!

A new Christmas tradition ~ To the theater to see the Nutcracker! Alaina and I went down town and had a blast! We had the most fun after the show, watching all of the people and feeding birds. Although next time I had to promise a ride in a taxi? Not sure why she wants to ride in a taxi so badly I think once she does it she will be done with that desire!

Rosemarie's Birthday!

2010-01-28T17:50:00.000-08:00

Time to blow out the candles... wait a minute whose birthday is it?

What great smiles!

John is so happy when his mom and sister are by his side! By the way this was back on November 14th. I am a bit behind in my blogging!

November News...

2009-11-15T17:11:00.000-08:00

John was able to go out Saturday to celebrate his mom's birthday! It was great to spend some time with him other than at dialysis, chemo, or doctor appointments! This week is going to be crazy because he has appointments every day! Monday Wednesday and Friday are his regular dialysis Tuesday chemo and Thursday a ROOT CANAL! Jeeze! But we do have some good news to report. His blood pressure is great! The nephrologist (kidney doctor) really worked at getting that under control ~ by challenging him in removing lots of fluid during treatments and changing his meds around. But now that it is back in the healthy range he is able to start to slowly reduce his meds for blood pressure! The biggest side effect that John has with chemo is extreme fatigue. It also makes him feel achy all over and uncomfrontable but he is really trying to stay focused on the end result! Another positive is that John will be having his next two treatments for chemo here in the valley! We were going to Tucson every week ~ that ends up to being gone for almost 12 hours! Now it is 15 minutes from our house! The 8th treatment will be back in Tucson on December 1st. John will be having a CT scan done before that treatment and we will meet with Dr. Brown to see how the cancer is reacting to the treatment.
Thanks to all that have and continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

Friends!

2009-11-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

Greg and Linda Zehring have been so great with weekly devotions and monthly cards full of encouragement and love! They always seem to send us something just at the right time! We are so blessed to have them in our lives! Thanks ~ We love you guys!

Halloween Half Bride Half Corpse

2009-11-15T16:48:00.001-08:00

This was one fun costume ~ thank goodness my mom can sew! This is Alaina's attempt to get both what she wanted and what dad wanted! She wanted scary dad wanted sweet beautiful... Somehow I don't think he got what he wanted at all! It was fun though with lots of detail! It was a fun Halloween, but we missed trick or treating with dad ~ he wasn't feeling up to walking around this year... We are already planning for next year's costume! Don't throw your sewing machine away Nana

She looks so pretty, but check out the "other side"

The scary side!

They cracked me up ~ such pretty girls such scary faces!

Last Mud Day of 2009

2009-11-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Alaina and Julia love to play in the mud, but it got a bit too cold when it came to cleaning off ~ yes that has to happen before they come in to shower! Even though it was still in the 80's washing off with a hose gets a little chilly so this is the last mud day for 2009! ~ Sorry girls there is always next year!

When You Are Sick Snuggle... :)

2009-10-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Wow what a week! This has been a pretty rough time for the Abram family! John is having crazy high blood pressure again. It is so hard to get it under control once it starts this cycle. He is also really struggling on dialysis. About half way through he gets an extremely painful head ache, then his pressure starts to go high. We are working with his kidney doctor as well as the nurse to see what we can do to make it bearable for him and manage the pain as well as the pressure! When John had had his first cancer treatment called Nexavar his blood pressure went so high it lead to him having the seizures. After he went off of Nexavar we were able to work with his doctors to get it back to a reasonably healthy reading. After he started taking the new cancer treatment (Torisel) it is back to a very high reading! Another concern is the glands in his neck have started to swell on both sides! They are about the size of a golf ball! We contemplated going to the ER but John felt it would be OK to wait until Monday... So hopefully we will find out what the issue is with that tomorrow. He is really exhausted and a bit frustrated with all of this. We certainly could use some extra prayers sent our way!

Also Thursday night when Alaina got home from going to the movies with Grandpa John and Grandma Kay she said she wasn't feeling very good... sure enough by 11:00PM she had a temp of 103! She ended up having to go to see Rene and received not one but two shots! Ouch! Lets just say she and John both have a huge dislike of getting shots! You can always tell when she is sick because she actually sits down! The only thing good about her being sick is we had lots of snuggle time on the couch... ! Her fever finally is down today! :)

John and Alaina had been hanging out watching TV Sunday night when my mom said I think they may have falling asleep ~ sure enough I found them both crashed out with the TV blasting! I don't know how they do that. But they looked so cute I had to take a picture! :)

The Tooth Fairy Comes...Not For the Squimish

2009-10-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Alaina stayed up late last night because she thought she might swallow her tooth!

OK just pull it out!

Yes!!! All of the hard work paid off ~

It looks like she is gagging but she was keeping the blood at bay!

Absolutely love that smile!!!

Pumpkins ~ N ~ Friends

2009-10-17T16:32:00.001-07:00

John and Wade both tried to hit the target with the tomato.... better luck next time!

She is so beautiful! Has more energy in her little finger than I do in my whole body~ even after coffee!

They were thinking when is this going to be over????

Daddy's girl for sure! I get the best smiles out of them when they are together!

Alaina loves all the action! The Egglets go a mile a minute ~ so fun :)

Info on Dialysis and Current Cancer Treatment

2009-10-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

John with the staff at DSI ~

Hi! If you are like I was before March 1st, you do not know what a dialysis machine looks like or much about kidneys other than the fact that they help you in removing fluid! Well, if you decide to read this, you will know much more than you did before! First of all living without kidneys or kidney function is a miracle...but very difficult to do. The kidneys do more than just help you get rid of fluid. They also clean your body of toxins that are in all food. There are great foods out there like bananas, peaches, pears, potatoes, pumpkin. But they have high levels of potassium. Your kidneys excrete potassium out so they are healthy and not a harm to your body. However, if you don't have kidneys, you have to stay away from the high-level potassium and phosphorus foods (nuts, cheese, peanut butter, milk, beans) plus you are limited on the amount of fluid that you can have a day as well! (four cups of fluid a day) The reason you cannot have extra fluid is because your kidneys work 24 hours a day, and although it seems like John is at dialysis everyday, the truth is he is on the machine for only three days a week for 4 hours! The rest of the time fluid is building up as well as toxins. Extra fluid is very tough on your body. Once your stomach gets too much fluid it starts to "go" into your tissue and it will eventually make your blood pressure get high as well. I am going to type this in caps JOHN ROCKS AT doing everything he can to make living without kidneys easier! He cracks me up sometimes because he looks at some of the other patients that are IN dialysis and they are eating stuff he knows that they shouldn't ~ he is like, "man, don't they know that they should not be doing that???" It makes him sad in a way because they have this shot at life and they don't seem to care. But enough about others; this is about John!
Right now he is doing pretty good. He seems to be tolerating the new cancer treatment. It is a type of Chemo. The name of it is Torisel ~ it is an injected drug so... for the time being, we are going to Tucson every Tuesday. (Makes for quit a bit of time away from the house ~ with dialysis three days a week and now this.) But, we are all trying to make the most of every situation! He really does seem to be doing well other than his blood pressure is very very high at times and he seems to be sleepy a bit more... but he continues to work and still has that beautiful smile that I fell in love with! ~ Keeps him from getting in trouble :)

Mud Buds!

2009-10-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yep they all had to take a shower outside!!!

OK still beautiful even dirty!!!

Payton and Alaina making their own river

Buttercup getting her frustration out!

Blue Eyes

2009-10-09T17:37:00.000-07:00

Alaina LOVES her Grandpa!!! ~ and he thinks she is pretty special too! :)

Grandma Kay has her own story of surviving caner!

John is surrounded by the love of family!

John's darling Grandmother....

Daddy & Alaina!

2009-09-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hi! So here is my blog finally! (thanks much Lisa!) John just got out of the hospital again (his third time in ICU since April!) He started an oral tablet that we hoped would kill the cancer, but it made his blood pressure go through the roof and on Friday the 18 he had two seizures! After 4 days in the hospital we went to Tucson to see what other options we have. As soon as his blood pressure is down he will start on an IV drug that we pray will do the job without the major side effects!

We want to send out blogs so that it will be a fun easy way to keep family and friends up to date on John and our family! It is also our desire that the way John and our family is responding to this disease will inspire you!

We also want this to be a way to thank all of you for your support and love! John and I are so blessed to have the family that we have! Everyone in our family would be here for us in a minute if we needed ~ and they have been! Our friends are just as wonderful my heart is filled with unexplainable emotion as I think of all of the visits to the hospital, phone calls, letters and prayers that have been sent our way!

~ I would like to get pictures of everyone that I can on this blog so if you are not on it send me a picture!

Be sure to start at the beginning of this blog and work your way up!

Nana's Birthday!!!

2009-09-25T16:31:00.001-07:00

Nana spends more time at our house than hers anymore! We love you!!!! And happy birthday

Debbie Dean & Ella came for a visit

2009-09-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Cousins! :)

Family!

Yummy seafood! And even better company!

Great Family and Friends!

2009-09-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

John and Sue Rhodes visit us from Nevada!

Chad, John, Mike & Matt!!! Love you guys! :)

Lots of people have asked us how we have stayed so positive... Well it is an easy answer! We have had amazing people in our life!!! We have an awesome God that has provided incredible support and we are extremely thankful to you all!

Having Some Fun on the Tracks!

2009-09-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Jay teaching Alaina and Julia how to "drive".

Check this out! So much fun!

Alaina did this all night! Running the track while hula hooping.

Monster Truck!!!

Our new favorite past time! Jay and Lewie have the funnest place! Its like a playground for both young and not so young! :) A huge race track, golf carts, a play room, exercise room lots of snacks... They have been so great and full of smiles! John really likes to get out of the house but with the heat it has been really hard ~ They brought out a swamp cooler to the tracks so that John could be outside without getting too hot! Gotta love them!!! Alaina and her friends never want to leave!

August Birthdays Alaina's (and yes mine too)

2009-09-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

August was a pretty good month. Alaina turned 9 and I turned .... hmmm? This was the month that we heard that John's cancer was back, so that was hard, but he (we) have had such amazing support and love that this awful news did not completely knock us down! Plus we have the power of the Holy Spirit to give us peace even in the most harsh of times!

Trip to Sedona

2009-09-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Lots of test for her too! But everything turned out just fine!

Yep Alaina's turn to be at the hospital!

Our favorite place to eat! :)
This was an unplanned trip to Sedona. With all of the crazy news regarding John's health we know how important it is to celebrate each day, so we decided to go on a helicopter ride. Alaina was just a little bit nervous so the company put a device on her arm ~ as soon as it hit her arm she fell on the floor in a full seizure! We drove to Phoenix Children's Hospital and she had another one a few hours later. Two days at the hospital and no reason as to why! But as of yet there has not been anymore!!!

Alaina had to have some fun too!

2009-09-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Yippie Grandma Kay and Grandpa John took Alaina to the zoo in the middle of the summer ~~ She loved it!!! :)

John's Birthday in June

2009-09-24T18:27:00.001-07:00

When you see them smile like this we can't say no!

John couldn't go riding himself so he did the next best thing and bought a remote control car! Boys and their toys!!!

He was feeling pretty yucky that day ~ but he had a great time!

After Surgery News

2009-09-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

When John went to the hospital in April we were all praying that the kidney would be saved, but that was not the case. John ended up having to have his only kidney removed. Going into this we knew very little about dialysis, and how one could live without such an important organ. We got a crash course! Dialysis is very difficult especially if you are as active as John is! He did and continues to do everything that he needs to do to make living without a kidney bearable. He only eats the food that he should, and he is very careful to limit his fluid intake! But after his surgery and the difficulties of dialysis he had a cardiac arrest on April 23rd ~ so back to Good Samaritan again! Once he got to Good Sams he had a defibrillator put in... he also caught a bad virus there that made him very sick. After all the surgery cardiac arrest and C- diff John lost over 50 pounds in one month!

Special Visits

2009-09-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Our church family came to pray with John before surgery!

John and Ryan such great brothers!

Mom and Russell hanging with the turtle shelled man! :)

Jay and Lewie came over to see John and brought lots of movies so we would not be bored! They have been so amazing! We love you!

The Beginning ~ March 1, 2009

2009-09-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken on Feb 28, the day before John was in the dirtbike accident. He was riding his dirtbike with his brother, Ryan, on March 1. He flipped his bike. When he was taken to the ER they did a CT scan and it showed that he had broken his back. He had to wear a "turtle shell" that went around his back and stomach. The CT scan also showed that there was a tumor on the outside of his stomach wall... John was in the hospital for several days and had two biopsies. After getting out of the hospital and not knowing for sure what was going on, we went to see a surgeon who was to perform the third biopsy. It was at that visit that we were told that John did have cancer. It was also the first time that we heard that it was on his kidney. With John having only one kidney, we were very heartbroken to hear this. Dr. Gladding was very compassionate and explained that she would not be able to do another biopsy because it was too close to his only functioning kidney. She recommended that we go to see Drs. Jeffery and Jerimey Brink. They are twins (Jeffery is a transplant surgeon and Jerimey is a vascular surgeon). We spoke with both doctors and John was scheduled to have the tumor removed on April 7th 2009.