been a while...

wow...it has been awhile:)
that could be good news and it could be bad...sorry to leave you all hanging like this! Dad is doing good. He has been off everything but antibiotics for a few weeks. He went in and they found a staph infection so they took him off everything and gave him a strong dose to fix the infection. He had a doctor visit today...and his infection is gone-YAY! So he will be starting chemo again next week.
Now to update you on other things...We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went around the table on Thanksgiving and said what we were thankful for and dad said he was thankful to still be alive...We are all SO thankful for this too...and that he is doing good and still kicking:) We are looking forward to a great Christmas...and we hope that you all have a happy season as well. Again thank you so much for your love and support for our family and especially towards my dad.

the Power behind you!!!!

Hello Friends!!!!!
We apologize for the length of time between our updates. Our Dad has been plugging along with the little bits of chemo they have been giving him weekly. He has felt pretty good, tired of course, but really doing well. That is the one of the most impressive traits about Sid Stoker. He is going through one of the most challenging times in his life and yet still finds time to serve others. He is upbeat and never complains. He still has his grandkids over all the time and more often then not he is doing the cooking.
He had a series of tests done last week to see where he sits in his healing process. The good news is the he has conquered a good half of the cancer, the bad, well, you can do the math. They also found a little spot on his Thyroid. He will have further tests to assess whether they can just take his Thyroid out.
So the fight continues!!!! But never you mind because my Father-in-Law may seem like a softy but he is tough as nails!!!!!! My favorite quote is "When you are doing the Lords work, the obstacles in front of you are never greater than the power behind you" We believe in that power and we will continue to have faith that it will sustain him and us!!!

Today was a GOOD DAY!!!!

Today Dad went to the Drs. and receive some pretty good news!!!!!! He will have to continue with chemo, but he can be home the whole time!!!!! This time around it won't be near as bad as the last. He goes in every week and gets a very small shot of chemo and then he heads right back home!!!! Can I get a woot woot!!!! The Drs. told him that he won't be near as sick and that he can even go up to the mountains and camp if he wants. We are so excited!!!!! No one ever gets better sitting around in a hospital. Home is where we all feel better, surrounded by family that we love!!!! He still has been warned to not be around alot of people, purely for precautionary measures. His immune system is shot!!! But we take alot of comfort in knowing that he will be where he feels the best------ in his home!!!! We love you Dad!!!!!

Not so Good News :(

We received some not so good news today. Dad went to the Dr's. office to check the levels in his blood. To say the least the results were a little discouraging. It looks like he will have to under go another round of chemo followed by another stem cell transplant. We are all a little down about the news, mainly due to the fact we hate to see him so sick. It is unfortunate that they basically have to kill you in order to keep you living. We were holding on to a "perfect brightness of hope" that he would only have to have one round, but it just wasn't in the cards. The Dr's. did inform him that it ususally takes two rounds to completely dissolve the cancer.

On a brighter note, we feel extremely blessed that we have been able to spend a little more time with him lately. Last Sunday morning, my kids woke up, called Grandpa, and before you knew it they were down there eating breakfast. It says alot about a man, who is probably going through one of the biggest trials of his life, and he still has time for the little ones. He has attended school programs, ball games (he watched from the car), and loves to sit outside and just watch them play. The Grandkids really miss their best friend when he is out of commission.

On a even brighter note, over the last few months Dad has lost over 65 lbs. (not a recommended diet plan), but he is looking pretty good.

Thanks to our Dad on Father's Day for continuing a good fight, keeping the faith, and showing the rest of us what really matters is family!!!!!
WE LOVE YOU DAD!!!!!!!

bALd iS IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, He is home again!!!! Dad had a little set back over the weekend. He was severly dehydrated, his sugar dropped to a critical level, and he went back to what has become his home away from home (the hospital). But the man is tough as nails and it seems he can beat anything. We are glad he is back home and with us. He did come home with a shining new hair do. I just can't believe how good bald looks on him. Some people look good no matter what!!! He is not supposed to have visitors, but he would love to hear from you!!! Drop him a comment or give him a call!!!! Dad loves people in his home and everyone is treated like a friend there!!!! It is definitely his grandchildrens favorite place to be, and not being able to be there everyday has been as hard on them as it has been on Dad. If there was an award for the best grandpa in the world, he would get it!!!!! He is loved by his grandchildren and they need him here for as long as our Heavenly Father will allow it!!!!

HE is HoME!!!

yeah!!! Dad is home from the hospital...

thank you so much for all your prayers on our families behalf. We have truely seen miracles due to the many prayers said for mom and dad. Mom was having some health issues and when she went in for further testing the doctor came in and said it is a miracle what was there last week is no longer there today!!!

Thank you to all of you and to our Heavenly Father for truely listenig and answering those prayers. Dad is doing GREAT!!!! He is back in his own little bubble and we are so thankful for that. At this time the doctors are asking that there is no visitors coming to the house. Thank you so much for understanding, that we want dad healthy and not to catch anything! Thanks again for all your love and support that you give to our family even when you think your not! We love and appreciate each of you:)

Bald boys...

Before...

After...

So dad starts chemo tomorrow...Good luck daddy!!! We met at his house tonight to have a little party... in support of Grandpa all the boys shaved their heads! They are all so fetching cute.

Thanks to Carrie the "barber" and Charlise the eyebrow specialist and Amie the photographer :) And all the cute boys and their shaved white heads! You look awesome:)

we will keep you all posted on dad...thanks for loving our family!

Bring it on...

okay I was suppose to update this yesterday...so pretend it is still friday:)
mom and dad are on their way home from the doctors office...
you know dad just would not be DAD...(Sid Stoker) if he did not have little bumps in this road! So last week they did yet another MRI and found that he has a growth on the back of his skull- they have decided to treat the cancer with the chemo and hopefully that will get ALL the cancer. So they have a few more standard test to run this next week...all the test so far has came back normal. So they are looking to start the chemo on or around the 3rd of May.
Thank you so much for all of your prayers...people keep asking me if dad has just given up or if his spirits are gone-I tell them that there is NO way that dad would get that way-he may have his times to be upset-we all have! We are so thankful to our Heavenly Father for BLESSING each of us-we have truely seen his hand in this process. And we know that it is from all the many prayers said on dads and our families behalf-so THANK YOU...we love each one of you and are praying for your families as well.

Welcome Home Daddy!!!

Dad is home!!!
We are so thankful for this miracle...thank you everyone for your prayers and concerns that have been made on our behalf. Dad was released from the hospital today and is home resting. He went through so much while he was at the hospital and so did our family. We have our Heavenly Father to thank for dad being with us today. I went over and seen him tonight for the first time since last week, my kids have been sick and I didn't want to pass it to him...He looks so good!!! I can honestly say that I am a total "daddy's girl". I love my dad-WE LOVE OUR DAD!!! The primary song keeps popping in my head...I am so glad when daddy comes home-glad as I can be! and I really DID jump upon his knee tonight!!! LOL:) WELCOME HOME DADDY!!! WE LOVE YOU:D

miracle...

We've witnessed a miracle. Dad is awake and alert. He still has a long road ahead, but he's doing good. Thank you for your prayers... we believe in miracles!

pray...

As mentioned earlier dad hit a bump in the road. Thursday night he became unresponsive- he is now in ICU. All of his tests thus far have come back normal. Please join us as we pray that they will be able to find a solution to what is causing all of dad's problems. We know that he is strong and he's a fighter. We have faith that Heavenly Father can preform this miracle for dad.

bump...

Holy cow...how things can change! The stem cell process went goodl...Thursday afternoon, dad hit a bump in this whole process. Without going into too much details...He is now being tested for different infections throughout his body. Please keep dad in your prayers at this time...we thank all of those that are thinking of our family and praying for dad. We will keep you all updated as soon as we know what is going on.

Thank you

They began the stem cell draw on Sid today. He was hooked up for about 6 hours and produced 2 million and 700 stem cells. We are so thankful for all of the prayers that have been offered that have helped Sid produce this amount of stem cells.

The new medicine that they have to give Sid is making him very sick. He hasn't eaten anything today because he is so sick. He is sore all over and can barely walk. Although he is sick, he is still in good spirits.

Tonight we received a very special surprise- many of our friends and ward members came to the nursery for family home evening to help clean it up. Words can't express how thankful we are for their service. As Wade called and told Sid about all of the people who were there, Sid just cried and said "please tell them how thankful I am for them."

We are being so blessed during this time- we pray that we will be worthy of the many blessings that Heavenly Father is giving us.

-Jerry

another hospital visit...

Hello everyone...we went to the Doctor on Monday-yesterday:) We found out that they have another medicine they want to use on Sid, so they can hopefully produce the stem cells they need. Sid will be going into the hospital on Thursday and will be in there for 8 to 9 days-Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers in our behalf...please pray for more stem cells and that this new medicine works!!! Thanks again we are sending our love to all of you...Sid and Jerry:)

Home?

Well, for some unknown reason Dad is unable to produce stem cells in HUGE amounts. So, they are probably sending him home. He will come home for a few weeks, rest, then go back and try again. The next time they are planning on changing the medicine they give him, in hopes that the new stuff will work. When he comes home he will have to be careful, they have just extracted millions of stem cells (which help you stay healthy) from his body.
So, poor Mom will have a full time job ahead of her trying to keep him in the house resting. We are trying to help by providing him with good books and movies. Good luck Mom and Dad in this next adventure!

Pray for Stem Cells...

Dad has been doing the stem cell draws for 3 days now. The doctor would like him to have a total of 20 million stem cells before they proceed with other treatments. Dad has only produced around 2.6 million... not nearly enough. Tonight they are going to try giving him extra doses of medicine to produce more stem cells. Please pray for more stem cells!!!

Stem Cells

This morning they started taking the stem cells out of Dad. They do this by drawing out his blood, taking the stem cells out, and putting it back in. They continually do this for 5 hours. Needless to say, it has made Dad REALLY tired. They will do it again tomorrow and Monday. Hopefully they will get enough stem cells that they won't have to continue doing it much longer. The nurse said that normally they have to do it for 3-4 days, but sometimes they have to do it for as long as 7 days.
We love you Dad!!! Get lots of rest.

Hello, thank-You all for your prayers in our behalf. We have been reading the blog and appreciate all your comments. Sid is now in the hospital and is undergoing treatments to get his blood levels where they should be in order for the hospital staff to take and save his blood. Today has been a ruff day. He is in a-lot of pain and has had a temp. of 102 most of the day. But in Sid's fashion style he is not complaining, but tells me not to tell any one because he don't want people to worry. We are learning to just relay in the LORD and hope for the best.

update...

Dad went into the hospital on Tuesday afternoon. They have been giving him shots to get his blood ready to take out the stem cells. He's doing good. He said that the shots burn, and the food isn't as good as Mom's, but he's doing well.
Mom gets to go down with him each day, then she comes home. She hates seeing Dad get poked and she hates leaving him each night there at the hospital.
After they take his stem cells out, he will come home for a few days to get ready for chemo.
Thanks for the comments on this blog. Mom is taking down their laptop so that Dad can read what we have to say about him:)

good luck Daddy...

Sunday night we got together and had a dinner for dad. It was so much fun to be together as a family, we are so blessed to have the family we have. It was nice to be together and play, joke, talk, and eat...we always have fun eating! It was especially fun to be there with dad before he goes into isolation. As an update...he goes to the hospital on Tuesday to start building up his blood for his stem cells to be removed. We all want to tell dad that we love him and we are all here for him through this trial. Dad we know you are strong and brave and can do anything but remember we are here! Good luck daddy-WE LOVE YOU!!!

Shunt today...

Mom just called and wanted me to write a quick update about Dad. They are headed down to the hospital to have his shunt put in today. He will have a shunt in his chest where they will do the chemo. So I guess you could say that it is officially started!
Dad will start his chemo on Tuesday.
Mom and Dad have expressed how they have seen the hand of the Lord throughout this process. When they met with the doctor this week, the doctor explained that he wants to keep Dad in the hospital the ENTIRE time, just to make sure nothing happens to his kidney. This was a huge relief for Mom, because she was worried about Dad getting sick at home.
Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Although they won't be able to see any of us during this process, they LOVE reading the comments on this blog. If you come here, please leave a quick comment for Dad to read. I think he might just go crazy not being able to tease any of us!
Thanks for your support and love that you give to Mom and Dad! They appreciate it more than you know:)

Sid Update...

Sid and I went down last week for his last set of tests. He passed his heart tests, so things look like a go. We are headed back down this Wednesday to make a plan with the doctor. I'm sure he will give us a start date, and tell us more information then.
Thank you to everyone for your concerns. We appreciate your love and prayers at this time.
Love,
Sid and Jerry

WOW!! LOVED & on TV to BOOT! ;D

I get back from being gone barely over a week and our Sid is famous too!! He HAS to know how loved he is NOW! This is FANTASTIC!! What a GREAT way to show him & his family how much they mean to our community. I look forward to the miracles ahead. You and your family will remain in our prayers.  ~Holly

 

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Well today is our dads birthday! I wanted to let you all know how grateful our family is for all of your thoughts and prayers for our family...most of all for our mom and dad.

Today most of all I am so thankful for my daddy! I know that my brothers and sisters will agree with me that he has always been and always will be OUR hero. He is thoughtful, caring, honest, loving, kind and yes I will agree that he can also be a huge smart alic!!! But he wouldn't be Sid if he didn't have that wonderful quality about him. Dad I just want to tell you how much each one of us kids love you and what a great example you are to us. You are so strong.

As Carrie put it... you are a SURVIVOR!

...you have had one arm cut off.

...you have had not one but TWO failed kidneys.

...you have had one heartattack.

...you have had one stroke.

...you have had one kidney transplant.

The list can go on and on...and that is it-you are a fighter:)

We love you daddy! Hope you had a great birthday.

SWEET Portrait

HAD to run over and get a picture of Sid & Jerry for the blog!!!

This is formatted to an 8X10

I will be giving them a print of this. It will probably be when we return from our trip.

I set up an album...  http://PixPlus.zenfolio.com/stoker  I think I opened it up so you can add images of them as well. If you're unable to, e-mail me at hollyjjack@comcast.net and I'll try to troubleshoot it when I get back. You can also e-mail me images if you aren't able to add them. (I may have some time on my hands next Friday as the rest of them go to Disneyland. I just can't see paying the high entrance fee when all I can do is walk around and wait for them at each ride. My tailbone injury still acts up and with the long drives to SoCal & back... I don't want to push it. *sigh*)  When we get a few in there, I'll post the gallery as a slideshow in the blog. That will be FUN!!!  It would be GREAT to see them with their family, friends, working, & playing.  ;D   ~Holly

Yay! Sid & Jerry are now AUTHORS! ;D

They are now aware of the blog and a little about inviting as authors & posting. We'll go over more when I get back from our trip. 

(((HUGS)))  ~Holly

Set up & blog ideas

This is Holly... I've set this up so that the OUTSIDE WORLD can check up on how things are going with Sid and show our love and support while he is isolated from us. As of now, I don't have an e-mail for Jerry & Sid, but have invited Wade & Rhonda as authors/admisnistrators. We will be gone from the 12th to the 21st of Feb, so if I'm unavailable and haven't been able to do so yet...  Rhonda & Wade, please invite Sid & Jerry as authors/administrators as well. I'm going to try to get with them before we leave to get a current picture to post on the blog. As of now, it is open. If you want it private and only open to those you invite/allow, we can change those settings.  ;D   On the 22nd I can get with you all if you need to understand how to post updates and such. When you make a post telling what's going on, people can make comments on your post to keep in touch. This may help in the way that paople can keep updated and send encouragement, without feeling like they may call at a bad time and you also won't have to repeat everything so much to everybody. I hope you find this helpful. When I'm back, I'll be happy to help any way I can.  (((HUGS!)))    ~Holly