Home

Welcome to Luke's Website...How It All Started

3/21/2007 Luke was brought to the doctor because of cold symptoms. His pediatrician thought his belly was swollen and decided to test his blood. It turns out that the swelling in his belly was his enlarged spleen. It was so big that it was pushing his kidneys out of the way. When his white count and platelets came back abnormal, he was taken to the hospital. Shortly thereafter, Luke was diagnosed with Leukemia. Luke will have many chemotherapy treatments for years to come but luckily, the chances for a cure are very good and with treatment, most children with leukemia are free of the disease without it coming back.

Luke is three years old and a real dare devil. He makes you laugh with his funny expressions and makes you fall in love with him because of his adventurous nature.

We will update this site whenever we have new news.

Your thoughts and prayers are needed and greatly appreciated!

Luke Walz

3/22/07 After a bone marrow biopsy we find that Luke has the most common and cureable type of leukemia - ALL or Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

3/23/07 After a spinal tap we find out that the cancer hasn't spread to his central nervous system and his chemotherapy begins. A port-a-cath is inserted to allow the chemotherapy to be given and blood samples to be drawn without him having to be stuck with needles.

3/24/07 Luke is feeling sick to his stomach today and has a headache from the chemotherapy. We are very thankful for the support of our friends and family! When the nurses come in the room, Luke likes to say "Are you going now?"

3/25/07 Luke had a good day today. He has gained about three pounds since Friday. One of the side effects of the chemotherapy that he is taking is increased appetite and weight gain. Lukes port is healing nice. Hopefully, the bleeding will stop tonight and the nurses will not have to bother him with replacing the dressing. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughtfulness. His tired time is 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM when he usually falls asleep!

3/26/07 Hi guys, Hope all is well. Our last guests just left and wanted to give you todays update. Luke had a great morning today. The nurse actually removed his I V for about an hour and allowed him to go in the playroom with Dad. He played a couple of games , painted a picture and played with puzzles and trains, before returning to his room.

Today Luke received a shot of pegaspargase (peg) in each thigh. One of the side effects is the possibility of a severe allergic reaction, so nurse Kelly spent an hour in the room watching over him. He did fine. He has to get this 10 times during his treatment. All and all , Luke had a good day. Thank you for your prayers. Thanks Ed

3/27/07 First of all, Jeanine and I would like to thank everyone for their generosity, and kindness. It is amazing to me how many people this tragic event has brought together. We are blessed to have all of you in our lives. Thank you! Luke is doing wonderful. His body is reacting to the treatment as planned. His white count is dropping which is what we need to make him better. Dr. Luty told us that there is a good possibility that Luke can come home on Friday. Friday is the next big day. Luke has to have his bone marrow tested and gets chemo through his port. Hopefully everything goes well. Luke is very funny and he has two faces. His happy face, which is the one you see in the pictures, and a serious face. This is the face that he puts on when the doctors and nurses come in. I can't wait for all the doctors and nurses to meet happy Luke and see his happy face. . .Thanks again for all of your support. Love the Walz family

3/28/07 Today was a little tougher than past days. Luke was up a good bit of the night with a pain in his jaw. This is a side effects from Vincristine, which is one of the many drugs in his protocol. The steroids are also starting to kick in. Luke is starting to become very emotional. We were able to unhook the IV today for another visit to the playroom. We had a lot of fun. Mommy read several Dr. Suess books and we played don't break the ice about 10 times. Must be the steroids, but Luke has more fun breaking the ice , than he does winning. Friday still looks like a reality. We need Luke to get as much rest over the next two days as possible so he can spend Saturday night in his bedroom with his big brother. . Thank you for all of your support. Love the Walz Family.

3/28/07 Hi all, Luke had a better day today. His appetite is increasing, as a matter of fact today around 2PM Luke asked for Bacon and orange juice. Luke never eats bacon. It is now 9PM and Luke is getting a blood transfusion and eating bacon.(thanks to aunt Michele ) The past 9 days Luke has been probed, stabbed, drugged and touched by probably over a dozen doctors a day, and the kid is still smiling. Tomorrow Luke has to receive Chemo in his chest and spine and have his bone marrow tested and then we go home. I feel like I have been run over by a truck. None of us have slept for over a week and Luke is still smiling. Nine days ago I thought life was over. After hanging with this kid, in this room, with all of your support and prayers, and his strength, determination and attitude, I have a total different outlook. Luke will be fine. I will bet my life on it. Thank you for your love and support. The Walz family

3/30/07 Hip Hip Hooray!!!!! Luke is home and hungrier than ever. Luke woke up today at 7:30 am looking for his breakfast. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to eat because he was having his treatment this morning at 10 am. We waited for his Chemo until almost 12 and he was not happy. After awakening from the Anesthesia, he ate two hotdog's. Since then he has had a Ramon noodle soup and a meatball. He is giving Daddy a run for his money. Luke is happy to be home and currently is watching Power Rangers on the couch. Many thanks to the nurses and Doctors at the Children's Center at Monmouth Medical. I could not have made it the past ten days without them. Next week we have to meet with the Doctor on Tuesday for the results of today's test. We are praying that Luke has done well with treatment and is a Rapid Responder to the treatment. If this is the case, there are no signs of Leukemia in his blood. If not, we have to go back the following week for another test. The following picture says the rest. Thank you for your prayers and good night. Love the The Walz Family

3/31/07 Hi Everyone,I had a great day today. I am so happy to be home with my family, friends and my dog Coco. I am very hungry every day. Daddy went to Sabato's Butcher (he says it's the best butcher in NJ) for fresh sausage and bacon for breakfast. I have a very big appetite because of the steroids that I am taking. I am lucky to have so many prayers and so much love. Mommy and Daddy will keep you posted with everything that is going on in my world. Thank you again for your love and support. Have a good weekend, we will write back soon...Thank you again....Love, Luke Walz

4/3/07 Hello everyone, Today we went to The Valerie Fund for Luke's test results. Luke is doing well, but still has a little work to do before he is in remission. We have to go back on Friday for another bone marrow test. This is not going to be an easy test for Luke considering he cannot eat after midnight and the test is at 10 am. Luke is usually on his second meal by then. Dr. Luty was pleased with the results. The treatment is doing its job and the levels of Leukemia have dropped considerably. From 90% when we were initially admitted to currently between 5 and 10%. Hopefully the next test proves that Luke is cancer free. I will keep all of you updated after Fridays treatment. Thank you for all of your continued love and support and may God heal our Luke. Love the Walz's

4/6/07 Hi Everyone, Today went much better than we were expecting. Mom woke Luke up at 1 am for an after midnight snack of American cheese, chicken nuggets and potato chips. When Luke awoke in the morning, he was more concerned about revisiting the hospital, than he was eating his normal three coarse breakfast. Upon arriving to the hospital, we were admitted to a private room and his vitals were taken. Luke has gained 6 pounds since treatment has started. Mostly in his cheeks and belly. Luke's port was accessed with little pain and he received something to calm him down. It's times like this when Daddy wished he had a port as well. I could have used a shot of that stuff.A little while later the team of doctors arrived, gave Luke more anesthesia and removed a bone marrow sample from his hip. Luke awoke about a half an hour later very hungry and didn't even mention his backside. After lunch, Dr. Luty came back and inserted his Vincristine (Chemo) through his port. She was very happy that his Platelets were at a normal level. What this means is that his bone marrow is doing what is supposed to do. We did not need any blood and we were home an hour later. Luke is a little tired, but all and all, he is feeling OK. Monday, we will have the results of today's tests. Here are some pictures we took when we got home. All of your prayers seem to be working. Thank you so much and Happy holidays. Love the Walz's

Grandma Rose and Luke

Mom, Dad and Luke

Luke

4,717+

4/7/07 Hi Everyone. Suprise.... I was hungry today:) and tired. We had a great easter egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Walz's house. Here are some pictures.

Cousin Nolan

Mommy Loves Luke!

Sara and Grandma Walz

Luke Finds the Biggest Egg - Thanks to Aunt Bethy :)

4/9/2007 Great news today!!!! Luke is in remission. NO MORE CANCER!!! He is a Rapid Responder and is doing great with all of his treatment. Dr. Luty called Jeanine today and passed along the great news. She said that she was pleased to pass along the good news and everything is going as good as it can go. We still have a long road ahead of us. Treatment has to continue for another 2 years, 11 months and 11 days, as long as everything goes well.

I spoke with another doctor at Sloan in NYC last week. Today I forwarded over Lukes original bloodwork results for a second opinion. We love our staff now and I couldn't be more comfortable, I just need to hear it from someone else that we are doing everything right.

As you can see from the picture above, Luke is getting chubbier by the day. 10 more days of streroids and we cant wait until they are over. Poor Jeanine is like a short order cook in an after hours diner. Luke knows what he wants to eat and is persistent until he gets it. We love to read your thoughts and appreciate all of your prayers. This new website was created by my sister Colleen as was the first one. This one will update automatically which makes it much easier on me moving forward. The contact us at the top of the page, will be the new and improved your thoughts. Many thanks to Colleen for creating the website which allows us express our feelings and updates and receive your love and prayers. Thanks All, Love the Walz's

4/10/07

Hello all,

Nine more days of steroids and counting. Poor Luke is very uncomfortable being heavy.

(Welcome to Daddy’s world!) He is not his normal energetic self and it really seems to be bothering him. Today Luke had a good day. He went to Grandma Roses in the morning for a couple of hours. The cleaning ladies were coming in and Luke had to get out. Today was also homemade soup day. Aunt Liz made pea soup which was not his favorite, and Aunt Michele made some low sodium onion soup. This was a home run. Thanks Aunt Michele, and Aunt Liz, your pea soup was a big hit with me. Luke seems happier today then the past few days. Mom bought him a couple of new Power Ranger shirts he seems to be real proud of, and Eddie’s friends Dad also bought him a couple of new do rags. He is wearing one in the picture above. Thanks Mr. Aldorasi !. Lets hope tonight, he wants to sleep a little more and eat a little less. This new website is great! We really enjoy reading your comments throughout the day. Thank you for all of your love and prayers. Go Yankees! Love the Walz’s

Hi All,

Its me again. a few nights ago I spoke with a local Dad who is going through the same thing we are. Ironically , he has four children and in November his son was diagnosed with ALL as well. He was very helpful in answering many questions that doctors were hesitant to answer for me. I just was on his website tonight and read that his son Jack has to undergo radiation treatment on Monday. I ask all of you who are praying to please add Jack to your list. Jack is nine years old. Thank you all for your prayers. Have a great night ED

4-12-07

Hi all,

Well here we are back in the hospital. Mom noticed that Luke was real swollen so decided to bring him for a check up. While at the Valerie Fund, Luke was running a slight temperature so Dr. Luty decided to admit us for a couple of days to be on the safe side. Luke has gained about 11 pounds since this whole ordeal has begun and Dr Luty wants to put him on a low sodium diet until we can get some of the swelling and weight gain down. I spent the night with Luke last night, and he only wanted Chicken nuggets around 1:30. I think being admitted also keeps his mind off the food. He is thinking more about who is going to walk in next and “what they gonna do” As Lukie would say.

I could not imagine not having the Valerie Fund and the Staff so close by. Lukie was greeted by Jackie who had a new Teddy Bear as well as new Power Ranger movies. You can’t imagine how happy I was to see a new power Ranger movie. Luke loved his new friend. Many thanks to Dr. Luty, Cathy, Kelly, Jackie, Susan and the rest of the staff. You make our experience as pleasant and comfortable as it can be. Thank you for your prayers. Love the Walz’s

Luke getting a foot massage from his Mom

Luke always putting on a happy face for the camera

4-13-07

Home at last. Luke awoke this morning and was 3.5 pounds lighter than when admitted, halleluiah!!! All of the salty foods that he was craving, turned in to a lot of extra water weight for him. Luke was put on a low sodium diet, which means what Luke likes, he no longer can eat. The first thing Luke did when we came home is grab a bag of chips (which are now gone!). Jeanine asked him if eating the chips was worth going back to the hospital. Luke agreed that the chips aren’t worth the trip back, and Jeanine disposed of the chips. He is happy to be home. We have another appointment on Tuesday for a checkup and than Friday for pediatric day stay, spinal tap, bone marrow and more chemo. He is such a trooper and the best little boy ever. For now we hope to have a quiet weekend, and take next week one day at a time. We will keep you all updated. Thanks for all the prayers… The Walz’s

4-14-07

Today has been a good day for Luke, although his weight gain has been hard for him, he mostly lays on the couch and only gets up to use the bathroom. Thank goodness for Power ranger movies. Being put on a low sodium diet is a little hard, but only 5 more days of steriods, and we will have a little Luke back again.

4-15-07

Hi all,

Today was a pretty tough day for Luke. He is uncomfortable and very hungry. I bought low sodium food yesterday from Whole Foods and Luke is not adjusting well. The no salt potato chips went right in the garbage and I don’t blame him. What good are chips without salt. I made some chicken vegetable soup which he seems to like. He also didn’t mind the homemade sodium free butter. This makes it a little easier on us because Luke likes scrambled eggs and toast. Thursday can’t come soon enough. No more steroids, no more crazy appetite and hopefully, no more grumpy Luke.

Thank you for your prayers and have a great night.

4-17-07

Well,we had a good day today, went to see Dr. Luty and everything went well. Luke's blood counts are all good for now, and his weight gain has stayed about the same, thanks to low sodium. Only two more days of steroids. I think the worst of all is the steroids make him very depressed and sad, and that's not our Luke. But for now he is happy coloring some power ranger pictures his dad printed off the computer. We are back to the hospital on Friday for some tests and chemo.

We want to thank all our Wells Fargo friends for the wonderful donation we were able to give to the Valerie Fund this morning in Luke’s behalf. They were very grateful and I am sure this will be used to bring smiles to many young faces ...We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Thank you all for your prayers, great dinners, cards, gifts, and all of the help with Eddie and Sarah. Love, Ed, Jeanine, Chad, Eddie, Sarah and Luke...

4-19-07

Luke had a good day today, until I mentioned going to the hospital tomorrow. Daddy doesn't think sometimes. Tonight is the last day of steroids and I couldn't imagine giving him this for another day. His belly is huge and so tight. it has to be so uncomfortable.

He has been playing with a laptop that Aunt Beth dropped off last night since I got home from work. (thanks aunt Beth). He goes on ebay and puts every Power Ranger Item ever invented on his watch list. Today he was with Aunt Michele and put over 85 items on her watch list. Its funny watching him work the computer. Tomorrow morning we go in for another bone marrow and he has to receive another shot of chemo in his spinal fluid. He also cant eat after 1am tonight. We should have a lovely night and morning.

Thanks all for all of your prayers. ED

8:56 pm Its official!!!!! no more steroids For Now

4-20-07

Hi all,

Well Luke was a champ this morning. Other than crying a little bit, Luke was a big boy for his Bone marrow test and chemo.He is really getting used to the process, which will only make it easier on all of us over the next three years. The bone marrow test results will be in either tonight or Monday. These results determine what route we take moving forward with the treatment. We are praying for no signs of Leukemia and the next cycle (30 days) of medication would be less intense. For now, Luke has six days med free. Thanks for your prayers Ed

May 24, 2007

Well today went well. Luke had his port accessed for Vincristine which is chemo, we also were instructed on the next round of meds for the next eight weeks. We start off the next five days with steriods, along with Mercaptopurine, that is chemo I give him at night orally, then he will do Methotrexate every Friday which I will give him six pills to take orally, along with his daily antibiotic, pepcid and zofran. Inbetween all this he will recieve leg shots every other Thursday and have a spinal tap of Methotrexate. Gosh so many medicines, and all different instructions, some with food , some without, some two hours after he eats. I feel like nurse Betty!!!!! We were told that this is the not so bad round. August will be the tough one for Luke as far as chemotherapy. For now he is happy in the pool, and spraying the kids with the hose. He makes us all laugh. Have a safe weekend....Love The Walz's

4-22-07

Well Luke has had a good weekend so far, we are still waiting for him to shrink down to size. His eating has totally slowed down, thank goodness, last night was the first night he slept straight thru. This morning Eddie and his cousin Glen had him laughing so hard, it almost brought tears to my eyes. For now, he is still on the computer, hopefully he won't become the youngest child to have carpel tunnel..HaHa...Love, Jeanine

4-23-07

Hi All,

No news yet on the blood work from Fridays test, but if Luke's attitude and energy level means anything, the results must be good. Luke had a great day today with Mom and Eddie. Eddie stayed home from school and they had a great day outside. I came home from work at around 5:30 and Luke was full of energy. We went to Aunt Michele's and Uncle Glens for a barbecue on the deck and Luke was the comedian we are used to. He was dancing and jumping around trying to make us all laugh. We all laughed more in the past two days than we have all month. Its great to have happy Luke back. He must be feeling better from not taking the steroids. Luke received a Vermont Teddy in the mail today from Mrs Ratel and family. Thank you all, he carried it around all day.

We have to go into the Valerie fund before Friday for our new calendar of treatment for the next 30 days. I am also heading to Sloan on Wednesday for another opinion on Luke's initial blood work. It took almost a month for an appointment. Go Figure! Thanks all, for everything!!!!

Luke, Eddie and his new Bear

4-24-07

Last night was a little rough. Luke was up all night, and eventually made his way in to our bed at around 5 am. He decided that my arm was much more comfortable than his pillow. He also decided that other than my arm, he did not want me near him. Needless to say, its not fun getting kicked by a 3 ft, 50 pounder, three feet from my arm pit. Use your imagination. Other than that and my four hour managers meeting at work, today was a great day. It's my birthday and one of my wishes was answered. Kelly from the Valerie Fund just called with the results of Fridays test and informed me that everything is as good as it can be. We have to go in tomorrow when I get back from Sloan to find out what the next 30 days bring. Based on what I have seen, it looks like we are taking the easier road in treatment. At least for now. Luke, Sarah and Eddie spent some time today making me cards with the new Crayons and supplies that Luke received in today's mail. Thanks Pam and Christian, he loved it! Well, Gotta go eat some cake. Have a great night.

April 25, 2007

Today Ed met with Dr.Steinherz up at Sloan. He said we are going in the right direction and everything looked good. He also said we would be on the same protocal at Sloan as we are at MMC. Luke was a little crabby today and had several melt downs (also known as roid rage). Cousin Matthew came to visit. He has witnessed the moods swings as well. Tomorrow we will be up at MMC to talk about new medication for the next 30 days. Luke always get very anxious on our way up there. We have to do a lot of talking to him, and letting him know what they are going to do to him. For now, he is in bed and hopefully will sleep a little better then last night.....Love Jeanine

4-26-07 (sorry for the delay, cable was out)

Hi All,

Last night, Luke was a little sad. He awoke about 3am crying. After continually asking him what was wrong, he decided that he was hungry. We are not sure if this is still the steroids, or just habit. Jeanine gave him a yogurt and sent him back to bed. Today was a good day. We woke up and shipped off to Valerie for testing and planning for our next thirty days of treatment.

Luke is known as a Rapid Responder, which means that he is doing great with his treatment and is Leukemia free as of this point. No more bone marrow tests and everything could not be better from what we are being told. When reviewing the treatment moving forward, there are two possible routes to take. One is less severe than the other. Less severe, meaning less Chemo.

The Doctors are not sure which route is better, so we are randomized by the computer to determine what route is used. I am a gambling man, but this seems a little crazy to me. I have done research and spoke with Sloan and this protocol (treatment plan) is the most used in the US, Canada and Australia and highly recommended. I also have all the faith in our Team of specialists at MMC. So at this point we are running with our gut and the suggestions of our specialists.

Luke was chosen to receive more chemo. This can have additional risks, but the success rate is proven and very good. Tomorrow we meet at 8:30 am to start our new round of treatment. Luke is going to receive vincristine (chemo) in his port, Peg (chemo) which is injected in both thighs, and a spinal tap with Methroexate (chemo). Lets all hope that Luke reacts no worse than he has on other days. He is my little champ and I am sure he will be fine. Thanks for your prayers. We need them! ED

4-27-07

Hi All,

Today was a real long day. Last night Luke woke up around 2 crying. He did not want to hear what we had to say and continued to wake the whole house than lock himself in the bathroom. We finally convinced him to go back to bed, which lasted another hour before he decided to invade my king bed and kick away. Luke and I headed to the hospital around 8am and Jeanine met us there shortly after. Luke was upset because we had to put numbing cream on his port and thighs before leaving. He knows cream means needles so he was upset until his port was accessed. He was a champ as usual and we headed home around 3pm. At least Jeanine and Luke did, I had to go to work for a couple of hours. It is now about 6:15 and Luke is eating dinner and seems fine. Hopefully he goes to bed early and sleeps through the night. Have a great night! Ed

Our Power Ranger at 9:30pm. Its great to have him feeling better!.

4-29-07

Hi All,

Luke had a good weekend. Other than crying for no reason and several screaming episodes, he seemed to feel good and have fun. He is doing great with the eating and has actually lost 6 pounds from his heaviest day. Saturday we went to Aunt Liz’s for a barbeque for Great Grandmas 80th birthday. Luke played baseball and ran around a lot before heading home to our house with grandma for the night. When we got home, we had a hard time giving him his new chemo. It is in a pill form and we have to get him to swallow it without spitting it out. He has to take this everyday for the next three years. We actually have to put on gloves to take the pill out of the container. Dr. Luty told us that we cannot touch it because it is harmful if it touches our skin. Pretty freaky that we are feeding our child something that we need gloves to handle. He cannot take the medication with dairy or citrus products so it makes it even tougher considering we have been giving him his other medicine with chocolate milk. We put it on a spoon with strawberry syrup and a little warm water to soften it up, Friday night it went down without a problem, but last night he spit it in my hand. I wasn’t wearing a glove but was able to get most of it back in his mouth. If I start thinning on top, please don’t make fun of me. I can get very sensitive. LOL

Today was Aunt day. We had visits from Aunt Roberta, Aunt Claudia, Aunt Beth and Aunt Michele. Grandma Judy and Rose also showed up. Jeanine is now reading a book to all the kids and getting them ready for bed. Peace and quiet at last. Have a great night.

5-1-07

Well the last few days have been great for Luke, except for the night time. He spends a few hours crying in his sleep. We rotate him from our bed, back to his to try and make him comfortable. We are trying to figure out what is making him cry. Weather it is the steroid still in his system, or he is having nightmares. Hopefully this will pass soon. The whole medicine thing is becoming very difficult. Today it took me one hour to get an antibiotic (which is liquid, by the way) in him. He spit it out all over me, so I had to try again. After dinner, we had to do the medicine thing all over, one and a half chemo pills which took forever for him to swallow. I am sure it didn’t taste good sitting on is tongue. Other then that, he has had so much energy, B.J and Jodi came to visit and couldn’t believe how he seemed back to normal. He has been having so much fun on his new computer with his brother and the new webkinz he received today. Thanks to Lorraine, Jessica and Dawn for getting us the impossible. They had so much fun registering them and playing on the computer. Hopefully Luke sleeps all night without discomfort. Have a great night!

5-2-07

Hi All,

48 pounds and counting. Luke has been getting a lot of exercise running around and seems to be slimming down. Today he spent the morning with Nonnie (Great Grandma ) playing war with cards. Luke told me he won!!! Jeanine got his hair cut short. His hair has been thinning and we were told that it should be falling out shortly so we figured we would cut it, before he lost it. Its funny because when he runs around with no shirt, he looks like a little drill sergeant. He is starting to get his little build back and his coordination is much better. Sarah and Coco are getting nervous! Crazy Luke is back and packing an extra 9 pounds. He is back to commanding the respect he briefly lost with his temporary weight problem. Coco can no longer get away with stealing one of his toys and running away and lets just say that Sarah doesn't get fresh with him anymore .

Our next treatment is on Friday which is a spinal tap. He gets put to sleep for this procedure and that drives me crazy. I guess its good and bad because when he wakes up, he doesn't know what happened. I just hate the thought of giving him anesthesia every Friday. Hopefully everything will go as planned and Luke wont react any different than he already has. Have a great night!!!!

Hi All,

Luke had a spinal tap today and everything seemed to go well. He always gets very anxious when he knows he is going to the hospital and it's always a little scary when they put him to sleep, but for the most part, everything went great. Dr. Luty gave Luke some valium to help him sleep a little better. We explained that he has been up a few hours every night crying, which has been exhausting for all of us.(Dr Luty, I thought we were friends! where's my valium) haha.

He was a little grumpy returning from the hospital and threw Jeanine's watch and broke the crystal front. I brought it to the jewlers before heading to work. Hopefully it's just the crystal and nothing else was damaged. This was Jeanine's 10 year anniversery gift from me, and she was very upset. Aunt Michele picked Luke up shortly after to give Jeanine a little break. It's now 7:52, Luke has already taken his Chemo by mouth, and we are waiting another hour before trying the valium. Hopefully it works well! Thank you all for everything, and all your prayers. Have a great night ! Ed

May 5, 2007

Wow, thanks to Dr. Luty Luke slept all night, first time in a long time. Needless to say he woke in the worst mood of all. In spite of the mood we all went to Eddie's soccer game, which by the way he scored three goals. Luke did'nt know what he wanted, to sit, stand or be in the stroller. He had a few melt downs, which I had to leave the field to calm him down. We are trying so hard to be patient with him, he is so little to be going through all this, and I think he is having a hard time expressing the way he feels. Have a good weekend.....

.May 6, 2007

Well we think the nausea is setting in, Luke woke at 6:00am in a cold sweat, tossing and turning, saying he was'nt feeling well. I gave him Zofran(his nausea med) and he then slept until 11:00am. I think that explains the terrible mood on Saturday. Although, right now it's good hearing him in the other room laughing while watching Full House. He is also enjoying some new toys that Gary and Lauren came and gave to him today..Thanks guys..Have a good night!!!!

May 8, 2007

Hi everyone

Luke has'nt be feeling well. He is now going to the other extreme and not eating. He comes and tells me his belly hurts and then goes and throws up, this has happened several times over the last two days. Last night he woke at 11:00pm with a fever of 100.9, which is high enough for us to have to go to MMC. Lucky for us it went away. By midnight his temp was normal(go figure). I hope tonight he feels better and gets a little more sleep then the last few. We certainly all need it. Have a good night.

4-9-07 Hi Guys,

Well a lot has happened in the past couple of days. There have been several scares with Luke and his temperature. For some reason he always feels warm to me. I am not sure that if it is because he is always moving at 120 miles per hour or because he has been nervous and upset over the past few days, but we are constantly checking his temperature to make sure everything is OK. You also have the Chemo. The chemo is definitely kicking in and making Luke sick. He has been getting sick once or twice a day and his intake of food and drink has slowed down substantially. Ever since Luke could walk, he has always been the “Perfect Puker” Please excuse my vulgarity, but ever since I could remember, Luke would make it to the bathroom without hesitation. The other kids are total opposite. (Did anyone ever see the exorcist?) Thank God, Luke doesn’t take after his siblings with this habit.

Today Jeanine and Luke were driving and Luke asked Jeanine to pull over. He got out of the truck, got sick, said I am all done now, and got back in the truck like nothing ever happened. This kid truly amazes me.

We also have a lot going on with the Valerie fund. Aunt Marybeth met with the hospital yesterday to discuss holding the Unity Ball in honor of Luke. A lot of the proceeds from this year’s event will go to the Valerie to help with everything they need. The Unity Bash will be held in November. I also have two close friends from work who are holding a cocktail party and silent auction on May 19th at their home in Belmar. All the proceeds are being donated on Luke’s behalf. Thanks Ed and Maria for offering your home and hospitality to raise money for this great cause. Thank you also Aunt Beth, Eric and Karen Hinds and committee for Honoring Luke this year. Please e-mail us if you would like to join us at these events. The3walz@aol.com. Well gotta go. Lets all hope for a good night sleep for Luke. Thanks for everything, Ed

5-10-07

Hi all, today started with Luke waking up and saying he had to throw up before putting anything in his mouth. All he wanted for lunch was French fries and chocolate milk which probably wasn’t the best for him, but he got his way and was sick about 15 minutes later. After getting sick a second time, he was back to his normal crazy self.

We have to be in MMC tomorrow morning at 7:30am for another round of chemo and another spinal which requires anesthesia. Hopefully all goes well and we are home by lunch time. We will update when we get home. Thanks Aunt Beth for the Power Ranger cutout, and Aunt Michele for putting it together. Have a good night!!!!

5-11-07 Hi All,

Today went OK. Luke went to bed knowing that we were going to the hospital. He usually asks every night before bed if we are going to the hospital or not. As much as I want to lie so he sleeps well, I feel we have to tell him the truth. He wants to know exactly what we are going in for. Last night he awoke every other hour to ask us when we were leaving. When the alarm finally went off at 6:15, he wasn’t happy. All and all, we were in and out in four hours and home by 11am. Next Friday should be fun because we are scheduled for the PEG shots in the legs. Luke does not like the PEG shots. Tonight Eddie had another game. Luke had a ball running around the field playing with Glen, while Eddie had another hat trick. That’s three games in a row that Eddie scored three goals with another shutout 5-0. After the game, Luke wanted to go home with Grandma Rose and when we got up to the cars, Luke threw up all over his shirt and shoes. We went home, changed him and he is now at Grandma’s. Nothing seems to slow this kid down. The Dr. suggested switching the times we give him his medicine during the day so maybe the Zofran can do it’s job and settle his stomach. It is crazy, because he has to get the chemo one hour after any meal and can’t eat or drink any dairy or citrus for two hours after. Milk or fruit seem to be in everything. We also have to give him his antibiotic three days in a row and Zofran every eight hours. He needs to drink with all his medicine, so it’s a real pain in the @ss. Well, hopefully he feels better moving forward. Thanks for all your prayers. Have a great night. ED

5-14-07,

Hi All, Sorry for the delay in updating the website, we had a crazy weekend. Luke is doing well and had a fun weekend. Aside from getting sick once or twice a day, you wouldn’t know he is sick. His energy level has been high and his spirits even higher. Luke has also been sleeping well the past two nights. I hope I am not jinxing us, but last night he slept right through. Today Luke spent the Day with Great Grandma (Nonnie) and was reading a book when I left for work. Thanks Nonnie, for giving Jeanine a little time to go food shopping and meet me for lunch. He also is now asking to take his Zofran upon waking up in the morning. Zofran is the medicine that helps his stomach. Last week we were fighting with him to take it, and now he is asking for it. It amazes me on how he is adapting to his new way of life.

Saturday night we attended a cocktail party at Karen and Eric Hinds home to discuss the 2007 Unity Bash in Honor of Luke. What a great night! Thank you Karen and Eric for everything. Your home is beautiful and we had a wonderful night, although the morning was a little rough! Thank you also to the committee. I look forward to helping with all I can, to help make the Bash on November 2nd a huge success! It’s great to have such a great group of friends for support. You are all wonderful. Looking forward to Saturday evening and the fund raiser at Maria and Ed’s in Belmar. The donations have been pouring in and I can’t wait to see how much they raise for the Valerie. Have a great night!! ED

5-16-07

Hello All. Tomorrow we have to go to the Valerie for blood work and PEG shots. These are the Chemo shots that Luke has to get in his thighs. This is also the shot that he can possibly have an allergic reaction up to three days later. We have to stay at the Valerie for two hours after the shot as a precaution. We should have a GREAT morning with Luke. He hates the leg shots and we have to put “ Magic Cream” on his legs before leaving home, so he knows exactly (what day gonna do) as Luke would say. The cream is a numbing cream that lessens the pain. We use it both when they access his Port and for the PEG shots. Today Luke had a good day. He got sick only once today when I arrived home from work. We were laying down on the couch together watching a rerun of Full house, when he got up, ran to the bathroom and was back in 2 minutes. When he returned, he told me he just power puked and he was fine. I don’t know where he heard that from, but he made me laugh. Many thanks to the Lamberti’s for the Power Ranger towel, hat, cup, coloring book and the stuffed monkey. He loved it!

Well many prayers tonight for a good day tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers Have a great night. ED

HI All.

Today went well. Luke did good with his shots, although he woke up very anxious and unhappy. He also was fighting with nausea and throwing up before we left. We can't imagine how his little body feels with all this medication in it. It's so unfair. We are very lucky to have such wonderful and caring nurses at the Valerie Fund, they do what ever it takes to make Luke happy and comfortable. Have a good night.

5-20-07

Hi All,

Last night we had a fund raiser for the Valerie at our friend’s home in Belmar. What a fantastic evening. We raised around $10,000 with a silent auction. This money is going directly to a fund that was set up by Aunt Beth at Monmouth Medical and will directly impact the quality of life and treatment for children who are battling in most cases, the toughest fight of their young lives. I want to thank everyone who helped with this very special evening. Special thanks to Maria and Ed for coming up with this incredible idea and working day and night to make it possible. Your Home is beautiful and your friendship and thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. I must say, Ed can cook! Thanks also to all of our vendors who donated their services and to Aunt Beth, Maria, Ed and everyone who helped getting these donations. You are all very special people.

Luke is feeling fine and had a good weekend. Yesterday he got sick once, but other than that he has been running around nonstop and seems back to his crazy self. He is still slimming down and not eating much. He just got out of the shower and you can see that his hair is thinning more and more. Our next scheduled visit to the Valerie is on Thursday. We will be bringing a check and a Nintendo WII for the playroom. We also have a basket of toys which was put together by one of Ed and Maria’s friends. How nice is that!! Have a great night. Thanks for your prayers Ed

5-23-07 Hi Guys!!!!!

So sorry for my delinquency with the updates. We have been so busy with everything in our lives. Today brother Chad graduated from the Monmouth County Police Academy. He starts in Manasquan Friday night from 9pm-4am. What a great shift to have as your first day as a cop. Memorial Day weekend in a rocking beach town. . Luke is doing fine. His energy level is high and his spirits are higher. The kid amazes me every day. Although we have had several breakdowns over the past few days, all and all he is happy and strong. Tomorrow we go to the Valerie for our start of our new treatment. Hope all goes well and Luke does not get upset. Thanks for all of your prayers. ED

Luke's mohawk from when he got out of the pool!

May 27, 2007

Hello Everyone

Wow, what a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. We could'nt of asked for better weather. Well Luke's steroids have officially kicked in, he is moodier then ever. He had his biggest upset yesterday, he cryed for almost two and a half hours, until he fell asleep. It seems nothing these days are quite good enough for him. Good thing for all of us, his last dose is Tuesday night. He is also starting to get very annoyed by having to take medicine several times a day, he says to me (not again more medicine). Well we still have 2 years and 10 months of this, lets hope it goes by quickly. We are all just trying to make him happy, but quite frankly it's getting exhausting. Have a great weekend

May 29, 2007

Well things around here have been a little rocky, Luke's mood swings are in rare form. All I can say is steriods are VERY EVIL. We have been up for our second night in a row with no sleep, he starts off going to bed at 7:30pm because he is so tired, and needless to say, by 9 he is up roaming everyones bedroom to find a comfortable place, at one point he took up the bathroom floor mat as his sleeping quarters. He is having alot of stomach pain, and is just soooo restless. This situation is also effecting Eddie and Sarah, they too are being kept up at night. So this morning was a little difficult for us all. Lets hope tonight we can all get some much needed SLEEP.....Have a great day!!!!!!

May 30, 2007

Well so much for needed rest last night. Last night was even worse then the two nights before. Luke wanted to go to bed at 6:00pm, which he then awoke at 7:00 screaming that his belly hurt, then after that, he had leg cramps from his knees down to his toes. The cramps, we are told are a side effect from the Vincristine (chemo) and the steroids. They hurt him so much. All he wanted was to lay on our bedroom floor, and for Ed to massage his legs. So there was Ed on the floor for six hours rubbing Luke's legs (what a great Dad). It is so hard watching Luke go though so much discomfort. He was crying "help me my legs hurt, give me medicine" that's a switch.

We brought him up to MMC this morning, and were told to give valium another try, this time a little stronger dose. Luke needs to get some rest. We then found out his blood counts are dropping, which means his ANC (immune system) is getting lower. Normal ANC is between 2,000-6,000 and his is 1,200. When he was first diagnosed his ANC was 800, so it is dropping again. Now we have to be careful around crowds and where we bring him. His Hemoglobin has also dropped, normal is 12-16 grams, his is at 8.8. So we were told to stop giving him his oral chemo, until his counts get higher again. He is due for legs shots on Wednesday, that he can have no matter how low his counts drop. Let's hope the valium works, he needs his rest.

P.S. Aunt Christine thanks for the magic sea glass!!!! Love us all!!!

May 31, 2007

Hello Everyone,

Well as I write this Luke is in bed getting his legs rubbed. They hurt the most at night. I can't give him tylenol, because is temperature is 99.4 and it has to be in the 98 range in order to be able to have tylenol. Let's hope is does not get any higher. If his temp gets higher, MMC here we come. He was less grumpy today, but still very restless. I just came back from the Doctor for myself. I am feeling very runned down. It's a good thing it is just allergies because with Luke's counts dropping I can't be sick around him. I was glad to hear allergies. Let's hope he gets some sleep tonight, last night he was up for several hours again. Have a good night. Love Jeanine

A HUGE thanks to Tube City (Uncle Glen's work) for all the gifts they sent to Luke, he loves them all!!!!!!

June 2,2007

Last night seemed to be a little better, although Luke was up with leg pain throughout the night. The Valerie Fund called to check on Luke yesterday, they are concerned about his legs and being in pain. He may have whats called Peripheral Neuropathy, its a side effect from the Vincristine (chemo). It's a condition that causes pain in the nerves and muscles. So hopefully we will get some kind of pain reliever for this problem. Giving him tylenol around the clock could mask a fever, and we can't have that happen. For now Luke is getting lots of leg massages. Have a good weekend!!

June 4, 2007

Well alot has changed for Luke over the last two days...NO MORE LEG PAIN!!!!YEAH. They have subsided, he spent all weekend in the pool. Luke's nurse at the Valerie Fund said that him in the pool is the best thing for his legs. He has also been in such a nice mood, right now he is not taken any meds due to his counts dropping. He has leg shots on Wednesday, if his counts go up, we will start up his oral chemo at home again. He will then start steriods for five days starting June 21st and have Vincristine which causes those dreaded leg pains. For now we will hopefully enjoy some peace and quiet.

June 6, 2007

Hi everyone!!

We just got home from the hospital. Luke had peg-shots today (that's the chemo that gets injected into his thigh muscles). He took it like a champ. I on the other hand, try to exit the room before they inject him, but today he wanted me in the room and not just his father. His blood count went up a little, but his ANC (immune system) went way down to a whopping 0 (I can't believe it goes to 0). This means he can get sick very easily now. This also means no oral chemo for Luke for another week.

Dr. Luty came in and told us she will be leaving in August. She is moving to Massachuetts. This was a little upsetting to hear as she has been so wonderful. She told us the new Doctor will be starting in July and of course Dr. Kam will still be Luke's Dr. We will miss her. For now I have to get Luke, he is chasing the ice cream truck around the block....Have a good night!!!!!

Luke happily awaiting the Ice Cream man

June 8, 2007

Hello Luke's freinds, family and fan club.

Luke has been doing great the past several days. We have all had the needed rest we have been awaiting over the past several weeks. Last night Luke had 13 hours of sleep. I guess it is all catching up to him. He has been in a great mood and it is awsome to have him back to normal again.

Good luck to Aunt Marybeth and team this weekend for walking in the Relay for Life in Lukes behalf. We would of loved to bring Luke to the ceromony tonight, but with his immune system being so low, (0) it was impossible. Have a great night. ED

6-10-07

Hi All,

All and all Luke had a great weekend. He has been drug free for about 10 days and feeling much better. Last night, Luke was going to spend his first night out since he has been diagnosed. Jeanine and I had tickets to A Chorus Line in the City, and Luke agreed to spend the night with Aunt Michele and Uncle Glen. Jeanine and I decided to come home early and have dinner by the beach rather than the hot City. Good move, because at about 11pm, Luke decided he would rather sleep at home, then out. We picked him up and he slept through the night. Today he spent most of the day by the pool even though it was overcast. He is now laughing out loud (LOL) watching Norbit with Eddie Murphy. Aunt Beth made the paper this weekend for the event she is having in November in honor of Luke. Please see link on the top of page called Giving Back. I will be selling tickets and plan on being the highest ticket seller this year, so please call me prior to the event if you would like to attend. Have a great night. ED

Luke watching TV and smiling for the camera

6-12-07

Hello All,

Last night I was invited to the Hind's home for a meeting to discuss this years Unity Bash in November. As I probably mentioned a hundred times already, This year the dinner is in honor of Luke and a good bit of the profit will be donated to the Valerie Fund of Monmouth Medical. The remaining profits will be donated to other charities that will directly impact children's lives in Monmouth County. It truly amazes me on how many people are donating their time throughout the year to help children in our area. You are all very special people. The last two years have been amazing and I think this year has the momentum to blow away past events. Our goal this year is to have a turnout of over 600 people.

Today was another good day for Luke. Tomorrow we go to the Valerie at 2PM just for a blood test to determine where his counts are and when to start the Chemo again. For now, Luke was very pleased to hear that tomorrow is only a finger stick and no BIG needles. I will let you know how we do tomorrow and for now Luke is up in bed and hopefully going to sleep all night. We need all the rest we can get especially when the steroids start again next week.. NOT GOOD!

Have a great night ED

6-13-07

Hello all,

Well today started off with Luke waking up crying and complaining that his stomach hurt. You could tell that he was very nervous about his upcoming visit to MMC. He was whining and crying all morning. When we arrived at the Valerie, Luke was very upset and threw up within 5 minutes of arriving. He had to go to the lab to visit with Barbara to give about 10 drops of blood by getting his finger pricked. He insisted that I do the sticking. (Fun Fun). Several minutes later we were back in the Valerie and Luke and I were fighting on who was going to play Guitar Hero first. Guess who won? Luke met with Dr. Barilari today. Dr Barilari can blow a huge bubble when washing his hands. Luke thought it was very funny. Luke’s counts were up again and he had to take oral Chemo as soon as we got home. Thanks Lorraine for the classic Power Ranger VCR tapes. Luke remembered that I had them, and I am glad that I remembered to bring them home. He was waiting at the door asking for them. It kept him busy for over an hour. Thanks also to Gaye and Paul for the beautiful basket. Jeanine and I are going to dig in, in a few.

Thanks all, for all your prayers and have a great night, Ed

Friday

Hello all,

Luke is doing well, he was out with Aunt Liz tonight having fun. Tomorrow we have an event for the leukemia and lymphoma society at Centrex Gym (across from Middletown police Dept). We just recently heard that this was in honor of Luke. It is from 12 to 3. Thanks Leigh Anne, your a great friend.

This tragic event in our lives has brought so much support and love from our friends, it truly amazes me .You are all such great people and we cant thank you enough for all of the support we receive. Thanks All,

6-17-2007

Hi All,

Happy Fathers Day! Luke has had a good weekend. Yesterday we went to the charity event at the Centrex Gym in Middletown. Luke had a ball going in the fire truck and playing with all of the gadgets. Thanks to all for donating to the Leukemia Society in honor of Luke. Luke is a much loved little boy and we are grateful for all of the support. Tomorrow is Luke’s birthday. He is very excited and can’t wait for presents and the Power Ranger cake Aunt Michele is making. (It must be nice to enjoy getting older)

This week will get tougher. We are already seeing a change in Luke’s temper with starting up the meds again. Tuesday we go to the Valerie for a finger stick to see where his counts are, than Wednesday we go to MMC day stay for a spinal tap with methotrexate, Vincristine in his port, and he starts back on steroids for another 5 days. This is the part that I hate because he has to get anesthesia for the spinal and the steroids are always a pleasure (NOT!!)

Enjoy your night and have a great father’s day. ED

Happy 4th Birthday Luke

Click on the Power Ranger Lightening Bolt

to go to the Top of this Page

t6-20-07

Hello all,

Luke had a wonderful 4th birthday. I think he now has every Power Ranger toy ever made. Thanks for all the gifts. Today went as good as planned. We arrived at MMC at 9am and left by 1. The anesthesiologist had to give him a very large dose to get him to sleep. He actually woke up during the procedure. I personally think he just doesn’t like to sleep. He has been running around like crazy ever since we arrived home.

Susan, the Nurse practitioner at the Valerie wants us to give Luke valium every night to offset the steroids. Hopefully it works better than it did the first time we gave it to him. She believes giving it to him daily will work better than just once and a while. I hope she is right because we have a 21 day cycle of steroids upcoming and would love to find a remedy for his sleeplessness before starting it again. I will get some pictures of his party posted ASAP. Thanks for your prayers. ED

Luke's new Boat. Thanks Uncle Tim and Aunt Tara

Luke blowing out his Power Ranger cake. Thanks Aunt Michele

Thursday, 6-21-07

Today was not a good day. The drugs immediately kicked in. We are not sure if it is the steroids that we just started yesterday, or all of the other ten drugs he received, but Luke is a totally different child on this medication. The next two weeks are going to be miserable. He does not want anyone looking at him, talking to him or even being in the same room with him. He has us running to the store for chocolate milk and then when you get home, he does not want it. He wants to watch Power Rangers, but when you put a movie on, it is not the right one. We just can’t win today. Have a great night ED

Friday, 6-22-07

Hi All,

Today was a very long day. Jeanine’s uncle Kenny passed away suddenly this week at the young age of 60. God bless you Ken, you will be missed. Today we had the wake all day and my mom had Luke and the kids.

Luke awoke this morning in the same mood that he went to bed in. “GRUMPY”. Kelly and Susan called from the Valerie this morning to see how their little patient was doing, I told them he was miserable and they suggested giving him a half of a valium in the morning and one before bed. It worked!!! An hour later, Luke was calm and feeling better. My Mom said he was fine all day. When we arrived home from the 7-9 shift, and Luke was sleeping. We woke him for his nightly meds, and he spit the valium and steroids out. We were able to get the majority back in him and the next dose (the Chemo) went down good. He is now sleeping and I hope it lasts. We are beat! Thanks for your prayers and have a great night. ED

June 25, 2007

Hi Everyone

Well we are finished with the steriods for the month, but once again it has left Luke with severe leg cramps and moodiness. He has been very demanding with everything, but yet he has know idea what he even wants. Once again it is starting to wear on all of us. Hopefully he will start feeling better by the end of the week. We go to MMC on Wednesday for leg shots. For now he is getting lots of leg rubs from us all.

6-26-07
Hello All,
Hope all is well.
Well today we wound up at the Valerie because Luke was screaming in pain with his legs, so we went up to have our friends check him out. Luke was up all night last night with cramps, and Jeanine and I were the short order chef and masseuse.
Unfortunately I wasn’t eating or getting rubbed. Luke is cramping due to the Chemo and Steroids. He is also starting to drag his leg a little bit. This is another side effect from the Chemo, but is only temporary.
Dr Luty gave Luke Codine and it seems to be doing the trick. Tomorrow Luke goes in for the PEG shots in his Legs. Every time we go to the Valerie, he asks if he is getting a finger stick or leg shots, tomorrow he is getting both. He will not be a happy camper. Little Glen (my nephew) and Eddie are coming up with us tomorrow and they are making a big deal of playing Wii and Guitar Hero, so right now Luke seems OK. Have a great night and thanks for your prayers. ED

Luke having fun on his waterslide

Click here to add text.

June 28, 2007

Yesterday went well. We are always very glad to have those leg shots behind us. They must really hurt, this chemo has to go into the muscle. So you can just imagine how Luke screams. Then he was off and running around the office, going back and forth between the Nintendo Wii, the movie room and guitar hero. In spite of it all he has fun up in the Valerie Fund. We are so lucky to have the best nurses and doctors taking care of Luke, they truly are the most wonderful people. For now it's off into the pool, the water helps with his knee pain. Which by the way has subsided quite a bit. (Thank Goodness).

June 30, 2007

Well things around here have been pretty quiet. Although, Wednesday night was the biggest upset in the house, Luke screamed from 1-4 am, not knowing what he wanted to eat. The steroids take about a week to get out of his system, so hopefully we are through with them for now. The worst is to come July 20th he will have to do 21 days (Wow what will we are do). We will be enjoying the next several weeks of peace. Have a good day!!!

7-01-07
Hello All,
Luke is having a great time on LBI. He lived up to his surfer dude look today out on his boogey board in the breakwater with Aunt Michelle and Daddy. Last night we kept him up till about 10:30 and he was the last one to wake up this morning. 9 hours of continuous sleep!!!!! And today Luke and I took a nap on the beach for about an hour. Much needed rest I guess. I’m not sure if it was the Margarita’s and PBJ we had at lunch, but he was tired. ONLY KIDDING!!!!
We are having dinner shortly and than going to fly Kites on the beach. Let’s hope that he sleeps again tonight. He is currently mooning us, smacking his butt and saying you can’t get me!
Have a great night! Ed

7-3-07

Holy cow!!! Over 10,000 people looked at Luke’s webpage in less than four months. That means 10,000 Prayers and they are working. He is feeling great and sleeping like a champ. Luke is ripping up LBI and having fun doing it. His hair (what is left of it ) is turning blonder and blonder by the day and through the 30 sun block, is turning bronze. Luke is having so much fun on the beach and in the water and has been really enjoying his time here so far. If this continues, we will be moving to the island. Luke is looking forward to the fireworks tomorrow and Thursday morning we will be back at MMC for blood work at 9am. Have a happy 4th and we will update when we can. Love The Walz Family.

July 5, 2007

Hello Everyone,

Today we went up to the Valerie Fund for blood work and a check-up. Luke's counts are still good and they should'nt be dropping again for a couple of weeks. We were told today, Luke will have a break from the hospital next week which will be nice, considering we will still be in LBI.

Getting him up this morning at 7:00am was not fun. Luke gets very nervous about his hospital visits. We went to the lab to meet Felicia, she is so wonderful and sweet, but Luke decided he had to throw up and ran out of the office and down the hall to the bathroom, which turned into five minutes of vomiting. Well after sometime we finally had our bloodwork done. Luke insists that Daddy do the finger stick and I had the blood out and in the vile quicker than any Tech so far. I'm getting good!!!!

We were told to come in on July 17th for more bloodwork and an echocardioagram. His Delayed Intensifiction chemotherapy begins on July 18th, which will last for 8 weeks. They have stressed to us how intense this cycle will be and we are not looking forward to it. The cycle will have us in the hospital more than we have been in the past and Luke will lose what is left of his hair. For now we are truelly enjoying our time off from work and treatment. Luke is really enjoying his time at the beach with his family.

Thanks for your prayers. Love the Walz Family

July 8, 2007

We are all having a great vacation. Luke is having a ball with all the kids, although he is not a big fan of getting sand all over him. Someone in the group volunteers to takes him up for a shower and a change several times a day. Aunt Christine is usually our volunteer, but we are not complaining of that. Things have been real good for him in the sea air. Last night he woke up several times demanding chocalate milk and a different bed, but all and all we will take it. Luke cant wait for cousin Matt and Aunt Marybeth to come down and play with him all day! Have a great night Love from LBI.

July 12, 2007

We have been having some website problems but we are now able to get back on to Luke's site. Yesterday Luke and Jeanine decided to make a trip home to Middletown for some quiet time, to visit CoCo and a dip in the pool. Luke fell asleep before leaving the island and slept the whole way home. He also slept the whole way back so the day trip was good for him. Luke was missed on the beach by all his Aunts, Uncles, cousins and of course, Daddy .The beach just was'nt the same without Luke. We have two more days on the beach and then were back to the hospital and back to the not so simple life. The weather looks great today and cousin Matt plans on building a power ranger out of sand for Luke. Aunt Marybeth is also planning a visit. Looking forward to another great day in LBI.

Have a great day!

July 14, 2007

Well we are home. We all had a great time on our much needed vacation, although Luke could'nt wait to get back to his real house. He should be so tired, everyone ran his little legs off on the beach. Yesterday, Aunt Marybeth and Uncle Sean came to visit, we had a good time at the amusement park on the rides and in the arcade. Well it will be back to chemo this week, we have pedi day-stay on Wednesday and the steriods will start for 21 days as well. We have decided to try and keep Luke as active as we can for those 21 days (as long as he is feeling good) hopefully it will keep his weight down. We will see if this works for him, considering he will be getting alot more chemo then the last time. I guess we should take one day at a time, the next eight weeks will be hard. We have some photos to post, but are having a problem getting them on, hopefully we wil have them on soon. Luke was the only kid on the beach with a life size power ranger made from sand thanks to cousin Matt!!! It was awesome. Love the Walz Family

Click here to add text.

July 17, 2007

Ok, so Luke is good to go for tomorrow. Nurse Kelly just called and his counts are where they should be at to start his Delayed Intensification treatment. Ed took him in this morning for his bloodwork and Luke had Ed do the finger stick again. Luke cryed for Eddie to go along. The good brother that he is went with him. It was beach week up at the Valerie Fund, Luke and Eddie came home with all sorts of goodies.

We will be in day-stay at 9:00am tomorrow, for a spinal tap of Methotexate, Vincristine in his port and a new drug called Doxorubicin. This new drug goes into his port over 30 minutes, the side effects are nausea, and for 48hrs all of Luke's body fluids will be red. I'm sure that will be a little scary for him to see. I also was told today that the steroids for 21 days will be in double dosage. That was not something I wanted to hear. Tomorrow night we will attend the Valerie Fund picnic at WatersEdge Beach club, we are looking forward to it. It will be nice to see all the kids together having fun. Lets just hope Luke will be up for it!!!

Have a great night and thank you for all the prayers.

Next Page click here!

Update 3