I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year!!!

Tristan has been in the hospital since they returned from Orlando, on December 20. He had some very hard chemo and has been having other chemo drugs after that. Currently, he has had a very bad headache, and a very high fever, but now all of that has gone away. We are waiting for some culture results that take up to 48 hours to grow, to find out if he has any infections. Hopefully not!!! He was having an MRI today and possibly leaving the hospital to come home.

The next step is to get him totally into remission and build him up prior to the bone marrow transplant. That will be a very hard go of it, for him. So lets put all of our positive thoughts together and pull him through another round of this ugly, non-discriminating disease. He is now diagnosed with Non Hodgkins B cell Lymphoma, this is because it was in the bone marrow.

They are searching the data bank for a donor, but I have not heard if one has been found yet. Will keep you informed as I get the information.

Again HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Charlotte
Tristan's grandmother

We had a family celebration tonight, with Lauree, Skip, Steph, my brother Bill, his girlfriend, Patty, Tracey, Tristan and myself. It has been a tradition that we share Christmas Eve with Lauree and her family for the first 11 years of Tristan's life, so it would be odd for all of us not to be together on this night. Lauree always makes cheesy potatoes, a honey-baked ham, coleslaw, and cookies...so we all ate, opened presents and chatted. Tristan was playing a game on his DS, while we all chatted.

Tristan had chemo in Orlando, on Monday, a week ago, and then again on Friday, a few days ago. That chemo knocked the socks off of those cancer cells, he pulled off another miracle, this miracle guy... but just to be safe, they have to continue with a drug plan of chemo, to make sure that it doesn't come back again. He had a very hard chemo on Friday that is probably the worst one, and he did okay through that. He will for sure have to have a bone marrow transplant(BMT) sometime around February. They will have to kill off his bone marrow, which is his immune system, which means that his bone marrow is not good and could have cancer cells in it, so we get rid of his, give him a transplant and a new immune system and make him better.

We will need to have a donor and I know a lot of people would like to be tested to see if they could donate...we need to organize a bone marrow donor drive, I believe through the Red Cross...if we do it this way, it will not cost anyone that would like to donate to see if they are a match. If we do individual testing, it will cost money, because it is still considered experimental and insurance does not cover the cost of the test to see if you are a match...the drive needs to be done in January, if he will need a transplant in February.

Tristan didn't think it felt like Christmas, because of being in a hospital bed, instead of his own....so he was feeling rather sad...and who can blame him....as I was getting ready to leave, Santa was on his floor and getting ready to come into his room. Santa gave him presents and another couple of guys took his picture...when he opened his present it was a WII Sports, he was so excited he could barely speak...we were a little overwhelmed, his Mom and I, he had just been talking about wanting an XBox at the hospital but he didn't have enough of his own money to buy it, and then in walks Santa with a WII, two games, and two movies.....it couldn't have been better timing.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a very happy holiday, and remember to keep your loved ones close to you!!!!!

Charlotte
Tristan's grandmother

Tristan and family left for Orlando on Monday morning, but Tristan was not feeling well, he had a headache for about 5 days and on the way to the airport, he was sick. They got to Orlando without a problem, but he could not hold down anything in his stomach, needless to say they went to the hospital in Orlando......they did a lumbar puncture to relieve pressure in his head, biopsied the fluid and found cancer cells in it. He is not free of the cancer....I write this with great heartfelt sadness.......they also did a bone marrow biopsy, I just got the results of the biopsy and there are cancer cells in the marrow, the good news is there are only about two out of 100 cells in the bone marrow that are cancer. They will be returning to Detroit on Thursday, if all goes according to plan, when they arrive at Metro, they will be taken to Children's Hospital. The doctors in Orlando were in touch with Tristan's doctors at Children's Hospital and they discussed the treatment plan for him. He had a triple dose of chemo last evening, and spent another night in the hospital. This morning his head was still hurting him a lot. The doctors say that it is inflammation and that there is really nothing that will touch it for the pain. I just hate that he is in pain and that he has cancer again, we all thought he was free and clear...but he's not.

Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and on your prayer lists...

I will keep everyone informed as the information becomes available.

Charlotte
Tristan's grandmother

I am sure everyone is in full swing for the holiday season and busy as ever getting ready for the holidays.

In my last email, I said that Tristan still needed an MRI, which he had on December 5th, and it came back negative....no tumors, no cancer. He had blood work done on Friday this week and it also came back normal. The doctor has scheduled him to come in once a month for a check up for 3 months and then she will set up a new schedule after that.

Tristan starts school in January, and believe it or not he is looking forward to school. For all you teachers out there, some kids do look forward to being in the school setting. I am glad that he is one of those kids.

Tomorrow, Monday, they will be leaving for Disney World. The limo picks them up at 9:30 a.m. and whisks them off to the airport. Their flight leaves at 1:00 p.m. and they will be on their way to sunny Florida for rest and relaxation, and funnnnnnnn!!!!!! So if you are anywhere near 1196 N. Eddie, Walled Lake, and you would like to wave them off on their trip, please feel free to stop and wave. Or if you can't be there just think about them at that time.

Tristan's spirits are really up, he feels way better, his weight has increased, and of course he seems to eat everything in sight. I am sure when he is back in school, he will get back to a routine he is more familiar with, he will balance out.

Tristan and his family have added a new member to their family by the name of "Ruby", she is a pugle, very cute cross between a pug and a beagle. Tristan has wanted a dog for a very long time and now he has one, she is 3 months old and driving them all crazy, which is what puppies do for at least the first year.

Remember they are leaving tomorrow at 9:30 and if you have a few minutes, come and wave goodbye!!!!

Hope your holidays are wonderful, fun and relaxing. Take care of yourself and those you love.



Charlotte

This is to all you wonderful people that kept the faith, and kept Tristan in your thoughts, wishing away the cancer that had him for a short time.

Tristan went for a PET scan on Monday(yesterday) and we just got the results from his doctor. She said, "there was no more cancer in his body, just has to have a MRI on Dec. 5, but she is certain the results will be the same, it is gone....."

How do you say thank you to so many people that kept him in their thoughts and prayers? How do you say thank you to people you don't even know, they are just in your network of friends and family, but everyone helped in some way and it is soooooooo appreciated. This is the best news that we could hope for!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.........

Love,

Charlotte
Tristan's grandmother