Wintertime FUN!

This is a picture of Chad and me...look at the hearts and how skinny I am!

Artist: Miss Isabel

The picture below is Jordan's tractor (he made me add this)

Isabel drew a picture of me...Look at that hair!

Finally I'm able to see Isabel play in the snow!



Jordan - the old bump on a log does not want his picture taken anymore...so this is all I can get.

While the snow is pretty, we are ready for Spring!

Winter wonderland

OK this morning started with Chad struggling to breath after cleaning off the 57 inches of snow (that's an exaggeration by the way). Then I got a text that he was stuck in the drive way and needed Jordan to come out and shovel since he cannot do that right now (which makes him mad).

So if Chad got stuck in his truck (that rhymes)...then what were my chances of getting out? Slim to non... Jordan and I tried for a long time and then had to call in reinforcements (aka Monty) to help. As I took Isabel to school in Monty's truck they got my car out...thank goodness. So I get to work just in time to eat lunch...ha ha...

Fun times in our winter wonderland we call Kansas! Be safe!

Jackie

Wintertime Blues and Red Blood!

Chad is so cold and feels so bad all the time...It's a little bit of a cold, flu, sinus infection or something. Imagine this - It's like you have been suffering from the most awful cold for about six months and nothing helps you recover. I wish there was something I could do or offer him to make him feel better...But the only thing I can do is pray that he will somehow feel better soon. He just has no immune system to fight the little things that we are all exposed to everyday. It makes me sometimes feel guilty for being well!

There is a billboard sign as I leave town everyday that has current events in our town for that week/month etc. Well for the past couple of days it has advertised a Blood Drive at a local church that was today! Well I kept thinking about it and decided on my way home tonight that I was going to go by and if there was no line I was going to donate. I used to donate all the time but ever since Isabel was born I had gotten out of the habit.

Well as I walked in and was the ONLY one in line I decided it was a sign that I needed to be there. Isabel was with me and probably was more interested in the snack table than the blood donation (although she held my hand while they stuck me).

Since I was the only one there and at the same time in walked a reporter from the Herold to do a story on the blood drive...so guess who was the target of the story line...you got it!

So I guess the woman who was there after a long day at work on a very cold January evening with her cute four year old daughter, and her husband who has cancer makes a good story. I guess I get to be in the paper...hopefully it does not end up on the front page.

The donation took all of 15 minutes (as I am a good candidate) and I was out the door with stickers, snacks and apple juice (for Isabel and Jordan of course).

So the moral of the story...take some time this year if you are a good blood donation candidate and go donate. Every donation can save up to three lives and is so worth the time and effort. I am so glad that I could help even in that small way. Maybe it was my way of contributing to Chad's recovery effort somehow. I think back to right before his surgery in October when they were discussing blood types and transfusions if needed. I am thankful that the blood was available even though he did not end up needing it at the time.

Since the last two snowy days the city blood supply is at a critical low...help out if you can and go visit your local Community Blood Center or the American Red Cross!

God bless and stay warm...
Love,
Jackie

Snow Day

Well it's a snow day today in KS, however I was the last to know that our school was closed. I took Jordan and guess what - not a car in the lot! Oh well he ended up at the grandparents!

The weekend was quiet trying to stay warm and out of the weather...

Chad is doing better now that he has gotten through this chemo round...we are very thankful that there will be just one more!

Maybe we will play in the snow tomorrow...I'll post some pictures later...

LY
Jackie

Good News!

Chad's CT scans showed significant improvement - he had chemo today and still has one more treatment scheduled. He will have a PET scan in February to determine further treatment and to see if we got it all.

If it would just warm up a bit and give him some relief from this cold weather then all will be well.

He still needs prayer as he continues to suffer from sinus infections as his immune system is still compromised from the chemo.

We are thankful and pleased to hear this news. We continue to pray and hope for the best. Thank you for all your thoughts and well wishes and most importantly your prayers.

Love
The Bonds

Dr Appt today

Good morning,

Chad has chemo scheduled for today and also an update from our oncologist to see the results of the CT scans that were done last week. Please pray that we receive good news as we can really use it right now. Thank you...

Love,
Jackie

Wow - this week went fast...

From seeing a movie to hanging out with my MIL and SIL to getting my haircut yesterday, this week has flown by. Today I must get this house in order and put away the rest of Christmas!

Chad had CT scans yesterday and we are praying for some good news on Tuesday! We really could use it. He has been fighting a really bad cold again and hopefully will be able to get some rest this weekend.

So I am going to enjoy the last three days of my vacation and hang out some more with my favorite 4-year old!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Love,
Jackie

Christmas Pics

Our Tree (and loot after Santa stopped by)
Isabel in her I Love my Daddy silky PJ's. Chad teases her and tells her he wants her silky jammy bottoms every time she wears them.

Isabel at the candle light Christmas eve service at church. When you are late you get to sit in the front row!

Isabel watching the Santa tracker on Fox 4 news. Santa was in Nashville at the time so we got her to bed pretty quickly after this.

New snow boots!

Jordan got lots of John Deere and camo this year!

Isabel and her new doll (with matching big girl outfit)

All kids gathered around Greg watching Grace's new video game.

Cousins

While we had a good Christmas, we are really tired today...slept in until 10:00am. Chad is doing good and hopefully will continue to improve this week as it will be quite around here with Jordan going to my dad's tomorrow. Isabel and I are off all week and will try to get to see the movie Tangled with Faith and Ava. Happy Sunday everyone!

LY

Jackie

Merry Christmas!

Christmas at my Mom's House last night!
Chad and my brother Robbie

Isabel posing by the tree

Me and my girl

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thank you all for your continued prayers, well wishes and help so far on this journey that we are on. We are praying for healing and remission for Chad in 2011! We will have an update from our doctor on January 4th.

May God Bless you all - Happy Holidays!

Love, The Bonds

Chad.Jackie.Jordan.Isabel

Happy Sunday!

Sorry I've not posted in a while...Chad has felt terrible this last week and I just did not want to be doom and gloom this time of the year. However last night he had a good night and slept all night! While that seems like a small accomplishment it is huge in our house as that meant he did not wake up coughing and unable to catch his breath.

The Chiefs also won today and I am COMPLETELY DONE with my Christmas shopping when my mom picked up one last item for me today. I also am over 50% done with wrapping everything.

Now I just need to get through two more days of work and then I am off until January 3rd. I really need this break if only to clean my house and get organized.

Hopefully Chad will continue to get stronger and be able to enjoy the holidays. We have CT scans on December 30th and will review them against the October CT scans with the doctor on January 4th - so if you could be praying there that would be good. Until then we hope he continues to get stronger this week and feel better.

OK - I must leave now and do the dreaded grocery shopping and find my long lost son who has been at my Dad's house since Friday.

I hope everyone has a great week...

God Bless
Jackie

Winter Break - here we come!

I now know why kids look so forward to winter break...I have the fever! Only four more days of work and I will have almost two weeks off - yea!

Chad is feeling a little better today after a rough night last night. Hopefully he can get some sleep tonight...It's almost time to get these kids to bed so that I can go.

Good night everyone...

Jackie

Chemo treatment today

Hi all,

Chad has his treatment #4 today and is not really looking forward to it. The only good thing about this is that he is on the down hill slide if we really are only looking at six treatments. We also meet with the Dr. today as well. CT scans will probably be in two weeks..

Keep us in your prayers today for a quick recovery from this treatment.

LY
Jackie

Santa!

Finally a Santa and Isabel picture free from sleeping, crying or simply the "scared to death" look. Well I take that back...she did once take a good picture in Branson with her brother close by her side. Since I could not convince him this past year we have just done without. So here you go...missioned accomplished!

Wednesday update...

Well we made it to Wednesday...Chad had labs yesterday and his numbers were low, which is to be expected the week before chemo. The trend is that he continues to get better and is at his best the day before he gets hit again with the next chemo round. This will be round #4 and hopefully he gets to feeling better before Christmas. He seems so tired this week...

We again will try to keep the holidays low key...Isabel sees Santa today at school so maybe I'll have a picture or two to post tomorrow. She saw Santa in Branson so she is not so scared this year...

More later...
LY
Jackie

How did Monday get here so fast?

I can't believe its Monday already...how did that happen. Well at least the Chiefs won yesterday and San Diego lost (thanks Raiders). It was not a pretty Chiefs game but the outcome was good!

We got the Christmas tree up and decorated yesterday. We have a "Santa Key" ornament so that Santa can get into the house on Christmas since we do not have a fireplace. We hung that on the tree last night and this morning Isabel came out of her room and looked around and said "You did not let Santa in last night." It was so cute as she was really concerned that Santa got locked out. I told her that Santa only comes on Christmas Day and that he will be here in a few weeks. She is really looking forward to Christmas this year.

I love the innocence of children at Christmas!

Hugs to all,
Jackie

Happy Friday!

We made it another week...here is a picture to share with you of our pretty girl! Our house is officially a mess again but we have a couple of days home to get organized before another work week. Chad continues to improve and is much better than a week ago when he had chemo. We are all sleeping much better and getting some rest.

We have family pictures tomorrow at church for the directory, hopefully they come out good. Take care and stay warm!

Ly

Jackie

Tired...but hey it's Wednesday!

Chad had labs yesterday and everything looks good as far a his check went. Now we just have to all get over this cough that seems to still be lingering. Last night I asked Chad why he was coughing so much and he said that was not him it was me! Oops!

I'm glad this week is coming to an end as I am really tired! I overslept today and I hardly ever do that!

Ok more later...

Happy Wednesday!

Monday...

Well it's Monday after a long holiday weekend....well we survived our first school/work morning at home on our own. One down four to go this week...

We moved back home on Saturday as Chad felt that it was time. We will still take things day by day and not over do it.

Thanks for the continued prayers...I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. We are so blessed and I am thankful everyday!

Love,
Jackie

Rough afternoon...

Chad had a rough afternoon today...fighting a cold the kids came home with and the effects of chemo. He seems to be doing a bit better this evening but could use some prayers!

Black Friday Deals

Ok - I said there would be NOTHING that was worth going out for prior to looking at the ads in the newspaper yesterday! Then at 9pm last night Connie and I planned our strategy...verified Chad was ok to be here for the kids and off we went at 3am...first destination Kohls! Then we were off to JCP, K-Mart, Dicks, Target (where I switched cars and rode with Cathy my SIL). Somewhere in the mix of stores my mom met up with us and shopped for a while.

Then we were back to Kohls for my car then to Wal-Mart and home...10 hours later I am tired.

Ready for a quick nap and then off again...not sure where this time!

Happy Black Friday everyone!

So far so good...

Chad had treatment yesterday and so far all is good. He went to work today but then will be off the rest of the week. We are still praying for minimal side effects this time. Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone tomorrow. I'll post more and some pictures from DC soon...

Love,
Jackie

Crashed at my mom's house last night as I was too tired to go home. At work now...Chemo for Chad tomorrow...weather is Beautiful in KC today! But just wait...

I'm home but my luggage is not - It's still on the other plan between here and Chicago!

Air and Space Museum today and Vietnam Memorial...

More conference sessions this morning then off to Arlington cemetery to see the tomb of the unknowns, Kennedy graves, Air Force Memorial for my brother...:)

I had my celebrity sighting today at the Capitol - walking down the hall outside of Brownback's office was the one and only Senator John McCain...:)

Day two in DC...I am waiting for my 10:00 tour of the Capitol Building. Waiting outside Brownback's office right now. Weather is beautiful in DC! Ly jb :)

Stuff...

Chad had a good report from his labs today so that is good news. Chemo next Tuesday...

Please pray for my dad as he was admitted to the hospital today with mild chest pains...they ran tests and were going to send him home this afternoon but could not get him released (it got too late and they had not read the test yet). Hopefully he will get to go home tomorrow... He will need to follow up with the cardiologist to make sure all is well. Carolyn if you read this can you tell Aunt Stella for me and tell her not to worry as I saw him today and he looked really good and was pacing the floor to go home.

I am heading to Washington D.C. tomorrow morning for the National SHRM Leadership conference and my high school friends Faith and Tracy are meeting me in DC for a girls' weekend! How this actually came together is short of a miricle as the three of us can barely schedule a dinner every three months together. It will be fun, I can't wait...

I'll post updates from my travels throughout the weekend...

LY
Jackie

Happy Monday!!!

Well it's Monday and pretty typical for us...trying to wake sleepy kids and get out the door on time etc etc...but Grandma Connie made us ham and eggs (they were very good) Thank you!

Chad is back to work today and will have labs tomorrow...it was a good thing we had the weekend for him to rest and recoup after his first two days back.

Everyone is well around our house...too bad the Chiefs stunk up the joint yesterday! I am leaving for Washington DC on Wednesday for a conference and girls weekend with Faith and Tracy. I can't wait to do some sight seeing and hanging out with my girls (oh yeah and going to my conference).

Take care and I will post more later...

LY
Jackie

It's Friday!

Everyone is starting to feel better around our house...Chad slept good last night and is going to work again today. He said between me and his manager emailing and texting him to not over do it he was well covered in warnings yesterday.

Jordan is going home with Cole today and going to the football game and spending the night with him. Louisburg HS is 11-0 and in the hunt for a state championship - Go Wildcats!

I might actually go to the game tonight and stay until half time to watch the band and my neighbor Sophie who is marching with the band.

Happy Friday everyone...

Jackie

Better today...

I am doing better today...lots of vitamin C and drinking "Airborne" to try and fight this...

Chad went to work today and is taking it easy...I bet he is probably already home resting (at least I hope so).

So we are taking things day by day...

Take care,
LY
Jb

Pray for me...

I think I'm on the verge of getting sick, and Chad cannot have anyone that close to him be sick. Especially since he is going back to work tomorrow...I may have to go to the quarantine house and it's really cold over there...Boo Hoo!

Maybe it's just allergies (I hope). More later as the day is about over...

Jackie

Doctor today

Hello,

We had labs today and met with Carrie our Nurse Practitioner at the Cancer Center. He had good results and was cleared again to go back to work PT as tollorated. He is going to start back on Thursday this week...

He knows he has to still take it easy but he is excited to finally be able to be productive again.

Hope everyone has a great Tuesday - isn't this weather fabulous? I can handle winter if it will remain like this until March!!!

Take care,
Jackie

We are home - there really is no place like home! Thanks to our wonderful nurses - Megan, Ryan, Norm, and we saw our other nurses Kelly and Angie! Thx

Well it looks like his fever might have broken, and he has eaten three pieces of toast. We are still hopeful to go home tomorrow. We shall see in the AM -nite

Hello all...trying to use my new blogger feature on my phone to see if it works...

Things can change quickly...

Well I'd love to be telling you right now that Chad has rebounded well from his chemo and is making good progress...but things change quickly and he is now in the hospital with Pneumonia...

We had another rough night and I called the doctor this morning (like the book says) and they told us to go to the ER so we did. They did a chest x-ray and CT and decided it was pneumonia and they admitted him this afternoon.

We are hoping to only be there maybe 24 hours but that may not be the case according to our hospital doc...

Please pray he responds well and gets to come home tomorrow...he is already looking to escape so it will be a long evening tonight. I plan to stay up there with him thru the night.

More updates later...thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers...

Love,
Jackie

Mid week

I love Thursday's and Friday's...it's just that I am so tired by this time during the week. Maybe it's getting over that hump and then knowing it's all down hill until I get to spend 2 days with my favorite people.

Our pastor came to visit Chad today and told Monty later that Chad looks like a completely different person than when he saw him that Sunday after we got home from the hospital. I remember that day...it was one of his weakest days. He was so impressed on how he looked today.

He does look like his old self again...however he is congested again last night and today. I wonder if that is a side effect of chemo? Non of us are sick so I wonder if it could be allergies or just a side effect. Need to look that up...

Ok, time for bed as I have an early morning meeting...

More later...
Jb

All is well so far...

Nausia at bay and he is still feeling pretty good. Needs to rest the next several days and possibly will return to work some on Monday...thanks for all the prayers and well wishes. Good night from the Bonds...

Chemo treatment today

Please pray all goes well as this is another big day for us. Please pray for minimal side effects...Thanks everyone!

Happy Halloween

We had a fun Halloween Party tonight...we had Dora the Explorer, Boots the Monkey, FLO the Progressive Girl, a pretty butterfly and construction Jeff. We also had Grandma Connie, Grandpa Monty, Chad and Jordan as themselves.

Chad felt good enough to go trick or treating with us for a while then it got too cold for him and he then helped pass out popcorn. It was crazy on our street...I think the whole town was here and it did help that the weather was great.

On a more serious note, Chad has his next chemo round on Tuesday (as long as his counts come back up). We are taking the computer and going to watch a movie while we are there...I guess you could say it is a date, since other than doctor appointments we never get to go far from home and we probably never will set foot in a movie theatre again (I head they were the worst for germs).

We are praying and hoping that he keeps his strength up after this next treatment and that he continues to get better. He already has seen improvement in all the symptoms that took us to the hospital in the first place.

I hope everyone had a great Halloween...bring on the holidays is all I can say at this point!

Love,

Jackie

Pre-Halloween Pics...more to come later

It's Wednesday...

Well it's Wednesday and all is good at the Bond House's. Chad had blood work yesterday and his counts are low so we have to be careful and keep him away from germs. Although I learned he has a bunch of "baby" cells that when then mature will bring all his numbers up.

So we must keep him healthy and well by eating a balanced diet, taking his vitamins and getting enough sleep and staying away from germs. Our next treatment date is November 2nd so keep praying his numbers come back up at that visit or we may not be able to get treatment and it will be postponed (which will delay his overall healing).

He is getting anxious to get out of the house and do something so he might go over to our house and do a few things every now and then. He also mentioned getting his truck over at his parents so he can be mobile.

More later...Happy Wednesday!

Chad's Birthday Party last night!

Happy Birthday Sweetie...hope you feel better soon!

It's Friday!

Well somehow we made it to Friday...I am so tired. Chad's birthday was yesterday so we had a birthday dinner last night for him complete with Shrimp and "Pie-cake" as Isabel stated was his birthday cake. Still taking it day by day...Will post more this weekend. LY

Better night...

Yeah - we actually slept all night only waking once. It's amazing how you feel when you get some sleep at night. We have our first appt today at the oncologist for blood work and to meet with the nurse. Thanks for the prayers...

Back to work...

I am back to work today...it was very tough because we did not get much sleep last night. Please pray that Chad is able to get some rest today and then every night going forward as he is so weak. More later...

LY

Fall Days!

Isabel took this picture of the lake...if you look at he shadow you can actually see us sitting on top ready to go down the slide.

My favorite girl!
Push me higher mommy!

Jordan's soccer team - Fall 2010

My favorite boy playing soccer.

Today was a quiet day...we actually got a little more sleep last night, but Chad is very weak today. I'm sure it's a result of the week long hosptial stay plue the chemo. I just wish he felt better so he could at least go outside and enjoy this beautiful day.

Please keep praying that he continues to get stronger each day. I don't want to have to worry about him this much when I return to work on Monday.

More later...
LY

jb

There's no place like home!

Well we managed to finally bust free from the joint (hospital) around 5:30pm today. We got Chad home to his parents (since they have only one level) and got him settled. His first request - some Mexican food!

Once we ate dinner I went running for prescriptions and clothes etc. Got kids to bed and organized the drugs that Chad needs to take and color coded them (there are so many that was the only way I would not lose my mind).

I want to send out a BIG thank you to the staff at OP Regional that cared for him while we were there. Everyone from the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapy, food service and housekeeping were wonderful. As far as hospital stays go I think we had one of the best experiences. I thank all of you for the wonderful prayers that helped in sending these folks our way. Thank you.

Chad is really tired today...I think waiting all day and then traveling home wore him out. Hopefully he has a good night sleep and is stronger tomorrow. We should have a home health nurse visit tomorrow so we will rest and wait for that.

Happy Birthday today to my SIL - Cathy! Hope you had a great day!

Good night for now and I will write more later...
LY
Jackie

The news...

We learned today what Chad has been diagnosed with...

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma...a rare form of Non-Hodgkins...

We told Jordan today about Chad. That went easier than I expected...and I did not even cry. Chad did good with his chemo treatment today and we are VERY hopeful to go home tomorrow. We will stay with the Bond's until Chad gets his strength back so that he is on one floor with no stairs and his mom can be with him through the week while I go back to work.

I will probably go back to work on Monday and work around Dr appointments, chemo treatments and taking care of him and the kids...

That's all I know for now, but will be updating again soon...

Thank you to EVERYONE who has offered to help with the kids, meals etc. I really appreciate all the offers and may take you up on those once we are back on our own. We really have discovered a great support system out there and you have no idea how we appreciate it. We will fight this with all we have and BEAT it!

LY
Jackie

Still no news!

Hello,

Still no news on a diagnosis yet...we are getting closer and may have an answer tomorrow. Today was a rough day for Chad, when I got there this morning he was in bad shape from getting no sleep the night before.

It was so bad we almost needed to call 911 or go to the emergency room...oh wait we were all ready there. There is a sign on the wall that is a note to family members to watch for signs and notify staff if there are certain changes etc (basically you know your loved one the best). I actually took time to read that sign this morning and then marched down to the nurses's station to find our nurse for the day.

We got him settled and he fell asleep and when he woke up the Chad from yesterday was back. It was like night and day. When I left tonight he was just falling asleep and I hope and pray he gets that much needed rest/sleep tonight. I plan to be there at 7am to hopefully "catch" the doctor in the morning.

More tomorrow...kids are at the Bond's and I am off to bed.

LY
Jackie

Welcome back to the Bond Blog - 007

These are the days - by Sugarland

This is the first song that is on my blog...and now is my new theme song. I will post more when I know something...

LY

Jackie

Isabel and Jordan's birthday parties...

Jordan and his friends after 8 hours of Ocean's of Fun!
At home before we left

Princess Party!

Birthday Time!

New Sand and toys for the sand box!

I love Summer birthdays! Good thing I have two of them:)

What we've been up too!

Epcot Center - Florida Vacation
Space Shuttle Atlantis - STS-132

May 14, 2010

Spring Soccer - 2010

Isabel with the Old Navy Dog...She wanted to take him home!

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted at Easter...we have been busy! Chad started a new job, we went on vacation, summer is here and Isabel turned 4! Here are a few pictures from the last couple of months!