Jacob Hill's Journey!

Meet Jacob a very brave & strong little boy on a journey!

Jacob's journey is one no child or parent should ever have to endure. I can not begin to try to explain how he and his family are coping with his diagnosis of Neuroblastoma and the continuous procedures and treatments that follow. Here in his words and the words of his Mother is Jacob Hill's Journey.

My name is Jacob Hill. I'm 3 years old. I live with my mom and three sisters in Rockwall, Texas. I am a very energetic and curious little boy. I love dinosaurs, playing with my sisters, riding my scooter outside and everything Spiderman. I have a fearless, sweet and loving nature. I am surrounded by tremendous amounts of love and support from all of my family and friends as I continue my fight against Stage IV High Risk Neuroblastoma.

On September 17, 2010 I woke up telling my mom that "I hurt". In feeling around on me she found a lump in my tummy. She took me in to see my pediatrician that afternoon who sent us straight to Children's Hospital Dallas. We spent 13 hours in the emergency room where tests and scans identified several tumors in my chest, belly and spine that the doctors believed was Neuroblastoma ( a rare and aggressive type of childhood cancer). I was admitted immediately into the hospital and it was confirmed that I do in fact have this disease. Surgery was performed to remove the abdominal tumor on my right side and several surrounding infected lymph nodes as well as a biopsy to test for the disease in my bones and a port was placed in my chest so the chemo could be delivered more efficiently. I spent the next week recovering in the hospital. The doctors decided to stage my cancer as a IV High Risk. My treatment would involve the most aggessive chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell harvest, more surgery and immunotherapy over a two year period. My mom was then faced with a very difficult decision, to stay at Children's for treatment or to take me to a hospital where they specialize in Neuroblastoma. My mom contacted Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC who reviewed my records and have the opinion they can help me. So my mom has decided to take me to New York. Since we've arrived, I have had 3 more surgeries (my right adrenal was removed completely and part of the left causing me to have to be on medicine the rest of my life) stem cell harvest, received 6 cylces of high dose chemo, 14 doses of radiation, countless blood transfusions and antibiotics. I had scans in November and we received some discouraging news. My Neuroblastoma has become Refractory. Meaning that it is not responding to the chemo like it should. The tumor in the bones of my spine and in the marrow of my spine did not go away and my infact be growing. I have received 2 more cylces of a different chemotherapy to try to get rid of it and then hopefully after my next set of scans in February, I will be able to start the HU3f8 antibody.

Please visit Jacob on Facebook and add him as a friend to show your support and to raise awareness for a very brave 3 year old: http://www.facebook.com/JacobHillsJourney?sk=wall

Jacob was a happy, healthy (according to his regular checkups), energetic 2 year old. Running around all day chasing after his 3 older sisters and getting into trouble like little boys should. I was a work from home mom with 4 great kids and all was right with the world. 

On September 17, 2010, our nightmare began. Jacob was diagnosed with Stage IV High Risk Neuroblastoma. A rare, aggressive and deadly childhood cancer. 

Jake woke up that morning complaining that he hurt. I, thinking it was just pain from a little spill he had taken off his scooter the day before, redoctored a scrape on his knee and told him it would be better in a day or so. He seemed ok after that. But later that afternoon, just out of the blue, something told me to take another look at him. I laid him down on his back and starting at the top of his head began working my way down his body feeling for anything abnormal.

Everything seemed to be alright until I got to his belly. I pressed down and initially didn't feel anything. But once again, something told me to press a little harder. So I did, and that's when I felt it. A hard spot deep in his abdomen towards the back of his body. Having no medical background I had no idea what it was but I did know that it should not be there. I called the doctor and insisted he be seen that day.

At the office the doctor began to exam Jacob, he did not even have to say a word. I will never forget the look on his face when he said that he too thought he felt something there and that we needed to go immediately to Childrens and have some test done. 10 hours later my worst fear was confirmed. Jacob had several masses in his abdomen, on both adrenal glands, up in his chest and around his spine. Jacob had cancer known as Neuroblastoma.

To read more of Jacob's Journey as told by his family please visit them at their blog:

"Jacob Hill's Journey" http://www.jacobhillsjourney.blogspot.com/

You can show your support by sharing their blog with all your friends and family to help bring awareness to their story. If you would like to contribute to Jacob Hill's Journey? Just click on the "donate" button on the home page and it will take you to Jacob's Fund where you can choose the amount you wish to contribute.

My thoughts and prayers are with Jacob and his family as they continue on this "Journey", I will continue to follow them and update his progress for everyone supporting his goal of finding a cure for Neuroblastoma.

Vietnam vet awarded Silver Star after 45 years!

The memories are still vivid, former Staff Sgt. Paul Taylor said.

That was why after receiving the third-highest decoration in all U.S. military branches, he had his daughter, Laura, say his thanks.

Taylor, 68, received the Silver Star award Saturday at Fort Wainwright, 45 years after an act of heroism that saved a fellow soldier’s life and sent Taylor to a nine-month stay in the hospital. After earning the award Jan. 17, 1967, the paperwork got lost in the shuffle, and Taylor never received recognition. Taylor joined the U.S. Army in 1964, during a period of heightening U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

He voluntarily joined because, he said, he didn’t want a run-of-the-mill job, like cooking or driving.

“If I was going to go into the Army, I wanted to do something exciting,” he said.

What Taylor really wanted to do was become part of a special forces unit. He remembers the window of opportunity to join a special forces unit was closing, when he decided to call one legendary Mrs. Billye Alexander — an employee of the Pentagon’s personnel office, who wrote the transfer orders for special forces soldiers.

He asked if he could be sent to Vietnam with a unit.

On Jan. 17, 1966, Taylor’s platoon was on patrol when it came under heavy gun fire. Taylor and another soldier led a charge toward the enemy’s machine gun, but were wounded. They were trapped in a rice paddy. The platoon’s senior medic, Taylor dragged his fellow soldier to safety and continued the attack on the enemy. He ensured the safety of the soldier and his platoon before being transported to a hospital with three gun shot wounds for a nine-month stay. He medically retired that year.

read more here

Are you that MOM?

Don't judge, admitting you have a problem is the first step.
This is a little quiz. Are you open about the fact that you suck at parenting and wish that you could be better at it? Do you also wish you could be less annoying? You know what I mean when I talk about being THAT mom, right? The one you always see in the grocery store? Or whose kid is on the same soccer team? Well for every one of these questions, most will answered yes, you are that MOM!

1. At the Kiss and Ride, I sometimes get out of the car even though I'm not supposed to. I know that this makes people mad and occasionally late for work, but I just can't help myself.

2. I have used my fingers as a Kleenex and my spit instead of soap on my child's face. I have done so in public.

3. I force my children to brush their teeth and floss. But usually only right before their dentist appointments.

4. I have scheduled playdates for my kids just so they would be distracted by their friends and leave me alone for a little while.

5. Sometimes when I'm at the store, I find myself narrating everything I'm doing for the benefit of my child in an abrasively loud and slow manner. Saying things like: "We're going to by organic broccoli and apples today but not organic meat because it's too dang expensive. Would you like Goldfish for snack? What letter does Goldfish start with? Very good."

6. I sometimes only volunteer for the things where I know I won't actually have to do anything.

7. I allow my children to run around the neighborhood as if they were off-leash puppies. Sometimes I'm outside with them. Sometimes I just keep the window open to hear them yelping.

8. I frequently bring my children places in public and realize that compared to the Gymboree-clad, neatly braided, fresh-and-clean-faced offspring of other mothers, my kids look like filthy street urchins.

9. If another mom on the playground is either hovering like a helicopter in yoga pants or facebooking on her phone while her kids dart into traffic, I will try really, really hard not to be a Judgy McJudgerson but I might have a few minutes of Paltrow-like smugness. Then I feel schmiddty about it.

10. I habitually forget things like snacks and extra pull-ups and always have to ask other moms to hook me up and feel like an idiot because I forgot the baby carrots on the counter again.

11. I have given another mom the righteous sniff if she volunteers for snack and then shows up with Capri Suns and Cheetos still in the Target bag.

12. I have signed up to be snack mom and then forget until five minutes before the game and then shown up with Capri Suns and Cheetos still in the Target bag.

Source: http://www.rantsfrommommyland.com/2012/01/are-you-that-parent.html

Ultrasound shows angel watching unborn baby!

Mother Sees Angel Watching Over Her Unborn Baby!

When Dee Lazarou went into labour early at home, she knew the risks of having a home delivery. There was no midwife present as baby Leo made his way into the world as she gave birth on their bathroom floor, helped only by her family. But she knew that no harm could come to him - as they had already been given a sign that he was being looked over in the womb.

Amazingly in the scan picture taken of her son Leo when she was 12 weeks pregnant, Mrs Lazarou could clearly make out a face resembling an angel. She and her husband were convinced he was looking over their unborn child, to see him born safely.

Mrs Lazarou, 31, an team leader for the police force communications emergency room, said: ‘It was such a comfort to think that someone was looking after our son. ‘When I gave birth on our bathroom floor, there was no midwife to help us and my husband had to deliver Leo.

Mrs Lazarou was just 12 weeks into her pregnancy when they spotted the remarkable image in the scan picture taken at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.‘His cord was wrapped around his neck and it was my mother who pulled the cord free. It was a nerve-wracking experience, but I’m sure that a guardian angel was looking over him to make sure he was delivered safely.’

Mrs Lazarou, who lives with husband Thomas, 34, a policeman, and their son Oliver, three, in Stevenage, said: ‘I didn’t look at the scan picture until we got home. I was looking at it with Oliver, telling him that it was a picture of his little brother or sister, when I noticed something odd in the corner of the picture. ‘I could see clearly that it was a face. I showed it to my husband when he got home from work. ‘We were stunned to see it - as it was such a clear image. It was such a comfort to me during the rest of my pregnancy, knowing that we had someone looking over our baby in the womb.’

When Mrs Lazarou was a week past her due date she started with contractions. She said: ‘I decided to have a bath to ease the pain as I thought I would have several hours before I would have to get to hospital, and the pains were mild so I wasn’t even sure at first that they were proper labour pains.’ But the pains quickly got worse. Mrs Lazarou called both her mother Marie and her husband to come home. She said: ‘I knew that there was no time to get to hospital. I was in the bathroom and I felt the urge to push. Tom helped me lie down on the floor and paramedics gave him instructions over the phone as he delivered our baby. ‘I was worried because there was no midwife and I had always been adamant that I wanted to have a hospital birth as I knew that home births could be risky. So to be giving birth to my son at home was terrifying. I just had to hope and pray that he would be alright.’

Baby Leo arrived on the bathroom floor in August weighing 8Ibs, but then a drama unfolded as he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. Mrs Lazarou said: ‘It was terrifying. When Tom caught him in his arms as he was delivered, we saw that the cord was wrapped around his neck which could have been lifethreatening to him. ‘Mum luckily was able to unwrap it from around his neck and free him. And moments later he uttered a cry, which was such a relief. It was the most amazing sound as we knew that he was alright.’

The paramedics arrived just after the birth and took Mrs Lazarou to hospital for a check up. She said: ‘Luckily we were both fine and we were allowed home, which was such a relief. ‘When we saw the face of someone in the scan picture we were stunned, but now we know that it was for a reason. ‘He was watching over Leo to make sure he was delivered safely. The face in the scan picture was such a comfort to us all.

‘I’ve put it in a keepsake box to show Leo when he was older, to be able to tell him the story of his remarkable birth.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2075761/Mother-sees-face-angel-pregnancy-scan-watching-baby-womb.html#ixzz1mnYaKIg9