Christmas 2007

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We’d like to thank:

Cops Care Cancer Foundation
Recreational Opportunities for Cancer Kids (R.O.C.K.)
Lodi Cancer Kids
Lifewind International (Vine House Ministry)
Our Family and friends

for making this Christmas possible for us. Each of the above organizations gave us gifts that helped fulfill our children's Christmas wishes. Amazing! Two weeks before Christmas, we were sure there would be nothing under the tree. Yet God is good and we were blessed abundantly. If you are moved to do so, please make a donation to any or all of the foundations listed above.

Our Christmas was interrupted by a fever scare. After a delicious breakfast with several family members around, Naomi felt hot and her temperature was taken. The thermometer registered a temperature of 102º. Naomi's doctors insist that she be rushed to the emergency room when her temperature goes over 100°, so off we went. We were nervous when we got to the ER, and the nurses were sure she was going to be admitted. Thankfully, they were wrong and she was sent home but with no explanation of the high temp. Naomi has been kept home since Christmas because she still has cold symptoms but the fever has not come back. We will be celebrating our first New Year's Eve together as a family (usually a grandparent babysits so we parents can have a fun night out). We're glad to be staying in!

God bless you all and may 2008 be a year of grace, love, peace, prosperity, joy and love in each of your lives.

Nina, Naomi's mother

Naomi turned 5 Years Old!

Thanks to Wishland who provides us with four 2-day park hopper tickets to Disneyland.

On Nov. 7 Naomi turned 5 Years Old! PRAISE BE TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN that she is still here and as fun-loving and playful as ever. About 3 months ago, Naomi’s social worker told me about Wishland. We put in our request and it was granted. Thank God for them because we could not have afforded to have such a wonderful celebration for Naomi's birthday without financial help.

Everything worked out perfectly! Jermaine's brother, Ronnie, happened to be in LA for work, so we stayed in his apartment, which was less than 3 blocks from Venice Beach! Conveniently, there were school holidays for both kids November 7th, 8th and 9th! So we saved money on accommodations AND the kids didn't miss any school! God is good!

We had 2 funs days at Disneyland. Naomi was treated like a princess by the Disney Cast Members. We spend our last day at the beach where the Sun came out just for us.




















































We left LA on Friday afternoon to make it home in time for Jeremiah’s last football game. The Panthers unfortunately lost to the Raiders after our first playoff game. Football had kept us all very busy this season with Jeremiah being the first string lineman and Jermaine being the Teams Head Coach. Even though we’re sad that our team didn’t make it further into the playoffs, we’re happy to have an early break before the holidays.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Hula Solidarity!

Naomi (center front, with purple sleeves) had to wear a mask to Hula Class this past weekend. She’s never complained of wearing her mask in the past but since she’s been doing so well for so long (she has not worn the mask since September), she'd grown accustomed to not needing it. She was completely embarrassed about the mask and cried, completely unwilling to dance wearing the mask. I had given up trying to convince her to dance, and was about to leave the school when several of her classmates offered to also wear a mask also to make Naomi more comfortable. Once Naomi saw that she would not be the only student in a mask, she decided to dance and had a great class. I was brought to tears the kindness of ladies of this school.

Naomi is doing great!

I'm sorry for such a long delay in updating Naomi's blog. She has been very healthy (overall) recently, and enjoying participating in several activities, including martial arts, hula and preparing to be a cheerleader for her brother's football team. Recently, Naomi got to meet the legendary Stevie Wonder (who kindly prayed for her healing..while Naomi slept in her father's arms), had her hair braided (long extensions, which she loves), and celebrated her brother Jeremiah's 7th birthday at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support! Enjoy these photos:

Weekly Blood Draws

Every Sunday Naomi has got to get her blood drawn to check her levels. Almost always, the lab technicians are amazed at how calm she is. Most of them say she is as well behaved or even more so than some adults. She is such a trooper. I am so proud of how well she copes with things.

Day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

On July 27, the Kids and I got to enjoy the Monterey Bay Aquarium for the first time. It’s has been quite a task keeping these two busy all summer long, so at the last minute I decided to drive them and my foster sister Sion to the Aquarium. The biggest hit for the kids was the Jelly Fish. We spent to more time is those exhibits. School Starts up again on the 28th of August so hopefully we can got again.

Girl's Day Out

Naomi wanted to go swimming with her friends Ariana, Macaya, and Sion at the local swimming club on June 28th. She was really missing big brother Jeremiah, who was away from home for the first time at Camp Okizu. The girl's day out was a great distraction for both of us. The girls had a wonderful time splashing in the pool and drying off in the sun while eating their petit sandwiches.

Karate Tournament

On the weekend of July 21st, we drove Jeremiah and Naomi to Sacramento for the Central California Regional Karate Competition, where they both received trophies for Form and Weapons demos. Jeremiah showed “Mighty Power” in his Form and Naomi Received honors for “Highest Kicks”. On August 7th, the both passed the testing for higher belts. Jeremiah is now a Lion belt and Naomi has her Yellow belt. They both want to receive their Black Belts one day.

Seeking Documentary Producers

I am the mother of two very special and wonderful children. On April 28, 2006, life changed for my youngest child when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. Her name is Naomi and she is a bright, outgoing and cheerful little girl, who I know in my heart will survive this disease and live a long life. While I have had struggles with depression and learning to cope with the changes of childhood cancer, I can’t stop wondering “what is our purpose?”

I am compelled to give back and make a difference for other families that must endure the same trauma that we are enduring. Therefore, our family is going to dedicate the entire summer of 2008 to drive 10,000 miles around the county for the purpose of raising $1 million for Leukemia Research. We want to do all we can to help find the cause of this cancer, which will hopefully eradicate it from the list of childhood diseases.
We are looking for a producer who would be interested in documenting our journey. We want someone who will follow us to fund raisers, doctors appointments, daily activities and especially on our 10,000 mile journey.
This would be YOUR project, and you would own it. We are simply the subject. Please call us if you think this is a project that could be interesting to you.

Please contact Victoria if you're interested.

Thank you,

Nina
Naomi's mother

Fiesta Brava Restaurant Fundraiser

Thank you to the owners of Feista Brava Restaurant in Riverbank, CA. They were so touched by Naomi's Story that they did a fund raiser on their own. They posted pictures of Naomi and cup for donations at the register and their customers generously gave.

Last night they treated Naomi to her favorite Beans and Rice dish and presented her with the money that they'd collected. Naomi asked "Mommy, do they love this baby". She sometimes refers to herself as "this baby". We continue to be humbled by the beauty and love that this journey towards healing has brought to us, and we are ever grateful.

Naomi's Pre-School "Graduation"

Naomi "graduated" from Pre-School! As I watched little Naomi walk up to her teach to receive her "diploma", Nina, Naomi's mother expressed to me that she was overwhelmed by the joy of the fact that Naomi was able to participate, that her blood counts have been high enough for her to attend school recently, and that she looks as healthy as any other child. It is truly a miracle! Additionally, Naomi was recently tested for placement into Kindergarten. Not only is Naomi ready for Kindergarten, but she tested as equivalent to a 6 year old child! Naomi is only 4.5 years old! And remember, she missed well over half of the school year, and still tested that high (thanks to Nina's diligence in home schooling Naomi)!

Please continue to keep Naomi in your prayers.

Thank you,

Victoria

Naomi's ANC is up again!

AMAZINGLY GOOD NEWS! Naomi’s ANC is 2300!! Her ANC was as low as 10 merely 5 weeks ago.

Naomi has passed her 1 year anniversary of her diagnosis. She, and all of us, thank you for your continued support and prayers. Naomi looks healthy, laughs heartily and is well on the road to recovery. It's been a tough year, but Naomi is doing well despite the adversity!

Only 16 more months to go!

Naomi meets Dolphins!

Today, Naomi spent the day playing with Dolphins! I recently met a wonderful new friend, Erin Hanahoe, who works as a Marine Mammal Supervisor for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly Marine World). Once I found out what she does for a living, I asked if we could set up a day for Naomi (and the rest of us…I was as excited as the kids) to meet dolphins. Erin made it happen! We watched the incredible dolphins perform in a show and then met several up close in the Dolphin Encounter area. They were so cute! All of us were spell bound. It was a day to remember. Thankfully, Naomi was in good health (a miracle since she had just recently been confined to the hospital with low blood counts), and Jeremiah was out of school for Spring Break! Here are some photos and footage from the day:

Dolphin Day 1

Dolphin Day 2

Dolphin Day 3

Dolphin Day 4

Dolphin Day 5

Dolphin Day 6

Dolphin Day 7

Naomi is severly neutropenic

Hello friends,

Naomi's got the flu, but is on anti-biotics to fight it. Her blood count is down to a dangerously low 10, yes TEN, at the moment (see this previous blog for details on ANC: http://naomiheal.blogspot.com/2007/02/naomi-update.html and this wiki on Neutropenia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutropenia). It essentially means that her body has no ability to fight off infections. Please continue to pray for her, specifically that her ANC rises above 500 so that her chemotherapy treatments can resume. 500 is the minimum for her to receive chemotherapy. 2,000 is normal.

Although Naomi appears to be healthy (she's eating decently, has good energy, and isn't coughing or sneezing much), the fact is that exposure to the slightest infection could be serious. Please refrain from any visiting at this time. She can not be exposed to any type of infectious droplets from other people.

Thank you and bless you all!

Victoria

Real Life Fitness Test

I recently had an opportunity to test my level of fitness in a real life context. On Monday, March 12, Naomi was scheduled to have a chemotherapy session. Since I had the day off, I decided to accompany Naomi and her mother (my sister) Nina to the appointment. I needed to be on campus anyway to take care of some business on the other side of the campus. After Naomi was admitted, I left to take care of my business. I walked about a mile to the other side of the campus (at least I think it was a mile...it took about 20 minutes walking at a brisk pace), had my appointment, and then walked back to the hospital. While I was returning, Nina called me and asked me to meet them in front of Neiman Marcus at the Stanford Mall so we could go find breakfast. Naomi's IV had been inserted, and we had time to burn while waiting for the blood tests that would confirm if she was healthy enough to receive chemotherapy that day. Once I met up with them, I noticed that Naomi's hand was covered with blood. Apparently, something was wrong with how her IV had been inserted and blood was leaking. Nina decided that we needed to rush Naomi back to the hospital, which was about 1/4 mile away. Unfortunately, I'd been suffering from the flu, and absolutely didn't want to expose my germs to Naomi (I'd been wearing a mask around her). So, in order to get Naomi back to the hospital as quickly as possible, I decided to hand my purse and jacket to Nina, slung Naomi onto my back and sprinted as quickly as I could back to the hospital just in case the bleeding was as bad as it looked.

I held onto Naomi's legs and instructed her to use the non-injured arm to wrap my neck so she could hold on and off we went. I can honestly say that despite the compromised respiratory system (cough & sinus infection), having already walked around 2 miles, running with a 35 lb child on my back, (and oh, did I mention that I hadn't eaten anything at all that morning?), I arrived at the clinic without being winded at all! I was covered, and I mean covered, in sweat, but my breathing was not excessively heavy, and I was able to talk to the nurses as they addressed the bleeding (it looked much worse than it was). Thanks to Mani, Steven and Maya at Ice Chamber Athletic Performance Training for pushing me to my limit every week. At least I know now that if needed, I can rise to the occasion!

Naomi had her chemotherapy and has been healthy enough to attend preschool and play with some friends! Hallelujah! : >

Naomi's aunt,

Victoria

Removal of the PORT Catheter

Naomi had surgery today to remove the PORT catheter from her chest. I went with Naomi and Nina, her mom, to the hospital. We arrived at 7am, where the staff was waiting for us. The anesthesiologists offered Naomi a mask which had been imbued with a watermelon scent, so that she could be sedated without needle pricking. Naomi was very pleased with that. The doctors took Naomi into the OR and completed the procedure with no problems! Naomi slept for just under 30 minutes after the procedure. Nurses on staff took various measurements of Naomi's vital signs and granted their approval for her to be discharged. Naomi spent the rest of her day hanging out with me and her mom, full of the usual spunk and energy you'd expect from a healthy 4 year old. It was a beautiful sight!

Victoria

Naomi going into surgery on Monday 2/26/07

On Monday Feb. 12 , during what should have been a “regular” chemo visit, Naomi’s PORT Catheter began to leaking into her Left Shoulder, causing her tremendous pain. The PORT Catheter, or central line, is a catheter placed in a large vein that supplies the circulatory system. A central line is needed for insertion of medications and blood products, and to provide a site where blood samples can be easily taken without pain to the child. Since Naomi’s PORT has begun leaking, it is no longer functional for her remaining 20 months of chemotherapy. Her doctors have scheduled the Line to be removed from her chest on February 26th. Please keep all of us in prayer at this time.

Thank you,

Nina

Naomi update

Naomi’s ANC (white blood count) has been rather low again for the past 3 weeks. In order to receive her standard dosage of chemotherapy, her ANC must be over 750, however Naomi’s ANC has been hovering around 500, which means her immune system is badly suppressed and could be easily compromised if exposed to illness, viruses, etc. Rather than skip the dosage altogether, Naomi’s doctors have been administering half doses. Ideally, to fight the cancer, Naomi should be receiving full doses. The doctors have no idea why her ANC is so low. Please pray that her numbers elevate again.

Other than a low ANC, Naomi is doing quite well. She has been enjoying Hula and Karate lessons, and spending her days at home with her mother, Nina. Nina has been working with Naomi on a preschool curriculum for about an hour per day. The family is looking into programs which provide in home instruction for up to 2 hours per day with a professional instructor. There are programs on the city, county and state level that provide such services for sick children.

On a happy note, Naomi is so excited about her hair returning that she’s taken it upon herself to style her hair. Earlier this week, she poured 1/2 of a bottle of hair oil onto her hair, and just yesterday she followed it up with 1/2 of a bottle of hair gel. Maybe we have a future stylist in the family!

Here are photos of Naomi in Hula class: