December 23rd - Chemo Treatment #15

Due to this being a holiday week Peyton had treatment on Thursday. Unfortunately, we were all very tired due to being at the hospital with Landon fairly late the night before. Landon was bitten on the hand by a friend's dog. He had to have x-rays, but thankfully no broken bones. Whew....we are very thankful for that! He probably would have needed stitches but doctors said they don't stitch up dog bites due to the risk of infection. Makes sense, so they put him on an antibiotic and here we are! We made it to Denver and through Peyton's treatment without a hitch. Due to La Veta Pass being closed on Thursday night we couldn't come home until Friday morning. We made it and had a wonderful Christmas Eve with family.
A friend of ours mentioned how rough it's been for us lately. She made the comment, "When it rains it pours I guess." Chuckling, I just responded, "At our house, it's been a constant, steady drizzle for months!" lol....... I can laugh, but ohhhh, there are days!!!

December 17th - Chemo Treatment # 14

This ended up being a really long weekend for all of us. Peyton had treatment on Friday and then started feeling a bit sick late Friday evening. He woke us up at 5:00am Saturday saying he was sick. We gave him more nausea medicine and shortly after that he started running a fever. We were planning on heading back to Alamosa, but decided to stay in Denver and see how he was feeling. His fever continued to rise and we ended up calling the doctor. Due to his fever being over 101 degrees, and it being a Saturday, we had to take him into the emergency room at Children's Hospital. We didn't have to wait long to see a doctor, but we had to wait for all the blood work to be done to make sure he didn't have an infection near the area where his mediport is. Thankfully, there wasn't an infection and the doctors just gave him a shot of antibiotics. A few hours later we were able to head back home. We decided to wait until the next day to return home to Alamosa. Peyton had another high fever in the middle of the night, but by the next day he was much much better. We stopped by the North Pole on the way home and visited Santa's workshops and rode some really fun rides! It was great for Peyton to finally think about something fun and get to do something outside of a hospital. This really got him excited for Christmas.

December 10th - Chemo Treament # 13

We made a very fast trip back and forth to Denver this last week. We left on Thursday after work. Peyton's treatment was 8:30 on Friday morning. We wrapped up with that at about noon, grabbed a quick bite of lunch and were on the road home. Peyton had his preschool Christmas concert at 7:00 Friday evening and we wanted to make it back for that. He was so excited. He was singing the songs on the way home! It was adorable. We made it home at 5:45pm despite Landon getting carsick on the way home in Colorado Springs. Charlie and I tag teamed getting Landon undressed, clothes changed, car seat cleaned up and we were back on the road in no time! We are getting quicker with all that. It's amazing all the new "talents" you acquire in parenthood. Ha! Ha! Anyway we made it to the concert and all was well! Life is good..........
We'll travel to Denver the next 3 weekends. Hopefully we can squeeze in a little fun time for the kids and not be so rushed. That's my goal.

November 19th - Chemo Treatment #12

Happy to report that Friday's treatment was great and uneventful. We are happy to spend the next 2 weekends at home and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with our family. Can't wait!! Ohhh......how so many of us take "just being home" for granted! I will never do that again!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

November 12th - Chemo Treatment #11

Another treatment down! Friday was a long day for Peyton. We first saw the eye doctor and then went off to chemo. His vision hasn't changed (thank goodness) but he still can't see things very far away. Not sure what will happen after treatment is over for Peyton in September 2011, but I'm sort of expecting doctors to say he'll need glasses. ? Guess we'll see......
Chemo went well this time around. Fairly uneventful.......We are all excited to only have one more weekend in Denver and then we get to spend 2 weeks at home!!!! Can't wait!
Our drive to Denver was a bit scary this time around as the roads were really icy on Thursday night. But Charlie is a great driver and we just took our time and made it there safe and sound. The kids slept most of the way. I don't like winter driving in Colorado!

November 5th - Chemo Treatment #10

The weeks are flying by and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. I'm happy to report that Thanksgiving week is the beginning of our 2 weekends at home! Yay! We are so very excited for a few days off together and for the chance to be home. Still trying to decide what our plans are for Thanksgiving Day but we'll see......road trip??? stay home???
Last week's treatment went well for Peyton. He breezed right through. The drive there was a bit crazy....we decided to go through the canyon (in between Salida and Canyon City) and Peyton, Landon and I all ended up very car sick. (So sad to report both boys seem to have inherited my tendency to get sick while traveling very curvy roads!) Landon was the only one who actually threw up before we stopped for a little break. Peyton and I would have followed soon I'm sure! The fresh air really helped us out though. Well that, and the break we took to Wal-Mart to go and purchase another drier and cleaner car seat for Landon! I look back at Charlie as he's installing the new car seat and he's laughing. I said, "Why are you laughing? What could possibly be funny at a time like this? Did you not see the amount of throw up in that seat?? How are we ever going to get that thing cleaned?" To which he replied, "Well, this sure makes for great memories, doesn't it?" After that I was laughing too! I guess it does.....in some strange bizarre way! :)

October 29th - Chemo Treatment #9

Another week has passed by...Friday was a really long day. We arrived at the hospital at 6 am for Peyton's MRI. Then after that he went for his chemotherapy treatment. He was very tired after the MRI and wasn't yet able to walk on his own due to the anesthesia. The seventh floor of the hospital is where he gets chemo and it was all decorated for Halloween. The kids could go to all the different rooms trick-or-treating. We took both of the boys around to see all the different rooms and decorations. All the nurses and doctors were dressed up; it was really great! By the end of the treatment Peyton was able to really move around and have a little bit of fun.
The oncologist was gone on Friday, but she did look at the MRI and reported back to us that things are looking good. The size of the tumors haven't changed yet but they are looking different. The contrast (the way they show up on the MRI) is different due to the chemotherapy. It is our hope that maybe the next MRI will reflect a change in size, but we'll take any news that sounds like good news!!
Peyton was sick on the drive home. We had to stop to give him little breaks and just some fresh air. They increased his chemo this time around. Doctors said he has gained height and weight. I think the increase in chemo was the reason for the nausea and throwing up. He was sick yesterday too and had to be picked up early from preschool. He really tries hard to hang in there as long as he can, but some days he just can't make it....darn it! As I've said before he really dislikes missing preschool! We gave him his medicine, he took a good nap and felt better by late afternoon.
We were excited to be home on Sunday and take the kids trick-or-treating. Peyton made a great firefighter and Landon was an adorable Woody (from ToyStory). We all had a great time. It's those little things that make life truly great!!!! Watching the kids (yes, Landon too) trick-or-treating was so much fun! These are wonderful memories.....

October 8th Chemo Treatment #8

The last chemo treatment went well. We walked out of the hospital knowing we would have the next 2 weekends off. It's been great being at home and catching up on things. We took a trip up to the Sand Dunes last weekend and packed a picnic lunch. It was beautiful! The boys had alot of fun. This weekend we are just staying home and doing things around the house; various construction projects we've had started for awhile but don't seem to have the time to finish.
Peyton is doing very good! He actually got to go to preschool yesterday since we were home on a Friday. He's sad to miss the Fall Party at school next Friday, but we'll make sure and have a fun Halloween night planned for him!
We go back to the hospital on October 29th. We have to be there at 6:00am. Peyton is scheduled for an MRI, and then chemo right after that. Doctors also wanted us to try and work in a vision appointment after all that, but I said absolutely not. He's only 4! How much can a four year old be expected to deal with in one day? We rescheduled for November 12th. It's hard enough on him to have 2 appointments in one day, I can't imagine 3! It'll all work out, but 8+ hours at the hospital is too much for anyone......
We are feeling a bit anxious about the MRI. Not sure what to expect or when we'll be informed of the results. Guess we'll just have to wait and see......
The mountains officially have snow. Not looking forward to these trips when the weather starts getting yucky! How can it be that we are talking about snow and winter???? Bye for now.

October 1st - Chemo # 7

Whew Hooooo! One more week of treatment for Peyton and then we'll have 2 weekends at home! We can't wait! All went well last time. Again, some mild nausea but nothing too bad. At least there wasn't any throwing up. We met some new kids and families and heard their stories. It was nice to get to know some new friends. Everyone has a story, but the fact remains that these are great kids that are mature beyond their years because of what life has dealt them. All of them have such great attitudes! They are embracing life to the fullest extent! We can all learn lessons from them. We wish everyone the best with their upcoming surgeries and treatments!
I do want to brag on Peyton a little.....he's usually very scared when the nurses access his mediport. It typically involves a lot of screaming! Not because it hurts necessarily, but because he's scared! Understandable!! But this time he sat on my lap, held onto my hands, and didn't scream once! He sat still and let the nurses do what they had to do to get him set up!. Way to go, Peyton! I'm so proud of you!!! I love you, angel bug!!! Hopefully it will continue to get easier for him.

September 24th - Chemo #6

Another week of treatment has come and gone and the next one is two days away. Wow! The time is sure flying by quickly, and each week it seems to get crazier and crazier! I'll be honest there are times when I'm not sure whether I'm coming or going. Trying to keep up with teaching, being a mom and wife, and all the household chores etc, sometimes it's tough. But, as I've said before, we are thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives and we just take one day at a time. I know that's what we all do right? So very many people have stepped up to help out: my mom has been helping with cooking and cleaning, some friends have been contributing meals, and I have lots of friends that let me "vent" once in awhile when I'm in need of a shoulder to cry on. Thank you all!
Peyton had a bit more nausea this time around. He and Charlie had tickets to the Broncos/Colts game on Sunday but didn't get to stay long because Peyton started feeling sick. They ended up leaving in the 1st quarter. By the time we started heading for home Peyton was complaining of a stomachache and he was looking really pale. He threw up twice, but again the anti-nausea medicine is great and works super fast. A bit of medicine, and a good nap on the drive home, and he was all better. He complained Monday of a stomachache, but he still wanted to go to preschool. Thankfully it's manageable with the medicine. He never wants to miss preschool! He's great today! He's off at school and having a fabulous day I'm sure! He has 2 more Friday treatments before he gets 2 weeks off. I can't believe October is right around the corner. He'll have an MRI on October 29th. Not sure what to expect....I do wonder if the chemo will already have made the tumors shrink or if it's too early to notice any changes. ? Guess we'll find out....

September 17th - Chemo Treatment #5

What a busy weekend! I think we are still recovering from a wonderful, but crazy weekend. We took Peyton for his chemo on Friday. He was very anxious about his treatment this week. He actually started worrying about it on Thursday and saying he didn't want to go. I knew it was going to be rough because of having the prior 2 weeks off. He was really nervous by the time we got to the hospital on Friday. He cried quite a bit and it took a few of us to hold his arms and legs still, but we got the IV going and then he was fine. The doctors are really patient and do a wonderful job of trying to make him comfortable. The numbing cream we put over the port helps him not to feel anything, but the feeling of pressure gets to him and makes him uneasy. I understand that! He then went and did some activities with other patients (kids) and played games with the Creative Arts therapist on duty. She's wonderful and the kids love her! As I've said Children's Hospital is the best! Landon usually hangs out in the playroom and enjoys all the toys and books.
Peyton did really great with treatment this week. No side effects! Yay!
The Rally 4 Peyton Benefit was on Saturday so we drove home after Peyton was finished with chemo. We were up bright and early Saturday morning for the 5K walk honoring Peyton. It was a beautiful day and lots of people came. Estimates have been between 200-240 walkers! That's amazing! Later that night there was a wonderful dinner and auction to wrap up the day. Not sure how many people were there; I'll post a count as soon as I hear. I can say this...there were ALOT of people and we all had a great time! What an awesome community this is! So many people worked hard to put the Benefit together and we are very thankful for that! We'll never forget that day.
I love you, Peyton Shay!

August 30th Update

Well, chemo treatments 3 and 4 went really well. Peyton was really sick on the day of the 3rd treatment, August 20th. We all had some sort of stomach bug I think. It passed through all of us. He was throwing up and he just felt miserable. If we all hadn't had the same thing he did, I might have been worried about it being from the chemo. After about 24 hours we all started feeling a bit better. Thank goodness! No fun when you all get sick!! No complaints after that from Peyton.
This past Friday, August 27th, was successful too. He did really great and hasn't had any problems.
He's started preschool and loves that! I'm so excited to see how happy he is on those days! Those teachers at Trinity are AMAZING!!! He loves you all.....
We are so very excited to be able to spend the next two weekends at home without having to travel to Denver! Yay! We stopped at Kohls for a little "back to school shopping" on Saturday. When asked how he was doing by the young female clerk Peyton responded, "Good! I don't have to have my chemo for 2 weeks!" She was speechless and didn't really know what to say. I explained to her that yes he receives chemo once a week in Denver and he's really excited to get to stay home for awhile. Seemed simple enough to me!! She didn't really know what to say to that. I guess you don't have too many 4 year olds saying they are just glad to stay home and not have go through a chemotherapy treatment!! He's such a big boy and really handles this all so well.
One of the nurses at the hospital asked him what his little brother's name was. Peyton said, "That's Wandon! He's a trooper!"
We all laughed......I think they are both troopers!!! I guess we've said that a time or two! Out of the mouths of babes, right??

August 19th

Tomorrow is chemo treatment number three for Peyton. This week wasn't bad by any means, but I did notice a few changes in Peyton. He was off the nausea medicine for a couple of days but we had to put him back on due stomachaches. He didn't throw up, but just complained of his stomach hurting. His color was also a bit more pale this week and he had dark circles under his eyes. This wasn't constant, but it did correlate to him saying he wasn't feeling too good. Honestly, his energy level and overall well-being is great! I'm thankful for that! I just hope he continues to stay strong.
The last couple of days have been difficult as I've returned to work. I missed my boys sooo much today!! However, Peyton is excited to start back to preschool next week, and I'm so happy he has that to look forward to!!
I'll update after tomorrow's treatment. Off to bed I go......

August 13th- Chemo and Audiologist Appts..

Friday's appointments went great, just a long day. We were at Children's Hospital for 7 hours. Peyton did his chemotherapy first and then we met with an audiologist. Peyton passed his hearing test and the doctor said he could hear even the highest of pitches. That's good news! The doctor said she treats several kids who have experienced permanent hearing loss from chemotherapy and doesn't want this to be the case for Peyton. There are no guarantees though, so we'll have to monitor this on a very regular basis. She suggested we do the hearing tests on our weeks off from chemo (Peyton has 4 weeks of chemo on Fridays and then two weeks off) but we explained how far it is to drive to Denver, and how we will very much enjoy those 2 weeks off! We agreed to do the tests on the same day as his chemo treatments. We both know these will be long days for him, but it's better than driving back up there during one of those weeks off each month! Not sure how frequently he'll be tested. The doctor wanted time to consult with the oncologist first and then they'll let us know.
Peyton feels great! He said his stomach was hurting last night, but it was time for his nausea medication. No complaints after taking that...thank goodness! He seems to be doing well this morning. We are headed to the park soon! So far so good.....
He's very excited to get back into preschool and I'm excited for him! He loves preschool and being around the other kids! I just can't believe it's that time already. :)

August 12th

Back we go to Denver tomorrow for Peyton's 2nd chemo treatment. He had no side effects with the first round and we are thankful for that. We will continue to hope this is how it goes each week. Peyton will also see an audiologist tomorrow to get a hearing test. One side effect of chemo is hearing loss. The doctors will monitor this on a regular basis to make sure this isn't the case for him. Hopefully all will go well tomorrow.

I've been going back to my classroom a little bit this week. I can't believe it's time for school to start. It's hard to actually talk to people in person about all this; I find I am much stronger over the phone or by email/text messages. I do find comfort and strength in my coworkers though, and appreciate all of their kindness and support.
I'll update tomorrow.

1st Day of Chemotherapy

Today Peyton had his first chemotherapy treatment. He did so great! What a brave boy he has been over the last few days. We are so proud to be his parents! His attitude through everything has been amazing; even when he's tired and "just wants to go home." He didn't have any side effects today. However, he could still have symptoms over the next few days. Doctors did give him nausea medicine for his stomach just in case he experienced any discomfort, but so far he's done great! Doctors did inform us that even if he does fine with this week's treatment that's really no indication of how next week's treatment will go. Each week could be different. He might not have symptoms this time around but could the next. Darn!! I guess we'll take each week as they come and pray for him to just bounce back each time. Hopefully the medicine will do what it's supposed to do and this won't be a huge issue for him.

Peyton didn't complain at all today about his incision where they placed the port. The only time he even gave it much attention was when the nurse ask him to raise his arms up high and he realized he couldn't do that with his left arm very easily; he felt a little tugging on the inision I'm sure. I saw him squint just a bit, but that was all. What a big boy....

We are so very excited to be heading back home tomorrow. We've been in Denver since Friday. Can't wait to return to normal life for a few days. We don't have to be back until the 13th. Our schedule is 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Meaning Peyton will receive treatment once a week, for 4 weeks ,and then he'll have 2 weeks off with no treatment. This will continue for the next year.

Day 1

So today was the first day of a year long journey we are about to embark upon. Today Peyton had the mediport put in so that he can receive the chemotherapy each week. We arrived at the hospital at our scheduled time of 10:15 am. Surgery was scheduled for 12:00 but was delayed about an hour. By 1:00pm Peyton was very tired and hungry; he hadn't had anything to eat at that point in 15 hours. We were beginning to get a little anxious but shortly after 1:00 they came to get him. I was able to go in with him until he was completely asleep and then I left to wait with Charlie and Landon. The surgery took a little over an hour and then we moved into the recovery room with him. Everything seems to have went well. It was just a really long day. All total we ended up being there for 9 hours. The doctors, nurses and staff at Children's Hospital are sooo amazing! They take such great care of kids....
Tomorrow will be Peyton's first round of chemo. It will start at 1:00 and should last about 3 hours doctors say. I'm glad today is over.......we will all probably sleep well tonight.

Update

On Monday, Peyton will be getting a Implantable Vascular Access Port, or Mediport
device implanted under his skin so that medications (in his case chemotherapy treatments) may be delivered directly into his blood system. On Tuesday, he will receive his first chemotherapy treatment. We know he will continue to be the big spirited little boy we have all come to know and love. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

If you are interested in attending a benefit dinner and silent Auction to help raise money for Peyton's medical fund, please read previous blogs.

Thank you.

Peyton Sanchez Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction

The Following Post has been copied from the facebook note sent out by Kyle Woodward, a very close friend of Peyton's family:

Peyton is the four year old son of Charlie and Sheila Sanchez and the older brother of Landon Sanchez. Unfortunately, Peyton has been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis! Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder that disrupts cell growth in your nervous system, causing tumors to form on nerve tissue. These tumors can occur anywhere in the nervous system, including in your brain, spinal cord, and large and small nerves.

A few tumors have formed in Peyton's body, the most serious being on his optic nerve. This tumor will require Peyton to go through chemotherapy. Beginning July 30th and for the next year ahead, the Sanchez family will have to make numerous trips to Childrens Hospital in Denver, which is where Peyton will undergo his chemotherapy treatments. In order to help the Peyton and his parents with the medical bills, Michelle, myself and a few awesome friends (Amy and Jose Ortega, Jen and Tom Cliff) have organized a benefit dinner and silent auction. This event will take place at Ortega Middle School in Alamosa, CO on September 18th from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Tickets for the dinner will be $10.00 for Adults and $5.00 for children under 12 years old. Tickets can be purchased from myself (719) 580-6666, Michelle (719) 580-1520, or Everything Wireless in Alamosa. Please help Peyton by joining us for the dinner, as well as spreading this info to as many people as possible. Also, we are currently looking for items for the silent auction. Any kind of donation (meals, golf trips, sports memorabilia, artwork,etc...) will be greatly appreciated!

A bank account for Peyton has also been set up at San Luis Valley Federal in Alamosa. Donations can also be made to this account. I do not yet have all of the details on this account. As soon as I get the bank account info, I will post it on this page.

Finally, We are working on having a 5K run for Peyton on the morning of September 18th. Look for more details on this in the very near future.

Thank you in advance to everybody that contributes to helping the Peyton and the Sanchez family!

Kyle

Peyton's Prognosis

At Peyton's most recent oncology appointment, the Doctor decided that Peyton should start chemotherapy for the tumors on his optic nerves. Doctors are certain the tumors are affecting his vision considerably. This will hopefully prevent any further vision loss.

Peyton's family will be making weekly trips to Denver to take Peyton to his appointments.If you would like to know more about NF, click on the following link for the Children's Tumor Foundation. http://www.ctf.org/