Live Music

Michael is going to be doing a live performance of all the songs on "Songs in the Night", along with some other music, on Saturday June 6th. If you are in the Greensboro area, we would love to see you. The concert is at 7pm at Hope Chapel (1825 Spring Garden St) and it's free. There will be a great band, including string quartet. Hope to see you there!

Saturday, June 6 at 7:00pm
Hope Chapel
1825 Spring Garden St
Greensboro, NC 27403

Video of Watts Ringing the Bell

We passed another treatment milestone yesterday as Watts got his final chemo infusion at Brenner.  It was a happy, happy morning and Watts got to ring the bell surrounded by his beloved nurses and doctors. We are so proud of our little superman. He now has only ten days left of chemo at home (steroids, MTX, and 6-mp).

Our dear friend Alisa came with us (I got to be with her when she rang her own chemo bell!) and took pictures and surprised us with this video:

The long awaited bell-ringing.

Tomorrow we go to Brenner for Watts' last dose of Vincristine. After his appointment, Watts will get to ring the bell in the clinic to commemorate his last chemo infusion at Brenner!

We are playing it up big for Watts and are all going to wear his favorite Superman shirts. After tomorrow, he will head into his last week of steroids and then a week of another oral drug that he takes at home. On May 29th, he will be done with treatment! Twelve more days to go.

Last Month of Treatment (in pictures)

These may not necessarily be in order, but I wanted to post some pictures for those of you who don't follow me on Instagram. Watts has been a trooper the last month and is currently only 17 days away from ending treatment (!!!). He has no clue what that means, but we are starting to talk about it more and are counting down the days for him.

Waiting to see Watty's doctors a couple weeks ago.

He's "spraying all the monsters" with the tube accessing his port. 

Waiting for Watts to wake up from his last lumbar puncture. 

Having a rough time waking up from sedation.

Steroid days call for staying in pjs...

And pasta for breakfast...

And lots of snuggles.

Papa-loving (and done with second to last round of steroids).

He always sleeps with a car...Lightening McQueen preferably.

His hair is so long that we have to put it in a man-bun to keep it out of his eyes. 

 IVIG transfusion. [He's napping, not sedated.]

Counting down and celebrating each milestone and chemo dose.

A rare family picture!

Songs in the Night available now

About a month ago, I (Michael) released "Songs in the Night", a recording of seven songs I wrote during the past two years of Watts' treatment. I know that lots of you pre-ordered it, making it possible to record the album... thank you! For those of you who didn't and are interested in getting a copy, I wanted to give you the links. I'm proud of how it turned out– in the sort of way one is proud of a scar; because it tells a story. Our story and, in many ways, your story, too.

What I mean is that many of you have cared for and walked with us during these two years, so you are part of Watts' story. But of course, suffering and struggle are inevitable– something that binds us together as human beings– and so these songs tell your story, too.

You can download the album on iTunes and Amazon. Or, if you want a physical copy (which also includes the download), you can get in on my Bandcamp site.

I hope the songs encourage you. If there's someone you know who might like to hear them, please pass on the links or let me know. I would love to send them a copy. I'm also working on some plans to play these songs live and will let you know as that develops.

Invite to Watts' End of Treatment Party!

As a family, we would LOVE to invite everyone that has supported and prayed for Watts (and our whole family) during this cancer journey to help us celebrate his end of treatment! We have been sustained and held up by the love, prayers and support of so many and we would love for everyone to be there for his special day. From meals brought to us during hospital stays, to tabs covered by sweet neighbors at restaurants on the corner, to checks slipped to us to help with medical bills, to the team of people who moved us last year, to late night texts of encouragement, to the hundreds and thousands of prayers lifted up for our family... the list could go on and on with how we have been cared for during the last two years. We are forever grateful and consider you all part of Watts' support team!

Party Details:

His actual last day of treatment is May 29th and we want to gather around him on that day as he takes his last oral dose of chemo.

We have reserved Shelter #1 at Burmil Park starting at 5pm. At 6pm, with all of us watching, Watts will take his last chemo syringe (!!!). After that we can just fellowship and play.

***Please bring your own picnic dinner (and lawn chairs/blankets). We will have cake and drinks. [There is also a volleyball court and horseshoe court if you want to bring balls and horseshoes to play.]

***Please do not bring sick children or come if you are sick. Watts' immune system is (and will continue to be for a couple months) compromised from the chemo. If you are questioning whether you or your kids should come, feel free to shoot me an email: hannahvanpatter@gmail.com.

***If it rains, we will gather at Hope Chapel. 

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One more thing... Please extend a lot of grace to me (and Michael too, most likely, but I won't speak for him) on the day of the party and in the months to come. I am approaching the day with a lot of joy as well as a lot of emotions. If you come to the party and have prayed faithfully for us for two years but haven't had a chance to tell us since he was diagnosed, please try to grab us and let us know! Just be gracious and understanding if we seem distracted or out-of-sorts.

Cancer has been a marathon journey. While we are so very, very thankful for Watts' life and want to celebrate his big day, we also bring a lot of weariness and sadness with us; physical and emotional weariness from the last two years and deep sadness for those in our cancer family who will not be celebrating the end of treatment with their sweet babies. We ache so badly for them... and, at the same time, want to honor them by celebrating every little moment before us, just as they did with their babies.

Thank you for being being gracious with me, Watts' mama,
and mark your calendars for Watts' big day!

Last LP

Tomorrow at 7:30am is Watts' last lumbar puncture. Ever, Lord-willing. I don't even know how many times he has had this procedure done, but it is enough that his scar tissue on his back hurts him sporadically every month and he knows where every wire and sensor goes on his little body as they prep him for the sedation. And this will be the last time! I can't even type that without tears coming to my eyes...

We're going to pull Piper out of preschool and take Watts to his appointment as a family. Lord willing, this will be the last time he will get chemo in his spinal fluid and the second to last time we will hold him as he is sedated and then hand him over for a procedure. The last time will be for his port removal surgery. This upcoming week will also be his second to last time on steroids. Praise Jesus!

Have I said that I am thankful for his little life lately? I can't seem to say it enough, it seems. To think of all that he has endured and gone through the last two years is simply remarkable.

While ending treatment on May 29th, 2015 is going to be a great celebration, we are also going to be heading into some unknown territory. We are going to put Watts' body to the test for the first time since May 2013, when he got so very, very sick and then was diagnosed with Infantile Leukemia. He has never been without chemo coursing through his body and, while we have hated the chemo-poison at times, we have also found great peace with him on it because it has kept his cancer away. And soon, very soon, we are going to stop treatment. We are going to celebrate. We are going to let his body rest and have his appetite return and begin to have a normal childhood (once his immune system kicks back in). And we are going to wait and see if all of the cancer is truly gone. One slow-developing, mutated white blood cell hiding in a crevice in his body could cause him to relapse. One cell. The first two years are crucial and after five years his team will consider him cured. He will be almost 8 years old when we will hear those words. 

We pray that there is not one single cancer cell left.

I say all that to share where we are. WE ARE THRILLED AND SO VERY THANKFUL FOR WHERE WE ARE. For where Watts is. We have this great thankfulness, we have our exhaustion, and we have our fears of the unknown... and all of these we carry as we march closer to May 29th.

Can you keep praying for our boy? For our hearts as we get ready for May 29th? 

We are thankful for the love and support of everyone over the last two years of our lives.