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| Connor is seven years old. He loves all Super Heroes, riding his bike and dueling with toy swords and light sabers. His favorite color is green. His favorite foods are pizza, shrimp and s'mores. Connor is such a good boy! His proud parents are Tait and Joy Cruse. Connor is little brother to Mackenzie, age 10, and big brother to Carson, 5 and Mason, 2. On May 15 2005, after periodically complaining of a mild tummy ache for two weeks, Joy took Connor to the hospital. She was worried Connor might have appendicitis, since she did as a young girl. After a day of tests, Joy and Tait were stunned to learn Connor was very sick. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid tumors of early childhood usually found in babies or young children. The disease originates in the adrenal medulla or other sites of nervous tissue. The most common site is the abdomen (near the adrenal gland). Most patients, including Connor, have widespread disease at diagnosis. Connor is currently undergoing treatment at Children's of Houston. His current treatment protocol means he goes to Houston every six weeks or so for several days. |
Link to Relay article: http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/index.php?
option=com_content&view=article&id=6750:400-for-400-relay-hits-deep-valley-road&catid=28:nc-
local&Itemid=90
- Great news! We have the results from the scans. Stable.
Unchanged. The cat scan said even a little smaller. My take
on that is the old dead tumor is shriveling up even more.
Thank you for your faithful prayers. I'm convinced your
prayers have made the difference in Connor's outcome.
- "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised his faithful." Hebrews 10:23
The doctor noticed that Connor's blood count is a little lower
this time than last time in March. His platelets have dropped
from 110,000 to 64,000. His white count and red blood count
have dropped slightly also.
coughing virus and a stomach virus. This can lower his counts. It could be the low dose
chemotherapy is becoming toxic to his weak bone marrow. It's been thru a lot in the last 3
years. Another possibility is the disease is back in the bone marrow. Because the disease is
not spreading, I don't believe this is the case. We will re-test his blood in a few weeks and
we'll go from there.
If his counts don't come back up, we may have to lower his dosage of chemo or take him off
of it altogether. At first, these options are quite scary for me. Connor is finished with his
Zometa (osteoporosis drug) for now. Zometa keeps the bone disease from spreading, but
they limit the number of infusions to 12. Right now, Connor is only taking the low dose oral
chemo. If he cannot take the chemo anymore, he will not be on any treatment. There are
new trials coming up, but nothing ready for Connor now. It may be years until they are ready.
I feel like Connor would be left very vulnerable to the disease. He will be left without a safety
net.
At second glance, taking Connor off the chemo may be an answer to prayer?? We've been
praying specifically for God's guidance in Connor's treatment. When do we stop the chemo?
The doctors and I don't feel comfortable stopping it right now. It is a safety net in place. What
if Connor is forced to stop taking the chemo? Maybe this is our leap of faith. Maybe God is
saying trust me. When we were on the fence about whether Connor should have the surgery
in NY, it was all dependent on his platelets. I prayed specifically that the answer would be
clear based on Connor's platelets. His platelets dropped even more and NY cancelled the
surgery indefinitely. To the doctors in NY, this was detrimental to Connor, but I looked at it as
an answer to our prayer. God was guiding us.
Over the past three years, I have learned that God takes us down many unforeseen roads,
unexplained directions and confusing paths. To our limited view, it is all perplexing. But, God
never does anything the way our simple minds imagine.
We are studying Joshua in our Sunday School class right now. Can you imagine what the
Israelites thought when God told them to just walk around the city of Jericho and the walls
would fall. I'm sure it sounded crazy to them, but God wanted to take them on a path that
would give Him the most glory. It was a crazy, unforgettable and questionable plan, but He
worked it out! Connor has definitely not taken the "right" path according to all the
doctors/surgeons. His path has been swerving, confusing and unique. But, maybe that is the
best path of all. One that only has answers in God's strength, His healing abilities and His
Sovereignty.
My request to you is that you would pray for GOD'S DIRECTION. HELP US VIEW THIS LOW
BLOOD COUNT AS A ROAD SIGN SHOWING US WHERE TO GO. I KNOW THAT AS LONG
AS WE'RE ON GOD'S PATH, WE ARE GOING THE RIGHT WAY. THAT IS ALL THAT
MATTERS. WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THE TRADITIONAL PATH THAT THE "SPECIALISTS"
TELL US WE HAVE TO BE ON. WE JUST HAVE TO BE ON GOD'S PATH. PRAY FOR OUR
FAITH TO BE STRONG IF OUR "SAFETY NET" IS REMOVED.
Please pray for Grayson as he heals from his surgery that removed new spots that have
shown up and he starts chemotherapy again. Strength for his family!
Joy Cruse
NOTE: TEAM CONNOR is growing! We have an official board of directors, and have
received our non-profit status. Our 501(c)3 application is in process. This means
your donations to TeamConnor are tax deductible.
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| Watch the TEAM CONNOR Video at left |
Order a Connor prayer warrior bracelet below
| What is TEAM CONNOR? wmv file for windows users |
DID YOU KNOW? The CNCF (Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation) now has its very own home on YouTube. YouTube has selected the CNCF as one of the recipients of its Not for Profit channels. Click the CNCF graphic to view the video...it's very compelling. Connor is in it, he is the final child shown. ALSO, if you would like to order a Connor camo prayer warrior bracelet, and support TEAMCONNOR and childhood cancer research send check or money order for $10 to TEAMCONNOR, 12221 Merit Dr., Suite #1500, Dallas TX 75251 and specify sizes (child, adult medium, adult large) for up to three bracelets. Your donation will go to support research through the CNCF (the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation) |
