Wednesday, the 26th of September 2007

Hi All

We had a good Tuesday - We didnt sleep all that great Tuesday night but Deqlan caught up on some sleep during the day. We had a great Wednesday to and slept better last night , although Deqlan only fell asleep after 10 last night!

We have now finished the cisplatin and we are now having 24 hours of rehydration and then should be done by 1800 or so tonight - 8 down - 3 to go ! Cant believe this is our last hospital stay over - Deqlan has come through so much - i cant even begin to explain to you the panic attack i had the day Deqlan has to have his first drip put up and they couldnt find a vein so did it in his scalp - i thought that that was the worst thing ever - now when I look back at all the things Deqlan has gone through , the drip was a walk in the park.

You can see the cabin fever is now getting to our soldier he desperately wants to get outside the room and be on the floor and walk around, shame by boy only a few more hours!

I am so proud of you my beautiful boy , you are the bravest, courageous person i will ever know and you go through all of this and still manage to smile and laugh and bring such joy to our lives. We shall continue on this road with you and Dada and I will be by your side every step of the way . Our Lord is continuing his miracle and healing on you and he loves you so so so much. My heart overflows with the love and awe i have for you - you shall ALWAYS BE MY HERO AND INSPIRATION - I LOVE YOU SO VERY VERY VERY MUCH, YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING! You have tought me so much - dont sweat the small stuff - the greatest gift in life is spending precious time with each other - there is nothing more important then family - you have brought our entire family closer to The Lord. You make any cloudy day bright and you make me want to be a better Mama and better person. I love you my sweet heart so so so so much. God Bless you and continue to keep you from all harm

My Love, i think you are the most fantastic Dada and im know Deqlan does to. The smile on his face when you walk into the room is priceless - he laugh that comes from his belly when you tickle him is the best sound in the world. Thank you for taking such good care of us and for loving us the way you do. We shall continue to be there for each other and i look forward to so many many more happy memories together with us all. I know how busy and stressed you are at work and you still continue to be the great Dad and husband you are - thank you my love, we love you will all our hearts and souls . God continue to give you the strength and courage and renewed Faith each day , on this journey and always.

Thank you my amazing Mom, for being with us through this journey every step of the way, as you promised on the 25th of May - As i have always said you are Mark and my right hand and we love you and treasure you dearly. Deqlan loves you so very much and treasures every second he is in your arms as you sing to him or play with him or soothe him - thank you Mom for your absolute dedication and love for us - I couldnt continue to work without you helping me with Deqlan - thank you my Darling Mom- you are one of a kind and i am honored to call you Mom and Nanna! There is not one single day that has gone past without you being at the ward with us, looking after him at your house or even coming over weekends to give his much needed neupogen injections, even taking Deqlan while i was sick and needed to recover and protect Deqlan from getting sick - your dedication for us blows me away - thank you for sacrificing so much and for always putting Deqlan and Mark and I first. We love you beyond description.

Dee, without your help and love and support - none of this would be possible . No mountain is to big enough for you to move - when it comes to Deqlan you will move the Grand Canyon and this you have done and more - for also sacrificing and working so hard for us, for always putting us first - for not probem being to big to solve - to fixing all of Deqlans toys that he loves to take apart on a daily basis - thank you - thank you from the bottom of our hearts for looking after us and for spoiling us rotten. We love you so very very very much and are Blessed to have you in our lives. Deqlan loves you so much Grandpa and you are guaranteed to brighten up his day and bring a smile to his face when he sees you!

Megs and Conrad - for always popping in to check in on us whilst we have been at the ward for bringing us smiles and laughs and lunch! For all the phone calls of support and encouragement and above all prayers - Megs for arranging so many fundraising drives to help CHOC and others fighting this disease - you have a huge heart and always looking to see how you can help others - We love you guys with all our hearts and appreciate all your continued help and support .

All of our faithful families and friends - words are not enough to express our heartfelt thanks for your never ending prayers, support, phone calls, text messages, emails , posts - thank you from the bottom of our hearts - we love you all and cant wait to celebrate Deqlans victory over this disease some day soon! I cant wait to thank you each personally!

Koketso left the ward yesterday and looks great - he has lymphoma and it really took over the one side of his face - if you look at him now he looks like a normal beautiful little 4 year old - we think he is also coming to the end of his treatment plan.

Ruan is also here, he has ALL ( form of leukimia) and has anoth 18 months left of treatment - each month his Mommy , Yolandie , brings Ruan from Vanderbijl for at least 1 week at a time - and she is a single mom that cant work because of Ruan being sick. She is also very Blessed to have amazing parents that help her - treasure your parents , they are Blessings!

Ilse has just arrived and has told us this is her second last round so she is also coming to the end of her treatment- great news

Dr De Jager is happy with Deqlan over all and will see us back on 5 Oct at 0930 for our quick session of vincristine - its going to be wonderful to only come for a short while and not pack a huge bag, make that 3 huge bags to stay over - we wont have to try dance and sing and jump to prevent Deqlan from pulling his port needle out! How exciting - Thank you Lord for bringing us so far in this journey and for protecting and healing Deqlan every steop of the day. Thank you for giving us the shoes to walk this journey - without you I dont know where we would be.

Please pray for our special friend Kate in the US - she has completed her treatment and will be having scans and tests done the whole of next week to check on her progress and decide on the next step - we know you going to get excellent results Karen!

I shall also be putting up some photos from Nanas birthday as promised - she had a fantastic Birthday! We surprised her with a braai on Friday night and again on Saturday morning with a brunch! Nana said she had a lovely Birthday weekend and we ended off the celebrations on Saturday evening by attending a lovely mass together. Happy Birthday Mom and many more! We Love you! Enjoy your weekend away - you deserve the break!

Two more very important issues of the day

- those of you who would like to check in with the Dads on the loneliest road campaign you can check in on them and watch their latest heart wrenching video from the following link

http://www.graceoughtoncancerfoundation.org/loneliestroad/

- more funding needs to become available so that more research can happen to find a cure for neuroblastoma - we need to ask people that have influence that have the power to get something done about the absolute lack of funding and research on all paediatric cancers. As a start, please take a moment and write to Oprah requesting a show on Neuroblastoma, the signs of childhood cancer and appeals for more funding and education. if 1 email is sent it might be overlooked but if hundreds and thousands are sent the request can not be ignored.

the link

http://www.oprah.com/email/reach/email_showideas.jhtml?_DARGS=/email/reach/email_showideas.jhtml.1

Well, let me sign off for now i have given you a lot to read today. God Bless you all - those in Pretoria stay warm - cant believe its so cold today!

Lots of love

Mark, Samm & Deqlan

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE

BY JESUS STRIPES, DEQLAN IS HEALED!

Round 8 has begun

Hi All

Thanks again to you all for your extra prayers and support today they worked!Deqlans counts where good enough for us to go ahead with round 8. They are still on the low side, but still great to go ahead!

We have had vincristine, 3 hours pre hydration, currently on 24 hours cisplatin and then 24 hours post hydration.All going great except Deqlan trying to pull the needle out again - its defintiely because of the plaster that he is so allergic to - we even tried another plaster that the adults use that have allergies and he is still red and itchy - shame - only 2 more days my brave boy!

Deqlan was so brave while the needle was being inserted - he didnt even cry this time- what an amazing soldier he is!

The game plan is to come back on 5 October, 15 Oct an 25 Oct to have vincristine which only takes a few minutes to run in. Then we will have a mibg scan and ct scan round 6 and 7 Nov - then depending on those results we shall hear the plan from there on....please continue to pray for Deqlans total and permanent healing and for him to continue doing so well. Please also pray for all our friends fighting NB and all other cancers .

Sleep tight , hope to give lots more info tommorow as well as details of Nannas great Birthday weekend, but its time to go to bed and try and get some rest for tommorow!

Sacred Heart of Jesus we place Our trust in Thee all for Thee Oh Lord Oh My Jesus All for Thee

Lots of love
Mark, Samm & Deqlan

8th ROUND OF CHEMO COMMENCES TODAY

We are about to leave for admission to LCM Paediatric Oncology Unit, (with our precious Deqlan very appropriately dressed in camouflage attire for the "war" we will continue to fight this round). We ask that you lift our Deqlan, Samm and Mark up in prayer and continue in blessing them with your dedicated prayers and loving wishes. You will never know how much they mean to the whole family and how supportive and energizing they are, especially when "weariness" sets in. Samm will update the blog later with more news, but judging from the beautiful rosy cheeks, pink heels, and what remains of what is just a very slight cold, Deqlan's bloods should be in order for the 8th round to commence. This will be the last hospital "stay" of 2 nights and 3 days (since the remaining 3 chemo sessions will require only "day visits") so there is great reason to give our humble praise and most loving and grateful thanks to our Lord, the Great Physician, for His being with us every step of the way in our challenge, for His promises never to "forsake us" and His vow to reveal the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, and plans to give us hope and a future" (Jeremiah 19:23).

Posted by Nanna

Deqlan stood!

Had to quickly let you know that Deqlan stood all by himself for the first time tonight - was so wonderful to see - when I least expected it - i was chatting to Dee and turned to see what our monkey was doing and what do you know he was standing all by himself! Im so proud of him ! He is such a big boy now cant believe how quickly he has grown
Sleep tight
Love a very proud Mama Samm

Article from Citizen Newspaper on signs of childhood cancer

Thursday, the 20th of September 2007

Hi All
Thanks so much for your stunning messages for us to get well!
I think im on the mend - i pray i am - i still sound terrible but feeling a lot better today.
Deqlan slept over at Nana on Tuesday again as i still was not well and contagious - Mark and I came to have supper at Nanna & Grandpa so that we could be with Deqlan until he fell asleep
He came home last night, was wonderful to have the 'noise' back in the house ! I still wear a mask around him as i am still coughing at times so just to be sure, ill wear it for another day or two.
Deqlan seems to be fine, he sounds a little cloged up and has a runny nose at times, a slight cough - but nothing like it used to be , its much better so i think he is also on the mend please God. His bottom molars are completely out now so i dont think they are going to give any more hassle - the top ones still have a way to go - i can see the 'shell' is out but the middle bits still in the gum -shame they huge and must be so painful for my little soldier
It seems like a bot more of Deqlans hair has fallen out - or more thinning out but his eye lashes are still growing a little each day

Please continue to pray that Deqlans flu passes quickly and that i am completely 'fluless' so that we can go ahead with our last hospital round on tuesday and not re infect each other

Just heard from Megs, Conrad and her will be coming home 1 day earlier - Megs hasnt felt well at all the last two days she seems to have eaten something and has been very sick since - so we expect them back round 1900 tonight, shame hope you feel better soon my Meggie.

Its Nannas Birthday on Saturday 22 Sep so we look very forward to celebrating with her and hope to post some pics next week.

Mark is off to Sun City to pLay golf on Sunday and Monday so we will be catching up on some much needed sleep and visiting with Meggie and Nanna and of course, packing for our last hospital stay for the 8th round of chemo, please Dear Lord. After this we only have 3 day visits left for vincristine, this takes round 10 or 15 minutes to flow in and if i work the dates out correctly we shoUld be done by 28 October - we then need to do another MIBG scan to check on cancer cell activity , we pray Dear Lord that nothing lights up on this scan, and then a ct scan to check on the size, position etc of the tumor so we can discuss the surgery with the surgeon in detail.

Hope you are all well , please stay in touch and let me know how you are?

Thank you for all your continued prayers and support our loyal army !

Please continue to pray for all our friends that are battling NB and other paediatric cancers - please pray for more funding to become available for research and for a cure for this disease.

Everything is possible to those who BELIEVE
MARK 9; 23

LOTS OF LOVE
MARK, SAMM & DEQLAN

Monday, 17th of September 2006

More teeth have arrivd and the flu bug has hit us!

We spent most of the weekend trying to console our gorgeous boy who really had a tough time with the top molars coming through - he had moments of screaming and lots of crying - sleepless nights - they really really got to him this time. To top it all off, Deqlan had a runny nose, which turned into a cough as well as a high temperature - so we were really concerned he was getting sick. These symptoms definitely go hand in hand with the teeth to, so we waited it out and he seems much better this morning, just coughing alot - but - I woke up with a terribly sore throat, ears and blocked nose and i reall y felt terrible. Got to the doc and she has put me on antibiotics to try and prevent it getting worse.

To make 1000% sure Nanna and I took Deqlan to see doctor De Jager, i was so worried about him also getting sick. Thank Our Lord Dr was happy with Deqlan and just gave a cough syrup to help get all the yucky stuff out. We just need to watch him very carefully

Because im not well , Doc suggested that im not in contact with Deqs for a day or two until im less contageous - especially cause his immune system is low at the moment. So, our gorgeous boy is sleeping by Nanna tonight and im missing him terribly. I know that he is in the best place in the world to also get better in and he is going to have a ball tonight with Grandpa and Nanna. We just miss him so much - its so quiet at home - cant wait to get to him in the morning - praying im much much much better!

Please pray that Our Lord heals Deqlan and I from our flu and that we can stregthen our immune systems ! Please continue to pray that Deqlan continues to recieve his total and permanent healing. Please continue to pray for all our friends

Thank you army of family and friends we continue to fight this war head on!

We can do ALL THINGS through Christ that strengthens us
Sleep Tight God Bless
Mark, Samm & Deqlan

Friday the 14th of Sep

Hello All
Just a quick update to let you know Deqlan doing very well - his appetite still very good, his got great colour and lots and lots of energy - he wants to sit less and less and wants to walk more and more
He is thrilled to be at home crawling and walking and no one restricting him - its even a challenge to change Deqlans nappy - you got to be very very quick ! Its way to long to lie on his back to change him
Deqlans eye lashes seem to be growing back - he had the longest darkest gorgeous eye lashes i have ever seen - most of them fell out , but seem to becoming back - hardly any of this hair fell out ( touch wood) only a patch at the back of his head and the rest thinned quite a lot - its the most beautiful strawberry blond colour and with his green eyes... he melts our hearts - he is such a beautiful GIFT FROM GOD
We getting ready to watch the world cup rugby match tonight between south africa and london - go bokke !
Our friend Rene became an Aunt today to Cuan - congrats to Brett and Belinda and to your folks and to you my friend - may he bring you all lots of love and joy!
I have added a few more links on our site feel free to check them out
September is paediatric cancer awareness month in the USA and a lot is been done to raise more awareness in aid of more funds to find a cure for this beast - so please spread the word - the more awareness we can create the more chances of doors opening and cures being discovered! check out an amazing story of 5 dads travelling across America to raise money for their kids http://www.graceoughtoncancerfoundation.org/loneliestroad/index.html
Have a Blessed Weekend, please continue to pray for our gorgeous warrior and please continue to pray for our friends battling this and other cancers - Keira, Kate, Charli, both Connors, Ruan, Koketso, Miluska, Yolanda, Ilse, JP, Benny, Keagan, Nthabiseng , Henco, Jayden, Charlise,Precious,James, Eric, Raymond - and all the other soldiers and their families fighting this disease
Sacred Heart of Jesus we place our trust in Thee all for Thee Oh Lord, Oh My Jesus all for Thee
All our Love
Mark, Samm & Deqlan

Round 7

We had an early start this morning and had to be at Dr De Jagers rooms by 9am - Deqlan hardly made a peep whilst Doctor cleaned the area and inserted the porto cath needle - what he didnt like was being held down so that he couldnt pull the needle out! Everyone comented on how he has grown and how well he is looking! Deqlans blood work was great, his platelets up to 340 000, his Hb now 11 so all was well to go ahead with the 7th round

We have had our hands full today trying to keep our little soldier entertained u
as he is so much more active these days and wants to bounce and dance and crawl and walk all at the same time! Nanna was an absolute Blessing today, as she always is, she entertained our Deqlan while I tried to work.Nanna has the most amazing bag of tricks with new and never ending, entertaining toys and gadgets to keep Deqlan busy - we call it her Mary Poppins bag

We missed Meggie today so very much- her and Conrad have gone on holiday to the Eastern and Western Cape for 10 days - its their last holiday before their little nemo arrives so i think they are going to do a lot of relaxing and catching up on me time

We will be able to go home round 1700 or so tommorow afternoon, with another round under Deqlans belt - hooray! The next time is our last hospital stay and im so excited that the end of the treatment plan is finally within sight and reach. Our last hospital stay will be 25 - 27 Sep - then another 3 day visits before the surgery..so exciting

Deqlan is currently getting vincristine, etoposide, chlorophosphomide and rehydration - he is an absolute star and tolerating it very very well! His appetite is still great today and he now weighs 10kilograms - im so thrilled at this ! Finally seems to be picking up weight again

We got some great news today on our friend Charlise ( she had her primary tumor removed 2 weeks ago) the cells of what remains of the NB are mature and therefor no need for any further chemo or radiation at this stage - what fantastic news and Praise Our Lord, all Glory to Him!

Thank you for your continued messages, posts,emails , sms and calls - we really appreciate you ARMY - fighting together with Deqlan!

Please stay in touch, God Bless and sleep tight

Thank you Lord for getting us through this 7th round and we pray that you continue to heal Our Deqlan totally and permanently - we place all our trust in Thee

All our love
Mark, Samm & Deqlan

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO DEQLAN

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST COURAGEOUS, THE BRAVEST, THE CUTEST, THE MOST ADORABLE AND LOVABLE GORGEOUS BOY IN THE WORLD, DEQLAN!

I am so proud of you today by boy - you even look older to me - like a big boy now ! Overnight you have changed from the most beautiful tiny baby that was placed in my arms a year ago to the most gorgeous 1 year old. I remember the exact second you were placed in my arms, the music that was playing, even the sound of your first cry , the look in your Dada's eyes the first time he held you - you sneezed and we both laughed saying you already took after your Dad that sneezes in bright light! You changed our worlds in an instant - you made things more meaningful , the sun shone brighter, the world was definitely a happier and more brilliant place to be in. I thanked Our Lord for choosing us to be your parents and we promised to love and treasure you each second of each day of each year. You have grown into the most amazing soul - your laughter brings us to laughter without fail, your smile melts our hearts and when you hug and kiss us - thats THE BEST FEELING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD- NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THAT! You have tought us so much - to be brave and strong and true and that the true meaning of happiness is in our family and that love and the love of Our Lord can get us through anything - you are our hero , our inspiration , our motivation, our beautiful Deqlan Ross Higgins and we love you more then what we could ever ever explain in words. We promise to always guide and protect you and show you the path The Lord has set out for you - we promise to always love and treasure you and to teach you all the good and important things we have learnt about life. You are loved by SO MANY and you have already changed SO MANY peoples lives for the better.I Know our Lord has such an amazing plan for you - and a plan that ONLY YOU can carry out. You are such a special boy - we knew that you where no ordinary boy right from the start - we knew there was something extraordinary about you Our Darling Deqlan. Always, always know how much we love you and that we will ALWAYS ALWAYS be here for you. I know Our Lord is going to continue healing you totally and permanently and we look so forward to many many many more Happy Birthdays together. You are our inspiration. We love you so very very much, all our love and God Bless You Our Darling Deqlan

Dada and Mama

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

We had a FANTASTIC DAY! Deqlan was awake at 3am this morning - he mustve known it was his Birthday and was probably to excited to sleep - we eventually got him back to sleep and he awoke at 7 this morn. He was greeted by a Birthday cake and candle surrounded by presents, balloons and streamers! Deqlan was definitely more interested in his Tigger bowl and emptied his cake out onto the carpet so he could see his Tigger! We then had a lovely breakfast of French toast that Mark prepared and Deqlan loved every bite!

Great Grandpa, Nana & Grandpa and Meggie all popped in again today to wish the Birthday Boy! More Happy Birthdays where sung and more cake was eaten! Deqlan had a great day playing with all his new toys and watching all his dvds. We even got him to eat an entire serving of food by sitting in his tricyle watching his dvds - we are so impressed he is eating so much better. Deqlan stood by himself for a few seconds today and is definitely getting braver in the steps he is taking so we definitely think that walking is around the corner.

Thank you SO MUCH to all of you for the most amazing sms's, phone calls, emails , posts and prayers to Deqlan on his big day - we are truly Blessed to have the amazing family and friends we do - thank you all - you made Deqlans day so very special and im sure if he could thank you each personally he would! We even got a phone call from Dr De Jager, Deqlans oncologist , to wish him - what an AMAZING man this is it really touched my heart.

So, back to the business of fighting this NB war - round 7 kicks off tomorow morning at 9 - only 1 night stay, should be able to leave on Thursday round 1600. Please continue to pray that the chemo does its job, that Deqlan has no side effects and that we can keep him comfortable and entertained while in the ward. Please continue to pray for his total and complete healing and that Our Lord continues to work his miracale through Dr De Jagers hands. Please also continue to pray for all Our Friends that are sick and need Our Lords healing, comfort and strength.

Have a great day and promise to give an update as soon as i am able to and in the ward

Sacred heart of Jesus, we place our trust in Thee all for Thee Oh Lord, oh My Jesus all for Thee

God Bless and all our Love

Mark, Samm & Deqlan

THE PARTY!

THE BIRTHDAY TRAIN WE CREATED
MY DOGGY TRICYLE FROM GRANDPA AND NANNA

MY BALLS IN A SHELL FROM MEGGIE AND CONRAD

PARTY TIME!

ALL PARTYIED OUT!

HOORAY FOR NODDY!

MY FEET IN THE CAKE!

MY RED CAR FROM GRANNY AND GRANDPA


WHAT A STUNNING DAY IT WAS!

The day started off with Great Grandpa coming to wish Deqlan!Great Grandpa and Nan bought Deqlan the most gorgeous clothes - the one set has helicopters on the t-shirt and as you all know, he just LOVES helicopters. Grandpa even helped me put up the balloons - it was Deqlans nap time but i think there was just to much excitement for him to go to sleep!

Then Grandpa and Nanna arrived with the most beautiful tricycle - Deqlan was in his element- it even sings How much is that Doggy in the window while his eyes and ears move up and down. Thank you so much Mom and Dee, you spoil rotten. Meggy and Conrad arrived with a sea shell full of colourful balls which Deqlan immediately wanted to get into - we also found the cutest Noddy pjs and Baby Einstein cards,tele tubbys dvd and Noddy toys! Thank you guys he LOVES all his presies. Next was Granny and Tyler and Gaynor - they arrived with a red sports car - it even goes forwards and reverses, has lights and a hooter - even a phone in the car - to cute for words! We also got some lovely pjs and books! Thanks very much Aunty Rene and Uncle Quintin, he will have many happy hours driving his car. Tyler and Gaynor kept Deqlan busy opening lovely clothes, stacking rings and shape sorters, even a music centre - with a dj mixing area- thanks so much guys you know how much he loves his music.Mike and Sandi spoilt Deqlan rotten - we are going to go shopping for something very special , thank you! We also recieved a surprise present from Reese, Theresa and Rob - the cutest musical animals - thank you so much, what a stunning surprise and Deqlan has been loving all the noises and songs!

After everyone had arrived little Deqlan was way over tired and fell asleep in Nannas arms, to be put down in his camp cot, to sleep in the lovely breeze for over 2 hours!

When Deqlan woke up we sang Happy Birthday and cut our Noddy cake! Before we got to singing Deqlan decided he wanted to feel what cake under his feet felt like and walked and the cake - he had us in buckets of laughter, its a moment i will never forget!

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with all the stunning gifts he recieved and playing with the dogs at a distance.

A lovely day was had by all, especially Deqlan - he even got some sun and has lovely rosy cheeks to prove it.

Forgot to mention, when Deqlan and I arrived home on Friday night , we walked into his play room to see a tv and dvd player! Deqlans Birthday present from Dada. Since he LOVES his dvds and music so much and since we cant really take him out or to the shops or to play with other kids we have brought the world into our house. Deqlan is so chuffed at this and has great delight in sitting and watching his Baby Einstein Dvds holding his own remote - what a gorgeous sight

As i watch my baby boy sleeping very tight tonight, I pray to Our Lord and thank him for the most fantastic Birthday party that I know Deqlan enjoyed, i thank him for the amazing gift of family and friends that love us and Deqlan so very much. I ask Our Lord for many, many, many more Happy Birthdays in the future.

I cant wait to have you all at our Birthday and celebration party when Deqlan is better!

Have a lovely week and promise to post more pics and stories on Deqlans Birthday 11 Sep

Please continue to pray for our Darling Boy - for his total and permanent recovery, for his immune system to stay strong and to protect him and for this 7th round of chemo to go very well and that the chemo continues to kill and shrink and destroy every cancer cell in his body.

Sacred Heart of Jesus we place our trust in Thee, all for Thee Oh Lord, Oh my Jesus all for Thee

God Bless and lots of love

Mark, Samm and Deqlan

The Birthday Celebrations begin!

Much excitement was in the air when we recieved a packge from Canada on Friday morning! It was for our special boy Deqlans 1st Birthday from Debbie & Jeff, Darren & Jared, Aunty Elaine, Tracey & Andrew, Damian and Chenya - all of our family in Toronto! Deqlan was fascinated with the box and immediately crawled over to check it out!
We had loads of fun opening each gift and lots of oohhss and awws where heard! Deqlans favourite thing was the gorgeous Tigger bowl - he played with it for 20 minutes! We also recieved the most gorgeous frogs - as you know we have been collecting lots of these little creatures from everyone as gifts - FROG -FOREVER RELIANT ON GOD! So each one is so very special to us. We also recieved the cutest Pooh bear 'poof' that Deqlan ( and Mama) can lie on and watch TV - along with Pooh came Eeyore! Deqlan LOVES Eeyore and i had searched a lot of shops to find one for him - but this one was perfect - its like you read my mind! The presents kept coming - the cutest frogs and dolphins for the bath which he also LOVES. We also opened a case full of shapes and each one you hit in makes a noise - of course this fascinates Deqlan and he played with it the whole of Friday afternoon! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO YOU ALL FOR THE MOST GORGEOUS PRESENTS - I KNOW YOU ALL PUT SO MUCH THOUGHT INTO THEM AND IT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY THAT YOU WENT TO SO MUCH EFFORT TO GET THE GIFTS AND SEND THEM OVER IN TIME FOR DEQLANS 1ST BIRTHDAY. YOU ARE SO VERY SPECIAL TO US, WE MISS YOU AND WE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVE, SUPPORT AND PRAYERS - SENDING ALL OF OUR THANKS AND ALL OF OUR LOVE TO YOU ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND ENJOY THE PHOTOS

Its a.....

Its a ....BOY!!!! Yahoo! Meggie and Conrad are going to be proud parents to a boy! We are so very excited ! A friend for Deqlan! Cant wait! Congrats guys, boys are so wonderful! They keep you on your toes !!!!

Happy Birthday to our friend from Antenatal classes, Siya for 1 Sep and Happy Birthday to our friend from postnatal classes, Luke , for today 5 Sep! You are both very special boys!

A quick note to let you know that Charlise is doing well , we still havent recieved final update, but she is up and about and playing and should go home tommorow - the Dad seems to understand that she will need radiation after this so perhaps they couldnt get everything out or its to be extra cautious - please continue to pray for her speedy recovery.

Attached are some photos from the Kalefong kids Birthday parties - as you can see they where in their elements with the balloons and bubbles we sent - amazing how something so small can mean the world to these kids. The happiness on their little faces in priceless -we are so excited to continue doing this and bringing joy and laughter into these kids lives!

Deqlan has been unusually niggly today - when i opened his mouth to try and feel if it was more teeth coming, to my amazement i found 4 teeth popping through the gums!!!! my poor little monkey no wonder he is not eating ( also due to chemo though) and no wonder he is moaning and groaning today! To top it all off its two molars, i hear the further towards the back you go the more pain for the little one - shame, i really hope the discomfort will settle soon

I have had a VERY BUSY day travel wise and have to run my dear family and friends to finish off for the day so I can go home and continue the Noddy plans for our party on Saturday!

Please continue to pray for our beautiful boy to be totally and permanently healed! Please continue to pray for all of our friends battling neuroblastoma and other cancers - we need all the prayers we can get!Our Lord hears each and every single one!

Again today - ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE

MARK 9 ;23

All our love

Mark, Samm & Deqlan

Tuesday, the 4th of September 2007

Sorry for not writing in a while - we have been so so busy enjoy every second with our gorgeous Deqlan!

On Saturday, Megs and I went through to Montana Square to go and support Jayedn Pretorius singing and recieving a cd of the song he has dedicated to his Mom - we mentioned him a while back, he is 5 years and he also has neuroblastoma and was only given 3 months and he has been active and being as 'normal' as normal can be for over a year now. His dream was to sing and record ' Dance with my Mother instead' - Mrs South Africa and Reach for a dream made this possible for him and we had to go and support and meet this little guy in person. Well, there was not a dry eye in the house - what an amazing little warrior Jayden is. I was honoured to meet him. He has the most gorgeous smile and you can just feel the presence of Our Lord around him. I told him that i was so proud of him and that he sings beautifully- I asked him if i could have a photo with him as I wanted to show my warrior how brave he was to. I shall treasure this photo always. Please pray for Jayden and his family - for Our Lord to continue comforting them and fillig their hearts with peace and hope and renewed Faith each day. I salute you Jayden !!!!!

We have been planning Deqlans 1st Birthday party for this Saturday - unfortunately we cant have a big gatherng at the moment to protect Deqlan from getting sick, so a very intimate gathering of our folks and siblings - but we are definitely going to plan a celebration when Deqlan is healthy again and to celebrate his first Birthday with all of our family and friends! We are having a Noddy party - Deqlan loves Noddy and his Bumpy Dog, he is so clever ...if you put a few different toys own in front of him and you ask him who is Bumpy dog , he will show you! So clever my sweetheart! Hope to post lots of photos of our celebration with him! I cant believe how quickly time has gone - a whole year ago my life changed for the better! What a Blessing Deqlan chose us!

Megs went and met with Yolandie today at the new CHOC house in Pretoria - this house has been set up to accomodate families for children who need treatment in the Pretoria area, and dont have funds for transportation or accomodation during treatment. They discussed what the house and the CHOC families are desperatley in need of - we are definitely going to help them whereever we can - im sure megs will be sending an email out to you all to see who and how we can help! As she has already mentioned, we would love to make this our Christmas project this year - watch this space for more details. I am so proud of you Meggie for getting involved in this and wanting to help others as you always do!

Speaking of Megs - she goes for her 17 week scan tommorow and hopefully we will be able to see whether we have a little nemo (boy) or dori ( girl) on the way! Im in two minds about what I think - my dreams definitely show a little boy running around the garden with Deqlan - my heart tells me a little girl! Who ever comes a long will be just as loved and we cant wait to meet you!

One of our Neuroblastoma friends, Charlise (4), had her operation on Monday to remove what was left of her tumor -we are waiting for un update - please pray for her and her family that all went fantastic and according to plan to for her speedy and permanent recovery - will update when we have more information!

We recieved fantastic news from our friends in Texas! Keira had a check up scan last week and it shows that her tumor continues to shrink! This is WONDERFUL news as it means she will not need chemo as it continues to shrink by itself ! Our Lord is so great , all the glory to him! We are so happy for you all and continue to pray that it shrinks and shrinks and dissapears!!!

Deqlan has had a great week so far - bundles of energy , lots of crawling and more wanting to walk at the moment - his balance seems to improve as the days go towards his Birthday...

He has been loving his walks around the block , watching the trees and cars and just being in the open air does him the world of good! His eye is looking great, his not as pale and lots of laughs and smiles and new tricks each day. Deqlans appetite is not great at the moment - but we persevere and try and get a few bites of this and that into his tummy! He loved a mashed up banana today! He definitely doesnt do carrots - every item of food we have tried that involves carrots gets a terrible reaction !

Well, let me be off to sleep and hoping to post more news tommorow! I look so forward to watching Deqlans beautiful and peaceful face as I close my eyes and pray for my beautiful boy.

Have a lovely week and please continue to pray for Deqlans total and complete healing , for his imune system to be strong and protect him from getting sick, for him to have a lovely build up to his very first Birthday!

EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE!

God Bless you all

Mark, Samm & Deqlan