HAPPY 23 MONTHS DEQLAN

To Our Darling Boy Deqlan,

HAPPY 23 MONTHS TO YOU TODAY AND MANY, MANY , MANY MORE!

I am so excited that the next time we wish you, will be for your 2nd Birthday! Hooray!

You continue to inspire us with your courage and absolute love for life, motivate us to be the best parents we can be, capture us with your spirit , envelop us with your love. We are more then blessed to be your parents, we are honored beyond words and we thank Our Lord each and every day that YOU chose US and that He trusted US with YOU!

I cant believe how quickly time has gone, the most precious tiny little baby that was placed in my arms almost two years ago, has grown into the most vibrant, energetic, playful, loving toddler i could ever have been blessed with.

We love watching you blossom into the toddler you are becoming, learning so much from you each moment of the day- we continue to witness the miracles happening in , around and through you and again, feel so blessed and honored!

Always, always know how much we love you , we adore you , you are hero and inspiration, our beautiful soldier, we love you chicken with all our hearts!

all our love

DADA AND MAMA

We had a great weekend, really enjoying the warmer weather and already getting into the mood of summer and just wanting to be outside to have braai's and swim and fresh air and especially to watch Mr Deqlan enjoy all the benefits of being outside

This weekend, he discovered the sprinkler Dada had put on to water the very thirsty plants, and you all know what happened next...he started running through them and smiling and taking deep breaths every time the water drops landed on his face and head - he then started running further and further away so he could make his run way longer to get to all the fun! We of course had to cut this all a little short, as its not cut summer yet and don't want any colds to arrive , especially not this week.

We managed to unpack, move things around, and get a little more organised this weekend - got Deqlans play room a little more organised and started on Logans room - boy i cant wait to hear the sound of two kids running around having fun, even fighting, just to have them together again is going to be an absolute gift we have waited for so long.

I have been speaking to some nurses at the clinic, the vaccine help line and our paediatrician to formulate the game plan for Deqlans re vaccinations - now, i just wait the final go ahead from Dr De Jager on the 25th of August - we might, maybe, hoping to - start his vaccines as soon as 26 August - as the vaccine changes in composition after the age of 2 - so we are going to see what we can get done, if Dr De Jager gives us the go ahead, before Deqlan turns 2 in 1 month.

Deqlan LOVED getting into the jacuzzi with Grandpa this afternoon - he is actually still in there and i hear Nanna battling to get him out - this kid is more then a water baby, i think he is actually half dolphin!

Conrad, Megs and Keaton arrive back tonight after a week long holiday in Mauritius - we certainly missed them but hear they have had a fantastic time, cant wait to see the photos and see little keaton in his beach gear!

Happy Birthday Uncle Quintin for the 5th of August we hope you had a fantastic day and wonderful year ahead, with lots of blessings !

Happy Birthday to you Charles for today, we hope you have a great day and great celebrations in store!

Have a great week everyone and please start your prayers for our upcoming tests this Friday, please let the ultrasound of the primary tumor area be totally clear and let the blood and urine tests go smoothly!

Please continue to pray for all of our friends around the world - don't know if you managed to catch the opening ceremony of the Olympics - breathtaking - they apparently spent 43 billion Us Dollars on the games,can you just imagine what we could find if just 1 percent of that, if any of that could be used to find the cure for Neuroblastoma..i don't even think they would've missed that little amount, but to the world of neuroblastoma would've been a huge difference....

God Bless lots of love

Mark, Samm & Deqlan

FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU DECLARES THE LORD, PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE A FUTURE

JEREMIAH 29;11

WELCOME TO THE WORLD MALAKAI

Congrats Darryl and Loren on the arrival of your baby boy Malakai!

We know he is going to bring you endless joy, unconditional love - an absolute miracle and gift!

Cant wait to congratulate you in person and meet the little guy!

God Bless and lots of love

Mark, Samm, Deqlan and Logan

Deqlan meets Noddy!

Today was an unforgetable day, Deqlan got to meet you of his beloved friends in person Noddy! We have been planning this trip for quite some time and so excited the day eventually arrived.

Deqlan has the most amazing, most wonderful,loving and caring Nanna we could have ever been Blessed with...Nanna arranged a very very special treat, after the show Deqlan got to meet Noddy and take photos with him! Deqlan was intrigued by Noddy and loved touching his face and eyes and just smiled and even gave Noddy a kiss! It was one of the most precious moments i have ever experienced with Deqlan and Nanna and I will treasure it always! We just missed Dada sssooo much today as we know how badly he wanted to come with to see Deqlans reaction to Noddy! We also missed our shopping partners in crime, Meggie and Keaton, but we are sure they were just fine on the beach walking in the sea.....miss them terribly though, things are so quiet here!

After Noddy we were asked to leave Deqlans hand print on the wall of fame...he didnt like the paint on his hands though and wanted it off asap!

we found a few other goodies at the show, like a blue bull, I am sure Dada will be very chuffed with this purchase, some cute clothes and ......CLAMBER CLUB WAS THERE!

Deqlan was in his element to sit in the stand and watch his beloved jog the frog singing away! We also got a lovely cd with clamber club songs on which we are already enjoying in the car ...i cant wait for Deqlan to go , once a week they have a group of kids and there is a specific theme for that week - the kids play and sing and enjoy the clamber club equipment... I CANT WAIT and i know Deqlan will LOVE IT!

Deqlan loved having his jog the frog shirt on today - i picked him up so he could see it in the mirror, and he laughed and giggled and laughed some more!

Deqlan is getting more used to our new place and enjoying toys he hasnt seen in a while, especially the train set from Conrad and Meggie - is loves watching it go round and round and hearing the sound of the train on the tracks!

Summer is definitely on the way hooray...should i say spring rather...its getting darker later , its not cold during the day, we up to 24 degrees in the day already so very pleasant! Deqlan took full advantage of this yesterday when Nanna brought a bucket of water and some toys out for Deqlan to enjoy - he wanted his clothes off and was delighted to roam as he pleased and jumped in and out the water for as long as we would let him... he sure is going to love swimming, bring on summer, we cant wait to use the pool!

We had our 4th session of music therapy today and it seemed to go a little better in that Deqlan was a lot more interested in makig music with Anja on her guitar and we could calm him down a lot quicker . He also enjoyed tapping on a drum while Anja sang on the guitar and thats a first....

Dont know if i have mentioned it before but Nanna has sound clips on her phone of Deqlan saying car and laughing, as well as his favorite songs from his favorite programmes like telly tubbys, dub, backyardigans ...Nanna discovered quite a while ago, that playing these clips to Deqlan brings him enormous joy, especially hearing his own voice. Nanna played his voice to him when we were at the doctor last week and it immediately calmed him down, so thats the game plan for the ultrasound and blood tests for next week Friday! The doctor even asked if she could buy Nannas phone to help all her other little patients calm down!

Congrats to Stephan and Nadia on hearing their second little bundle of joy is another boy! I am sure Aidan will be so chuffed! Congrats guys!

Also, waiting in anticipation for Loren to bring her little boy into the world, baby has engaged and Loren is having pain, could they be contractions? As she says, only Malakai knows if this is the day he decides to arrive on! Good luck Loren, enjoy this miracle experience to its fullest! Cant wait to meet Malakai!

Have a great weekend everyone, i will be , yip you guessed it, unpacking! We are nearly there, but want to play with Deqlan more then unpacking this weekend , so holding thumbs we can enjoy lots of fun together!

God Bless, thanks for all your prayers and messages for little baby Declan

Lots of love, God richest blessings on you all

Mark, Samm, Deqlan

PLEASE PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OUR DEQLAN TO REMAIN NED, PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL HIS FRIENDS HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD

PRAYERS FOR BABY DECLAN

Hello All ,

we have just recieved a prayer request for baby Declan - My heart is aching at the thought of another child, facing the battle against cancer. Declan has a very agressive tumor growing behind his eye , but docs are not sure what type of cancer this is at this stage. Please say an extra special prayer for this little soldier, his story and website follows

God Bless and thank you prayer army for your prayers for our Deqlan and all the kids around the world
Love Mark, Samm & Deqlan

FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU DECLARES THE LORD, PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE
JEREMIAH 29;11


Declans web page http://www.statmedical.co.za/all-hands-on-dec/index.html

Declan du Toit was born on June 14 June 2008 at 10 am - a gorgeous blonde bundle. Mom and Dad, Gillian and Daryl, were thrilled to bits and took him home to begin their new exciting (daunting?) adventure as parents.
Life can throw curve balls when you least expect it....
At 10 days old, Declan, was diagnosed with a a malignant tumor which appeared to be growing from the back of his eye. And so his - and Gill and Daryl's - tough journey towards full health began.
The development of this All-hands-on-Dec website has been motivated by two main ideas:-
Gill and Daryl have been overwhelmed by the support and friendship extended to them from so many people - friends, family, colleagues and complete strangers who have simply been touched by the paradox of both Declan's frailty and his toughness.So many people are rooting for him....They are unable to keep up with phone calls and emails to keep everyone up-to-date on Declan's progress, which changes on a daily - sometimes hourly - basis. They are hoping that this website will fulfill this function.So, please bookmark the site: follow Declan's progress through the Photo Gallery and Gillian and Daryl's Blog updates.They would love to hear from you, so leave them, or Dec a message via the Message Board.
Through the time spent at the Paediatric Oncology Unit at the Johannesburg General Hospital, Gill and Daryl have become familiar with the work of CHOC - Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa. Choc is a non-profit organization that assists parents whose children have been diagnosed with cancer or a life threatening blood disorder. Apart from the practical and emotional support they offer the families, the volunteers of this are continuously raising funds to facilitate the therapy, surgeries and care that these special children require.Many friends and family members have kindly offered their financial help in getting Declan the necessary treatment in beating this gremlin. Any funds not used for Declan's treatment will be passed on to CHOC. (See details below)
Hopefully long after Declan has made a full recovery, this website can continue to raise awareness and support for the fantastic work of CHOC.
Banking Details
Account name: All Hands on Dec, Acc no: 282 501 7817Nedbank, Clearwater Mall, Branch code: 18250500Cheque account
The account is being managed and administered by Dr Brandon Head (011 832 1381 / drhead@ibi.co.za). He will administer all payments in respect of treatments for Declan that we, as his parents, are not able to cover.
When Declan has recovered, the balance in the account will be used to further the goals of Choc. They have been wonderful to us and there are many volunteers working in the cancer ward at Joburg Gen, entertaining the children before chemo treatments and helping the parents cope. They also supply equipment to the wards and raise funds for cancer treatment, awareness and research.
Another way you can help both Declan and other children as to you can also do, is to simply give blood...

still unpacking!

Hi Everyone

Hope you had a great weekend?

I must say we are both feeling alot better and have hopefully kicked the bugs for good

Friday night, yip, we started the unpacking process again and our little soldier jumped into to help in his own way...he unpacked all the curtain hooks all over the carpet, but it was fun for him while it lasted!

Saturday Dadda had some erands to run - got a whole lot of new bathroom accesories which he spent most of the weekend putting up! Deqlan and i enjoyed a run around the streets of the estate and even made a new little friend, Hanco - he is 18 months old and doesnt go to school yet, so thats great, exactly what i wanted to hear.

Deqlan is definitely the braver of the two, challenging Hanco to run with him, he first had to check him out though, and looked Hanco up and down from his toes to his head and even had to run around him to make sure he was ok. Then off they went up the road , into other driveways - i think they had a great time.

Saturday afternoon Meggie came to fetch me for church and we met Grandpa and Nanna there. Was a wonderful service about letting your light shine, the love you have for Jesus, radiating from your face and soul - not only while at mass, but throughout the day !

We were so surprised to see Michele Mayberry ( now Polome) at Mass with her mom in law and her kids! Michele has been a great support and leader of prayer for our Deqlan, she belongs to the group Mothers prayers and they get together every week to pray for their kids and grandchildren. Michele is visiting from the UK and was so so generous and kind to give me her own copy of the Mothers Prayers book to get started, thank you so so much Michele for this stunning gift, i shall treasure always. It was wonderful to see you and sorry we couldnt have more time to catch up - thank you for your continued support and above all prayers for our Deqlan. Grace and Matthew are absolutely gorgeous and are lucky to have you as their mom!

Sunday, we did a little more unpacking, hanging of curtains, washing of things i had forgotten we had and i must say things are now starting to take shape and i think by the next weekend or 2 we should be mostly settled in. Deqlan loved playing in the sand and water - sand +water = mud! We enjoyed running around some more with Deqlan , who continues to be fascinated by the signs and markings on the road and streets. We bumped into Hanco and his mom again and i had to ask if he went to school , as you know we have to be so careful with Deqlan and luckily, he is not a school goer yet, so maybe we have made a buddy for Deqlan - she was absolutely shocked when i explained Deqlans story and said she couldnt imagine that happening to such a tiny tot - thats were awareness comes in - we got to raise more awareness that cancer affects everyone - no age, race, sex, rich or poor, happy or sad choices - its can affect anyone and we need to do something about it - another 3 warriors became angels on 1 August - Katie, Gus and Kristin . We have to find the cure, it is out there somewhere - please do whatever you can to help fight neuroblastoma - support, create awareness, pray.

Meggie and Keaton popped past quickly yesterday to say good bye before they left for Mauritius this morning. We just got a call saying they have landed safely and Keaton was an absolute star - no ear ache at all - he had a sleep and sucking his dummy seemed to have helped his ears. Megs took something with her, from me to throw in the sea and let it sink to the bottom...never ever to return

For those of you who dont know, thats where Deqlan started getting sick - on the morning we were coming home , he had a terrible fever, was as pale as a ghost and had absolute no energy, his little head wasnt even strong enough to lift off my shoulder - mark and i were terrified on the flight home, we just wanted to get home and get Deqlan to the doctor - the doctor said it was a very bad infection he must have picked up in Mauritius , but this is where things started to point in directions to neuroblastoma....

Speaking of Meggie - attached find my very stunning, early happy 30th birthday present. Its a silver star, with Deqlans name on it, with his finger print - its is so very very very special and priceless and ill treasure it always - thanks so so much Conrad, Megs and Keaton for my birthday present, couldnt imagine anything more beautiful, thank you

Deqlan loves music and takes great joy in running to the radio or tv when he recognises a song or tune - today Nanna discovered Deqlan loves the song HEY NA NA NA - dont know who sings it , but if i could sing it to you , you would remember instantly -has a latin american feel to it - well, i tell you Deqlans face lit up like a Christmas tree and i was so happy i could capture it on camera!

wELLl, i am off to storks nest now, the clinic that does the vaccinations to sit down and work out a plan with them for Deqlans vaccinations - we have to catch all, make that start over with all of them , so we need to be prepared, cost and time wise and I am so excited to go because this will be the start of Deqlan being able to be around more people and kids, although i think we will always be cautious and extra careful

Have a great day, lots of love and God Bless

Please pray for our Deqlan to remain ned, please pray for all our friends for healing

Mark, Samm, Deqlan

FOR I KNOW THE PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU DECLARES THE LORD, PLANS TO PROSPER YOU AND NOT TO HARM YOU, PLANS TO GIVE YOU HOPE AND A FUTURE! JEREMIAH 29:11

Katie Krize

FRIDAY, AUGUST 01, 2008 06:07 PM, CDT

This afternoon at 4:30 p.m., God gained a beautiful angel. Katie died very peacefully, in our arms.
Love, Michele

PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS AMAZING FAMILY, WE ARE SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS, BUT HEAVEN HAS DEFINITELY GAINED A BEAUTIFUL ANGEL WHO HAS TOUCHED OUR LIVES AND SO MAY OTHERS AROUND THE WORLD, GOD BLESS KRIZE FAMILY

those boots are made for walking

Hi All

Deqlan seems a little better today, drinking lots and lots of fluid which is great when you have a strep throat. I feel terrible, i think its the antibiotic making me feel atually worse then what i am, and praying i start feeling better cause i have so much unpacking and sorting to do this weekend

Enjoy some new photos of Deqlan in his camo boots from Nanna and Grandpa AND Deqlans beautiful new jersey which arrived today from Aunty Sheila in Cape Town! Its to beautiful Aunty Shea and thanks for putting so much love and care into it, the little bear in his car is perfect for Deqlan, he loves it to and keeps touching the fluffy bear, you are to kind and so thoughtful Aunty Shea!

The sunset is from the last afternoon we were at our old place - i know, i am very sentimental with stuff like that...

Also, some photos of Deqlan and Dadda walking around the estate in our new place- Deqlan loves looking at the signs and lines in the road- he even manages to balance on the line

Conrad, Meggie and Keaton leave on their first overseas trip as a family on Monday to Mauritius! We hope you guys havea fantastic time , relax and say hello to our little island in the sun and tell her we will see her soon. Hope Keaton enjoys every moment on the beach and in the water, be safe, have a great time and we will miss you terribly!

The nerves have started to kick in , as we go for our ultrasound, blood and urine tests in 2 weeks time - please pray that all remains normal and that our soldier remains ned always.

Please continue to pray for baby Dyllan, he is recovering after his heart surgery, but now fighting a lung infection, hang in there little man, you are doing so well

Please continue the prayers for Katie and her devoted family

Please pray for Charlize, terminal from nb and for guidance and strenght for her parents

Please pray for all our warriors around the world, we desperately need to find that cure...its out there....Please Dear Lord guide us to it.

Have a fantastic weekend and let us know how you all are

God Bless and lots of love

Mark, Samm, Deqlan

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME