8/21/07 Update

Hello everybody!!!!!! We apologize for not updating sooner. It has been very busy with the boys home and wanting to do something everyday. Jamie is doing very well and having a wonderful summer swimming, playing baseball and golf. We also had a great couple of days visiting with our friends Terri, Taylor, and Blake Vanderjeugt. Taylor is stll fighting AA and we pray for him everyday to beat this nasty disease. His story is on our link page. Jamie has been medicine free for about 7 months so they have started his immunzations all over again since he has a whole new bone marrow. He has received eight of his immunizations so far. He will get two more shots in two weeks and then we start it all over again next year with round two. It takes about three of us to hold him down because he does not like the needles--- can you blame him. Our nurse practioner says Jamie looks great and is in all the normal ranges with growth and weight. We are going to start spreading out appointments now and will not visit Milwaukee until December. We were so happy to hear this good news. School starts this Thursday so the boys are getting ready to get back into a routine. Jamie will be in second grade and Jesse starts kindergarten. Drew will still be home with Mom practicing to go potty on the toilet. We will also celebrate Jesse's 6th B-day on the 27th and Tom's B-day on the 29th. Happy B-day to Uncle Brad as well. We hope everyone else had a great summer and again thanks for checking on Jamie. Your prayers have helped us out so much. Please say a pray for our friends Taylor and Deven. God Bless The Straka's

6/7/07 Update

June 7th was our two year anniversary since the transplant so we are having a mini family celebration. I called home to ask what Jamie and Jesse wanted for their special dinner so I could pick it up. Jamie wanted crab legs and Jesse wanted a Tombstone sausage pizza and mashed potatoes--quite a difference in tastes, and budget! The boys continue to do great. We contacted Milwaukee about going on the river this summer because that has not been recommended in the past. Based on Jamie's counts, we were told to treat him just like any other healthy child and to have fun on the river--what sweet music that was to hear! On another positive note, our friend Cal (mentioned in the last update) who was in a serious ATV accident is now home and doing great! I saw him personally this past Wednesday and he looks awsome. By all accounts, his recovery was a true miracle and I would like to thank everyone who contributed their prayers. On a not so positive note, we are asking for your continued prayers for our friend Taylor who continues to battle the Aplastic Anemia demon. He is staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Milwaukee undergoing another treatment for 10 days to help him get better. He is on our Link page if you would like to follow his progress. Stay strong Taylor and family!!!!!! The Straka's 5/13/07 Update - Cal Kunnert As mentioned in our last update, on Friday the 13th, 2005, we were in Iowa City fighting to save five year old Jamie. Unfortunately, on this same day this year, close friends of ours also found themselves in Iowa City fighting to save the life of their five year old son, Cal. Cal was involved in an ATV accident in which he got pinned between the ATV and a tree. He suffered massive chest truama and was air lifted to Iowa City. Both lungs were collapsed with multiple punctures in each and multiple broken ribs and collar bone. He is currently in an induced coma and on a ventilator. Some preliminary good news was received in that tests have revealed no damage to brain, heart and spine. The family is taking everything hour by hour with many ups and downs, but have now made it about 60 hours since the accident. Please join us with prayers for the Kunnert family. U of I Hospitals has a web site to check on progress. www.carepages.com . The patient id is "calkunnertracing". Please note: you will have to sign up for a user name and password.

5/12/07 Update Two years ago today on Friday the 13th, 2005, Jamie was formally diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia. For those of you who have faithfully followed the web site, you know the history from there. Jamie's last checkup found his blood counts in the low but normal range, with no concerns from the medical team in Milwaukee. Jamie and Jesse are both looking forward to an eventful summer of swimming, baseball and fun with neighborhood friends. Jamie had his first baseball game of the season on Wednesday. His team came from behind to win 26-25 (Yes, I said baseball, not football, and thank goodness for the 8 run per inning rule. Not much defense at this level.) Jamie was 1 for 3, but had a lot of fun which is all that matters. Thank you for continuing to think of us as we turn this anniversary into a time to be thankful for a healthy family.

4/16/07 In the News A great follow up story in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald today. You can read it on the "In The News" link at the left. Thanks to Eileen Mozinski for writing the follow up article and Jeremy Portje for the great photo!

4/1/07 Update

4/1/07 Update Sorry Sorry Sorry we have not updated in two months. I guess no news is good news. Anyway Jamie is doing very good. We have had local labs for the month of February and March and his numbers have come back in the normal range. We go back to Milwaukee on April 19th to clinic and also to see a bone specialist. Jamie broke his arm at Christmas and when we told the nurse practioner she checked on his year post transplant bone density level and it was a tad below normal. This doctor will check to see if he may need some type of calcium supplement or if the level had anything to do with his broken arm. I would like to thank everyone for checking on Jamie and we would also like a special prayer request for our friend Taylor who has aplastic anemia. His story is under our link page. Have a Happy safe Easter!!!!!!!

1/17/07 Update

We hope everyone had safe and happy holidays. We were very busy--Drew's birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas day, Jamie's birthday, New Years . . .it seemed like we had something going on all the time. Overall, the holidays went great. Uncle Brad was back and Santa was again way too kind. As you can see from the pictures we did have one "glitch". Jamie fell and broke his arm (technically, it was a Greenstick fracture to his ulna and radius) as he was running through the living room. When we took Jamie to the ER we immediately contacted Milwaukee (which we find ourselves doing for just about anything) and we were told to advise the ER physician that Jamie should be treated just like any other child with the same injury. So despite the unfortunate accident, on a certain level, it was actually quite a relief to be told Jamie was just like "any other child". On that note, Teri was supposed to take Jamie to Milwaukee on Monday for a monthly check-up, but we received our first real snow storm of the season and could not go. Instead, Teri took Jamie to one of our local hospitals to do a blood draw and we sent the results up to Milwaukee. Jamie's counts again came back very good: WBC 4.2 (4-12) Hemoglobin 12.5 (11.5-14.5) Platelets 165 (150-450) Jamie's counts were high enough that we were instructed to stop the very last medication (Acyclorvir) he was on to see how he does. Obviously, this was also great news. The one concern Milwaukee did have (as did Teri and I) was why Jamie's arm broke from this type of fall. On our visit next month they will be conducting some bone density tests to make sure everything is O.K. We will keep everyone posted but, overall, we are feeling extremely hopeful that we are nearing the end of this emotional journey. As always, thanks for your concern and support. P.S. The toothfairy was also very good to Jamie as he lost both front teeth over the holiday break!