Finally off steroids!
Each passing day has continued to get better and better. Ben has officially been off steroids since Saturday, and boy is he feeling good! Both Ben and Madie went to school on Friday (Ben went for the last hour of class) and had a great time. Everyone at the school has been so amazing and supportive! We hope to get Madie back on track 3 days a week, and Ben will attend based on his energy levels. Speaking of which, he has had wonderful energy and many of his symptoms have improved from before he was even diagnosed! We are soooo happy to see the real Benjamin back; I just can’t wait for some of that steroid puffiness to go down. There are still some muscle weaknesses associated with the steroids that will take a little more time to over come. Ben is very determined though, and often insists on doing things by him self.
We saw Dr. Foreman today after a 3wk break, and he seemed very pleased with Ben’s condition. He indicated that if there were going to be a problem with necrosis, we would probably have seen an indication of that by now. Since Ben appears to be so stable, we just sit tight until his next MRI in 3 more weeks. If all looks stable on the MRI, then we will be free to discuss the possibility of further treatment through any clinical trials that may exist.
It looks like the kids will be going horseback riding this Saturday, and Madie couldn’t be more excited. I just wonder if she will actually get on the horse, or chicken out at the last minute. The same goes for Ben, although he seems to have gained a little more willingness to try new things.
The “High Five for Ben” fundraiser stars next week, and I am truly touched by it. We hope to attend as much of it as we can. Friday night’s spaghetti dinner sounds as though it may be especially important. A local band of law enforcement officers is playing, and have plans on writing a song for Ben!!! This will be a truly wonderful gift. They also plan on making Ben an honorary officer, complete with badge. Ben will be thrilled, even after I explain to him that he can’t throw his sister in jail.
Nothing new to report on the Make-A-Wish trip, we’re still waiting to hear back from them regarding the actual travel arrangements.
I guess that’s all for now. Please continue to leave comments, the kids (us too) get really excited to read them. They help us keep our chins up!
Love and peace to you all
Melinda
It’s so wonderful to hear that Ben is feeling better, and that Dr. Foreman sees positive things. We had such a wonderful time with all of you on Saturday, and it was great to see the kids acting like kids again.
Much love,
Neal and Tara
Hi Ben and Family! I am so excited about the fundraiser for next week! You all are truly blessed with all of the love and support your friends, neighbors, co-workers and community have shown these last few weeks. I am AMAZED! I am so glad to hear that you are feeling better, Ben! And I was very excited to hear that you went to school on Friday. I know EVERYONE was glad to see you! Have fun this weekend horseback riding! That sounds like a lot of fun! We will hopefully see you next week.
Glad to hear that Ben if off the Steriods and starting to act like the Ben we all know and love!!! I hope Ben and Maddie enjoy the Horse riding this weekend….should be a lot of fun. Here are some hugs and kisses coming to you…you better brace yourself as they only gain force as they travel through the internet. Wouldn’t want you to be knocked over by them.
love you all!!!
Shan, Abe and Quinn
What great news! The Kasnoff family-Steve, Gwendolyn, Alexander (3) and Zoe Grace (6mos) are looking forward to the spaghetti dinner. We are especially excited to see you all and give you big hugs!!! You know Steve is one of the best huggers out there! I plan to bake some of my famous oatmeal cookies and strawberry cupcakes (in ice cream cones) for the bake sale too.
I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful, fall days. Our prayers for comfort and peace for each of you are continuous. Have a wonderful day and thank you for your posts. See you soon!
Gwendolyn
Hi Steadman family! Ben, Makala was so excited to have you in class last Friday, I picked her up and she was trying to tell me you were there but I couldn’t understand her because she was so excited and wouldn’t slow down enough for me to understand her until we had already left the school. She is happy to know you will be back now and then. It was also nice to see you in the hall the other day outside of the classroom. Melinda, I have a friend who knows of Ben’s situation and has forwarded this website for you to check out the cancer benefits if you are interested. I have heard about Xango juice, it is made from mangosteen in Asia I believe. The website is http://www.mangosteenexperiences.com/. I will get those gift cards to you this week. Our prayers are still with you all.
Steph Kajcienski
Hi everyone, and most especially Ben! I’m so glad to hear you’re feeling better! I hope to see you at the spaghetti dinner. Hugs and Kisses,
‘Aunt’ Cori
This is a very good blog, I love it.