Today went pretty well.  Desirae and I had no idea what to expect, but day one is down.  Chance received fluids all through the night.  We were supposed to start this morning about 8:00, but by the time they got all of the medicine together it wasn't till after 11:00 before we got started.  Today we had Cisplatin, which is the worst chemo over the week.  It is supposed to make him the sickest over the week.  It was a six hour drip through his line.  Another he received today was Amifostine, which is a 1 min push through his line.  This one we had problems with; they monitor his blood pressure real close and don’t want it to drop over 20 points.  His went from 100 to 82 so we had to raise his feet and monitor him real close for about an hour.  He received this twice today, the second one went a lot better, we didn’t have any problems from that.  The other was Vincristine; it was a one minute push.  The medicine made him pretty wacky for awhile, but this was good because we changed his dressing, which he didn’t mind much.  He finally took a nap about 3:30 and slept till about 8:30.  When he was resting I thought he was hot and had a temp.  The nurses came in and it was 101.  This could have been a problem that would land us back into intensive care we thought.  I prayed that God would take care of this before the next reading.  She came back in, in about 15 mins.  He felt so hot, I knew it was going to be about 102, she took it and it read 99.  I said there was no way, (where was my faith), she took it again 99.1.  She went and got another thermometer, 99.0.  Thanks God for listening and answering again.

            Dr. G came by today and told us about the results from Friday.  Everything looked good.  He explained the Lumbar Puncture as having degraded cells which means there were dead cells in his fluid.  This is OK, we wished it had been clear, but the news is better than them being alive.  He was very positive about everything and said that Chance was doing great.  He said we would know more after the second chemo.

            Today started by Danny Foster calling me.  I always enjoy talking to him, but am always scared when I see his name on caller ID.  He told me they were heading to Richmond, we all need to keep them in our prayers over the next few days in hopes that the doctor can do surgery and take the pain away from Kassidy.  I hope one day that I get the chance to meet her as well.  Danny has helped me through a lot of the last couple of weeks; it is always good to talk to him.  He is a very religious man, which makes him a very positive man. 

            Tomorrow looks like 9:00 chemo, it is 1 hour long.  Hopefully the sickness will stay away and another day will be put in the books.  We got to talk to Destiny on the phone; it was great to hear her say Luv whoo.  We miss her a lot, but our family will be back to normal soon.  I miss her driving me nuts.  Thank you for the well wishes, emails, and prayers.  We just had a nurse we didn’t know walk in and tell us her church in Winston-Salem had asked if she knew Chance Harman, she didn’t until tonight.  There are so many people praying for him, God is listening and answering everyday.  Thank you and keep Chance, Kassidy, and her family on the prayer chains constantly this week.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. We also had a friend, Cory on Rhabdoid Kids website that had a recurrence and they had to take his kidney out.  He was one that had been doing really well till last week.  Just pray that he will be again. 

        As you get to work or wherever you check the website at I am asking everyone to say one more prayer for Chance.  It is about 7:00 and there will probably be two updates to read, but before they start chemo I wanted everyone to just raise him up one more time.  They just told me they would start some of his meds about 8:00.  He will also get a dressing change today, hopefully that will be the worst part of the day.  Once again when you read this; before or after 8:00 send one more prayer up that this chemo will effect him like it needs to, but won't hurt him or make him that sick.  It has been a long time since we have seen him very sick.  Thank you and check back soon.  I will probably update tonight.

        Love,
        Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

         Well we are back and ready to go at it again.   We are sitting in the children’s clinic right now letting Chance play with the Thomas the Train.  We went to church this morning and then headed down here about 2:00, they had called before we went to church to tell us that the bed was ready but I told them that we would be down later on and they were ok with that.  We got here about 4:45 and got checked into our room.  We got there just in time for Chance to cheer for Jeff Gordon and laugh at Tony Stewart.  The nurse we had this afternoon was from Stuarts Draft and had previously worked at Children’s Hospital in Norfolk.  She was friends with one of the best nurses we had down there, Santos.  They are really nice on our floor.  They hooked him up to fluids to get ready for the week.  We start chemo in the morning about 9:00; we just really pray that he doesn’t get sick a lot and that he can handle it.  This has been one of the toughest days so far, one reason was to tell and kiss Destiny bye that was really hard for me.  I am already missing her bad especially all of the things that she used to do by driving me up the wall.  We will probably be away from her the first two weeks of every session.  Chance is in good spirits right now and having fun playing.  We are just praying that this will take care of his cancer once and for all.  I know this is only the first day and we are going to have to get used to it, but being away from your family and friends for 4 months is going to be hard.  I just think God for the problem we have and that Chance has still got hope and an opportunity to beat this thing.  Well my computer doesn’t pick up in the room so I will try to update every night late probably.  Please keep in touch, keep praying, and keep the well wishes coming we are going to need them.  We miss Floyd already, but we know that you guys are only an email or a call away. 

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. Prayers tomorrow for no sickness, not harming Chance, but killing the cancer, not too much to ask for; especially when you are praying to God about it.  This is new for us and the unknowing is the hardest thing.  Tomorrow is half way done.  We started on Jan. 2 and hope to be done around the end of Aug.

Where do I start?  Well today was another great day.  We went to see the Salem Avalanche play today, it was the first time I had ever been, and it was a lot of fun.  Chance got bored by about the 4^th inning, but we got to see several runs, a home run, and a guy hit by a pitch.  All in all it was a lot of fun and then we went over to the mall for a minute, by Target, and then to get some ice-cream before heading home.  Desirae’s dad met us in Roanoke to eat at Red Robin before the game.  My mom and dad, and Desirae’s mom went to the game with us.  We saw a few people at the game that we hadn’t seen in awhile, so it was good to speak and talk to them.

Well the last four months have been a whirlwind.  We know the next four will be the same way.  We have no clue what we are getting ready to face, but we do know who is going to face it with us.  We have been so blessed to get to this point and Chance feel the way he has day in and day out.  It has been a quick six weeks, but we enjoyed everyday of it.  We can look back and say that we did all we could those days off.  Chance may breeze through chemo like he has everything else, and if he does it will only be by the grace of God.  As we were at the game tonight, we saw so many little kids running around with no worries and this hurts and bothers us, not that we are not happy for them, but that we wished we had healthy children again.  Then I realized that we don’t have worries, we have healthy children.  I think God for my children in that we have two beautiful, God loving children.  With eternity lying ahead of us, Christians have no worries, because eternity is going to be great.  I am so thankful he gave us a promise and all we have to do is serve him.  There are still so many people that don’t understand this and we pray for them daily.  I just ask you to pray really hard over the next few months not only for us, but for the lost, we know our situation is in God’s hands and what is best is what is going to happen.   We are going to win this battle, and God is going to give us the strength to overcome these obstacles.  I am not asking him to move the mountains, but just to give us strength to go over them. 

Tomorrow we head back; I will try to write tomorrow night.  We get to go to church one last Sunday before this long journey begins again.  We love everyone that has been along this ride and get your bags packed, prayers ready and get in the car we are getting ready to finish this cancer off.

Love,

Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. Please remember the David Sutherland family in your prayers.  David helped Coach Cantrell and also Coach at Haysi High School.  I met him a few years back at a basketball camp and he was just a super guy.  He died this week from throat cancer. 

         Yesterday was a good day.  Desirae, Nana, and the kids headed to Christiansburg to pick up some things for Chance for the next several weeks.  They got back home about 3:00.  I worked yesterday, I never thought that I would look forward going to work everyday, but I would give anything to go to work everyday now.  The guys at the store have been great, they have stayed after alot to help dad unload trucks all hours of the night.  Yesterday at closing we had three trucks come in and Desirae wanted me to come home and eat dinner one last time at home for awhile.  They stayed and help him which helped out alot.  After we ate, I took Chance back over to see the trucks unload, he enjoyed that.

        Last night Chance was tired and acting a little bit funny, like he was feeling bad.  We left our thermometer in Durham, so we called Jason and Heather Pratt and they brought us one.  Thank you guys alot.  He never did run to high of a temperature, but he has been so good so long.  Next week is going to be different in that we havn't seen him sick in a long time.  This week was a start to that and I found myself getting upset some.  We are hoping to take Chance to the Salem Avalanche game today if he wants to go, pack tonight, and go to church tomorrow morning.  Then after church head back, we will be admitted when we get down there.  The last six weeks have been great and we havn't miss an opportunity to have fun with him.  The next two weeks are going to be tough; chemo, sickness, hospital stay, Destiny 3 hours away, but God has given us the strength before and I know he will provide again. 

       Love,

      Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. Thank you for the personal emails, I thought that some people would want to write, but didn't want it posted.  We still need both especially over the next several weeks and months.  I am going to put it on here again just in case you missed it the first time.  You can also send it to the samefight and just write on there you just want it forward and they can do that also. Thank you and we appreciate your encouraging words. bharman@swva.net

       Anyone that keeps up with the updates want to know that we are home.  The reason why is that the update isn't until this morning instead of last night.  When we come home, I go up to lay down with Chance and most of the time I fall asleep before he does.  Yesterday was a long day.  The test were not that hard on Chance, but he is just really sore from the central line.  Someone asked the other day what the lines were, they are lines in his chest that go directly to his heart to put medicine or draw blood from.  That way he doesn't have to get stuck anytime.  The hearing test went well, then we went for the kidney test; it wasn't that hard either.  While we were waiting for blood draws we say Dr G. and a few other nurses.  Dr G. gave us pictures of the MRI, they looked really good.  You can't tell what is left of the tumor, we just can tell it is alot smaller.  It is still lit up like a christimas tree, but the size is alot smaller and the radiation is still working.  He did say that in the end we may have to go back in and scoop out what was left.  We will cross that bridge when we get to it.  The next two months of chemo are real important that the tumor keeps reacting to the medicine and Chance can handle it.

       After talking to Dr G we went down to radiation to visit and saw alot of the guys we used to spend every morning with.  They were real excited to see us, even Dr. Larrier had a gift for Chance.  It was a bug, they have this relationship with bugs; I don't know where he got that from.  Then we went back for his second blood draw, during this one they had to do a dressing change, HE HATES TAPE SO THIS WAS REALLY BAD!  We got through it and headed down to the EKG and ECHO test on his heart.  So first they change his dressing then they are going to work on his chest with the other test, so that was a fight, but we got it done.  We have no results from any of the test besides the hearing, they said it was good.  We just pray that the chemo won't effect this.  Dr. G. did say he expected the spinal tap to be negative, so hopefully he is right on that.  We got home about 6:30 and had a pretty good night so we have a few plans for the weekend.  Maybe going to a Salem baseball game.  Sunday will get here quick enough.  Thank you for all of the prayers, support, and especially the well wishes.  Talk to you tonight, or as you know probably tomorrow morning.

       Love,

       Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny 

           Today was a little bit rough.  We got Chance’s lines put back in and did a lumbar puncture.  This took about an hour to do.  This time his lines are longer and easier to work with so hopefully they will work better.  Chance came out of anesthesia in a pretty rough mood.  He hates tape and anything to do with sticky stuff on him.  It took us awhile to get him calmed down.  He slept most of the afternoon and wasn’t very active tonight.  He was complaining some of his back hurting, but we think it is where he is sore from the procedures today.  Most of the time he stays up till about 11:00, but it is 9:30 and he is already asleep.  This is probably a blessing because we have an appointment in the morning at 8:30; Chance hasn’t been up that early in awhile.  We won’t find out the results from the lumbar puncture till maybe Friday or even next week.  Tomorrow we have an ear test, kidney test, and two heart tests.  Hopefully all of these will come back normal and his lines will work OK and we can head back to Floyd for a couple of days.  I received a few emails today that I really enjoyed.  I hadn’t heard from these people in a long time and it was good to know that they were still in contact with us even though we hadn’t heard from them.  Once again keep the prayers and well wishes coming that is so helpful in longer days like today.  We are not used to Chance just wanting to lie around and not be active, but we probably need to start getting used to it, at least the first two weeks of each round.  Thank you for everything and hope to see you guys this weekend.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

           Well as you know we are so excited about the news.  I don’t know how to tell you what we feel like right now.  God has blessed us so much, I just thank God for his grace and blessings on Chance and our family. 

            Today was a long day, but over the last four months it has the ranking of number 1 I guess.  Chance did well not being able to eat until tonight.  We went into the MRI at 1:00, we had never done the brain and spine at the same time so we didn’t know it would take over 3 hours total.  He woke up, but he was still tired up till about 7:00.  We had planned on going to see the Durham Bulls play tonight, but that didn’t work out.  We hope to maybe take him to Salem on Friday or Saturday to watch them play.  I aggravated Dr. G. twice to find out the results.  He got back with me about 7:30.  As I wrote before all of the spots had gotten smaller and radiation is still working.  This is great news heading into Chemo.  Dr. G. was very positive. 

            I don’t know how to thank all of you that have been praying, God answers prayers!  Chance is going to have such a testimony when this is over; he is and always will be one of Gods miracles. 

            Tomorrow is the line placement and the lumbar puncture.   They did say they would be surprised and shocked if this come back positive, so keep the prayers going for the rest of the week in hopes that we get home Thursday afternoon.  Well it has been a long day so we are heading to bed.  Thank you and make sure tonight in your prayers thank God for listening to you and just keep giving him all of the praise.  Talk to you tomorrow, Thank you, this is one day we won’t forget, I Promise.  It is a great night!

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. Keep Angela Myers and family in your prayers, she is going to the hospital in the morning to hopefully add another boy to her family, then on Thusday Cody her son is supposed to start Chemo again.  She has been so supportive to us. 

     HERE IS THE NEWS THAT ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.

     SCANS SHOWED IMPROVEMENT

     PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED.  THE ONE SPOT ON THE LEFT SIDE IS ALOT SMALLER AND THE SPOT OF THE ORIGINAL TUMOR HAS DECREASED ALOT.  RADIATION WILL CONTINUE TO WORK AND THEN WE WILL FINISH IT OFF WITH CHEMO.  THANK GOD FOR EVERYTHING. I WILL WRITE MORE LATER.  WE GIVE GOD ALL OF THE PRIASE.

    LOVE,

    BRIAN, DESIRAE, CHANCE, AND DESTINY

            We are back and pushing on.  We started back today about 8:00 this morning.  We were doing good until we got to Winston-Salem and there was a bad wreck.  We had to take a small detour, but it wasn’t bad.  Our first appointment today was 11:00.  It was a little tough to go back in, but that is the next step.  We asked a lot of questions about the next 16 weeks.  The head nurse and Dr. G were real positive.  We have no clue what we are heading into, but most of the time they make it sound worse than it really is so we expect the worse, but most of the time it isn’t that bad.  They told us that we would be in-patient for about a week and then if he ever gets a fever, which he will no matter what, we would have to go back in. 

            We asked a lot of questions about the next few days.  They said that they would be really surprised if the lumbar puncture came back positive.  They also said that they expected good results from the MRI tomorrow.  We should know something about 3:00 so as soon as I hear something I will update.  I just ask you tonight, tomorrow, and around 1:00 tomorrow take a minute to pray for Chance’s MRI to be positive and the results to be what we all are looking for.  A lot of prayers have been answered so far and God is listening and he is in total control. 

            After the clinic visit we had sinus x-ray, what for I don’t know just part of the protocol.  Tonight we went to Golden (Cow) Corral and ate dinner.   Chance ate really well.  I believe the first two weeks of every cycle we won’t be able to have visitors including Destiny, but the third and fourth week everything should be a little more normal.  They also told us we would probably be hooked up to a pump with TPN, which will go through his central line.  These are nutrients that Chance will receive everyday until sometime in August or September.  I know this sounds bad, but this way while he doesn’t feel like eating he will still get the nutrients that he needs.  They also told us that we may, the fourth week of every cycle, get to go home for a couple of days. 

            Tomorrow is a day we have been looking to for a long time.  The last time he had a MRI was January 18, so it has been over 3 months.  We are coming up to the next bridge, tomorrow we will cross it, we don’t know what to expect.  We do know what we want, but we don’t know what this test will show.  We have turned it over to GOD and he is in total control.  Once again we ask for a lot of prayers tomorrow, this is a huge step for us.  I will write as soon as I know something.  Thank you for everything.

            The last thing I want to say is that how thankful we are for the ability to walk into Duke Hospital with the problem that we are facing.  I can’t tell you how many kids that we saw today that were a lot worse than us.  If there is something that I hope everyone gets from this situation is that to be thankful with what you have.  If you think God hasn’t blessed you or hasn’t been with you, look around and I can guarantee he has blessed you with more than you or I have ever deserved.  I just thanked God so much today for being able to have my son walk into Duke today and also just being able to be at this point of my life with such confidence in GOD that he is going to take care of everything. 

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. – If you want to write, but don’t want it on a well wish you are more than welcomed to write my email personally.  bharman@swva.net

       Well the day has come that had once looked down the road.  Are we happy, excited, concerned, worried, or sad?  Yes, but we still know that it is going to be OK.  God is going to give Chance and us the strength to get through whatever comes before us over the next few months.  That is the only sure thing we can hold on to.

         Sunday was great, wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way.  We woke up and went to church, Desirae's mom and dad were still here so they went with us.  After coming home and getting a small nap, Chance wanted to go to the golf course.  Well, I couldn't turn that down.  We had alot of fun, even Destiny learned how to cheat by carrying her ball to the hole and laying it in.  I guess the quicker you learn how to do that the lower your score is going to be.  It was so much fun, alot like last fall before we were in this world of not knowing what tomorrow holds, but then I started thinking that we weren't alone, everyone is in that world.  We just have something that reminds us more frequently.  We went by DJ's drive in one more time while we were at home and took it home to eat.  About 8:30 Ashlee Blankenship stopped by with a basket full of things for the family and some more CD's.  If anyone is interested in one, I am going to send them with my father over to the store you can stop by there and get one.

          As the next step of the journey begins we look forward to moving on and seeing the results that not the radiation, chemo, or doctors have made, but what God has done.  We don't know what the results will be or why they will be that way, good or bad, but we do know that God is in control.  We have turned it over to him and whatever is best for Chance and our family is what is going to happen.  I just thank God for the many hours over the last 4 years and especially over the last several months that we have had, spending family time together and that family time does include everyone that reads these updates everyday.  We know that you are pulling just as hard as we are; once again thanks for all of the well wishes, prayers, and support.  We don't know what tomorrow holds, but with God and all of your prayers it is going to be what is best for everyone.  God Bless and we will talk tomorrow.

         Love,

         Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

           Wow, yesterday was so much fun.  It started like any other day, I woke up and went to work and the kids got up and started playing.  I got to talk to several people at the store yesterday that I hadn’t seen in awhile, it was good to see them.  About lunch time I came home to get ready for a get together at the church for Chance.  Desirae’s mom had taken the kids over to Christiansburg to get Destiny’s birthday cake.  Her birthday isn’t for another month, but we didn’t know what would be going on then so we decided to go ahead while all of the family was together. 

            The get together was really, really good.  We wanted to invite everyone, but we didn’t know a place that we could go to do this, so it was just mostly family and some Chance’s friends and a few of ours.  We even got a special signing from the group that I had been talking about.  It was so good to see those guys and Ashle; it had been awhile.  I remember going to the Richmond race last year and all of them went with us except Trent, and we met up with him down there.  I wished I had enjoyed the day and the time with those guys more, but there will be another day.  This year our Richmond race will be watched over the TV in Durham, but there will be more races for all of us to go to, especially Chance.  It was so good to see everyone there.

            Destiny loved opening her presents and eating cake, it is hard to believe that she is two, wilder than ever and so much fun.  It is going to be hard being away from her over the next few months, because I know how much she is going to change. 

            Here is our schedule for next week, also he is what we are requesting prayer for, especially the MRI, Lumbar puncture, and the Line placement.

            MONDAY:           11:00   – Clinic Visit

                                    1:00     - Pre-op Screening for the line placement

                                    - Sinus films before leaving

            TUESDAY:          1:00     - MRI

                                    -can’t eat till after the MRI, TOUGH

                                    -Blood Samples

                                    -PPD test

                                    -TB test

            WEDNESDAY       -Line Placement

            THURSDAY         8:30     -Audiogram test for hearing

                                    9:30     -Kidney Test (5 hours)

                                    1:30     -ECHO Test

                                               -EKG Test

            Home hopefully Thursday, but maybe Friday.  Then back on Sunday for the next battle.  Please keep all of these events in you prayers because it is a lot of tests and we are going to get some information that will show us where we stand  I just pray that the results are positive, but with God in control all results are positive.  Here is the other prayer I would like you to take time doing.  Today at 5:00 one of the other kids we are battling this with is having a huge prayer time all over where ever you are located.  Rayley is struggling right now and there just hoping the chemo with slow the tumor down till they can do radiation, so just take a couple of minutes around 5:00 today to remember them.  Also keep the families at Tech in your prayer.  Well I better go get ready to go to church, hopefully we have two Sundays to go left, but you never know.  God Bless and thanks for the prayers and support.

            Love, Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

      Yesterday was another great day.  Chance had a birthday party at Kyle Hubbards.  I had a opportunity so say a couple more good byes.  I went by to see Dr. Arbogast, Deanna Harris, and got to sit down and talk and pray with Angela Carr.  I really enjoyed seeing them and spending some time talking.  After going to open gym and seeing those guys for the last time for awhile I headed home with some pizza.  My cousin came in with her husband for the weekend.  Chance had fun last night with Suz and Mike, they really love playing with him.  Late last night Desirae's parents arrived.  I also got the opportunity to talk to Travis and Laura yesterday which was good; it had been some time since we had seen each other.  Well everyone have a good day and I will write tonight or in the morning.  Thank you for you prayers and well wishes.

     Love,

     Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

       Yesterday was another great day, I know you get tired of me starting every update with that, but everyday is a great day thanks to our great God.  Desirae had a good birthday, it started with Chance bringing her cards down to her.  We took her out to eat last night and then went back to the house for cake and ice cream.  Chance is doing really well, Destiny still has a bad cough, but I am sure it will get better soon.

       Today is going to be another normal day before the battle starts again at the first of the week.  Several relatives are coming up this way this weekend so we will be glad to see each and everyone of them.  I want to thank everyone for the well wishes.  We still love reading each and everyone of them.  Everyone of them makes us smile and think we are so lucky to have so many friends that think about us each and everyday.  We got two yesterday from close friends that I had back in high school that I haven't talked to in awhile and it was good to hear from them.  Before long things will be back to normal and I promise you I won't be too busy to call or talk when I run into anyone, that is alot of all of our problems; we are too busy; slow down and enjoy each day and each person you come in contact with. 

      Before I end I want to share a great thing that a group is doing and a great quote.  There is a group of 4 guys and 1 girl that are singing gospel bluegrass music in the county.  They are Ashlee Blankenship, Josh Blankenship, Adam Summers, Trent Cox, and Abram Lance and they sent me a CD yesterday and I want to tell you that is one of the best CD's and music I have every heard.  You need to get there CD, it is so uplifting and motivativing.  Why I feel so great about this group is I coached all but one of them and once again then I didn't realize what I had.  I enjoyed each one of them, but I didn't know how lucky I was to have proud Chistian kids playing for me.  I am just so proud of each and everyone of them, they are such a inspiration, especially to me.

     Here is the quote I got from another ATRT parent; "I saw a card once that showed a teddy bear sitting on the floor with some of his cotton hanging out. It said, Ever feel as if you've had the stuffin' knocked out of you? I loved that card. A recurrence of cancer feels like that. But remember, our most loved toys were often mended more than once." Thanks Owen's MOM!

     Love,

     Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny 

            Yesterday we headed to Christiansburg for Chance's 4 year old pictures and Destiny's 2 year old pictures.  We got there just a little bit late, but it worked good because there wasn't anyone coming in after us so we got to take the time we needed taking them.  Both kids did really good.  Destiny loves to take pictures, so that may be a problem later on down the road.  After taking the pictures we went to Red Robin to eat, then they went on to Wal-Mart while I had to go to the DMV before I headed back for this summer.  All in all it was a good day, I know we are getting closer to the day we go back, but we have had alot of fun and we are getting closer to healing Chance.  Please keep the families and everyone involved over at Virginia Tech in your prayers.  Also, we have a couple of families that we keep up with that I would like you to remeber.  One is Rayley, she is almost one and she has ATRT and they have just found out that they are looking at maybe months, so they are trying to decide what is the next step and that is going to be hard for her parents.  Mattea has scans today and Cody's mom is expecting at anytime so alot going on with alot of kids we keep up with.  I talked to Kassidy's dad last night, it was good to hear things were better there.  My Aunt Susan and Uncle George got into town last night and are going to stay with my mom and dad through the weekend, the kids love playing with them.  Last note!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!

TODAY DESIRAE TURNS 30!!!

WE LOVE YOU ALOT!!!

       Love,

       Brian, Chance, and Destiny

          Today was back to normal life, I went to work and Desirae stayed home and tried to keep the kids under control.  Desirae was trying to unpack and get everything back in its place just in time Sunday to repack for next week.  Our schedule goes from Monday through Thursday on next week and maybe Friday, we will just have to wait and see.  We have, Clinic Visits, MRI, PPD test, Lumbar Puncture, Audiogram, GFR test, Echocardiogram, Electrocardiogram, and get his lines put back in.  So it is going to be a full week.  Later in the week I will give you a day by day schedule.  I also had open basketball gym today, it was really good to get back and see the guys, Coach Slaughter, Mr. Hollandsworth, and a lot of the faculty.  It is going to hard to be away from those guys this summer; Chance always loved going up and seeing the guys during open gym during the summer.  He would always go around and pick up the balls at the end of open gym, but it will make practices this winter even better with him there with me.  Tomorrow we have pictures in the morning at Christiansburg and I don’t know what we have planned after that.  Please keep the families from yesterday in your prayers; it is still a shock to everyone.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

       We are home.  It was a great trip and a pretty good flight.  We got home last night about 9:30 and the kids were excited to see all of their toys.  Both of them wanted to stay up and play, but they were pretty tired.  I don't know how to tell you how great of a week we had.  Everyone had so much fun.  I want to Thank everyone for the prayers and the well wishes while we were gone.  I also want to Thank (Nana) Anne Harman, (Papa) Ray Goff, (Gan Gan) Becky Goff for going with us and keeping Destiny under control while Desirae and I enjoyed every minute with Chance.  I also want to Thank (Papa) Allen Harman for holding the fort down while we were gone.  I would like to Thank my Uncle Mike Harman, Aunt Linda Harman, Cousin Matthew Harman, and his friends by helping with the car and the luggage.  We had a good welcoming down at the airport yesterday with all of these family members plus Grandma Margaret Harman.

       The last thing I want to write is to keep all of the families in your prayers from yesterday.  It was a shock to everyone, but that just give your more reason to be ready no matter where you are at.  If you are not saved you need to think about it.  Today may be your last and you need to be ready.  I just hope and pray that those students, faculty, and others that lost there lives yesterday were ready.  This just shows that it doesn't matter where you are it could happen at anytime, God could come right now, MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY!  Please keep these families in your prayers they will need all they can get.

       Love,

       Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

P.S. Happy Birthday Matthew

            Today was another fun day.  We woke up this morning to heavy rain and a tornado watch.  We didn’t know what we were going to do for the day and then after eating breakfast it starting clearing off.  So we decided to go to SeaWorld.  We didn’t get to see everything, but we did get to see two shows with the second one being Shamu, so Chance and Destiny were excited.  We stayed there till about 3:00, but it got so windy that we headed on to our restaurant reservations. 

            Dinner was good and we headed back to our lodge.  Chance wanted to go to a neighboring lodge so we went over there for a campfire.  He got to roast marshmallows.  He always loves doing this while camping with Papa and Gan Gan.  We got back to the lodge about 10:15 and the kids were give out.

            I want to thank everyone for the prayers.  Chance and Destiny’s colds have been pretty good over the week and for a four year old and a two year old they have been really good.  I just want to give God all of the praise for giving us so many blessings.  I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know we have had a fantastic vacation and a great week.  This past week and these last few months will stay in our hearts forever.  I just want to Thank You for following along and keep those prayers going up because it does make a difference.  We know the next few months are going to be hard, but the fight is going to be won and we will be back to enjoy this again. 

            Our plane leaves tomorrow at 5:45 I think, it is supposed to be very windy here and at home so I don’t know what that will be like, but hey I have rode a roller coaster now so no big deal.   The only other problem is trying to pack up all of this stuff that we have bought over the last few days.  I am looking forward to the 30 min process of checking in. 

            A final word from the trip, Walt Disney World is a place of a million dreams, but we are just asking and hoping for one.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

           Last night was just a continue of yesterday.  Magic Kingdom is a lot of fun.  The time to go is from 8:00- lunch then leave and come back about 6 or 7.  It really worked well for us.  Chance rode a lot of rides, among these that I would recommend would be Pooh, Dumbo the flying elephant, and the carrousel.  On the Pooh ride we had a really nice lady that notice Chance and let us ride twice even though there was a long line.   She had been taking chemo also and knew what Chance was going through.  She was really nice.  About 9:00 we went over to catch the parade, this is a must too.  We got talking to a lady that had adopted a couple of disabled kids, and once again we were thankful for the situation we had.  She was so excited for the kids and very supportive.  We talked for several minutes about things.  As we realize that we don’t have a lot in common with other parents every now and then we meet parents that we relate too and she was one of them.  Before heading back we drove some Indy cars, these were pretty neat to because they were on a rail, I gave the gas and Chance drove.  It was probably the roughest ride that I had all night.  After that Chance and Destiny were give out along with the rest of us.  We headed back to the lodge to go to bed and get ready for today; which was going to be at Magic Kingdom again.

            This morning started early, everyone was ready to go.  We got to Magic Kingdom somewhere around 8:30; the goal this morning was to see as many characters as we could see.  Some of the ones we saw this morning were Chip and Dale, Gideon, Pinocchio and his pal, Daisy Duck, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Clarabelle and her friend cow, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Pooh, Tiger, Eyeore, and Piglet.  We got a lot of pictures that we will update on the website soon. 

            Destiny loved the princess’s as you will see from the pictures.  She had a blast this morning.  She is so funny; she loved getting a lot of attention from them.  She even got a couple of kisses.  Now for Chance he didn’t care about the princess’s even though he got some kisses also.  Both of them wanted to give the characters a high five instead of a hug.

            After seeing the characters we headed over to our lunch with some characters, this is a must too.  Our buffet was with Pooh and friends, it was really neat.  While we ate they came by to talk and to take pictures.  After that we headed back to the hotel for a nap, which I really needed.

            Tonight we went back over. We did a little shopping and then rode awhile.  Chance rode most of the same rides he had ridden before, but he had been talking about riding Goofy’s Roller Coaster.  I told him that I would ride it with him, because I didn’t think he would want to, I was wrong.  This not a big deal to most, but I have never rode a roller coaster.  After about 5 times riding it I was excited he wanted me to keep going back to ride it with him again.  Today we also saw Mickey and Minnie house which both kids loved.  We went back a rode Pooh again and the lady was working there again tonight.  What was ironic was that Chance wanted to ride the tea cups, this was at 11:00 and it was the very last ride of the night.  Guess who was running the ride, yes the lady Wilma that we had seen before and had share time with Chance even though he lines were long, she took the time. 

            As we walked down the parade and out the gates I thought is this the last time Chance will see this or is this the last time I will be at Walt Disney World with him.  We don’t know, but I do know we had a blast this week and nobody can take that away.   We loved every minute and he enjoyed everything.  Thank God for another week that in our book we will never forget.  Maybe when he gets to be a teenager I can hear him say that he didn’t remember his first time at Walt Disney World, but we will never forget it!

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Desitny

Positives—Getting to park early, Parade, Pooh, Goffy’s Roller Coaster, Indy Cars, character eating, and all the pictures you can take from the photo pass.  The Photo Pass is not a money maker unless you want to, get the card and enjoy the pictures on the internet, you can email them.

P.S.    Sorry if some of this don’t make sense it is 1:00 in the morning and Chance has just laid down so try to put it together.

          Wanted to drop a quick note, because I don’t know what time we will be back in tonight.  We started this morning at Magic Kingdom and did a lot of things that we wanted to.  We got up early and there wasn’t anyone there, it was a lot of fun.  We didn’t see but a couple of characters, we are going to try to see a lot of them tomorrow.  Chance has had a lot of fun; we are in the middle of nap time right now trying to prepare them for tonight.  Other than eating, watching a parade, and seeing fireworks, they don’t have a lot planned for tonight.  Desirae said there were magic hours tonight, so we might go back over after the kids go to sleep, the magic hours go from 11:00 p.m. till 2:00 a.m.  I don’t know if I can stay up that late, but we will see.  That may just be an excuse to get me off some of these rides.  We have a dinner reservation with a restaurant similar to Lady and the Tramp.  Well I will try to write again tonight or tomorrow, hope everything is well wherever you are, it is still hot here, but I know that is going to change.  Take Care.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

Positives – Tom Sawyer Island, It’s a small world, Peter Pan’s Flight, Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Fair         -- Swiss Family Treehouse, The magic Carpets of Aladdin, Jungle Cruise, Country Bear Jamboree, Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel,

Overrated – Pirates of the Caribbean (My opinion)

            Today was a rest day and get ready for the next round of amusement parks.  We started by going to a buffet breakfast that was really good here at the lodge.  We then went and caught a boat ride over to another resort and caught the monorail to several different places.  We never got off anywhere we just rode around; Chance really loved riding the train.  After that we came in to take a nap.  It was really hot down here today.

            After the nap Chance ordered some pizza and Desirae and I went to eat at another place at the lodge.  After eating the pizza, Ray, Becky, and Nana took them to pool.  After Desirae and I got done eating we headed down there, they were having so much fun.  We played in the pool for a long time; the kids are having a blast. 

            Tomorrow we are going to Magic Kingdom.  It will probably be all day and all night with a nap in between, we just pray that the kids will enjoy tomorrow and can with stand the heat.  I would have never thought that the kids would have done as well as they have.  We have had so much fun; it is just hard to explain.  Tomorrow is going to be hot to, but that is OK, I hear coming home Monday is going to be really cold and snowing maybe.  I would try to bring some hot weather home, but I had a hard time just getting my clothes and tooth paste on, so sorry.

            Well Desirae just told me we are leaving early in the morning; I will believe that when I see it.  We miss you guys, but the kids are having a lot of fun, wished all of you were here.  Be pretty cool if we could just rent Disney World for all of our friends, man what a vacation that would be.  Take care and talk to you tomorrow.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

           Disney Dinning Plan- Good Idea

           Today started some earlier.  We left about 8:00 and got to the animal kingdom early.  Desirae had stayed up late last night trying to get everything scheduled exactly right and she did a great job, or like she normal tells me is that it just fell into place.  We first started in Camp Mickey; the good thing about this was that a lot of the characters were out signing and taking pictures.  There weren’t many people there so this was perfect for the kids.  Among some of the pictures we got today were Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Teki, Behr Bear, and two bugs from “It’s a Bug Life”.  The only one that Destiny liked was the female bug, it was pretty funny.  Don’t hold me to these names, it is a lot like the store, I know the faces, but not the names.  There was a lady that helped us out with the bugs, we were the last ones to take it with the male bug, she held the line for us and then she let us be the first one in line for the female bug.  Before we got the bugs pictures we watch a musical of the Lion King.  Anyone going to the Animal Kingdom must do this.

            After this we headed to the safari ride because Destiny and Nana didn’t get to ride it yesterday.  Today was extremely hot, but there was more animals to see out today than yesterday.  It was a really good ride and everyone enjoyed it. 

            After getting off the safari we walked over to see the tigers, that was OK, nothing special.  This got us till about 2:20, so we wanted to stay and watch the parade of characters at 4:00 and Desirae and I had a fast pass to the water rapids.  We found us a shade spot on some benches and here is where we got two more signs of hope and the everything is going to be OK from God. 

            We set down across from two adults in there sixties and a girl, but I didn’t know how old she was.  As we set there she asked if he had surgery.  I am very proud of what Chance has gone through so I said yes, now waiting for her reaction.  She said I had a brain tumor also, 5 years ago and everything is doing great.  She was 13 and looked great, her aunt and uncle that were with her lived near and work in the same area as my cousin Greg in Denver, Colorado.  As I talked to them Ray was talking to a guy behind me, his oldest daughter had a brain tumor.  She was 18 and had been in a softball tournament in Florida, and he had a niece that had one also at 2, so all of these people located in a small area.  Three people with normal lives didn’t have a clue how much they raised our hope up and kept us focused on our goal.  It was great to talk to success stories and know that it is going to be OK.  After that 1 ½ hour talk Chance, Destiny, Nana, and Gan Gan headed over to Dino Land.  He was real tired so he went to sleep, while Desirae, Ray, and I headed to the water rapids.  NOT WORTH THE WAIT OR THE FAST PASS!  Plan something else to do instead of wasting your time.

            By now it was time to go to the parade which is a must see for anyone and headed back to the hotel.  Tomorrow is a rest day at the hotel, we have no plans and it is going to be hot the rest of the week.  Hopefully good weather!  This morning was tough seeing some kids trying to figure out what was wrong with Chance, this got me a little upset, and I know that they don’t know.  Another little girl gave Chance a sticker which was nice and that got me upset to.  It has been a lot of fun and tough at times, but Chance is having a blast and we are too and that is all that matters.  He doesn’t know anything is wrong, and there hasn’t been anything to tell us this isn’t going to work.  If I had one thing to tell everyone before they head on to vacation this year, I know it is hot, kids are fussing, spouse not doing what they should be doing in your standards, lines are long, here comes the rain, or lost the key, don’t worry about it.  Enjoy every minute and don’t get upset, it is vacation and the kids are having fun, keep cool and overlook things there is always a good thing around the corner and you don’t want to miss it fussing at your spouse or children.  We got two good things today and more to come, thank God for a great vacation and another day.  Talk to you tomorrow, off to eat.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

--Not the water rapids,

--Must- Lion King, Safari, parade,

           Today has been a blast.  We woke up and walked around our lodge trying to get a feel of everything that was here.  For people that have been here, you understand what I am saying, IT IS UNREAL.  This place is huge and the people, it is just so hard to believe.  We have a lot of advice now and I am sure after another 6 days we will have a lot more.

            We caught the bus to Animal Kingdom; we thought Chance would like this the best.  The first thing we did was a 3-D film called “It’s a bugs life”, we got shot by a bug with acid (water), tooted on by a bug that really stunk, and sprayed with fog from a bug killer.  They liked it, but Destiny pulled her blanket over her head by the end.  This film was in the Tree of Life.  It is a tree that has all kind of animal carvings in it. 

            Next we went to ride the train and go to the petting zoo, Chance and Destiny got to feel a snake, I know what were they thinking.  He has had his picture taken with a few characters; Destiny has been scared of them.  These characters are so funny; I just told Desirae that I would be good for that.

            The last thing that we rode was a safari through the jungle and prairie, which was cool.  We saw all kinds of animals and even caught some bad guys that were trying to kill these animals, it was a great show.  I think we are going back tomorrow; all in all, everyone had a lot of fun.  Destiny’s cold seems to be the same or maybe a little better, hopefully it will get better.  Anyone planning on coming – Fast Pass, Meals included in you tickets, ponchos, and a great plan of your schedule at each place. 

            Tonight we are planning on eating here at the lodge and going to the arcade.  Hope everything is well in Virginia or wherever you are, take care and we will try to write tomorrow.

            Love,  

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

          Well we are here, got here about 1:00 last night.  The flight was great and Chance loved it.  It took about 1:30 hours to get here.  After picking up our rental car, stopping by Wal-Mart for some groceries and driving the rest of the way to Orlando it got pretty lake.  Our hotel is awesome, we got lost two or three times just trying to get back to the lobby.  This place is unreal, being so big.  I know that we all will be worn out at the end of each day.  They are calling for some rain today, but that is a usual down here.  Destiny’s cough sounds awful, so we are praying that will improve over the next few days and not get worse.  Well let’s go see if the kids are ready go somewhere, we have a lot of choices.  It is going to be a great week.  Also, everyone that was wandering Nana didn’t have any problems on the plane, she enjoyed it.  I will try to update tonight.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

           Today was a great day!  First it being Easter and knowing that God is alive is the most important part, because we have a promise.  Chance woke up this morning for the first time and walked down the stairs himself.  We didn’t even know he was up until he came into the bedroom and told us that the Easter Bunny had come.  Destiny and him had a blast looking through everything.  The bunny had got something on his feet and made tracks all the way around the room and through Chance’s tent.  He thinks that is so cool!

            We went to church, late as usual, but we were there.  It was great to see all of the vistors and everyone else.  I think we had over 200 people at church today.  We are just so lucky that this problem came when it did.  We have been home for Christmas and Easter, the only big holidays we are going to miss is Destiny’s 2^nd birthday, but we will make it up I know.  I just feel so blessed to be able to enjoy Easter with all of my family at home, because I know there are so many people that are not able to say that. 

            Tomorrows update will probably come early or real late.  We are leaving Roanoke at 8:00 P.M. and arriving in Orlando around 9:30 P.M., we will then have a 1 hour drive so I am not sure what time we will arrive at the hotel.  We are taking our computer, so I will write when we get time.  I look for the kids to need some naps every now and then.  Wrong!  I look for all of us to need naps every now and then.  I hope everyone had a great Easter!

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

 P.S.      Cody Myers starts his chemo tomorrow, he is one of the friends that we have picked up along the way, please keep them in your prayers also.

            Happy Easter!  Yesterday Chance just hung around the house all day; one reason was that the wind chill was about zero.  He still has that cough and running nose, we have been trying to leave it somewhere, but we can’t get rid of it.  Chance was ready to go to bed last night, because the Easter Bunny was coming.

            This morning Chance and Destiny took off for their stuff that the Easter Bunny had brought.  Every year just gets better with the excitement and the fun.  I am not going to lie, it has crossed my mind if this will be his last Easter, but then I think back and we didn’t know if we would get to this Easter.  Thank God for answered prayers and the many blessings that he has bestowed upon us.  Easter is a very special time for your family and the time spent remembering what God showed us. 

            Today we are heading to church and then down to Desirae’s mom and dads for awhile.  I am sure we won’t stay to awful long because we are still no where near packed to go TOMORROW.  Desirae is the best for waiting till the last minute to get ready, but when you have to pack for 3 and take care of me I guess she does pretty well.

            Enjoy the day and Easter, especially with your family.  Sometime today look back and see all of the things that have changed in your life or someone in your families life, and realize how lucky and blessed we all are to be able to enjoy life everyday.  Don’t think about things a year from now, but just make yourself a promise that in 365 days there won’t be one that you didn’t enjoy to the fullest.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

Yesterday was a play day for the kids.  Nana watch them most of the day while Desirae went to Christiansburg to pick up some things for next week.  Last night we had a banquet for the boy’s basketball team.  It was good to see all of the guys; most of them hadn’t seen Chance in a long time.  After the meal I received some very nice memorable pictures and frames.  The seniors had written some things next to the picture of us, which meant a lot to me.  Everything they said was very encouraging.  The wins may not have been there this year, but I have seen these guys grow so much over the last year and I really believe it will change their life forever.  On a bad note last night after Chance went to bed he got sick once, why, we don’t know.  It may have been from eating late or drainage or who knows.  He seems good this morning; he just can’t get rid of the cough.  Today we are going to color Easter eggs and hide them in the house, considering it is like 15 outside.

I have a concern and I would like you to pray for another family here in Floyd.  I didn’t find out till last night, but Danny and Tammy Foster from Check have a little girl named Kassidy, she is 12.  They have just been told over the last few weeks that she has cancer in her knee and will have to receive somewhere around 40 treatments of chemo.  This will last till about Christmas.  Danny is a referee that is in the high school division and has become a friend of mine over the last few years.  They are a very religious family and after speaking to him last night he is keeping his faith strong.  Financially over the next few months this chemo and being in and out of the hospital is going to get expensive.  I am going to try to see if we can get something started through Medical Charities to see if they can receive some help without having to worry about the tax end of it.  Danny is a super guy and they are going through a lot right now, so please keep them in your prayers.  She does have a website I think it is www.kassidyspage.com.  I will give you more information on how to help and where to help when I get some information.  Please just remember less than 2 months ago, she was competing and winning gymnastic competitions in Orlando, Florida, please enjoy every minute of life with everyone around you.  This including family, especially your children, because you never know.  This is three families in less than four months.  One scripture I have is II Corinthians 1: 3-5, “All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah!   Father of all mercy!  God of all healing counsel!  He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.  We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.”

Love,

Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

             Yesterday was another normal day.  I went to work, while the kids and Desirae stayed at home playing.  Desirae was making restaurant reservations at Walt Disney world most of the morning.  We did get our schedule to go back to Duke and it looks pretty good.  We won’t have to go back until April 23, which is a Monday and we will do different test including two important ones.  Those are the MRI and the lumbar puncture; we really hope to see improvements in both, so that is what I am asking you to pray for over the next couple of weeks.  The lumbar puncture is the spinal fluid, last time it was positive for cancer cells, so we hope this time is negative.  The MRI isn’t quite as important because there is no telling what the radiation will do to the scan.  We just hope that it is positive results.  We will be at Duke till Thursday the 26^th and hope to be back home the 27^th and the 28^th before returning to start chemo on the 29^th.

            Last night we went to Jennifer and Roger “Dodger” Hollandsworth to eat.  Chance had a blast; Dustin, Marissa Bowman, Alex Wirt, and Kristi Bowman were all there.  Destiny and he got to chase the cat and wrestle with the boys and Marissa.  He also got to sit on Mrs. Kristi’s lap and eat chips and tell her stories like he used to do at preschool.  We didn’t get home till about 11:00, but it was a great night for all of us.  We enjoy normal fun nights, not just for the kids, but to be able to have the fellowship with close friends that we have missed and are going to miss over the next four months. 

            Today looks like another normal day hopefully, will try to write tonight.  We have a basketball banquet that we are going to tonight for the Varsity Boys so it will be good to see those guys again.  Please keep one of the other boys with ATRT in your prayers Cody Myers; he got the news that his hasn’t spread, but that the original spot as increased in size a little.  His mom has been very helpful to us through this time, I know he would love to get a well wish to if you have time, just go to the Rhaboid Kids link on our website under helpful links and he is towards the bottom.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and  Destiny 

           Today was a calm day.  Desirae’s dad  came up and mowed our yard.  The kids got to play outside before it got to cold.  They worked in the flower beds most of the time.  Everybody seems to be feeling well and getting healthy for the trip next week.  All in all, it was a normal old style day with no worries.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

             Back in Floyd!  Yesterday was a long day because of the traveling.  It takes somewhere around 5 hours to get home.  On the way home we decided to take the kids by the doctor’s office, both of them had a cold or some type of infection.  Destiny didn’t sleep real well the night before and we thought it may be an ear infection.  Come to find out Destiny was fine and Chance was trying to get a sinus infection so it was good that we took them by since we are heading out of town next week.  We got an appointment in Roanoke and we had time to stop by and see the Easter Bunny.  Chance liked him, while Destiny was scared to death of him so it was a family portrait.

            Once again as we were there with the Easter Bunny it ran through our heads, wondering if that may be the last one.  Just like we did back with Santa Clause, and then we started thinking how much water had gone underneath the bridge since then and how many prayers had been answered since then. 

            On the way home we got our signs from God again, both came pretty quick.  One was a sign in a church yard that said “Expect a Miracle” and the other was on a dump truck in front of us about that time, it said “Great Things Expected”.  God keeps sending us signs that either way that things are going to be OK and not to be surprise at anything, just like he said in Jeremiah 33: 3 “I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own”.  He has already told us and shown us that so far in this journey, and we expect a lot more signs throughout this healing process of Chance.  On the way down we saw a car that had Psalm 68 on it, as I read it now a couple of verses are 68:19, “Blessed be the Lord—day after day he carries us along.”, 68:35, “He gives power and might to his people! O you, his people—bless God!”  He has carried us so much and blessed us so much and we just give God all of the praise for each and every day that we enjoy not just with our children, but with just being able to wake up and enjoy the world he has made.

            Love,

            Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny

Once again sorry for the late or no update last night.  I told Desirae that we wouldn’t need our laptop and then when we got to The Great Wolf lodge they didn’t have any computers.  We got there on Sunday at about 1:00.  Before we went to the lodge we went by some factory outlets to try to pick some pj’s up for this summer for the kids. 

            After arriving at the lodge Desirae’s mom and dad met us there.  This place was unbelievable, it was so cool.  We threw our swim trunks on and took off for the water park.  Chance went right into the first pool and then started riding the water slides.  I guess the first funny thing was when Desirae rode the kiddy ride down with Destiny.  Picture this in 2 feet of water, here comes Desirae off the end of the slide with Destiny.  Under both go, both grasping for air and finally I realize Desirae can’t stand up and I pick Destiny up.  Needless to say her first ever water slide was not very successful.  Desirae has burns on her legs and back were she was trying to get up off the bottom of the 2 feet deep pool.  She says it was too slick.

            After awhile in the kiddie pool, Desirae and I went off to check out some of the other rides to see which ones Chance might like.  The next one we got him on was water rapid, it held 4 people so Desirae’s dad rode with us.  It was a tunnel all the way down, and pretty fast.  I wasn’t sure if he would like it or not, but after the forth time riding it, I was sure he did. 

The time flew by and Chance was getting hungry so after letting them (yes Destiny to) play in the kiddie pool for awhile we headed up to get something to eat.  There were a few slides that we wanted to try out today.  The lodge had all kinds of animals and kid things to do.  They could purchase magic wands and go around making different objects do different things.  They also had story time and a wolf mascot came out to talk and play with the kids.  Chance liked him which was a surprise, but Destiny was scared to death.                                                    The last thing we did before we went to bed was go to the arcade.  At the arcade we were approached by a lady who was an inspiration to us.  She had noticed Chance’s scar and no hair.  She was at the lodge with her husband and two sons.  Her son Gabriel has leukemia they too were bald and going through treatments this time last year.  She reassured us that there is hope no matter what the circumstances.  Her son too had overcome all odds.  He is still taking some treatments and doing very well.  Please pray for him too, he is now 8 years old and has beautiful locks of hair.  Yes, I said locks he chooses to let his hair grow out longer since he didn’t have any last year.  He is a very brave and an inspirational little boy.    

            Today we woke up and went back to the water park, the kids were pretty give out from the day before so Desirae, her dad, and I rode some rides.  One of the rides was a rushing water ride that you rode a boogie board and tried to surf on.  Ray was very funny to watch on this one, because when you wiped out you really wiped out.  He wiped out and kept rolling over like a bowling ball.  Chance said it was because of his bald head.  Ray had a lot of people laughing, even the lifeguard.  Then we went to ride the big ride.  It was a four person ride that started of on a raft and then dropped straight down and put you in this huge funnel.  It was one wild ride, we rode it several times.  Chance was ready to head back to Uncle George’s and Aunt Susan’s.  On the way back the kids took a nap and then we stopped at Red Robin and ate lunch, I know this is a surprise. 

            The highlight of today is when we went back over to the hospital (King’s Daughters, the first hospital we went to for Chance’s first brain surgery) and saw one of our nurses, her name was Brenda.  Chance had picked her a flower and we took it to her.  She first saw me and was worried and asked why I was there and then she saw Chance and she was so excited.  What made her the most happy, besides how well he was doing, was that Chance had his North Carolina outfit on.  It was good to talk to her and spend time visiting, yes the good word at a hospital VISITING!  The hospital looked so different from the visitor aspect.  It made us realize just how far we have come.  Even though we had great care, visiting is much better.  I also called and talked to Dr. Northam today, that was one of Chance’s doctors down here, he had helped us so much over those weeks and it was good to talk to him.  We are hoping to come back this fall and spend more time visiting. 

            We did talk to one of the nurses today down at Duke about the scheduling, so they are still trying to decide some stuff out about that.  Tomorrow we will be heading back to Floyd, it has been a great time and we have had a lot of fun spending time with Uncle George, Aunt Susan, and Cousin Mike.  All of us are very worn out.  It has been one great weekend.  Thank God for great times, the past, right now, and more to come.

            Love,

          Once again sorry for the late update.  It was a long day yesterday.  We headed down to Chesapeake about 10:30 yesterday and got here at 3:30.  After arriving at Uncle George and Aunt Susan's we spent a little time with them and then went to eat at Red Robin.  My cousin Mike went with us also.  Chance really likes Mike, he hung out with him everywhere we went.  After leaving Red Robin we went to Target to pick some small items up for our trip to the water park today. 

           Mike then called one of his friends that is on the fire department in Suffolk, so Mike took us over there.  The guys were really nice, they offered to ride Chance around the parking lot in the fire truck, but Chance was a little scared.  We left the fire dept. and went downtown, Chnace wanted to go through a tunnel. After going throught a tunnel and seeing a huge naval ship we went by the hospital where we had our first surgery.  We run into one of the nurses that we had in PICU, we may try to go back by on our way back to Chesapeake on Monday. 

             Well we are getting ready to head to the water park, but first we have to go by a couple of shops in Williamsburg.  I think we can get in the water park at 1:00 and it stays open till 10:00.  He is pretty excited about going.  Desirae's mom and dad are going to meet us today somewhere.  We miss being at church and seeing everyone,  but we will be back next Sunday.  I also hope that the benefit for Karlie went well also.  Gotta go Chance is beating me, he is ready!

             Love,

              Brian, Desirae, Chance, and Destiny