Happy New Year!!!!

Wishing you and your family a

happy, healthy and blessed 2007!

Hi everyone! Last January I declared that 2006 would be a great year for our family and it truly was that and more. Well I'm back to claim 2007 as another amazing year. To whom much is given, much is expected. We are already planning 2 events to raise money for cancer research and to benefit children with cancer for next year. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful our family is to be where we are today. God has been very good to us. I'll update you all as our plans come together for the events and hope that you will support our cause.

Before I sign off on this last day of 2006 I have two prayer requests. Last month the older brother of one Elijah's best friends was diagnosed with mutliple myeloma. Elmer Blackwell was out of the country when he began experiencing some of the same symptoms Elijah did. He is now back in the states and in the beginning stages of his treatment. Elijah has spoken with him and his family sharing his experience and offering encouragement.

My college friend, Nikki Baggs, is also asking for prayer as her husband, Anthony, is scheduled to undergo a procedure next week to determine what is the cause of a large tumor covering his lung. The doctor's have told them that they think it's cancer, but we're praying that it isn't.

Be sure and let those you love know you love them. Savor the time you spend with your spouses, children, family, and friends. Be appreciative of good health and blessings. Don't hesitate to cut negativity out of your life, and don't feel bad about it.

Life is too short not enjoy the good stuff!!!!

Love, Kimberly

Whew! Where do I begin!? First and foremost, God is so good. It has truly been quite a year for our family. Due to the success of our TMF Celebrity Golf Tournament the foundation was able to present Medical City Dallas with a check for $17,500. We were also given the honor of participating in the ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Cancer Resource Center. With the rest of the money raised we will be donating a portion to research for myeloma as well as offering financial assisance to needy families who have children battling cancer.

Elijah is continuing to amaze us all. He's back to his non-stop schedule, already planning next year's golf tournament. His last check up was excellent. His cancer level had actually dropped again which was great news. It was already at a level of being considered undetectable and in remission, but it's now dropped twice since that original diagnosis. He's still volunteering at the hospital, where he spends time with children being treated for cancer, something he has really enjoyed doing. Now he has also started a drive to collect unused video games and video game systems to donate to the hospital so that the children who are hospitalized will have something enjoyable to do in their rooms. If any of you have anything you'd like to donate, just let me know.

I'm going to go for now. I'll be back after the start of the new year (I may sneak on here in between now and then to post a family holiday pic). We'd like to send a special thank you to you, your friends and prayer warriors who took care of our family this year. This time last year was not the best. Elijah was in the midst of his chemo treatments and he was fighting a cold that had wreaked havoc on his depleted immune system. Our holidays were happy because we had him, but not like the holidays we were used to. It's still hard somtimes to think about how far we came in a year. That's how I know God is good and that prayer works. It's also the reason why we will continue to do for others because we have truly been blessed.

Love, Kimberly

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 - One year post diagnosis

This day last year we were sitting in a hospital room receiving confirmation about Elijah's cancer. Having it confirmed brought on a wave of emotions. A big part of me was devastated and stunned, but still trying to hold on for him and the boys. The other part was relieved to know that what was making him feel so bad actually had a name and there was a course of action to try to make him better. His first oncologist came in, one kidney specialist came, another kidney speicalist came in, then someone came in stating he needed to be transferred to another hospital and within hours, the journey to get him to where he is today began. We still don't know how Dr. Berryman came in to the picture. Dr. Berryman was Elijah's second oncologist. He's also considered to be one of the best in the business when it comes to myeloma. For good reason, his mom had myeloma, so it's a cancer he knows professionally and personally.

Under Berryman's care and through all the prayers, Elijah was brought back from the brink. I remember all the weight he lost, how his muscles shut down, his adverse reaction to the medication, but no matter what, he fought. He fought for the boys, he fought for me, he fought for the kids he knew were depending on him to come back and coach them. He knew we had plans for him and needed him around, so he never gave up. And now he's like the man on the beach looking for two sets of footprints and only seeing one, realizing that those were the footprints of God because he carried him when he was at his lowest.

Hi all! No news is good news this month! Coach Eli is doing his thing with his team. His young Wildcats are 2-0 and haven't been scored on. The older Wildcats, where he is the d-coordinator, are also 2-0 and have only had 6 point scored on them. His doctors visit last month went great! He's still in remission and amazing us all. Don't forget about our Tackle Myeloma celebrity golf tournament next month. It's October 17. Leave me a comment if you need more info! Thank you for the prayers, keep 'em coming though!

Kimberly

Elijah's 36th Brthday Week!!
Hi everyone! Whew, what a week it has been! Elijah's birthday was on August 2 and I was determined to make it special for him. His birthday has never been a big deal to him because it falls in August, right in the middle of what was training camp for him for many years of his life. So we kicked off his week with a surprise serenade from the team that he coaches. His little Wildcats sang Happy Birthday to him and shot him with string after practice on Tuesday.

On Wednesday me and the boys treated him to dinner at one of his favorite restaurants, Jinbeh, before taking him to the Universoul Circus. We went with our friends, Jake and Vinita, and had a great time!!! But party week was still not over. Elijah did not know that I had put together a surprise birthday party at our local bowling alley. All the plans were set and everything was going smoothly until he started taking his time to get out of the house, minutes before the party was set to start. I needed him to leave so that I could get dressed and dash over to the bowling alley, but he was dragging his feet. It didn't help that minutes before we were scheduled to leave, a teenager was speeding through the neighborhood and crashed right behind our house.

So I had to call 911 and make sure the kid was okay in the process of trying to get to the party on time. It was HECTIC, but everything finally fell into place. Alot of friends and family met him at the bowling alley for a night of fun. After figuring out how to balance under the weight of the ball (his feet are still numb from the chemo) he bowled a 180. We were all quite proud of him. We wrapped up the night around 11pm because the next morning he had football practice. The weekend festivities ended Saturday, when we joined some new and old friends for dinner at The Mansion on Turtle Creek. The pic of him in his blue suit was taken just before we left. God is good, I just wanted to show you by sharing these pics. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Kimberly

GREETINGS from PANAMA!
Hi everyone! Coach squeezed in one final golf trip to Panama last week since his football season official begins this weekend. He had a doctor's appt. today and his numbers are still looking good. He came back with a little bit of a cold, but aside from that, all is well.

It's that time of year so GO WILDCATS!!!!

Hi everyone!!! I just wanted to give you a quick update. All is well, Elijah is continuing to amaze us. God is good. Back in May my friend Shelley Barrow informed us that she has written a book about football players and their children. Today Shelley and her photographer came to take pictures of Eli and the boys for her book. I took pictures of Marquette, of Simple Treasures Photography (check out her website, the pictures and even the song playing in the background are beautiful http://simpletreasuresphotography.com/ ) taking pics of my boys. As I get more information about the book I will pass it along so you all can go grab a copy. Several current and retired players are being photographed for it and we're all looking forward to seeing it. Way to go Shelley!!!!! The guys weren't expecting to take pics in the pool so Big Eli was thrilled when it was suggested, especially since he's turned into the workout king. You'd think he was trying to go to training camp! He helped with Omar Stoutmire's youth football camp last week and he's preparing to take a little golf trip with his buddies before our football season starts. We're also busy building our first spec house out in Prosper, we're quite excited about it. Enjoy the pics and I'll be in touch soon. Thank you for the prayers and keep us lifted. I pray for all of you who were there for us on a daily basis. Thank you! Kimberly

Saturday, June 24, 2006 - Elijah helps coach at Glen Sanders Youth Camp

Hi everyone! Elijah had another dctor's visit on Thursday. Everything continues to look good. In this first pic he's standing with Evan and three of the boys who play on his Wildcats football team (from left to right, Brady, Ryan, Addison and Evan). So many parents were happy to see Eli back at the camp this year (he's helped for about 3 years) especially considering everything he's been through lately. He's was right back in coaching form out their helping the kids, something he truly loves to do.
The next couple of pics are just pics of Eli and Evan participating in the drills.





Love ya! Kimberly

Happy Father's Day!

Picture taken May 27, 2006 Kimberly and Elijah celebrate their 11 year anniversary. Elijah is 91 days post transplant!

Hi everyone! May was an amazing month for our family so I apologize for the delay. The weekend of mother's day I went to Austin to hang out with about 30 friends. It was kind of an emotional time because when we got together the same time last year, I was busy planning our 10 year anniversary renewal service. It's amazing how so many things can change in a one year. Elijah and the boys had a good time while I was away hosting slumber parties, hanging out and staying up late. 2 weeks later it was our anniversary. On that day we went to Nick and Sam's for dinner and then we went to Sambucca's where Elijah's friend's Gerald and Reggie joined us. The guys decided we'd host a barbeque the next day.

It was wonderful to see Elijah laughing and enjoying himself with his friends and family. The next day we left for St. Martin for a five day vacation. We had soooooooooo much fun! I was really apprehensive when Elijah originally booked the trip because I was concerned about him being on a plane for such a long flight. But he was absolutely fine. He went horseback riding for the first time (can you believe a boy from Ft. Worth had never been on a horse?), we visited St. Barts and Anguilla and simply RELAXED!

The big guy is now back up to 218lbs. He's waking up at 5am to work out 4 days a week. At his last doctor's appt. the doc informed him he wasn't going to put him on any kind of maintainence medication. He's officially in remission for what we pray is a very long time. I say at least two prayers a day thanking God for leaving him here with us. I feel like we've been a second chance and we plan on making the most of it. Right now he's on cloud nine watching his Mavs make it to finals and also preparing for the upcoming football season. He's informed all his team parents that the old Coach Eli is back and it's time to get back to the Wildcat's winning ways! Elijah has also set the date for a golf tournament that he plans on hosting in order to raise money for myeloma research and patients. The date is set for Tuesday, october 17, 2006. The money will go towards finding a cure for myeloma and also offer financial assistance to patients who can't afford the high cost of treatment and medications. I'll keep you posted about the details.

Thank you again for taking the time to read the update! God is good and prayer works! The Alexander family appreicates your support!

Love ya, Kimberly

+ 63 days Post Transplant

Sorry it's taken me so long to update you, but we have been on the go! Last weekend we surprised the boys with a trip to Elijah's alma mater, Kansas State University. We took them up to see the spring ball game, to meet up with some of Eli's old teammates and meet the new coaching staff. The first pic you see of us is the picture we took on our way to the cocktail party for they had for former players and coaching staff. Elijah had a great time seeing guys he hadn't seen in years and it was hilarious hearing stories from his college days. It was funny to hear about some of the things that occured during his college football days, especially when I now see how those events helped mold him to the man he is today. I enjoyed seeing him enjoy himself with the guys. We stayed at the home of Larry and Donna Schlappi, big supporters of K-State(that's them pictured with Eli). They were such a nice couple, so hospitable and genuine. They have a little dog named Maddie, who the boys harassed all weekend. We all had an amazing time. Big Eli drove us there since we really don't want him on the plane for the first 3 months after the transplant. In the thrid pciture you'll see Eli with his bestfriends from college, EG (in the white) and Reggie (in the black). They were the three amigos back then. In the fourth pic you see Eli with two of his fraternity brothers. The last pics are of the boys hanging out at the football facility and on the sideline of the game. There's also a pic of Evan and Maddie, whom I sure slept long and hard after we left. Lastly I included a pic of the Wildcat Wall of Fame that has Big Eli's name included. We came home on Sunday and then on Wednesday the big man was off again. This time he drove to St. Louis to hang out with his friend Reggie, who's pictured above, who is now a sports agent and hosts a golf tournament and get together for his clients the weekend of the NFL draft. He just got back home tonight and he said he had a great time talking to the new guys who are entering the NFL and chatting with the old guys. I hope you found this update well worth the wait. I cannot begin to tell you how amazed even we are about Elijah's recovery from his transplant. He made his first attempt to start jogging last week. The feeling in his feet is steadily returning so he is very happy about that. He went to the doctor a few days ago (in between his roadtrips) and the doc said everything is still looking great so he doesn't have to go back for another month. What more can I say? God is good. Thank you for the prayers, I'll keep providing you with the proof that they work! Kimberly

Saturday, April 15, 2006

+49 (49 days since transplant)

Hello all! Long time no speak! In our case, no news is great news! Today we went to a friends house for an Easter Egg hunt we all had a ball. It was so nice to get out as a family and enjoy friends. L'il Eli is posing with the basket he won for winning at musical chairs. Big Eli is continuing to do well. He's still golfing, working out, and today he attended church for the first time since his transplant. Since we still have to be careful about germs we figured the Saturday service would be best for him since it wouldn't be crowded. His feet started tingling today and we're pretty excited about that because it's a sign that he's regaining feeling in his feet. The numbness in his feet is the last of the symptoms from the whole chemo regimen that he's still dealing with. Once he gets the feeling in his feet back he can start to jog, and he's itching to do that. He's not scheduled to go back to the doctor again for another 2 weeks. I mean, when I tell you we know that his progress is nothing more than a blessing from God, I am not kidding. Seeing him smiling and being so active makes us all feel better. We're making our plans for our summer vacation and looking forward to the future. My mom will be coming in from Florida to watch the boys while we get our own little trip in. We are truly looking forward to that. I'll be back in a few days. Thank you for your prayers and please keep 'em coming.

The Alexander Family

Hi everyone! As you can see coach has bought himself a "new" car. He always talked about buying an old classic car so he decided to take the plunge and buy a 1950 Chevy Bel-Air. I took this pic after we returned from our first spin through the neighborhood today. He is looking forward to adding a few things to it and going cruising on the weekends!

At his last doctor's visit the doc said he is still amazed at Elijah's progress. A few days before his visit we were concerned because his legs looked swollen. Come to find out he's just filling back out due to his lifting weights and bike riding. He gained 6 lbs last week! He'd been small for so long that seeing his muscles reappear actually scared us! He gets to take a break from doctor's visits for a few weeks now. This weekend he'll be attending his first North Texas Myeloma Support Group (I can't go, the kidlets have games, of course). We've never actually met any of the members, but we have corresponded via e-mail with some. They were very helpful during this ordeal.

I'm sure some of you heard the reports about "experts" saying that prayer doesn't help with healing. They obviously havent heard Eli's story. The first round of tests that Eli took a couple of weeks ago show that the presence of myeloma in his system has already dropped to .01%, the cancer is almost undetectable. Dr. B expects it to continue to drop because they don't normally see a number that this soon after a transplant. I want to thank you all for your continued prayers for our family. But there are also others that are in need of prayer too so if you warriors can send some prayers up for our babysitter Leah and one of Eli's Wildcat players, Bryce, it would truly be appreciated. Leah was diagnosed with MS last week. Our sons love her because they share a love for animals. Leah will be graduating from college next month and we are very proud of her.

Here's a pic of Bryce and Coach after winning the big championship game in November. A few days after this pic was taken Bryce was diagnosed with a condition that is causing him to lose his hearing. We were informed today that Bryce won't be able to play football this year. We are truly saddened by the news because Bryce and his family are great people and coach loved Bryce's attitude about the game. They will always be a part of our wildcat family.

Thank you,

Kimberly

"Phenomenal!" That's the word Dr. B used to describe Eli when he say him on Tuesday. Once agin Eli's platelet count almost doubled in one week, all the way up to 240,000. All of his other numbers are either in the normal range or extremely close. His energy level has risen and he even took the boys to baseball practice this week! I don't really know what else to say. It is truly amazing. We'll go back to the doctor's office on Tuesday to discuss his long term goals and then we won't go back for several weeks. Please continue to pray for him because we want this cancer to be in complete remission for a very long time.

Thank you so much! I'll be back soon, I promise!
Kimberly

1 Month Post-Transplant!

It has been four weeks since Eli's stem cell transplant. Today he attended Evan's first baseball game of the season. L'il man didn't disappoint either, he was 3 for 3 at bat, made one out and had some RBI's. Big Eli was on cloud nine watching the little man get his ball on. L'il Eli and Evan love baseball and now that he's feeling better daddy can get back in to the swing of things by coaching them.

What more can I say. God is good.

Thank you for your prayers, you know what I'm going to say next... KEEP 'EM COMIN'!

Love to you all, Kimberly Alexander

Thank you GOD! I have to give credit when credit is due and after Tuesday's visit, I am truly grateful. Dr. B came in to give Eli his numbers and told him that for his blood numbers to be as high as they are right now is truly remarkable. Eli's platlet count jumped from 70,000 last week to 132,000 this week. To almost double in a week is almost unheard of. The doc said that under most circumstances a doctor would release a patient to do whatever he wanted, but he still wants to keep an eye on hime. We'll see him again once next week and if all looks well we'll start seeing him about once every 3 weeks. Elijah is still feeling great. He's still working out and I let him attend a business meeting yesterday so he's getting back into the swing of things. I even gave him his car keys back. Since he's not on any pain medication there was really no need to keep them hidden, I can slowly loosen the reins. It's reflective in his test numbers that his immune system is rebuilding itself and we are just pleased as punch.

My dad will be leaving this Saturday (boo-hoo). He has been so helpful. I actually had to apologize to him for having stay two weeks post transplant since there wasn't much that needed to be done after Elijah's positive response. We all spent some quality time together though, something that we will treasure and appreciate so much more now.

I'm not going to keep you too much longer because I'm sleepy. I just ask that you still continue to pray for Elijah's progress and speedy recovery, but also please pray for Cecilia Romanski (the wife of Eli's trainer from the Raiders) who underwent her stem cell transplant a few days after Elijah. Please pray that she rebounds from her transplant and that her numbers rise and for her family's strength.

Thank you so much for your support family!
Love ya and I'll be in touch soon!
Kimberly

Hi folks! Sorry for the delay. This is truly a case of no news, is good news. Eli saw the doc twice this week, on Tuesday and Thursday, and everything is looking well. It's so nice to have the nurse sit down and run through a list of symptoms and hear him say no to experiencing them. No pain, no nausea, no problems sleeping, no problems with eating certain foods, nothing. Elijah has been feeling so well lately that he told me he sometimes forget he has cancer. As glad as I am to hear that I still worry about him. He has one more week of being "homebound" and then I'll start to loosen the reins. Don't let the word "homebound" fool ya. You know he couldn't sit still in the house for two weeks. He's gotten out of the house almost daily, I just won't let him go into crowded places. He tried to go to the grocery store once, but I gave him that look and he didn't even bother trying to fight me on it.

He'll get his catheter taken out next week and go down to seeing the doc once weekly. In a couple of weeks they'll start doing tests to gauge how successful the transplant was. Of course I'll keep you informed on that.

Oh yeah, while I have your attention, in the near future, with the assistance of our financial advisor and friend, we plan on setting up a foundation to raise money for multiple myeloma research. We don't want anyone else's family to have to go through this. If bringing attention to this disease helps ensure that, the Alexander family will always be involved.

Continue to pray for Elijah's speedy recovery, for the myeloma to be in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep remission and for a cure.

Good night.

HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone! As you can see Elijah has come home, about 4 days early, I might add! On Saturday morning his WBC count came in at 10,500 (well within the normal range) so the doc sent him home! My husband is a strong man. When I got to the hospital he was already packed and ready to go. We had to wait for a nurse to escort us out. She asked if we needed a wheel chair and of course he said he wanted to walk out on his own. Before we even made it off the floor he asked her to cut his medical bracelets off of his wrist (he was quite anxious to get anything reminding him of that hospital away from him). She told him she couldn't cut them off unless he was out of the hospital, but just for him she'd carry the scissors down with us. As soon as we stepped out of the hospital he held his wrist up so that she cut the band. I told him I'd go get the truck while he waited with her and his belongings and he informed me that he'd rather leave the belongings and walk with me to the truck. This was the first time he'd been outside since the afternoon of February 22. He was so happy to be breathing in fresh air and hearing the cars and birds. After we loaded the truck up we headed home. My dad had taken Evan to baseball practice so I asked Eli if he'd like to go watch Evan's practice for a few minutes before we went home. We got to the field and parked way out since he can't be around a lot of people right now. A few minutes after we got there it was Evan's turn at bat and with his first swing he hit the ball and ran to 3rd base! PERFECT TIMING! At that point Big Eli was ready to head home. He got inside, sat on the couch and just looked around. He was so happy to be back in his own space. Needless to say, the past couple of days have been quite emotional. He's glad to be home and me and the boys are glad to have him home. Oh yeah, I KNOW you didn't think he was going to come home and simply rest. After relaxing a full 4 hours Mr. Alexander was on the treadmill for a 1/2 mile walk. The pic here was taken today (Sunday) during his afternoon workout. We go to the doctor's tomorrow for a check up. We thank you so much for your prayers and support. We know that we were able to get to this point because of all the family, friends and perfect strangers who are supporting us and praying for us from near and far. I dedicate this blog to you.

Please keep the prayers coming and you know I will keep you posted. Oh yeah Wildcat family, coach will be ready to go this fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya, Kimberly

Hello!!!! Doesn't Eli look great (you can click on the pic to make it bigger)!? His white blood cell count took a major jump over night. The number shot up from 800 to 2300 overnight so he'll definitely be home this weekend! I made it my business to get to the hospital early enough to catch Dr. B so that I could talk to him about what Eli can and cannot do during his recovery. First and foremost, Dr. B said that he could not have asked for a better recovery for Elijah. All of the nurses are amazed at how he has rebounded. He's back to eating three meals a day, still continuing to go for his walks and praising God for feeling normal. The doc is cutting back most of his medications because he simply doesn't need them. Of course, he has already talked about working out, playing golf, and giving his testimony (not in that order though). Dr. B said he'll need to sit tight for a couple of weeks and then, after that, wear a mask when in large groups, just to be on the safe side. I took this pic of him before I left today so that you all can see him for yourself! Surprisingly, the chemo didn't make his hair come out (well, that's not a major stretch when you shave yourself bald anyway). I thought he'd at least lose something, but as you can see, he's actually in need of a shave.

After I bring him home we'll just have to go to the doc's a couple of times a week to make sure his numbers are headed in the right direction. As time progresses our trips to the doc's will decrease. Have I mentioned how ready we both are for him to get to that point. It's coming, we can tell!

Keep the prayers coming, you can see for yourself that they are working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you!
Kimberly

Hi there! I have a message from the big man today. He wanted me to let everyone know that he's getting better. Mr. Man walked 16 laps (22 laps = 1 mile) today, took his shower unassisted and had 3 meals without a problem! His white blood cell count has risen to 800 too! That's quite a big deal considering the day before he could barely walk 3 laps and was still needing food through the IV. There is one problem though. I can already tell we're going to bump heads on how much he should be doing once he comes home. He's already feeling so well that I'm afraid he'll try to do too much. Now that I think about it I think I'll go hide all of his car keys before he comes home. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'll do. Anything to make sure we have no setbacks.

Aside from that good news, there is no other news. I'll keep you posted on his count rise and when he's scheduled to come home.

We're officially over the hump.

Thank you for the prayers, and like always, i ask that you keep 'em comin'!

Kimberly

Nowhere to go from here but up. Whew, we will be glad when this process is over. Elijah's white blood cell count continues to be in the "bottomed out" stage, where it should be. With the next couple of days it will start to rise again. So far the worse thing he's dealing with is nausea. He can't keep food down, but that should change as his WBC count starts to rise. He feels weak, but he's hanging in there. I know several of you have called asking if you can go see him. Right now, since he literally has no immune system, we have to careful about visitors. For about 3-4 months he's going to need to avoid crowds and be very diligent about washing his hands. I am so ready to get to that point. I still find myself shaking my head in disbelief that this is happening to him, a prime example of a bad thing happening to a good person. There has to be a reason for it, I just need to stop questioning it. I'm sure that once we get through these next few days then the past 6 months will become a distant memory. Have I mentioned how ready I am for that? I can't even begin to tell you how ready he is. Until then, he's in good hands. The nurses are taking good care of him and trying to keep him as comfortable as possible. I truly have major respect for nurses. I'm going to run now. I'm sleepy.

Hi there! It's me again coming at ya from room 1210 with an update. Mr. Man is sitting next to me, as I type, playing his favorite video game, Galaga. Thank God for those plug and play systems. For $40 he can play all the Pac-Man, Galaga, and Pole Position (and some other games) all night (or at least when he's sick of ESPN). He's been complaining about being bored. Now that they have backed off of the medications they were giving him that made groggy he's now realzing how much time he's spending in the hospital.

Today his counts continued drop, as we want them too. His white blood cell count is down to 600. Once they zero out, they'll start to regenerate themselves. He's actually right on schedule. The doc said that at about 5 days post transplant his counts should be very low (he hits the 5 day mark tomorrow). He's now considered to be neutropenic which means he has to watch what he eats, no fresh fruits or veggies and his meat has to be prepared well done. The doc doesn't want him to get an infection while his immune system is weak and eating uncooked produce can expose him to bad things. He can still eat candy though. On Sunday I was on the phone with my friend Holly as I went from store to store, in the rain, trying to hunt down his special request, pastel colored candy corn (the kind that come out around Easter). Well since Easter candy has been on the shelves since before Valentine's Day I didn't think finding them would be an issue. WRONG! They were nowhere to be found so Eli had to settle for Skittles and fruit sours. A couple of days later Holly told me to be expecting a package. To my surprise she had not only found the candy corn Eli wanted, but she ordered them and had them overnighted. There was one drawback. She could only find them in bulk so we now have 10 lbs of pastel colored candy corn! When Eli opened the box and saw the 50,000,000 little pink, yellow, white, and lavendar candy all he could say is, "Wow!" The candy corn was right on time too. One of the medications that they give him has distorted his taste buds so his desire to eat certain foods just isn't there. But of course, the candy corn didn't disappoint, so he now keeps a cup full beside his bed to munch on during the day. Since there are a few extra pieces we decided to share with the nurses and visitors on his floor. Now whenever anyone enters 12 south they will find a huge container filled with spring colored candy corn, compliments of the Alexander and Campbell families, to enjoy. The jar was completely full. That's a note on top to let folks know to help themselves, looks like it's working.




Let me run. He's done playing now and I'm going to order his food. I'll be back soon with another update. Thank you so much for your prayers, positive thoughts and meals. They are truly helping us get by.

Love ya!
Kimberly

Finally! I was able to get to the hospital early enough to catch the doctor making his rounds. He said Eli is responding well to everything. We're just waiting for his counts to drop and come back up. Of course Eli asked him how many more days did he have to be in here and the doctor just kinda smiled. I told Eli to stop trying to back Dr. B into a corner on when he could get out, just rest and get better.

Elijah has now decided he wants to ride his bike twice a day and I brought him some handweights to work with too. Yesterday was a good day for him because he got to see the boys. It was Evan's 8th birthday so I decided to surprise Eli by bringing the boys and my dad to the hospital so he could see their faces. Evan had commented last week, when Elijah's transplant was originally scheduled for 2/27, that even though we'd be postponing a birthday celebration with his friends at least he'd get to spend time with his dad. So when the schedule changed and I knew Eli would already be hospitalized on Evan's b'day I wanted to make sure they got see each other. Since Eli's number hadn't started dropping the nurses said it was okay.

The next few days will start to get a little rough. But the sooner that happens the sooner we can begin getting him back on his feet.

Let me run. I'll be back in a few days!

Thank you again for your prayers and help!

Kimberly

Hi everyone. I'm typing this update from Eli's hospital room. He just completed receiving his last bag of stem cells. The transplant part is now over and we just have to pray that he recovers quickly. The first day was rough because the chemo they gave him really upset his stomach and he couldn't keep food down. Once they gave him the correct medication he was able to resume eating regular meals. He's been sleeping alot which is good because it makes the time go by faster. He's also been riding the bike that is in his room the past couple of days. So far everything is moving along rather smoothly. Now that he has been given his stem cells back his immune system will bottom out then recover. This process will hopefully put his myeloma in complete remission. The next couple of days may be a little rough on him, but he'll slowly recover and then be discharged from the hospital. My dad will be here on Sunday to help and we are all looking forward to seeing him.

Today we had two different nurses come in telling us about other transplant patients on this floor. One is a 6 week old baby that was born with no immune system and the others were a set of twins 4-year old who received stem cells from other donors. I figure that if these kids can handle this procedure Big Eli should be able to handle it like a champ. He's fighting! I'm not going to keep you too long. I'll be updating soon.
Thanks again for all of your prayers and positive thoughts!

Kimberly

Well I can at least say the doctor wasn't lying when he said fighting this disease is going to be a long battle. As soon as we think everything is running smoothly, we hit a bump in the road. Elijah has been running a fever the past couple of days and the doctor suspects that it is interfering with the number of stem cells they're able to collect. We are just asking that everyone pray for his fever to cease so that the doctor can collect the millions of cells he'd like to have for Elijah's future procedure. We also would like to thank our Wildcat family for giving us giftcards, flowers, balloons, and cards. We received everything and it's so appreciated. It's sometimes hard for me to respond quickly, so forgive me. Elijah is in good spirits. Of course he was hoping that this collection procedure would go more smoothly so he'd have time to rest before his actual transplant at the end of the month, but he knows that it's just a matter of time before he's back on his feet. I'm keeping this brief today. Sooooo goodnight folks. Just please pray for his stem cells to continue to multiply and then come on out so that they can be collected and stored. Thank you! Kimberly

It's February Eve

Hi everyone, long time no post. I wanted to wait until I had some updated info to share. Today Elijah had his catheter put in place for his stem cell transplant. It went relatively well, except for the part when he woke up during the procedure because the anesthesia wore off. Needless to say, he had some choice words for all within earshot. Upon realizing he could feel the doctor shoving the catherter in the veins in his neck his "locker room" mouth came out of hiding. That would explain why the doctor looked so shaken when he came to get me after the procedure was over. (lol) Fortunately, the pain has subsided and the "locker room" mouth can retreat for another long hibernation.

We met with his main doctor this afternoon and he explained, in detail, what Elijah would be facing with the transplant. Of course Mr. Alexander's whole attitude was, whatever, let's just get this show on the road. Doc said Elijah's, lungs, liver, heart and kidneys functioning perfectly. He even said his kidneys are actually working above normal. After the transplant we just have to make sure he is careful to not be around any bad germs so that his immune system can come back strong.

Today I had a brief moment (in between dr.'s appts.) when I started feeling bad about our boys having to deal with this at such a young age. God sure has a way of gut checking you when you need it. About 10 minutes after I was wallowing in my self-imposed pity party I heard my computer say *ding*, indicating that I had a new e-mail. I saw that it came from L'il Eli's room mom so I clicked on it assuming she'd be telling me what I needed to bring for whichever party they're having this month. Sadly though it was an e-mail informing the parents that the father of a fourth grader in another class had passed away from cancer yesterday. I remember when he was diagnosed the year before. So after I stopped crying for this family I realized how lucky we are to still have Big Eli here. We're lucky that he's responding so well to the treatment. We're lucky that he's strong enough to go through this transplant which WILL put the cancer into remission for, prayerfully, several years. We're lucky that we have so many friends and family that are stepping up to the plate and helping us. We're lucky that we have so many people praying for us. We're lucky that we're learning how precious life is and not to take things for granted because none of us are promised tomorrow.

February is the month that will get my husband back on track. Come March he'll be getting back on his feet. It's funny how things work out. He's on pace to be full strength come football season. I know he looks forward to donning the purple and silver and leading his little Wildcats back to the championship. I'm just ready to see him feeling good and off medication. I'm ready to see his swagger full-time and not just on good days. I'm just ready.

I want to end this entry with an update from Erin about her marathon she ran in honor of my husband and Cecilia Romanski, enjoy...

Hi all

I just want to send a note of thanks for the support you all gave for the P.F. Changs Marathon in Arizona. We alll survived,had a lot of fun and finished at or better than our goals. It was very emotional. I cried for the first two miles until I finally got ahold of myself. It seemed almost everyone was running for someone. People had written names on their arms and legs and had pictures of their loved ones pinned to them.I was nervous that I might not finish the race.Then I realized what I was doing was so very insignificant compared to what Cecilia and Elijah and their families have already been through and a strange calm came over me.I knew I could do it.I thought a lot about the two families during the race, especially at mile 17,18 and 19 when the pain started to set in.I felt strong and proud to be helping in some way no matter how small. So I thank all of you who donated or reached out to someone who is in need.I feel for me the race has really just started and I can continue to reach out and make a difference and let The Romanski and Alexander families know we are here for them.

Sincerely

Erin Bresnahan.

Here's a quick update: On Tuesday Eli had his fourth of four scheduled chemos. Once again his numbers looked good. The only one that was a little off was his red blood cell count, but that's just because he's going through chemo. He's gained weight and he's on track for his last procedure. In a couple of weeks we'll start preparing him for his marrow wash (marrow transplant using his own stem cells). He'll be out of sight for several days because his immune system will be weak as he recovers from the procdure, but the hope is that this procedure will further ensure his chances of a lengthy remission from the myeloma.

He played golf again on Thursday (now the 3rd time in a week) and he's conducting business as usual in the meantime.

The kids are doing well. L'il Eli has lots of baseball tryouts going on and Evan is glad X-mas break is over so he can get back to playing basketball.

I'm hangin' in there. I took the t-shirt biz on the road again this week and worked on orders as he received his chemo on Tuesday. It's amazing how much you can get done when you don't have the internet or a phone in front of you.

Thanks for listening, thank you for the prayers, and as always,

PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING!!!!!!!!

Love ya,

Kimberly

Hi folks! What an amazing start to the new year it has been! Elijah is feeling better than he's felt ever since he caught that cold back in November, so much so that's gone golfing twice this week! Tomorrow we go in for the last round of chemo before they begin preparing him for the stem cell collection and transplant. With all of that being said I'm going to keep this update short while we have some words from a freind of mine, Erin Bresnahan. Erin's husband was Eli's coach in Indy and Oakland and once she was informed of his condition she contacted me about some plans that she and her friends had to bring awareness to others about multiple myeloma and cancer. Oddly enough we know another family that has been affected by this same cancer, Bobby and Cecilia Romanski. The Romanski's are in the same battle as we are. Cecilia was diagnosed with mulitple myeloma last year too. In her honor (and now Eli's as well) they want me to share this with you:

Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know we have all decided to try to undertake a task that we were very unsure, and still are, that we could achieve; we decided to participate in a marathon/half marathon event in Arizona on January 15th. Erin and Kiersten are running in the full marathon, Barbara and Tiffany are running in the half marathon, and Annette, Nancy and Van Tri will be walking in the half marathon. We have chosen to do this in honor of our dear friend Cecilia who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in July. She is not only an inspiration to us with her courage, strength and determination, but also always a dear friend, confidant, and someone who we all aspire to emulate.


Of course for those of you who know and love us, we missed the sign-ups for the official Team in Training fundraising event. We are trying to still make a difference by asking for all of your help in our fight against cancer by asking for your donations in Cecilia’s honor. As we run/ walk on January 15th we would love for all of you to make a donation to one of the listed cancer foundations below. You may call, email or snail mail a donation to any of the following foundations:


AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
P.O. Box 22718
Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718
www.cancer.org
1-800-ACS-2345


LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY
Donor Services
P.O. Box 4072
Pittsfield, MA 01202
www.leukemia-lymphoma.org


As we make our way toward our ultimate goal, which is the finish line, we ask that you help in a more important goal which is raising money for the research in all of our fight against cancer. We thank you all for your help and support in our endeavor.


With much love,


Annette, Barbara, Erin, Kiersten, Nancy, Tiffany and Van Tri

This is a message for my friends and family who posted comments to my blog. I am embarrassed to admit that I had not received them until tonight. My friend Erin sent me a message and it came through my e-mail. When I clicked on a link in her e-mail it allowed me to view the other 37 messages that have been left for us since November. I am so sorry. I told y'all I wasn't computer literate. Now I have to go back and read the darn directions on this thing. Shoot. Keep posting messages, now that I know where to look for them I will get them. By the way, I'm in a better mood today. Elijah is doing well. He was actually out all day looking for new clothes and running errands. The man ain't slowin' down. Let me run. I am going to sleep early because tomorrow the kidlets go back to school.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Love ya, Kimberly

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone, I just want to go on ahead and put it out there:

2006 is going to be great year!

Last year, well before Elijah got sick, I told people that 2005 was an emotional year for me because we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary and renewing our vows. I was feeling extra mushy at times and people even teased me about it. I was so wrapped up in planning the service, writing our vows, and wondering what my new ring would look like. But that was last year and things have changed. The Alexander's spent New Year's Eve at church and brought in the new year with a prayer.

Elijah is feeling about as good as can be expected. He is getting tired of feeling uncomfortable and isolated (we're all so paranoid about getting him sick that we keep our distance). He knows that he's headed in the right direction, health wise, he's just ready to be there already. I'll be scheduling the final chemo tomorrow. Then we'll set up his time for his bone marrow transplant. That won't happen until the end of February. My dad will be back to help with the boys so I can help the big man down the final stretch.

Please keep him lifted in prayer. No, please keep us lifted in prayer. I was telling my uncle Mike that Elijah's spirit is better than mine. I am still a little bitter about all of this. I know life is not fair, I know God doesn't put anything on us we can not handle, I know this is God's will, I know that if I trust in the Lord everything will be okay, but I still have an attitude. I'm just going to have to work on that. I just needed to get that off my chest and put it out there because it's the truth.

Thank you so much for the phone calls, the wonderful Christmas cards and pictures. You all have some beautiful families. Hug the kids, kiss your spouses, tell them how much they mean to you because you just never know. When I went to the doctor's on Friday (because of that bad cold) I reluctantly ended up at the E-Care center I first took Eli to when we were trying to figure out why he was in so much pain. I walked past the chair my husband was sitting in when he told me he felt like he was dying. Being in that place brought back some strong memories I wish I didn't have. At the same time though I appreciated that place because if it wasn't for the doctor's honesty Elijah would have gone home instead of going to the hospital and he may not have made it through the night. But he did. He's still here and he's still fighting and we're going to make 2006 'da bomb! (smile)

Love ya much! Kimberly