Eli's Girl

2010-01-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

Tackle Cancer Foundation

4th Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament

Where: Ghostbar

When: Sunday, March 7, 2010

Dinner served 5pm-6pm

Tournament Begins at 6:15

Registration : $225.oo

Space is limited.

2009-07-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

4th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament

Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Gleneagles Country Club

Plano, Texas

Space is limited!

www.tacklecancerfoundation.org

2009-02-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

R.I.P. Ryan
February 19, 1993 - February 19, 2009

I am too sad to eloquently explain how I feel right now. Below you will find the message we just received from Ryan's family. Some of you may remember that Ryan is the young man that Elijah met last year in Chicago. Ryan had been battling cancer for quite a while, but more important than that, he was a HUGE football fan (he really loved the USC Trojans). So needless to say Ryan and Elijah shared quite a bond. We were so lucky to have been able to participate in a surprise trip for Ryan to the NFL offices in NYC. I am grateful for being able to get to know him, see his smile and admire his spirit. Fight on Ryan! Heaven just gained itself the ultimate angel.

Ryan Davidson...Our Friend and Hero.

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts we tell you:

At 2:15 on February 19, 2009, and on his 16th birthday, the angels came and guided Ryan home. While resting comfortably and with his family near by, his 9 ½ year battle with cancer ended. And although his shell here on earth failed him much too early, his spirit is strong and will continue to live on in those of us lucky to have known and loved him. We have been blessed by his presence and look forward to the day that we join him in God’s castle.

2009-01-31T09:31:00.000-08:00

Win a $250.00 Sam's Club Gift Card
through our

Super Bowl Party Contest

So we're down here in Tampa to take part in a few of the Super Bowl festivities, it's cool because Eli was drafted by the Bucs so the city holds lots memories for us. It's always great to see old friends too. In recognition of this great time for football enthusiasts, Sam's Club stores are helping fans get prepped for the game by offering menu ideas and great decor tips. They have provided us with one $250.00 gift card to give away and we'd like to offer it to someone who has supported Tackle Myeloma Foundation over the years. But there's a catch! To be eligible to win this $250 gift card you have to do a little work.

Go to the Sam's Club website and select 10 items you'd need to create the ultimate Super Bowl and write a brief description (a paragraph or so) on how you'd decorate. Simple right?!

Click on the link below to check out the Sam's Club Super Bowl

http://www.samsclubmemberservices.com/Big-Game/Big-Game-Party-FootballPartyTips.aspx

Post your anwers here in my blog, in the comments section.

The deadline is

Thursday, February 5, 2009.

Make sure you provide your e-mail address, if you win, that's how you'll be contacted.

2009-01-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

New Year, New Look, Same Passion

CHANGE IS GOOD! I know, I know it's different compared to that helmet, but you have to admit, it is nice to look at. By the way, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have been slammed and unable to post, but boy oh boy do we have a lot of great stuff going on. Our 3rd Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament is coming up on March 1st!!! We are so excited because the money raised from this event has helped so many dealing with cancer. Information about the pro athletes who will be attending this year will be coming soon!

Tackle Myeloma Foundation

3rd Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament

Where: N9ne Steakhouse

When: Sunday, March 1, 2009

Dinner served 5pm-6pm

Tournament Begins at 6:15

Registration : $200.oo

Click on the link below to register! Space is limited.

http://tmfpokertournament.eventbrite.com/

2008-11-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Wildcats - 26
Trojans - 24

WILDCATS WIN THRILLER
and FINISH ON TOP!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHEW! The season kicked off with everyone having one goal in mind and that was to FINISH. FINISH on top like they had last year and so many years before. It was printed on t-shirts and drilled into everyone's mind from practice one. Merely getting to the championship game was not enough. Last night we all added an -ED to our team motto as we FINISHED in our rightful place- LEAGUE CHAMPS!

We woke up this morning still on cloud nine after last nights amazing victory over the Trojans. Although it was a victorious game for us, it was way too close for comfort. But it's now official, Coach Eli has blown his whistle for the last time and he can retire knowing his Lil Wildcats are champions AGAIN! I honestly thought he was going to cry last night, but I'm glad he didn't since we had enough tears on the field between our players, the Trojans players and the parents. We spent the night celebrating at Coach Chad's house as team and looking forward to our last awards banquet.

I really don't have too much else to say. I can't wait to see the pictures, I can't wait to see the videos, last night was something NONE of us will ever forget. My husband loves those boys so much. He knows he pushed them hard every year, but all he ever hoped for is for them to remember him and the lessons they've learned through him as they continue to mature in to young men. It was because of them that he refused to let a little thing called chemo keep him down, not even life threatening cancer could keep him off the field.

It's going to be fun watching these boys grow up. We will keep up with them because they will forever be a part of the Alexander family. Thank you Wildcat parents, it has been a fun ride!

Kimberly

2008-11-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

Coach Eli's Little Wildcats are headed to the championship game...AGAIN!

Long time no post, I know, I should update more, but it has been CRAZY! Ever since the phenomenal golf tournament we have still been going non-stop. There are so many great things in the works for TMF! I can't begin to adequately thank all of our supporters, old and new who believe in what we're doing. Our financial assistance program for families who have children fighting cancer has been a big hit, especially in light of this unstable economy. We have been working on figuring out ways to do more for more people so stay tuned because more news on that front is coming soon.

When Eli isn't working on TMF related projects he has been busy coaching his football team. It's a big deal this year because this is the last year that the boys, who he's been coaching since they were 5, will play together. Next year the majority will play through their middle school.
Well Coach has ONE MORE GAME and then he will officially hang up his whistle. We won tonight 34-6 over a great Giants team, and next week we play the Trojans. Yes, the Trojans who still have a very special place in my heart that dates back to fall 2005, when Eli was newly diagnosed with myeloma and weakened from aggressive chemo treatments. We beat them in overtime that year, but what took place after the game still makes me cry. Coach looked like hell and could barely get around, but he mustered up enough strength to make his way on to the field and inspire his boys to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. And despite the loss, after the crowd cleared, the Trojans invited our family over to their sideline and prayed for our family. They also presented Eli with a shirt autographed by the team (who were about 8 or 9 at the time) and a USC shirt, like their coaches wear. It was so touching and I will never forget that moment, the shirts are neatly folded on coaches shelf. This year, those very same Trojans are the only team that beat us so saturday's game should be quite a treat.

Health wise, Elijah is doing well. Now that the weather has gotten a little cooler, he won't ride his bike in the morning, but he'll still lift weights and continue to eat healthy. I'll be back next week to let you know if his team pulls off a big victory to claim their title of back-to-back CHAMPS. For those of you not in Texas I know you couldn't possible comprehend how big of a deal this is for us, but trust me it is. These young men mean the world to coach so to have just three practices and one game left before his retirement, we all may be a little misty eyed come Saturday.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Love,
Kimberly

2008-09-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

In Memory of...

The Tackle Myeloma family recently lost two very special people. Kenneth Talley and his company, Porter Lighting, was a TMF supporter from day one. His grandson is on Big Eli's Wildcat football team and he would never fail to mention how much it meant to him to see grandson happy. In April of 2008 we were informed that Mr. Talley had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. The irony of that just blew us away. Here was a man who gave to our cause because of Elijah's diagnosis with myeloma, only to find himself diagnosed with the same disease a couple of years later. Mr. Talley will be missed.

We also recently lost Dillion Wolford. As many of you may remember Dillion was the young cancer patient that was a huge Dalllas Stars fan. His parents wanted to do something special for him so Elijah and Trevor Daley (one of Dillion's favorite Stars players) visited him at hospital. We were later told by one of Dillion's doctors that that day was one of the first times he didn't feel any pain. Elijah ran in to Dillon during a hospital visit not too long after this picture was taken. He kept talking about how strong Dillion must be and how impressed he was with his desire to keep fighting.

Please keep the Wolford family and the Talley family in your prayers.

2008-09-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

WHEW!

The dust has settled, our hard work has paid off. This year's event nearly doubled the amount we raised last year! The Tackle Myeloma Foundation has truly been blessed by having wonderful supporters who share our vision. But of course, no rest for the weary. We are forging ahead with big and exciting plans for Tackle Myeloma that will allow us to do more for raising awareness about myeloma while also helping the littlest cancer patients. The progress will take time so be on the look out for small changes here and there until the big reveal.

In the meantime, Eli is back on the job, coaching his little Wildcats team (they are 1-0) and working with the hospital social workers to get funds to families in need of help (keep in mind that I haven't even touched on his husband and daddy duties). I look at him and wonder how does he manage to do it all while still working out almost daily and having to be mindful of his own health. I can't lie, sometimes I worry about his stress level, but he obviously likes to GO. He likes to golf too, so I'm sure a much needed recharger trip is being planned as I type.

Thank you again to all of those who attended our golf tournamnt and those who wanted to, but couldn't. Information about our 2009 Celebrity Poker Tournament (March 1, 2009) & Celebrity Golf Tournament (September 8, 2009) will be made available shortly.

Thank you again for your prayers and support! Enjoy the slideshow below, if you're at work turn down the volume.

Kimberly

compliments of David Podwika

2008-08-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

TMF Celebrity Golf tourney & auction - SOLD OUT!

Wow! All of our hard work is paying off. We are so excited about this year's golf tournament just because, it's obvious, so many other people are getting excited too! More participants, more volunteers, more celebrities, more supporters, more opportunity to make a difference in the lives of other people. When it all boils down, that's what it's all about. This is truly a labor of love, not just for Elijah and I, but also for our boardmembers who voluntarily plug away on our behalf, despite having their own families and careers. It's all in an effort to watch our dream grow. Call me crazy, but I'm already looking forward to next year's golf tournament! We have so many big plans for this foundation, it's hard to keep my giddyness bottled up.

One thing I am trying to brace myself for is the emotional rush that may hit me when I see everyone on Tuesday. I'll admit, I've already cried a few times just looking at the names of people coming. One person's name really touched me. His name is David. He is the dad of one of the kids my husband coaches in football. When Elijah was first diagnosed, and in the hospital undergoing plasmapheresis, David was one of our first visitors. He saw my husband at his worst and the look of concern on his face is burned into my memory. I remember those days like it just happened last week.

I recently started cleaning out the over 6000 e-mails that have accumulated in my inbox since October of 2005. I don't know why some of them are so hard to erase. I came across the first e-mail I sent out to our friends and family after learning from the emergency room doctors that Eli had cancer. I still have every response to that e-mail that came in. I remember people telling me all the time that they thought I was strong. They were surprised by how I could appear to keep it all together despite the devastating blow of that cancer diagnosis. When I went back and read that e-mail, that was sent out on October 4, 2005 at 12:40 p.m., I can see why they may have thought that. When I read the e-mail a few days ago, I honestly didn't even remember coming up with the words within it. I was obviously in fight mode (flight, the other option, was never under consideration). All I can think of is that poem called Footprints in the Sand. That is one of Eli's favorites. I had an artist handwrite it and then had it framed for him for Christmas. One of his friends even bought him a copy of the poem, small enough for him to carry it in his wallet, so that he could have it with him in the hosptial. I developed a love for it too because it seemed so fitting for what he was going through. Well I'm now starting to realize it was pretty fitting for both of us. No other way to explain it.

One night I had a dream--I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way,but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.

"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never, never leave you during your times of trial and suffering.

"When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."...Mary Stevenson

On October 4, 2008 I am going to post that original e-mail. That's the three year anniversary of the day our lives were sent down another path. I'll be sharing it with you all as an act of defiance. During those first few days of extensively researching this awful disease, almost everything I read gave those who are diagnosed with it an average of 3 years to survive. In typical Eli fashion he's bucking that trend. He took that three years to survive and turned it into 3 years to thrive. I am so proud of him.

Until next time, please continue to keep our family, and all of the others you may know who have been touched by cancer, in your prayers.

Kimberly

2008-08-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

The month of July...A.K.A. The Whirlwind

Hi everyone! This posting is long overdue, but I have great excuses for being so behind with the update. The month of July was CRAZY for us, it was a great month, but CRAZY. The first week, the Alexander family went on a much needed vacation. We went to Barbados which was absolutely wonderful. It was beautiful , it was relaxing, the food was good, what more can you ask for? Cell phones don't work there so it made us slow down and spend some quality time together as a family. This picture of us was taken inside Harrison's Cave, a must see if you make it to Barbados.

A couple of weeks later we went to New Jersey and New York. There were lots of treats during that trip, the biggest was seeing Ryan. Ryan is a young man that Eli refers to as his brother because they are both fighting cancer. I've talked about him here before. This was my first time meeting him and I now understand why Eli thinks the world of this kid. He's been through a lot battling cancer, but he has the best spirit, personality, sense of humor, just everything. We had the honor of being able to accompany Ryan and his dad Kirby at the NFL headquarters in NYC. It was a surprise for Ryan so seeing his face light up when he realized where we were was great. As soon as we set foot in the offices we ran into Adam Schefter who works with the NFL Network. The ironic thing was that Adam used to be a reporter when Eli played for the Broncos so he remembered him from those days that seemed like they were a 100 years ago. I made the guys pose for a pic (you know I've always got my camera on me).

We also got to meet Mike Pereira who is over NFL officiating, He was hilarious! Nothing like getting a retired NFL linebacker and an NFL referee in a closed space together. Pure comedy. Mike cut us deep when he talked about a little incident where Eli was flagged for a dirty hit and ejected from the game. It's still a sore subject for me (snicker).
Ryan got a kick out of hearing the two debate about X's and O's, but the best part was when he was presented with a red Matt Leinert jersey. And of course it looked perfect with the Arizona Cardinals hat he was sporting that day. He couldn't wait to put it on!

One of the next stops was to the NFL Network control room. It was cool to see where they record every single game that takes place during the season and how they look over all of the calls that are made on the field.

Ryan and Eli got to play a game called "You Make the Call" where they sat in front of the big screen and the NFL Network guys cued up different plays and asked them whether or not the refs got the call right. Needless to say my husband always favored the defense.

Ryan was then taken to see Super Bowl rings, trophies and all sorts of NFL memorabilia. But I think it's safe to say that his favorite part was getting to meet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I'm such a cry baby that I had to excuse myself from the room at one point. Seeing Ryan's grin spread from ear to ear when Goodell let him sit at his desk and even presented him with the Lombardi trophy like he does the Super Bowl winning team was just phenomenal.

Everyone there was so wonderful to us (I haven't even mentioned all of them), and being able to experience that day with Ryan and Eli was so special to me. I had no clue that it would be as amazing as it was.

Well believe it or not, there was even more great stuff going on in July. Elijah and I have been praying about what direction we want to see TMF go in. We have begun exploring ways to expand our financial assistance program to include hospitals outside of the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex and also add another component for myeloma patients. We know it will take some time, but we also know it's possible. We have had some amazing people come into our lives through this journey and we are convinced that this is what we are supposed to do. Please keep our family and our foundation in your prayers. Elijah is continuing to do well and guess what, we celebrated his 38th birthday yesterday! It wasn't a big deal to him, but it was to me. In 2005 when I read that myeloma patients tend to live 3-4 years after diagnosis, I wasn't sure if my husband would even see his 38th birthday. God is good.

Love, Kimberly

2008-06-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! We are so excited about the progress our foundation is making and the impact Elijah is having on people's lives. He's become quite the public speaker lately. Even as his wife I find myself saying **WHO KNEW?**.
During the first week in June Elijah spoke at a cancer survivor event for Medical City Dallas. That was such an awesome day because we met so many people we could relate to. The absolute highlight of the day though was meeting Ms. Samantha. She's the little girl in the above slideshow with Eli. Her family is one of the ones that the Tackle Myeloma Foundation has been able to help thanks to our AMAZING supporters! Her mom told us that she was listening to Elijah give his speech and heard him mention the Tackle Myeloma Foundation and put two and two together. She came over and introduced herself and let us meet her little angel Samantha. She is so sweet. Talk about reaffirming your purpose. It's moments like that that make us know why we're here and why we must forge ahead.
I had to take Eli straight from the cancer survivor event to the airport so he could fly to Chicago for the ASCO convention. While there he met a young man that he has something in common with. His name is Ryan and he's also a cancer survivor. He and Elijah are both taking the one of same medications and thriving! It turns out that Ryan is a big football fan (his favorite team is USC), and his favorite players are Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. Hopefully Eli his one of his new favorites too. One thing for sure is that he really impressed Eli. Ryan is 15 years old and has been battling brain cancer. Eli got to meet him and his family and we're hoping to see them again this summer.
So then he was home a fews and off again!!!! This time he went to Clermont, Florida. Our friend and his former teammate, Tony McCoy, has a church there and he invited Elijah out there to come speak. Eli wouldn't dare turn Tony down. Tony presided over the ceremony when Eli and I renewed our vows in 2005 and when Eli was diagnosed he kept our family in his thoughts and prayers. Eli spoke at 2 services and he told me for the firt time, he was a little nervous. But he made it through. I'm looking forward to seeing the dvd from the services that day.
Before I close out for this posting I just want to say that TMF has an announcement to make pretty soon here. In addition to our new look (do you like our new logo? The helmet with the 58 and the drop of blood, myeloma is a blood cancer ya know, we just to make sure people remember that) we are about to spread our wings a bit to help more people. When everything is a go I'll be back to blog about it and make sure I send the info out to our database. If you're not signed up just go to http://www.tmf58.com/ . Ooh, and don't forget our golf tournament, if you've been before you know how fun they are and if you've never made it out WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Love,
Kimberly

2008-05-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago TMF was contacted and asked if we knew any Dallas STARS players who could visit a young hospitalized patient who was a BIG fan! We were more than thrilled to help, but not really sure if we could pull it off since the STARS were in the middle of the playoffs. Elijah called Trevor Daley and told him the young man's story. On his off day Trevor accompanied Elijah and went to surprise Dillon with a visit. Dillon was thrilled to meet Trevor and even more excited when he was presented with an autographed jersey and other gear. Everyone had been warned not discuss the STARS playoff series with Dillon. Because he couldn't watch the games in the hospital his family would Tivo them, bring the box to the hospital and put it on the TV for him to watch in full, and in order, on the days he felt good. So he didn't know that at the time the STARS were down 0-3. After their visit Dillon's family said they hadn't seen him smile like that in a long time and the next day pictures from their time together were posted all over his room. During the next STARS game Trevor scored the first goal! Dillon didn't see it live, but we're sure it made his day once he was able to watch it on Tivo.

It's almost that time again!!!!! If you haven't had a chance to come you don't want to miss out! Registration for the 3rd Annual TMF Golf Tournament in now OPEN! Go to http://www.tmf58.com/ and click on events to register!

I have to get this in too! Elijah and I just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last week! Crazy huh?! We couldn't believe it ourselves. It seems like not too long ago we were gearing up to renew our vows for our 10 year anniversary. We spent a lot of time reflecting on how quickly things can change in matter of months and especially years. For those of you who don't know, it was 5 months after we celebrated our 10 year anniversary when Elijah was diagnosed with myeloma and our world was flipped upside down. It definitely makes you put things in perspective. Last week Elijah and I toured the pediatric oncology floor of Medical City Dallas with Dr. Lenarsky and a few members of his staff. It was so nice to spend time in a facility you know you're making a difference for. After the tour I told Elijah that we're so busy doing so much for other people that sometimes I forget that he has cancer. I mean I look at him get up in the morning and work out and go, what seems like, non-stop trying to get people to support our foundation. We haven't even talked about the fact that he's still coaching too. He's a shining example of a person LIVING with cancer. We just pray that a cure is found, I just pray that we celebrate 13 years now, 20 years in 2015 and 50 years in 2045. That would be a blessing.

Please keep us ,and all those other warriors fighting cancer in your prayers.

Kimberly

2008-04-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

The 2008 TMF celebrity Poker Tournament slideshow...Here are a few of the images from that night's festivites. Thanks to the money that was TMF will not only be able to offer financial assistance to families with children fighting cancer, but will also assist with the remodeling of Medical City Children's Hospital's palliative care room. That is a special room set up for families who have children facing end of life care. Enjoy the slideshow!

Click on the THANK YOU message below to view photos from the

2008 TMF Celebrity Poker Tournament

Just for the record, Elijah is doing GREAT! This is a pic of him and the boys at Kansas State University during the spring ball game weekend. Elijah has also been busy with speaking engagements, speaking to cancer survivors about staying positive, keeping informed about their disease and fighting cancer. I am so proud of him! Please keep the prayers coming! God has been so good to us and we know that all of these phenomenal things that have fallen in place for our foundation are not just happening by chance.

Thank you, Kimberly

2008-03-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Electrifying!!!

We're still adding up totals, but last nights 2008 TMF Celebrity Poker Tournament was an even bigger success than before! Thank you to the N9ne group (N9ne Steakhouse, Nove Italiano, and Ghost Bar) for being such wonderful hosts for TMF again! Thank you to the people who came out to support one of our causes, children being treated at Medical City Childrens. We'll be updating the site with totals and pictures (thank you David P. for being such an awesome photgrapher!) There are really too many people to thank because there are so many with good hearts!!!!!! Love ya, Kimberly!!

2008-02-12T05:04:00.000-08:00

Save the date!!!!

The 2nd Annual Tackle Myeloma Foundation's Celebrity Poker Tournament

is just weeks away!!!! Visit http://www.tmf58.com/ for more information and to register.

Hi everyone, sorry for the long break, but a lot has happened since my last post!!!

I took a break from TMF duties to participate in some other charity work for a good cause. I joined a few friends of mine in Phoenix, Arizona Super Bowl weekend. Off the Field, the Players Wives Association, hosted the 7th Annual fashion show and honored me by presenting me with the Danielle Beverly Award of Courage. Danielle Beverly is a cancer survivor and fellow NFL wife who I happen to know and have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for. Being recognized by my peers was so special and really meant a lot to me. But there was also work to be done. I wanted to make sure that during my acceptance speech I talked about myeloma. My mission is to bring awareness about this disease at every possible moment. To my surprise I was approached by a few people who were in the audience during the show who were familiar with myeloma. The one thing they all said was that they had never heard of it until they knew someone stricken with it. That's exactly what I want to change.

My fellow wives did a great job with the fashion show and raised lots of money for the Phoenix Children's Hospital. The morning after the fashion show a few of us got up to participate in a Habitat for Humanity ALL GIRL build! This was one of the things I looked forward to more than anything during Super Bowl weekend. Just before Elijah was diagnosed with cancer Hurricane Katrina had left its mark on the gulf coast. I had been working with a few NFL Wives and Habitat for Humanity to see if we could partner up and help famililes in the New Orleans area. I had to back off a bit once Elijah got sick, but as he improved I was able to get back on board and help coordinate 2 builds in Hammond, LA. Unfortunately I was never able to attend any of the builds. This year I was able to get in touch with a very special lady named Missy, who runs the Phoenix H4H office, who allowed the NFL wives to participate in a build in Arizona. The cool thing about this build was that the construction site leaders were all female, our all female group was on site helping and the home was being built for a single mom and her 3 daughters. This all girl crew got a lot done!!! My job was to take pictures and pick up nails! I had the amazing ability of being able to seperate bent nails from straight nails so it was my duty to sort and keep the site clean. Neat huh!? (LOL!)

I'm going to sign off now. My husband is doing GREATTTTTT!!!! Thank you all for your prayers and I ask that you continue to pray for us. Also please pray for all families touched by cancer. My mom lost a dear friend this week to breast cancer and another NFL player was daignosed with a blood cancer. Every time I hear the "C" word I just shake my head because it has just touched WAYYYYYY too many peoples lives. But I have to think positive, everything happens for a reason. Like I said during my acceptance speech, "sometimes you have to pick up the ball and run with it". If what our family has gone through (is going through) helps others, then it was all a part of HIS plan.

EXPECT BIG THINGS FROM TMF THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya,

Kimberly

2008-01-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR from TMF!

Hi everyone! We hope that everyone had a happy and safe holiday season. We are busy plugging away over here. We're in the process of revamping http://www.tmf58.com/ and getting ready for our two big fundraising events, the TMF Celebrity Poker Tournament (March 2, 2008) and the Celebrity Golf Tournament in September. If you would like to be added to the e-mail list please visit our site and sign up. As soon as the site is updated you will be notified.

A few days ago we presented Medical City Dallas' Children's Hospital with another check. It was so nice to hear about the way the money will be used. I'm waiting to get the other pictures from that day as well as the pictures from the big toy giveaway that Eli and Cliff (our newest board member) created on behalf of TMF to benefit the children who are being treated at the hospital.

The response to our appearance on NBC Nightly News was wonderful. We heard from so many nice people and responded to them all personally (if you didn't hear from us either we didn't get your message yet or our response may have gone in your junk mail). It's so comforting to know that people see and appreciate the hard work that we're putting in to get the word our about this disease. 2008 and will no different for TMF. Our group of supporters has grown every year and this year we plan on reaching out more and GIVING MORE!!!!!!!!

Health wise, Elijah is still doing well. He's working out and trying to drop the pounds he picked up doing all of that holiday eating.

To whom much is given, much is expected. We believed in those words before Elijah was diagnosed in '05 and continue to not only believe in them, but live by them.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Kimberly

2007-12-13T03:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed it I have added links to Elijah's interview here. Just move your cursor over the pics or label under the pics and click. An NBC commercial will air first and then the news piece will come on. Thanks!

Fighting multiple myeloma

Ex-Oakland Raiders battles myeloma

New findings in myeloma research

2007-12-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

Tonight's the night! It's kind of excitng, in a bittersweet way. While I am so glad that the disease is getting some exposure, I sure wouldn't have minded not being a part of the club. But oh well, we're card carrying members and duty calls. All I want is a cure. I have a husband and my children have a father that we want to grow old with. That's all I want, a simple cure.

FIGHTING A KILLER

By Clare Duffy, NBC News producer

Editor's note: Robert Bazell's report airs on tonight's broadcast. Watch a preview here.
One of the great privileges of working on this broadcast is the opportunity to dig into stories that matter - especially stories that have personal significance as well. Today's piece by Robert Bazell on multiple myeloma is, for me, one of those stories.
A year ago today, my uncle, the actor Peter Boyle, lost his battle with this disease at age 71. It took Gen. Wayne Downing, a much beloved figure here at Nightly News, as well. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, and it lays waste to a person's immune system. It was a terrible way to go, and unimaginably hard for my aunt and cousins to witness. But they were helped tremendously by some very kind and gifted people, in particular my uncle's physician, Dr. Brian Durie, who is featured in tonight's story. Dr. Durie and his wife, Susie Novis, head the International Myeloma Foundation, which is doing groundbreaking research. Some of the results were presented at the American Society of Hematology conference just this week - in particular, some intriguing findings about the impact of exposure to certain toxins in the environment on a person's tendency to develop this disease. Unlike most other cancers, rates of diagnosis are increasing for myeloma and it's vital to figure out why.
Only a few months after my uncle's death, my aunt, Loraine Alterman Boyle - one of the bravest people I know - turned her attention to raising money to help fund that research. And she's not the only one - in tonight's story, we will introduce you to Elijah and Kimberly Alexander. Two years ago, at age 35, Elijah - a retired linebacker for the Oakland Raiders - was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Not so long ago, this disease was confined to older folks. That's not the case anymore. Multiple myeloma took more than 40 pounds off this tower of strength, leaving him barely able to walk across the room. But with the help of his family, and some new therapies, Eli's in remission and he and Kimberly are raising money as well. This disease, while rare, seems to mobilize those who get an unwanted trip to, as Susie Novis calls it, "Myeloma World." Eli and Kim are giving back in a big way, and like my aunt, are doing everything they can to see that others might not have to go through what they've experienced.
There are a great many resources online for multiple myeloma, including:

The International Myeloma Foundation

Elijah Alexander's Tackle Myeloma Foundation

Kim Alexander's blog about her family's experience with myeloma

2007-12-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

The Whirlwind

The only word to describe the time period between the golf tournament and now is simply CRAZY!!!!!!!! I don't know where to start so I'll just go in chronological order. The golf tournament was another big success. We're set to give the Medical City Dallas children's hospital another check next week. We're also donating to IMF (International Myeloma Foundation) and MMRF. In early November I had the opportunity to fly to L.A. attend the IMF's Celebration of Life event for actor Peter Boyle. It was awesome. I was nervous because I really didn't want to go by myself. I'd never been to L.A. before, plus I figured the IMF people would be more interested in meeting him than me. In addition to that, both boys football teams were in the playoff hunt so the games were really important. Hence the reason why I had to travel alone. Duty called and coach wasn't about to let his little Wildcats or Raven's defense operate without him at that point in the season. It paid off. Both boys teams ended up advancing and winning their championship games. The IMF event was awesome, the people there were so friendly and inviting. Kelly Cox and his wife, Mary Turner made me feel right at home. I even got to experience walking the red carpet like a real celeb and that was a hoot.

I flew back to Dallas to get ready for our trip to Florida for the Thanksgiving break. I don't think Elijah and I had been together in Gainesville since little Eli was about a year old. So with that being said I was in major reminisce mode and dragged my husband, our sons and my dad to the exact spot where I met my husband almost 15 years ago. So what if I was having a dork moment, Norman Gym will always have a special place in my heart, even though it doesn't look the same (generous funding from all those GATOR championships have rendered parts of the campus virtually unrecognizable now :-).

The trip was very relaxing, exactly what we needed. As soon as we got back to Dallas it was time to get the ball rolling with finalizing everything for our first ever TMF Appreciation dinner for our sponsors and donors. I wanted to make sure the event was really special, but upon hearing that Kelly from the IMF and a journalist from NBC would be attending, that made the need for a great event more important. The 9group (they operate The Ghost Bar, N9ne Steakhouse and Nove Italiano) hosted the event for us and it could not have been any more perfect. I was nervous about talking to the crowd about Elijah. I tried on a few occasions to write a speech, but the right words wouldn't come out. Sooo, I just grabbed a note card, wrote down some words to remind of key points and prayed that when I stood up there I didn't sound like a blubbering idiot. I don't exactly remember what I said, but as long as I didn't trip and fall or cry, I was going to consider it a success. I'll post more pics from the event later. It was so nice to be able to meet and mingle with the people that have provided us and our foundation so much support. And the food was delicious. I'm still a bit ticked about the waitstaff taking my plate during my speech. The chicken marsala, mac and cheese and spring rolls has earned Eli the right to take me to Nove and N9ne whenever he'd like. I also need to see the Ghost Bar on a regular night too. Sean (from the Ghost Bar) took care of us, no other way to put it. I'm a fan for life.

Below is a picture of Eli being interviewed by Clare Duffy from NBC. Well she's not exactly interviewing him in this shot. She's thumbing through his latest obsession, a gift from the PGA Superstore. It's a big book with info on world's best golf courses. Just what Eli needed, printed excuses to justify gallivanting off to exotic places just to hit a little white ball. I really don't get it. But that's okay, I'm sure he feels the same way when he seeing lusting over a pair of shoes or a new handbag. The NBC crew hung out with Eli and hopefully the footage they collected will be a prat of a story shedding light on myeloma. Anything to bring attention to the disease, I am all for. Hopefully we'll get info on will it will air so that I can shoot an e-mail out to EVERYONE!!

I have a new love for our TMF. I loved it before, but I wasn't ready to embrace it. Everything we had been through was still too fresh. It took hearing people mispronounce the disease and not fully comprehend that Elijah actually still suffers from it for me plunge in. Who better to explain the hell the disease can cause than the person who watched it morph her husband. When he came home from his doctor's appointment last week and reminded me that 18 months ago he didn't have the needed white and red blood cells or platelets in him due to the massive amounts of chemo he was given for his transplant it hit me how far he's come. That's what I am hanging on. There has to be a reason God has kept him here for us and whatever it takes to keep him here, we just have to get it done.

We're three weeks away from 2008 and the trend I have noticed is that when I have claimed an amazing year, an amazing year occurs. So let me state it now, I thank God for another year with my husband and another year for our foundation to make a difference in other people's lives. I won't be shy and will ask for more of the same for 2008.

I'll try to update the blog before New Year's, but if I don't, here's hoping you and your family have a

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Love ya, Kimberly

PS-Sorry for the long post, but it was long overdue.

2007-10-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

2 years Later - Elijah is still going strong!

Pro athletes support TMF

(Russell Maryland, Kevin Mathis, Billy Joe Tolliver, Gerald Sowell, Andre Coleman, Elijah, Spud Webb, Johnny Harris, Glen Sanders, Barrett Brooks, Patrick Crayton and Ray Crockett

not pictured - Terrance Shaw, Keith Davis, Mel Owens, Marion Barber Tim Brown, Micheal Booker, Leonard Humphries)

Elijah and Kimberly

TMF Board at the 2007 Celebrity Golf Tournament

Hi everyone! It has been 2 years since Elijah's diagnosis and as you can see he's still non-stop. We are already working on next year's fundraising events. Final numbers for this year's tournament are still pending a few outstanding invoices. We had soooooooo much fun this year! The turnout was better than last year, the support from the retired and active NFL/NBA players was great and everyone is looking forward to the next event!!!!

2007-07-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Myeloma Mobile comes to Dallas, Texas

Elijah, Kelly Cox and Micheal Tuohy

Just before we left to go on our trip to San Diego we had the opportunity to meet Micheal Tuohy and his family. Micheal also has myeloma and to bring attention to the disease he and his family have been driving cross country in their RV that has been signed by well wishers. It was so wonderful to meet them. It was also my first opportunity to meet several members of the North Texas Myeloma Support Group, an organization that provided me with so much helpful information when Eli was first diagnosed that I will be forever grateful. Kelly Cox from the International Myeloma Foundation was also here and he let me know there are lots of advancements being made towards understanding and treating the disease. That was great to hear.

Elijah is super busy preparing for his 2nd Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament. We are so excited because he is getting some major support. Last year was amazing, but I suspect that this year will be even better!!!!!! We jetted off to San Diego for our yearly getaway just for us before the summer ends and football season begins. It was wonderful, a nice little break before his event and coaching duties call. As you can see, he's looking good and feeling good, still putting me to shame by waking up at 5am to work out. He has a brithday coming up in a couple of days, the big 3-7!!!!!!!!! No surprise party this year though, we'll keep it this year and plan for something huge in about 3 years. Until then, please keep us, and fellow cancer survivors, lifted in prayer.

Love ya, Kimberly

Eli on Coronado Island

2007-06-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

May 27, 2007 - Eli and Kimberly On Their 12 Year Anniversary

I know, I know, it's been far too long since I updated the blog, but it's truly because I have been SWAMPED! I don't even know where to begin so I'll just start off by saying Elijah is doing great. He's had a few bugs that gave us scares during the spring (Strep throat, that tummy virus that everyone got), but everything was fine and he's still going strong. The Tackle Myeloma Foundation's Poker Tournament in May was a big success. We had a great turnout and exceeded our financial expectations. You can see more info about it at http://www.tacklemyelomafoundation.com/ . Now we're moving ahead with our next event, the celebrity golf tournament at Craig Ranch. Eli just wrapped up coaching our youngest son's flag football team and is looking forward to the fall when he resumes coaching duties for both boys. I promise not to take so long before I post again. Thank you again for your prayers!
Kimberly

2007-03-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is already March. This time last year Elijah was in the hospital recovering from his stem cell transplant. This year he is STILL officially CANCER FREE!!!! Elijah went in for a complete check up and the doctor said he is doing well. He received all of his immunizations and his biopsy came back with no traces of cancer. We are so happy! Elijah is still going strong, working out, golfing, now helping the boys with their baseball, and building houses. The man is truly amazing! Thank you for your prayers and support. I will continue to keep you posted about Elijah's progress and fund raising efforts for cancer research. God is good and we will never forget that or take it for granted.

Kimberly

PS- I took the picture above when Eli and I took the boys and their friends Brady and Peyton to an old school car show. We had soooooooooooooooooooooooo much fun. Big Eli has decided he wants to buy himself another classic car for his 40th birthday (that's 3 years from now). He wants to buy one made in the year 1970, the year he was born. He fell in love with a blue one at the car show. I'm glad it wasn't for sale since we have no room for more cars.

2006-12-31T07:04:00.000-08:00

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

2006-12-12T04:35:00.000-08:00

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

2006-10-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

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.

2006-09-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2006-08-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

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

2006-07-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

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!!!!

2006-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!

2006-06-06T04:37:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

+ 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

2006-04-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-06T14:16:00.000-07:00

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

2006-03-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

"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

2006-03-25T15:15:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-17T20:11:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-03-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

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

2006-03-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-03-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-27T08:07:00.002-08:00

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

2006-02-25T14:26:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-31T18:38:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-01-13T04:47:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-09T18:05:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-27T19:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to update things. I was holding out until Eli's next appt. which was today. Christmas around here was great! The boys got everything they wanted (Evan had to have a Chad Johnson jersey and Eli just wanted video games). Big Eli even got the one thing he wanted, but didn't actually ask for. Elijah loves the poem "Footprints In The Sand". It refers to a man questioning God about why, when he needed God the most, did he only see one set of footprints in the sand. God goes on to inform him that the set of prints in the sand are his own because he was in fact carrying the man during his time of need. Elijah knows that God is the one carrying him through this battle right now. Well I bought Elijah a poster with the poem on it years ago, but it was kinda cheesy. It was very difficult to find something nice, that would go with our house with the poem on it. When Elijah was hospitalized he kept saying he wanted to get someone to handwrite the poem for him so he could get it framed. So of course, that's what I had made for him for Christmas. I found a lady (Marie Adamson - writtentreasure.com) in Rockwall, TX, who did an absolutely fabulous job. I'll take a pic and post it when we get it framed. The smile it brought to his face was wonderful. He had to admit that it was exactly what he wanted.

I wasn't able to go with Elijah to his Dr. appt. today because I have a cold. I have yet to figure out with all the additional handwashing and hand sanitizing I've been doing how I caught this cold, but oh well. So I have to stay out of Eli's face because I don't want him getting sick from me again.

I typed up a long list of questions and things I needed the doctor to address, gave Eli's friend who took him to the appt. my notebook to take notes in and Eli took a little pocket recorder to tape record the appt. for me. So I just listened to the tape and it sounds like Eli is continuing to do well. We should know by the end of the week what his new M-spike number is. That's the number that measures the amount of myeloma in his system. Hopefully it would have gone down again. The plan is to prepare Elijah for a stem cell transplant, using his own cells. That procedure should help ensure that the myeloma is pushed further back into remission for a long time. He's still feeling tired, but that's just a side effect from the chemo. The recovery time for the transplant should be about 2-3 weeks. Prayerfully Mr. Man will be able to start getting back to normal pretty soon. My dad will come back to help out which is truly a blessing. He just left today after being here for a week. I was so glad that he was here because he was able to keep an eye on the boys and keep them entertained. I'm hoping he'll move here soon, but I'm going to have to keep working on him.

I'm going to run now because this cold is wearing me out. I just spoke to a friend of mine who said I need to go to the doctor in the morning, so I'm taking her advice.
PUH-LEEZ keep the prayers coming, but also keep our friends Matt and Jenny Stinchcomb, Eric and Danielle Beverly, Bobby and Cecilia Romanski as well as Tony Dungy and his family prayed up as well. Good night folks!

That's pic of Evan, age 7 and Elijah, age 10 - My mini-husbands.

2005-12-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I know, I know, long time no speak. Well no news id definitely good news. Elijah received his 3rd of 4 chemo treatments today. According to the blood work that was done he continues to respond positively to the treatment. THANK GOD! After the fourth treatment he will be reassessed and then they will collect his cells to do a transplant later that month. When I tell you that the Alexander's are literally counting down the days till January, please believe it. My husband has finally accepted the fact that working out during chemo will not give him his body back. The chemo just makes him too tired and weak. He's looking forward to getting some weight and muscle back on him in a few weeks.

Elijah's initial cancer reading was 3.7%, that's the percentage of cancer cells that were in his body. As of today that reading has dropped to .70%. The goal is for the cancer to be declared undetectable and all signs are pointing to us being there soon! Once that happens we'll begin getting our lives back to normal and doing whatever it takes to maintain his remission.

Let me brag on my husband right quick, you guys. I think I mentioned to you all that Eli and were supposed to be taking a trip to Orlando this month. As the day for our departure grew near I was not too happy about going because Eli was still feeling bad due to his cold. I told him I was going to cancel the trip a few days before we were scheduled to leave. Because I was raising such a stink about it he went ahead and admitted to me that the plan was never for us to both go, but that he had arranged for my Jodi, my dad and my brother to meet me down there to give me a mini-vacation so that I could recharge my battery. His friend Gumbo came out and helped him with the boys while I got to hang out with my family and do a little shopping (y'all know I loved that). I'm glad it happened the way it did though because the original plan was for him to keep me in the dark until we arrived at the airport and then he was going to inform me that I was going to be going on the trip by myself. I told him that would have made me an emotional wreck because I would have been worried sick about him and the boys. At least this way I had a few days to plan accordingly.

Well let me run. I'll be back soon. I am trying to not stay up too late these days.
Love ya!
Kimberly

2005-12-06T00:04:00.000-08:00

You all know I need to be asleep, but I figured I'd jump on here right quick sinceI'm in a better mood. I was soooooooooooooooooo glad to see my husband up and about today. I'm starting to realize that I feel better on the days he feels better and vice versa (I guess that's understandable, huh?). He'd been pretty out of it since Thanksgiving thanks to that cold. Today he was finally starting to show signs of getting some strength back. We got the numbers back from the doc and the only one that was down was his white blood cell count. That was to be expected though since he had the cold. After school me and rugrats went to get flu shots. To my surprise one of my neighbors called and informed me that she had prepared dinner for us. I was so appreciative because since I'd been running errands all day I hadn't had a chance to take anything out. She told me she was preparing fish, but I'd have to make the sides. I was so glad. But when she showed up at my front door not only did she have one of favorites (salmon), she'd gone ahead and made beef patties, green beans, rice, rolls, brought a tin can full of cookies, two bottles of apple cider and plastic plates, cups and forks for the four of us. Talk about RIGHT ON TIME! I couldn't believe it. It's people like her that I learn lessons from. I learned that when someone offers help, accept it. That's kind of been an issue for me. I'm the type that tries to handle it all when in all honesty, I can't, at least not right now.

I'm still behind on t-shirt orders and I'm going out of town this weekend. Ughhhhh. My husband surprised me with another Christmas gift last night. He felt I needed to getaway so he's sending me to Florida for the weekend to do some shopping and visit friends. For those who know my husband you know this is a big deal because Mr. Budget doesn't fund too many shopping trips. LOL! You know I don't care though because his financial savviness is paying off now. I'm torn about going to Florida though because I hate leaving him here. He was supposed to be going with me, or so I thought. I just found out that that never was the plan. So he and the boys, along with his friend and my brother-in-law will be running the house this weekend. I think I'm going to have to slip my kids a $20 to make sure there are no parties going down.

You know the drill, please continue to pray for us. they are truly appreciated. Also keep our friends Danielle, Shellie and Matt lifted in prayer too. I can't be selfish, we're not the only crew that the devil is messing with.

Good night!

2005-12-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! If some of you have not heard, there was an article published in yesterday's paper about Elijah and his Wildcat football team. I think the reporter and photographer did a great job in describing what happened during our ceremony Tuesday night. If you missed it, there's a link below.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/frisco/stories/DN-frcoach_01met.ART0.North.Edition2.13b7280c.html

He was so proud of the boys.

Right now fatigue is kicking his butt. It's a side affect of the chemo that we look forward to ditching come January. My once go-go-go husband is now learning how to adjust to slowing down. He's taking care of priorities and business first and resting often in between. Staying busy and keeping his mind going is good for him.

The doc says his numbers are still looking good, even with his cold.

On a side note, I know some of you have tried to post comments and have had trouble. It looks like that may have been my fault because, despite appearances, I ain't the most computer literate. I have a touch of ADD (all busy mom/wives do) and I didn't follow directions for allowing comments. Hopefully that bug has been fixed, if not, continue to e-mail me directly, I love hearing from you.

As devastating as this diagnosis has been the outpouring of support, reconnection with old friends and the creation of new friendships has truly been enjoyable. Now let me run. I'm trying to stop going to bed so late. Oh yeah, please excuse my typos too. I went back a read some of the stuff I typed and I'm sure I embarassed my mom and dad. My bad.

Love ya much!
Kimberly

2005-11-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hi folks! Off the top, today was a good day. Eli had a doctor's appt. Even though he's recovering from his cold his numbers are still looking good. He's improving with each visit. Thank G-O-D! I have to run, we've got the Wildcat banquet tonight. I'll be back with more updates soon. Keep praying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kimberly

2005-11-26T00:22:00.000-08:00

Today was a little rough. This cold is really making Eli feel weak and bad compared to how much better he had been feeling. He rested all day today while me and the boys went looking for Christmas decorations. I'm hoping that by making the house seem festive it'll put us all in a better mood.

I finally got our portraits, from when we renewed our vows this summer, framed. I thought they turned out nice. It was kind of bittersweet to see all four of us in the picture. It was the first large portrait we ever had made as a family. A couple of years ago Eli told me he was afraid for us to take a picture like that because he thought it'd almost be like bad omen. It's amazing how so many comments that we have made to each other throughout our years together seem so poingant now. I can remember all the times I thought my life was too good to be true. Everything for us seemed to happen so reletively smoothly. We'd had our ups and downs, but truly no major challenges. And now this. Forgive me for sounding down, but right now, it's just how I feel. The look on Eli's face when I showed him our portrait today has me feeling sad. We received the DVD recording of our renewal ceremony a few days before Eli was hospitalized and I haven't even gotten up the nerve to watch it. It was such a special day our family.

While I was typing this little message I went back through some files on this computer and found a couple of pics from that day. Seeing them is actually making me feel a little better. I guess I just needed a little reminder of how special our relationship is. Lord knows I love this man so much. Everything's going to be okay. I just has to. Please continue to keep us lifted in prayer, as you can see, it's needed. Let me go downstairs and check on him and go get some rest. Thanks for reading my ramble. Kimberly

2005-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

How are you all doing? I hope everyone enjoyed their day with their family. We enjoyed ours. You know we have so much to be thankful for. My in-laws came over and we had plenty of food and watched the football games.

Eli and I were a little under the weather yesterday and we still haven't been able to shake it. We're learning the hard way how detrimental it is for him to catch a bug from the kids. The boys had colds earlier this week and Big Eli and I caught it. The only problem is that it broke him down a lot more than it did me. We both took Nyquil shots on Wednesday night so by Thursday morning we were still dragging a bit. We shook it off in time to get our eat on though. Eli started feeling bad again tonight and so he's taken some more Nyquil and gone off to bed. I just want him to get some rest so that he can get back on track. It's hard seeing him struggle, trying to get back to normal. He's such a trooper though. He knows this is going to be a long battle.

Let me go so I can go catch up on t-shirt orders & put my kids to bed (they're pushing the envelope and staying up late since they're on vacation).

Love ya,
Kimberly

2005-11-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

WooHoo! My husband gave me my Christmas present early so I am FINALLY coming at you all from my own computer (I'm sure he was sick of seeing me in his office). As I promised, here's a pic of the big guy and our boys. This pic was taken a couple of weeks ago, the morning of the BIG games. Don't they look handsome? The boys have since gotten twists in their hair because I was a little fed up with the afros they were growing. So now I'm a happy camper, my husband's getting better and my son's don't look like little ragamuffins.

We are doing well. Coach is still working out and trying to get his body built up. The boys are happy to see their dad getting around so well. They don't say much, but I know when they worry about him. Whenever he's not home they always want to know where he is. I try to reassure them that he's okay and he's just out running some errand or conducting business.

Please continue to pray that my husband will regain his strength and stamina. His mind is working at 100%, but I know it frustrates him that his body doesn't. It's tough for him to not be able to do all the things he could before, but we're determined to get him back to his old self. His goal is to be in shape by next training camp so he can come out of retirement. :-)

Love ya,
Kimberly

2005-11-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry folks. I have been a little busy lately so I hadn't had a chance to update you all after Eli's latest check up. Once again his numbers from his bloodwork are all headed in the right direction. We have come a loooooooooooooong way in a short period of time. His kidneys are back to normal and he's carrying on business as usual. He's continuing to work out daily and he was pleased as punch when his doc said he could go ahead and jog on a regular basis. Once it warms up he'll start that up. He'll have chemo again in December and January and prayerfully the cancer will be undetectable after that point. His response to this aggressive treatment is promising. Now that the football season is over(we only have one more Wildcat function) he can get some much needed rest from coaching duties. You know we have to have him ready to go next year so the little Wildcats can be champs 4 years in a row!

What an amaizng 5 weeks it has been. From his initial hospitalization 10/03/05 to today my husband has been a fighter. With your prayers, positive words and thoughts he's realized how much we all love him. We couldn't have done it without such supportive friends, family and most importantly, the good Lord.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, THANK YOU! Please keep the prayers coming because once this cancer is knocked out we're still going to need the prayers that it never rears its ugly head again.

Love ya much!
Kimberly

2005-11-13T19:50:00.000-08:00

Every where we go, people wanna know. Who we are, so well them...

WE ARE THE MIGHTY MIGHTY WILDCATS!

Yes folks! Big Eli's little Wildcat team WON the championship game on Saturday, 30-24. It was a great game! I think those little guys are what kept him going during this. I'll post pics soon, my computer is acting up so I'm on the coach's computer for the time being. The older Wlidcat's, L'il Eli's team, lost 6-0 against the Vikings. It was a tough game, but the boys handled the loss well.

Big Eli was tired after being out at the stadium 6 1/2 hours so he came home and rested and spent Sunday doing what he loves to do most on Sunday. Sit in his gameroom and watch every NFL game that comes on. He seems to be handling the chemo well. I think Saturdays games were very intense for him so I'm not surprised that he's needing to rest today. Let me run so I go check on him. I just wanted to give you a heads up about how the big guy is doing!

Love ya,

Kimberly

2005-11-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

Real quick update here. Eli and I came home this morning. His other kidney specialist stopped by this morning, just to speak, and told him kidneys were functioning completely normal. He came home, ran some errands, took a nap and was off to football practice. It was the last practice before the boy's big games. They are so excited.

The chemo treatment went smoothly. So far so good. I still have my eye on him because I'm always afraid he's doing too much. I'm sure once the football season is over he'll slow down, at least I hope so.

I probably won't be updating again unitl after his appt. next week. I'm going to make sure he continues with his supplemental medicines as well as the prescribed ones and his heaping dosage of prayers. I'm convinced that between the prayers, the hands that have been laid on him and the oil that has touched his head the medicine is serving as a backup to getting him on his feet.

Thanks for checking in on us and continue to PRAY!!!!!!!
Kimberly

2005-11-09T17:20:00.000-08:00

All right folks. I am typing this from Eli's hospital room. He made it through having his port put in with flying colors. We're now in the room that he'll be in until tomorrow. He's feeling great! He's on the phone runnin' his mouth right now. The kidney doctor that treated him a few weeks ago stopped through tonight when he saw that Eli is here. Even he was amazed at how great Eli looked. He said that for Eli, being in such great shape before all of this happened, was a good thing and a bad thing. The good part was that he was able to bounce back quickly from being so low. He said that Eli had toxic levels of myeloma in his system and believe me, we knew that. He said the bad thing was that since Eli was in such good shape it took a while for his body to recognize that there was something really wrong. All the nurses (we're back at the same hospital where he received his plama pheresis) were amazed at his progress too.

As for me, I realized today that the t-shirt biz is mobile. While waiting for him to have his surgery I made shirts. I had to answer a lot of questions from other patient's family members in the waiting room who were wondering what the heck I was doing, but I got a lot done! So if I owe you or someone you know a shirt, it's comin'!

We're waiting for Eli's dinner to come in now. His weight is steadily creeping back up. Fortunately I've managed to keep mine in check while he eats high calorie, but healthy meals. I jus get to watch. No cheesecake and apple pie a la mode for me.

I'll be in touch soon! PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN OURS!

Love ya,
Kimberly

2005-11-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all! I'm just jumping on here real quick to give you the latest! We went to the doc's today, Elijah's blood work came back great! All the numbers that either needed to go up or be within a normal range are just that! YAY! He's ready to go into the hospital in the morning. We had a little bit of a scare today. When we were asking the nurse about how he should expect to feel after the procedure, she said he'd feel very fatigued. Well you know we're not trying to hear that because we've got TWO big games on Saturday. We told her that and she said, "Oh no, you shouldn't go out there. You could become dehydrated and end up back in the hospital." She said Eli could be wiped out for about a week. So of course we were floored. When I went on to elaborate about how imporatnt it was for Eli to be at the games because he's coaching she said, "OH! I thought he was going to be playing!" We had a good laugh and reassured her that those days are O-V-E-R! I'll be bringing him home on Thursday to MAKE him rest so he can encourage the boys on the field the way only Eli can do.

I plan on adding pics to this soon too! Thank you so much for the positive comments regarding this blog. It lets me feel good knowing you all don't mind going through this with me!

Love ya!

2005-11-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! I have created this little on-line journal (at the suggestion of my friend Tamee) so that you all can check in on us from time to time, when it's convenient for you. I don't want to invade your space with e-mail updates all of the time. Heaven forbid it get to a point where you see my name in the "from" section and dread opening it. I can't thank you all enough for all of the prayers. And I beg you to keep them coming. Seeing the progress my husband has made in a month is proof that prayer works! Oh, yeah, I'm calling this blog "Eli's Girl" because back on a five year anniversary we couldn't decide on gifts for each other so we got tattoos. I have a little heart on my shoulder blade that says, "Eli's Girl", of course.

Today is November 7th and it's almost a week since the last time I cried. That's huge!!!!!! It was October 3 when Elijah was first hospitalized and I have been running on fumes. During the past couple of weeks it was starting to hit me that my husband has a cancer for which there is no cure (multiple myeloma). It's still a little hard for me to say it. I figure if I say it enough, eventually I'll get used to it, so quite often it rolls off my tongue like, "Hey this is not a big deal." But, it could be. At 35 my husband is dealing with a disease that most don't have to face until they're twice his age. I have already been through the 'why hims' and the 'why us'. Now that it's here I just want to do all I can to ensure that he's here and feeling as good as possible for as long as possible.

So enough about that. How 'bout those WILDCATS! No, not the Kansas State Wildcats (are you kidding me?) The Frisco Football League Wildcats, in the 8 and 9 year old tackle division! Both L'il Eli's and Evan's football teams have made it to the finals which will be played this weekend. And yes, Daddy is still coaching. That' how I know he's feeling better. Naw, that's an understatement compared to how he felt a month ago. Big Eli is feeling great! He's waking up at the crack of dawn and going to work out. He even did a light jog today for the first time. And yes, I do feel bad that he STILL makes working out a priority while I lay in bed as long as chronologically possible. One of these days I will be as good as he is.

Tomorrow we will go back to the doctor to have his blood work done up before they fit him with a port. A port is a little contraption they will insert in his chest to make administering drugs through IV easier. While he's there they will also give him a bag of chemo. He'll be kept overnight for observation and I'll bring him home Thursday. We have to get coach back right so he can be ready for the mini-me's games on Saturday. He's determined to be there. The doctor said he shouldn't have a negative response to the chemo. His immune system may be weakend, but to help offset that I have already started him on several alternative medications and vitamins. My aunt Angie told me about a drink called Kombucha (http://naturezone.net/) that we both now drink daily. Hie's also on another product that a nutrionist recommended called Panacea (http://www.panacea4u.com/index.html). He's eating a lot of seafood and organic fruits and veggies.

I'm getting sleepy so let me get out of here. Check back soon, I'll keep ya posted on what's going on with my hubby.

Love ya!
Kimberly