The new family!
Happy Easter!
Baby I-Pod (a.k.a. infant hearing test)Dear friends and family -
We've had a little side trip on our journey with Luke. Since it's been a difficult time, we've decided to post information here so that we can let our friends and family know what is going on and make it easier for us to put all our efforts into taking care of Luke.
The day after Luke was born our pediatrician noticed that Luke had what appeared to be a large liver. After an ultrasound was taken, the doctors discovered that he indeed had a large liver and what appeared to be a growth on his adrenal gland. He was taken on his second day since birth to Phoenix Children's Hospital.
We have been at the hospital since then. There is a team of specialists working with us and Luke to determine what the situation is. What we know so far is that he has an abnormally large liver that extends across his entire torso and a cystic growth on his adrenal gland. Luke is undergoing a series of tests as the doctors try to piece together what is happening with our little boy. Their best guess right now is that Luke has neuroblastoma, which is a rare form of cancer that occurs in children under 10. If Luke does indeed have neuroblastoma, he has a rarer form of cancer that begins in the fetus. However, at this point this is just a hypothetical guess as more tests need to be conducted.
The good news is that the problem was caught early and as far as we can tell his chances of survival are high. He is an incredibly healthy boy with no other problems, so we fully believe that he can pull through whatever form of treatment he needs. He is also strong - we've both seen him get poked several times for blood testing with no more complaint than a whimper! In fact one of the lead nurses who drew blood from Luke commented that in all her years of nursing he was the only patient she ever had that slept through a blood test.
We love him an incredible amount, and being by his side as we go through this process has made our love for him even deeper. He has incredibly large and beautiful blue eyes that melt your heart. He is also a thinker - he has that "furrowed brow" that Dad believes will make him a great screen actor. He eats, poops, breathes, and sleeps like a champ. He also has on heck of a set of lungs which he, fortunately, only uses if he is REALLY mad or hungry. We are looking forward to the day when we can take Luke home for the first time, put all this hospital stuff behind us, and be together as a family.
We truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time. Please send all the positive vibes you can into the universe for Luke' to have a fast, speedy, and complete recovery from this ordeal. We both believe that God has sent us this special boy because he knew that we could handle this situation and that we would give Luke nothing but the best.
We can't wait for you to meet Luke! Hopefully we can introduce you to him soon!
Joe and Jess
We've had a little side trip on our journey with Luke. Since it's been a difficult time, we've decided to post information here so that we can let our friends and family know what is going on and make it easier for us to put all our efforts into taking care of Luke.
The day after Luke was born our pediatrician noticed that Luke had what appeared to be a large liver. After an ultrasound was taken, the doctors discovered that he indeed had a large liver and what appeared to be a growth on his adrenal gland. He was taken on his second day since birth to Phoenix Children's Hospital.
We have been at the hospital since then. There is a team of specialists working with us and Luke to determine what the situation is. What we know so far is that he has an abnormally large liver that extends across his entire torso and a cystic growth on his adrenal gland. Luke is undergoing a series of tests as the doctors try to piece together what is happening with our little boy. Their best guess right now is that Luke has neuroblastoma, which is a rare form of cancer that occurs in children under 10. If Luke does indeed have neuroblastoma, he has a rarer form of cancer that begins in the fetus. However, at this point this is just a hypothetical guess as more tests need to be conducted.
The good news is that the problem was caught early and as far as we can tell his chances of survival are high. He is an incredibly healthy boy with no other problems, so we fully believe that he can pull through whatever form of treatment he needs. He is also strong - we've both seen him get poked several times for blood testing with no more complaint than a whimper! In fact one of the lead nurses who drew blood from Luke commented that in all her years of nursing he was the only patient she ever had that slept through a blood test.
We love him an incredible amount, and being by his side as we go through this process has made our love for him even deeper. He has incredibly large and beautiful blue eyes that melt your heart. He is also a thinker - he has that "furrowed brow" that Dad believes will make him a great screen actor. He eats, poops, breathes, and sleeps like a champ. He also has on heck of a set of lungs which he, fortunately, only uses if he is REALLY mad or hungry. We are looking forward to the day when we can take Luke home for the first time, put all this hospital stuff behind us, and be together as a family.
We truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time. Please send all the positive vibes you can into the universe for Luke' to have a fast, speedy, and complete recovery from this ordeal. We both believe that God has sent us this special boy because he knew that we could handle this situation and that we would give Luke nothing but the best.
We can't wait for you to meet Luke! Hopefully we can introduce you to him soon!
Joe and Jess
19 comments:
Dear Jess, Joe and Little Luke,
You guys are constantly in our hearts and minds!!! This will all be a distant memory before you know it. This baby has the genes of a warrior and an army of support troops, which I have no doubt will carry him through this rough spot. I can't wait to meet him in May!!
Jason and I are pumping every good vibe we have your way! Thank you for taking the time to keep us posted.
Lots of love!
amy
Hey guys...our thoughts and prayers are with you right now. I know how hard this is...please don't hesitate to call if you need anything. We've had our fair share of nights spent at PCH. They are wonderful and will take the BEST care of Little Luke. You said it best...you are the best parents in the world for Luke!
Hugs,
Jessica and Brett
p.s. Jess...call me for ANYTHING...you have my number
Thanks for posting the update. It is really hard to keep from calling or coming over to see how things are going, but I know you need the space to save all your energy for Luke!
I can vouch for the wisdom of God's choice here. I saw the two of you one hour after you got the news and I was most impressed to see how you calmly handled everything, focussed intently on Lucas's needs and reached out to each other for comfort and support
The craziest part of this is how absolutely healthy
Luke looks. He is the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the NICU!!! I think he will be able to handle any procedures the Doctors throw at him.
My sister has her entire church in Oakland, Maryland praying for Lucas - so that portion of the universe is covered!
I hope we can surround all of you with a sense of wonder and joy. Lucas is an incredibly beautiful young boy and he was born into a large and loving family!
Love and hugs,
Judy
Jess,Joe and precious baby Lucas,
This is Jaime's mommy. Jaime told me about the blessed event. I want to congratulate you both on the birth of your little angel. I am praying for Lucas and for the both of you. God put him in your care to love and nurture him and make him the splendid man that he will grow to be. I will pray for you every day and so will my church.
All my love
Randee
Just wanted to let you know that you and little Luke are wrapped in prayer here at our home today!!!
We are so excited for you and can't wait to meet your new addition!
(Friends of Kay)
Susan and family
Thanks for keeping us updated. You're in our thoughts and prayers too. Luke is lucky to have such a large and loving support behind him! We can't wait to meet him!
Lots of love,
Cheryl and Joe
Dear Joe, Jessica & Baby Luke,
We know that it can only benefit you to have lots of people thinking about you and praying for you, so we are going to repeat the theme of the previous heartfelt messages. We are keeping you in our thoughts always and sending many good thoughts your way. We have been wondering about you and appreciate you taking the time out of your stressful situation to keep us all updated.
Lucas looks absolutely adorable, and he couldn't ask for better parents! You all are so blessed to have so many supportive friends and family. Lean on them as much as you need to. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us as well. We are all very excited to meet little Luke soon!
Take care of your little guy!!!
Love,
Jim, Jessica & the girls
Luke is beautiful and we hope you get to take him home soon. You are all in our prayers. Thanks for keeping us updated. We love you.
Love,
Sara
Jess and Joe,
I know this is hard but somehow you will get the strength to endure it all and baby Luke will stay strong. I have many people praying for all of you. There is nothing harder than having a sick baby. Luke will get through this and then everything else will seem easy:) Brady has made us watch the video 10 times and keeps saying "Oh, he's so sweet." I'm here for anything at anytime that you may need. He is beautiful!! Congrats on him. Love,
Bianca, Mike and Brady
My friends,
John and I have been thinking of you and sending all sorts of good, positive thoughts your way. No doubt all of you will pass this test. I am so proud of your strength and focus, both of you, and have faith that Baby Luke is as strong as his parents.
Mostly I just want to continue to congratulate you on the birth of your wonderful little man. He is beautiful and wise, like Mom and Dad, and the world is better now that he’s in it.
I love him already and can’t wait to meet him. Sometime later, much later, I will tell him all sorts of stories. :)
Much love to you.
Joe, Jess, and Luke:
Our thoughts are with you as you take care of your new addition to your family. The support you have from friends and family is insurmountable, for you are loved by so many people in so many places. Take care of yourselves as you take care of Luke. Here's some love from Mr. Shakespeare for all three of you:
"When you do dance, I wish you
A wave o' th' sea, that you might ever do
Nothing but that."
-Florizel
The Winter's Tale
Thank you for keeping us updated!
All my positive energy is with you three and your extended family. I can tell by his pics that he is a fighter! I can't imagine a more loving family to have been born into!
Jess, Joe and baby luke-
It was so nice to see all of you while I was down in Arizona. I feel so blessed that I was able to see and hold Luke. You all are so strong and have so much love for Luke that I dont doubt for a second that he will make it through all of this OK.
You are constantly on my mind and in my prayers. I love you all so much!
Love,
Michelle & The Rue family :)
J2
You know the miracles we have had with Mt. View choir prayers... we're all pulling for little Luke, and I fully expect to have that little guys picture taken on my lap come Christams!
Hang in there and know that our Love, Prayers and thoughts are for you and your entire family.
Love,
ET
We are all praying for you constantly. Thank you for creating this blog. It really helps to see his incredibly gorgeous face. The girls are convinced he is the most beautiful and obviously most loved baby on earth! We love you guys. You are part of our extended family and if there is anything we can do for you, anything, you better let us know or we'll come down there and start in on our Mrs. Mumble routine. It could get ugly
hugs and kisses to Luke,
Vinnie, Bethie, Katie, Allie and Mary Elizabeth
Jess and family:
My dad sent me your blog info to keep me up to date. Congrats on your newest addition. Luke is beautiful! You guys are in my thoughts as you go through this rough time.
Love,
Carrie Funk
Jessica, Joe & Luke,
Luke is a beautiful baby.
Please know that all of you are in my thoughts and prayers during this time. Stay Strong!
(and thanks for taking the time to keep us informed)
Sending the very best your way.
Cheryl Kerivan
Jess, Joe and Little Luke...
I have a VERY positive think about this ordeal you are undergoing. However, I am quite sure that all will turn out for the greatest good. I am looking forward to getting to meet Little Luke. I don't know if you know that the name Little Luke was a character on "The Real McCoys" (a tv show when I was a child) -- Walter Brennan was "Grandpa" and "Little Luke" was his son, played by the original Darren on "Bewitched." (I can't remember his name of course) Just a piece of trivia. I digress. Anyway, I really am sending LOTS of positive thoughts your way.
Much love,
Mollie
Jess and Joe
What a special gift you have, Luke is beautiful.
I really beleive in the power of prayer and I will be sending as many as I can to you.
Congratulations
Love
Susan (Black) Lickman
Post a Comment