Adam and Heather Hayes

Wow, what a week. We have been working hard insulating and sheetrocking our new office, running kids to preschool and kindergarten and trying to help some close friends who are having problems. Then we find out that my little brother Landon who is 11 years old has bone cancer. WHAT A SHOCKER. Adam came out of his office after talking on the phone with my parents and asked "Are we ready to be strong?"

That didn't bode well. I was kind of thinking I was already being strong for people. Landon has been limping for a couple months but we were shocked when a knee specialist said he thought it was bone cancer. My parents have been at Primary Children's from Tuesday to late Thursday and we found out for sure yesterday (Thursday) that the knee tumor is in fact cancerous. It's officially called:

osteosarcoma

The Doctors and staff made my parents feel very at peace with it. They say it is very treatable and it doesn't seem to have spread to the surrounding bone or effected his lungs or other common occurances. He will have to do Chemotherapy every 3 weeks at Primary Children's for a year and thus he'll have those side effects and can't be around sick people or stressful situations. He starts chemo on Tue, Sept. 25.

The hardest part of this for my parents is reliving it every time someone calls or asks so in order to lessen that discomfort Adam set up a blog just like this one for them on my Dad's stock photography domain. The address is:

landon.stustock.com

This way everyone can know how it's going without putting my mom on an emotional roller coaster everyday.

On behalf of my family THANK YOU so much for the prayers and fasting and various other help it has really made this ordeal seem bearable. We know we're not alone in this and that is a great feeling in a less than great situation.

You're awesome!

Heather

I talked to my mom last night (Saturday) for quite a while about how things are going. We are going to see them after church and it makes me sad beacause it may be the last time for quite a while.

Landon's white blood cell count is going to be checked twice a week by a home health nurse. If his count gets too low he won't be able to see any outside person especially ones who are sick at all. We seem to have a cold that passes amongst the 5 of us lately.

My mom has hand sanitizer at the door and masks for anyone remotely sick and we have a couple days till the white blood cell count is going to take a huge drop, so we're going to make the best of this visit tonight!

I just thought this information ought to be mentioned so you family understand why they can't have visitors or go out in big crowds too often for the next year and believe me it will be hardest on me and my girls! I'm sitting here wondering if I should take Tric and Vi with their runny noses tonight but I guess it's better today than in 2 days.

Erith and Tric are making get well soon cards for Landon as I write, bless their loving hearts.

Adam just walked in from his BYU Idaho 7th stake clerk stuff and he says he's speaking in stake conference in 2 weeks and this is their last stake conference to speak before they get released. (I think I'm just about ready to be honest. It's kind of an unappreciated calling because your home ward just thinks your inactive!)

Our new office is coming along. All the Sheetrock is up and most of the screw holes are mudded so we just have to per fa tape, sand and paint. Oh, and figure out how to stop the bottom of the door from leaking when it rains. Our house and now new office faces South and it takes a huge weather beating.

Anyway, we are doing just fine. Vi is an amazing trouble/mess maker and I am learning to be patient when I find toothbrushes in the toilet and the entire contents of a garbage can on my living room floor. I'll miss these days when she's a teenager supposedly so bring it on Vi!

If you haven't already heard about this from my side of the family, my parents, brothers, sisters, married-ins and I are doing a cancer relay July 11th.

Our team has to start out with the first lap done by our cancer survivor, Landon, then from 6 pm till 6 am we have to have at least one person on the track walking or running. 

Why? to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

We are selling white paper bags called luminaries to line the track that night.  They are $10 and we will put the name of any cancer victim of your choice on it, and their names will be read as they light the candles in them for the relay.

Besides the luminaries, our team is trying to raise $1000 dollars for the American Cancer Society.  If you would like to find out more or help our team in it's goal, go to the link below to donate. Even $5 would help!

Relay for Life Link