Dear Family,

I returned from up north today on the train. Pam is still in Atascadero. Skylar is back in the hospital, locally, in San Luis Obispo. Here is a recap:

We drove to Atascadero last Friday night. Saturday morning we collected our grandson Chris from the neighbors where he was staying, cleaned up the apartment a bit, and drove up to Stanford. We were pleased to find Skylar alert and active and apparently doing OK so far with the new chemotherapy. After a visit with Skylar and Suzanne, we left to find a hotel and checked in around 11 PM.

The next day we went back and spent the day with Skylar. We went for walks trailing his IV pole, played games, sang songs, and had a nice day together. At one point Skylar pulled me close to him and whispered in my ear, "I love you FIFTY, Papa" (to Skylar, 50 is a very big number - so, translated, he was telling me that he loves me very much).

Chris had to work on his homework, and so Skylar and Papa took a long walk down many corridors in the hospital. During a rest in one of several courtyard gardens, I sat to rest on a bench. Skylar lay his head in my lap while I explained to him that our hearts are all dirty with sin and that only Jesus can clean our hearts so that we can go to live with God in heaven.

Sometime later that Sunday back in the room, Skylar wanted to write a song. I listened to the words he said and wrote down the lyrics to a new song. Then I added some music. The following song was, with very minor adjustment by me, written by Skylar, and I hope to have an opportunity to sing it for you sometime soon:

Someone has risen to heaven To save us from our sins He had to do it for us So we could enter in

And His Name is Jesus He died on the cross to free us Someone has risen to heaven So we can live with Him.

Sunday evening we returned to the hotel and had a restful night. On Monday, the hospital staff disconnected Skylar from the IV and we headed for home. We had a good drive with minimal traffic trouble because we were able to leave in the early afternoon. We were glad to get home to the apartment in Atascadero. However, that evening Skylar seemed unusually subdued.

When we took his temperature, it was over 101 degrees, a danger point for a cancer patient. I was somewhat skeptical of the ear-based thermometer, so I went out and purchased an oral thermometer. It read slightly lower, and so we went to bed. Skylar felt hot to the touch during the night. In the morning Tuesday, we rechecked his temperature and it was still high. Suzanne contacted the doctor's office and then she and I took Skylar in for a checkup. His temp was down to 99.7, but we had to have blood drawn nevertheless.

Skylar does not like "pokes" (needles) - who of us does? The doctor ordered blood drawn "peripherally", i.e. from a vein in his arm, as well as "centrally", i.e. via his implanted catheter which is used for administering chemotherapy. The reason for this is that they have to determine whether or not Skylar's system is generally infected, or if the infection is only in the catheter line.

I can scarcely describe my distress that Skylar would have to be "poked" at all, adding to his suffering; but I was crushed when, due to carelessness on the part of the lab technicians, it took three needles, one in his right arm and two in his left, to aquire the needed samples. I sat holding Skylar on my lap during the process, weeping for his pain. I was reminded that often in life, beginning with Adam, others must suffer pain for the mistakes we make.

They admitted Skylar to a hospital in San Luis Obispo that night. I stayed home to care for Chris and help him with his homework. Yesterday (Wednesday) after getting Chris off to school, Pam and I went to visit Skylar and Suzanne. He seemed to be doing fairly well; we had a nice time. We returned home by 4PM when Chris returned from school. After helping Chris with his homework, and eating a home-cooked meal that Pam prepared, I later went back to the hospital to bring Suzanne supper and to say goodbye to Skylar.

While I was there Wednesday evening, I helped Suzanne administer Skylar's first shot of GSF, a preparation intended to stimulate the growth of white blood cells to help Skylar fight off infections. I had to hold him down while he cried, Later, comforting him, I wiped the tears out of his eyes. As I did so, I remembered God's promise that one day He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Oh, how I long for that day!

After Suzanne changed Skylar's dressing over the catheter entry point (a weekly chore) we had some pleasant time together singing and playing some games. Then it was time for Papa to leave; Skylar wanted to pray for a safe trip for me, and so we three prayed together.

This morning I kissed Pam goodbye and boarded the train for Oceanside. I managed to put in almost a full day of work, part on the train coming down here, and part in the office. As a consultant, I am only paid when I actually work, and so it was necessary for me to return home although I would have liked to stay with Pam. The train trip was not without its pleasures; the coast that God has made is beautiful to see from a rolling office.

The latest news tonight is that Skylar continues to run elevated temperatures; they will not release him from the hospital until his temperature is level for at least 72 hours. Please pray that that may be soon. Thank you for your continued prayers. I hope to see you Sunday, God willing.

Your brother,

-Dann

PS Skylar's website may be accessed via the family page of my website.

Dann McCreary - creatr@geocities.com - http://creator.cjb.net - http://uptime.cjb.net

"Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life." - Isaiah 43