The Day After...

Tue, 26 Dec 2000

Hello one and all,

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did! We will be heading to Las Vegas to visit with my parents over the New Year's celebration. Should be some good fireworks and lots of people! What are we thinking? :)

I know many of you are wondering how Phil is getting along so I wanted to let you all know that he is doing great! As of October 1st, we stopped all Chemotherapy. It was a very prayerful decision made after a very difficult time where he required many blood and platelet transfusions. He was a VERY sick boy. After starting back to school and being there only a couple of weeks, he then missed three weeks of school. We had asked God for his direction, being that Phil had been undergoing Chemotherapy for over 4 years by that time, and it was surely taking a toll on his overall health. It was time to let him return to a normal, healthy 15 year old and just enjoy the days God would give him. It has been almost three months now, and he is growing tall, has a wonderful head of wavy hair and a sense of humor we never knew was buried under all those drugs. This Christmas we celebrated with thankful hearts, remembering that last Christmas he spent the night in the hospital and we had just begun a year of intense chemotherapy. We take each day as the blessing that it is. Phil is enjoying being back in school, with not a complaint. And this was a boy who never liked school! His teachers welcomed him back after being out those three weeks and were absolutely WONDERFUL about his missed work. Letting him just start from that day. Now he talks often about getting his driver's license! He will be working on that soon!

We celebrated Christmas day with all three boys, Jim's Mom and a friend of Chris'. Jim (22) came from Fresno, and Chris (19) made it up from San Diego, which was a nice surprise. We didn't expect him to make it home for Christmas this year. Big Jim was fighting the flu, but recovered enough by Christmas day to get the turkey in the oven. The boys were relieved! :)

We wish you all the very best in health, happiness and peace in the New Year. Please pray for Phil's continued good health. It is a wonder to see what God has done so far!

All our love,

The Shore Family