Done! Boo-yah!

Done with Chemo!  We gave Dillon a surprise party with family and friends yesterday!  He had a blast.  He and his brothers sprayed all the nurses with silly string as we left the hospital.  Best Christmas Present Ever!   Merry Christmas Everyone.

Dec 22nd

So the world didn't end yesterday, thank goodness!  We have big plans!    Chemo is going well, Dillon will get his last dose later today!  He's eating lots and playing games.  He said he's "really going to miss this place".  It's awesome that they make this hospital so nice for kids and parents who have to stay here.   Tomorrow friends and family will be here as the nurses all sing "happy last chemo day" to him, and then he get's to ring the bell.  Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.

Last Chemo

Dillon is going back to Primary Children's Dec. 20th, for his last round of chemo.  He will be there for a few days getting chemo if anyone wants to come visit him.  We should be leaving the hospital Sunday (23rd) around noon, if all goes as planned.   Hopefully this will be our last stay at Primary Childrens.  Yea!

December 1st

Dillon is done with 5 rounds of chemo.  One left to go, and he should be finished and home before Christmas Eve.  He is doing fabulous.  He gets stronger and funnier every day. He's doing more and more hard work in school and his therapies every week.  We are so grateful to so many of you.  Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  We couldn't make it through this tough year without your support.  
   

New hat!  Nov. 11, 2012.

   The Make-A-Wish Foundation came to visit Dillon.  He wished for a Caribbean cruise.  So we are just waiting to hear if his wish is approved.  
  This Thanksgiving we have much to be grateful for.  We go back to PCMC for round 5/6 the day after turkey day.   He has made so much progress.  It seems every day he gets stronger and we see more of the "old" Dillon. Every day I am overwhelmed with joy to see his progress.   Thanks everyone! 

November

How did it get to be November already?  Just over 7 months since Dillon was diagnosed and had surgery.   He is absolutely amazing.  He has made so much progress.   He has been eating lots and gaining weight.  He has been getting around the house without the walker, but he's still unsteady.  He has been talking a lot lately, which reminds me of my old Dillon who talked non-stop.   This morning he woke me up and asked me what I wanted in my coffee - he made me coffee!  So grateful for the little things in life.   So amazing, when we remember how far he has come!   
    His school helper, Mrs. Odde, had to take another full time job.  Dill now has a new helper that starts with him tomorrow.  I'm sure she will be great, but she will have some big shoes to fill.  Thanks, Mrs. Odde for all you've done for Dillon.  You helped him more than you know - he found his self-confidence because of you!
 

Round #4

Dillon's MRI is good, and shows no signs of cancer.  His vision and hearing tests have remained stable.  So, we are on to round #4 of chemo.  He is eating a ton, and gaining weight.  We'll be back home in time to trick-or-treat.    Thanks everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  

Halfway

The boys had their Fall break from school - hunting season here - so we stayed in SLC for a few days and played around.   Dillon's blood counts have stayed good so far despite the chemo.  He's been feeling a little down lately, and truthfully we all have.  I guess the stress of this year is catching up.  Spencer is recovering from surgery, and Dillon helped take care of her - so sweet.   Ike is just trying to be Ike.    Dillon goes in for more MRI scans, and lots of tests next week before his next chemo round.  He's got three more to go.   We are praying everything looks good so far.  

Fall

So, I've been slacking on writing posts here. But I was reminded that people actually read this for updates, so here ya go:
   Dillon has completed 3 rounds of chemo now, with 3 left to go.  He will have some more tests and brain scans at the end of this month to see how things look.   He is an amazing young man, and he is much happier than he was a few months ago.   He still uses a walker to get around but he is working hard in physical therapy and getting stronger every day.  He goes to school for 5-6 class periods a day, and he eats lunch with his friends.   He has a one-on-one helper at school, Mrs. Odde, and she helps him get around and complete his work. When he misses school, she brings the work home to him and teaches him.  It's been so great to have her in our lives, giving him the opportunity to succeed this year.  Thanks, Mrs. Odde for all you do!   Dillon got his feeding tube out about 6 weeks ago, and he's been gaining weight.  He ate so much in the hospital last weekend, the nurses were blown away - they said, "none of our chemo patients ever eat that much!"
   Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.  And please keep Ike and Spencer in your prayers as well.  Thanks!

School

So Dillon is amazing and he found his sense of humor.  He's been crackin us all up!  He is enjoying school, but it's been physically difficult for him.  We are working with the school district to get him some assistance.  Round 2 of chemo went great.  His blood counts will probably drop again so he'll have to stay home away from germs while they are down.
   I continue to be amazed at the kindness of others.  Thank you to Paul from PCMC for your advocacy on Dillon's behalf.  Thank you to all the teachers at EMS for making the effort to help Dillon through this.  Thank you to my coworkers for holding sales, donating time, offering help in so many ways, and putting up with me;  thank you scouts for mowing my lawn; thank you strangers for cooking meals and making quilts;  thank you nurses and therapists that are so flexible, patient, and sweet to Dill; thank you Diana for making Dillon's icky medicines yummy;  thank you family and BFF's for cooking, cleaning, love, sitting with Dill, support, patience, flowers, money, a shoulder to cry on, and everything you do for us.   We couldn't make it through this without everyone!   Thank you.
 

8th grade

Dill had a great first few days of school.  He is very determined to stay in school and work hard - he is amazing.  And being around friends has been the best medicine yet!  He is happier, for sure.  We are back at PCMC for round 2 of chemo, but back to school next week.  Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

Round one, cont......

Dillon spent two days in the hospital getting blood transfusions and antibiotics, then came home.  He's been tired but doing ok.  Today his blood counts are in the "normal human" range again - hooray!  School starts Monday. His sweet sister Spencer is going to be his guardian angel at school and help him around.  We will see how much school he tolerates each day, and he can get some home school to make up time what he misses.   He only has a few days of school before he starts Round 2 of chemo.   Thanks everyone for checking in.  

Round 1 - continued

Dillon got a fever, went to the ER, and all his blood counts are dangerously low.  So he is back at PCMC.  He was feeling ok though.  So send some prayers and love everyone.  Thanks.

Round one - Check!

Round one of chemo done!  Dillon is truly a superhero.  He has done great so far, and worked hard today in physical therapy and ate some dinner.  He's improving every day.  The doctors are confident that his weakness will continue to improve.   We get to go home tomorrow.  Thank you everyone for your prayers - they work!

No news...good news

Dillon spent the past few days in the neruo unit with a drain in his head, but it didn't change anything for him, so they decided a shunt wont be of any help.  We were kinda hoping for some "miracle" improvement in his weakness and blindness, but it's good that he doesn't need another surgery.
  So we moved back upstairs to ICS today, and after getting lots of IV fluids for hydration, we are about to start round one (of six) of chemo.  Hooray!   Good riddance to cancer!   Keep praying everyone.
   Thanks to everyone at Rocky Mountain Care who put on the yard sale and BBQ for Dillon today.  I have the best peeps there!   And thank you to everyone who supported it.

Next leg of the journey........

So Dillon had some tests Monday, before chemo Tuesday....but it turned in to more tests on tuesday and then some tests wednesday, and today he had a drain placed in his head to monitor spinal fluid.  We are waiting to see how he does with that and if he feels a lot better, he will have surgery to have a permanent shunt placed to drain fluid off his brain.  If nothing changes, the drain will come out and he can start chemo.  We travel around the hospital just like old times: we started in ICS, then PICU, now Neuro again.   We aren't even sure what to pray for at this point, so just praying that everything works out for the best.   The good news is that his MRI showed no signs of cancer.

This picture was taken this winter - the boys are trying out modeling.   

Dillon is doing ok.  He is working with PT, OT, and speech at home, and we are fitting in fun as often as we can.  Enjoying the nice weather for the few weeks before he starts the next leg of his journey. He is going to the lake this weekend. Thanks everyone.    

June???

How can it be the end of June already?  Dillon's dinner was awesome, and we can't thank EVERYONE enough for all the love and support.  We are truly blessed.   I am so humbled by it all.
   Dillon is doing pretty good.  He is doing therapy at home, and going for outings, trying to get back to his life.  He's still not eating enough to get rid of the tube, but he's getting lots of good nutrition this way anyway.    Thanks to friends and family who have done so much for us and who continue to do so.  We couldn't get thru this without each of you!

Hooray!

Dillon is home at his mom's now.  His cats sure missed him a lot!   He is doing good, and we plan to be at the Dinner 4 Dillon on Monday.  Thanks everyone for your help!

Home sweet home!

Dillon is finally home, after 78 days in the hospital!  Thank you everyone for your prayers and all you've done to help us all.
  Dillon went to his dad's house today, and he will stay the week there, then he'll come to mom's house.  So the home health nurse, and pharmacist met us at home, and taught us how to work his pump for giving him his tube feedings.  Hopefully he will feel like eating again soon and the tube can come out.   He will start PT and OT and speech therapy at home next week.  And he is SO happy to be home again.

Last Day

Final day of radiation and we are out of here. Had a hiccup last night that gave us a scare but we got through it and now onto the final day. Some loose end to finish up but it's looking good. Lots of hard work has paid off. Dillon is doing amazing and is SO ready to be out of here!!! Ok we all are ready to be home!!!! Thanks again for all the visits, cards, prayers and love. We will continue to post updates.

Dillon gets his last dose of chemo tomorrow, then 3 more radiation treatments, and Friday he is done!  We are hoping they will let him go home this weekend.  He has had a good week so far, so keep praying that it continues.  Thursday will be 11 weeks he's been in the hospital.  We can't wait to take him home.   He has made so much progress.  He is reading again, and today he walked on the treadmill for a while, and he wrote with his right hand again!  He'll be shufflin' in no time.  Thanks everyone!

Dillon has 5 (count em, five!) radiation treatments left!  After this week he gets a break and will be able to come home.  Home for a few weeks before he starts the heavy-duty chemo.  Pray for a good week with getting stronger, keeping blood counts up, no infections, and getting through the last week of radiation.  Thanks everyone!

Day 67 here in beautiful PCMC, LOL.   Dillon is down to only 9 radiation treatments left!!!  Hooray.  He's done 22 treatments already.  He has some burns from the radiation which are pretty painful, but he does his PT, OT, and speech therapies anyway.  He doesn't want to eat or drink anything, so he gets all he needs through the IV's and feeding tube.  He doesn't even want to eat chocolate!  Can you imagine?  Today he got his usual Monday fever and chills, so he's not feeling so great, but tomorrow he'll wake up and do it all again.
Spencer and Ike are out of school now.  Spencer got Dillon's yearbook signed by all his friends for him - awesome sis she is!  Ike is doing basketball camp this week, and Dillon is working his way outta here.............

Little by Little

There is a quote in the Gym @ Primary Children's that I wanted to share...

Little by little, inch by inch;

By the yard it is hard.

By the inch, what a cinch;

Never stare up the stairs, Just step up the steps;

Little by little... Inch by inch.

By: Ron Hamilton

Keep up the great work Dillon.... Sure love ya kiddo!Ü

Dillon is such a trooper.  Even when he doesn't feel good, he does his therapies, and goes for walks.  We really appreciate the visitors who came this weekend.

Dillon is doing ok.  He has a feeding tube now, so the extra calories will help him feel better and get stronger.  His awesome red hair is falling out now, so it makes him itchy.  The radiation has been rough, but he is more than halfway done with those treatments.  And he gets a break tomorrow, being a holiday.   He is kinda sad, so any friends that want to come visit may cheer him up.   Thank you everyone!

May 22

Hello people, Dillon wanted me to tell everyone to watch the local Salt Lake City news tonight (channels 5 and 13) and the Deseret newspaper tomorrow as he made his appearance at the Hyundai Hope on Wheels ceremony here at the hospital and had lots of photo opps!!! What a great day today. We have spend most of it outside and Dillon is doing amazing! Lovin it!!!!!!

May 20

This kid is AMAZING! Dillon has made great improvements in the last few days. He has been working really Hard on feeling better and it sure is working. He has met some new friends and is enjoying visiting with them and trading movies and Xbox games with them. He is really missing all of his great friends!!!! With him feeling so much better I think he would really enjoy some visitors again, so I encourage you to come for a visit if it is possibible. Mornings and early afternoons the superstar is fairly booked up but late afternoons will probably be a great time for visitors. Call if you would like 307-679-0585 We will keep up the good work and get out of here ASAP!!!! Thanks for all of the prayers and help everyone has offered our family. It is very appreciated and is sure helpful!!!!!!

Dillon is doing better.  He is going to start this week doing therapies in the mornings, and radiation in the afternoons.  Hopefully he can get some strength back and get out of the hospital in another week or two.  We are trying to boost his spirits as best we can, but it's been a hard road.  We really appreciate everything that everyone is doing with bake sales, raffles, garage sales, dinners, and everything else all for Dillon.  We feel very blessed to have so many caring people out there.  Thanks everyone.  

7 weeks here

Dill has been here almost 7 weeks.  He is just hanging in there.  He had so much belly pain yesterday, the doctors worried he might have appendicitis, but he doesn't.  Dillon has had a rough time with all of this, more than normally expected,  and it doesn't seem to let up.  His fever came back last night.  He did chemo and radiation yesterday and today, and he did an awesome job.  I wish I could make him all better with a wave of a  magic wand.  Thanks everyone for your prayers and good vibes.

May 10

HUGE milestone!!!! Dillon was able to do his radiation with absolutely no sedation. Yay for DILLON. Great job!!!! He is feeling lots better and the fever has stayed gone. He has had a restful day, got to go outside for a bit and even got in a little therapy in. Ok that wasn't his favorite part. Bring on the feeling good! It's DILLON MELLE's turn again..... Love ya all thanks

May 9th

Well today started in the middle of the night last night. Dill slept the day away yesterday with a fever and feeling lousy! So about midnight he was wide awake. We watched Indiana Jones, went on a little walk and chatted a little bit. Today he had radiation, it was a long one today (every 5 treatments the Radiologists have to re X-ray him to make sure he is positioned and radiated in the right places.) He came back, had a good long nap, a visit from his buddy Timber, and then off to room #8... We now reside on the 3rd floor! :) So far so good, but we will miss our nurses and techs from our home on the NTU 2nd floor.

Nurses'' Week

Just wanted to say Happy Nurses' Week to nurses everywhere, but especially those nurses taking such awesome care of Dillon.  We appreciate you more than you know.

So Dillon did chemo and radiation today, then spiked a high fever again.  He feels terrible, and so do I.  :-(    We don't know why he has another fever, but they did more blood cultures and started antibiotics again.  He needs lots of prayers again.  Hope tomorrow is a better day.  

Dillon got moved again today, back to the neuroscience trauma unit.  I think this is the 7th room we've had at PCMC.  Feels like home, LOL.   Dillon is doing better, blood counts are all ok (for now), and fever has been gone for a few days.  Tomorrow it's "back to work", since his job is to fight cancer, get stronger, and feel better.  Chemo, radiation, and therapy.  We've kinda worked out a schedule, so Dillon's mom stays with him for 3 days, then Angie stays a day, then his dad stays for 3 days.  Ike, Spencer, Preston, and Roxy visit when they can.
  Keep praying everyone.  Thank you all for sending us good vibes and prayers.

May 3rd

Dillon is doing better today. His fever is gone so he was able to resume chemotherapy and radiation. He is still pretty tired from being sick the last 2 days, so we skipped all therapies (PT, OT and speech) again today. His physical therapist Lisa still came to see him tho, she misses her favorite red head! We hope he will be able to go back to therapy tomorrow. Thanks again to all of our family and friends for the support and prayers, it is appreciated more than you know!:)

***May is Brain Cancer Awareness Month *****
http://www.braintumor.org/get-involved/advocacy-public-policy/BTAM.html

Rough day:  Dillon has had the fever all day, and he's now on some heavy duty antibiotics (ceftriaxone, Zosyn, and Vancomycin).  The decided he needs to be in the ICS (immunocompromised unit) instead of rehab unit.  So now he will still get therapy, but his new room is on the chemo floor.  It is quite an ordeal to move rooms because everyone has sent him so many cards, and gifts - it took 4 red wagons to get it all here!  Now we are in a new room with his own shower.  (we used to have to walk a ways to the "shower" room).   Not sure what's causing his fever, but he is getting awesome care.  Keep the prayers coming!

This morning, Dill spiked a fever.  So the doctors decided to run some cultures, and start antibiotics, and not have him go for radiation today.  Poor kid!  At least he gets outta therapy for the day.  Stay tuned...............

Today is the day we begin kickin' cancer's butt!
 This is day 31 since his first surgery.  Dillon got 2 chemotherapy drugs this morning (vincristine, which he'll get once a week, and carboplatin, which he'll get every day), before his radiation treatment.  He did terrific, slept through most of the chemo stuff.  Then Dillon watched some YOUtube videos, and we laughed and laughed.  When it was time, we got a ride from security to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital for radiation therapy.  Dillon did great, and he was very brave.  They sedated him with anesthesia because today's first radiation treatment took an hour.  After today, his treatments should only take about 10-15 minutes.  Afterward, the security van picked us up, along with his nurse, Dave, and brought us back to Primary's.  Dillon ate some lunch, and got back to work with his therapists.  Day one of radiation down, 29 more to go.........

April 27

Well it has been 4 weeks..... Lots of frustration and improvement! The last two days have brought amazing progress to Dillons speech and movement of his right arm! The warm weather has been nice as we have been able to go outside for a little fresh air and sunshine. :) Very early Monday morning we begin our first stage of treatments. It will consist of chemo and then radiation, daily for 6 weeks. Then we will have a few weeks off. :) I am SOOOO PROUD of you Dllon keep up the good work!!! Love ya kid, you are my hero!!!!!

Pictures...

Here are a few pictures of Dillon from the last few weeks...

Doing physical therapy with Lisa his therapist...

He is doing AMAZING!!!

Taking a nap with Roxy at the trailer on Saturday :)

Hanging out with Ike in the Angel Garden at PCMC.

Birthday with the family at the park!

MRI results

The MRI this morning showed that Dillon has another small tumor in his brain (above his pituitary gland). The good news is we do not have to go back to surgery to biopsy that spot. Dillon's oncologist is very confident that it will respond to radiation, and it's small, so there is no need for more surgery at this time. Dill had a great morning, but a rough afternoon after his MRI. So he got in some good nap time today, and then he had dinner, and a nice hot shower, and he's off to dream land. Tomorrow and the rest of the week he has his days filled with PT, OT, music, and speech therapies. Next week we start kickin cancer's butt! Thank you everyone for your prayers.

Dillon's Birthday!

Today we celebrated Dill's 13th b-day! He got the day off from his therapies (only because it's Sunday). We took him to a park to enjoy the beautiful, warm day, where we had yummy lunch, gourmet cupcakes, and plenty of presents for him to open. Thanks to his many grandparents for helping make it happen, and for bringing good food! Dillon has received lots of birthday wishes from friends and family, and even from the hospital staff. We sincerely thank everyone for being so thoughtful, and helping make his birthday a little brighter.

Tomorrow he has an MRI, and some more hard work in therapies..........

April 21st

Today was a GREAT day. We got to take Dillon out of the hospital for the day. We went to McDonald's for lunch, got new Van's to kick butt in therapy with, and then Dill went to the trailer (we have our 5th wheel parked at the VA hospital to sleep in) and hung out with Preston,Ike and Spencer for the afternoon... Oh and his dogs! :) They had a great time together. Tomorrow is his 13th birthday, and we are looking forward to another GREAT day!

Thanks EMS friends!

WOW! We are all touched by the 95 (and counting) comments from his school. Keep em coming! It means a lot to Dillon and his family to see the love and support. Thank you all!

Dillon had another busy day in therapy, working hard. Lots of frustration and progress. We found out Dillon's spinal fluid has NO cancer cells. Hooray! However, the doctors may decide to take him back to surgery next week to biopsy another spot in his brain. Boo! We will know more after another MRI on Monday. Keep praying everyone!

April 19

After a busy morning in therapies, we took our second trip to the Huntsman yesterday.  Dillon did great and was able to get fitted for his radiation mask and get things done in preparation for his treatments which are scheduled to begin Monday April 30th.  He will have 6 weeks of radiation treatments.  Dillon is really working hard and kickin butt in all of his therapies and going the extra miles to get better quickly.  We are all SO PROUD of you Dilly!!!!!  He is speaking a few more words everyday, So get ready for "Dillon Stories."  Ang, Spencer and Ike brought our dogs to the hospital to see Dillon and it was a very calming and enjoyable visit for him.  Today Grandma Melle came down to spend the day with Dill and he had another day of kickin butt and takin names. Everyday is exciting to see the progress.  Way to go Bud....

Evanston Middle School

Today I had a very special request from the staff of EMS to write a post just for you to be able to send well wishes to Dillon. Thanks for all the love and support you have all shown for Dillon... he loves each and every one of you and misses being at school!

April 17

Yesterday Dillon had a spinal tap to test his cerebral spinal fluid, we wont know the results until Friday. Today we went to Radiation Oncology at the Huntsman Cancer Institute so they could make him a mask and do some scans to get ready for radiation treatment. It was very hard on Dillon to hold still enough, because it was uncomfortable and he was a little scared, so we are going to have to try again tomorrow. Tomorrow they will give him sedation to make it easier on him. Then they plan to start radiation treatments next week. We are in good hands. The doctors here work with cancer treatment centers all over the country to determine the best treatments for different cancers, and we are getting the latest and greatest treatments for Medulloblastoma.

Dillon is starting rehab (full-time) tomorrow, which doesn't change things much, just making him a rehab patient instead of a surgical patient. He is very busy with OT, PT, and Speech every day. He also has music therapy, and he sang along to "Red Solo Cup" yesterday (Toby Keith song). He is improving every day, but it's still pretty frustrating to him that he can't do all the normal things he used to do so easily. It's been really hard on all of us to see him struggle :-(

Ike and Spencer miss Dillon, being back in school. Tomorrow they have a half day, so Angie is bringing them both to hang out with their brother. It's so strange how quickly and drastically our lives have changed. We are so grateful (still!) to everyone who has helped. We couldn't get through this without good friends and family like you.

Sunday

Hard to believe Easter was a week ago. Dillon is doing great, and saying a few words here and there. He's walking all over and going up and down stairs. He still has a hard time seeing, and he probably wants to play X-box, instead he just listens while Ike and Preston play. Ike and Spencer have to go back to school tomorrow, after a week off for spring break. Brian and Ali are going to return to work a little this week. Brian and Angie got to take Dill to eat lunch at the Huntsman yesterday, which was a nice change, and yummy food. Thank you to everyone reading and sending good thoughts and prayers.

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th was a great day. Dillon woke up laughing and making us all laugh. He worked hard in his therapies, and was really good in speech. He even spit out a sentence of mumbo-jumbo, but he is trying to say something. He is saying some sounds now, which is very encouraging. He will keep working all weekend, and Monday he will move to a new room for rehab. That means he wont need as much medical care, just more therapy to re-learn how to talk and do normal things. Dillon has an appointment with radiation oncology Tuesday to "map" his brain and schedule radiation treatments. This has been a rough couple of weeks, and we are so thankful to everyone who has helped us. We really appreciate the visitors, and Dillon has enjoyed having people around.

April 11th

Today has been a good day for our Dilly boy.:) He got the drain removed from his head that was helping with the removal of fluid from his brain. He also had ALOT of physical therapy and occupational therapy. He did amazing! He went up and down 2 flights of stairs and he did some activities with a beach ball and his brother Ike. After therapy he wanted to go for a cruise around the hospital. Then it was time for ice cream! After a good dinner, a hot shower and a few giggles, he was ready for bed! So here's to a very restful night so he can kick butt in therapy again tomorrow! Go Dillon, we love you Superman!

April 9th

Another busy day for the superhero! Lots of therapy,naps and frustration. It is a real struggle not being able to talk and tell everyone what he wants...after dinner and hanging out with his favorite sister, Dillon was able to walk himself down and have a relaxing shower. After a few laughs he walked back to his room and had some more giggles and was ready for bed.. Good Day to you all and to all a good night!!!!

Easter

Its Easter and we would all prefer to be somewhere else, but we couldn't be in a better hospital. There was an Easter Egg hunt today for the kids, and Dillon wasn't up for it, but Ike gathered some eggs for him and Spencer, and himself. To everyone who has visited and sent cards and gifts, we are very thankful to you all. We have had visitors from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah and it has meant the world to us to have your support. We are truly grateful to everyone.

Dillon is doing ok, just continuing to heal from his surgeries. Tomorrow we start in with more physical, occupational, and speech therapy. We cant say thank you enough for everything!

Thank you!!!!!

Just want to say thank you for all the phone calls, texts, stop by and say hi's, and the shoulders to cry on and the ears just to listen!!! We have the very best family and friends that anyone could ever ask for.. We have had kids, meals, vehicles, picked up, delivered, taken home, ok too much to write!!!! Doctors, Nurses, Surgeons, Techs!! So to all of you peeps!!! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!

Surgery

Dillon went in for his second surgery this morning. Dr. Kestle biopsied a secondary spot in his cerebellum, and it came back normal, meaning there was no cancer in this other spot. There is a third spot we are watching that was noticed on his MRI. During surgery, another surgeon implanted a porta-cath in Dillon's chest. This is a more permanent IV that will stay in place so he can have chemo, blood draws, and IV fluid without getting poked in the arms and hands. Dr. Bruggers will be Dillon's oncologist (cancer doctor). She will decide our next steps regarding treatment.

Meanwhile, Dillon's only concern is healing. He is going to be busy this next week with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. He is frustrated that he cannot talk, but he will be talkin' our ears off in no time. We all had a very exhausting day. Thank you everyone for your cards, drawings, prayers, and kind words. We sincerely appreciate everyone's help.

Well, Dillon did not get to surgery today, because he somehow got a cookie into his belly, so they had to postpone surgery until tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is Good Friday, so it must be meant to be. He is very overwhelmed today and sad, but he is healing from his first surgery.

Ike and Spencer went back to school these past few days, and it's been good for them to take a break from the hospital scene and be with their friends. Preston had spring break this week, so he has spent a lot of time here with his little brother. Preston is also known as the "cookie monster" now. Mom, Dad, and Angie are also overwhelmed, and are so very appreciative of the support and love we have been shown. Keep the prayers coming.

April 4th 2012

Today has been a long rough day for Dillon. Lots of physical therapy and just plain feeling lousy! Tonight he is sleeping soundly... A good way to put a bad day to rest. Today we also learned what type of cancer he has. It is called Medullablastoma. Dillon will need radiation and chemotherapy to treat and destroy the cancer. He will be going in for another surgery tomorrow, we will update you afterward. Thank you for all of the love, prayers and support! The Melles

~Dillon's Journey...

After about 5 months of sickness, on March 29,2012 Dillon's health issues were finally diagnosed. Thanks to Dr. Brett Earl at Evanston Regional Hospital, a head CT was done on Dillon and a tumor was found in the back of his brain resting on his brainstem. Immediately we were transferred by ambulance to Primary Children's Medical Center (PCMC) in Salt Lake City. Dillon enjoyed the ride down with his dad and the Evanston EMT's and thought the ambulance was super cool! :)

After arriving at PCMC the Neurosurgeon, Dr. Kestle, met with us and told us that the tumor was about the size of 2 golf balls and needed to be removed. They had already scheduled Dill's surgery for the next day.

Friday afternoon at about 2:30 p.m. the surgery team came to get our brave Dillon to remove the tumor. He was so relieved that we had finally figured out what had been making him so sick! Surgery took nearly 8 hours, but when it was over, the Surgeon had successfully removed the big tumor from his brain.

Dillon was taken to ICU following his surgery, where he recovered until Sunday afternoon. By this time he had been progressing so well that they moved him from ICU to the Neurological Trauma Unit (NTU).
It was so nice to get him to his own room where he could rest and spend time with his family. Monday morning April 2nd, Dillon began physical therapy. He did so well, but it wore him out. He came back to his room and had a nice long nap! He is eating well and has a super big appetite! :) 

Today he has already done 1 session of physical therapy, where he got to play ball with Diva, 1 of the many therapy dogs that visit PCMC. He will have another trip to the gym this afternoon!   

We are still waiting to hear the results from his surgery. We know the tumor they removed is cancer, however we do not know the type yet. As soon as we know, we will find out what the next step to Dillon's recovery will be.

Thank you to everyone who has had Dillon in their prayers. Please continue to pray for him and support him in this journey. We will continue to update this blog as we learn more. Feel free to leave comments as we will pass them along to Dillon.

Sincerely,

The Melle's