We are truly grateful for any help in our fight, your kindness and generosity are beyond appreciated. Much love.

June 7, 2024

So humbled by all of the amazing people who are helping us during this most difficult time in our lives as we fight alongside our sweet Freddie.

Thank you @cyclebarwestomaha and @taylor_kiscoan

Editor’s Note: Please feel free to scan the QR code to donate!

June 5, 2024

Freddie started his oral daily chemo drug, Pazopanib, on Monday!

The appeal to insurance that our doctor and case management team were working on has been submitted and we expect an answer in the next week.

Thank you to everyone for their generosity, donations, advice, kind words, prayers and support.

We thank you for encouraging us as we fight alongside our sweet Freddie.

May 31, 2024

This was our morning. Freddie woke up upset and seemingly in pain. We met with Radiologist Dr. Lin again, almost a year later, and under much different circumstances, to see if radiation was an option to help shrink Freddie’s tumors. As we assumed,it is not.

I sat and cried with the radiologist while Freddie pulled all the Kleenex out of the box and we talked about the reasons she wasn’t able to help him.

I quickly snapped this picture because of the irony of the moment. He was finding joy in such a small thing while we sat and talked about something so heavy.

It was sad.

The extremely unfortunate and maddening thing is that there is a drug that has been proven to keep tumors like his from growing as quickly, which to us, means a little more time with our Freddie, our son, Marcus’ little brother.

However, someone at Blue Cross & Shield has decided that he’s not a candidate for it.

Pazaponib is $6-7k per month out of pocket, so for now we go through the appeals process and try to pay for it on our own each month, and with me not in the salon right now, is not easy.

Each day we have with Freddie is a gift. We are putting one foot in front of the other and doing the best we can.

Freddie goes in for another tough round of chemo on June 11th and on June 28th we do a follow up CT scan to see if the chemo is helping. We pray to God it is. Until then, I will continue to live each day to the best of my abilities as a mother to both of my boys who I love so much and will do anything for. Some days are easier than others. Today is a tough one.

May 21, 2024

We made it home and back to reality early Monday morning and were at the hospital just a couple hours later to check in for Freddie’s port surgery.

I am so incredibly thankful for our time away, and all the precious memories made.

Yesterday afternoon was spent snuggling my sweet baby while he rested and recovered from his surgery. Now, we’re back on the 5th floor of Children’s and any minute now, they will be starting a new chemo regimen to hopefully slow the growth of the cancer. A miracle would be completely killing this horrible disease. That is what we’re praying and hoping for.

Thank you for all of the calls, texts, messages and of course prayers and support. I’ve really been “unplugged” and trying to stay present, so even if I’ve not responded, thank you.

One minute I have complete strength and positivity, the next minute comes a wave of grief and sadness.

Johnny, Marcus and I are all hanging in there and doing the best we can to stay strong for our sweet Freddie and fight alongside him.

May 17, 2024

We want his days to be filled with love, fun and play, not needles, tears and pain.

We’re spending the last 4 days we’ll have with Freddie before he starts chemo and treatment and feeling the effects of this horrific cancer, away, in our favorite place by the ocean.

We wanted him to see the ocean, put his toes in the sand and feel the sun on his cheeks. Of course, he loves it all.

Miracles do happen. We would love nothing more than for this chemo to kill the horrible cancer that is overtaking his body. We also understand the reality of cancer, especially one that anyone knows so little about.

Thank you for continuing to keep Freddie and our family in your prayers and in your hearts while we fight alongside our precious Freddie.

And remember to Live like Freddie… full of joy, enthusiasm, and determination. That’s what we’re doing for him.

#freddiethefighter#livelikefreddie#myoepithelialcarcinoma#pediatriccancerawareness#pediatriccancer

May 14, 2024

Today we found out that Freddie’s cancer has returned. He has 5 new lesions/tumors in his left lung and sternum. It is not possible to remove them all. We don’t know the next steps, but we know we want to spend every minute that we can bringing joy and happiness to our little boy’s world. We went fishing this evening, to try to find some peace and solace and do something fun with Freddie while big brother was at a school function. Tomorrow we will find out what the future holds. Most likely more chemo, potential surgery if any of the lesions are operable and a daily medicine to help slow the tumor growth. Freddie’s got his fighting gloves back on and we’re getting ours out too, bc he needs all the help he can get. Thank you for the prayers and support.

February 28, 2024

As many of you know, Freddie completed chemotherapy and received a clean MRI and PET scan. The doctors removed his port at the end of December and Freddie has been thriving! The past couple of months he grow the most beautiful hair, smiled every day, and loved to walk around on his push cart, and gave us lots of love and hugs. On Sunday, we held Freddie’s 1 year old birthday party with family and some friends. It was a beautiful day and we were all so thankful to see Freddie happy and enjoying his special day – especially with all the cake!!!

However, yesterday, February 27, Freddie went in for what we thought was going to be a routine MRI scan and an ABR hearing test under anesthesia. The hearing results came back and brought us to tears of joy as we found out Freddie’s hearing actually improved, something we were told wouldn’t happen. We hear the words, “Freddie is no longer a candidate for hearing aids.” Pure joy!

When we met with Freddie’s oncologist later to get the results of the MRI, our world came crashing down on us, again. Freddie has a large, inoperable (so they think so far) tumor in the middle of his right lung. They are suggesting removing his entire lung. We know his cancer is metastatic and could return, that was always a worry. We didn’t think it would be this soon if it did.

The next step is a PET scan to see if he has new cancer growth anywhere else. We hope and pray for a miracle. A lot of them.

Our sweet little Freddie has to go back in and fight again, and it breaks our hearts. We have been shaken to the core today, but will figure out our next steps for treatment in the coming days and will do whatever it takes for our sweet little boy. We ask again for prayers, positive thoughts, and love to be sent our way. We really need them right now.

Update – November 14, 2023 – ABR Hearing Scan and MRI

We’re at children’s today for Freddie’s ABR hearing scan and MRI of his head and neck. He’s back there now.
Tomorrow is med center for PET scan.

Ring the Bell!!!! October 26, 2023

79 bags of chemotherapy. 5 blood transfusions. 3 platelet transfusions. Over 40 finger and heel pokes for blood draws. Over 100 bags of fluids. 20 times having his port accessed. More prescription drug doses of pain management and anti-nausea medicine than I can count.

Today Freddie will receive his last dose of chemo and we will leave the 5th floor of Children’s Hospital a day earlier than expected. We’ll take it.

We hope to only come back as visitors in the future. To give encouragement and love to those children and families who continue fighting this fight. Thank you all for your endless prayers and support. We’re forever grateful.

#freddiethefighter#myoepithelialcarcinoma#pediatriccancerawareness

Update after Round 6 – 10/10

After experiencing a horrible setback that affected Freddie’s bladder and kept us in the hospital longer than expected during Freddie’s 5th round, we didn’t think we’d be able to take the trip to Chicago to see the Cubs (with some special experiences) that was so graciously gifted to us by some pretty amazing people in our life. After Freddie turned a corner, we were encouraged to go by his medical team; for the break, the reprieve, the ability to evade our reality for just a couple days. Then, the night before we were to leave, my husband Johnny (the tried and true Cubs fan) fell and broke 3 bones (L 1,2 & 3 vertebrae) in his back. He insisted we still go and cheer on his Cubbies, while he cheered on our happiness from his hospital bed. It was a pure form of selfless love. Our wonderful friend Marcia Kerrigan joined us in his place and for 2 days, and we were treated like royalty by the Cubs and were given the gift of being able to forget our current reality. Seeing the joy and smiles on both of my sons faces was the medicine I needed. The Cubs got the win and we got some amazing lifetime memories that I will forever be thankful for. 💙❤️

Round 5 – 9/14

We’re checking in for round 5 of 7 today! We’re so close to what we very much hope and pray is the last round of chemo for our sweet Freddie the Fighter. The last couple weeks have been the typical roller coaster of highs and lows. We choose to focus on the highs and happy moments, as those are what help pull us through the not so great ones.  Freddie received a blood transfusion before we left the hospital, which really helped him recover from the chemo better than the time before.  He still had to get a platelet transfusion last week, but that seemed like a walk in the park this time around. Funny how that works. You just get used to these things and they don’t seem so big the 2nd, 3rd, 4th time around. 

We were able to enjoy seeing friends and family and spend some time outside, which is Freddie’s favorite, while we’ve been home. Freddie has taken a huge liking to our Great Dane, Dutch, and I see quite the friendship forming between the two of them!

I think it’s still safe to say that big brother Marcus is still Freddie’s best friend. ❤️❤️

As always, thank you for your love, prayers and support! We see you and we feel it.

Round 4 – 8/24

We’re checked into the hospital today August 24th, for round 4/7.  The last couple weeks have been tough. I haven’t felt like posting and as I explained it to someone, it is enough to just get through each day sometimes. Freddie didn’t bounce back from the side effects of chemo as quickly as he has been. He struggled with more than one bloody nose, more vomiting than usual, and had to undergo a platelet transfusion due to his extremely low hemoglobin. These were the symptoms we could see outwardly, but we can only imagine the pain he must have been feeling that we weren’t aware of. Such as headaches, body aches and of course his nausea/stomach aches. It is extremely hard as a parent to see your child suffer and feel so helpless. And of course the stresses of life don’t go away but seem to be so compounded during these times. Needless to say, it’s been a tough time for all of us. We have turned a corner and have hope for brighter days ahead. ☀️

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have been the support system we have so needed. Thank you for the prayers and love. Our sweet little Freddie is such a fighter and we’re so close to what we hope and pray is the end of this battle. 💙🥊💪

Freddie is 6 Months Old!!! – 8/12

He’s been doing great since we got out of the hospital on Tuesday. We’re enjoying being home! ❤️

ROUND 3 IS IN THE BOOKS – 8/7

It’s Monday morning and we’re coming to the end of Round 3.  Overall, Freddie has done well and has been able to keep his formula down much better this round. 

Freddie’s hemoglobin was extra low, causing him to be more tired, weak and a little more pale than usual. 

He received his first blood transfusion on Friday morning. It took about 3 hours and was done before his chemotherapy. 

Within an hour you could see pink returning to his cheeks and he seemed to feel a little better too. 😊

As usual, Freddie has loved smiling and babbling to all of his sweet nurses. He’s quite vocal these days and has kept the entire 5th floor on alert while he chatters! 😅

We’ve continue to try eating veggies and fruits, adding peaches in the other day and he absolutely did not like them! 😝

Freddie was excited to have some visitors, especially big brother, Marcus. We miss him so much when we’re here and we can’t wait to go home tomorrow!! ❤️❤️❤️

SCAN RESULTS SHOW NO NEW CANCER GROWTH! – Round 3 Starts today – 8/3

Results of the scan in and show no new cancer growth!!! We are so thankful for this result and the happiest of tears are flowing. Praying for continued improvement. We are back for Round 3 starting today. Freddie the Fighter continues to live up to his name. 🥊💙💪

PET Scan Day – 8/2

Freddie has his second scan – the first scan since chemo has started. We’re hopeful that no cancer will be detected. 🙏 Thursday, August 3, begins Freddie’s third round of chemo.

Update Post Round 2 Chemo – 7/24

Freddie’s levels have dropped and his infection fighting ANC count is at an extremely low 80. Normal range is 1500-8500.  (UPDATE from 7/27 – Levels are going up – at 4,000 today!!!!). We know this is part of the process and have been expecting these results. We’re thankful he does not need a blood or platelet transfusion at this time. His levels should go back up on their own, which is what we hope for.  This process definitely feels like a roller coaster ride. Even with all of this, Freddie is still his sweet, happy self! 🥰 He’s been extra tired today (Monday 7/24) but his milk intake has picked back up dramatically as he’s getting back his old appetite! Hallelujah! Thank you for all of your prayers, positive vibes and support!!  🙌❤️

Freddie has a PET scan at UNMC next Wednesday the 2nd. He will be put under general anesthesia so he’ll have to go 6 hours without his formula. Never an easy thing for an infant. We look forward to getting the scan done and are hopeful the results show no new cancer growth. 🙏 

In the meantime we’re just going to keep loving on our sweet little Freddie the Fighter and enjoy doing all the things he loves such as snuggling, giggling, reading books, jumping in his bouncer, watching Mickey Mouse, singing songs, dancing, going on stroller rides and sucking on his toes, just to name a few! 🥊💙💪

Round 2 is in the books! – 7/9

Freddie finished round 2 of chemo on Monday evening the 17th! We were able to leave the hospital on Tuesday evening.  

Overall, Freddie tolerated the chemo very well and has made a lot of new friends at the hospital along the way! He’s quite the little charmer with the nurses! 😍

His appetite has been greatly affected mostly due to the nausea from the chemo. What he does get down he sometimes throws up. 😞

We pray that Freddie’s appetite will come back  and that his nausea medicine will help him get through the worst of it. If he doesn’t start picking up his formula intake, he may have to be put on a feeding tube. We are hoping and praying that we don’t have to go down that path! 🙏 

Freddie’s soft little hair has been thinning so he got his first haircut in the hospital. We wanted to save some of his very first hair he was born with before it was all gone. 💙

Freddie gets a shot of Neupogen 24 hours after his last chemo, which is why we have to wait at the hospital for an extra day.  Neupogen is a bone marrow stimulant that helps his body make white blood cells after his treatment. 

We’re excited because next time, I (Lindsay) am going to give Freddie the shot at home so we will be able to leave the hospital in the morning the day after chemo and not wait until the evening! We are so excited about this!  🙌

2 months ago I couldn’t watch my baby getting a shot in his leg, let alone give him one. This journey has definitely changed all of us.❤️

We are thankful and appreciative of our family and friends who continue to reach out with words of encouragement, prayer, support, meals and visits in the hospital. 

The days can be long but our little Freddie is fighting through with smiles and a spirit that can’t be broken. He is strong and he is what keeps us going. 🥊💪💙

Round 2 – 7/13

Freddie turned 5 months old on Wednesday the 12th! He just started eating baby food and so far likes green beans the most! 😃 He lights up the room with his bright eyed smiles and his little giggle is just adorable. Plus he is a charmer with the nurses – see the sweet smile in the picture below! 😍

We received great news recently when we visited with radiologist, Dr. Lin. She does not recommend radiation at this time! We’re hoping and praying that the chemo is enough and will keep any future potential tumors from forming. 

We have checked back into Children’s today, July 13th for Round 2 of chemo. Freddie is an old pro it seems with all the pokes and accessing his port. He really is a tough little fighter!! 

His numbers are all really good and high going into this round so we’re hoping he handles it well as he did last time. 

Freddie’s hair hasn’t started falling out yet but when it does, mommy is going to shave some of the longer areas to keep his very first hair. 🥹

If you’re reading this, thank you for your prayers, support and good vibes. 💙🥊💪

Prayer Warriors: One of the chemo treatments Freddie receives can cause hearing loss. Another can cause damage to his bladder while another causes nausea and vomiting. We pray that his little body is strong and can withstand the affects of these strong drugs. 💪

No place like home! – 7/5

Freddie’s blood cultures showed no signs of infection after 48 hours and his levels have gone way up, so they let us go home Tuesday evening! Freddie is doing much better. As of last night, his ANC had already jumped up to over 800. Such great news! We were even able to have visitors yesterday afternoon! We got see Aunts and Uncles and cousins and it was so nice! Now we’re home until we go back for chemo on July 13th.

Happy Fourth of July! – Freddie’s fever broke and he enjoyed watching some fireworks from the fifth floor window! – 7/4

Levels are going up! 

Freddie has been on antibiotics since we arrived Sunday evening and has had no fever. 

Aside from the antibiotic’s side effects (we’ve had a lot of diaper blowouts and clothes changes) Freddie is doing well!

We’ve watched fireworks from the windowsill and the cars on the street down below during the day. The windowsill has become one of his favorite places to sit and look around. 

He’s taken a lot of naps snoozing in our arms. 

Yesterday Freddie’s ANC count was only 30 and today it’s 340!! That’s an amazing improvement! 

The culture they’re doing on his blood is looking negative for bacteria so far and after 48 hours, which will be around 7 tonight, if the culture is still negative and his levels continue to rise, we get to go home tonight! 

Thank you all for your continued prayers. Happy 4th of July to all and Happy Birthday to Freddie’s Aunt Hillary! (Lindsay’s sister) 

🎆🇺🇸🥊💙💪

First Round of Chemo Complete – Freddie Spiked a Fever – 7/2

Just admitted to Children’s due to fever and extremely low ANC levels (neutrophils that help fight infection in the body). 

We got a call Thursday after his blood results came back that his ANC and white blood cell counts were dangerously low. The doctors advised us that we were to stay home and not be around anyone until they could test his blood levels again on Monday morning. Because he is on chemo, we must call the doctor and go in to the ER if his temp ever gets to 100.4 or higher.

We’ve been watching it all day because he had a low grade fever this am and it was a 99. We weren’t sure if it was just from teething or not, but we were hoping that the elevated temperatures were due to the teething. However, by 5:30 it had reached 100.5, so we loaded up and headed to Children’s.  They performed blood cultures to check for infection in his blood and put him on antibiotics. His ANC (neutrophils that help fight infection in the body) level was at 520 – any level below 500 is considered dangerous. Freddie’s level is just 20. We pray that his blood cultures come back with no infection in the next couple days and that his levels start to rise. In the meantime, we are back on the 5th floor of Children’s and the only positives are the great care Freddie will be receiving and a pretty good view of the fireworks over the next few nights. 💙💪🥊

Started Chemo – 6/24

Two days of chemo down, three to go.  Thursday, June 22, we started the day with an appointment with Dr. Allison in the Oncology/Hematology clinic. We learned more about Freddie’s treatment plan and talked with Dr. Allison about what to expect this first round. We learned this week that radiation is on the table but not 100% decided yet. Ultimately we want to do whatever it takes to help Freddie kick this cancer. 

The port access was the worst part for mom and dad. He luckily slept through it all (although it is numbed and he typically won’t feel much of anything when they access his port.) This is what they’ll do each time we come to start chemo and they’ll remove the access portion when we leave each time. All I could think was, well this just got real.

The actual chemo did not start until about 5:15 Tuesday and finished about 8:30.  It was tough when the nurse hooked the first bag up and started it… Our baby was officially on chemo. 

As a parent, it’s such a conflicting feeling. You know you’re doing what needs to be done to give your innocent child a chance at life, but that thing is going to send them through so much pain and suffering. 

Freddie has been doing well overall but has definitely had some nausea and just overall irritability.  One of the chemo treatments he’s on has a high susceptibility for nausea/vomiting. 

No parent ever dreams they’ll be looking down from the window of the oncology floor of Children’s Hospital. It’s surreal, it’s life changing, it’s crushing. However, we are so thankful we are so close to this incredible hospital with an amazing team of doctors and nurses. So many like us have to drive long distances or fly to get here and we’re basically just down the street. So thankful for that. 

I’m writing this while Freddie sleeps peacefully in my arms. He’s such a sweet little baby with a bright personality and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. He’s already known by the staff on the 5th floor for his smiles! 😍

Thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support. We feel it all and we know there are bright sunny skies ahead, we just have to get through this storm. 💙💪🥊

Update from 6/21

We have been soaking up all the extra time with Freddie before his chemo starts and were able to fit that dip in the baby pool (this was more for mom than Freddie) to get a picture! ☀️ 🏖️ 😎 

Freddie seemed confused as to why we had him in a cold bath! It was in the evening and not quite as hot as we’d hoped. But we checked it off the list! 😉

We also went fishing, or watched dad fish, at the little pond near our house. It was the last evening before the “big day” and the only thing that would’ve made it better was if big brother Marcus were home.  He’s been in Florida and will be home on Saturday! We can’t wait to see him!  Even though Marcus and Freddie are 16 years apart, they have such a special bond and Freddie definitely knows who his big brother is! 

There are so many things to be thankful for and happy about in life. It is when we’re walking through cloudier times in life, that make the bright moments that much brighter. ☀️

We have one more day of summer fun tomorrow before Freddie starts his biggest fight yet. 🥊💪 – Update from 6/20

We found out today that they are going to do 7 rounds, not 6, of chemo. He will receive 3 different types chemo that each take about an hour to administer.  There will be a day or two more of observation after that to make sure he’s ok to go home, then we go home for two weeks. This is 1 round. 

Although it wasn’t ruled out, we hoped radiation would not be necessary, but we found out today that Freddie might also receive radiation. This would happen in between the rounds of chemo but not these first two rounds.  We meet with a radiologist on July 5th and will learn more. 

During different obstacles or periods of time in life, I’ve learned to take one day at a time, sometimes one week at a time or one hour at a time. When things are really hard or overwhelming, I’ve learned that one minute at a time works too. Truly staying in the moment.  We’re walking into some “one minute at a time” days ahead.  Maybe even one second. 

Freddie is strong. He is loved and we feel the love and prayers from so many supporting Freddie and our family. We know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle and that we aren’t in control. We have faith there are bright skies beyond this storm ahead. 

In the meantime, we have another summer day to enjoy and Freddie has some pretty cute swimming trunks he needs to get some more use out of.  If you need us, we’ll be at the pool. 😎

Two Incredible Weeks of Love, Laughter, and Adventure – 6/19

Update from Lindsay:

Freddie’s chemo has been moved hopefully for the last time, and starts this Thursday, June 22nd.  

We’ve enjoyed the last two weeks and have viewed them as a gift we didn’t expect to receive!  

Here are some of the fun things Freddie has gotten to do in the past two weeks…

We’ve enjoyed time with friends and family and played with cousins and friends and gone on a lot of stroller rides! 

Freddie had his first boat ride, golf cart ride, round of golf, and even took a ride on his own little “horse” with Daddy’s help, our Great Dane, Dutch.  Running errands with Mommy is one of his favorite things to do as he loves smiling at all the people he meets! Freddie even had a chance to visit Daddy and Mommy at work – he even helped Mommy teach a hair class!  

We’ve found a lot of joy in our time we’ve been given when the chemo was pushed back. 

Freddie has started giggling and it is adorable! His little personality comes out more each day. 

Again, thank you to all who have supported us. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We know we have people praying and cheering Freddie on from all over. People we’ve never met are praying for our son. It is the most humbling experience. Thankful is an understatement.

Action Plan Coming Together – 6/8

We have just received news that Freddie’s chemo will not begin until Tuesday, June 20. All of Freddie’s pathology results from his surgeries are in Cleveland, but will need more testing. They need the full pathology before they start chemotherapy. Therefore, the chemo start date will be pushed until June 20.

We are happy because we get to spend more time with Freddie as a happy, energetic little almost 4 month old.  The inevitable effects to his little body from the chemo are still lurking just around the corner, but we can get just a little more sunshine before the clouds move in. ☀️ 

Thank you to all who have helped with kind words, prayers, meal donations and more.  This is a humbling experience that no one imagines themselves in. 

Below are just some of the pictures featuring some of the awesome people who love Freddie.

General Update and Plan Moving Forward – 6/2

We’ve been enjoying our time at home since we got out of the hospital on May 29th, which was my Grandpa Olson’s birthday! My Grandpa Farrell’s birthday is today, both are watching over me from heaven and cheering me on! ❤️

I’ve gone on a lot of walks and even got to play with my friends Tracy and Rae Thomas and Sarah, Briggs and Mabry Hoegh. Snuggle time with mommy and daddy is one of my favorite things to do. 

We found out that Freddie’s chemo will begin June 8th. We will be admitted to Children’s Hospital where we will stay in patient for 6 days. Depending on how Freddie handles the chemo infusions, and if his blood platelets go back up in the following two weeks, we will then go back June 29th for another round. The same schedule will repeat again for 6 rounds. They will do a PET Scan after the 3rd round to check for any new growth. 

Because this cancer is so rare and they are still learning so much about it, things can and have changed as we go, but that is the plan for now. 

When we were in the hospital last week, we signed a release to have some of Freddie’s pathology sent to an oncologist in Oregon who is researching MEC.  The doctor has reached out to our oncologist, Dr. Allison, and thanked her. Freddie is already helping to advance the research of this disease that will help future children just like him. 

Preliminary tests appear as though the nodule removed from his lung was in fact cancer, but the nodules removed from his thigh and breast tissue are not! That is good news! Our surgeon, Dr. Melissa Suh, feels she got all of the disease from his lung. 

We are hopeful that the chemo will wipe out any tiny cancer cells that may be in our little Freddie’s body and this will be our road to recovery.

We are so thankful and humbled by the outpouring of prayers, support and love from everyone! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️

There’s No Place Like Home! – 5/30

We are so happy to have Freddie home. The best part is that big brother Marcus is home from racing dirt bikes in Minnesota. We all missed Marcus and we know how much he missed Freddie. Marcus could not wait to get Freddie out of his car seat and hold him. He truly is the world’s best big brother! 💙

We are Going Home!!! – 5/29

(11am) Freddie the Fighter is living up to his name! He had good night and does not seem to be in much pain. In addition, we had a great x-ray this morning and the doctor gave us a go ahead to go home. Scheduled to be discharged by noon.

Gaining Strength!!! – 5/28 (Press Play Button for a Sweet Video Featuring Freddie!)

(10:30am) Drainage tube is out and Freddie even gets a sponge bath from Momma! Doctor says Freddie is a rock star (we already knew that ;-))! We all can go home tomorrow morning!

Recovery Day – 5/27

Freddie The Fighter spent the day recovering from all the surgeries. He had moments of rest, but lots of pain and discomfort. The nurses have been taking good care of him and helping with pain management. Even better, Freddie had visits from his Godparents and from Johnny’s Godparents.

Surgery Day 2 – 5/26

Surgery Day 1 – 5/25

(3:30pm) Freddie is undergoing an ultrasound. Another surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8am. They will perform this surgery to remove a small portion of the right lung, install the chemo port in his neck, and possibly remove the nodule in his left leg.

Because the surgery will involve his right lung, everyone will spend a night or two at Children’s Hospital.

(8:45am) Oncologist just left and she explained more regarding the spots in his right lung and left leg.  The spots are each 7mm. The one in his lung they hope to shrink with chemo and the one in his leg will most likely be removed next week and it is not deep in the tissue. It is just in the soft tissue. She said the surgeon would refer to it as an easy “chip shot” surgery.

(7:45am) First surgery to remove the tumor and lymph node went well!!!
Second surgery scheduled soon, followed by a CT scan and MRI. Will update throughout the day.

PET Scan early results 5/24

Dr. Allison called and said there are two spots that are suspicious on the scan. One being his left thigh in the soft tissue of the muscle and the other being his left lung. The swollen lymph node below his initial tumor/lesion on his head also looks to be metastatic/containing cancer. 

This news is devastating. 

Dr. Allison said they will see more with the MRI tomorrow (Thursday, May 25) they’ll fully remove the lymph node as they were planning and biopsy. Most likely they will remove the spot in his left leg next week and place his port at that time for chemo. Hopefully, the chemo will shrink the small spot on his lung. 

Although they are not 100% certain either of these spots are cancer, they are concerned.

Frederick Benjamin Farrell – Freddie the Fighter.

Established February 12, 2023.