4.14.2013

Many many thanks to the Idaho PTA!!  Our very own hero Mike spoke at their state PTA convention about his run across Idaho for the Tenley Foundation.  
 He did a great job! 
 We wish the whole state of Idaho could have laughed and cried
with us as we heard about what it was like to run
435 miles in 10 days.
 If you missed the news story about Mike and Tenley you can see it HERE
 Tenley and her mom and dad at the State PTA Convention dinner
We would like to especially thank Mary Kae Ryner for making PENNY WARS happen! 
 Our local schools had a fantastic time raising money that will help kids who fight cancer. 
When Tenley was asked to say a few words she simply said,
"I couldn't be happier!"
Mike with fellow cancer fighters Tenley and Tyson
after they helped him finish his 50.7 mile run that day.
Could you imagine running 25-50 miles per day for
10 days straight???
Mike talked about having to dig deeper into his soul to keep
running than he ever had in his life. 
Thinking about the kids fighting cancer helped him fight the
 exhaustion and push through the pain.
At the finish line with cancer buddies Cooper, Tenley, and Paige.
To see more about Mike's run across Idaho visit his blog HERE
WE LOVE YOU MIKE!! 
A thousand thank yous from these kids and the kids who we haven't met yet who will benefit from your amazing journey

3.06.2013

Stay Tuned!  The Tenley Foundation is working really really hard to get a real website up and running!
 
We are so excited to announce
PENNY WARS!!
Start April 1st
Organized by the
Idaho PTA
If you would like to get involved or donate prizes for the most pennies check with your local Idaho school.
 
Thank you Thank you!! 

5.02.2012

Meet Tenley and Mike...
Tenley is the namesake of the Tenley Foundation.  A local nonprofit organization set up to help kids and their families deal with the costs of fighting cancer.
Mike is a cancer survivor and ultra-runner.  He is running across the state of Idaho to help raise funds for the Tenley Foundation. 
Check out his website at www.mikesextramile.blogspot.com 
Follow his run on facebook by liking his page: Mike's Extra Mile
He will be running approximately 50 MILES PER DAY for 9 days to accomplish his goal:
 Day 1 - June 8: Fruitland to New Plymouth to Emmett
Day 2 - June 9: Emmett to Horshoe to Banks to Garden Valley to Loman
Day 3 - June 10: Loman to Stanley
Day 4 - June 11: Stanley to Challis
Day 5 - June 12: Challis halfway to Mackay Resevoir
Day 6 - June 13: Challis to Mackay Reservoir second half
Day 7 - June 14: Mackay Resevoir to Arco
Day 8 - June 15: Arco to Idaho Falls
Day 9 - June 16: Idaho Falls to Swan Valley
Day 10 - June 17: Swan Valley to Victor
You can help us support Mike by:
Sharing his website with your family and friends
Cheering for Mike on his run if you live near any of those areas
Sharing his story with your local news teams
Clicking the donate button on the top right to support local kids fighting cancer
Thank You!
and THANK YOU MIKE!!
WE LOVE YOU AND SAY
When you don't feel like you can go anymore, think of us and
KEEP FIGHTING!!


5.01.2012

Tenley

Tenley was just 6 years old in July of 2010 when she was diagnosed with Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma, a type of brain tumor. The very next afternoon she underwent a 9 hour surgery and a 99% resection. Her recovery went fairly quickly with physical, occupational, and speech therapy, but most of all LOTS OF LOVE from family and friends. Tenley showed huge improvements throughout the following months. Sadly, in December 2010, we received the news that her tumor had started to grow back. Tenleys options for surgery are limited because the tumor is attached to a vein. We were referred by her neurosurgeon to an oncologist for chemotherapy. It has been a year since we learned that the tumor is growing. Her oncologist has recommended that we take a "watch and wait" approach. The type of brain tumor Tenley has is a slow growing, low-grade glioma so an aggressive treatment isn't always the best.  We continue to make trips to Primary Children's Medical Center every three months to monitor the growth of her tumor.   What we thought would be a sprint has turned into a marathon. A race Tenley is determined to win!! 

Recently, on April 23, 2012, Tenley went for her appointment with her oncologist. Instead of the regular "Tenley you look great, see you in three months". We heard "the tumor has grown and her ventricles in her brain are enlarged". The next morning the Tumor Board at Primary's met to discuss Tenleys MRI results. That afternoon we got a call from her neurosurgeon who had done her first tumor resection. The news was not what we were expecting. Instead of chemo, he needed to do another surgery to resect the tumor. Why you say? The tumor was again blocking the duct that allows her cerebral spinal fluid to drain and it was causing hydrocephalus. Time wise chemotherapy would not have been effective.  Could we please come the following week for a "3D" MRI ,blood work, and surgery.

As we lay in bed that night Travis and I were in a daze. Another surgery...WOW! How was Tenley going to handle the news? How would Eben handle the news? How long would our stay be this time? How much therapy? What about school, would she get to finish the 2nd grade?? Would she even be able to make it back in time for the new school year in September? But, when you have a child with cancer these things are so trivial when it comes right down to it. Surgery is what she needed.

On May 2, 2012,  Tenley went in for her second surgery. We waited in the waiting room with friends and family for our updates from the OR, they come every hour and a half or so. We even passed the time with our fellow Idaho Fighter mom, Amy, while Ty was in surgery for a biopsy on his lip.
  It's always a comfort to have a friend who knows exactly what your going through:)  Then after an almost 5 hour surgery we got the call that Tenley was in the Intensive Care Unit recovering. This surgery had only taken half the time of her first one. The "tunnel" the doctor had made the first time was still there so working his way through her brain tissue to the tumor didn't take as long. 

The surgery results are not what we hoped. Her entire third ventricle was full of tumor and was really stuck to her brain stem. 75% of the tumor has been removed but because the rest is in a spot that risks paralysis or loss of vision we opted out of more surgery. "It's going to be a life long fight for her, this is long term" are the words we hear. As a parent your heart breaks because this is your child's life. 

This is the life of a child battling cancer. We fight everyday for these kids and they fight even harder to survive!!   

Tenley is one tough little girl and she has made leaps and bounds in her recovery. We have passed the time in the last few weeks working hard on upcoming events for The Tenley Foundation.
It is our passion as a family to get this foundation up and running so no matter what Tenley will always have a legacy.  She is so happy to help other children who are affected by cancer. Any little thing to make their lives better!
It puts a smile on her face.                                                                                                                                    


4.23.2012

 A special Thank You! to the organizers of the Bengal Triathlon who donated their proceeds to Idaho Fighters!  
Thank You So Much!!

4.20.2012

Meet a Few of Idaho's Fighters
If you have a child who is fighting or has fought cancer we would love to do a spotlight on your fighter! 
Contact Amy (Ty's mom) for more information.

4.11.2012

Boo

Boo was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that has spread into his spinal cord.  He was treated with chemotherapy, radiation and a bone marrow transplant from February 2011 through December 2011.  After completing his road-map he had scans scheduled for every 3 months.  He had his first 3 month scan on April 2nd and they found that the cancer came back.  He has another brain tumor and it has already spread to his spinal cord.  On April 11th 2012 he had a central line placed to start chemotherapy again.  Boo is a super sweet happy 6 year old who is in for the fight of his life.
 
It is with broken hearts that we let you know that our sweet cancer buddy Boo was called to heaven February of 2013.
 
We echo what Boo's friend said to Boo's mom:
"I feel so honored to have had Boo in my life.  You are an amazing mama who knows sacrifice as no others can. I love you and am thinking about all of you today.
Today there are no more pokes, headaches or back pain. 
TODAY HE PLAYS BASEBALL IN HEAVEN, AND RUNS AND IS NOT TIRED..."

4.10.2012

Cooper

Cooper is a 5 year old who was diagnosed in March 2011 with PNET (Peripheral Neuroectodermal Tumor) which is a form of Ewing's Sarcoma and is very rare in young children.  He received chemotherapy from March 2011 until December 2011.   Cooper was constantly in the hospital last year whether for a week of chemo or for a recovery stay at the local hospital.  He will have scans and tests every 3 months for 3 years and then every 6 months for 2 years after that to make sure the cancer hasn't returned.  He is approaching his first 3 month mark and will go for scans on April 20, 2012.   To read more about Cooper you can go to his blog site: Cooperscourage.blogspot.com

4.08.2012

Mimi

Mimi is 9 years old and was diagnosed November 28, 2011 with a myofibroblastic sarcoma located in her right cheek.  She's had to undergo 4 surgeries, 31 radiation treatments and inpatient chemotherapy treatments every 3 weeks for the past 6 months.  The bulk of her tumor was successfully resected March 1, 2012 but she has
been plagued with a post operative infection since then.  She is looking forward to her final chemo treatment scheduled to begin May 30, 2012.  She has been an inspiration to all that know her as she has dealt with these unpleasant treatments and is hopeful for a positive outcome.  So far her post-treatment scans have been clear!

4.07.2012

Nik

Nikolas was diagnosed on Feb 8, 2012 with High Risk Neuroblastoma Stage III n-myc amplified. Nik is a beautiful 4 year old boy with a twin brother Zakary, a 12 yr old sister Samantha and 11 yr old brother named Trey. Nikolas's mother is a recent Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor and is thankful for the support her family has received from Uncles, Aunts, cousins and friends through both cancer battles.  Nik just finished his stem cell transplant, radiation therapy, and is currently receiving antibody therapy.

4.06.2012

Paige

Paige was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma (nasal/ pharynx) in February 2011 at the age of 2 1/2. She completed 28 sedated radiation treatments and also completed 42 chemo treatments, which she responded well to. She finished her chemo in December 2011. She just recently had her 3 month scans (PET, CT, and MRI) and it showed that her tumor was still dead. Her tumor can never be removed but with all the radiation and chemo she received it should stay dead scar tissue. Paige will continue to get scans to monitor her tumor.

4.04.2012

Ty

Tyson was diagnosed in April 2011 at age 3 with a blood cancer called A.L.L. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  His daddy was stationed in Iraq at diagnosis and served five more months.  Now he is Tyson's number one buddy when Ty goes in for chemo and procedures.  Ty has had some bumps in the road with a low immune system and infections but he is responding well to treatment so far and has about 1 1/2 years left of chemo.  For more info on Ty you can read his blog HERE

4.03.2012

Here are some statistics on Youth Cancer today:


Each year, approximately 13,500 parents will hear the words “your child has cancer.” Across all ages, ethnic groups and socio-economics, this disease remains the number one cause of death by disease in children. Despite major advances – from an overall survival rate of 10% just 40 years ago to nearly 80% today, for many rare cancers, the survival rate is much lower. Furthermore, the number of diagnosed cases annually has not declined in nearly 20 years.

~Every day, 36 children are diagnosed with cancer.
~One child out of five who is diagnosed with cancer dies.
~Children’s cancer affects all ethnic, gender and socio-economic groups.
~The average age of children diagnosed is six.
~More than 40,000 children undergo treatment for cancer each year.
~Three out of five who survive children’s cancer suffer late-effects, such as infertility, heart failure, and secondary cancers.
~There are approximately 350,000 adult survivors of children’s cancer in the United States.~That equates to 1 in 640 adults ages 18-45.
  • One in 300 boys will develop cancer before the age of 20.
  • One in 333 girls will develop cancer before the age of 20.
  • The incidence of invasive pediatric cancers is up to 29% in the past 20 years.
  • Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among US children ages 1-14.
  • In 2009, only 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget was used for pediatric funding.
  • Young cancer patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed.
  • The average age of death for a child with cancer is 8.
  • In 20 years the FDA has initially approved only one drug for any childhood cancer. Half of all chemotherapies used for children’s cancers are 25 years old.
  • Physical and neurocognitive disabilities resulting from treatment may prevent childhood cancer survivors from fully participating in school, social activities and eventually work.
  • Cancer kills more children than AIDs, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and congenital anomalies combined.
Source: PAC2 & CureSearch

4.02.2012

check back soon

Check back soon! We are working on getting some more of our cancer buddies posted on here.  Thanks!