We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

My family wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous  New Year ...
from Brian, Ridwan and Natalia
 

Brian Tan ,Piano Recital , November 18' 2012

Having through a lot of difficulties ,pain and troubles in my life ( not only relating to Brian's health but also other life's obstacles  ),  I learn to remain focus on my blessings instead of life's difficulties.

If I did them in reverse, I would have fallen apart. Well.. It happened few times, that I thought  these problems were all hopeless . I had my times of doubt . I didn't turn to any medication to solve my problems. My heart said medication was not an answer ( I didn't judge to others who really need them, pls don't misunderstand me) , so I turned to God. I believe He hears me. I also turned to my sisters and brothers in Christ for prayers, support and words of wisdom. To all  my brothers and sisters in Christ , I want you all to know that I am forever grateful.

Some days are more challenging than others . However my  faith, hope, and love remind me that  in Jesus Christ I am never alone.

I cling to God’s words in time of trouble :

Psalm 18 :2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.

Seeing Brian playing piano in Recital , It is amazing and a miracle.He didn't forget which keys he has to play :) his memory is fine, his motor function is fine and he looks fine, I don’t take this moment as granted, It is Priceless !

Learning to pray and trust His will is better than mine. And ask Him to take me to His side and not ask Him to be on my side.


Brian's Mom

Veggies Recipes

Lentil Soup

1 bag (16 oz.) lentils
2 celery stalks with leafy tops
2 carrots
1 medium onion
1 medium potato (optional)
2 large bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
2 teaspoons  balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Wash and pick through lentils as directed. Peel
and chop or thinly slice carrots and onion. Cut tops
off celery, chop or thinly slice stalks. Peel and
chop potato. In a large pot, add all
ingredients, including celery tops, except vinegar.
Add 8-10 cups water. Bring to boil, simmer about 1
or more hours until lentils and vegetables are tender.
Add additional water during cooking as necessary,
and/or more salt and pepper if desired. When
vegetables are tender, remove celery tops and bay
leaves, add vinegar.



Roasted Winter Vegetables



1 whole fennel cut into 6 wedges
2 medium turnips — peeled and
quartered
2 carrots — cut in 1" pieces
2 parsnips — cut in 1" pieces
2 medium potatoes — peeled and quartered
2 medium onions — peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic — peeled
olive oil
salt and pepper — to taste
Mix vegetables together and place in a single
layer, in a large roasting pan. Brush with olive oil;
sprinkle with salt and pepper; and roast for 1 hour
at 350 degrees F, turning the vegetables every 15
minutes.
Roasted Yellow Squash
1 yellow squash
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
salt
fresh dill

Directions:

Slice the squash into halves. Score the meat (not
the skin) horizontally and diagonally; drizzle with
oil.
Sprinkle with salt and herbs. Broil for 5-10 minutes
until edges of squash start to appear brown

Happy Bday Brian !



Pokemon B/W  bday just for you Brian !
perfect for 3 ^^

Special  lunch Box, Brian's fav cartoon
All Natural Pikachu rice ball are mixed with egg yolk to be yellow
 remember Brian  , you said it was your best Lunch :) lol 

To Brian , our beloved son

Life is precious, full of memories , filled with laughter, tears, hopes and dreams.

Today we pray that you may know Jesus's love, peace and grace as you walk wih Him through life together hand in hand.

 

 Happy 11th Birthday Brian

 

God bless you on your birthday and always

we love u much .. much ^^

 

 

Nausea and Vomiting during radiation and chemo

Brian vomited daily during radiation and chemotheraphy. His total treatment ( surgery, radiation and chemotherapy) was 15 months long.
I was heart broken to see him suffering and not be able to eat. So I prayed and asked God to heal him and asked Him to open ways and give Brian strength . I started looking for informations to help him to keep down his meals.

These were few things that worked for my son during nausea and vomiting :

Step 1:
I gave him the Nausea prescription from his doctor every morning when he waked up. I waited one hour before giving him any meal. It worked for him. I did this step 3 times daily before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Brian was snacking fruit and veggies soup in between meals. One small meal at the time through out the day. I made the schedule for eating too :) this way I didn't forget what and the time to feed him.

Step 2 :
His taste changed sometimes. I served him many different kinds of healthy snack to help him coped :

- Whole wheat crackers
- Ginger snap cookies
- Dry cereals enriched vitamins
- Apple sauce
- Vanilla ice cream
- Sherbet
- Fruit Pudding
- Jello

I didn't give him candies, not even once. Avoid all cooking with strong odors.

Step 3 :
Ginger Tea !!! It worked for him. There is evidence that when taken with standard anti-nausea medications, ginger can be helpful in further reducing or eliminating nausea and vomiting during and after chemotherapy treatments. I served Brian  the ginger tea warm with a bit of honey.
You may try Agave or Stevia. I didn't know about them at that time :) so I gave him honey instead.
Tea Ginger recipe:

• 4-10  thin slices raw organic ginger
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups water
• juice from 1/2 lime, or to taste
• 1-2 tbsp honey , stevia, agave nectar  to taste

How to :

Peel the ginger and slice thinly to maximize the surface area. This will help you make a very flavorful ginger tea. Boil the ginger in water for at least 10 minutes. For a stronger and tangier tea, allow to boil for 20 minutes or more, and use more slices of ginger. Remove from heat and add lime juice and honey to taste.

Step 4 :
Fresh air and loose clothing. I played board games , watched funny TV shows , sang Jesus songs , Veggie tales series DVD , just about any activities that made him laughed so that he horgot his nausea.
I keep tracked of all the foods that made him vomited.

Step 5 :
Clean Pure Water.
I prepared 1 L water bottle daily. He would finished it the entire water 2 hours before bedtime. Once he got controlled vomitting, try small amounts of water and gradually increasing the amount.

Note:

Thank God that Brian didn't have to use feeding tube. I told Brian if he didn't want to eat, the doctor must put the feeding tube through his nose or belly. It scared him, I guess the warning worked too :) he made himself eating eventhough he wasn't hungry.


I hope our experiences will help anyone with nausea and vomitting during the radiation and chemo.

Brian's mom

Dapur natalia: What's for Lunch ?

Dapur natalia: What's for Lunch ?: 
( My Indonesian Cooking Blog)

 

I posted some of Brian's favorite Japanese Bento Box at my other blog, please click the above link if you would like to read more details.


Brian's mom

Cherish every moment !

Hello All,

Hope you all have a great Summer !

We got a great news from Brian's Oncology, it says the MRI last July 2012 looks great , no changes and remains cancer free .
Praise The Lord for this wonderful news. Brian is 6 years out from the diagnosis .

Brian is a normal 10 years old boy, he will be 11 soon by next month. He is doing well at school, making honnor roll once again. I can't believe what I see now, before the treatment his Oncology said that Brian may not be able to do school well and a slow learner because of the radiation. Once again God gives His favor to him. It's trully a miracle, grace and blessing.

Brian lost some very mild hearing at high frequency range due to chemotherapy (Cisplastin) but he still can hear at normal frequency. Therefor he doesn't require hearing aids.


During  summer 2012  Brian has been enjoying badminton and swimming. Yesss... he learns how to swim finally...he continues loving piano too.

We are thankful to Jesus Christ Living God for Brian ...,

also to our church GII and Pastors and to all our family and friends who have kindly prayed for Brian ; his Doctors at Lucille Packard and PAFM ; his great Teachers at Durham elementary schools. We always grateful for all Brian's excellent Doctors and nurses in Montreal Children Hospital, excellent treatments and loving cares.

He is now excited to return to school as a 6th grader :)



In this pic Brian was 5 years old during cancer treatment , in Christmas 2006
You can see, how much strength God give him during that time, Brian is always cheerfull .

Brian was at the park close to our home
Summer 2012

 Brian loves being silly :) he is a joy to us
Summer 2012

May God bless you all
Brian's mom
Ps:
To all medullo parents, please dont hesitate to ask me if you have any questions regarding our experiences through the surgery, radiation , chemo and growth hormone therapy. I am more than happy to help in anyway I can. Keep believing and hoping to God