TannerBunch

This baby is my cousin, who just moments ago, was diagnosed with a massive tumor on one of his kidneys. The news came as a shock to all of us, as he was only going to the doctor for a regular check-up.

Tanner is going into surgery tomorrow, September 2nd, to have his kidney removed since the tumor itself is inoperable.

I have never been a praying person until now. And I am coming to you all to ask the same of you. Please, if you can, pray for my baby cousin. No one knows what will come out of this, and the next days will be nothing but torturous. I feel so helpless, praying is all I can do. I can't be with him, since he's in Alabama and I'm in Georgia...and it's extremely hard. All I can do is publicize this as fast as possible in hopes that more and more people will help pray for this baby.

By the time most of you see this, Baby Tanner will already have had the surgery. But I'm asking you to continue thinking of him and praying for him. He really needs it right now.

I said recently that nothing could bring me down and that I had a new outlook on life. I was wrong. My focus right now is on Tanner. Please help us.

Tanner was diagnosed with cancer this afternoon. His surgery has been postponed until Tuesday to allow him the best team of doctors possible. After that, he will undergo 15 weeks of chemo treatments.

As of now, that is all the information that I have, I will continue to keep you all posted on Tanner's condition.

Tanner's kidney was removed successfully this morning. He is currently doing so well, he is going to a regular room instead of Intensive Care. We were also relieved to learn that the cancer has NOT spread beyond the kidney.

The battle is just beginning for Tanner, though. He will face months of Chemo, so I ask that you continue your wonderful support. You all have been wonderful...God bless you all. :-)

The official pathology reports are expected late tomorrow afternoon. We must now continue praying that it will show exactly what the doctor concluded yesterday. Tanner appears to still be doing well, but will start his chemo in just a few days.

Tanner began his chemo treatments today, and will continue them for 18 weeks. The tumor was said to be BARELY a Stage Two. The treatment will remain the same, but he will continue to be monitored after the chemo is finished,. We were grateful to hear that he will be going home tomorrow. Now we pray that he will handle the side effects of the chemo well.

I was also just told that Tanner is doing so unbelievable well, he's as happy as he's always been and laying on his stomach...rolling, cooing, and being his same cute little self. We credit this to the power of prayer and support he's received the past week. But he's doing extremely well...GO TANNER! :-)

After Tanner's appetite recently ceased, our fears were that he would have to have a feeding tube. But once again, he has amazed us all and ate enough to gain a whopping 2 ounces. His next chemo is Monday, but I am told that he looks and seems to feel much better. Let's hope this continues.

Well, our little guy had Chemo #3 today and is sailing right along. He had gained 3 more ounces and is still eating well. The doctor says since he got through the past 2 weeks with weight gains he may never need the feeding tube. Also, he has had NO side effects. This is remarkable. We attribute this solely to the power of prayer. He continues to smile through it all and is a good natured baby. We feel very blessed that he has done so well and know it is because all of you have been so willing to pray for him. Thanks.

Tanner continues to do well, surprising everyone. He gained almost a pound! We need to keep his weight up throughout chemo. The best news this weeks is that his blood count was normal. No anemia, so he looks great. He is lively and scooting around. We are still praising God for no side effects. We know that this is truly an answer to all the prayers and we are so thankful for each and every one of you who are willing to share your prayer time with him. God is good. We have 10 more weeks of chemo and pray that they will all go well.

Tanner reached the half-way point in his treatment today. We are overjoyed with his progress. His ultrasound showed nothing unusual, and the remaining kidney is disease-free. His bloodwork was in the normal range and he still has had no side effects, which continues to surprise his medical team. We are giving God the glory for His healing hand. We thank all of you for your kindness and compassion. As we go into this next phase, we feel peace and encouragement because of your prayers. We hope you will continue to join us in prayer for a full recovery. Other than normal baby problems -- teething and a slight case of pinkeye -- our little guy continues to roll along. He is such a joy to us. God bless each of you for your generous spirit.

Tanner had a great day! He gained 3 ounces when we were very afraid of a loss. Also, his central line worked on the first try. For several weeks now, we have had some anxious moments. It gets clogged and is difficult to get going again. We are watching for facial paralysis. The doctor thought one eye looked slightly droopy. If the paralysis occurs, they will stop chemo for a while. We are praying that won't happen and he can continue through. We have been so blessed so far.

Mondays are hectic and anxious, but at the end of the day we thank God that we have another one gone. Tanner did very well this week. He had lost a few ounces but this was not a concern as he had a stomach virus last week. His white cell count is low and he can catch things easily no matter how hard we try. He was a little fussy for a couple of days, but that is how we thought all his days would be while undergoing chemo. Overall, he continues to amaze us with his smiles and good disposition and how well he is tolerating this treatment. Next week is a double dose, so we are praying that he will have another good day Monday. We are on the downhill side of this thing and hope you will continue with us in prayer. Thanks to all.

We love Monday nights because it means another Chemo day is behind us. He had a super day. He only gained one ounce, but that is fine. Today was a "double dose" day, which means he gets an IV of medication before the actual chemo. Keeping a lively 8 month old baby away from all the stuff attached to him is a real challenge. We were exhausted, but he laughed and squealed through the whole thing. His central line worked on the first try. His blood tests were all back from the dip we had last week. Again, his medical team is amazed that he has no side effects. In fact, Tanner got his first hair cut! We had been expecting it to fall out, so we put off having it cut. He also cut a tooth and sat himself up. He is doing all the normal baby things. As always, we give God the credit for his progress and ask that you please continue in prayer with us. As the chemo is accumulating in his body, he is moving into the stage where his immune system is weakened. We are praying that God will protect him from the flu and other illnesses that are prevalent at this time of year. Thanks again, and God bless each of you.

On September 2nd the holidays seemed distant and bleak. Here we are at Thanksgiving and our circumstances are so different than what we anticipated several weeks ago. Tanner continues to move along in his treatment without bad side effects. His prognosis is good. God is awesome!

We are giving thanks for all of you who are traveling this road with us by your prayers and belief in the healing power of the Lord. Family members are compiling this website into a booklet for Tanner. We want him to know the kindness and generosity of everyone who has united with us on his behalf. We are so blessed by your caring and prayers. May each of you be filled with God's grace and love as well as good food on this holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tanner is now in his "every three weeks" part of his treatment. We were due for a double-dose this past week. However, he has an ear infection...so it was postponed until December 9. His white cell count was normal, but the doctor said chemo would wipe that out and his body would not be able to fight off this minor infection, causing it to become a major one with serious complications. He is on double antibiotics, and we are keeping him isolated so he can get well. Our prayer this week is for it to clear up and we can get back on track. We are close to the end of the chemo! Of course we are anxious to finish up and see the results. Thanks so much to all of you. Your prayers and caring sustains us.

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" ........Luke 2:10

"Fear not" were the words spoken to man announcing the birth of Jesus. I understand that phrase appears over 300 times in the Bible. Yet, when Tanner was diagnosed, I have to admit fear gripped me. When I saw his CAT scan I was filled with anxiety. How could this little baby survive a malignant tumor so large? I knew we needed lots of intense prayer for him and for us. You have provided the comfort and support we have needed throughout this. God sent his Son to take away all fear, but we are human. Your responses have given us the reassurance we need that people do care and are with us.

This Christmas season fills us with great joy. Tanner has progressed far better than we had thought possible. He is a little baby growing into a toddler. He has cut 4 teeth, starting to say a couple of words, and is getting into everything. His smile melts your heart.

We are down to the last two chemo treatments. He had to miss one because of an ear infection, but we are hopeful that he will stay healthy and we will still finish in mid-January.

We wish all of you a blessed Christmas season. Jesus' birth meant the promise of hope and that is what we have. May His love and peace fill your hearts. Thank you for your prayers.

IT'S A GREAT DAY! Tanner had a chemo today, and we have faith that it is his last ever. He had a thorough physical exam, and the doctor said he is in fantastic shape. It has been a long four months for us, and I know so many kids go much longer than we did. We are so thankful for God's mercy and His healing power. Tanner was a real fighter throughout, and did far better than anyone expected. It was, of course, because of prayer. This ordeal has been a real testamony on how effective prayer is when people unify and seek the Lord.

We came home to a house filled with balloons and good wishes and cake. Tanner got his first taste of sweets. He loved it, and we will have the pictures later to prove it. His prognosis looks very good. He will have an ultra sound on February 7th. If you think of Tanner during the next three weeks would you please, once again, say a prayer that he will be totally clear of anything. We will let you know the results. As for now, we are celebrating that he no longer has to have chemicals injected, and we can get back to normal living, if there is a such thing. With three active little boys, it is always hectic.

IT'S A BANNER DAY FOR TANNER! Just got the news that all tests are negative...no nodules showing up anywhere! We are so thankful for God's mercy. Tanner's prognosis is very good. He will go for check-ups every 3 months for 2 years and because the tumor was found early on, his chances of reoccurance are very slight.

Tanner will be a year old on February 19th. As we celebrate his birthday, we also will rejoice that God has healed him. It has been a traumatic year in lots of ways, but also a year of growth in many areas. I have looked for the lessons I was sure I was supposed to learn from all of this. First of all, I know I should never take anything for granted. Even as I held my tiny grandson during chemo, I could not believe this was happening. Well, it can happen to us. We have no guarantees except that God will be with us.

I learned to look for God's small miracles. I do believe Tanner's healing is a very big miracle, but there were so many small blessings that got us to that point. The tumor was found by chance before he became symptomatic. It was baseball-sized and growing rapidly. If discovery were much later, who knows what would have happened. If it had to obliterate an organ, thank God it was one that we have two of. There were so many things like this. Now I pay more attention and thank God for what he does each day instead of waiting for the "big ones."

I always knew we could count on our family and friends for help. We are a large, but close-knit family who rally around when needed. We play together and pray together. We are blessed with a wealth of friends who have walked this road with our family. The community response has been phenominal. It is hard to find words to express our gratitude. The lesson I learned was that people will respond far greater than I could comprehend. It has made me realize how I need to help others.

One friend quoted a proverb that said, "Joy is medicine to the heart." Although we have had dark days, we have found much joy. We watched Tanner grow and progress as normal babies do, oblivious of what was happening to his body. From the day of surgery on, I cannot say he was at any time like the sickly child we thought he would be. He went through fighting the whole way, and was such a joy and inspiration to us. There were bad days for us, but not for him. On down days, I would read the website and it never failed to give me comfort. And there was laughter. A friend's 5 year old son prayed for the baby without the knee. When questioned, he said, "Well, you said the doctor cut out the kid's knee." During this time of Tanner's illness, we also were able to share in the joy of Aunt Sally finding her father. Of course, Tanner's brothers brought us lots of laughter. We tried to keep everything as normal as possible for them.

There are so many things I have learned about myself and people in general through this. I think the most profound lesson is that people care. We see so much hatred and meanness in this world that I had become to believe that people today are generally self-centered and do not care about strangers. This website opened my eyes to know how wrong that is. We are still al world community with compassion and kindness for one another.

I had no idea that the Internet could be used this way. Thanks, Lisa, for all you have done.

And to the chatters who spread this around the world -- be proud that you answered a need. You have been awesome. You have restored my faith that the youth of today can be the leaders who will return morality and honesty to this country. Keep it going!

A special thanks to Aunt Dolly's BSF group who kept Tanner on their ASK prayer list the whole year.

To Nancy, who had a cancerous kidney removed exactly 1 year before Tanner -- you are a walking testament to the power of prayer.

Most of all, to all of you who have given your time and prayers for Tanner, you have shown me that the virtues of love and generosity that God instills in his creations are still there.

From a truck driver in Tennessee who prays for people by the mile, to a young girl in Dallas whom doctors gave no hope many years ago, and to all of you who shared your testimonies with us -- you are part of us always. Never think for one moment that your prayers were not needed. Each and every one of you counted. As we said before, we are compiling this website into a booklet for Tanner. We want him to know about all of you. We will never forget what you have done, but because of his innocent age, he won't remember a thing, and what another small miracle that is! By praying and caring for a little boy who is precious to us, you have laid up treasures for yourself in heaven, and God will surely bless you.