Turning 4

Jack Riley Peden, Age 3 (October 2018)

Thanks!

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who donated to our campaign in 2018. We raised over $10,000 for fourth consecutive year! The cycling conditions were super cold and windy for those that rode, but all the more reason I’m thankful for everyone who came out to support. Be on the lookout this year for a BBQ/Party/Something in Arlington…more on that to come in a future post, but we’re thinking May time frame for now. First or second weekend. We’ll also participate in the Cycle for Life campaign in 2019.

Great acts are made up of small deeds. – Lao Tzu

The below image represents multiple things – the kindness of my great Uncle Randy, the beauty of how such small deeds (delivering collard greens to someone’s mother) can lead to greater acts beyond what anyone could ever know (donation to the CF Foundation). While I never had a close relationship with my great Uncle Randy as he lived south of Richmond and was battling cancer for over 5 years himself…he seemed to take a special liking to me – routinely asking how I was doing (he and I both picked up c diff while in the hospital) or sending small amounts of money he didn’t really have for me to start my own savings account. In lieu of flowers for his funeral, he asked that donations be made to the CF Foundation and we received well over $1,000 in donations – many from people I’ve never met and likely will never know.

Turning 4

February 1 marked a pretty cool day…it was my fourth birthday. There were times where I or my parents weren’t sure we were going to see 4, but here I am. For anyone wondering what I wanted for my birthday – nothing but your continued support. The link to show support/donate is https://fightjackfight.passioncff.org/. All donations are 100% tax deductible and go toward finding a cure! It will remain up throughout the year.

We went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore for my birthday. Riley, Paige, Hayden, Morgan and Abby all took off from school to go with me, Mom, Dad, Taylor, Bama, and Pop. We had such a great time.

No days off!

Whoa!

Tucan?

Checking out the sharks

You see that monkey

Later that evening, I also had some special visitors – Great Aunts and Great Grandmothers from Dad’s side of the family came up from Richmond to spend the night and hang out.

My great grandma holding Taylor

My grandfather buying groceries from my store

Another round of therapy before the day ends

Triple Drug Combination for CF

Probably the most newsworthy thing in the CF community aside from losing some inspirational CF’ers who’ve done so much for the awareness has been the breakthrough of the Triple Combination Modulator which is expected to reach 90% of those within the CF community. Unfortunately for me, I fall within the 10% who are not expected to benefit from the drug. While that’s discouraging to some (still not a cure, it does not work for me), it also provides hope that they are getting closer to unlocking therapeutic advancements which can improve my life and hopefully — one day a cure for all of us with cystic fibrosis.

Last 2 Checkups (including Annual Checkup)

Apologies for not getting something out more timely, but just wasn’t in the cards. Anyway, my last two doctors appointments with my Pulmonary Team were much more uplifting and I’ve managed to keep the feeding tube away for now. The team seems genuinely satisfied with my current weight, BMI, etc. so the feeding tube is still in talks, but not as seemingly dire as it once did. So long as I continue to eat and gain weight and maintain a high enough BMI, I can put it off.

For my annual appointment, the day starts out super early with therapy so that we can get to radiology early and knock out my bloodwork. Last thing we want to do is hang around a hospital during flu season so we get in and get out! I didn’t cry once during my doctor’s visit. They took 7 vials of blood. The doctor who drew my blood is a veteran. I’m getting to the age where I like to see what the doctor is talking about when logged into the computer and viewing my lab work and results. Because I did such a good job at my annual appointment, Mom and Dad said I could get anything I wanted from the toy store – Bruder Trucks!!!!

7-Month Recap Flash

July 2018 (Nationals Baseball, Pumping Iron, Hikes, and Therapy)

Dad picked the hottest day of the year to bicycle to the Nationals game. We stayed for about 4 innings before calling for Mom to pick us up.

We made it. Hot bicycle ride into the city for the game

Hot seats

Pumping iron with dad in basement

passed out doing therapy

hike down to potomac

me and Taylor

August 2018 (Arcade, Not much else…)

Not much went on in August aside from therapy and deer paid us a visit in the backyard.

My TPIC (Therapy Partner in Crime)

Deer in backyard

Long, long day…

Deer in backyard

Driving fast cars

Wacking this thing

People calling me Max Scherzer over here

September 2018 (Fall Junior T-Ball)

Mom signed Dad up to coach my team this year. In all, we had 7-8 players on my team and I had zero at-bats. For some reason, I didn’t want to outshine my teammates so embraced my shyness while Dad coached my teammates. I think it will break Dad’s heart if I don’t end up playing baseball.

Get lower Dad

Hop on my shoulders dad, I’ll carry you

Girls, watch me…

October 2018 (Halloween)

This year I was Gekko from PJ Masks. He’s my favorite character on the show. Taylor was a polar bear. The last photo is me with Pop. Pop has put on the Madison Manor fire for about 30 years. This year his back was bothering him so I used my John Deere Gator to pull limbs into piles to be used in this year’s fire. We even received help from the Boy Scouts. I love this photo! For those of you worrying about smoke damaging my lungs…I maintained a super, safe distance :).

Also, Red Sox won the World Series so my New England relatives sent me this awesome shirt. Mom and Dad are already saying we’re coming to visit this summer and we’ll go to Fenway and we also hope to tour Vertex.

Dad’s company IT Concepts, sponsored the CF Foundation Northern VA/Washington DC Chapter Cycle for Life event in Leesburg. We raised over $10,000 and Dad was the largest fundraiser for the event. This year they are looking at moving the event up to mid-September which should hopefully make for more enjoyable cycling weather. This year the winds were so bad that roads were impassable with down trees and the party tents weren’t so much of a party as they were a life obstacle. Regardless, it was a great time and I cannot wait for next year.

Geko (PJ Masks) and Polar Bear

Dad googled some place to pick pumpkins locally

Me and Pop standing in front of the Madison Manor fire he’s lit for about 30 years. This year I dragged branches into piles.

Sox are champs! Thanks NE relatives.

Dad’s company sponsored Cycle for Life

And they got these cool shirts made

November 2018

We went down to Lewes in November. Here’s a couple photos.

Mini-excavator stop on way home

They call me little Geempa

Me and all the girls.

Midnight snack with Dad

Creon, Apple Bar, Cheetos, Pediasure at 1AM

Walk into town

They call me little Geempa

Me and all the girls.

Midnight snack with Dad

Creon, Apple Bar, Cheetos, Pediasure at 1AM

Walk into town

Mini-excavator stop on way home

December 2018 (Annual Checkup at Children’s + Christmas)

I love Santa Claus. Christmas is my favorite time of year. This year we shot down to see Dad’s family the week before Christmas and I received so many presents. There are so many tractor stores down that way. I made Dad pull off so that we could hop up and see them all up close. Can you believe they leave the doors unlocked?

My New Orleans family came to town on Christmas and showered me with awesome gifts also. We went out for a family dinner in DC one night which was a great time. Afterward, me, Mom, Dad, and Taylor ran around the city, visiting monuments and stuff. Technically it was November, but Dad took me and Taylor to see Santa. I didn’t dare go near him, but Taylor couldn’t really muster up a fight like me so Dad put Taylor in his lap. Can you believe that? Mom thinks its crazier that Dad took her to see Santa without socks on her feet.

Taylor isn’t a fan…

Combine Harvester

Taylor’s First Christmas

Sprayer

In front of Lincoln Memorial after Family Dinner

Sprayers are huge

Swinging at Grandmas

Tractor

Ultimate Paw Patrol Fire Rescue

Family Dinner with our Family up from New Orleans

Me and Emoree

January 2019

I brought in the new year asleep in bed.

Sledding

Snow Angels

Hike to nature center

Family Hike with Aunt Liz

Speaker of the House

15th Annual Brewer’s Ball

The 15th annual Brewer’s Ball took place March Saturday, March 2, 2019 at the National Building Museum and White Ford Bronco jammed out. Mom, Dad, and some other friends and family from their companies attended. Dad’s company, IT Concepts, is a Hops Sponsor. Bridget’s boss also invited about 18 friends. In total, we had about 26 friends and family show up and support.

Jack’s Sports Minute

Capitals – the honeymoon is over. Let’s take care of Game 7, and repeat.

Glad Bryce Harper getting thrown out of games is someone else’s problem. Nats need to get the bullpen together and we’ll be fine.

Been a while and Tough Check Up Today :(

Taylor Loves Me

Super sorry for the incredibly long delay in writing but we’ve been unreal busy since Taylor’s arrival. Prior to Taylor’s arrival, I ran the roost and had complete control. Since it’s been about three months, I’ll attempt to address recent events chronologically and hit on the biggest updates toward the end (CF Awareness Month + My Last 3 Month Check-Up + October Fundraising Bike Ride).

February 2018

In case you missed my last post, I’m now three years old, so “big boy”. While I consider myself a big boy, I’m still not fully using the potty. Mom and Dad are attempting to incentivize me by hanging a truck over the potty. It ain’t working! That being said, I need to get on that Now Mom and Dad are springing for double the diapers. Yikes!

March 2018

I’ve still yet to miss a therapy. Mom and Dad don’t mess around when it comes to therapy and even Taylor has gotten in on the bit.

Taylor mad jealous.

Bro, what’s up?

What you doing bro?

Chilling. Go Caps!

Toys R Us announced they were closing their doors so Dad thought it was fitting to take me in there to see what all the hoopla was about since a) i had a $20 gift card from Christmas and b) dad says kids only know about Amazon these days so its important to see why businesses failed. Anyway, Toys R Us is legit and all there stuff was 30% off so I got to pick out a new tractor and some legos.

March also brought us some measurable snowfall so Dad and I sweep ours and our neighbors’ driveways. We also did some sleigh riding to which we wiped out big time on one hill, but we were okay. We’re tough.

Work, work, work, work (like Rhianna)

Also March brought out the clippers. Dad brought me to the barber to cut this mop. Dad was dumbfounded when the 5-minute hair cut from Westover Barber cost more than his haircut at the Ballston Barber that includes hot towel and straight blade shave. This must be one expensive lollipop.

Dad jealous of these locks

April 2018

Dad bought me a bicycle from REI, but quickly returned it because I’m not ready to ride it and I want one that’s bigger than what Dad bought. Hoping he gets me one soon so I can bring it to Rachel’s beach house and ride all summer long. Rachel doesn’t know this yet, but I’m going to angle to stay with them all August because Hayden is my best friend in the whole, wide world.

April also brought some warmer temps so I got outside and did some hiking, watched Dad play softball, and played lots of soccer at Williamsburg/Discovery.

Great Falls

I’m a good climber

Love maps!

Dad hits nukes!

C’mon girls

Walk around the block’

Me, Mom, Dad, and Taylor also went out to eat for the first (hopefully not last) time as a family. Matchbox pizza in Mosaic was super accommodating to the fam.

Me and Taylor continue to grow close. She loves me and I love her. I help her with her munyas (pacifiers). She doesn’t talk or say anything. She also is not allowed to play with my trucks. Hayden is my best friend. Me and her ride around in my John Deer Gator and do yard work everyday (not literally, but most Sunday’s when we all go to Bama’s for dinner). Pop is mostly on the hook for yard work Mon-Fri.

Me and T

Taylor Loves Me

And I love her

Hayden is my best friend #America

May 2018 – Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month

This month flew by and I didn’t do anything this year to let you all know about it. Shame on me. Anyway, May is CF awareness month and there’s been so much going on with respect to the disease. There have been huge improvements on the drug front some of which help those of us with certain mutations incredibly. Unfortunately, I’ve got mutations which have yet to see huge advancements, but I hold out hope that I’ll benefit from major breakthroughs before long as well. It’s only a matter time.

Congress also passed the Right to Try Act. While I’m not 100% sure whether I support this or not, it’s news! Some people believe this is great as it allows those of us with CF the ability to gain access to non FDA-approved drug trials, but the CF Foundation isn’t so supportive. Only being 3 years old, there is very little opportunity to participate in drug trials. Most are reserved for those individuals at least 5 year old.

Mother’s Day

We spent Mother’s Day in Old Town Alexandria with Mom and Bama and the rest of the fam. Where but Don Taco would a bunch of Irish spend the day. We had a great time and ran around the town for a few hours before tuckering ourselves out and heading home.

Hayden, Riley, Taylor, Me, Paige

That’s Tamey creepily photobombing

Can we shoot this cannon?

Stuntin

If you draw, better be Picasso, you know the best, b/c if not so…

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend sent us to Dad’s homeland (the Farm, the 757, Surry, Hampton Roads). We spent time down on the James River, visiting tractor stores, throwing water balloons, fishing in ponds, and listening to live music at the Farm. We also spent time with my great Grandma. Making 96+ look good Grandma. Me and Taylor love you so much. Can’t wait to get back down there.

Peace

This is my new tractor

Jammin’ Out without a shirt

Can you buy me this tractor

Great Grandma and Taylor

June 2018

Tomorrow (June 2) is the Washington DC Cystic Fibrosis Walk. If the weather holds up, we might head down there for a few to listen in and participate, but we aren’t fundraising for the walk this year. We’re focused on the bike ride (see below)!

June is also bringing Washington DC hockey for the first time in 20+ years! Go C-A-P-S, CAPS, CAPS, CAPS. Let’s get that Stanley! Ovi is overdue!

3 Month Checkup

Today’s monthly checkup didn’t go as well as we had hoped. While we still won’t know the results of my culture for at least a week, my team of doctors were less than satisfied with my weight – well mostly my Body Mass Index (BMI). Crazy to think I’m knowing about BMI at age 3, but hey. I’m tall which is no surprise if you look at Mom and Dad. And while you would think being skinny is a good thing, it’s not when you have CF. I’m 75% for height, 50% weight, but in the 20s% for BMI which is less than ideal. The doctors warn that if I don’t put on weight in the next three months a G-Tube is what I can expect. This is not what me, Mom, and Dad were expecting to hear. For all we knew, I was doing well, eating “okay”, and healthy. Apple bars, bottles of milk, string cheese, yogurt, and cashews are no longer going to cut it. I have to eat more. I have to get big and strong.

Mom and Dad acknowledged that since Taylor arrived, that they’ve slacked off a bit with the food exploration and pushing, but they didn’t realize things had turned so poorly and are fully committed to doing whatever it takes to avoid a G-Tube. We’re starting by actually taking the Periactin (Cyproheptadine) that was prescribed about six months ago. It’s an antihistamine which has a side effect of  “increase appetite” therefore that’s the reason I’m going to start to take it. Another side effect is that it causes drowsiness so that’s why Mom and Dad held off on giving it to me before as they felt it was important for me to be full of energy and running around like crazy. It’s such a difficult balance.

CF is scary. I can look big and strong, but in reality, I need to do more than everyone around me just to keep up. Doctors say everything goes to head first, heigh second, weight third, then lungs and other things so its important to pack on the pounds. Seeing isn’t believing with CF.

October Bike Ride (Fundraiser)

It’s a ways off, and Dad’s still not really making a push, but for those of you consider making donations for great causes this year, give the Cycle for Life a look or better yet, join the team. There are 20, 40, and 65 mile options and Dad’s company is hoping to be a sponsor of the event this year. Last year was a really rewarding time despite the rain.

Join the Team – Click Here

Donate to Dad – Click Here

ALL CAPS!

Let’s go Ovi, Backie, Willy, Holtby and the rest of you all! Let’s bring the Stanley back to ol DC. We’re long overdue and me and the fam are trying to celebrate.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Happy Birthday & The Best Gift of All…

John Deere Gator – Christmas 2017

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I was a really good boy this year so Santa brought me a ton of gifts. He got me a John Deere Gator to replace my John Deer tractor that I broke from riding so much. The good thing is that I got the same brand so I can swap out the batteries and maximize riding time. I also got a lot of trucks to play with. Mom and Dad are making me keep my big, metal Tonka trunks out in the garage. Mom, Dad, and I all agree that the best gifts are donations to the CF Foundation and we received several of those to wrap up 2017.

Happy New Year

2017 was a great year I think (not really sure, because I’m new at this), but we follow a lot of CF’ers on social media and there are a ton out there that would trade places for the year I had, so I’ll take it. I only had one lung infection which was quickly addressed with antibiotics over the summer and I did not have any hospitalizations.

Hoping 2018 is even better, but this flu is super scary. This year’s flu has been one of the worst ones in recent memory and there’s still no sign of letting up. Because it’s so bad, I pretty much avoid all public places (especially indoors), and at times even friends and family. Mom and Dad remain extra careful too – washing their hands religiously and wiping down all surfaces. People who don’t fully understand the disease may think we’re weird, but we’re just trying to be safe.

It’s not you, its me.

Technically, its me, Mom, Dad, and everyone close to me that knows that colds and flu are absolutely horrible for me. So until this flu sort of moves on, you can expect me to remain in isolation – only really being seen at Bama and Pops, Williamsburg Middle School to play soccer with Dad, hiking outdoors, or at my house. Please do not invite yourself over to our house if you have a sniffly nose or think you might be sick. You’re not welcomed! If I get sick, it can lead to irreversible damage to my lungs and requires that I do double the therapy treatments.

7 Day Photo Challenge

I’m sometimes late to the viral things out there, but here’s my 7 days photo challenge. From as best I can tell, the rules are that the photos must be black and white and not feature any people or explanations. I’ll be no different than anyone else who does this challenge by adding explanations, but that’s only because this is intended to be part educational for my readers. Not pictured but probably equally as important and part of my everyday life would be Butter and Salt and Miralax.

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Turning Three Years Old

A few weeks ago, we celebrated my third birthday at Bama and Pop’s house. As you can probably imagine, my favorite gifts were the trucks, play doh, kinetic sand, and donations to the CF Foundation. Even my cousin Paige asked that instead of toys from her friends, that they make small donations to the CF Foundation which was super cool of her and her friends. Bama got  me a snow plow despite Mom and Dad’s requests for no more trucks. Since Andy was out of the country and Bama and Pop were heading out of town, my birthday was lightly attended and celebrated on Thursday night.

Uncle Andrew did stop by for a day on his way back to Hawaii from Europe so that was a nice surprise.

Dad’s birthday chainsaw and mine from Christmas

Baby Sister

In anticipation of my sister’s arrival, Mom and I picked out a color and Dad and I taped off. Because Mom and Dad didn’t want the paint to bother my lungs, Mom took me to Bama’s house while Dad knocked out the painting. To keep things extra safe, Dad opted for Benjamin Moore Natura Zero-VOC and Zero Emissions paint and the gentleman working the counter at Potomac Paints in Arlington gave Dad the contractor discount when purchasing. Dad let it air out and I returned home to see. Looks pretty good if you ask me.

Pink for girls

Tape & Paint

Reveal

On Feb 15 at 10:00PM when Mom started having contractions, so Dad drover her to INOVA and left me at home with Bama. Aunt Rachel also went with Mom and Dad.

Taylor James Peden –  February 16

Born February 16, 2018 at 4:25AM, she weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz and was 20 inches long. Most importantly, we doctors believe she’s healthy. Given that it was flu season, I did not go to see her at the hospital. Dad came home that afternoon to hang out with me and ensure I did my therapies while Mom and Taylor rested at the hospital. And then Mom and Dad brought home my baby sister. Her name is Taylor James Peden.

Unlike with me, Mom and Dad had a “normal” labor, delivery, and hospital experience with Taylor. Taylor was discharged about 36 hours after being delivered which is a vast improvement from my 45 days in NICU. Mom and Dad say it is a bit surreal and equally terrifying driving home with an infant after only two days of life. At two days of life, I had already had my first surgery on my bowels. In a way, Mom and Dad had been spoiled by all the great nurses from Children’s from my entry into the world and it was almost as if they were first time parents. If Mom and Dad had it to do over again, baby Taylor is certainly the way to go. Mom is doing unbelievably well also. Taylor was far more gentler than I was and didn’t give Mom too much trouble during a super quick labor. Perhaps in a future post, I’ll try to recap the differences between the two experiences.

Here’s one more photo of baby sister trying to give me a hug and kiss.

It’s only been a few days, so Taylor and I are still getting to know one another but I love her and I think she likes me too. I enjoy reading and singing to her, but I won’t let her use my blankies. I asked her what type of truck she likes, but she doesn’t talk. She sleeps a lot. Whenever I hear her cry or make noises I run into the room and make sure she’s okay.

Once baby Taylor opens her eyes more, I promise to post good photo of us here.

For those of you on social media…you probably can get a better fix of photos and updates by following Mom on Instagram – @bridgetpeden. Dad has an account too, but isn’t as active – @benjamin_peden.

Drug Breakthrough – Vertex Symedko

Just before Taylor arrived, I had been reading up a recent breakthrough on a new Vertex drug, Symedko. which was recently approved by the FDA. While it doesn’t specifically target my mutations, it is a step in the right direction and helps so many others fighting this horrible disease. Thanks everyone who continues to donate and support the fight.

Going to try to get some rest. It isn’t too easy with baby sister running around the house.

Three Year Appointment

Two Years Ago Today…

I was at Children’s National dealing with a bowel blockage that I’d later need surgery to resolve. Remember? We wondered if I would be out for Christmas. Fortunately for me (knock on wood), the surgery was successful and I have not had to go back to the hospital for any extended hospitalizations – just checkups!

3 Year Appointment (Nov 29)

I’m not a fan of going to the doctor – then again, who is? On Nov 29, I had my third “annual” checkup as they continue to try to slide the date to close of that of my actual birthday. Annual checkups are even worst because I have to be there so much longer and do so many more tests that my normal, quarterly checkup. Mom and Dad reached out to my team of doctors well ahead of time to try and not spend so much time at the hospital during cold and flu season. The result was amazing – in and out in 3 hours!

7:00 AM – Mom and Dad woke me up. We did therapy – vest and albuterol nebulizer. They got me dressed and we hopped into DC rush hour traffic.

8:00 AM – Arrive at Children’s National and head straight to X-ray. We were the first ones there. This was the most sad I was the entire day. Mom couldn’t come into the room with me because she’s pregnant with my baby sister. The whole X-ray part of the visit leaves me incredibly vulnerable because I have to take off my shirt and get strapped into this chair and the room is always really cold.

8:45 AM – Glad that is over. I finish with X-ray and head to blood work. Usually the lab area is filled with tons of people (coughing, sneezing, etc.), but because its a weekday, super early in the AM. there might be 1-3 people around. This calms me and my parents nerves as we all feel as though I’m less likely to pick up something.

I was so tough during the blood draw. I didn’t even shed one tear. The phlebotomist was amazing. Rather than force a stick in my left arm, he took the extra two minutes to unstrap my left arm and examine the veins in my right. One stick, six vials or so later, I was all done. It probably didn’t hurt that Dad thought to give me an early Christmas gift – Dinotrux! That’s Ty that I’m playing with. He’s my favorite.

Be tough and brave

I am not scared

Dinotrux!

9:25 AM – Finish blood draws and head to cafeteria for quick breakfast before my scheduled pulmonary appointment. I continued playing with my new Dinotrux while Mom and Dad reminisced of the horrible cafeteria food that they’ve eaten for over 55 days while by my side.

Brief waiting

Height – 38″ (I think)

10:00 AM – Meet with my pulmonary team. Everyone is there on time and we head right in. Not going to lie – it can be a bit overwhelming to be surrounded in a room with doctors (pulmonologist, nutritionist, nurse, social worker, physical therapist) as they all ask questions on how I’m doing, how I’m eating, etc. The physical therapist is the newest member of my team. She seems cool. She asked me to run up-and-down the hall and jump up-and-down. She also showed Mom and Dad some new airway clearance exercises and stretches that I should do.

11:00 AM – I’m getting cranky and want to go home. It’s a gorgeous day weather-wise and I’m stuck in a hospital. Time to head home.

Overall, the doctors appeared to be happy with what they saw. I’m in the 69 percentile for height, the 55 percentile for weight. Anytime your weight is over 50% with CF, that’s considered good/acceptable, but the more the better. The “problem” is that I’m so tall. When you factor in my height and weight, I’m left with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 33 percentile, which is not that ideal. Seeing as my BMI is so low, the team thought it might be beneficial for me to go on a new medication – CYPROHEPTADINE. The thought behind prescribing this medication to me is that I would benefit form the drug’s side effects – increased appetite, and sleep through the night. I still drink a bottle between 9PM – 6AM 2-3 nights a week on average. Mom and Dad are not sold on this new prescription so they and Bama & Pop are trying to a do a better job at getting me to eat more on my own and make me exercise more so that I’m more tuckered out at night.

Since the day was so nice and Mom was anxious to get a Christmas tree, we decided to head out west to cut one down and spend time as a family.

Christmas Tree Farm

Don’t worry, I brought my saw

How about this one?

It’s not tall enough

We drove an hour or so west to Snickers Gap Tree Farm in Round Hill, VA. Again, taking advantage of a weekday when most people are at work or school, me, Mom, and Dad pretty much had the entire tree farm to ourselves. We walked all around, evaluating Douglas Firs and Colorado Blue Spruces on the property until we finally decided on a  beautiful fir which had a nice full shape. Dad and I cut down the tree and loaded it into the back of his truck.

Follow me!

Cut this one Dad

I got it!

Dirt Farm Brewery

After running around the tree farm, Dad and I worked up a thirst so we headed to a nearby brewery which was highly recommended by the owner of Snickers Gap – Dirt Farm Brewery.

Soooo strong

Ty!

Build it up, Dinotrux

Then Mom made us go to Luckett’s, near Leesburg. It’s some antique place. But this point I had pretty much lost it. I had dozed off for about 30 minutes in the car on the way here but never took a real nap, so we ran around briefly and then headed home. What a day!

I cannot thank the team at Children’s enough for such a smooth and quick annual appointment. It’s the best one I’ve had thus far.

Playdate with My Cousins

When you have cystic fibrosis, you often don’t get to hang out with all your friends and family. For one, your parents are overly cautious. Ok, maybe not overly cautious, but they care so much about you, that they don’t take risks. Second, other kids often pick things up if/when they go to daycare. Anyway, it’s super rare that everyone is healthy and free of obligations, so for the first time I got to hang out with my cousins JJ and Luke.

We all met at Bama and Pops’ house, where we played with my trucks and we danced to Alexa. I asked that Alexa play my new favorite song – Believer by Imagine Dragons.

Switching Health Insurance

Switching benefits providers is never fun. Dad’s firm recently hit 50+ employees so as a result leadership is constantly searching for best value when it comes to benefits and they opted to switch carriers – CareFirst to Cigna. What probably makes switching so bad is the added time required on the phone paired with new deductibles which must be met and not being able to get your medicine that is sitting at your local pharmacy but just so happened to be delivered on the day your insurance carrier switched. Convenient CareFirst.

Mom called Cigna and spoke to a man who was unbelievably helpful.  He assisted by getting me into a drug co-pay program where they convinced Genentech (maker of Pulmozyme) to cover my entire deductible and we’ll only owe $30/co-pay, unlike the $150/mo with CareFirst where we would blow through our entire HSA and FSA in the first month. Can you believe that? In nearly 3 years with CareFirst no one even attempted to help me out with things like that. My team at Children’s got me into a similar style of program for my Creon medication, but that only gets me free Pediasure and vitamins which are certainly helpful, but this gentleman literally saved Mom and Dad $3,000.

In closing Mike from Cigna, said “You’re most welcome and the most important thing is Jack’s health and I wish him the best.” Not once did anyone at CareFirst demonstrate empathy over the phone. Mike then made sure that my Pulmozyme was overnighted to my home. While I’m sure Cigna will not be without their challenges and they’ll get their money, Cigna is already a welcomed change for me in terms of my health care.

Other Fun

The weather has been great and I’ve spent a lot of time outside and playing with my cousins. I also have spending a lot of time at Coco’s new apartment. I even helped her move in and even helped Pop hang his new television.

Walking in the leaves outside Bama and Pop’s house

Bama and Pops

Hot mess

Helping Dad and Pop hang their new television

Therapy doesn’t have to be bad

Me and Hayden reading a book

In the News

There’s a relatively new cover story published in New York Magazine that’s become quite controversial and is even described as heart-wrenching by many. It’s been referenced on the radio and even written about by others and people have even asked Mom and Dad about their thoughts. The article centers around a mother’s “wrongful birth” lawsuit and had she known she was to have a child with cystic fibrosis, she most certainly would have aborted during pregnancy. The article itself is a bit upsetting to think that individuals with cystic fibrosis or other diseases and disabilities may not be wanted.

I won’t get into the whole religious /pro-life aspect or anything because to each their own, but I can say that I know my parents and family love me more than anything. Mom and Dad repeatedly say how I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to them and they would never change anything. Do they wish I didn’t have to battle this terrible disease – absolutely! Would they switch places with me – absolutely! Do we all pray for a cure – absolutely! While there is no cure today, that doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future. Anything can happen. Thank you to everyone who’s ever donated. 

Also, I feel like it takes a special person or persons (if you’re lucky to have both a Mom and Dad in your life) to be a parent. Mom and Dad say that becoming a parent requires putting themselves after me (and soon my sister too) and that’s just part of being a parent. I guess, in the case of this article, I have to question whether the mother was ready to become a parent. Accidents and things happen every day and if something were to happen (i.e. car accident, becoming paralyzed playing football, being diagnosed with cancer, etc.) to a child, it would be the responsibility of the parent to see that the child is taken care of and has everything he/she needs. Being born with a disease or disability is no different. Parents step up! Life happens. Life isn’t fair. What makes us different is what makes this world such a great place. I for one am prepared to fight this disease and I know my parents, family, and friends will be by my side. They all love me and cannot imagine a life without me.

In a way, Mom and Dad’s situation was similar. Mom tested positive for G542X (second, most common CFTR mutation). I guess where it began to differ is Mom’s OBGYN office immediately contacted Dad to get tested given Mom’s positive test result. Dad rushed to to get tested and he and Mom waited for what felt like months (it was about a week). Dad’s test came back negative. Mom still has the voicemail on her phone saying, “great news, your husband’s tests came back negative” – eluding to a sense that I would not have CF. Doctors did recommend that the only way to be certain that I did have the disease was to perform an amniocentesis. Given that neither of Mom and Dad’s families had history of cystic fibrosis, Dad’s negative tests were encouraging, the risks of amniocentesis elevate the risk of miscarriage, and Mom and Dad ultimately decided they were not going to abort the pregnancy this far along anyway…they elected to continue on the path to becoming parents – and mighty fine ones at that. On Feb 2, 2015, I was born to two amazing parents who love me and give me every opportunity to live a normal life. They stayed by my side while in Children’s NICU and continue to provide for me today. I was born with cystic fibrosis (CFTR mutations G542X, S466X in cis R1070Q). I cannot thank them enough for the life they’ve given to me and I know each day I make them proud. I can’t wait until I have a sister to share them with and will only be a matter of time before she sees how great they are as well.

It’s Almost Christmas!

On this past Saturday (12/09), we had our first snow of the winter. It was so much fun. I kept the sidewalk cleared of snow, went sledding, and even built snowmen

Clear the sidewalk

Snow Much Fun

Lastly, for those of you have asked or plan to do Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve (I’m talking to you Aunt Rachel)….I’m a size 4T in the clothes. I really like trucks but Mom and Dad say I don’t need anymore so any art or craft that I can take to Bama and Pop’s during the work week will do.

See you after Christmas!

October 2017

Hollywood

Outer Banks (October 1-6)

I had such a good time in the Outer Banks. The weather was sunny and the highs ranged from 70-78 each day. There was a steady breeze every day as well so I never go too hot while on the beach. Some nights actually were a little cool for Mom.

Dig the dirt

Make a big pile

Dig the dirt

We stayed in Kitty Hawk (Mile Post 3.5) where there was a beach widening effort going so that meant lots of trucks! There were front end loaders, bulldozers, and water pipe trucks. The pipe stretched far along the beach and out to sea. There were boats that patrolled over small areas of water, pumping (dredging) sand back toward the beach so that the beach could be expanded. Dad read an article at one point and said the effort was costing millions of dollars.

Splashing in the water

Freeze

Supervising the night shift crew

Climbing on the pipe

Smell that salty air

Love this place

C’mon Run

I got mom’s hat!

Dad and I dug water pipes on the beach. A water pipe is a small ditch that leads all the way from the ocean all the way up to our huge sand castle. It was so much fun.

No pants party

I need your help

I can do this

We went to the Roanoke Island aquarium, located in Manteo, NC one morning. It was great going on the offseason because we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We saw sharks, alligators, sting rays, jellyfish, puffer fish, sea turtles. The museum was really cool because they actually nurse giant sea turtles back to health that are injured. There was this one turtle that was hit by the prop of a boat and she had been there for months, but the staff hopes they’ll release her back into the Atlantic Ocean before long.

Little fish

Sharks

Like a club up in here

Surprise

Look! Alligator.

As you walk into Manteo Aquarium

Great time. Highly recommend

We have to thank the Monahans for opening their home and hearts up to us and allowing us the most excellent vacation we’ve had as a family of three to date. It was our first vacation as a family where we’ve left town for more than just a long weekend. It was also the furthest we’ve been away from Arlington since I’ve been born as well.  Hopefully more exciting travels are in our future for our family and I hope they all include beaches and trucks.

One of the cooler non-beach activities when at the beach was going to the different fishing piers, but one in particular because it had an arcade. The Avalon Fishing Pier, located at MP6, was just a short little ride down from where we were staying so I think Dad made us go every night because he wanted to see what the fisherman were catching on the pier. Dad tried surf fishing from the beach, but didn’t have much luck thanks to a combination of mostly east wind, some turned up surf from hurricanes which had recently passed, and the beach widening effort which was still ongoing. Anyway, the arcade was awesome. I played so many games – wack-a-fish, skeeball, truck game and with each game I played, I won tickets. I won so many tickets at this one game! I then traded my tickets in for lollipops each night and we walked along the pier at sunset.

Just because we’re on vacation, it doesn’t mean I can stop doing my treatments. Here I am with my vest and my train track and some new trucks since Dad left mine at home. That’s a front-end loader, cement mixer, anchor truck, a dump truck, and a log truck.

Another fun thing was going and seeing all of the lighthouses (with the exception of Ocracoke because we weren’t driving that far and riding a ferry). Being drug to lighthouses as a kid, Dad assumed I wouldn’t like it as a kid either, but Dad had the foresight to bring a soccer ball for us to kick around on the grounds. Dad said the park service must of spent some serious money on the lighthouse grounds because he remembers just getting spurs stuck in his feet and no grass to play along. That’s all changed now and I was able to walk into two of the three lighthouses we visited. I could not climb Hatteras Lighthouse because I was too short :(. Maybe next year, I’ll be tall enough.

We went out to eat nearly every night. Probably one of the more, underrated restaurants for children was the Outer Banks Brewing Station because they had a outdoor boat/fort I could climb into and ride down on the slide. Dad and I also played lots of corn hole and Dad drank beer crafted from wind powered windmill.

I’ll have a pint of

Oh wait, truck show

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Can’t score on me Mom

That’s my ball

Dribble, dribble, score

Upper 90′

Putting the moves on Mom

Slam on the breaks and they’ll fly right by

Yellow lollipop is yummy

View from atop is amazing. Pretty cool shirt Dad.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Love you Mom

Look Mom You see?

Going D-1, that’s right

Upper 90′

Shoots

My ball

Hatteras Island Lighthouse & National Seashore

Kick

Goooooal

So much fun

Boy and his trucks

Too short 😦

Hopefully next year we can do something similar. Granted, it will probably be slightly different with a baby sister tagging along.

Great Grandma’s 96th Birthday

The timing heading back from the Outer Banks to Arlington couldn’t of been more perfect as it allowed us to swing into the Richmond area to wish my great grandmother a happy birthday and say hello to the rest of the Peden family. Sort of funny was when a member of my extended family rattled off to Dad, “this is the mysterious Jack. It’s my first time seeing him in person.” In a way, that mysteriousness sort of comes along with CF since I tend to avoid large crowds, gatherings, and the indoors during cold and flu season. Anyway, it was great seeing them all!

Great Grandma appears to be elusive as well. No photos of me and her on Dad’s phone. Just me and a dump truck that my Grandfather gave me.

Cycle for Life (October 8)

Dad’s grueling training routine (2 bike rides totaling maybe 30 miles) leading up to the ride, consisted of digging, building sandcastles, proposal writing, proposal writing, oh and more proposal writing.

The ride itself was interesting. A few takeaways from this year’s ride. It rained the entire ride and there were probably still 80 riders who came out to support the cause. Dad even ran into my former doctor, Dr. Shukla. Mom was torn on how excited to get because ultimately she felt like Dr. Shukla and her had a bond which could not be broken, yet he was riding for some other team. Dr. Shukla, if you’re reading this, Mom wants you on our team next year…got that? The other interesting thing was apparently locals turned some of the small, yellow arrow signs used to navigate riders in a manner which sent the 65 milers on a path that was not part of the course. Dad and many other riders got lost. Some riders got lost multiple times, even following misplaced yellow arrow signs down a gravel path to a yard sale. I think this probably upset the more serious riders, but for riders like Dad who didn’t have bike shoes, or a road bike, or anything more than a borrowed bike, a bike helmet, and one bottle of water, he got a good chuckle out of it. Dad didn’t seem to do too bad overall.

Also, as Dad was recently at his company’s offsite, leadership said that the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Cycle for Life will be to causes that they look to get more involved in through volunteering and company-wide participation. I’d also like to thank each and every rider who rode in my honor. I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet any of you, but given the weather that Sunday and expected finish times were around my nap time, I just couldn’t swing it. Definitely count on me being out there next year…so long as it’s not raining.

Here is the scheduled routes (maps). And here’s Dad’s route? Dad only biked 50+ miles because of the lack of signage (apparently missed the lower loop). Overall, he seemed to do a much better job than other riders who opted for the 65+.

CF Routes 20/40/65+ miles

Dad’s Route – appears to have missed that small, bottom loop

Please support awesome sponsors such as Old Ox Brewing, Charles Schwab, Clark Construction, Genetech, Walgreens, and many, many others. Thank you all!

How not to Train for an Event from Dad

It’s probably not advised to…

1. Sign up to bike more miles than you’ve ever ridden before (Dad had done 50, was scheduled for 65).
2. Sign up for an event where you are borrowing necessary equipment (Dad borrowed a bicycle).
3. Sign up for an event requiring use of body part(s) that have been badly injured within 100 days (i.e. Dad ruptured quad 3 months before bike ride).
4. Eat pizza, drink beer, watch playoff baseball the night before the event.
5. Maintain a consistent diet of beer and fried food in the weeks, months, years leading up to an event.
6. Stay up late at night, glued to your computer, and not so much as moving muscles outside of your fingers for the weeks leading up to the event because you’re writing proposals.

Potty Training

It’s going better than the DC sports in the playoffs. I’ve peed in the potty multiple times and even pooped in the potty. Mom and Dad are really hoping I’ll be fully potty training prior to my sister getting here. Dad says he won’t be buying boys and girls diapers, so I better hurry up and get this potty training thing figured out because I don’t want to wear little pink diapers.

Vocabulary

My vocabulary has really taken off. I say lots of words, sentences, and pretty much communicate to get anything I want or explain anything that’s bothering me. I know my medications – Creon, Miralax, Pulmozyme, Albuterol. Lately, I’ve been telling everyone “You’re mean”, “I want to go home (even when I’m home)”, “I need that”, and “Go away”.

Nationals (October)

Well, that was short-lived. Seriously! What the heck Nationals?!?!?!

We missed Games 1 and 2 because we were on vacation, but Dad took Maja (his mom) to game 5, since the start time didn’t begin until 8PM which meant the game would end well past my bedtime. Dad said Maja looked at him like he was possessed and that there was no way in which he could be her son. Dad warned her that she wasn’t ready for this behavior. Mom hadn’t been to a playoff game or seen playoff atmosphere or seen Dad root uncontrollably through nine grueling innings and act like the most superstitious fan in the park. Dad reminded her that fan is short for fanatic. It wasn’t until the ninth inning before Maja began to wave her free rally towel and “come around” as Dad likes to say. We have a new skipper and Harper coming back so hopefully we’ll get over the hump next season.

Halloween

I was supposed to be a construction worker, but all I wouldn’t wear the construction helmet and safety vest so I more resembled a kid playing with construction trucks. Maybe next year I’ll dress up. I certainly will be helping out with the jack-o-lanterns like I did this year. Little known trick, using a drill makes it easy and fun.

GREAT NEWS!!!

The new median age is up from 41 years old to 46 years old. This was a recent announcement made at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference this first week of November. While it’s easy and perfectly fine to get excited, we also have to maintain proper perspective. It’s hard work on those of us with cystic fibrosis and its hard work on the care takers that give us everything they have. It’s important to know that there still is not a cure and we cannot stop until there is a cure. So let’s keep fighting! I thank each and everyone of you for all you do for me. We’re getting so much closer!

Until next time…

Take a bath you filthy animals!

Aug 14 – Sept 11, 2017 |3 Month Check Up

Lewes, DE (Aug 17-19)

Went down to Lewes for a few days to hang out with my cousins. Had a great time as always. The weather was warm, but overall it was nice. I also outlasted mafia boss by showing her I don’t give in. She demanded I apologize after throwing some tiny rocks at her and she elected to hold/hug me and carry me back to her house from town unless I apologized. Well I played her like a fiddle…not only did I not have to apologize, I didn’t have to walk home. 😛

Hot on the beach

Dad promised me treats

Didn’t last the 2 mile drive back to the house

National Zoo (Aug 28)

Mom and Dad took me to the zoo one morning, before it got too busy. We got there nice and early and saw all sorts of animals. It got warm as the day wore on but overall it was a nice day at the zoo. Mom and Dad carried me around a good amount of the time.

Mom taking me to see the seals

Me sitting back and watching the seals

Miscellaneous Fun & Other Milestones Activities

I’ve officially peed in the potty one time to date. Mom and Dad were hoping I would pick this up, but it just hasn’t been a priority of mine. To demonstrate how much I care about using the potty, I

Texts from Mom to Dad (see dad’s clever pun)

Also got this gnarly shiner one evening hanging out in the living room. Perhaps I should listen to Dad and stop jumping on all the furniture. This thing lingered for at least 3 weeks and there’s still a little indention in my cheek from this thing.

And for the most part, it’s been business as usual. I hang out with Pop a lot. I work on my tractor. Dad took me to an outdoor movie theater for all of five minutes. Mom and Dad also took me back to Claude Moore Farms in McLean for a quick visit.

Rosie the Cow (Claude Moore Farm)

Not a great flick so we left after 5 minutes

I think Pop just farted

Sleeping in with Mom

Love watching the gumboils, don’t care to eat them

Making a tower of books

Also, I enjoy sleeping in with Mom sometimes, building and painting things and going for  walks in the woods. I also got a new bedroom set and had cousin Hayden over for a sleepover. My new bed has a trundle so friends and family are always welcome and don’t have to share the bed or sleep on the floor anymore.

Sleeping in with Mom

Building/Painting Maja’s Bday gift

Squirrel

Deer

Therapy is better with friends and family

3 Month Pulmonary Checkup (Sept 11/19) & New Medication 😦

On Sept 11, Mom and Dad took me in for my quarterly checkup. Oh wait, it was rescheduled to Sept 19 and Mom and Dad could not get someone on the phone to let us know when calling to check ahead so they both took off work for nothing.

Honestly…which way do I go?

After my last Children’s visit (the nasty one I had for staph infection), a weird, very confusing, and inconvenient situation has arose with respect to my health care. Pediatric Specialists of Virginia (PSV) was thrown into the mix. PSV was created in 2003 as part of a collaborative effort between Children’s National Health System  and Invoa Health System, but for some reason something new has taken place which involves me going to both locations and visiting doctors who may/may not have access to my medical records. This makes for longer hospital visits which is not good for me (added exposure of germs, confusion around medical details, etc.) or my parents (trying to schedule work).

Probably worst than juggling through all the scheduling woes was the fact that I have to begin taking a new daily medication – Pulmozyme. The medication must be refrigerated (pain in the ass) and is to be administered through my nebulizer so it’s another breathing treatment to my regiment so add another 20 minutes to life’s breathing treatments. Therefore me, Mom, and Dad have to clean more nebulizer parts and manage yet another prescription. If you’re a glass, half-full type of person, the idea behind this drug is that it is designed to thin the mucus in my lungs so that they are not as sticky and I’m less prone to picking up staph infection/respiratory tract infections. Let’s hope it works!

Naturally like all new medications, this was rejected by insurance, so my doctors have to send information justifying my need for it. It’s been over a week now and I still don’t have my medicine because of the awful medical/insurance industries.

CF Cycle for Life – Oct 8, 2017

Dad’s training is going really well. He biked a total of 16 miles since signing up for this event and has ran a total of 0 miles, played 0 basketball games, and done zero activities/events of cardiovascular health so he should be in pretty top notch shape come the event.

Click here if you want to learn more about the ride or here if you would like to join his team or donate.

Please Get Your Flu Shots

Please go out and get your flu shots. I got mine. It didn’t even hurt. The nurse was so impressed that I didn’t even flinch. Said she’s never seen a 2 year old act so tough.

Flu Shot

Aftermath

Outer Banks – Sep 30 – Oct 5, 2017

I’m off to the Outer Banks this weekend with Mom and Dad for our first, real vacation since before I’ve been born. I’m really hoping for some good weather and fishing while down there.

Nationals

Dad and I are going to be out of town for the NLDS (at least first two games) so please make quick work of the Cubs so that I can catch a game of the NLCS and hopefully World Series.

Speaking of baseball, Dad and I have been playing quite a bit of tee-ball in the back yard. I’m getting pretty good at wacking the ball. Dad said he was most proud when he could overhear me telling my cousin how to place hands on the bat – left hand on bottom and right hand on top.  I’ll try to throw a video or two up here within the next few days.

Stay safe hurricane victims.

Touch-and-Go & Gender Reveal

Sorry for the delay in posting, but we’ve been busy since getting better. Making up for lost time I guess you could say.

Saturdays are for the Boys!

Feeling Better

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They must be working!

It’s been nearly eight weeks since I last posted of my staph infection, Dad’s ruptured quad, and Mom’s morning sickness. Basically our house looked like a morgue – I mean, not really, but you know what I’m saying. It was a rough go there for us at the house.

Cross our fingers but we all seem to be doing much better. There was a brief scare for me though. Approximately 72 hours after coming off of antibiotics, I began to have frequent, soft stools – very similar to when I had c.diff so Mom and Dad began to worry. Mom and Dad emailed my pulmonary team (sans Dr. Shukla) and we waited to see what they thought. Naturally, we gathered additional stool samples for testing and waited for what seemed for ever for the results – NEGATIVE!

Lewes, DE – June 21, 2017

As always though, we try and have some fun when we can and we’re all well. We quietly made our way down to Lewes, DE for a weekend, where I got to play with all my cousins and Morgan (who is sort of a cousin by proxy). The only problem with the beach was that it was incredibly hot that weekend and I got a bit overheated…so much so that I was a little disoriented on Friday while there, but I rallied by eating some food an chugging some water. On Saturday we tried again, but I wasn’t having any part of it. We might of stayed down there for 15 minutes tops.

 

Riley, Paige, Me, Morgan, Hayden

Working on my long toss

Riley, Paige, Me, Morgan, Hayden

Sand Angels

Rachel (“achel”) watching me eat a cheesestick

Hot, hot, hot

This hot is hot mama

Building sand castles

Ba-Ba-Mama & Jimmy’s

With Mom and Dad having to take off a few extra hours while I was sick, Mom and Dad had to make up the missed work so Bama and Jimmy stepped up in a big way though Mom thinks I’ve been spending too much time over there because I ask to go over there all the time now.

Bama and I do a lot of painting.

 

Painting is sort of boring

Let’s make this more fun

Here I come

Not sure what happened

Looking like Adam Levine

Kind of Funny…huh

Jimmy and I do a lot of racing, but those videos will come next time. In the meantime I’ll leave you with this gem. This is how I ride when at home with Dad.

As a thank you, Mom and Dad took Bama and Pop out to dinner on a nice cool evening in Old Town Alexandria. Naturally I tagged along.

 

Help! Help! Help!

Mama mean

Push Up Challenge

Jimmy tackling me

See the ducks

Sports Minute

We can all agree this wouldn’t be a good blog post without some discussion on sports or folks stepping up in the fight against CF!

Baseball – I have a little work to do

Baseball – Practice Rain-or-Shine

Loss of a Legend – Don Baylor

This time last week, we lost a great human and ambassador in the fight against cystic fibrosis who lost his own battle with multiple myeloma – Don Baylor.

There were some really great articles that came out as a result of his passing. Here is a link to one of the better stories I found online and here’s another on how he sort of fell into fundraising for the disease.

Bonnie Downing, a 16-year survivor of multiple myeloma, shared her own battle with Baylor after his diagnosis, finally meeting him in person a few years ago in spring training. Yet, while Downing was a spokesman for the disease, Baylor chose to silently fight the battle.

“He was so selfless,’’ Downing said, “that he didn’t want to be a spokesman about his own illness. He wanted to instead talk about his work with Cystic Fibrosis. He said, “I can’t leave these kids.’ He was more concerned about them than himself.

Step Up

Nationals have been stepping up on the field all season long given all the injuries (most recently with Harper going down), maybe one of them could step up off the field and help carry the torch that was first lit by Don Baylor. Just saying..any Nationals player out there want to step up for the cause!?!?!?! Maybe you could help me with my hitting as well.

Speaking of stepping up…if you feel like going for a charity bike ride (20, 40, or 65 miles), join Dad and several of his colleagues and their friends in Leesburg, VA on October 8, 2017. If you fee intimidated, don’t be. Dad’s still recovering from a ruptured quad and has an old mountain bike so chances are you’ll destroy him.

I’m Going to be a Big Brother

To a little girl…

Saturdays are STILL for the Boys!

Heading back to Aunt Rachel’s beach house this weekend and to see my cousins who’ve been away the whole month of August, so hopefully won’t be too long before I have some more fun stories to share.

Where is Mama’s Cape?

Where’s Mama’s Cape?

Mama straight up doing super hero stuff lately.

You mean to tell me Mom doesn’t have a cape?

Well, it’s been a hell of a week or so for us (since my last post). I briefly touched on a virus or something that I picked up recently, knowing full well, I hadn’t kicked it, but also didn’t know what was going on fully so couldn’t really elaborate. That’s sort of the thing with CF – is that you don’t know how bad something is or can become or at what point you should treat because the last thing you want to do is prematurely begin treating with antibiotics when we all know I’ll be on them a lot over the course of my life. What is seemingly a simple virus ends up creating much higher levels of stress, harm, and time spent doing therapies than anyone can truly imagine (unless you have CF).

I had recently been seen by my Pulmonary team (June 7) and by all accounts, I was doing well. It wasn’t until a a couple weeks later (June 21) that I came down with a terrible fever which scared Mom and Dad. Having seen me spike a fever before, Mom and Dad quickly opted for the Motrin, Tylenol, Motrin regimen and took me to my pediatrician to be tested for strep (strep test was negative). They also began performing the “Sick Plan”. While that suppressed the fever that I demonstrated over the course of three days, it wasn’t able to resolve what we came to find out days later.

Lounging outside

Lying on the floor

On way to Children’s

Later that evening, Mom stayed with me and my spiked fever while Dad went to play softball with his men’s team in Arlington. Dad, being Dad, thought he was still in his twenties so when he sharply hit a ball to the team’s third baseman, he thought he needed to “grab an extra gear” to avoid getting thrown out at first base. Silly Da-da!

Dad’s brain said to run faster, his body said fat chance old man.

In doing so, he suffered a full-thickness rupture of his rectus femoris muscle (quadricep) in the upper half of his thigh. The photos are pretty graphic (and impossible to show you the front of leg without cropping the image), but for as bad as the injury is (he actually avoided surgery), I think we can all agree that it doesn’t come close to how and bad CF is.

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Mom now faced the daunting task of working and looking after two* of us boys – one of us 2 years old and not feeling well, but still manages to run around and one of us mid-thirties and no longer capable of walking, cooking, cleaning, helping out with chasing me :). To say Mom was upset would be the biggest understatement of all time. Mom’s non sympathetic ways softened up a bit once she took Dad for his second opinion and she heard how bad the rupture was. The doctor even told her to “Be nice to him” on Friday (June 23).

* Sort of Under the Radar Announcement *

In the above paragraph, I mentioned Mom looking after two of us boys. Well, truth is…it could be more and Mom is extra deserving of a cape. Mom has been undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatments for the last few months with the help of Dad. The process actually started long ago, but given our family genetics, Mom and Dad opted to conduct additional genetic testing prior to implantation of the embryo in hopes of eliminating the possibility of another child having cystic fibrosis. Mom and Dad did not have fertility issues before, so this was more of a means to protect me and have a healthy child.

Mom and Dad wouldn’t trade me for the world, but Mom and Dad would do anything (any dollar amount, etc.) possible to ensure I was healthy. IVF offers Mom and Dad the best chance for their next child and it’s arguable that having another child with CF in the household would further bring down my health and I would bring down his/her’s depending on studies that are out there. For these reasons, Mom and Dad chose IVF.

I’m going to be a big brother!

It’s still super-duper early to be announcing this, but Mom is already experiencing nausea and an upset stomach so she’s been a trooper. We believe she’s about six weeks or so along and she’s schedule to have a sonogram next week. Again, I know it’s early, but I feel that its necessary to explain how much Mom is taking on at the moment. For any other CF families out there, we’re happy to discuss this more!

Editor’s Note: Naturally, Mom and Dad were hesitant about announcing this, but felt this is our story, and it’s life. Nothing to hide and many of our closest friends and family knew we were attempting this often private endeavor.  

Children’s Culture & Lung Listen

On Monday, June 26, Mom and Dad felt my condition had worsened enough and felt it was best to get a culture from my team at Children’s. A nasty, nasty cough had developed over the weekend and Mom and Dad’s attempt to kick this with the “Sick Plan” and Motrin/Tylenol didn’t seem to help. For this of you who don’t know, the “Sick Plan” requires I double up on my therapies to four times a day. Dr. Sami took a listen to my lungs and agreed that I was not in good shape – sounded wheezy. She voiced to Mom that I may need to be admitted, but in the meantime we could try a steroid and increase nebulizer treatments to every 4 hours while we wait on results of the culture.

Lying on floor, waiting for Mama to finish her shower

Therapies = No Fun + Ultimate Time Suck

While I felt relieved I didn’t have to be admitted, I knew I wasn’t in the clear. I knew the next few weeks were going to suck big time. To put it into perspective, I do therapies every four hours and each therapy is give or take thirty minutes, sans the time required to boil parts, go to drug stores, etc. For simple math we’ll say each therapy takes 30 minutes and I was doing 6 therapies a day. That’s 3 hours of therapies daily and over a 24 hours worth of therapies since I saw Dr. Sami a week ago and counting. At least Mom and Dad get to divide and conquer therapies. I’m not so lucky.

Therapy 1 (8AM)

Therapy 2 (12PM)

Therapy 3 (4PM)

Therapy 4 (8PM)

Therapy 5 (12AM)

Therapy 6 (4AM)

And because Mom felt left out on my first Therapies cut and there are more than enough photos of me doing therapy…

Repeat

Repeat

Repeat

We nervously awaited a call from Children’s. For several days, we simply stuck with steroids and increased nebulizer treatment with little relief in site. Naturally this waiting makes us all very anxious since we don’t know what’s wrong and nothing seems to be working to improve my situation.

Mom and Dad boiling my neb parts and mun-yas (pacifiers) twice daily.

Positive Culture

On Thursday, June 29 Dr. Sami contacted Mom to inform her that the culture came back positive for staph infection. This is the second time I’ve contracted staph and it’s never a good thing. There’s no telling where I picked it up from, but chances are the virus caused my lungs to produce more secretions which in turn caused my lungs to be stickier than normal and resulted in me being more prone to pick up staph.

This is one of the main reasons me, Mom, and Dad are so careful when others are sick or I am sick. We just sort of stick to ourselves and stay in our domain.

Positive cultures are also bittersweet since it means I’ve contracted something (bad), but at the same time we now have a way ahead to begin treatment (good).

The new plan entailed weaning off the the steroid (Prednisolone) and begin taking an antibiotic (Sulfameth-Trimeth) AKA Bactrim, all while continuing therapies every four hours. It’s 10mL of the antibiotic twice a day. Not sure if you know how much that its, but for a two year old like me, it’s far more than I ever want to consume. The syringe is huge!

Making Lemonade

There’s an American proverbial phrase,

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade

and it’s pretty applicable to those of us with CF and those of caring for those with CF. The past 2+ weeks have sucked, but me, Mom, and Dad have managed to sneak some fun in between therapies and medications.

Swing

Me and Mom

Run, Race

Family Dinner in Packed Restaurant

Thanks to everyone who came by to check in on me, drop off toys, and offered to lend Mom and Dad a hand this past week. It hasn’t been easy, but then again, nothing in this world ever is…

Older Video, but I Learned Reverse

Quickly Outgrowing my John Deer Tractor

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Enjoy your July 4th holiday!

 

May – June 2017

FightJackFight, Jack’s Pack, Team Jack, Fight for a Cure, Great Strides (Alexandria)

Great Strides Alexandria (May 6, 2017)

For the second year in a row, it rained at this year’s Great Strides walk in Alexandria, VA, but that didn’t stop nearly 30 members of Team Jack supporting. Three members even traveled from as far as New Orleans, LA to participate in the walk this year.

CF Fighter

Love this woman

Mom delivering her speech on why she fights for a cure

Mom did a great job at telling her story and why she fights for a cure. I couldn’t tell if people were crying at her story or wiping away the rain that was coming down, but it certainly touched those of us in the picture above (not pictured – McCreadys and Hamms).

Surry, VA (May 18-21, 2017)

Mother’s Day at Lightwood Plantation House | Surry, VA | Peden’s and Rileys and Sheltons

 

World Traveler, Rachel, was dying to see where Dad is from so she rented a house in Dad’s hometown of Surry for Bama and Pop for their Christmas gift. The house was really cool, but the beds were really small, especially when sharing one with both Mom and Dad.

Lightwood House

Me and YiYi (Riley)

Told Dad I’m not getting the ball after he made a bad throw

Mom kicked me out of Smith’s Fort Plantation house

We went and saw Dad’s family (Grandmas, Uncles, and Aunts), while my cousins all went to Busch Gardens. I think I had more fun. We also hung out at Dad’s house and fished and threw the football.

Bama, Me, Maja

Playing football with Dad

Yiyi, Hay Hay, Me, Paigey

Hay Hay, Paigey, and Me in Maja’s garden

Me and the girls walking along the James River

Play Dates (May 27 & 29)

As the temps warm up and the days get longer, I get more play dates. I recently went to two of Mom and Dad’s friends’ houses for play dates.

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Me and Samuel

Me and Kaiya and Lola

Home Depot / Pinterest Dad (all day, everyday)

So Dad’s been called many things, but “crafty” is somewhat offensive when its not in regards to him slapping a single into right field. Just because he has a Pinterest account doesn’t mean he’s “crafty”. He still buys his building materials from Home Depot just like any man does.  So Dad and I built this awesome Kid’s Car Wash with PVC pipe and misters based on some Google searches consisting of “what to do with kids outside”.

Anyway, I love Home Depot.  The fork lift is captivating and touching everything on the shelves is as fun as it might be dangerous for a two-year old.

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Really hoping Dad and I continue these Home Depot runs on the weekends. Watching a forklift to me is probably as entertaining as it is for Dad to be seen carrying me under one arm and 10 foot PVC pipes in the other for the other patrons and store workers.

Viruses (Most of May & All June) & Clinic Checkup (June 7)

It’s been a rough couple of months with my cousins and I all coming down with some virus or something over the last few months. We’ve all had something brewing inside of us and seems rarely that all of us are healthy.

I wasn’t feeling well

Just want to lay with Mama

Woke up covered in vomit

Mommy showers

Dad holding me at clinic

As recently as this past week I spike a fever close to 103 so it’s been a heavy dose of Tylenol and Motrin so that I could break the fever. Fortunately from a CF perspective, these viruses didn’t seem to cause any coughing which is a good sign for my lung health.

My last clinic checkup on June 7 went well. I am in the 70% height, but just the 47% for weight. It would be nice to gain a few pounds, but overall, the team was happy with what they saw and blown away by talking and singing. While my checkup went well, it was our last time being seen by Dr. Shukla. Mom had a few tears as we walked out of Children’s that day as he was there when Mom and Dad were so vulnerable in the NICU. In a unique way, he was able to come in reassure my parents that I was going to be okay.

Some random photos of the fun (May-June)

Stretching Out

Pool turned sandbox

SAFTB

Picasso

Me and Hay Hay matching PJs

Dad helping me with monkey bars at Clemyjontri Park

Bass Pro fun

Me and Pop chilling on front porch

My Abby impression

Passing out during nebulizer

Sleepover with Hay Hay

Real sandbox

Stealing Dad’s hat

Eye Roll Game is strong

Offroading

Hiding in a box with Pop

Singing songs, ABCs, and 1-2-3’s

I’ve always liked music, but now I’m really getting a hang of some songs that I hear while watching YouTube and knocking out my therapies. I sing Twinkle, Twinkle Litter Star, Family Fingers (admittedly weird), Baa Baa Blacksheep, and some others.

I am also a savant when it comes to saying my ABCs and counting. I can count to 1-10 without any issues and sometimes continue up through 20 though my recital of numbers in the teens can be a bit off, it’s close enough.

I know pretty much every color – Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Purple, Green, Pink, Gray, Black, Brown, White, Black.

Next Post

I promise to get the next post out without so much time passing and I’ll do my best to add some videos of me driving my tractor and singing and doing some other fun things. Until then, y’all enjoy your July 4th!

May is Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month

How many people can we fit in this playground tunnel? #RockTheRed

As you may or may not know, May is Cystic Fibrosis month. To do our part, we participated in a walk in Harrisonburg, VA last weekend (not technically May). They raised over $30,000 as a walk but it was a bit scary for Mom and Dad as it was difficult to determine who had CF and who did not. Those of us with CF are asked to wear purple and gold “fighter” shirts such as what I’m wearing below, but since Harrisonburg is the home of JMU and their school colors are the same…well, it was a bit scary. Those of us with CF are not supposed to come within six feet of one another as we run the risk of cross-contaminating. CF is a very isolating and lonely disease for this very reason.

JMU Alpha Kappa Psi

J M U U U U U U

We are walking in another Great Strides campaign in Alexandria, VA this coming weekend (May 6, 2017). Details for the walk can be found here. There will be free food and drinks provided by local businesses. So far, we’ve raised over $11,000 for the walk this year and are leading all teams participating. Thank you!!!

Lawnmowers! Lawnmowers! Lawnmowers!

Dad is also attempting to utilize some of the other mechanisms provided via the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) to establish my legacy. Dad set up the following fundraising site that allows for anyone to donate any amount of money at anytime in my honor (anonymously or not). The site is everlasting and 100% of all money donated goes to the CFF in hopes of one day finding a cure. In just 26 months of being alive, my friends and family have helped raise over $20,000. The idea here is that we’ll always have a sense of how much we/you/everyone has contributed over the years to helping us find a cure in my honor.

We also launched a T-shirt campaign using Booster (a subsidiary of CustomInk). It was incredibly successful and we raised over $1,800 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in their fight for a cure. In addition to the funds that were raised, a lot more folks get to spread awareness to this disease by wearing this cool T-shirt. A big thanks to Eric Hooper for offering up his design services.

So if you missed out on a chance to order one, hit my dad up…he’ll probably end up ordering a few additional shirts for folks that didn’t find out about the campaign until after it ended.

And if walks or t-shirts, aren’t your thing…feel free to pitch an idea to my Mom or Dad or try to get then to sign up for the CF Hike, CF Bike, or a Fundraising Happy Hour – those are always fun!

Speaking of Awareness – Did You Know?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common inherited disease affecting the developed world, with one in every 2,500 children affected. It is a multi-organ disease, affecting the lungs, gut, liver, pancreas and reproductive tissues. At present about half of those with CF will die by their late 30s from lung disease.

Why We Fundraise & Why We Can Never Give Up

We fundraise in hopes that one day there will be a cure for cystic fibrosis. Lately, there had been a lot of hope behind PTC’s Translarna (ataluren), but recent news certainly let many of us in the CF community down. While reading that a company is stepping away from searching for a cure for CF and that the drug was scrapped due to less than stellar success, it only means one thing – we cannot give up. Take a look at what Jimmy V was able to do for cancer. In just 24 years, The V Foundation alone has raised over $150M for cancer research and thousands of other non-profits have done there part as well. While I do not have the platform yet of Jimmy V, I do have an amazing group of family and friends the have been there for me and my Mom and Dad since Day 1 and I want to thank everyone who has ever donated on my behalf. I cannot thank you enough.

My Cousins Continue to do their Part

Riley, Paige, and Hayden all continue to do a great job with fundraising. Earlier this week they raised $78 on a lemonade and snack stand at their school.

Hay Hay

Hayden, Paige, Riley, and Pop (AKA Jimmy)

And Dad…

Took his spreading awareness to a whole new level

Fight Jack Fight Koozies

Dad only needs one..

On a Lighter Note – Funny or Not

Dad acting like Sidney Crosby and dropping to the ground

 

Mom really thought it was funny when I kicked Dad in the nether region. Dad, on the other hand, did not find this funny at all. He probably laid there for a solid three minutes before catching his breath while I ran around him gloating. While that may or may not be funny to you…we can all agree on one thing that is not funny – cystic fibrosis.

There is nothing funny about cystic fibrosis. When you have CF and you get a cold, you have to spend so much extra time doing therapy that you miss out on the fun things in life like going to the park and stuff. When I’m sick, we do double therapies which equate to about two hours a day (not counting the time it takes to sterilize parts, etc.).

Sick Plan – Neb #1 of 4

Sick Plan – Neb #3 of 4

Easter

Easter was cool. I got lots of candy and a scooter which is fun to ride. I mostly danced around the house all morning and played outside with Dad’s drills in the afternoon.

Running with Dad’s Drills

Busted lip pretty good, but I’m a man

Oh wow, scooter

Just Dance

I also hung out with Paige on the neighbor’s swing.

DC Sports Minute

Bottom of the 9th from the parking garage

Mom didn’t think I would be so good

Chilling in the dugout

Running the bases

Running along the warning track

Me and Dad

@Nats – Harper, Zimmerman, Turner, and Murphy are going gangbusters. It such a bummer to lose Adam Eaton for the season after the start he was off to and he can’t really be replaced, but the team seems ready to step up based on Rendon’s 6-6 performance on Sunday. Let’s hope for a deep playoff run. Speaking of…Nationals are officially undefeated in games I’ve attended.

@Caps – Toronto certainly gave us a scare and it isn’t looking good down three games to one. Hopefully the Caps pull out the series and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. Not counting on it, unless more guys start skating with the passion that Justin Williams does each and every night.

@Wiz – ehh…the Celtics handled them in Game 1 and 2 and even if the Wiz were to slip past the C’s, they would be no match for the Cavs.

Did you Notice?

You didn’t did you? Well I got my first major haircut (that wasn’t a trim with household scissors).

Hopefully I’ll see those of you at the walk or around a ballpark this summer.