Thursday, June 26, 2008

Another Crabby Patty!!!

CRABBY PATTY!!



Justin Morneau hit another Crabby Patty (home run) in today's Twins game!

That's 12 Crabby Patties for 2008.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Turtles Conquered!!

Today I took Bayley, Braxton, Zoe and Emma to the U hospital to attend the 22nd annual Turtle Derby! It was a hoot! So many people shouting and cheering for the fastest turtles! The Turtle Derby is a fundraiser for children's programs at the hospital. Turtles are sponsored by various departments and groups within the hospital. 5B turtle made it to the finals but then refused to move...at all...and we waited...then declared another the winner. Emma sat right up near the race platform and Braxton visited with nurse friends that he saw and was even on TV with Emily (Family Life) broadcasting to the kids inside that couldn't leave the floor. Everyone had a great time and will be back for the races next year. :)
Braxton's counts are all great and hemoglobin shot up to 11 after his transfusion yesterday. It's all good!
-posted by Beth
THE TURTLES ARE COMING!

And They're Off!

Braxton Plays Commentator

Go, Slo-Mo!

Cameo Appearance by Santa Claus

Braxton, Bayley, Zoe, and Emma at Turtle Races

Emma Watches the Action

Turtle Lady!

Braxton & His Favorite Nurse, Tara

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A Night at the Ballpark!

What a day we had yesterday!

Yesterday was a celebration of Braxton's recovery and it was more than anything we had expected!

Braxton's football coaches gave Braxton 4 tickets to last night's Twins game and arranged for Braxton to have the opportunity to meet some of the Twins players. We were told to be at the Twins Executive Offices by 4:30pm for a 7:05pm game.

We arrived at about 4:20pm and were escorted through the restricted parts of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and out onto the ball-field. The Twins players were taking Batting Practice and we were close enough to reach out and touch them.

We saw Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez, Craig Monroe, Delmon Young, Brian Busher, Brendon Harris, and Alexi Casilla take turns in the batting cage. We also saw former Twins greats Tony Oliva and Jack Morris out on the field. And Dick Bremer, the Twins TV analyst, came by and talked to us. Wow!

But that was just the beginning.

Braxton also got to sit in a special area where the Twins players came by after finishing with Batting Practice and some of them stopped to autograph a baseball for him. He got autographs from Joe Mauer, Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Craig Monroe, Kevin Slowey, and Jesse Crain.

But that's not all.

He also got some real face-to-face time with the Twins newest superstar Carlos "Go-Go" Gomez. Gomez came over and shook Braxton's hand, signed his hat and glove, and posed for a picture with Braxton. And then he gave Braxton the bat he had been using for batting practice!!! That was a truly wonderful gesture and really made Braxton feel special!

Thank you, Carlos!!!

After all of the special pre-game on-field stuff, we were treated to a great game. A Twins win!!!

Livan Hernandez was the Twins starter and he pitched a beautiful game. He gave up only one run over 7 innings of work.

The Twins struggled behind the plate. They didn't get a hit until the fourth inning - a double by Joe Mauer. And Justin Morneau was really struggling as he killed two rallies with runners in scoring position. In the bottom of the first inning the Twins had runners at 1st and 2nd with only one out. Morneau hit into a double play. Then in the fourth inning, Morneau followed a Joe Mauer double with a weak fly ball to center.

By the time Justin Morneau came to bat in the 6th inning, he looked crabby. Very crabby. This time there were two outs in the inning, Joe Mauer was at 1st base, and the Twins were trailing 1-0. I looked at Beth and said, "Morneau is crabby. He's gonna whack this ball." And he did!

Justin "Crabby Pants" Morneau took the first pitch he saw and MASHED it deep deep deep to left field. That ball was crushed! It soared about ten rows deep into the upper deck of left field. Wow!!!

Now that's a Crabby Patty!

Other players may hit dingers, taters, long balls, or home runs. Not Morneau. Justin Morneau hits Crabby Patties!

After that home run, the game flew quickly toward the 9th inning. Hernandez pitched through the 7th. Matt Guerrier came in and pitched the 8th. And Joe Nathan closed out the win in the 9th.

The Twins Win!

2-1.

In under 2 hours.

And one boy recovering from cancer got to have the night of a lifetime.

Thank you, Twins, for giving Braxton a life affirming experience!!!


+ posted by David

CRABBY PATTY!!



Justin Morneau hit another Crabby Patty (home run) in last night's Twins game!

That's 11 Crabby Patties for 2008.

A great day!!

Braxton has escaped the extra hospital stay and has managed to rest and hydrate his way through minor fever scares and fatigue from low counts!!! He is, currently, having a blood transfusion to give him some energy and kick his hemoglobin up. We are, almost, off of the chemo treatment train and gearing up help Braxton to be a regular kid again.
Lastnight we were able to take Braxton to the Twins game! Tickets, compliments of his football coaches from MVYF, were a great treat. Braxton was able to go onthe field and watch batting practice. He was also given the opportunity to talk with players and get autographs! Carlos Gomez signed his practice bat and gave it to Braxton! He also signed Braxton's Twins cap and baseball glove. Braxton got autographs from Joe Mauer too (and a bunch of other players whose names I can't remember but Braxton knows them... :) ) It was a good night of relaxed fun with the kid. We needed that!! Pictures will follow.
Please continue to pray for Braxton's healthy recovery and clean scans next week. Tomorrow we will be attending the Turtle Races at the U Hospital campus to benefit children's research and special services. On June 28, the Children's Cancer Research Fund is hosting the annual Time To Fly walk/run. We will be out of town and cannot particpate but look forward to taking part in it next year!!
Thankyou all for your support and warm wishes!!
-posted by Beth

David, Beth, Brad & Braxton on Field (06/17/2008)

Braxton & Carlos "Go-Go" Gomez

Joe Mauer - The Uber-Catcher

Brad & Braxton in Stands

Braxton & Beth in Stands

Joe Mauer Sets the Table With a Base Hit

Justin Morneau Hits the Game Winning Crabby Patty!

Joe Nathan Closes the Door

Twins Win!!!

Braxton & Beth On Field

Brad & Braxton On Field

Autographed Baseball

Braxton w- Autographed Carlos Gomez Bat

Twins Uber-Catcher, Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer Signs Braxton's Baseball

Tony Oliva Shares Wisdom w- Craig Monroe & Delmon Young

Carlos "Go-Go" Gomez Signs Braxton's Hat

Joe Mauer @ Batting Practice

Justin Morneau Prepares for Batting Practice

Dick Bremer & Tony Oliva

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Day 96: Walking the Line

We are walking a thin line today as Braxton rests at home.

Tonight should be a great night for Braxton. His football coach (Keith Kerfeld) gave Braxton some special tickets for tonight's Twins game against the Washington Nationals. Braxton will have a chance to get on the field before the game and watch the Twins take batting practice. All we have to do is get him there.

We have been crossing our fingers and praying since Braxton finished his last round of chemo. So far Braxton has had to return to the hospital after each round of chemotherapy to protect his body from sickness. Each time before Braxton's cell counts have dropped and his temp has gone up.

Ironically, the first time Braxton had to go back to the hospital after chemo, it was after he attended a Twins game with his Dad.

This time, though, we're hoping it's different. Braxton has already made it longer at home than after any previous chemo treatment. His cell counts have dropped in the last couple of days. And his temp started to climb yesterday. But as of this morning he was still ok to stay home and he has a day time blood transfusion scheduled for tomorrow. So we're hoping that if he takes it easy today that he'll be ok to go to the game tonight.

Go, Braxton!

Go, Twins!

We'll let you know how it all turns out.


+ posted by David.


P.S. - I have posted some pictures below. Sorry it took me so long to get them uploaded.

Braxton, Dr. Beck, and Dr. Burke (06/02/2008)

Remembering Where it all Happened



Emma's Balloon w- Chicken Pox (06/15/2008)

She Used Real Chickens (06/15/2008)

Happy Birthday, Zoe!

Zoe's Birthday Party (06/12/2008)

Zoe "Coco" Kinner (06/11/2008)

Emma & Toady (06/10/2008)

Last Chemo Bag!!!

Nurse Brings Last Chemo Treatment (06/08/2008)

Fat Squirrel Raiding Hospital Dumpsters (06/08/2008)

Emma Cruising Hospital Hallways (06/07/2008)

Zoe & Gretchen on Computers in Teen Room (06/07/2008)

Braxton & Paul Playing Hockey in the Teen Room (06/07/2008)

Gift from Chicago Cops!!! (06/06/2008)

A BIG Thank You to the Chicago Area 1 Gang Operations Officers!!!!


Gift of Yearbook - Signed by Classmates & Teachers! (06/06/2008)

Football Coaches and Special Gifts (6/5/2008)