Feb 25  - Kutter started his 2nd cycle of Chemotherapy treatment around mid February.  It was delayed for a week and a half because Kutter ended up with the RSV Virus and colitis.  Dr. Sanders said he had not seen colitis in other children and it had him baffled why he had it. 

Kutter has gotten over the colitis but he is still testing postive for the RSV virus after 3 1/2 weeks.  As of Feb 25th he is still considered in isolation though he does get to stay at the Grizzlie House instead as an in-patient.  Normally, if he didn't have the RSV virus he would get to go home to the Target house.

On March 5th Kutter will have a MRI on the brain to see what is going with the cancer that was spotted in the last MRI back in January.  The next day, March 6th, Kutter will have a MRI on the spine to see what is going on there.  We are praying that the cancer has regressed or hasn't spread since the end of January.  Continue to keep Kutter in your prayers.

Friday, February 29, Patti flies back out from Memphis, TN to drive the Toyota Tundra back to Memphis with the help of our friend Guy Penwell.  Our friends have been a blessing in so many ways.  She needs the transportation to be able to get a job where we can afford for her to stay there.

Jan. 21 - 8:30pm CST - Evening update on Kutter.  When Greg Keller picked up Kutter this evening he thought he felt warm and clammy. Monique took his temperature and he had a temperature of 100.9.  Any temperature above 100.4 and they are suppose to take Kutter back to the hospital immediately and call while enroute so that they can be ready when he arrives.

This is a safey precaution as a temperature can indicate he is fighting something and they do not want to take any chances.  And with Chemo therapy having the tendency to drop white blood cell counts this is a concern for Kutter's Doctors.

Kutter's overall white blood cell count is down to around 400 and his Absolute Neutriphil Count (ANC) is at Zero.  ANC is a type of white blood cell that attacks bacteria so it being at Zero is not a good thing. He is now on antibiotics and Patti (Grandma) says he is feeling a little better. The family was noticing that Kutter wasn't feeling or acting right this evening.  Kutter will be in the hospital for a minimum of 4 - 7 days as the Doctors make sure that his white blood cell count goes back up, specifically the ANC ones.

Monique (Mom) will stay with Kutter at the hospital and Rob (Dad) will stay at the Target House.  Rob started his new job, working in a warehouse, last Wednesday and has to be at work at 6am. 

Julie (Aunt) has settled into her new place which is near the Target House.  Her car, which was being shipped, arrived around the middle of January.  Julie is very happy to have her own transportation.  We are all very thankful for our friend Guy Penwell to arrange for and pay for Julie's car to be shipped back to Memphis, TN. 

Greg Keller, who helped Rob drive during their 2 3/4 day bonzai trip back to Memphis, is scheduled to fly back home this coming Wednesday.  I know that the family is very thankful for all his help.

Last updated by Grandpa Robert.  God Bless!

Jan. 4 - Yesterday was Kutter's first full day as an inpatient at St. Jude's. He had a CT scan at 10 a.m. which showed that his ventricles are smaller, which is a good sign. This means they are going back to normal size from being stretched out when he had the fluid back-up. Last night he pigged out on chicken tenders, corn, and cream of chicken soup.

    Today the nutritionist is very happy to report he took in 1,000 calories!

   He went in for an MRI and lumbar puncture today. Dr. Sanders came in this evening to         tell us that Kutter's tumor has metastasized into the spine. He explained that the             tumor is a PNET pineoblastoma, not a medullablastoma as was previously thought. This        means that the tumor is in a different spot, making it more high risk. Radiation is no           longer an option because if they do it in the spine it will do extensive damage. They will       continue to do the chemotherapy here at St. Jude's for the 6 months and then the               6-month oral chemo at home in San Diego.

Jan. 2 - We're here! Ok, it's just me Julie and I'm in the Memphis Grizzlies House right now. Kutter, Monique and my mom are at the hospital getting Kutter checked in and all that. The flight was good and I can tell you one thing - it's COLD here! We have Kutter all bundled up and he looks too cute. It'll be awhile before I have my computer and can upload pictures, etc. However, if Target House has internet like this place does then I'll be able to update this blog until then.

    The first people we met were also waiting for the St. Jude shuttle at the airport. A         12-year-old boy and his mother from Prescott, Az are here on their 4-month check-up.         When he was 8 he was diagnosed with a brain tumor a little different than Kutter's. I         can already feel the warm welcome here. Kutter is in good hands.

    Also, Kutter's MySpace was deleted because he isn't at least 14. Oops.

    As far as Kutter's personality goes, he is a lot more vocal than he has been since the         surgery! He is laughing, whining, and still clapping. It's really nice hearing him make         noise again.

Note:  The "MySpace" community website that Julie setup for Kutter was discontinued because Kutter isn't 14 years old.  We will work to get recent photos of Kutter posted soon.