Saturday, June 30, 2007

Saturday Update

we have taken the next step on toby's post-surgical journey and moved down the hall to the regular inpatient unit at mskcc. today the chest tube was removed and toby drank 2 bottles of milk, a cup of chocolate ensure, some strawberries and a hard-boiled egg. he didn't touch the french toast.

he's still puffy and his weight check today confirmed that he's retaining more than 5 pounds of liquid. we hope that he'll be more comfortable tomorrow. most likely he will be weaned from the iv pain meds on sunday and start oral morphine instead. dr. kushner and dr. laquaglia conferred and if all goes well over the next days, toby will start his 4th cycle of chemo on monday or tuesday.

we received a whopping 146 comments after my last post. and we have read them all, three times over. we are blown away by your love, friendship and support. your words have given us so much hope and the strength to carry on. thank you.

love, mooki + stephen

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

its late and the candle is flickering while i sit here thinking about you, knowing you're each putting one foot in front of the other, wondering why we suppressed the urge to descend on you today- but we figured you don't need 4 vikings invading right now- in a few days then... we love you and are holding Toby up in our prayers each day.

Anonymous said...

These latest posts have given me so much hope for Toby. Thank you for taking the time to keep us all up-to-date on his condition.

You're still and always in my prayers.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, I was thinking of making French toast for breakfast in honor of Toby, but now that I see he didn't touch his, maybe we should switch (hard-boiled eggs??). . .I hope Sunday brings a few smiles, some July sun streaming in, and a chance for Toby to feel more comfortable.

Nancy W.

DogandCats said...

We also made french toast because we were thinking of Toby. Sending you lots of good thoughts. Heather, Morgan and David

Anonymous said...

we keep on praying for toby's health,love u all
mira - israel

Anonymous said...

We continue to think about you every day, and to pray for Toby's recovery. Your posts are so incredibly eloquent and frequently move us to tears, both because of the overwhelming challenge you face and the tremendous strength you are all demonstrating in the face of this adversity. You are an inspiration to us all. Please know you are in our hearts.

Love,

Ivy and Josh

Anonymous said...

my daughter, leah rosen, is a member of beth elohim, and her Rabbi Andy Bachman shared Toby's journey with the congregation. Leah is the one who introduced me to toby, that "most delicious" little boy. i check the blog every day for postings; i almost always cry (is it because i'm a mom, a human?) my sister, a cancer survivor, is a member of "team toby" as well. we three talk about him, we hope and pray for him, we marvel at the elegance of mooki's writing shining through the mind-numbing pain. we are in awe of this family.
and we are just three random strangers. that means that the numbers of those folks who are ALSO emotionally invested in toby's recovery must be HUGE.
thank you for reminding the rest of us what is really important. janice rosen, naples, fl.

Anonymous said...

Yay Toby! What a champ. The Jewish mom in me is so glad to hear that he's eating heartily, even with all the painkillers and post-op discomfort. Hugs and kisses to you all from his own personal juggler and the juggler's mom. Much love,
Lynn

Anonymous said...

Everytime I look at the picture of Toby posted on Mon June 25th I see wisdom, strength, serenity and peacefulness. I think of a Tibetan Buddist Monk (not because of the bald head) who has been challenged by forces beyond their control and yet still maintains such dignity. I think that is true of all of you.
I think of you always.
Love,
Ilene, Josh and Jeremy

Anonymous said...

It was such a relief to see your Saturday post and to read of Toby's continued recovery from the surgery.

Please know that you all contnue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

-Freddie Brooks

Anonymous said...

Greetings from Jerusalem--we just arrived today. I'm so happy to hear that Toby's doing better and better. Love, Lisa

Anonymous said...

Thinking and praying for Toby has become a daily ritual since my daughter told me of his struggle. His strength, and yours, humbles me. We have said prayers at our synogogue in Yorktown Heights for his recovery.

Anonymous said...

Dear Stephen, Mooki and Toby,
I miss you so much. Since coming home to NC yesterday all I can think about is Toby's continued recovery. He IS an amazing little boy, so funny and bright. He is destined for a great future, whatever path he chooses to pursue. Grandfather Bernie sends kisses and hugs to Toby.
Love, Grandmother Merci

Unknown said...

I'm thrilled to read the news. I was in MSKCC on Thursday, for a partial nephrectomy. And I've been sort of out of contact since then. I'm thrilled to hear that things are going better than anticipated. And hope you all are a bit more comforted, now that the surgery is past. Yoram, your reports are extraordinary. Thank you for keeping us abreast. With love and continued strenght during this marathon to all the extended family, JoAnn