Team Nelson

Thank you to everyone who helped bring Nelson’s Make A Wish proclamation to life yesterday! We are so lucky and grateful to have everyone behind him. Big shout outs to Make-A-Wish America Woodward Park City and Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital for all participating and supporting our family during this time of our lives.

Nelson is going to Disney World!

Hello Family and Friends! What a journey it has been. Nelson is doing great and just being a kid despite the battle we are in. Thanks to all your support and love through this time we have made it this far. This is a long read but please, see it to the end, I promise it is worth it.

First off, I wanted to let everyone know Nelson’s Make a Wish was granted and we’ll be going to Disney World. We are beyond grateful for this opportunity and a chance to cement more memories as a family because you never know how quick things can change. Part of the experience is the Make a Wish foundation likes to do a proclamation to announce the wish to the child. We are going to do this proclamation Woodward Park City on Friday (9/30/22) @ 4:30PM, because this is one of Nelson’s favorite places to be and the support from the action sports community has been overwhelming. WE WOULD LOVE FOR ANYONE WHO CAN ATTEND PLEASE DO! Woodward Park City is a place like no other, my favorite question I get asked in any interview I do is, “Why do you work at Woodward?” It’s an easy answer, when our world came crashing down the Woodward and POWDR family had our back. The love and support from our friends, family, coworkers, and even pro athletes I grew up idolizing was overwhelming. It is why we love snowboarding, skateboarding, mountain biking, and any other action sport, the community and people involved in it.

As many of you may know September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and unfortunately it is the reality for too many families these days. Over the course of a year and half, we have spent lots of time at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake. It started with a 30+ day stay, and lucky for us it is down to once-a-month visits now. I can say with 100% confidence the people there from the front desk to renowned doctors are heroes in a war many do not want to be a part of. It is the one place in the world that continuously breaks my heart when we visit as it really puts the magnitude of childhood cancer into perspective, but I also see the day to day battle that staff puts their hearts and souls into.

We decided it was time to act. When we decided to do Nelson’s Make a Wish Proclamation Woodward Park City, we wanted it to be something special for not just us but for the community. I’m extremely proud to announce, Woodward Park City will be donating $10 of every ticket bought on 9/30 to the Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City. The staff there are doing the work to improve healthcare, lives, and our understanding of childhood cancer. It is time for action sports to act against this reality.

Long story short, please join us at Woodward Park City on Friday, 9/30/22 at 4:30PM to be a part of Nelson’s wish announcement and help support the real warriors on the frontline of Childhood Cancer. If you want to help the cause please go buy a ticket for 9/30/22 by going to woodwardparkcity.com If you don’t want to buy a ticket but still want to contribute shoot an email to [email protected] with the title Nelson’s Wish and my team will follow up with you to make that happen.

Shhh Nelson doesn't know! See ya Friday 9/30/22 @4:30PM!

What a difference a year makes! Nelson started 1st grade today putting the cap stone on an epic summer and now we roll back into school, soccer, and football. He’s crushing his maintenance cycle and all signs are moving in the right direction. We still have lots ahead of us, but luckily we have all of you behind us. Forever grateful to our friends, family, Woodward, and the whole community in general. 🙏🏼🧡

In the spirit of celebrating 1 year of kicking cancer’s butt, we got him the jersey he’s been asking for. Perfect timing for Sports Day at school.

Seems fitting #1 and MVP status! 👊🏼

Phoenix Suns

Yesterday was the 1 year mark of Nelson’s leukemia diagnosis. We still remember all emotions of those first few days and for the time being April 23 will always be a dark cloud as it gets near. At the same time, we are extremely proud of Nelson and his resilience. He has stood strong in his battle against cancer and continues to stand defiant.

Since January 2022 he has been in maintenance and it’s going great. He conquered his fear of swallowing pills so medicine has gotten even easier. Despite the demanding treatment schedule Nelson has continued to excel in school and loves all his kindergarten friends. The best is watching him with his little brother Nolan and how much they learn and love each other. It broke our heart having them apart for so long while Nelson was in the hospital and we can’t imagine them not causing chaos together now!

There are many things even now we would approach differently but the journey has made our family stronger and more focused. We have chose to not let cancer define our family, but instead to redefine the weight and value of time spent with our family and friends.

We thank everyone for their support for Nelson and our family through this wild year. The journey is not over but we are ready to keep pushing on in life because it can change in an instant.

Life has its ups n downs, today was an up for the boys! Nelson, lil brother Nolan, and best buddy Liam got to meet Blippi! They chatted about his car and skateboarding, they loved it!

Our world came to screeching stop this past April and now we are half way through round 4 of treatment. All the good vibes, prayers, and thoughts have carried us this far and we are hoping to hit a huge milestone in our treatment.

The hardest climbs have the best views, and all positivity aside this has been no easy climb for anyone. We can’t express enough gratitude for everyone who has made the views happen on this journey, it wouldn’t be possible with out any of you!🙏🏼💛

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!! We are so thankful for the support from everyone through this unique experience for our family! Bless everyone

Wow! We can’t believe it’s been 3 months since our last post, sorry! Our family has been quite busy maintaining as much of normal as you can in our situation. Nelson has continued to demonstrate his resilience these past few months between kindergarten, soccer, skateboarding, and just being a kid. It’s amazing to watch how children continue to live in the moment.

This month we started the final push of treatment and well we’ve had to pump the brakes a bit. Basically a repeat of our time in the hospital in terms of medicine and he sure does feel it 😔. Again Nelson keeps it focused on 1 day at a time and is checking each day off as we get closer to maintenance. Mom and dad are hanging in there but mentally, the most challenging thing we’ve ever done.

Thank you to all our friends, family, and new friends that have continued to support our family through this crazy moment in life. Every interaction, post, words of encouragement, have gone such a long way in helping us push forward. 🙏🏼

Please keep your positive vibes, thoughts, and prayers coming his way as we make this big push to the end.

A month ago we didn’t even think this was going to happen and he continues to redefine expectations. 👏🏽👏🏽🙌🏽🧡

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”

Dr. Seuss

Its been quite the journey thus far and still milestones to go, but Nelson has been crushing his battle with Leukemia! 🧡 We wrapped up the 2nd phase of treatment and now we roll on into Interim Maintenance.

We are so incredibly proud of his determination to be just a kid. Nelson is now cruising a new BMX bike with hand brakes, he wants to ride it everyday. We started fall soccer and much to our surprise he lasted the whole game and found the back of the net twice! GOAL!! Tomorrow this big kid makes the dive into Kindergarten! He misses all his friends from Creekside, I know he wishes he could of closed that chapter different, but his eyes are on the horizon now. He continues to exceed expectations and we’ll continue to support his drive.

Thank you to everyone for their continued support. We haven’t posted nearly as much because life is taking over, but the warmth we find in knowing suppport is all around for Nelson comes from everyone cheering him on! Thank you!

Happy Birthday to the best brother in the world, Nolan! Nelson and Nolan are quite the dynamic duo when together. Nolan wants to be just like Nelson in every possible way, but little does he know he’s been a big driver behind Nelson’s success in treatment!

Happy Birthday Nolan!

What has Nelson taught us in the past 3 months?

Stay present, it’s where all the fun happens!

Our emotions like anger, frustration, fear, sadness and anxiety are rooted in the past and future. All we can control and impact is right in front of us in that moment, while it is very important to draw from past experiences and set direction for our future we have to be able to pull ourselves back to the presence. You can’t run until you take the first step, if your always thinking about how you could of done it or how you wish you could do it you’ll never actually do anything.

Nelson thank you for keeping mom and dad focused on the good and reminding us to quit overthinking everything.

Now go out and enjoy the ride! It doesn’t last forever!

Work Hard Play Hard!

Nelson finished super strong on his second round of treatment, even after a few bumps. We are so very proud of his attitude and strength during this time. Thanks to the help of some wonderful friends we were able to celebrate his bounce back and take him to Vegas for some pool time and fun! It was great to see him being a kid with his lil brother and best buddy Liam 🙏🏼🧡

Today we get back to treatment and look to keep building off the wins we’ve had! Nelson loves feeling back to his normal self so it was a bit of a bummer for him to come back to reality but he continues to impress with his ability to get in the right mind set.

Woo hoo time for a break after completing Nelson’s most recent round of chemo!

Last week he got his PEG medicine, which made the beginning of the week rough. His body isn’t a fan based on the allergic reaction. Luckily between the two attempts we were able to get enough medicine in him. We’ll do some refining on the medicine for the next round but luckily Nana (Candice Terminel) was in town to keep Nelson’s spirits up. Between Nelson and Nolan, Nana is quite busy when she visits but they love her!

Today we knocked out our last dosage of mecdicine and now we work on getting stronger again for the next phase. It amazes us how curious he is about every aspect of his treatment and fires off the questions on the daily. He has such a good mindset when it comes to medicine and needles for a 5 year old and we couldn’t ask more of him.

So far we are very blessed to have such positive results and hope we only continue to see those same type of results. Thank you! Happy 4th of July!

We are part of such an amazing group of people to be so blessed with actions like this. A huge THANK YOU to anyone and everyone for your continued support. Check out our update on Go Fund me as we tell the story of our 1st 60 days of cancer. Part 1 of 3.

https://gofund.me/ae2c4b1f

Nelson's Treatment Support, organized by Marga Franklin Last week the Spencer family had their world turned upside down when they received the news … Marga Franklin needs your support for Nelson's Treatment Support

Go Skateboarding Day! Life is full of ups and downs, sometimes we just gotta learn to pump the transitions!

Nelson wrapped up his chemo for the week this morning and got back on his skateboard for the 1st time since being diagnosed with Cancer. We pulled the needle out of his chest today and he was ready to roll!

We know there are ups n downs still ahead, capitalize on the wins and prepare for the storm is all we can do

They are two peas in a pod!

Nelson’s biggest fan is his little brother Nolan, and being home together has been one of the greatest blessings! They feed off each others energy and Nolan has contributed to Nelson’s success as much as anyone.

Proud to call these two hoodlums our boys of summer 🙂

Our treatment over the past couple days has gone really well and the energy is back after our 1st transfusion!

He’s been a busy bee this week but moving in the right direction! Today he had his first blood transfusion in addition to a back poke, and another round of chemo. Overall he has responded very well and has managed to keep the side effects like headaches and nausea to a minimum.

He continues to remain resilient and stubborn as ever….we love him for it 😁

Thank you for your continued support and positivity during these unique times!

“Look at me do these stairs Dad, my legs are getting stronger !”

Nelson is determined to get the strength back in his legs. He took the stairs at clinic appointments, then short jogs in the driveway, sq**rt gun/water ballon wars got short sprints back, and laps around the pool is keeping him strong. We are so very proud of him and his drive to be stronger.

A couple more days and back to the clinic for some chemo!

Level 2:
After some much needed R&R Nelson is getting back to himself and back at it.💪🏼 We spent a lot of time the past week n half getting him outside and moving around. 31 days in a bed and chemo has its impact. It started with one foot in front of the other and now we’ve worked up to a jog, which is crazy after seeing him on a snowboard this winter.

The doctors are very happy with his progress and now consider NELSON IN REMISSION! There are still many milestones ahead but this was huge win. He started level 2 (video game references make it easier for Nelson) of his chemo treatment this past Friday.

We feel very fortunate to have the results we’ve had so far and only hope for more continued success as this journey continues.

Home is where the heart is 🙏🏼

Nelson has been enjoying his time home with family and we’re all excited to be together again. His little brother, Nolan, is back to following him around the house. It’s chaos we love it!

His bloating/swelling is getting better everyday and stating to get more energy back. They checked his electrolyte levels today and everything seems to be in order and balancing out again, stomach bugs can do that 🥴.

The best part, we received the results back from the bone marrow (the blood factory of the body) draws after completing induction…THEY FOUND NO CANCER CELLS 🎉🎊🥲

Its such an amazing thing to hear! We know there are battles still to be fought before the war is won, but the tide is in our favor!

Now we get to enjoy a week n half off before diving back in. Some much needed RnR

Thank you for all your support! 🙏🏼🧡

Day 31: WE’RE OUT OF HERE!!!

Surgery went great today and Nelson was showing all the right signs. They gave us the thumbs up with some meds to keep those electrolytes up.

It been an up n down experience but this kid was a trooper. Some days were easy and some days we had to just keep trying to win each hour. We are grateful to finally be able to spend a night together as a family again ❤️ and for everyone who has shown their support for Nelson during this journey 🙏🏼.

Our hearts and prayers go out to any families who have been there, are there, or will be there at Primary Children’s. The team there has been incredible and so supportive during Nelson’s stay that I can say with full confidence your in good hands.

Tomorrow we get back to work. Get the bloating down, dial in nutrition, and establish new routines.

Tonight we enjoy the win!

Day 28-31: “Patience is bitter, but it’s fruit is sweet”

We cannot believe it has been a full month since we’ve been here. It has been quite the journey so far and test of will. We are beyond proud of how Nelson has handled all this so far even the bumps. We closed the book on Phase 1 of treatment and starting Phase 2 today.

This morning we are just waiting to head into surgery to get a port installed which means no more pic line in his arm! He keeps telling the nurses, “let’s go get this over with” After we finish up surgery they are going to keep an eye on him through the day with the goal of discharging him today. It’s been a daily goal to get him home, but today feels possible.

Keep the good vibes, positive thoughts, prayers, love coming his way today so we can get this kid home!

Day 25-27: Find your staying power!!

Well we’re still in it! Dad had to take a couple days off with a fever, but lucky guy had mom to hold down the fort and get quarantined with 😳. Moms are the best.

A lot has happened in the past 3 days and it wasn’t just catching a bug. We did some CT scans, and the results were all positive. His mass in his lung has significantly reduced in size, his liver and kidneys all look relatively normal again. In a short summary the treatments are working!

Now we just gotta be patient and let those blood counts keep coming back up which they are already trending up. The word on the rumor mill is we might be on our way home Monday at the latest! Fingers crossed only 3 more days!🤞🏼

We’re in the home stretch of closing out this 1st series, time to buckle down and hold the line till we get home.

Day 22-24: You Win Some You Lose Some 🤷🏻

It’s been a mellow 3 days for the most part. Nelson hit one small road bump, his hunger and eyes outweigh the size of his stomach and functionality of it. He couldn’t ingest food for 24 hours and pushed us back one day to makes sure he was good to go.

It’s crazy knowing the damage chemo does to your body fighting another evil….cancer. Lucky this kid is still a young grasshopper and in time the damage will heal. We are in our 4th week of chemo treatment and the 1st month is usually some of the most intense part of treatment. I’m looking forward to getting him off the daily steroid as we complete this round even tho his chipmunk cheeks are pretty cute.

The doctors started talking about the possibility of getting him home in the next couple weeks 🤞🏼🙏🏼 which would be the biggest win for him.

We still have a long journey ahead of us (2YR) but appreciate all who have joined on this journey and continued to support Nelson through acts of kindness and love! ❤️🎗🙏🏼

Power on Nelson!

Day 21: I’m a Big Kid Now!

We’ll he has been quite the trooper these past 3 weeks taking on the world but today was a new one for him, we lost our 1st tooth! It’s been a wiggling for a couple days and finally came out.

Guess we’ll have to see if the tooth fairy visits hospital rooms 😉

Enjoy the weekend everyone! We are one step closer to getting out of this place.

Day 19-20: Everything has been going as good as it can with Nelson’s treatment. Cancer changes you….when did he start wanting salad 🤨. Positivity and happiness are two of the most important factors when facing challenges in life and Nelson has done a great job of staying in the right mindset.

Gratitude cannot express how much we appreciate everyone and all the support they have given Nelson. Hopefully only a few more weeks in the hospital 🤞🏼🙏🏼🎗