Team Zayne

just a little end of treatment update for those that have prayed and followed our story!
Zayne is still doing amazing. He played fall ball and only struck out a couple of times the entire season, he’s doing great in school and reading above average (with no frequent visits to the school nurse lol). He finished his monthly post treatment antibiotics prophylaxis and that means we get promoted to visits every 3 months now!! We love this boy so much, he makes us so proud to be his parents and watch him grow 🤍

Hello September! This month has become so important to our family 💛

In just 9 days we will walk with Candlelighter’s to help raise funds to help other families battling childhood cancer, just like us!

If you’d like to donate or walk with us follow the link: https://secure2.convio.net/candle/site/TR/Events/General?team_id=3957&pg=team&fr_id=1260

Zayne has been doing great off treatment - his appetite and energy have improved so much and will start baseball again this fall! We are so grateful and thankful! 🎗️

It’s that time again!
Join Team Zayne to walk with us and other childhood cancer families to help support Candlelighter’s who have helped us throughout Zayne’s treatment!

Candlelighters Fun Walk-2023: Team Zayne - Candlelighters Join us for the 2023 Fun Walk benefiting Candlelighters. Candlelighters serves children with cancer and their families receiving treatment in the Texas Medical Center and provides all of its services and programs at NO COST to these families. Monies raised from the Fun Walk help fund all of Candleli...

and the end of treatment celebration continues 🎉 how fitting the Blue Jays play the Rangers the weekend after Zayne is done! So, of course we made the trip and Pops pulled his strings again 💙🤍

Yesterday was kind of a big deal! 🎗️ We celebrated the end of treatment with family & friends, a day we will never forget!
So incredibly thankful 💛💛

This week has been a big week for Zayne!
Monday, his port was removed!
Today, he rang the bell in clinic {just a few days early}! We are so thankful for the incredible team that helped get us through treatment. Zayne definitely gave everyone a run for their money with his unpredictable lab counts and constant dose changes. Only 4 more days!! 🧡🎗️💛

Today was Zayne’s FINAL SPINAL, last IV chemo and the start of his last round of steroids!! 🎊🎉
Like true Zayne fashion, his counts were unexpectantly low and we almost had to reschedule 🫣 ONE MORE MONTH of oral chemo 💛🎗️

Zayne got to live out his baseball dream tonight thanks to Make A Wish! Special thanks to Phil & Katelynn Maton 🧡⚾️💙

this kid started maintenance cycle 6 today!!! 🙌🏼 ONE MORE TO GO!!! 1 more lumbar puncture, 1 more round of steroids and 1 more IV chemo infusion. His official end of treatment date is June 11th 😬

Today also happens to be international childhood cancer day. We love this boy and are so proud of everything he has accomplished!

Game over, cancer!

🧡🎗️💛

Fall Ball season is complete (as of last week) and this boy loved every minute of it!! ⚾️

Today was the start of another maintenance cycle! #5️⃣ so only 2 more to go!!! Zayne’s labs look great, he’s still not on the full dose of chemo but it’s doing it’s job. His oncologist thinks he is just one of those kids that doesn’t need the full dose because his body just can’t tolerate it. Low dose is better than no dose though!
Start of maintenance also means steroid week, bring on all mood swings and food cravings! 🫣😬

We are so thankful for this incredible and brave boy and for all the prayers each of you have prayed! Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃🦃

💙🎗️🧡

Zayne had his first baseball game today!! He hit twice and doubled both times! His conversation with Springer really paid off 😉

He has wanted to play baseball for such a long time and here we are. We are so thankful!

Go Zayne! 💙⚾️🎗️

when Pops makes your wish come true! Springer is a class act, gifted him with a bat and signed his ball 💙🤍 BEST. DAY. EVER!!

Zayne was diagnosed with cancer a week before his 5th birthday. He made the 3-hour trip from Houston to meet his hero, George Springer 💙

4,539 steps in honor of each Candlelighters family supported this year 🎗

It was hot, it was long but it was worth it for all those kids that shouldn’t have to fight 💛 we can’t wait to do it again next year!

TOMORROW WE WALK!!

Last chance to donate or walk with us tomorrow!
If you’re walking with us, wear your “Team Zayne” or leukemia shirts if you have one. We can’t wait to see everyone!

http://give.candle.org/goto/TeamZayne

ONLY 8️⃣ DAYS LEFT! 🎗🎗
Don’t forget to register to walk with us next Saturday September 10th or make a donation if you’re able!! We can’t wait to walk with everyone 💛💛💛

http://give.candle.org/goto/TeamZayne

MAINTENANCE CYCLE 4️⃣ started today, which means only 3️⃣ more to go!!!
Labs were a little lower than we expected but still within range to get IV chemo & spinal tap. He will stay on the same lower dosage of chemo pills at home 💊 Beginning of maintenance also means steroid week 😬 so bring on all the cravings 🍟🍕🥞🍗Mimi better get started on that cake 🍰🍰

Only 2 weeks left till Houston Candlelighter’s walk to support kids and families who fight childhood cancer, don’t forget to register to walk with us 🎗🎗


http://give.candle.org/goto/TeamZayne

GUESS WHO STARTED {IN PERSON} 1ST GRADE TODAY?!?

We are so proud and so thankful for this day! 🍎📚✏️

Don’t forget to register to walk with us (it’s free) on Saturday September 10th in honor of all the brave kids fighting or who have fought childhood cancer or donate to our cause!

https://secure2.convio.net/candle/site/TR/Events/General?team_id=3277&pg=team&fr_id=1240

Zayne has been doing great - but “being Zayne” as his oncologist says, he has had a couple chemo holds. He started back this week on the lowest dose and will hopefully work back up from here. We are almost into maintenance cycle 4 and see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Don’t forget to join Team Zayne to walk with us on September 10 or donate to our cause! Link in the comments!

SAVE THE DATE! September 10!

Team Zayne will be participating in the Candlelighters Fun Walk this year. This walk helps raise money to help childhood cancer families, like us, with parking assistance, special events for the kids, and so much more. They have been wonderful over the last year and a half!

We invite you to join "Team Zayne" on our walk or donate if you are able to do so!

Candlelighters Fun Walk-2022: Team Zayne - Candlelighters Join us for the 2022 Fun Walk benefiting Candlelighters. Candlelighters serves children with cancer and their families receiving treatment in the Texas Medical Center and provides all of its services and programs at NO COST to these families. Monies raised from the Fun Walk help fund all of Candleli...

ZAYNE UPDATE! 💙

I realize it’s been a while since the last post -Zayne is doing good! He had a hospital stay at the beginning of May which put him in another chemo hold for a couple of weeks 👎🏼 but he was able to restart his dose at 50% and now is up to 75%, waiting a couple more weeks to see if he can get back up to 100% 💊

He started cycle 3 of maintenance today, only 4 more cycles to go! 🥳 so it’s also steroid week and that means mood swings and being HAANNNGRY! 😂 🍕🍟🍝🍫🎂🍪

In other news, our boy graduated Kindergarten and while it looked different from most - we are so proud of him! 🥺 he handled homeschool like a champ (better than mom for sure) and is already reading and doing math at a first grade level 📚 there’s nothing this kid can’t do 💪🏼 he can’t wait to go to school in the fall (for the time being 🤣) and wants to be a baseball player when he grows up ⚾️

Thank you everyone for the continued prayers and love for Zayne 💙🎗🧡

Astros vs Blue Jays from the second row! 😱

Zayne’s first “real” outing in over a year and our first baseball game since pre-COVID!

I bought these tickets a month ago in hopes that I’d be able to surprise Zayne if his counts were okay. Lots of prayers and he made it, barely, but made it 🙌🏼

His bff, Kai got to join in our baseball fun making it “the best day ever” ⚾️💙

first haircut since pre- diagnosis 🎗🧡
Zayne is doing good, numbers are stable just can’t seem to shake this cold that has been hanging around for a couple of weeks!

💙

one year ago today we were told the devastating news, “your son has cancer”. It feels like yesterday but it also feels like a lifetime ago. This boy has been through so much in just a year and never really complains about anything {unless it’s school 😆}. Yet here we are a year later back in the ER due to fever, he can’t seem to catch a break lately. It’s been a wild ride and one we hope to get off of middle of next year.
We are so thankful for our medical team and the care they provide, it takes special people to see pediatric cancer everyday!

We love you so much, Zayne Ryder! 💙🎗🧡

Birthday boy is HOME! 💙

He has been fever free for over 24 hours and his labs are trending up 🙌🏼 thank you everyone for all the prayers!

Celebrating our boy with presents, Tex-mex and cookies!

Happy Birthday Zayne 🧡

Not how we thought we’d spend Zayne’s birthday week but here we are… He started running fever over the weekend so he bought himself an admission. He’s still running fever that will break with Tylenol so far everything has come back negative (blood cultures, viral panel, and COVID). Let’s hope we get outta here before Thursday so we aren’t celebrating him in the hospital! 💙

Mardi Gras parade today! 💜💛💚

I couldn’t let today go by without mentioning it’s International Childhood Cancer Day. A day we never thought would impact us. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Zayne was diagnosed. He has been such a warrior since the beginning. Over 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in a year - Zayne is one of them. So today we take the opportunity to raise awareness for all types of childhood cancer not just leukemia. To acknowledge the fight our kids have to endure to kill this nasty disease. Cancer does not discriminate.

wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ❤️

261 days ago Zayne got the diagnosis that has changed our lives forever!

In those 261 days he has had:
1 port placement
2 bone marrow biopsy’s
11 lumbar punctures (spinal taps)
3 ER visits
1 urgent care visit
18 days inpatient (with 3 of those days in the PICU, which is really rare for standard favorable risk kid)
3 platelets transfusions (2 of which he had a reaction to)
7 blood transfusions
Countless doses of oral and IV chemo

Today he started MAINTENANCE! 🧡🎗

Which means spinal taps and IV chemo every 3ish months (instead of weekly) and oncology visits once a month. He will be on oral chemo for the next year and a half but it’s the little things!

This boy is the strongest, bravest and most resilient kid we know and we love him SO BIG!

Happy Thanksgiving from Team Zayne! 🎗🧡

Just a little Zayne update because I didn’t realize how long it has been..

Today was the first time in 3 weeks that he has been able to get both of his chemos. He got one of them about 3 weeks ago, but the last 2 weeks he has been on hold due to low counts. While it was a much needed break, we are nervous it’s going to hit him hard since he has gone without it for a longer period of time and feeling “normal”.

Pray for his counts to stay decent for his lumbar puncture on the 19th, his energy, and his appetite! 💛🎗🧡

drive-thru fall festival 🎃👻🕸 hosted by Candlelighters Houston
our little super heroes had fun and got lots of goodies 🧡

Yesterday was a LONG day at the clinic for Zayne (11 hours to be exact 😳😴). Unfortunately his labs were really low again (this time we weren’t expecting it) so he didn’t meet counts to get chemo. He got another platelet and blood transfusion. He had a reaction to the platelet transfusion (the very first time he ever got platelets, he had a reaction as well) so we had to wait for the pathology report to come back before they would start the blood transfusion. He goes back on Tuesday to look at labs and see if he meets counts for chemo then, pray he meets counts so we don’t have a long chemo hold!

But, in the meantime GO ASTROS 💙⚾️🧡

It’s been a minute so thought y’all might want a Zayne update. Not much to really update on {thankfully}, his labs are back to normal and he only needed the one blood and platelet transfusion. His body did what it was supposed to do and made more blood and platelets on its own. 🩸🩸

He started IM2 yesterday, which is the last cycle before maintenance 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Overall, he is doing well. He still has lots of energy and is on a dino chicken nugget kick (ya know, the nuggets shaped like dinosaurs 🦖🦕). He is no doubt the strongest boy we know! 💪🏼💛🧡🎗

Zayne sent me this selfie while at the clinic today 😁🕷🕸❤️

As expected, his counts dropped {aaalloottttt!}
Just to give y’all a picture:
His H/H was 11 and 34 two weeks ago, last week it was 8 and 26 and today 6 and 18 😳
His platelets went from 335 to 132 to 10! 😳😳 Even as a nurse, I’ve never seen a platelet count that low! I’m not sure how this boy was surviving this week and still playing! It just goes to show how strong and tough Zayne is! Needless to say, he got a blood and platelet transfusion🩸. We go back Friday to recheck his labs to see if he needs more blood and platelets.

Good news is Zayne gets 2 weeks off of chemo! 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Don’t forget to post pictures of you in your shirts! 🧡🎗💛