Man with a cause

Nick here...

I received and email just recently from Dan, who is my cousin, and he sent me a picture of a motorcyle with a "Get Well! Nick+Amy" sticker on it. It turns out the guy riding the bike was racing in the Grand National Finals in GA (WERA national championship). Amy and I (our names) are making it around the country. The guy racing with the sticker on his bike is Dave Rosnot (http://www.superdavesrace.com/) and Dan says he is a really good guy. He must be if has my name on it! ha ha. No I can really tell he is a good guy because he races to fight childhood cancer and it is obvious he is doing the most to help out with beating cancer.

I have a cool picture too!

Thanks Dave!

Pink in the Rink

Tonight was my third day straight of awesome memories! Me and about 20 other friends and family attended a Utah Grizzlies hockey game tonight which honored people with breast cancer and raised money to go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute where I will receive chemo tomorrow. Tonights game was called "Pink in the Rink" because the ice is pink to represent breast cancer. The players also wear pink jerseys with ribbons on them, which was pretty cool.

We had dinner with everyone at Chilis before the game, where mostly everyone was wearing the "N.W.R. Cowboy Up" shirts that were made for the cancer walk I did awhile ago.

We then went to the game where we had front row seats right on the glass, which is always fun because you can bang on the glass and yell at the players. And you dont have anyone in front of you blocking your vision. It was cool seeing the players up close, especially since I had met all of them the day before. The guys and I did a lot of trash talking to the other team, which I believe led the Grizzlies to their wonderful win in a shootout. I am so glad I got to see a shootout! I love shootouts!

During the 2nd period intermission, I told my friends I had to go use the restroom and would be back in a second. 5 minutes later they were shocked to see me waving at them from the other side of the glass, because I was riding on the zamboni! They were all jealous and everyone just went wild. The zamboni ride was really cool and I liked showing off my jersey that I have with my name and high school number on it. I also have a pin that says "cancer sucks" that I wore too so hopefully people were able to see that.

It was nice doing some amazing things before I have to go back into the hospital tomorrow for my 8th round of chemo. I want to thank again my Mom for getting all the tickets and people to come to the game. Also for arranging the zamboni ride and meeting with the team. I also want to thank everyone who came to the game and supported me and the Huntsman. Lastly I want to thank the Grizzlies for being really cool guys and playing the best game alive!

Oh yah...... here are some pics

Utah Grizzlies Rock!

Nick here...


So today I drove down with my Grandparents and Mom to the E center where we met up with my good friend Joey (who I played hockey with) and my step-dad Lee. We got there around 10 a.m. and we met with Adrian who is the PR guy. He was really cool and was able to take us into the locker room and show us around to see what its like to be a Grizzlie hockey player. He also told us a story about the whole team going on The Price Is Right show in California, where my favorite player, Eddie Cambell (who no longer plays for the Grizzlies), won the entire showcase.


After checking out the locker room we stood in the team bench on the ice where we watched the team practice. They are so much faster when you watch them in person and it is cool to see how skilled they are. One of the players, Ian Forbes, is 6 feet 7 inches without skates and was a giant on the ice. I would be terrified if I saw him bearing down on me while I was playing hockey.


The team took a break half way through their practice and they sat in the locker room, where the coach who they called "Smurf", gave me a really cool introduction to the team. The entire team clapped and it was a really cool feeling. They then all shook my hand and told me their names (even though I do not remember most of them). Most of the players had humongous hands that made me feel like a little boy again but it was still an honor. The team captain, Travis Rycroft (who is now my favorite player), was a really nice guy and talked to me a little bit. He isn't a big guy like most hockey players but he can sure play the game. They guys gave me an authentic jersey with their signatures on it and I will be wearing it at the game to represent my "awesomeness".


After the awesome moment in the locker room we watched them finish up their practice. While they were finishing up, Joey and I did a lot of talking with the two goalies who were both funny guys. One was from Boston and did a little dance when Joey mentioned the Red Sox. Ha! I then tried to get Adrian to let me and Joey take our skates and goof around a little bit on the ice. But unfortunately the ice needed a lot of work for the game tonight so we weren't able to. However, he said I can come back anytime for another practice and get a little ice time. I will definitely be back soon. So it was a great day and I cant wait for tomorrow night where 26 of us will be going to the "Pink in the Rink" game at the E center. All of our tickets go to the Huntsman and help out with the research and care that goes on there. It will be cool.


Lastly, I want to thank my mom for setting this up, and Adrian for being so cool and making everything happen. It was a really cool experience. I told Adrian I want a job when I am done with treatments.


Well here are some pics.....

Private Raitt goes flying!

Nick here..



If you didn't already know, I joined the Utah Army National Guard as soon as I turned 18. Unfortunately because of my cancer I was not able to go to boot camp as planned in August. Hopefully I will be able to go this coming summer and be an official soldier in the Army. I cant wait to have a real uniform and be able to work on the Apache helicopter.

Luckily, I have some really cool Sergeants who were able to pull some strings and arrange a helicopter flight in a Blackhawk. They told me anytime I was feeling good enough there would be a chopper waiting for me. So finally the date was set and today I was able to sit in the Blackhawk as would a Crewchief would. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done and cannot wait for my next flight, whenever it might be (since I WILL be a helicopter pilot one day).

The 2 hour training flight started off with some pre-takeoff checks on the chopper, then we flew over to another little Army station and picked up a load that we carried underneath the chopper with a rope and chain to practice maneuvering with a load. The pilots did really good and I was amazed with their skill and precision. We then did some landings on mountain tops and ridges to practice landing with different winds and terrain. But the best part of the whole flight was the open terrain flying, because it involved pretty good speeds and I could not believe the degree of bank in a turn that the Blackhawk was able to do. It was awesome! We would fly pretty low through canyons and it was the coolest feeling. We happened to fly over this cowboy guy who was riding his horse, which I thought to be weird cause I believe we were still over government property, and we tried not to fly directly over him but he still decided to give us the finger. If only there was a 50 caliber mounted in front of me like there can be, I would have made him put his finger away real quick. HA just kidding. He was just jealous.

Well.. I would just like to lastly say that I had one of the coolest days today. And I would like thank Sergeant Sanchez, Sergeant Wilkinson and Captain Fontineau (sp?) for getting the flight arranged for me. It was a day I will never forget. Also, my pilots Scott and Kent who I think have me convinced that becoming a Warrant Officer is the way to go, and Sergeant Haywood (I believe that was his name, if not, I blame the chemo for memory loss) who was the Crewchief and got me all set up for flight. Last but not least, I want to thank my Mom and especially my Grandma for getting this whole thing started. I felt like a KING up there. Those pilots have it made!

Lend some love!

Nick here...

My 7th round is over and I felt sick mostly yesterday (not sick enough to keep me from riding my dirt bike at my dads house) and have been eating pretty good. I also rode a peddle bike for three and half miles with my dad, (it included to hills!)which in the end I had to sacrifice to lots of water intake and nap. HA. Baby steps should be taken I guess.
The main reason I wanted to post something tonight is because of a man name Harrison Matthews. I just met him recently in the hospital, while I was getting my chemo and so was he. He was recently diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has already spent a MONTH in the hospital and had 2 chemo treatments. He would come over to my room once in a while and we would play video games or just talk about life fighting cancer. I enjoyed being able to talk to him and let him know what to expect and what he can do to prevent or reduce chemo side-effects. Anyways, I recomended that he too start a blog, so that people can see how he is doing and give support without having to call him or his parents all the time. His blog address is:http://harrisonmatthews.blogspot.com/
Take a look at his blog and please post comments on his like you have mine for support, or if you are a cancer fighter/survivor with some advice. It really helps.
Thanks everyone!

Home Sweet Home

Nick was checked out last night and finally back in his own bed. He had a resident doctor try to send him home on Saturday, but fortunately, Nick knows his chemo regimen and debated his treatment. The doctor went to double check and the nurse came back stating, "Ok, the guy is an idiot and you are staying until Sunday, like you said."

One of Nick's fairy godmothers was out of town this round, so one had to carry the load - didn't she do a great job? She came bearing lots of treats and giggles.


His hair looks pretty good - soft, baby hair and he finally shaved his mustache (only grew on one side) and his chinny-chin-chin - BIG DAY! Food is tasting kinda odd to him again but still eating good. He has gained some weight - took his shirt off, flexed, patted his tummy and said, "MOM, aren't I looking GOOD?" Yep!

3 more rounds to go... As always, our hearts are filled with gratitude with the support you all have offered as Nick continues to fight.

Mom

Chemo sucks! It really, really sucks!

Nick here..

I am currently on my 7th round of chemotherapy and will have 3 more cycles after this. I am still eating quite well and weigh about 135.. give or take 2 pounds, depending on the scale.
This round I came prepared for boredom and have my playstation 2 hooked up, video games on my computer, books, ipod, and videos. I invited this new patient down the hall that is 22 and just recently diagnosed with leukemia to come down to my room and we will play some video games or talk about whatever since he seems like he wants to ask me questions on what to expect with the chemo.
Something very unexpected and awesome happened today around 3 p.m. My Mom somehow contacted Utah's semi-pro hockey team, The Grizzlies, and arranged for the mascot, Grizzbee, to stop by my room and say hi. It was crazy! After meeting him and taking pictures we walked around together and visited other patients. Grizbee was making all the nurses laugh and actually made the room service lady quite mad because he had stolen a hamburger of the tray she was delivering to a patient. He was just trying to be funny but she must of had a bad day or something cause she wasn't happy.
Well thats all for now.
Anyone is welcome to visit anytime.


Nurse Mary getting a bear hug!