The Adventures of Evan: 2022

It has been over 395 days since I last updated the blog. Naturally we're happy that nothing of substance around Evan's health has occurred, but for friends and family who we might not talk to on a regular basis you may be wondering how things have been going. Overall we're doing very well and Evan in particular is prospering now that he's been off of chemotherapy for roughly three years.

Hamilton at the Fox in 09/21

The doctors and nurses in the survivor clinic monitor Evan to ensure that he's not exhibiting any symptoms that might indicate a relapse. Performing traditional checks medically is part of it too. We don't have to go often and other than normal grumpiness that pre-teens start to show as their hormones change he's a normal kid. Likely not related to cancer, but from a health stand point Evan's snoring was a bit worrisome so he'll be getting his tonsils removed later this year. Our ENT doctor feels this will help greatly with the quality of his sleep.

Back in late 2021 one of my worst fears was realized when Evan tested positive for Covid-19. I wasn't really sure how his immune system would react to the virus. The only symptoms he was showing when we took him in was a sore throat, so we assumed he had strep. It was quite a relief as the days passed and other than the initial sore throat he didn't develop any other symptoms.

He's got my spicy bone. One Chip Challenge

We're so happy that Evan continues to grow at a rate more similar to his curve prior to cancer. He's playing his 3rd season of soccer, loves to draw, play video games, continues to read and is doing well in school. As mentioned above, behaviorally he's a good kid and other than daily bickering with his brother he gets along with most everyone else.

Event hosted by Camp Aurora to ride in sports cars

Coming up in November I will be participating in my 2nd annual Trailblaze Challenge hosted by Make-A-Wish Georgia. It's a weekend event to raise money and awareness for their cause of granting wishes to families with children facing life threatening illnesses. We were recipients back in 2017 and I'm doing what I can to help pay it forward for as many organizations as I can. Last year's event was very inspiring so finding the motivation to participate again was really easy. Link below if you'd like to contribute or participate, but not pressure either way.

Trailblaze Challenge 2022 - Blaine Pruitt

The family and I have been doing well and with no restrictions on us we've tried our best to provide the kids with as many opportunities for memories as we can. We're still involved with Camp Aurora, Camp Sunshine and Cure. Again, all four charities mentioned are fantastic organizations if you're looking to help make a difference. While there have been some exciting therapeutic developments over the last two years, there's still enormous gaps in funding, which helps with research of new cures.

As is customary for me when I haven't posted in a while I'll wrap with several photos from the last 12 months. Since I'm not really on social media any longer this is my only medium for providing updates.