Smile Sammy,Smile...

As time go's by we are trying new things to Cheer up our buddy.
He is using his basketball hoop sometimes.We calling it ' a flying cow time'. You see we have some soft balls for the hoop and also small soft Binnie baby cow.Sammy likes to throw cow in the hoop the most.
Today something wonderful happened.After a long time -I got a gorgeous smile! This was the most exiting moment that made my day.
We got many new Cd's from my friend Irina.They are the best -'American most funniest home videos.' Some clips are very funny and on some Sammy's reaction was-Ouch!
He recognizes feelings and remembers his old experiences when falling ,this is good news!
As we moving along with our recovery process there are many good changes where made toward getting Sammy on his feet soon.He is taken many medications by mouth , we started to see speech and physical therapy more.He started to seat on his own .I feel that we are moving in the right direction.
I'm not looking back to what is behind us.I'm looking forward to the New Bright Future for my baby-boy and our whole family. XOXO Sammy and Mom.

Do we have a destiny?

I was just thinking about our destiny. I use to think that we can change and control our life.
But not any more.It seems to me that Sammy meant to go though this ruff patch in his life,so is his family.We are put to the test and we will prevail!
It ,so interesting to see my sons rebirth/that's what I call the time after transplant/ Just like a newborn he has to learn how to smile ,eat and drink,first time sit up,first steps,first word - at 7 years of age he has to learn it all over again. Is isn't it ironic ? I'm perfectly fine with that. We will do it again!
There is a certain important marks that kids after transplant are celebrating -3 month,6month,9 month and 1 year finally,just like a baby's first year .

Thank G-d and our wonderful Stem Sell Transplant team and other 'SUPER Special' Doctors , nurses,staff at Children's Memorial Hospital.You can be sure that your child will get better here!
I just feel that all of us have their own' silent life book' that we are given at birth and no matter what you do what ever is written in it will happen .So let's get the best of it! Let's leave,let's love ,let's enjoy it and fulfill our dreams!

Getting back to our hero-Sammy. He is doing ,as good as it can be expected.
He is sitting without assistance for longer time.And it's just a beginning.He will get better every day,I know that . Sincerely Sammy and Mom

Here comes trouble..

Hello every one.
Today we talked about our future plan. Depending how things are going we are looking at another two month of intensive treatments.
There is a possibility of going to different hospital inpatient for intensive physical and speech therapy.
When ever Sammy sees physical therapy girls coming he has this look on his face - 'Here comes trouble'. He looks at me with a question in his face -'Are you going to help me or will be just standing there?
Some time's he will be very active and as soon as he will see P.T. girls coming he will be playing "possum".
We are watching funny movies.First smile was a big hit.
That's all for today.

XOXO Sammy and Mom

Just chilling

Day +16.
Sunday.Today is a very quite day.
Sammy trying to sit up ,but we have to work on it. I'm anxiously waiting for him to start talking again. He is always trying to find me in the room and if he doesn't see me he will make unhappy sound. He curiously picking over his bed boarder to see what I'm doing.


Daddy and Sammy's younger sister Eva visited us today.
Other than that we just shilling. Enjoy your Sunday.

Sincerely Sammy and mom

The sky is the limit...

It's weekend again.And I miss my family gathered together at one table, miss being home ,my friends,work and my own bed. But this is just a 'Baby Blues'. I have a bigger fish to fry.

Sammy is having another good day/thank G-d/. He had a breakfast for the first time in 2 weeks! He had some Cream of Wheat and some yogurt. For lunch we like to try mash potatoes.
After chemotherapy allot of people have different taste buds than before .So we have to try many different foods to see which ones taste better.

From my prospective we began our first steps to New Healthy Life yesterday and this is only first steps .We have a long way to go.
ONE YEAR to achieve our stability goal .We will take each quarter at the time: First-3months since transplant,Second-6 month ,9 month and finally one year.

Now that we finally see our Sammy getting back to his old active self,we want more and more improvements!!
We are reaching for the stars! Sky is the limit!

Our next project is try to get him back on his feet!!
Physical therapy is our next step. Remember ,we are going to Disney World soon!?


Sincerely, Sammy and Mom

NEW CELLS-NEW ME

We finally can share this wonderful news.
Sammy is making enough white cells now and it's (99%) donors cells.After all the bumps on our road and with some more ahead of us -this is a real beginning of his 'NEW CELL-NEW ME"life.

We finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.

I let everyone enjoy this moment and will live today's blog at that.

As far as Sammy's parents are concerned - we will be celebrating today!

We love getting your impute on this blog ,so please let us know how you feel about it!Please live your notes don't be shy.

XOXO Happy Sammy and Zeltser's Family.

From a kitten to a tiger...

I try very hard to give credit to everyone here.You realize that this people are important .They can make your hospital stay comfortable and help you and your child through this complicated treatment.
And We do appreciate everybody help from a sweet lady that cleans our room to our wonderful Doctors ,from our great case workers to our chaplain that sings songs to Sammy . We made allot of friends.
But occasionally you meet one single person that does not care. They just come to work ,do their job with 'Who cares?!'- attitude.
To be honest with you -It drives me crazy! I feel that if you don't care ,you don't enjoy your job -Find something else that will makes you happy!

I have learned to be nice and helpful as long as you do your job and my child is not in jeopardy.

I give people many chances and benefit of doubt,but if I see that it is intentional or carelessness -Be careful!
Watch out! I will transform from a kitten to a tiger!
I will be watching your every move, every step ,every breath you take!There will be no mercy!I will take every precaution to ensure Sammy's safety and make sure it never happens again! Sammy is safe as long as Mom is next to him !
No details are necessary./ it puts many dedicated professionals on the spot because of one bad apple. /
It's in the past now- we are moving along to another page of our life's.
No more intensive care unit!! Tonight!! We are going back to Stem Cell floor -to our old friends!

Tomorrow we should have some news, lets hope it's a good one!


XOXO Sammy and MOM

Day +12 Still in Intensive care..

Now, here, on this floor -you realize how frigale life is .
When you look in this parents eyes , when you see rush to another room , when you understand with your mind not the heart that this is very serious and only when your child have life threatening condition you will be placed here.

Today Sammy had much better day and almost whent back to our old floor . He is mooving all over his bed.We expect him start healing just about now-day +12 thru +24.
We should have more information with in the next 3-4 days .
Untill than my friends -patience,patience,patience!!
I'm saying this not only because we all want some good news now,but also to hear and say it for my self to stay as cool as possile.


Sincerely Sammy and Mom

Getting out of the woods..

We are in Intensive Care Unit since last night. Went though another surprise. Sammy is OK.
Slowly but surely Sammy is gaining back his strenght. I feel that this is last big 'Bump' on the road to recovery.
We are stronger than ever ! Our family ,friends and thousands new fans are with us.

I would like to recognize everyone who is with us praying for Sammy's speedy recovery.
I can feel many invisible threads that are attached to us with good Carma,wishes to get well soon, prayers,support and positive thinking . THANK YOU for playing a big role of our recovery.

Sincerely Mom ,Grandma Yelena and Sammy.

Happy B-Day - Marina.

Today Sammy's older sister is turning -19 years old.
Happy B-Day and We All wish you Health,Happiness,Good Fortune,Good Luck,Good Carma and many Good Friend's.
I believe that All of the things that we wish you are important,but one of them is super special.
I'm talking about -friends. This is one of the most powerful forces you will ever experience.
When Sammy got diagnosed with this disorder on Dec 22-2007 ,you remember -we went in a state of Shock .
We try to figure things out on our own . And the truth is that this unfortunate news was more that we can tolerate. I could tell you my Dear Daughter ,if not for our Family and countless Friends new and old ones -we wouldn't have Half the strength we have now!
Happy Birthday Marina - Make more good friends,Be carefully and have fun.

Sammy is resting comfortably.He is getting his strength back more and more . I'm next to him making sure he remembers that he has to get better ,because we are going to Disney World Soon!!!

Sincerely Sammy and Mom.

This two shall pass...

Another day full of surprises. Some times you just get discouraged.
And it's only natural when you want , your child to overcome this treatment fast and some times it's not going as fast.

We will be waiting Sammy.Good night ,till tomorrow.

Sammy and mom.

Bye,Bye Hair.

Today Sammy started too loose hair . And it's OK.
Who needs it?! You have to cut it , style it , wash it , gel it and other funny stuff , as far as we concerned it's too much work. No hair- no problem/Just kidding/
Today we celebrate his 1st week anniversary of transplantation. Refreshed and with new strength Sammy and mom are starting 2 ND week full off surprises and hopefully last before we get to 'New white cells-New Me' phase.

I hope everybody had good Valentines Day or a good Day Off. I know we did.

I have never mentioned how fortunate we are to have such a wonderful Dad and husband.
Alex supports me in everything and always.He is one of the most unique and intriguing people I have ever met.
He is my husband, he is my best friend, hes is my sole mate . All right there it is-
-Honey you are the best and we love you from the bottom of our hearts!

Coming back to reality, Sammy was walking today on his own.He took more than 12 steps.
He can't leave his sterile room just yet, so we will make the best of it and make it fun. We have a basketball hoop that is attached to his bed,Sammy can take a shot anytime he feels like it.
That's all for today,Goodbye until tomorrow.

We want to thank all the friends and family that are leaving comments on our blog and supporting us. We love you ALL.


Sincerely Sammy Z and Mom.

Happy Valantines Day!-come on over ,we got some chocolat.

Today Sammy will have a very special visitor. His grandma Yelena will be staying with Sammy all night and she can't wait to see him.

As per: Mikail,Marina,Eva and Sammy's parents-we are taking a day off to recuperate.
Don't worry Sammy ,we are not going too far ,we are near by.

However , we have many different treats today-'Valentine Special' for anyone visiting our hospital room-Grandma is in charge.

Have a Safe Valentines Day.

Love,Give presents,Special surprises and Please Tell your loved ones how much you care.

Truly yours Zeltser's.

Gets worst before it gets better...

Today is day 5.
We forgot to mentioned a very important visit .Yesterday Sam's older brother came to visit. It's always a big deal they really enjoy each other company .Sammy said few word's and was very happy to see Mikhail .
But today....
We are little worst today . Little bit more uncomfortable,little more moody.
Every morning I wake up near Sammy's bed and say -''Today should pass with no surprises''
We where told that it will get worst- before it gets better. And here it is.

On the brighter side we are looking forward to Valentines Day. Tomorrow Sammy gets to pass allot of candy to many pretty girls.

That's All for today my friends. We love you All- XOXO-.Sammy and Mom.

Our own language.

It has been 5 day's since Sammy stop talking.His has bad sores in his mouth and throat.It's all part of the healing. But I can always tell what he wants to tell me and he knows that.
So all he has to do is look at me and I will always be there to tell what he needs.

We finally learned how to count days to recovery.
It turns out that first day when we started chemotherapy it was day# -9.
After 8 days of chemo we had 1 day off and that was day#-1. Then when we received bone marrow transplant it was day# 0.
So today is day#4.
At about day 15-17 we should have a first new white blood cells .
Until then we are fighting side effects of chemo and other surprises.

We are strong and getting stronger everyday .No crying or worries are allowed here.
Thank you everybody. Sammy and mom.

On the road to recovery.

• Today was a good day.S ammy has a large bed with canopy.We hooked up a small basketball hoop on the top, so if he feels like it, he can take a shot any time.

We had a wonderful bath time. Sammy has bunch of bath toys to play with.
Otherwise he sleeps a lot to get stronger. We had a visitor - our older daughter Marina and her friend was here from collage- Sammy was happy to see her.

With in the next 17-18 days we should hear good news.We are waiting for change in his white blood count- new white cell of his own after bone marrow transplantation. Since his old white cells were wiped out with chemotherapy , because they didn't do good job breaking down long chain of fatty acids in his body.

Eva is recovering at home and doing well. She is our princess and deserves a royal treatment, so tomorrow we planed another surprise for her/can't say what it is -she will be reading this blog-she is on the top of things/
So,my Dear Daughter Eva-surprise is a surprise, just wait until tomorrow. We love you. That's it for now. Gelena and Sammy Zeltser from the hospital and Zeltser family from home.

Eva -ROCKS!!

Today we witnesed how brave Eva is. She never coplained, just asked a lot of questions. Thank's to amaizing doctor's, nurses and staff at Children's Memorial, the procedure was easy and fast. Eva was in recovery for short time.

After few more hours Eva mentioned that today was Friday ,the sun will be down soon and she wanted to meet all her friends at sinagogue for Shabbat.
As for our prince Sammy, he is doing fine. In the next 2 weeks we will be wating for a great news. We will be looking for his OWN, NEW white blood cells. Let the magic begin...

Special Thanks to All our Dear Friend's that are working so hard to help us in any way possible while Mom is by Sammy's side 24/7 in the hospital. I also would like to thank all the readers that are connected and tuned to our website. We love you.

Thank you All- We couldn't do it without you.

Love Gelena ,Sammy and family.

My love & appreciation to my dear daughter .

She is very special girl. From the moment she was born- she always brought to our family joy.

From very young age she always challanged us by being smart and running before her time. She took a first step at 9 month old. She said a first sentance at 11 month. She has a beautiful voice, loves to draw, she is very creative and likes to be a boss even if parents are at home. This sweet girl always has an opinion and strong wheel . She is a great daughter, sister, grandaugter and good friend, she is growing up too fast.

Today this blog is an attribute to Eva my 11 year old daugter, that is our savier and donor for Sammy.

Tomorrow she will be in surgery donating her bone marrow to save her brother's life and she is not scared- she is 'Ready'.

It makes us parents and her grandparents, so very proud.Go Eva!!!

We love you Eva -GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!- XOXO-Love- your family and friends.

On our way to Disney World!!!

We are on our way to Disney World.

But first we have to make as many miztvas / good deed's/as we possibly can. Are you asking is it possible from hospital room? Sure it is.
We are looking for more ways to make magic and just like we had mentioned before we like to give a helping hand to some other parents and their kids thet are going through the same treatment here in the hospital. These families are struggling with gas and food money.

Please find time to do a' Drive 'at your work place to raise money for giftcards. We are looking for :Gas visa cards and Food Visa's or gift cards-for any ammount. This cards will be donated on SammyZeltser's name -here in Children"s Memorial Hospital to parents that are commuting to see their kids every day after work.

Please send it to :
Sammy's Wish Foundation
P.O.Box 1513
Deerfield,Il 60015

Thank you for making our Disney World vacation closer.Love Mom& Sam Z.

1 Week of Chemo Behind, 1 More Day to Go

Today is the 7th day of chemo and Sammy is bravely holding on although it has totally eliminated his appetite. He is still being a cute Sammy nevertheless - he constantly talks about the food from his favorite restaurants and that he wants us to order the food for him - bagel with cream cheese from Walker Bros., Quizno's kids sub - toasted turkey melt, Subway's tuna, toasted with Provolone cheese, McFlurry from McD's, and Chicken McNuggets, of course. Mom tells him he'll get it all very soon.

Tomorrow is the last day of chemo therapy, then we take a break on Thursday meditating for the main rendezvous. Friday morning, Sammy and his bone marrow transplant donor will be courted by the team of transplant surgeons.

More to follow.

Please continue saying a recovery prayer for Sammy - Shmuel Chaim ben Hanna.

4th day ,new ideas-food for thought

Dear Friends,

Sammy and myself are still looking for a ways to help others. Just recently, we discovered that some other parents on our floor that are staying with their kids and going though bone marrow transplant are in desporate need for help. They have financial difficulties and no money for gas or food.
If you feel that you can help at your work or school raise following items -It will be donated to thouse parents in need at Childrens Memorial Hospital in merit of Sammy Zeltsers.

We are looking for folloving :
1/ Food cards of at least $20.00 or more./Jewel,Domenicks,Wholefoods or just Visa pre-paid card/
2/gas cards starting at$10.00 or more./ any brand gas station/

Please send this items to our mail box:

Sammy Zeltsers Wish Foundation
P.O.Box 1513
Deerfield,IL 60015

Thank you for helping us make magic on our way to Disney World.

Hello, fans it's a day #3 of chemotherapy.

We are Ok!

Sammy got a special bed today it's just like a king's cove now. He is in a good spirit. Goodnight.

Love you ALL