Fox Family FUNdraiser

Good friends and family of ours are planning a fundraiser to help cover costs of future needs for Eric such as home renovation costs and a wheelchair accessable van, etc. The fundraiser is scheduled for Friday, May 9 from 6-9 pm at the Jenison Jr. High. Our website (www.ericfox.us) has been updated under the donate tab with a flyer with more info. There is a downloadable form about how you can donate items for the event. Our deepest gratitude goes out to all of the people involved in planning this event and all of the work that is involved. We are so grateful for all of the support we have from our family and friends!!

Home again!

We arrived back home last night about 12:30 am after driving 12 hours with stops from Tennessee. It was a smooth trip home up hwy 57 until we neared Chicago where the snow storm started and continued all the way home. It took about 5 hours going around 40 mph the last leg of the trip but we made it home and it's a good thing we did because Madison woke up this morning with a stomach ache and has been throwing up. My second cousin Paul had the flu when we arrived and he graciously stayed in their bonus room above the garage for the first two days and was feeling better by Sunday so if this is the same strain, at least it is short lived.
We had a great time in Tennessee despite no sunshine. We were really hoping to bring some back to Michigan. We just hung out with my cousins (2nd and 3rd) and enjoyed their company and hospitality. We were able to go to an Austin Peay basketball game and watch Lauren on the dance team and it was a great game. Avery is in high school and had a game too that she cheered for which we had to miss. They are both very beautiful, talented girls who have a very bright future in store! Merrilee cooked us some wonderful meals and we love to just chat with her. Paul as we said was sick and felt bad, but we were glad we were able to visit with him on Sunday. He even got up and made us pancakes! We did go to Franklin on Sunday morning to New River Fellowship church and heard a great message given by a Pastor that had spoke at KCC for a wild game dinner Eric attended (small world) which was very good on a day in the life of Jesus from Mark 1. Michael W Smith was not there this week, but it was fun to see how the church has changed and grown in two years. We then left and went to Nashville Opry Mills mall and shopped til we dropped, literally. The mall is very big and we were ready to go by half way thru, but had to walk to the other side to get our car and my feet were ready to fall off. We got some good deals, mostly Madison, of course. She likes everything! We ate lunch at the Aquarium restaurant which had a huge tank in the middle of the restaurant with sharks, stingrays and all kinds of other huge fish. It was pretty cool! The only setback of the weekend besides cold weather was the first day we arrived when Eric lost his footing on the steps upstairs and slid all the way down which gave him a nice road rash on his stomach. It is hard to know if these things would have happened anyway despite having ALS but his balance is definitely off due to not having use of his arms. When you think about how God made our bodies to work in unison with each part, it makes sense why things become more difficult even though he still has use of his legs. One night a while back when we were leaving a movie, I said to Eric "lets run to the car because it's so cold" and he said I can't run and I instantly thought, oh no, what is wrong with your legs! He said he couldn't run because his arms don't swing in synch with his legs and he would fall. It's hard when things like this happen and I worry alot about Eric's safety since he is so tall and falling could really injure him as he did when he broke his arm rollerblading the week before we left for Mayo.
Some prayer requests:
-Madison to feel better soon and the rest of us not to catch what she has, especially Eric
-Safety for Eric every day and strength for his body and always for God's healing!
-Lori and the kids health insurance through the VA to be processed and approved ASAP as we are without insurance
Praise- Eric's Rilutek came today and he will be starting it, pray this will slow the progression combined with the Lithium and have minimal side effects

Thanks for your prayers!
Love,
Lori and Eric

Exciting New Human ALS Trial: Lithium and Riluzole

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Exciting New Human ALS Trial: Lithium and Riluzole
Recently, a study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, by an Italian group of scientists and clinicians examining the ability of lithium to increase the neuroprotective actions of riluzole in ALS mice and patients.
This study was highly significant in that it showed, for the first time, a marked potentiation of the actions of riluzole in ALS patients. It showed that riluzole and lithium - combined - were far more effective than riluzole alone at increasing survival and slowing disease in ALS patients.
Although riluzole has been shown in multiple, large, independent human trials to be effective in ALS, its actions to slow disease are quite small. Lithium, a salt, has many, many actions in the nervous system but is best known for its ability to treat a very different brain disease: manic depression.
The combination of both lithium and riluzole in ALS patients appeared to keep patient alive longer and slow loss of breathing capacity and other clinical measures of disease progression.
To those of us who work very hard to translate science into effective therapeutics and to those who diagnose and manage ALS patients, this new study is extremely exciting.
It shows that drug combinations, when studied carefully, might actually very significantly slow down ALS and extend the lives of patients.
The actual study by the Italians was quite small. And the history of most modern medical research has taught us that small studies with patients need to be replicated with larger studies. All too often results of small studies are not reproduced when better and larger studies are carried out.
For this reason Packard Center clinicians and scientists are in the process of working with major ALS non-profits, the government, and European colleagues to move as quickly as possible to replicate this very small study with a larger one.
Details of the study will be reported as soon as we know more.
Does that mean patients should wait until a larger study of lithium and riluzole is complete before they consider taking the drug? Lithium is a drug very widely used for psychiatric disorders like manic depression. Its use must be monitored by physicians with appropriate physical exams and blood tests.
All patients interested in taking lithium plus riluzole should discuss this with their local physicians and/or neurologists.
The community of scientists and patients have all too often been disappointed with outcomes of ALS clinical trials, especially after we all get excited by experimental mouse data. But human trials provide the only data that really count.
We deeply hope that this novel combination of riluzole and lithium will turn out to be the “real thing” and we are collectively working hard to make that happen.


Jeffrey D. Rothstein MD, PhD

Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience Director,

Robert Packard Center for ALS Research

Greetings from Seymour, IN

We left for Tennessee today about 12:00 and hit some snow and slow traffic in Indianapolis. Then it turned to freezing rain and slick roads so we decided to stay in a motel tonight and finish our road trip in the morning. The kids have been doing pretty good so far as well as the dog. Actually, the dog is doing better than the kids. We are excited to visit with my cousins and plan to visit New River Fellowship church in Franklin, TN on Sunday where Michael W. Smith is the pastor. We went there a few years ago and it was so incredible! A very small church with a very humble pastor who could use his fame to make his church huge but just wants to be a servant and teach God's word. I was in awe and I have to say a little star struck too.
We will try to update the blog while we are gone if we have internet access. We just received a call before we left and found out that the VA will cover Eric's Rilutek prescription. Praise the Lord!! They also set us up to go to Battle Creek in a few weeks to see a Occupational and Physical Therapist to help him salvage the little use he has left in his left hand with adaptive devices and equipment. We are looking forward to this appointment because they may have things we haven't even considered to help Eric with eating and personal care.
Please pray for our safe travel tomorrow. We will be home next Tuesday.
Blessings,
The Fox family

"Cinderella"

We added some new songs to our jukebox. One of them is a new song called Cinderella by Stephen Curtis Chapman. This song floods our eyes with tears every time we hear it. It talks about a father and his daughter and events in her life like prom and her wedding day and how she wants to dance with her daddy and he always does because he knows someday she will be gone (leave the home and start her own family) This song probably grips the heart of any father with a daughter, however it just makes us think of Eric being gone and missing these events in her life. There I go crying again! Oh, how life is such a gift that we take for granted every day. We don't know when any one of us will be gone and leave this earth for our heavenly home. Treasure every moment with your family and friends and don't miss an opportunity to dance with your daughter, play catch with your son, hug your spouse, fellowship with friends, tell someone you love them! Eric calls Maddie his Princess and I attached a picture above to show the princes with her daddy.
Love and friendship,
Lori
To hear the song, go to the jukebox and click on standalone jukebox and scroll to the song "Cinderella" and grab some tissues.

Full Day

Friday was a full day. It started out with an early trip to the VA clinic. We are trying to get a prescription for Rilutek covered for Eric which is the only medically approved drug for ALS. It is very expensive. We have been holding off starting this drug due to reservations about it's effectiveness, however, Eric is now taking Lithium due to a new study in Italy that has positive results of slowing the progression of ALS. We found out that it works hand in hand with Rilutek. Please pray that the VA will approve this drug with no copay for Eric since it is not on their list. We should know in a couple weeks.
We stopped off at the ALS Association downtown and visited briefly with Denise George who has been a wonderful support and met Marie who is new to the office. Eric ran into an old friend from Pine Ridge Bible Camp which was a nice surprise.
We had an interview at our house with Rev. Rex Wilson of the 4C (Conservative Congregational Christian Conference) churches so that Eric can be used by sharing his testimony at churches which went really well. We are excited to see how God uses this to glorify Him and build his Kingdom.
Then Eric fell asleep on the couch and the dog curled up on him and snoozed too. He has been such a blessing to our family. He has adjusted unbelievably well and is so good! He just loves to be around us and hates it when we have to leave. It may sound strange to say this, but we have been praying about the right dog for our family considering our needs and situation and here he is! Still thinking of a new name for him or Prince will just stick. So far we have Chance, Lucky, Ben, Trotter and Pirate or Dragon(nephew Nathan's ideas) Any more ideas?
Eric and Zach went to the Griffin's game last night with some neighbors and guys from church. It was former Red Wing, Darren McCarty's home debut with the Griffins. He did not dissappoint as he scored a hatrick! They won 6-3... It was an exciting game and great to see the arena packed out. It was really good fellowship with some good friends. Thank you to Erick Apol for the invite and tickets. I don't get out as much lately and it was just what I needed! Finally fell into bed after midnight! Looking forward to going to church tomorrow since we had a snow day last week due to our wonderful Michigan snow storms we have been having!
We are excited to share that we are taking a road trip next Thursday for 6 days to Tennessee to visit Lori's cousins since Zach is on winter break. We will again try to bring a little sunshine back with us. We are even taking the dog!
Thank you to our friends and family for your continued prayers and love.
In Christ who strengthens me,
Eric

I Like Mike!

The newest member of the Fox Family needs a name

Well, we drove to East Lansing yesterday and looked at the dog we found online. He is part of East Lansing Animal Placement Bureau. They have a great program for finding good homes for their dogs. I liked that we had time to learn about the dog with no hurry or pressure and they were very thourough in their application process. Anyway, we all liked "Prince" and he loved us so we left and talked about it together and we all voted to take him home, so home he is and he is adjusting just great. He is actually 8 years old and is a Shetland Sheltie mix with some Spaniel in him they believe. He is only 18 lbs and is HOUSEBROKEN.... Hallelujah! He slept in Maddie's bedroom last night on her bed and didn't cry at all. He knows how to sit, shake and lay down and he just likes to be where we are. I am so relieved that he is so well behaved. He loves to lick faces a little too much so beware when you meet him. The kids love that, however, Eric and I prefer a handshake. :) We don't think he looks like "Prince" so let us know what you think HE looks like by commenting or emailing us and we may have a vote on his new name.

Eric is doing well, but having some weakness in his arms this week. Please pray for strength for his body.

As always, we appreciate your prayers and love!

Lori

Another Snowy day

Do we live in West Michigan, or what. This has been a winter of many snow days and cold temperatures! We woke up and got ready for church today and found that church was cancelled just before we headed out the door (this is rare for Wellspring) We were actually quite sad since we were really looking forward to the service this morning. Always, better safe than sorry. The roads are very treacherous today. We enjoyed the company of friends from church we called this morning who had drove all the way to church from G.R. who came by to hang out with us before braving the roads home.
Last night, we had dinner with a family (Stelma's) who we would have never met had Eric and Dave not both been diagnosed with ALS this past year. It's not the circumstance we would have chosen to meet by, however, God brings people into our lives through many circumstances and not always just by chance. We praise God for the way he brings people into our lives for good. Another instance is while we were in Florida, our timeshare update was done by a man whose wife does hair and nails where we deciced to have our pedicures and Zach's hair cut at her salon. We had a good talk with both of them. Just a week ago, we got a call from a man named Roger in Orlando who got our number from Tammy (salon owner) because he was recently diagnosed with ALS. We don't have all of the answers to this disease, but we know the One who does and who makes life worth living.... Jesus Christ! We could not make it without his love.
Last night, Eric and I decided to use our sauna while Maddie was upstairs watching TV. We came upstairs to find that she decided she needed a haircut. She just had taken her shower and her hair must have been in her eyes so she cut it and now has bangs! She cried when I asked her why she did it. Her hair was in the trash can. I told her that she was beautiful and when she thought she needed a haircut again, we would make a trip to the salon together! This was a first for our family... I know many of you have had this happen in your homes and I remember my sister playing "beauty shop" with me when we were kids. She was blessed with her daddie's hair so it is hard to tell, it just kind of blends in.
About our sauna, Eric has been using the sauna at the Born Clinic since October for a fee and we have been researching since then on the benefits of saunas. We ordered a far infrared sauna from www.sunlightsaunas.com and it shipped just before our vacation. Thank you to our friends Mitch and Greg for bringing it downstairs and putting it together and to Steve for hooking up the 110 electric so we could start using it. The benefits are dry heat that detoxifies your body as well as many other benefits. I didn't think I would like it, but we use it almost every day so it will pay off in the long run not having to drive so far to use it. It is so hard to know what will help Eric deter or slow the progression of this disease, but anything that makes him feel better is worth trying weighing the costs involved. We pray daily for a cure for this disease and answers to the unknowns that make this disease such a mystery to the medical field. Please pray for a cure with us or for God to intervene and divine healing that only He can bring.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, we are going to East Lansing to look at a dog we found on petfinder.com for possible adoption. We have been contemplating getting a dog since this summer after Eric's diagnosis. Eric and the kids would love to have a puppy, but I don't think I could handle the work involved with a puppy right now. I have not met a puppy that I wouldn't take home in a heartbeat, so this has been a difficult decision for us. Please pray that we will make the right decision on our new "family member".
Blessings to you all!
Lori and Eric

Mom's response to Power of a snowday!

This is Mom, Eric just showed me Zach's post... little stinker. I wish I would have scrolled down farther on Wood TV8 website (wondered why Allendale was closed and not Jenison) Anyway, I would have preferred to go back to bed too! Good thing my neighbor was out shoveling and said "Snow Day today" or I would have come home and gone back to bed with my poor boy standing on the sidewalk at school all by himself! Had he not wanted to go in early, I would have figured it out when we got to school.

I just wanted to add a late Thank you to my parents for taking us all up to Double JJ resort last weekend for our Christmas present (my dad worked very hard taking pictures even while we were there having fun to earn enough tradeout for all of us to go) It was such a great time playing and laughing so hard we cried together. Check out their website http://www.doublejj.com/ for a fun family trip that is nearby.

Thank you all again for your prayers and support! We have been doing well since we have been home, relaxing and enjoying staying indoors out of the snow. Not too much going on here and not much coming up this month.
Take Care and stay warm,
Lori

The Power of a Snowday!!

2-day I had a snowday and let me tell you, after you here what I'm going to say it won't sound as pleasing to you,but still it's a snowday. First of all my mom got up early to check if our prediction came true, but she didn't scroll down all the way so she didn't find out it was a snowday. On the other side of the bed I was getting dressed for Math Lab(early study hall for people who don't finish their homework on time)and she(mom)walked into my room and said,"Sorry honey, no snowday today." Next I ate my breakfast and watched T.V. until it was time to go. Finally my mom took me to school and dropped me off and said,"Have a nice day at school, I'll se you at home." I walked up to the school doors and they were locked. I waited and waited and waited and...HONK!HONK!!HONK!HONK!!!!!!!!! It was my mom. I jumped in the car and said,"Snowday."My mom told me the hole story about how sorry she was for leaving me their by myself and here I am right now writing this blog.
My dad said we might go to Charley's Dump(sledding hill, very big)because of all the snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your Adventures Writer,

Z-Diddy
(Zach Fox)

What are Stem Cells?

As defined by HowStuffWorks.com:

Stem cells are unprogrammed cells in the human body that can be described as "shape shifters." These cells have the ability to change into other types of cells. Stem cells are at the center of a new field of science called regenerative medicine. Because stem cells can become bone, muscle, cartilage and other specialized types of cells, they have the potential to treat many diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer. Eventually, they may also be used to regenerate organs, reducing the need for organ transplants and related surgeries.
"Stem cells are like little kids who, when they grow up, can enter a variety of professions," Dr. Marc Hedrick of the UCLA School of Medicine says. "A child might become a fireman, a doctor or a plumber, depending on the influences in their life -- or environment. In the same way, these stem cells can become many tissues by making certain changes in their environment."

Stem cells can typically be broken into four types:

· Embryonic stem cells - Stem cells taken from human embryos
· Fetal stem cells- Stem cells taken from fetal tissue
· Umbilical stem cells - Stem cells take from umbilical cords
· Adult stem cells - Stem cells taken from adult tissue

Embryonic and fetal stem cells have the potential to morph into a greater variety of cells than adult stem cells do. They were first isolated in the lab in 1998.
Prior to being transplanted into a person's tissue to begin regeneration of that tissue, stem cells have to go through differentiation. Differentiation is the process by which scientists pre-specialize the stem cells, almost like preprogramming the stem cells to become specific cells. These cells are then injected into the area of the body being targeted for tissue regeneration. When stem cells come into contact with growth chemicals in the body, the chemicals program the stem cells to grow into the tissue surrounding it.
Why for ALS?
People who have ALS steadily lose their ability to control muscle movement. Patients in the later stages become totally paralyzed, although their minds are often unaffected. The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is only two to five years from time of diagnosis. Many ALS sufferers die from failure of the nerve cells that control breathing. The cause of ALS is unknown and there is currently no cure. One FDA-approved drug, Rilutek, helps slow the progression of ALS. Still, no existing treatment is known to halt or reverse the disease.Potential for Stem Cell Therapies and CuresRecent studies indicate that stem cells can generate healthy new nerve cells. This could potentially provide a way to replace those that are lost as a result of ALS. One possible approach is to develop new motor neurons from human stem cells and then introduce them into regions of the body where motor neurons have died. In other recent studies, researchers have used stem cells to develop astrocytes, special cells that nourish and support brain and spinal nerve cells. These cells could, in turn, help regenerate nerve cells and reduce symptoms associated with ALS.Stem cells can also be engineered to deliver “trophic factors” and other chemicals that protect vulnerable nerve cells or even restore function to those already damaged.

Information obtained from the California Research and Cures Act.

FAMILY PIC

Family Time

From one vacation to the next! We had a wonderful, fun-filled time up at Double JJ Resort this weekend with Lori's family (Mom and Dad, Kevin & Stephanie & Carlos, and Brian, Kristi, Ashley, Nathan, and Emily). We went to the water park (very similar to Great Wolf Lodge...just cheaper, but just as big!) 4 times over the weekend. We had one exciting incident where I flipped out of the water tube on the "toilet bowl" ride. Lori freaked out but I was OK. Everything turned out fine. Below are some pictures of this weekend (bear with us while we figure out the video thing). Hope you enjoy.

Tonight we are having some friends over for a Super Bowl party for some fun and fellowship (GO GIANTS!!!).

Lori and nephew Nathan

Lori & Zach (Kristi & Nathan in front)

All the kids eating breakfast (that Grandpa cooked)

Maddie & Emily watching Scoobie Doo!

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