Man its been a long time!

Well where do we began? A ton has happened since my last update but to give you a quick run down on everything here we go I have finished chemo YAY this is a very excited time but scary I don't know why it would be scary to stop but it was my life for a very long time and I don't know really what life is anymore without chemo but as of now it has been wonderful and life has been really good to me.

This past March I went to Breckenridge Colorado with Holly and other kids that have osteoscarma or a type of bone cancer to snowboard it was the best vacation I have ever been on being with those kids and spending time with them it was amazing it made me feel so normal with them it was a great feeling for the first time since I lost my leg that I felt like a normal kid again. We celebrated my 23rd birthday there with three other kids that had a birthday as well it was nice to spend time with my nurses and Dr. Yeager without being in a hospital setting.

We have had two sets of scans since I stopped chemo and they have been all clear thank you God!! I have finally gotten my new prosthetic leg the C-leg it has really changed the way I walk it doesn't hurt as much to wear the leg and it has helped me become a better walker and I get to ride a bike with this leg I will in the winter get a setting set up for snowboarding.

We recently took a vacation to myrtle beach and had a great time with my wife and her family I also actually got a tan for the first time it seem like in 4 years. The apartment is doing great and our puppy has gotten big we celebrate her birthday here soon I just cant believe how busy we have been and how long it has taken me to update this blog. I will try to be better and update as much as I can.

Today was a great day I got my port out of my chest and that indeed marks the end of my treatment this is an amazing scary nervous feeling but I will take it day by day. I am looking forward to the future think just last July we were in St. Jude's not knowing what tomorrow would bring and now look I'm healthy and CANCER FREE!! It is something I will not take for granite I love life and I cant wait to live it everyday with my amazing family friends and my wonderful wife that has been there no matter what and she is my rock. I just want to thank everyone for the support over the years and the prayers but please continue to pray for me because every pray is a blessing and I keep them close to my heart. Please continue to pray for my friends up on J5 and the kids that have finish treatment like me pray for them as well.

Thanks again, Joe Friend and feel free to post a comment.

Baptism & Update

Yesterday was a great day for me and my family. I got baptised at my church it was an amazing feeling I thought we would never get there but finally we did and it was just at the right time. Thank you Pastor Paul for everything and being there for me and my family. After I got baptised we all went to Anne & Tony's for a good brunch.

So the apartment is still great we have all the rooms together now and we actually added to our family and got a puppie she is 11 weeks old today we got her about 3 weeks ago. Shes a Morkie (Maltese & Yorkie) her names Millie shes so good for me she gives me a reason to wake up in the morning and now I feel like I have something to do because she depends on me now its wonderful.

Saturday night Brad and Susan Salmons, Ryan's parents invited Holly and I to the game opener for the Columbus Blue Jackets we were excited to enjoy the night with them. We had a great time and to end it the blue jackets won so it even made it better. Ryan was defiantly there in spirit we felt him all around they actually have Ryan's Jersey hanging up by the Hats for hero's station by the main doors its so nice I am so happy that it displays there so everytime I go to the games I see it and know Ryan's with us. They also have is jersey that he wore to the games in another display by sections 103-104. Make sure you check it out when you go to the games! Thanks again Brad and Susan for an amazing time & thank you for everything else cant wait to get together again.

So thats pretty much everything chemo treatments are still once a week with one treatment one week and two treatments the next. I had an appointment with OSU leg doctors last monday to see if I can get the C-leg and everything worked out great so in no time I should be walking around with my new leg!!!

Thanks for the prayers and please continue.

Joe Friend

My new place.

I just want to update everyone on how I am and what my life is like right now. I moved into my new place with my wonderful wife on Sept 5Th we have been working really hard to get everything into place and have had many people over to see it and its great. We are so happy right now and its all because God made it happen. We are excited to start are life together and its been amazing so far and it will continue to be amazing. Please continue to pray that treatment goes great. Treatment every other week is still tough but I am and will get though it. Thanks again for all the support and love and please stop by anytime we would love to have you!

Joe.
Please continue to pray for the kids on J5!

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

I want to start by saying sorry it has taken me a while to update I have been very busy these past couple weeks. Second I want to Thank a lot of people last Wednesday the 5th of August my brother Dustin had a benefit for me in Mount Vernon at the Flappers bar and grill it was a spaghetti dinner and auction. I first want to thank my brother Dustin for helping me out and doing this for me it was really awesome and my dad and Darla for helping him out that night myself and others will never forget it thank you! I also want to thank the owner of flappers Jeff for letting us hold the benefit there thank you so much this benefit has and will help me out for a long time to come. I also want to thank Donley ford and Lash Chevrolet and the people that came thank you so much it means everything to me. I also want to thank everyone from the race track and especially Joy Smith for donating a incredible amount thank you so much. Thank you to everyone else that come out that night and helping me out you will never truly know how deeply this touches my heart and it blows my mind to think that so many people care for me it amazes me everyday the love and support that I get from everyone I truly do not know what I would ever do without every single person. I am sorry if I forgot anyone! I cant ever say thank you enough for all of this its AMAZING and I cant get over it i am still talking about it and will for a long time to come. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Okay so update on me I have received a couple more treatments since my last update. I go once a week for about 34 more weeks and they added a drug to my MTTP-E drug and it give me a headache and im a little sick the next day but I just have to get used to it and it will be fine tomorrow I go in for another treatment and an MRI to make sure everything is looking okay please PRAY that everything is and we are doing good! Holly and I have decided its time to move out and be on our own so we are moving Sept. 5th and I cant wait to start our lives together we should be fine with me only have one treatment a week and we are still close to family so we will always have visitors which we will love. We just got back also from another vacation we went to Ocean Isle for a family beach vacation it was fun and HOT we had a good time relaxing on the beach it was my nephews first time at the beach so that was a lot of fun watching there faces. We were also there to see my best friend Jeremy get married I was the best man it was a beautiful beach wedding Holly and I are so happy for them they are also expecting so that is another exciting thing we wish them the best life together!

I have received my new crutches and I want to Thank all of you for letting this happen they are so nice I love them they help me out so much it was a real change when I first used them I just got them on Monday so I haven't been able to show them too many people but im excited to use them and show everyone soon.

So please say a prayer and hope everything goes as planned tomorrow! And again Thank you Dustin, Dad and Darla for everything thanks again to everyone that was there and those who couldn't make it but still made a donation!!! I will be forever grateful...

Vacation

Sorry it has been a while since my last update things are going good I have received one treatment since being back from St. Jude's I have been trying to get a hold of someone there to know more information but still don't know anything about the rest of my treatment. Last weekend Holly and I traveled down to West Virgina for my family reunion it was a good time we got back yesterday and was very tired from the drive. I have only a couple more leg doctor appointment until I can get my leg and start to walk again I should be getting my new crutches here soon in the next couple of weeks it has taken a long time on those but hopefully it wont be to much longer. I hope to get some type of treatment this week because next week I will be in NC for a family vacation and my best friend is getting married on the beach and I'm the best man I am really looking forward to this trip. I believe Holly and I will leave after my appointment on Friday at Hanger (leg doctor) and make a two day trip out of it. But just wanted everyone to know that I'm doing good, and hoping for treatment soon and to see if the spot on my back has grown or became smaller. Please keep me in your prayers and pray the the spot on my back does become smaller and smaller each day. Thank you all for everything and showing your support and love.

Joey

PS. Please continue your prays for the kids on J5.

Other important news Ryan Salmons dad is having a benefit to raise money for the Ryan Mission for Nationwide Children's Hospital, there was an article in the paper about it in Sundays paper on the front of the sports section if you can go that's amazing I just wish I would be in town. For more information on this event please visit his site. www.teamsalmons.com

AMAZING NEWS!!!!!

This past week I went back down to St. Jude's and they confirmed that the tumor/thing on my back is NOT cancer this is amazing news for me and my whole family I am a true believer of miracles now and I want to thank everyone for helping me and supporting me and praying for me because I truly believe that it was all the praying that turned it into not being cancer. Thank you GOD! So now I am home i got home Friday morning around 2am and headed to children's that morning to start back on my chemo treatments. The doctors at St. Jude's tells us that the chemo up here is working and that I should finish treatment up here this is amazing and they have also said I do not need surgery that my body will take care of the thing itself. So amazing news and everything is back on track thank you so much ST. JUDE'S!

Home and Tired

Sorry that I did not update last night we were all very tried after a long and went to bed early. Yesterday we had some meeting with different people like a social worker and post opp. after my biopsy. I didn't end up having my biopsy yesterday. After we were done with the test we actually got to go have some fun we went to Graceland and to Elvis place and enjoyed the tour Holly had the time of her life she looked like a kid in the candy store it was so nice to have some kind of fun. After that we went to fine the famous Beale Street and walked up and down there and seen some pretty cool things it was a good time we ate at this Jazz place and the food was good after that we went back to the hotel and hit the beds we were tired. Today we had to be up early for the biopsy and that was all we did today it went perfect no problems. We got the schedule for next week and depending on the results from the biopsy we will be beginning treatment and that's exciting I cant wait to final start something. After the biopsy I was allowed to travel home we arrived home around 9 and that wasn't bad for leaving Memphis at 1pm. We had a good and safe trip home. Next Monday I will again be traveling down to St. Jude's and Tuesday have more meeting with people and hopefully treatment. Thank you all for all the support it has really helped. The support really helps me get though the hard times and waiting is the hardest. Please continue to pray because it does help.

Joe.