March 2, 2003

Derek & Melli came down to visit me today. I wasn't feeling very great and Derek and I didn't really dO anything, but it was nice to see him anyway. We watched Homeward Bound 2 together. I want to go home so I can see my friends more, and my family all at the same time. I found out today that I've been here for 3 weeks. I didn't realize I've been here that long. I don't want to be here that long! I want to go HOME!

This is me and my Dad!

Me, my mom, and Melli. Mom is inside the phone... I was talkin' to her!

This is my cousins, Ali & Ben with me. They came today too!

And this is just adorable me!
(Melli said that! I didn't!
I'm not that bold! ... ...
well, yes I am! But Melli said it!)

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The Homecoming

Yea! Scott is finally home!! He arrived in a fashion that is reserved for our most honored heros.

As many of our family, friends, and neighbors stood watching in our front yard, a bright yellow Medstar helicopter brought Scott home. (As many people at Children's told us, usually patients arrive by helicopter but rarely do they ever go home that way!)

Our local sheriff department and state troopers were there also. As the helicopter got closer, the squad car lights and flashers were turned on. Once the Medstar helicopter landed, the transport team worked to move Scott out and up the yard to the house. The crowd clapped and cheered his arrival.

Much to the surprise of everyone , Scott was awake and alert. We heard him say "Hello Dr. Hook!", and we all knew that he was home. No one expected Scott to be awake. We expected him to be sedated so that he would not be in any pain from the ride but Scott was able to make the trip without ANY sedation! The 10 days prior to coming home, while being transported to NIH by ambulance for radiation, he had to be heavily sedated due to potholes AND positioning on the radiation table. The helicopter allowed him to get out of DC without ONE MORE POTHOLE! Yeah!

Everyone expected to leave after Scott arrived to give our family time to get settled but, Scott surprised us again by wanting to see all of the people that had come to see him. So, the Medstar Team stayed, got Scott settled "under the watchful eye of the Sheriff and his officers, State Troopers, and the local Fire Dept " and then they all took turns with a short visit with Scott. We even had cake and icecream. It was a true and long awaited homecoming!

Everything fell into place wonderfully and on such short notice (even tho this site was offline for a short time). As we all know , lots of times things just don't go as planned but this time they did. It was truly an honor befitting our hero.

We would like to thank everyone that made this day happen. It was a labor of love and a joyful celebration for our Scott.

Love,
The Coyles

The Family await Scott's return.

Ty, Dad, Drew & Jef waiting for their hero.
	Many friends wait too...

Morgan, Thomas, Derek, Kyle, Kyle, Homer & Alex
The Buds wait for their friend to come home.

Heeeeeeeere he comes!

The Chopper Lands

Finally... back where he belongs.

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Webmistress Notes:

02/28/03		WHOA! HALT! STOP! We need to put a halt on the buttons/pins/badges operation for a moment! The letter has come back from Guinness and it appears that we really did jump the gun. They want this to be a very SPECIFIC collection. i.e. -- One person in the book collected Fireman's Patches -- 2,810 of them from 50 different countries. Another person collected buttons (regular sew on buttons - shirts/coats etc.., I believe) -- 439,900 of them - all different! And whatever he collects that "ALL DIFFERENT" is a very important part of it! Sooo... you can see that this isn't going to be as easy as all that. The first thing is, Scott has to decide EXACTLY what he wants to collect!!! So, until further notice, let's hold up on the buttons and see what he decides on. Then we can all get busy scouring our different sources and help him come up with what he really needs! That's all for now! Hopefully I'll be back later today with an actual Scotty update! I'll try to talk to Judi sometime today. :) I'm really sorry for those of you that have spent a lot of time or money buying pins or buttons or postage! We had noooo idea!
02/28/03		Just got off the phone with Rob. Scotty is not in a good way tonight. I got no details - he couldn't talk. But urgent prayers are requested. I will try to bring more information later on if Judi calls me or if one of them gets a chance to email me. Dear God, bless this baby.... :(
03/01/03		Scott had a peaceful night last night. Rob says he slept well. I know many of you have been up praying the night, as I have. Scott had an MRI this morning, but the results are inconclusive. Just keep praying, and when the doctors figure out what's going on I'll bring it to you. Prayer is the most important thing we have to offer, and it's the most ANY of us can do for him. Everyone, please try to be patient... we are ALL anxious about this, and the Drs. and the Coyles are doing the very best that they can. This is a most stressful time for us all, but most especially for them. We must all keep a POSITIVE attitude and just pray for the very best! In the meantime, you might like to take a look at the poem that Scott's good friend Jan wrote for him back in November. She and Judi have both chosen to share it with me, and Judi asked that I share it with you too. It is down below my updates here. (and below the past updates) I hope you enjoy it.
03/02/03		Derek and I went to visit Scott today. It was GREAT to see him! We haven't layed eyes on that boy since before his surgery! Way too long! We stayed for about 2 hours. He wasn't feeling very well, and it's a little deceiving because he looks pretty good! One of the medications that he's on now gives him that "swollen cancer kid" look. I think when Derek first saw him he thought "oh boy!", but soon found out that his buddy just wasn't really "up" to much. They did watch a movie and talked a little, but mostly just enjoyed each others company. Scott wanted to know if we wanted to see his "leg" - the missing one. Derek declined, and I left it up to Scott. If he wanted me to, then yep, I would! He wanted me to. But not really -- he just wanted me to see that it's gone. He didn't want to show me the scar, and that was fine. We were there to see Scott, with or without parts! He was in and out of pain during our visit... sometimes excruciating, other times just a zap! And still other times more of an ache... but most of the time, he rested fairly peacefully. It really was a GREAT visit! Check out the new pictures just above my updates!
03/05/03		This from Judi: ''A new tumor has recently been found in Scott's spine. He will be going for 10-15 days of radiation at NIH- transported via ambulance from Children's. We are eager to get him home if the pain can be controlled. For now we are decorating his hospital room with all the cards people are sending- and over the next few weeks would be a perfect time for Scott to be assured how special and brave he really is. Homemade cards, signs etc are PERFECT (and that does not necessarily mean computer!!) Cards should be sent to PO Box or home address (if they have it). We appreciate all the support that can be mustered.'' I give you once again that PO Box: Scott P.O. Box 906 Huntingtown, MD 20639
03/06/03		Another update from Judi: ''Scott is in PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) for pain control. Everyone seems to feel that he will be ready to move back up to the 4th floor by Thursday afternoon! This is GREAT NEWS! He will be continuing to get radiation treatments through next week. His rides to NIH over DC’s pot holes have improved very much, thanks to modern medicine! Scott didn’t get a chance to check his emails today but will get back to it hopefully in a day or so! But he did have a super day today and was even looking at a magazine and requesting to play a game boy game! Mom asked for “sweet” kisses and he not only gave her one, but asked if there was anyone else in the room who wanted one! He has incredible nursing care and they make him smile! It feels like we are getting a handle on the situation!'' Keep up the GREAT work Scotty! You are such a Super Trooper boy! :)
03/14/03		Scotty is coming home today. At least that's the plan... there's a lot of coordination involved in making this happen - but today is the day that everyone is shooting for. (if this changes it will be posted here.) Scott is very happy to be coming home. No more hospitals. No more doctors. No more tests! He will be coming home to stay and he will be in the care of Hospice. The Ewings is progressing fairly quickly. Friends are welcome to come and visit daily between the hours of Noon and 5:00 pm. The family would like to keep the morning and evening hours for their special time together. However, Scott really does want to see people and if these hours are just impossible for you, please give Rob or Judi a call and they will make other arrangements with you. (These hours may change also once they are settled in and see how this schedule works out. Again... check here for changes.) Those of you that can not visit can still help out. The cards and letters that you've been sending to all 3 children have been great! Please keep those cards and letters coming! Ty and Drew look forward to them as much as Scott does! Judi tells me "Mail time is a highlight of the day!".
LATEST News		Okay! He's going to be coming soon! The helicopter will be picking him up at Children's at about 5:10 - 5:15 and then they will be on their way! We expect him between 5:30 - 5:45 pm. COME ON OVER!!!
03/15/03		No Visitors today please. Scotty is not feeling up to it today.
03/16/03		Scott is UP for visitors today! Come on by! Between noon and 5:00 pm.
03/17/03		We are still working out Scott's med schedule- he was quite sleepy during his Sunday visits this week. For the time being, visiting hours during the week will be 1-4 pm. We will re-evaluate this schedule as we rework his meds. We appreciate your being patient with us as we learn what times work out best for Scott and his family! It was a wonderful afternoon to share time with Scott. The family appreciated seeing everyone and being surrounded by love and kindness.
03/18/03		No visitors today, please. We hope to see you tomorrow.
03/19/03		As everyone knows, we must take each day as it comes as we decide what will work for visitation! As of now (10:30 pm Tues pm), Scott is again not up for visitors tomorrow. He had quite a 'punk' day today and may still be feeling that way in the morning! If by chance he should be feeling better tomorrow we will let you know. He has a few appts with the physical therapist, nurse and home health worker on Wed. We will see how his schedule progresses throughout the week. Our family give thanks for each day we have to share with Scott. He is a true blessing and spending time with him is a gift of magical time. We appreciate your help in making his time magical. We want you to know he does feel very special and very loved! Again, contacting Scott via the PO BOX 906, Huntingtown, Md 20639 is also a great way to go! Maybe including a few cards for the brothers (Ty and Drew) as they attempt to share their piece of their brother. It can be very loving and human at the same time. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and to love your children everyday. Don't just say HI!, sit and interact. You'll be glad you did later. Fondly, Judi
03/20/03		No visitors today please. Scott is not up to it.
03/21/03		Judi called me last night and asked that I tell you there will be no more visitations with Scott. He's just not up to it. Let's all be thankful for the time that we HAVE had to visit with him. Every single precious minute has been a gift and a blessing for us all!
03/23/03		Scott passed away this afternoon at 3 pm. He was surrounded by love and family. He was painfree and very relaxed when he died. Scott had been surrounded by family- day and night- until God chose to bring him home. He was not scared. Our family is grateful that Scott died pain free, embraced in love, knowing that he was going to the arms of Jesus. Scott's family cannot sufficiently express how much it meant to us to see how Scott was loved and cherished. We appreciate EVERYONE'S support- and Scott died feeling VERY special and loved! Your kind, supportive and loving words were and continue to be a wonderful tribute to him.
		Please visit Scott's Memorial Page
		Sign my Guestbook          Visit my Message Board

Oct./Nov. Dec./Jan. Feb./Mar. Apr./Aug. Nov./Dec.'02 Jan./Feb.'03

Would you like to read the poem my friend, Ms. Jan wrote for me?
It's Here!

Derek's sister, Amanda, wrote one for me too.
Bravest Boy

I told you and told you that I really dO want you to SIGN my guestbook, so please do or I might have to let go of my gown and MOON you! GUESTBOOK

If THAT guestbook doesn't work, try THIS one!
Well. I would hate to MISS you! :)

View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook

Some good Cancer sites to visit:
(not that the cancer is good - but the sites are alright!)

Cancer Kids Homepage
Captain Chemo
cancersourceKids.com
www.bonetumor.com
YaHoo Clubs / Ewing's Sarcoma
(a message board for talking to others who have this disease)
Ewing's Sarcoma List Members Page
(tells stories of other kids with Ewing's Sarcoma)
Candlelighters - Childhood Cancer Foundation
(another good message board)
Life Beyond Childhood Cancer

(((((((((((((Big HUGS))))))))))))))
and HUGE THANKS to

Walton H. Stone, Builders
St. Leonard, MD

and

Sneade's Ace Hardware
Owings, MD

For providing the familys' home with an access ramp
for Scott's wheelchair!

This generous and caring gift is appreciated SO much!!!

This web page and all of the graphics on it were created especially
for Scott by Melli of IPproductions.
Please do not take these graphics.