Prayers for Cooper

This is from a local boy in our area named Cooper. I have verified all is true. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers on Feb. 5th. He has late stage Neuroblastoma. He needs a marrow transplant among other things to heal him. It isn't pretty. This is why we stitch for a cure.
Here is an excerpt from his dad's blog:
Its Time For Surgery
The time has come for Coopers tumor to be surgically removed. We set up his appointment for Feb 5 2010. There will be an incision in the left side of his chest, stretching from the front of his chest to his back, it will be in the middle of his ribs. I got a chance to see the actual tumor from the CT scans, its actually about the size of a baseball, between his heart and lungs, attached to his spin. Directly after the tumor is removed, Cooper will stay in the hospital for 3-5 days for healing, then start his 6th round of chemo. Since his bone marrow hasnt cleared from the cancer cells, we have to find a donor for the stem cells. This alone poses danger just like anything else he has been going through. During the transfusion, Cooper can develop Graph Verse Host Disease (GVHD), because of this treat Cooper will spend 3 Months in San Antonio. Due to the complications we are having with his progress, the San Antonio trip has not been set in stone yet.

I am sorry I haven't updated anyone for a while, life has been rough and I dont like to give people discouraging news. I had a chat with one of the doctors overseeing Coopers progress, he mentioned to me that since his bone marrow hasn't cleared, we have to find a donor. In finding a donor, Coopers chances of beating this decrease by 50%. His original odds where about 40%, with the donor....it is about 20%. The logic behind that was kind of a mystery to me as well. The reason it decreases is we have to find someone else's DNA, thus not being Coopers. Cooper using his own DNA is the most likely and promising path. We still have high hopes that Cooper will come out of this fight stronger than he ever was. It is had to see him turn from that sweet little boy we all came to know and love to a kid who has not the energy to do much. He is so strong. He has been through more medical procedures then most of you reading this post. He has probably been poked with more needles as well. How can someone so young withstand so much pain...

For everyone reading this, please pray for him tonight, pray for his surgery and the progress of his treatment.

~His Loving Father