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Ethan Strong, Ashland, ME (2026)

02/15/2026

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Ethan decided he missed his pals at the Clinic and struck a fever Friday morning of 101.5, and anything over 100.4 for him requires some testing. So a swift trip was taken down, some labs run, a little IV antibiotic and a little overnight hotel stay were had.

Good news, that little dose of antibiotics and getting out of town for the night did the trick! Ethan’s ANC is over 4000, hemoglobin is at 11, and his platelets are at 182. The Covid, influenza, and rsv tests all came back negative as well! That left us believing Ethan just picked up something viral somewhere, and thankfully his body was able to fight it well!

We hope you all had a much less eventful start to your valentines weekend, though we’re really glad to see the change from how Ethan’s body can handle sickness now compared to this time last year. We’ve definitely come a long way!

Much love,
Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼
Briana Pelkey Zach Pelkey

01/16/2026

Hey all!
It’s been a hot minute, and for that we do deeply apologize.

But that also means relatively good things!
Ethan has been doing so well, his visit at the clinic last Thursday confirmed his counts staying stable. He has stopped vomiting as much, getting a little more appetite back, and his spunky spark is coming back too! He takes another trip down on the 27th for an LP, and we’re hoping for more confirmation we are headed the right direction still!

Ethan and family have been slowly getting back to a busier life lately. Since Ethan’s counts have been rising and stable, it’s opened up the ability to do just a little more. Mom is able to work from home during the week now, family and friends are able to visit a little more, and taking Ethan out and about again, even if it’s just to family houses. Soon enough he’s going to have all his strength back to wrestle his dad on who gets to drive the lawn equiptment! 😂

This may not seem like much, or is normal for a lot of people’s day to day activities, but for our family, getting back to these things is the progress we’ve been so desperately trying to reach. A goal that seemed so far fetched just a little under two years ago when our world was changed, when Ethan’s life became even more fragile. Some days, and months even, were so hard. Setbacks after progress made it seem impossible, but here we are, slowing reaching the peak of this mountain.
So we’ve been celebrating it! Living as much life as we can, face to face, back to loving our people and places again.

It’s been one day, one step at a time. A long, slow and steady pace that all of you have walked beside us for, hand in hand, with support that is unbelievable, immeasurable, and unwavering. Thank you for walking through this with us, always having Ethan in your thoughts and prayers, and we always feel the extra ones sent for the family!

Much love,
Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼

Briana Pelkey Zach Pelkey

10/17/2025

Hello to our friends and family!

We know, we know, it’s been FOREVER since you’ve gotten word on Ethan.
While we’re sorry for the time lapse between posts, we’re also thrilled to be able to be so full of life again! We’ve been fully immersed in living and experiencing life with Ethan again now that we can. It’s a nice change, one we prayed so long to reach again.

Ethan truly has been thriving! Last week, his ANC was 1280 and his platelets a 220. Such great numbers for this champ, and we can only keep praying to continure moving in this direction!
Ethan went down today for his IVIG infusion. Nothing scary, just his routine infusion to help boost his immunities. We will take any help we can get!

Knowing where we are now compared to a year ago seems like two different lifetimes. Seeing Ethan now compared to a year ago, it’s like a whole different kid. If one thing has always remained consistent, it’s been the continuous and overwhelming support from all of you! We can’t thank our village enough, our hospital/clinic staffs enough, or all of you enough for truly being the words and hope that got us through.
We are no where near done yet, but it feels good to see the brighter side of life again.
One day at a time.

Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼

Briana Pelkey Zach Pelkey

09/03/2025

Remember how we said Ethan’s Mom and Dad are getting married?

Well, we had a little celebration for them before the big day with our closest family and friends.

As you can see, Ethan may have had a couple sips too much of the sparkling grape juice and was definitely the life of the party!

Dolly Parton came on, he grabbed his cousin Ally, and they let out all the moves!

Please enjoy these two sweet babes giggling and dancing their hearts out as much as we did. It’s these moments where we find our peace again. 🧡

Ethan Strong 👍🏼

Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

09/02/2025

Hello all our friends and family!

We’re sorry it’s been a bit for an update, but that just means we are getting back to living life a little!

Ethan has been doing relatively well lately. A few hiccups with minor things here and there, but so far, we’re still moving forward on the right track! We’ve noticed just how full of life he’s been lately. How much more excited he is when family is able to be around to visit, the way he will full belly laugh again playing with his cousins and brothers. The way his words are now flowing out in sentences as hes gaining some independence back. One of our personal favorites, his weight and hair are coming back for now too!

Ethan has an appointment coming up next week on Tuesday. He and Dad will make the day trip to get Ethan’s lumbar puncture and labs checked, and we are so praying things go smoothly. A smooth travel day, no hiccups for Ethan, and ultimately being told we’re still on track for his continued healing journey!

Being on track with Ethan is super important right now, and we need ALL the prayers we can get!
Ethan’s Mom and Dad are getting MARRIED this month, and having everything stay on our intended path is definitely key right now! Ethan’s health always, ALWAYS, comes first, and we know with everyone rooting for him, we will hopefully stay headed in the right direction.

Please enjoy these photos of the smiling face we love to see so much as you send him up in your prayers. We enjoy sharing our joys with you, our little glimpses of Ethan feeling good. We enjoy it because we know how deeply you all fight for him, and continue to do so. We will never be able to say thank you enough.

One day at a time,
Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼

Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

07/19/2025

Ethan had the most heart warming day, Make-A-Wish Maine made this little boys garage dreams come true!

Ethan’s Garage Repair and Service is open for business! With some new tools and a pretty sweet place to fix all of his toys with gears, Ethan is going to be a busy guy. A little piece of joy in what has been a long journey of ups and downs is just what this fighter needed to keep his spirits high!

To see the absolute joy and wonder on his face, and the excitement and fun he was having with his family today, was a blessing to witness. To see the village he has in family surrounding him on such an important day really helped refill the strength we need in this journey. We can’t thank you all enough for being there with us today. This will truly be a day Ethan will never forget.

We’re preparing ourselves for his new business hours, that we’re sure will consist of Ethan being in the shop from sun up until he’s being taken inside for bedtime. Truly, we couldn’t be happier seeing just how overjoyed he is with his wish. Our Make-A-Wish Team was truly incredible and made this boys dreams come true! We will forever be so grateful.

Happy Happy Birthday, our sassy, sweet little warrior.
🧡👍🏼Ethan Strong

Thank you Jenn Pelkey for the incredible photos!
Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

07/18/2025

Hey everyone!

Today is a pretty special day; Our little fighter Ethan turns 3 today!
Happy Birthday to the toughest fighter we know! 🥳

This years birthday is much different than the last; being home with family and able to celebrate is a huge improvement from being stuck in a hospital.

Even better news, Ethan’s counts have been rising! His ANC was at 870 on Tuesday and we couldn’t be more thankful to see little man getting back to being himself again. Seeing him joke, laugh, and enjoy playing again are the simple joys that we take for granted sometimes, so it’s nice when it comes back around.

Ethan has a HUGE surprise coming tonight!
So huge, we’ll be double posting today, so you know it’ll be good!
We honestly cannot wait to see the joy this precious boy is about to be so full of!

Until then, let’s all wish our favorite fighter a big Happy Birthday 🎂🎊🎉

🧡👍🏼 Ethan Strong

Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

07/03/2025

The power of our village praying over our little fighter has proven to be a force to not mess with once again!

Ethan and Dad had a successful trip to Bangor and back yesterday. Ethan got his platelets and handled everything like the true champion he is! He will get local bloodwork done Monday to re-assess his levels. Chemo is also on hold for the moment until Ethan’s counts are back on track.

Last night, Ethan was battling a low grade fever. For whatever reason, and we truly believe it is our people holding Ethan so high, he was able to hold the fever off enough to not have to return to the hospital. It never went about a 99.6, which we couldn’t be more thankful for. Going back to extended stays at the hospital isn’t what anyone wants, and after being home for so long, it’s a tough thought to go back to.

So today we are thankful, grateful, and just all around blessed to be able to have Ethan home and the family as one. We’re counting every small win, every little blessing, even when it seems like there are none. We truly appreciate and thank you, our village. We just have to keep going, one day at a time!

A little side note from Ethan: today is my Mom and Dads’ birthdays! We know, it’s strange they’re the same day, but also how cool is that?! If you see them out and about today, don’t forget a little extra love for the parents going through the unimaginable.

🧡👍🏼 Ethan Strong

Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

07/02/2025

GOT PRAYERS?!
Ethan sure needs them!

Maintenance has been going well, but a week of illness has definitely set our little fighter back a little bit.
Ethan’s ANC count was a very low 90 this week, and he’s been under the weather, which isn’t helping any of his other counts be great either.
This means a trip to Bangor tomorrow morning, to hopefully help get our baby boy back on track!
Dad and Ethan will head out first thing, and we so need every extra prayer that it will be a quick day trip. Prayers that there is no fever that will require Ethan to be admitted, once again.

Our village helps keep our minds and spirits on the positive path, we can’t do it without you. While asking isn’t our favorite, we know all of you never hesitate for Ethan. It’s a tough transition, going back to when things aren’t so great, after being “okay” for a little while. So we’re really hoping with our village here to lift our boy in prayer, this will be a small hill to get over, and not a big one.

Ethan really is such a brave, resilient fighter.

🧡👍🏼 Ethan Strong

Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

06/20/2025

Good afternoon everyone!

We know it has been a minute since we have updated, we do apologize. However, that just means we’ve been busy doing life with Ethan, instead of just trying to survive it!

Ethan and Mom made the trek down to Bangor today for Ethan to have his monthly lumbar puncture with chemo and a chemo IV. It was a bit of a rough start to the morning, Ethan got a bit sick, but nothing that was going to keep him down and out today. As you can see he’s still in the best of spirits!

Ethan has been enjoying so much family time lately. All of the nice weather has brought lots of outdoor time, playing with his toys and lots of his cousins he adores so much. He’s even gotten some side by side rides in, which is one of his absolute favorite activities!

Seeing Ethan slowly getting back to being himself, and being able to do the things he loves again, is truly a blessing. Knowing he’s getting stronger day by day makes everything so worth it. All the heartache, pain, so many unknowns for so long, are all finally becoming the small things as Ethan keeps pushing forward. He truly is a warrior.

Let’s all keep those prayers, warm wishes, and good thoughts for this sweet boy prominent in our hearts. We truly haven’t been able to do this journey without our village, without every single prayer from all of you. Ethan isn’t out of the woods yet, but we can start to see the horizon on the other side, so let’s keep raising this little boy up!

Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼

Zach Pelkey Briana Dyer

05/27/2025

Hey all!

We hope you all enjoyed a long weekend with family and friends in remembrance of those who gave their all so we can enjoy these days.

Ethan has sure been enjoying the sun being out! Not having to travel so often throughout the week has given so much more opportunity for Ethan to enjoy the elements. Soaking up the sun, building up his strength as he runs around playing with his cousins, and relaxing while watching Dad fix the house. Mom and Dad even got a screen tent so Ethan can have a place to hang and be protected from the sun a little, and of course the bugs!

Ethan’s counts have been going up and we finally finished his round of steroids he was on. Let us tell you, when people mention “roid rage”, just know in a toddler, it is very very real. Ethan is still working through his appetite changes, and we find one thing he will enjoy for a time, and then we’ve moved onto the next. Keeping up with switches, and we mean in the middle of making what he asked for and now we want something else, may seem hard, but it’s so worth it to find things he’ll actually enjoy eating.

We appreciate all of you for continuing through this journey with us. Every kind word and prayer sent is felt in so many ways. And we are so very thankful for them every day.

Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼

Briana Dyer Zach Pelkey

05/19/2025

Good afternoon everyone!

Little Ethan has been loving being at home more lately than on the road. With the weather warming up and his strength coming back, he’s enjoyed being able to be outside and truly play again!

Tomorrow morning however Ethan and Mom will be hitting the road back down south. Ethan will be having a lumbar puncture and chemo around 8:30, and his routine levels check will be done so we can truly see where our fighter is standing in this battle.

Let’s all pray Ethan’s counts are great and his small routine procedure goes according to plan tomorrow. Another little prayer for safe travels, and all the coffee to keep Mom ready to be on the go for the day! May we all have a beautiful tomorrow!

Ethan Strong 🧡👍🏼

Zach Pelkey Briana Dyer

Ethan Strong

02/15/2026

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10/17/2025

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09/02/2025

07/19/2025

07/18/2025

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