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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Treatment starts...

Yesterday we received the best news... the cancer did not spread to her lymph nodes!  I was terrified that it was because they had to do additional blood smears... like they did for her melanoma, and that came back positive.  I am thanking the Lord!!  Before we spoke to her doctor, I was holding back tears all day and was very emotional.  I felt like there were a ton of bricks in my stomach.  When they put her to sleep to put her PICC line in, the tears started coming as it is very emotional watching them put your child to sleep.  They put me in a hospital room and I cried for about 20 minutes.  The nurse that was putting the line in came in and held me and prayed with me.  She told me she prays over every patient before they insert the line.  I have not had a real good cry since I have been here because Courtney has always been at my side, and I try not to cry in front of her because I do not want to scare her.  Afterward, I felt good, like all the weight was gone... and my positive feelings came back... She woke up... I wheeled her to the doctor, and that is where we received the good news... yes, more tears!  but tears of joy!!!  I prayed to God and thanked him for this wonderful news all throughout the rest of the day and night.  Now we have to KEEP the cancer from spreading for the rest of her life.  I am not going to think about the statistics of a stage IIC cancer (which they say the 5 year survival rate is 47%).  At first it made me sick, but now I am going to think that she IS going to be the 47% that survives.  She is young and so healthy... and very strong!!  

Today Courtney starts her treatment of the peg-interferon alpha 2b.  This drug is new and Courtney is part of a research study using this drug.  They have not tried this drug on children and approximately 15 other kids from St. Jude and MD Cancer hospital will be on this protocol.

Today will be a long day.  We go to the nurse so they can teach me how to care for her PICC line, and then treatment is from 11:30 am to 7:30 pm.  We have to be there so long so they can take a lot of blood samples.

This is our last day at Grizzy House... we move to Ronald McDonald House tomorrow.  Courtney was concerned that they didn't have maid service at RMH like they do here.  LOL

Thank you dear Lord for hearing and answering our prayers!  Now we will need prayers to get her through these next 4 weeks as there are a lot of side effects.  The nurse said that she may have all the side effect, none of them, or people even make up their own.... Courtney found this funny, and thinks she is going to come out of  this talking Chinese!!  Please nooooooo... I can barely understand her now as she talks too fast... and non-stop!  Ahhhhh.... I love my daughter more than anything... she always makes me smile and laugh so hard, even through all of this.  <3

8:30 pm
Courtney completed her first treatment.  She was doing well at first, and then started to feel achy about 6 hours after... She is resting.  It was a long day.

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