Curve Balls

This being the time for MLB Playoffs, curve balls are often things you want to see during the month of October. Unfortunately, we were thrown one yesterday not from a major league pitcher but a major league oncologist.

Our oncologist at Nationwide, Dr. Yeager, saw something in Josie's tumor that didn’t look typical so he sent it off for a second opinion. The pathologist who reviewed her tumor saw some cells which looked a little different from run of the mill embyonal cells. What the pathologist said was that there were signs of diffuse anaplasia... which means that throughout the tumor, there were cells that appeared to be more aggressive.

What does this mean?

Josie's staging and clinical group have not changed. She has, however, been changed to the intermediate risk category. Not good news! This change greatly impacts her treatment. Dr. Yeager would rather air on the side of caution and treat her cancer more aggressively than to under-treat it. This means she will now receive a third chemo medication every third week. The medication, cyclophosphamide, has increased risks and the side effects will be more severe.  Scott and I were given the option before treatment began to add this drug into the mix and only have six months of chemo. Due to the increased risks, we opted not to add this into her treatment and stay with a 12 month chemo regime. Now, she will be on Vincristine, Actinomycin and Cyclophsophamide or VAC, for short.

The “V” drug will be given every week. The “A” & “C” will be administered every third week. Now, the weeks that she receives the “A” & "C" medication she will have to stay in the hospital over night to receive IV fluids. The week or so after this treatment she will have a very low immune system and will have to have limited contact with larger crowds and no contact with anyone who has been sick in the two weeks prior. 

Her first VAC treatment is scheduled for next Tuesday, and right now, will be at the Cabell Huntington or Cabellton Huntington, as Josie calls it. She will stay there Tuesday night, receive IV fluids and before she is released on Wednesday, she will get an immune boosting shot to help raise her white blood count. The shot is not a "miracle" shot but will shorten the effects of the VAC on her immune system. She will be more susceptible for about a week. More than likely, she will not be able to return to school until the middle of December, at the earliest. 

RADIATION:

Josie will have to have 5-6 weeks of radiation at OSU James Cancer Center. Her first treatment will be on 11/03 but we will have to be in Columbus early on 11/02 for a planning session. During her radiation, she will only receive Vincristine, the chemo drug she has had the last two weeks. She has done well with this drug and should have limited harsh side effects of the chemo whilst she is having radiation. Her VAC will resume the week after her radiation is complete.

With all this, even some curve balls can be hit out of the park. I know Josie will not strike out on her new treatment plan. She is definitely an All*Star and we can’t wait to see how all this plays out. God is still in control and we trust in Him. 

Radiation

Today we had out consult with our Radiation Oncology team. They were all so sweet! Josie walked into the exam room with a beautiful Barbie, stickers, coloring pages and a "Hi Josie, Welcome" sign. We had a lot of questions answered but found out our treatment schedule has changed a bit. We are going to be in Columbus for radiation for about 6 weeks. This will take us through the beginning of December. As of right now we are going to stay at the Ronald McDonald House and drive between there and OSU, coming home on weekends. Our social worker at OSU has placed us on a waiting list for an apartment which would help us out immensely. It would give us freedom and flexibility. We pray one will come available soon. 


Tomorrow Josie will be fitted for her radiation mask and have a dry run of a treatment to see if she will need anesthesia. We pray that she will be able to sit still. Each treatment should only last approximately 5-10 minutes. I have faith in her, she will be able to do it. 


There were a few scary words the doctor used when talking about the future side effects of the radiation. Cataracts, secondary cancer, stunted bone growth, etc. These are all a long shot but still a possibility. I am not worried though, God will take care of her. She will, however, have to use daily eye drops and a nightly ointment for several years because the treatments will more than likely permanently damage her tear duct. A small price to pay for health in my book. 


We thank all of you for your continued prayers! 

Josie's New "Do"

Since Josie's hair started to thin, we thought it would be best to go ahead and cut it shorter so it wouldn't be such a dramatic change. At first she was hesitant, not wanting her Nee Nee (my Mum) to touch her locks. After a couple minutes of talk, she relented and sat in Nee Nee's chair. Once the ponytail was removed, she started to giggle. She loved holding the her newly removed hair. The whole process was comical to her. Due to her fidgety nature, it took linger than anticipated but in the end, she looked in the mirror and loved what she saw. She told Mum, "Nee Nee, I LOVE it! It is just what I wanted!" Mum was chuffed. Josie loves the fact that she doesn't have to do much to it anymore and there are less tangles. Her hats look great too!

The day I dreaded is here... Chemo day 14. I noticed how much hair was coming out as I brushed her hair, and so it begins.

First Day Back at School

Today was Josie's first day back at school. She was excited last night but very nervous by this morning. When we arrived, we talked to the nurse and the principal, Ms. Dillow. Both were so reassuring to both Josie and me. Ms. Dillow put me at ease and let me know that the school was ready to do whatever necessary to get her through the school year. We are so fortunate to be at Dawson-Bryant Elementary! Her teacher, Mrs. Blair, was so surprised to see her, as were her class mates. Josie was really shy when she entered the classroom but it was sweet to see how well she was received by all the children. Mrs. Blair is so sweet and has even let Josie call home to talk to me since she was so anxious about staying there all day. She had a great day but is really tired. Mrs. Blair said Josie did well today but was nervous about recess and seemed to tire a bit at the end of the day.

This was a big hurdle for Josie and I am so thankful to have such a supportive school faculty. I don't know what we would do without their help! We have been blessed!

Prayers and Praises

I have been so touched by the enormous amount of people all over the world who are praying for Josie. It is overwhelming to know that so many people, many of which do not know us personally, lift her up to the Lord. The past few days, I have really felt God place a burden on my heart for others who are in need of prayer. I wish I could help financially but I know the most important thing we can do for each other is to pray for one another. SO - I would like everyone to comment with your prayer requests... no specifics needed. God knows the need but wants all of us to bear each others burdens. I would like to keep this going so each week we can have another post. Also, please leave your praises. We need to know when God has answered the prayers of His faithful. We can all rejoice together!!! Take care and God bless!

Josie's Second Treatment

Today was Josie's second treatment and first time meeting Dr. Pendleton. All went well. We were told today that she will begin her radiation on week 3 not week 12 as we were initially told. This means we will be heading back to Columbus in less than 2 weeks. Josie will have to be there for 3 weeks where she will receive treatments 5 days a week. I am pretty sure we will have to go to Columbus next week to meet with the Radiation Oncologist and hopefully Dr. Yeager. It is all up in the air right now. We are waiting to hear more before the end of the week.

We did get some advise from Dr. Pendleton today about her schooling and social activities. He would like Josie to return to her "normal" life and just to be hyper-aware of illnesses in her peer groups. This does make me nervous but I know this is what she would want. She misses her classmates, dance/twirl team mates and all those she would normally see on a weekly basis. We do, however, have to be very aware of what is going on with foods. Dr. Drew is very informative and I am thankful for his expertise!