Holiday Greetings

Hope all of you had a very merry Christmas. Ours was nice and quiet. We stayed here in Cincinnati and just enjoyed the day. We had a Christmas Eve service at church that was very nice.

Morgan & her brothers opened all their gifts on Christmas Eve. I think Morgan & Jonathan went to bed about 4:00 am!!! They stayed up playing Xbox "Call of Duty". It's a WW2 game and it connects to the Internet so you can play other people. Morgan & Jonathan are addicted.

Morgan is doing very well. Her energy level has returned to normal and she seems to be feeling great. Her hair is beginning to make a come-back. Her head is covered with blonde peach fuzz again. Even her eyelashes are starting to grow in!!

Back home

Morgan's surgery went great. They actually started on her at 1:20 and were finished by 2:45. She was only in recovery for about 1 1/2 hrs. She did great. Today she is a little sore but actually feels pretty good. We may even do a little Christmas shopping this afternoon. Thanks for all the prayers.

Luke 2:16

So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

Surgery tomorrow

Hello Friends,

Just a note to let you all know that Morgan will be having surgery tomorrow at 2:30 to remove her mediport. She is very excited about getting it taken out. We requested to have it removed by the same surgeon that put it in. She did a wonderful job and even removed some old scarring from the previous mediport site.

Morgan has been feeling well. Although, today she seems to have dark circles around her eyes. I sure hope her hemoglobin hasn't dropped. If it has, surgery will have to be rescheduled and I know that would be very disappointing for her.

She spends most of her time doing school work and she is just about to get caught up-----. I begged her to let me take a photo of her since it has been months since she allowed me to take one. So, this is what I got........

Good News!!

Morgan saw her oncologist today and he informed us that her scan was nice and clean. This is truly an answer to prayer. The very small "ditzle", as her doctor calls it, is still sitting there. He feels that if it were tumor it would be gone or growing and since it is doing neither he is of the mindset that it was never tumor. He is planning to rescan again in 8 weeks. Dr. Wagner also gave Morgan the option of removing her mediport within the next week or two or wait until after the next scan. Morgan has decided that she would like to have the mediport removed as soon as possible.

Morgan has come a long way since June 16 of this year, lots of highs and lows for sure. But at the end of the day what really matters is our faith. Faith in our Savior, faith in one another, and faith that no matter what tomorrow brings we can get through it.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Blood counts returned to normal :-)

Dear Friends & Family,

I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Ours was quiet and uneventful which was an answer to prayer. Morgan had her blood drawn on Friday and the results were good. Her white cell count, hemoglobin and ANC's had all recovered. Her platelets were still low but not critical. Platelets are always the last cell marker to recover.

Today Morgan had a CT scan of her lungs. If the scan is unchanged from the last scan, chemotherapy will be discontinued. Please pray that Morgan is finished with chemo and will remain cancer free for the rest of her precious life. I hope to have results from the scan by this evening. If not, we will get results tomorrow when we see her oncologist for a follow-up visit.

Morgan's spirits are good, she is singing as I type this---probably doesn't know that she has an audience---LOL.

The picture above was taken over Labor Day weekend. Morgan and her cousins had a fun time hanging out together. I am looking forward to seeing Morgan out and about and enjoying life once again. I know she has missed her friends tremendously. Never thought I would say this, but thank goodness for Facebook. It has been a wonderful tool for Morgan.

May God bless each of you!

Recovering at home

Morgan had blood drawn on Friday morning and just as suspected her blood counts were down to zero. When Morgan & I got home we began wiping everything down with antibacterial wipes. We tried to leave no stone unturned---refrigerator handles, remote controls, computers, door knobs and everything we could think of. So far, she has done well. We still have another 24 hrs. before she is totally out of the woods. I am planning to take her back for another blood draw in the morning. My prayer would be that her ANC (the part of the white blood cell that fights infection) is at least 300. It was 80 on Friday. Hopefully, she is on the up-swing.

I would love to post a current photo of Morgan but she will not let me. She is very self- conscious right now. Loosing her hair to chemotherapy also meant that she lost her eyelashes and eyebrows. I am hoping that as we get closer to Christmas I will have a recent photo of the most beautiful girl that I know. :-)

Finished!

It has been a long hard fight but Morgan just completed her sixth cycle of chemotherapy. When her pump beeped, Morgan looked at me and calmly said "my chemo is over".

My first thought was THANK YOU GOD. I am so thankful that she tolerated the drugs and kept a sweet spirit during the entire ordeal. I can not say thank you enough to all of you who have continued to lift Morgan up in prayer. I am thankful for my friends and family who are devoted prayer warriors. May God bless each of you.

Psalm 100:1 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

Treatment no. 6

Morgan began treatment no. 6 today at 12:10. She will have a 5 hour treatment for the next 5 days and on day 6 she will have fluids. At the end of day 6, which will be Monday, she should be discharged.

I spoke with the oncologist this morning and he told Morgan & I that he felt like 6 treatments was a good stopping point. He said there is no conclusive evidence that doing more than 6 treatments has any benefits. At this time, there are no new growths and the very small nodule on her left lung is stable suggesting that it is not tumor. She will have another CT scan on Dec. 1.

Please pray that Morgan remains cancer free. To be honest, I am very nervous about being off treatment. Don't misunderstand, I am glad to see it come to an end. I just don't want to see cancer rear its ugly head again. Morgan has been through so much. She has been so brave. On days when most people would be in tears, she has kept fighting. Words can not express how proud I am of her.

During Morgan's last chemo treatment she spent her time searching for a dog to rescue. Her cousin Katie had recently rescued a dog so Morgan thought she should look around to find a buddy for Max. She began searching on PetFinder.com and that is where she came across Gracie. Gracie is a yorkie/bichon mix and is 9 weeks old. So Morgan will be busy not only with school but also training her new puppy. As far as being a buddy for Max, well...........Max is ignoring her. He seems a bit confused. If he could talk, he would probably say... "what were you people thinking!!".

Doing much better

Morgan is doing well now and her counts have recovered. She was discharged from the hospital on Tues. morning as planned. She is still taking oral antibiotics but overall she is doing great, no fever, no pain-----answer to prayer.

The plan now is to go back in for her last chemo treatment next Wed. We typically go in on Tuesdays but the place is full so she was bumped to the next day.

Morgan has been very busy this week, she has a new "project". I will post the details in the next day or two.............hint......it's furry and weights two pounds..................love and blessings to each of you for following Morgan's journey!!!!

Reena

Return to hospital

After a week at home, Morgan spiked a fever on Halloween night at 11:00 pm. She really didn't want to come back here, especially since it was after hours and she had to go through the ER. But, fevers are extremely dangerous for oncology patients. If she has an infection anywhere in her body, there is the potential for it to spread into the hardware in her arm. So the first thing they did when she got here was start her on three powerful antibiotics. It has been 18 hours now and she is already doing much better. She is currently receiving two units of blood and received platelets earlier today. If nothing grows in the blood cultures they drew last night, she might be discharged on Tuesday.
Pray that Morgan will make a full recovery before the next chemo starts on Nov. 10. Also pray for all the children and their families here on A 5 south at Children's Hospital Cincinnati.
love,
Reena
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

Treatment complete

Thankfully, Morgan's treatment no. 5 is over and things went smoothly. She is receiving hydration fluids today to help flush the kidneys and bladder. Her hemoglobin was low yesterday so they gave her two units of blood last night.

Now begins the difficult part---keeping her healthy this week while her counts are critically low. By Friday, they will be at or near zero which will make it difficult for her body to deal with its own bacteria. Please pray that she stays healthy this week and is able to avoid coming back to the hospital.

If today goes as planned she will receive the Neulasta shot around 5:30, get mediport de-accessed and off we go (Max will be glad to see Morgan. He wears a sad face when she is gone). Morgan's spirits are good but I can tell you that she misses hanging out with her friends. Morgan has some very sweet and supportive friends. I have been so impressed with their outpouring of love and encouragement.

May God continue to richly bless you!!

Treatment no. 5

Morgan began the chemo treatment yesterday. Things went well. Her nausea is being controlled by the four anti-nausea meds. She completed the treatment at 5:30 and was able to eat dinner about an hour later. Her spirits are good and overall she feels well. She had her routine PET & CT scans last week and the results were good for both. Her oncologist was very excited that nothing new showed up on the lung CT. The very small "dot" that has been showing up since July in that right side of the lung may not be cancer after all. The thought was if it was cancer the chemo would kill it, it would fall apart and "get sent out with the trash". But, it is still sitting there, faded a bit but still there. It is too small for the surgeon to take out. I would love to have it removed just to get clarity on what exactly it is.

Ever since Morgan was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, I have spent a fair amount of time reading and researching cancer related issues. Not only is cancer on the increase for our society as a whole but so is autisim, attention deficit disorder, depression and downs syndrome. Why? Well, no one knows for sure, but I am convinced our food supply has a lot to do with it. Our food contains things that 15 years ago it did not. Our milk supply for example is probably the most "contaminated". Cows are being pumped full of antibiotics and steroids all in the name of profits. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to switch to organic milk. Kroger and Target both carry their store brands of organic milk and it doesn't cost much more than the regular milk and it doesn't come from cows that have been given antibiotics and steroids or other growth hormones.

Please continue to pray for Morgan. We appreciate your support more than words can express. Also, please pray for my dad this week. He has had a terrible cold/allergies and has pulled something in his back while coughing. He is having a miserable week.

Isa 40:1
"Comfort, O comfort My people," says your God.

back home

Thankfully Morgan is feeling much better and she was discharged Wed. at 3:00 pm. The antibiotics really did the trick and I am so thankful.
It was a bummer for Morgan to be back in the hospital when it was her time to be home in between treatments but she has handled it well. This will not delay next weeks chemotherapy and that is a blessing. We do not want to drag this treatment out any longer than necessary. Thanks for all the prayers. We couldn't get through all this without them.

Infection

It seems that as hard as we tried we just couldn't keep Morgan from developing an infection. Jonathan, however, is not to blame. He has done a great job of taking his medicine and washing his hands. Apparently, because Morgan's blood counts were so low (zero) she developed an infection in her colon. The pain became too much for her to take yesterday so I had to call the oncologist who told me to bring her back to the hospital. They are pumping her full of antibiotics and she is already feeling some better. We are hoping to go home Wed.

At Home

AHHHH, it's good to be home. Morgan was discharged Sunday afternoon as planned. Before the discharge she received 2 units of blood because her hemoglobin was 8.6. This was the first time she has received blood before being discharged. I am curious to see how low her hemoglobin will be this Friday when her blood counts bottom out. I am hoping her hemoglobin is more than 9 that way she will not have to go down to Day Hospital for blood.

She is feeling pretty good this week and staying busy with school work. But, Jonathan has a cold. Which could be tricky for Morgan later this week when her immunity is low. So please pray for Jonathan that he gets over his cold quickly and doesn't spread it around to the rest of us.

Treatment No. 4

Morgan is currently in the middle of this weeks treatment. She is doing well. She is a bit tired but she has had no facial flushing, night sweats or vomiting.

The home health care visit went very well. The nurse accessed Morgan's port and taught me how to hook her up to fluids. I hooked her up around midnight so she received about 2 1/2 liters overnight. When we got to the hospital Morgan was hydrated and ready to begin her chemotherapy at 11:40 am. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly. This was truly an answer to prayer.

If all goes according to plan, she will be discharged Sunday afternoon after she receives her Neulasta shot. This shot will boost her blood counts for a few days. Her counts will still drop to critical levels by next Friday but the shot helps her to make a quicker rebound.

The hospital is now under strict visitor restrictions. Parents are the only visitors allowed at this time due to the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu. Morgan was also told to stay in her room as much as possible and I was advised to limit my trips downstairs. These restrictions are in the best interest of all the patients and I am glad to see the hospital stepping up their efforts to protect everyone here. But, like with all good things there is a downside. No visitors means David & Jonathan can't visit. When the boys come to visit they usually put on quite a show for Morgan. They can be quite the comedy team at times.

My sister-in-law, Danette, sent me this scripture yesterday via a text message-----

Psalm 28:6-7

Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.

Time for treatment #4

Where has this month gone?? I can't believe we are about to close the books on September. I admit I am fine with time passing quickly right now.

Morgan had her pre-chemo blood work this morning. If her counts are high enough, she will be admitted to the hospital tomorrow for treatment no. 4. In an effort to speed the process up a bit, we are having Home Health Care come out this evening to access her medi-port and hook her up to fluids. Morgan must be VERY hydrated before receiving chemotherapy. It usually takes about 6 hours once we get to the hospital just to get her to the right hydration level. We are hoping that by getting the fluids overnight at home she will be hydrated when we arrive for her treatment.

Morgan's spirits are good but she is definately missing seeing her friends. It has been difficult for her to be so isolated during these treatments. Please continue to pray for her. Love,

Reena

Hanging Out At Home

Hello Dear Friends & Family,
Morgan was discharged from Children's Hosp. as planned on Sunday the 13th. She has done well this past week. Her nausea didn't seem to be quite as bad as with the treatments prior. This is in part due to a "big" dose of Zofran just before discharge. The dose of Zofran was a 24 hour dose. We will definitely do that again. She had a blood draw on Friday and as expected her counts were very low. Her ANC was 0 and her Hemoglobin was 7.6 which meant another blood transfusion Friday evening. She tolerated the transfusion well and was able to return home as soon as it was finished.

Although she has been confined to the house this week, she has been busy with school. Butler Tech Online gives her the flexibility to work anytime she wants. She is currently taking the four core subjects----algebra, biology, english, history and health.
We will have blood drawn again tomorrow and hopefully her white counts will be close enough to normal that she can get out and do things. We are both ready for lunch at Asian Wok and a trip to check out the new Nordstroms at Kenwood :-)

You are welcome to leave comments on this blog if you would like. We love reading them. Thanks for reading the blog and keeping up with Morgan's journey. Although it is a difficult journey we look to our Lord for the strength to move ahead even on the days that involve lots of needles, medicine, blood, mediport, GFR's, scans.............you get it. Many of you are dealing with your own trials. Don't ever think that we get so bogged down with our own burdens that we don't pray for you......we do. We have been blessed with so many dear friends, a caring church, great neighbors and loving family members and folks that we haven't met yet that know about Morgan's situation and take time to lift her up in prayer. THANKS!

Day 4 of Treatment #3

Well, it is now day four of this treatment and Morgan of course feels terrible. She is trying to sleep through it as much as possible. She has learned that Benadryl is her friend and is taking it along with the Adivan to help her rest. I count yesterday a success since she did not have any emesis-----that is the word of choice here at Children's Hosp. but at my house we call it vomit.

When she is sleeping she looks so adorable. Although she is fourteen, she is still my little girl and I'm reminded of all the sweet memories I have of her when she was little. Like the time she hugged her dad and said "you're my girl". She learned to say that because Kevin would tell her "you're my girl".

We are looking forward to going home on Sunday. She can't wait to sleep in her own bed, curl up with Max by her side and see her brothers. She was enrolled in school today so next week she will be spending less time on FaceBook and more time doing school work :-)

As promised.......the catfish photo.

Treatment no. 3

Hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We spent ours in TN with family and had a wonderful time. Morgan caught a big catfish when we were fishing in Ryan's pond down the street from Papaw Hugh's house. Jonathan took a picture of Morgan's catch with his cell phone. I will try and post it to the blog next time.

But, now its back to business at Children's Hospital. This is treatment number three which means she might be half way done. Today's treatment got started at 2:39 and will finish this evening at 7:39.
Morgan did very well during her two week break. Other than getting the 2 units of blood, she managed to stay out of the hospital. She is learning how to manage when she gets home and that has contributed to her staying healthy. We learn some do's and dont's with each treatment.
For those of you who have made it a daily habit to pray for Morgan I say a big THANK YOU. There is certainly no shortage of people to pray for and I know many of you have many other people and issues to pray for so I appreciate the many times you have lifted Morgan up to our Lord in prayer. love,
Reena
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint

I apologize for taking so long to update but things have been so busy around here. Since Morgan came home from the hospital last Sunday, school has started and we have been trying to get back into a routine. Summer is officially over for us. David is a senior this year and Jonathan and Morgan are freshman. Morgan will not be attending school with Jonathan but will be taking her courses online through Butler Tech Online. Butler Tech is a career-technical school that partners with the Butler County school district. Morgan should begin her classes next week.

Morgan is doing well since coming home last Sunday. She tires easily but that is to be expected. She never complains so I have to ask how she is feeling if I want any information. She gets her blood drawn twice a week so her doctor can monitor her counts closely. I knew they were low yesterday because she was pale but I was quite surprised when the hospital called to tell me that her hemoglobin was so low that she needed blood-----in other words, Morgan was anemic. So, off we went down to Children's for a blood transfusion. They gave her two units (bags) and within 30 min. of it beginning the color was coming back to her face. She tolerated the transfusion well so they let her come home when it was finished. She walked in the door and poured a big glass of milk, ate cookies, and stayed on the computer 'til midnight. Life is good!

Psa 62:2

He only [is] my rock and my salvation; [he is] my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

Friday chemo

Morgan has made it through chemo number four of five. Thankfully tomorrow will be the last one in this series. Morgan had a pretty good day today until the Ifosfamide began at 4:00. She immediately got a terrible taste in her mouth and it was down hill from there. At present time, she can't eat anything. She tried desperately to keep down a sandwich, but in the end the chemo won.
Morgan's spirits are extremely low. Today she learned that a young man from this hospital lost his cancer battle and went to be with our Lord last Tuesday. Although we find comfort in knowing this young man is now with his Savior, it is still very sad news since we know how hard he fought to beat cancer. My heart breaks for his parents and his two sisters. Please pray a special prayer for this dear family as they travel a difficult road.
Hoping for a brighter tomorrow....... :-)

Reena

Treatment number two

Morgan started her treatment yesterday at 3:00 pm. She will have a five hour treatment everyday until Saturday. On Sunday she will recieve fluids to help flush her kidneys. She has had a good day. She has stayed in bed most of the time except for an hour this afternoon when she went to the Child Life room and played board games. She has kept her food down today and that is truly a blessing. I am restricting her diet to help her keep things down. Some of the medicines cause her to have cravings for greasy foods that she knows she will not be able to keep down. We don't always agree on the foods, but in the end Morgan knows that it is important for her to receive nutrition.
Last Friday morning Morgan lost her hair----again. It had been shedding for a couple of days but on Friday it was completely dead. I ran my fingers through it and within 5 min. she was bald. This was understandably very upsetting to her. No fourteen year old girl wants to be without her hair. But, like the trooper that she is, after she showered and got dressed she put on her wig and wore it the entire day. She even went to babysit for three hours. The wig looks fantastic on her. The color is a bit redder than she would like but it still looks great.
If all goes according to the current plan, she should get to go home on Sunday. Thanks for all your prayers....and thanks for reading this blog. love, Reena

But the eye of the LORD is on those who fear HIM, on those who hope for HIS lovingkindness. Psalm 33:18

Home........again.

Morgan is now home and doing well. Her ANC (absolute neutrophil count----they are responsible for fighting bacterial and fungal infection) recovery has been amazing. It has gone from: 10- thur.

40- friday

390- sat.

7020- this morning!!!

Even her oncologist was surprised. Whatever bug she picked up last week is now gone and we are so very thankful.

Thanks for praying......

Back to Hospital

Morgan was doing great until Thursday evening. Around 6:00 pm she began to ache in her legs and back. We began checking her temp. and to our surprise it was 100.8. That meant a call to the oncologist. He recommended that we bring her in for antibiotics. Unfortunately, in order to get re-admitted we had to go through the emergency room. It took all night but at 5:00 am we made it to the oncology floor.
The chemotherapy that she received completely wiped out her white blood count. They checked her counts again last night and they are now recovering. She is feeling much better and we are hoping to go home tomorrow.

At Home

Dear Friends & Family,
We did make it home at midnight Saturday. Morgan was wiped out and I'm sure she doesn't remember the ride home. By the time she recieved the fifth treatment on Friday, she was very sick. Most of the day on Saturday she tried to sleep but got sick to her stomach a few times which left her feeling hungry so she would try to eat again only to get it back. It's a vicious cycle when the doctors give you a drug that makes you hungry but also give chemo which tears up the stomach.
But, she is home now and improving. Yesterday she seemed to feel much better. Her energy level is coming back and her appetite is returning to normal. We even went for a ride around town yesterday evening. If she feels like it today, we may even get out again and do some grocery shopping.
She will have blood work done tomorrow and then again on Monday. The results from the blood work will tell us how far down her counts are going. Counts being her white blood, red blood, platelets and absolute neutrophils. These numbers will continue to drop after each treatment. One thing that could postpone the next treatment is if her platelets are below 75,000 or her absolute neutrophil count is below 500.
Thank you for all your prayers. We couldn't get through this without all the care and support.

Reena

Chemo-----night 4

Well, Morgan has made it to night four of five. She is hanging in there. The redness on her face only appears during the Etoposide portion of the chemo. I am glad we solved that mystery. She feels terrible but that's what these drugs do. They are ugly but hopefully they will get the job done.

She is managing to keep all her food down and her appetite is good thanks to the Dexamethasone. It is one of the four anti-nausea drugs she takes but it is also a steroid. Her blood counts were good. I was worried that her platelets would be down already but they were still in the normal range.

She is ready to go home and I don't blame her. We are both looking forward to sleeping in our own bed!

So far, So good

Morgan's first night of chemo went according to plan. She was loaded up with anti-nausea medicine to help with the side effects. She rested on and off during the treatment until it ended at 2:15 am. After that she slept for most of the morning. Her face has been very red and the doctors aren't sure why. It could be a side effect of the anti-nausea meds.
Her next treatment began about 20 minutes ago. Hopefully, it will go as smoothly as last night.
Morgan has been a bit irritable today. I know that most of it has to do with the meds. and the fact that being stuck in this room is boring. Overall, she handles it quite well. Even when we do manage to get out of the room and stroll around the hall it is heartbreaking to see these babies and toddlers fighting their own battle with cancer. It is moments like that that I look to God. We must all remember that HE is sovereign and in control.
I am currently reading Kay Arthur's book AS SILVER REFINED and today I read something that touched me and I would like to share it with you: she says, "The situation, whatever its shape or form, is designed to MAKE you, not to destroy you. It has been permitted by God to mold you into the image of His Son rather than disfigure you for life. "
God has a plan for Morgan........and a plan for you and me too.

Round 2

Greetings from Children's Hospital. As I mentioned in a previous blog, Morgan had some pending test results. Unfortunately, the CT Scan revealed yet another new lung nodule. This is very small and in the left lung. After a lengthy meeting with Morgan's oncologist the decision was made to proceed with more chemotherapy.

Today Morgan went into surgery to have another port placed. We had surgeon Dr. Maria Alonzo. She used the previous port site for the new port thus avoiding a new scar for Morgan's chest. Morgan did great and is now recovering on the oncology floor. The plan is to begin chemo tonight or in the morning depending on how well Morgan is doing.

Morgan's chemo drugs this time are Ifosfamide and Etoposide. She will receive the chemo for 5 hours a day for 5 days. On day 6 she will receive fluids to help with hydration and if all is well she will be able to go home. She will be home for two weeks and then back for another treatment. The current plan is to do this until November.

Please pray that Morgan will tolerate all these drugs and that side effects will be minimal.

I will update again in a day or two to let you know how the chemo is going. Love, Reena

Big Brother turns 18---oh my

Morgan has had an exciting week. Kristen has spent the night for the last two Friday nights, Papaw Hugh came up from TN and David celebrated his 18th birthday. Papaw's birthday was last Sunday and David's was last Wednesday so that called for a celebration dinner at P.F. Changs. We ate too much and had a great time.

Morgan is feeling great. Her arm strength is amazing and I believe it has gotten a little bit straighter. Her elbow contraction annoys her more than anything else. But, I do think it is improving.

She has a series of doctor appointments coming up this week. We will be at Children's Hospital most of the day on Thursday for tests. I'll update with results next week.

2Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Home at last

Morgan is home---finally. She is feeling so much better since getting that tube removed from her chest.

Her dog Max was happy to see her. He is his feisty self again :-)

Pathology Results

Morgan's pathology results revealed the nodule was osteosarcoma. Although this was not the outcome we had hoped for, the silver lining is that it was completely removed and Morgan is considered cancer free and will not need chemotherapy. She is handling the news well. Sometimes she is wise beyond her years. She is definitely my strength in times like this.

She was a bit restless this morning but thankfully her buddy Kristen and her parents came down for a visit. David and Jonathan also came to see her and this helped to make her afternoon a pleasant one.

She is looking forward to going home Monday morning if not tomorrow night.

Psa 31:7
I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, Because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul,

Update

Morgan's lung nodule removal yesterday went as planned. The nodule was sent to pathology. However, today July 3 is a holiday at the hospital.......so we will not get results until tomorrow afternoon. So the wait continues.
Morgan has a lung drainage tube that will hopefully be removed this afternoon and if all goes according to plan she will be discharged this evening. She is on lots of pain meds to help keep her "comfortable" but I know once that tube is out she will feel a lot better.
Please continue to pray that the nodule is benign.
I will update with results as soon as I get them..........love to you all.

Aloha

Morgan's trip to Maui, Hawaii was fantastic! She was able to put her worries behind her and enjoy every moment in Maui. She snorkeled in Kapalua Bay, rode horses through Honolua Pineapple Plantation and surfed at Maulaka Beach. Watching her surf was a thrill for Kevin & I. At first she wasn't sure she could do it but once she got out into the water she worked it out. Snorkeling was probably her favorite part. The water is so clear that you can see the exotic fish and sea turtles easily. On Friday night we went to the Old Lahaina Luau. It is a traditional luau. The food was great and the hula dancers were beautiful islanders. Again we say a big THANK YOU to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and The Cincinnati Golfers for
Charity for making Morgan's wish come true.

Now that we are home, we must begin a series of doctors appointments. Tomorrow she meets with Dr. Tiao and he will explain the proceedure for her lung nodule resection. Then on Thursday morning she has to be at Children's at 6:15 am. The procedure is to begin at 7:45.

My prayer is that this nodule is benign. As soon as I get results from pathology, I will update this blog. Thanks for praying...............

Surgery Update

Update: Children's Hospital was unable to coordinate Dr. Tiao and nuclear medicine for Tuesday, instead the surgery has been scheduled for Thursday July 2 @ 7:45 am.

This will probably mean that Morgan will not get to go to church camp as she had planned and she will be very upset about that. She has ask us to postpone the surgery until after camp on the 10th but her oncologist will not agree with that and neither will her parents. Her health comes first----Lord willing, she can go to camp next year.

Test results

Dear friends & family,

Just as Morgan's sweet vacation to Hawaii is about to get underway we recieved some news yesterday from her oncologist that we were not expecting. Morgan's CT Scan of her lungs revealed a mass. This mass was not there 3 months ago. The timing of this news is unfortunate. Morgan kept a brave face yesterday but last night she cried and admitted to us that it is going to be very hard to enjoy her trip knowing what lies ahead.

As of today, our plan is to take the trip next Monday, return on Monday the 29th and then Tuesday 30th Morgan will go into surgery to remove the mass. My quess is that we will know on Tuesday whether or not the mass is a turmor.

My prayer is that this mass is benign but ultimately I know it is God's will and not mine. Please pray specifically that Morgan can somehow forget about the lung mass and enjoy her vacation and also for the strength for my whole family as we face uncertain times.

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in ME you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world."

Golf Charity

Morgan had a great time last night at the Vineyard Golf Course. She drove around the course for a half hour before the banquet. During the banquet Morgan spoke to the group. She told them why she chose Hawaii and expressed her appreciation for all their efforts in raising the money to make her wish come true. It was truly an evening she will never forget.

June, a busy month

June is going to be a busy month for Morgan. She finishes school this week, which means saying goodbye to her two wonderful teachers. I have been very impressed with their teaching and Morgan's ability to focus for 2 1/2 hours at a time with all the distractions going on in the house..... the dog barking, phones ringing and two brothers going in and out.

Next week Morgan will be at Children's Hospital for her follow-up PET Scan, X-ray, CT lung Scan and bloodwork. She will have these on Monday and be in the clinic Tuesday to see her oncologist. I am dreading it but I realize it is a necessary evil, so to speak. She will not be allowed to eat on Monday until all testing is complete and it usually takes all day. Morgan will do fine until we show up for the clinic visit on Tuesday. Just the smell of being on the 5th floor at Children's will bring back a lot of anxiety for her. Please pray for her next week.

On a happier note, Morgan will be traveling to Hawaii on June 22!! This once-in-a-lifetime trip is being made possible by the Cincinnati Golfers for Charity. They will host their annual 100-hole golf challenge this coming Friday. There will be a banquet following the golf challenge where Morgan will be the quest of honor. This charity raises money specifically for Make-A-Wish. Every year they sponsor the wish of a child that has battled cancer.

It is a deeply moving experience when people that you have never met reach out and do something so spectacular. We thank God for all these generous people and we thank God especially for you and your many prayers that have gone up for Morgan.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

Thankful

Morgan's follow-up visit last week with her orthopedic surgeon went very well. He was impressed with her range of motion and strength. He told her that she could stop going to physical therapy as long as she would continue to exercise her arm and continue to work on straightening it. I ask about reasons why her arm would not fully straighten and he told me that he believes she developed elbow contraction from wearing the sling. She was put in the sling for seven weeks following her surgery. Looking back, seven weeks may have been a week or two too long.

warning-----proud Mom moment ahead!!!

Next wednesday evening at the high school, Morgan will recieve an award for Academic Excellence. Despite being homebound for her schooling this year, Morgan has managed to maintain a 4.0 gpa. It was a bit rocky at the beginning of the year when she was making her monthly trips to the hospital for chemo but she managed to hang on. She has worked very hard to stay caught up with her class. I'm so proud of her.

David has done very well in school this year too. He has been on the Honor Roll all year. He has had to work much harder than he wanted to which means less time playing quitar. German 2 and Algebra 3 w/Trig. have given him quite a challenge but he stayed with it.

Oh yeah, Jonathan.......lets just say making the honor roll has been a bit tricky for him. Something always happens that puts an end to his quest for good grades. You've heard the excuses-----"the dog ate my paper", "I lost it", "my teacher is mean", "middle school isn't important". Oh well, I'm holding out hope for next year when he begins high school. Keep your fingers crossed..........

I quote this one to Jonathan a lot:

Colossians 3:20 "Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord."

May Showers

April showers bring May flowers. Isn't that the saying? But what about May showers? All this rain will surely bring something good. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Morgan is continuing to make progress everyday. She does have some concerns that her arm will never be completely straight. I am not sure what keeps it from straigthening. I plan to discuss this with the orthopaedic surgeon when we see him again on the 12th.

I attached the X-ray so you can see how amazing her arm is. The surgery is called Arthrodesis with resection, allograft and reconstruction of proximal humerus.

Osteosarcoma is not well understood at present. It is believed that changes in bone forming cells cause this form of cancer. These cancer cells have complex abnormalities that are different in each tumor. One form of treatment researchers are trying to develope are drugs that will attack the cancer cells but leave the normal cells alone. This would be a welcome relief for cancer patients and possibly mean an end to chemotherapy and its sickening side effects.

Thanks for all the prayers. Love ya~

Morgan has had a really good week. Her neuropathy issues with her feet haven't bothered her. She is continuing to rebuild her strength by exercising 3 - 4 days per week. I can tell a difference in her muscle tone.

This week she regained more movement in her wrist and fingers. She now has full range of motion in her left wrist. She can now open her fingers out straight while holding up her wrist :-) At physical therapy last week, Morgan was able to squeeze 15 lbs. of pressure with the left hand as compared to 40 lbs. with the right hand. But the therapist told her that a person's dominate hand should be able to squeeze up to twice as much. Since Morgan is right handed, that would say that her left hand should squeeze 20 lbs. So that is the goal she is working toward.

Thank you for reading the blog. It has been helpful for me. Many parents begin one while their child is in treatment but I just couldn't write about it at the time. I tried to keep a journal but writing every thing down on paper just made it more real. It was easier for Kevin & I to move from one day to the next without dwelling on things. Speaking of Kevin, he is doing well. He has been my solid rock through the difficult times. We celebrated our 22 anniversary last month.

Please continue to pray for Morgan. She is still getting used to having very short hair.

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in ME." says Jesus.

Morgan & Kristen

I would like you to meet Kristen, Morgan's best friend. These two have a lot in common. For starters they are the same age. Kristen is 14 days older than Morgan. Kristen and Morgan were both diagnosed last year with osteosarcoma, both had the same orthopedic surgeon, and both finished their chemotherapy in November.

We met Kristen and her family last July a few days after Morgan's second chemo treatment. This was the chemo treatment that nearly took her life and landed her in the hospital for 30 days. Kristen was in for her chemo as well. The social worker suggested the two girls meet and as they say-- the rest is history. They became friends fast. They both have the same sense of humor and both girls kept those nurses on their toes. During a September chemo treatment we even had a joining rooms.

Kristen and her dad, mom and sister have been a huge support system for us. I know that meeting them was no accident. God knew that Morgan needed Kristen and Kristen needed Morgan. Currently both girls have their physical therapy together on Thursdays. They have the same physical therapist and it works out great. Morgan works out her arm and Kristen works out her leg. Both girls have come a long way since being pushed around the hospital in a wheelchair. I am so proud of both of them.

As you can see in the photo, Morgan stopped wearing bandanas. Her hair is coming in great. It is soft as silk and a bit darker than it was before. I love seeing her head covered with hair again.

Braces Are Back

Morgan has had a good week. She limits the amount of time she spends on her feet. She has learned how to manage when dealing with health issues. The most amazing thing, she never complains.
On thursday she saw her orthodontist and he put her braces back on. She had only been in braces for 11 months when they had to be snapped off at Children's Hospital. Braces and chemotherapy aren't a good combination.

While sitting in the waiting room at the orthodontist, I met another woman who happen to mention that when her daughter was 14 she was diagnosed with Fibrosarcoma. This is a cancer in the soft-tissue. Her daughter is now 22 and working as an X-ray tech at a local hospital. I was so inspired by her story. It reinforced the notion that Morgan is not alone. There are many teenagers who have battled cancer and won.

I still don't have the results from her blood work. Her doctor is usually very good about calling with the information. Tomorrow I plan to call and request copies. I am confident that if something were not right I would have heard from them. I am sticking to the notion that "no news is good news".

Psalm 91:1 (one of my favorites) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Morgan's doctors visit

Today Morgan had an appointment with her oncologist. I had spoken to him by phone while in Kansas City last week to let him know about the symptoms Morgan is having. After talking with him today, he agreed that it does appear to be some form of neuropathy. Neuropathy can be a disease or any abnormality of any part of the nervous system. Morgan's could be caused by chemotherapy. The chemo drug that she took, Cisplatin, has been known to cause neuropathy during the course of treatment but goes away when therapy is stopped. There have been a few documented cases where Cisplatin-induced neuropathy occurs months after treatment. This seems to be the case for Morgan.

Morgan decided that she did not want to take any drugs to help with this condition. She wants to try and manage it on her own. Currently, only the bottom of her feet and palms of her hands are affected. If it gets worse, she will go back to Children's Hospital to see a neurologist. My hope is that this is temporary. Morgan is taking it all in stride. She handles these things much better than I do.

In spite of her condition, she still had a fun time in Kansas City. She was able to go bowling on thursday and check out their new Crate & Barrel on friday. We enjoyed spending time with our dear friends. We even caught a glimpse of the folks who bought our home.

Thanks for praying for Morgan. She is so tough. She inspires me daily.

Her hair is coming back in. I am hoping she will allow me to take a photo to post on the blog very soon : )

Prayer Needed

Dear family & friends,

Morgan & I are in Kansas City this week. Morgan has been looking forward to this trip for weeks. But we have hit a bump in the road. Over the last 3 weeks Morgan has developed neuropathy type symptoms in her feet and hands. It has become very difficult for her to walk or stand. Her feet are extremely red. They burn and ache and she is miserable.

It is possible these symptoms are a delayed reaction to chemotherapy. I have emailed her oncologist and hope to see him as soon as we get back to Cincy. Please pray for Morgan. She is trying to keep a brave face but she is extremely miserable. Pray that these symptoms are not permanent and relief will come quickly.

Love to you all.

Reena

A Good News Week

This week Morgan had her PET & CT scans and they looked good. Her oncologist told her that she was doing great. Although her white blood count is still a bit low at 3.2, Dr. Wagner said this is to be expected. The white blood counts are the slowest to rebound after chemotherapy.

White blood cells help fight bacterial and viral infections. One type of white blood cells are called neutrophils. A persons absolute neutrophil count is an indication of their ability to fight germs. Morgan's absolute neutrophil count is still on the low side at 1.42. The normal range is 1.80 - 8.00. Please continue to pray that her white blood counts will keep on climbing. They will be checked again in June.

When Morgan was diagnosed with cancer in June, Dr. Durrani told her that when she was finished with her chemo and surgery he wanted her to visit that place on her shirt. She looked down to see that she was wearing a tee shirt that said Hawaii. Well, we learned this week that Morgan IS going to Hawaii. The good folks at the Make-A-Wish Foundation give all children who have been diagnosed with cancer a wish. Make-A-Wish called Morgan this week and told her the good news. As far as we know at this point, she will travel this summer along with her mom, dad and brothers for a week in Hawaii. Morgan is so excited. This is truly a blessing. Now, Morgan can focus on the upcoming summer and allow last summer to become a faded memory. Brighter days are ahead for her.

Morgan's arm is regaining strength every week. I admit it is a slow process but she makes progress every day. Her arm may never be 100%, but she is functioning great at approximately 60% - 70%. Her spirits are great and I know it is because of all the faithful prayer warriors who lift her up in prayer on a regular basis :)

Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Beautifully Healed

Dear Friends & Family, this week Morgan saw her surgeon Dr. Durrani for her 3 month follow-up. We looked at her new x-rays and he looked at Morgan and said "Morgan you are now beautifully healed up". Tears filled my eyes. I could not believe my ears. Morgan had come a long way since August 18. Dr. Durrani looked at Morgan with such a big smile. He told her he was very proud of her. He told her not to restrict nor "baby" her arm. But instead, to shoot basketball, swim and punch her brothers. Her arm will tell her where to stop. She will see Durrani again in three months.

On Monday 2/23 and Tuesday 2/24 Morgan will be at Children's Hospital for her routine PET Scan, CT Scan and bloodwork. She will also be seeing her oncologist Dr. Wagner. Please pray for Morgan. She hasn't been to Children's since mid December. Being there is a huge reminder of many unpleasant times of days gone by.

On a happier note, we finally took a road trip!!! Yay..........last weekend we went down to TN to visit Papaw Hugh & Susan and down to Cleveland to visit with Kevin's family. We had a wonderful time. It was a short trip but it sure was fun. We are looking forward to many more of those trips. We will be going back down in June for sure. Our neice, Katie, is getting married in Cleveland, TN. Can't wait.

Thanks for keeping Morgan in your prayers. Love to you all.
Reena

Philippians 3:13 - 14 ...forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Finally February

Morgan has had another very good week. Her shoulder movement is fantastic. She has been doing some light weights to improve her tone and it is paying off. Her remaining left bicep is visable for the first time since surgery.
With all the good news it is sometimes easy to forget that Morgan is still healing from her surgery. During the surgery Morgan did lose the long head portion of the bicep and the anterior part of the deltoid muscle . She also lost her axillary nerve. This is the nerve that supplies muscular and sensory innervation (nerve supply) to the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles. Although she has had no complications since surgery, her allograft, the bone from the bone bank, is supposed to fuse to Morgan's bone at the shoulder. She will have an X-ray in two weeks and it should reveal how much growth has taken place. I will keep you posted on the progress.
Psalm 139:13-14 For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works...
Love,
Reena

Snowy but Healthy

As the flu season is ramping up, I get a bit more nervous each time we are out in public. Many people in and around where we live are having flu-like symptoms. Hopefully, our flu shots will keep us healthy as the season continues. It was mandatory that Morgan receive a flu shot so the rest of us rolled up our sleeves and got one too. I pray this years flu season is a mild one.

Morgan is looking forward to the months ahead. In March Morgan & I are traveling to Kansas City. Morgan's best friend Lauren lives there. Lauren was here visiting last June when we received the bad news that Morgan had cancer. Needless to say, that visit went sour in a big way. So, we promised Lauren that when Morgan recovered we would come out for a visit. Please pray that this works out. Morgan is very much looking forward to it.

Thank you for all the prayers. I have said it before but it is worth repeating, we could not have gotten through this without your prayers. I Thessalonians 5:17 says "pray without ceasing" and many of you have done exactly that and we are so grateful.

Reena

Wrist Movement

This week Morgan regained some movement in her wrist >>>>> answer to prayer!! She has now regained feeling in all fingers except two: thumb & index. We did therapy today and worked especially hard on the thumb & index. Her shoulder movement is great considering all the hardware she has. The cyst on top of her hand seems to be going away. When she stopped wearing the brace the doctor put her in, the cyst began to get better. I am wondering if the brace did more harm than good. This has been a slow process but she IS continuing to improve.

David & Jonathan are doing very well. Jonathan has hit his growth spurt and is now taller than Morgan for the first time. I am officially the shortest one in the family. Both boys have been studying this week for semester exams. The school year is officially half over.

We are hoping for warmer weather this upcoming week. Our temp. was - 6 last Friday. That is wayyy to cold for me. Certainly looking forward to Spring.

Reena

2009 Happy New Year

Happy New Year

If you are reading this blog you know Morgan and you know about her struggles with cancer last year.

Since it is winter and we don't get to see our neighbors, family and friends as much as we would like, I thought a blog would be the best way to let you know about Morgan and her progress. I have wanted to do a blog for several months but emotions were running high. But, now that life is getting back to "normal", I think we can actually do this.

Morgan is doing quite well. She finished her chemotherapy at Thanksgiving. She bounced back about a week later and was ready to pick up with school work. We have two teachers from Lakota Ridge, Rachel & Katie, who come to the house once a week. Morgan is a bit behind but is catching up quickly. She loves school and can't wait until next year.

Morgan is still in physical therapy. Her left arm is still recovering from the 10 hours surgery back in August. She is currently working on wrist and finger movements which have been slow to recover. Overall, she is doing great.

Piece of advice: for any of you who currently have teenagers, if they complain of a dull ache anywhere on their body that has lasted more than a month GET AN X-RAY. Between 400 - 600 teenagers are diagnosed with Osteosarcoma every year.

Here's to a happy & healthy new year.

love to you,

Reena