Update fron Elaine

Dear Friends and family,

We recieved confirmation late this afternoon, that Kate will be admitted tomorrow. Tuesday Oct. 31st at 9:00 for her first chemo treatment. Children's has been full and we were in a waiting mode for the availability of a bed.

The first hours of our stay will be spent making sure Kate is well hydrated by administering IV fluids. When she reaches the appropriate level of hydration, the Cytocin chemo therapy will be administered via IV over 6 hours. Cytoxin is highly toxic to the bladder, so Kate will be woken up every 2 hours to go to the bathroom. This does not allow for a very good night's rest but is essential to protect the bladder. Wednesday a similar schedule will be repeated with another 6hr IV dose of the Cytoxin. Kate will be discharged sometime on Thursday, give that she is taking in plenty of fluids and at the same time is voiding plenty of fluids.

REQUESTS:

~Please ask the the effects of the chemo will be maximum and the side effects will be minimum.
~Please ask that the 2 1/2 ady stay at the hospital pass quickly- these days can seem incredibly long, despite trying to distract ourselves by reading, doing homework, or watching DVD's
~Please ask for Maggie's heart as Kate and I are apart from her. She and out puppy Grace will be staying with my Mom and Dad.
~Please continue to pray with us for a miracle. Please ask that Kate will be in the 0-1o% of recurring medullos that are cured.
~Please ask that in the days following treatment when Kate's WBC's drop that she will be protected from infection and that her body will respond to the daily shots of Nupogen to increase her WBC's count.
~Please ask in advance for the stem cell harvest that will occur sometime the week before Thanksgiving. Ask that Kate's body be responsive and that the stem cells can be collected in a short amount of time.

THANKFUL THOUGHTS:

~Praise for a wonderful weekend of joy and fun with friends. Thursday evening and Friday morning our hearts were very heavy. God lifted us up out of our depair and helped us begin to walk forward again.
~Praise that the prayers of friends and family around the world are literally covering us 24/7.
My heart was truly touched when I recieved an e-mail Saturday morning from a friend who said she was woken at 5:22 am with an intense need to pray for Kate. She prayed and had peace to return to sleep at 6:30.
Another friend called Sunday evening to tell me she had set aside 8:00am to pray for Kate and our family. She asked if she might ask others to join her in praying for Kate on the 8's. What an incredible encouragement it is to know we are being uplifted in prayer throughout the day and night and particularly the united front of prayer at 8am and 8pm.
~Praise for our friend Lisa, a nurse who will help us by giving Kate her daily shot of nupogen. The first time Kate was sick Kate's doctor said they could teach me to do that, but Kate emphatically said "No, I want someone who is qualified." :) This time Kate more gently told the doctor "Mom, is the hand holder, she can't be the shot giver."

So we step into the next phase of this journey confident that God's grace and the prayers of family, friends, and many people that we do not even know have joined the prayer forces for Kate will be carring us through these days of treatment and through every day ahead. Thank you for the countless words of encouragement and expressions of love and for so faithfully lifting us up.

clinging to grace,
Elaine

Kate at Eight

NO, it's not another news program , a fine restaurant, a designer line of clothing or some expensive European perfume. It's much, much better than that !
It is a time we have chosen to stop what your doing and pray for Kate. It can be 8 o'clock in the morning , 8 o'clock in the evening or both! Whatever your doing stop and pray for Kate. We are all praying for her anyway so why not do it together. God honors persistence in prayer.
Mathew 7:7
"Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened.

I know God hears all our prayers but if we are all praying in unison WOW !!

Lord , hear us from Heaven
Please touch our most beautiful Kate
with Your awesome healing hand.
Lord hear our cry !
We Love You and all that is about You
Amen

Update from Elaine

Dear Friends and Family,

What an incredibly long day. One that was bitter and sweet all wrapped up into one. Where to begin....

The MRI scan lasted appoximately two hours as anticipated.
~Praise for a really sweet radiology technician who encouraged Kate with smiles and kind words.

~Praise that Kate was able to be relaxed and calm throughout the duration of the long scan.

We were actually able to relax our anxious stomachs and eat lunch Kate chose Chinese- something we miss so much. She asked for two special dishes our "ayi" in China made the girls on a regular basis, but they weren't available.

MRI REPORT:
Kate's appointment with her oncologist was at 2:oo.
Dr. Jakacki was encouraged that the MRI scan looked very good. One angle of the MRI looked clear and showed the nodules were virtually gone. Dr. J indicated that from another angle of the MRI you could see a few residual nodules, but still significant shrinkage. This is why it is necessary for so many different angles or cuts to be made to assure a radiologist is getting a true picture.
~Praise: We prayed that we would recieve a positive report on the MRI -and Father answered with this affirming MRI scan.
~Praise: I was specifically praying about the brain involvement. The August 22 scan left a ? as to whether a "small" spot which has been there since surgery was changed or not. Because this spot did not reduce in size over the last 2 months of chemo, the doctor concluded that it must be scar tissue, as originally thought.

Treatment Plan:
Dr. J was encouraged that Kate's returned cancer was so "responsive " to chemo. We talked at length about the treatment approach. This will involve a higher dose of chemo and then a moderated approach of stem cell replacement.
She let Kate chooose the time frame as to whether to begin now or wait until after the holidays. Kate wants to get things started now. So next week she will be admitted to the hospital for a 2 1/2 day stay for the higher dose of chemo. This will drop her counts- particularly the WBC drastically. She will recieve daily injections of Nupogen for about 10 days following the chemo to help her WBC recover. At about 3 weeks following the chemo (just before Thanksgiving), Kate's stem cells should be ready to harvest. These will be removed from her arm via IV. This process usually takes about 4hrs and the amount of stem cells gathered will depend on Kate's body at that time. The collection could take place in 1 to 2 days or up to 1 week. The stem cells can be frozen and stored indefinitely.
~Our prayer is that the stem cells will flow easily and inplenty and be gathered in 1-2 days.

The plan is to put Kate on another dose of the VP 16 chemo for December and then begin the stem cell replacement in a tandem approach over the months of January, February, March. There may also be another period of full spine and radiation at the conclusion of the stem cell replacement treatment.

A Hard Question:
At the conclusion of our discussion with Dr. J, Kate looked at her and asked, "What is the life expectancy?" Dr. J replied, "with recurring medullo blastomas 9-12 months, but had the scan not been good tody, we might have been looking at 3 months."

This treatment plan provides quaility of life and may pust the envelope of the time frame to the far end of the 12 months or somewhat beyond. While we knew that with the recurrence of Kate's cancer that prognosis wasn't good, To have time parameters put on things made it more of a painful reality. Given this treatment approach the chances of a cure are not 0 but also not more than 10%.

Dr. J had the doctor in charge of the stem cell replacement come in and talk further with us. We finally laft the clinic at 5:00 with a huge amount of information to digest and a long, sad ride home. Kate and I cried some and when we reached my parents home Pappy held her while she cried. We returned home and she just wanted to cuddle with Maggie and me. I know that those of you who phoned will understand given the circumstances, my attention needed to be focused on the girls and not taking time from them to talk.
~Please ask for Kate's spirit to be encouraged and for God to infuse her with strength and courage to fight.

As I have encouraged Kate and Maggie... We know each day is a gift from God and he will give us the strength to live it with joy. We continue to ask God for a miracle. He alone knows the time he has written for each of our lives.

I have tried to explain things to the best of my understanding at this point. I will update when we have a time line for next week's treatment.

We are encouraged to know of the many people around the world that were covering us today with prayer. We are thankful for the positives and are clinging to God's grace and faithfulness for the journey ahead.

Only by grace,
Elaine

Simply Sisters

The friend I love best

Update from Elaine

Dear Friends and Family,

~A SPECIFIC ANSWER

Let me begin by thanking you for faithfully praying for the needs and concerns we have shared with you. God hears and answers! We asked you to specifically pray for Kate's blood counts.
~Praise that during this second round of chemo Kate had not needed a transfusion of RBC! This is truly amazing. You will remember she had 2 transfusions the first round of chemo. Even given that her chemo dose was increased for the second round, Kate's counts have not dropped to a level necessitating a transfusion.


~MAGGIE~ NEVER A DULL MOMENT

Maggie completed her 7th grade basketball season last Thursday, but not without a little Maggie style drama ot make for a dramatic end of the year :) Wednesday afternoon in her last practice, Maggie opted to avoid falling on some team mates and fell herself, breaking the fall with her hand/wrists. By evening the pain was pretty intense even with pain relievers and ice. She went to school the next day, with the hopes that the trainer could take a look at her and that she'd still be able to play her last game. However, mid morning the school nurse called and said the pain was worse. We saw the pediatrician who immediately sent us for an X-ray.
~Praise that Maggie's injury was only a bad bruise!
We made it back from the hospital just in time for Maggie to join her team and watch from the bench as they played their last game.


~POINT OF PRAYER

MRI, Thursday, October 26th
This Thursday is Kate's first MRI since beginning treatment again. The MRI will be at 10:15 am and we will meet with the oncologist at 2:00pm to dicuss the results of the scan.
~Please pray that God's handprint be upon the MRI and that we see positive improvement. We are believing God for a miracle and trusting him to bring healing to Kate in his perfect timing.


~A MOM'S HEART

I am thankful that I will be teaching second grade Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and will be busy for the days leading up to the MRI. It has been on my heart daily and I am anxious for the outcome.
~Please ask that I will keep my eyes on Father and walk in faith believing.
My heart's desire is to live each day as a precious gift from God. With His help I am trying to be intentional about living each day to the fullest with joy and not spending my energies on stresses and worries that take away from the day for the girls and me. I know God is in control and has a perfect plan to bring good out of the challenges that He has allowed in our lives.
~Please pray that I will walk by faith each day in His strength and not mine.

How it encourages us to know that we are being carried by your prayers. Thank you for continuing to journey along side of us.

Only by grace,
Elaine

RHS Homecoming 2006

Kate and Brandon

Riverside Homecoming 2006



Dear Friends and Family,

Just wanted to report in on the events of the weekend and let you know that your prayers on Kate's behalf were answered as she felt good and was not fatiqued for the homecoming weekend!

Friday night's football game was fun but soooo cold! We lasted until halftime and came home to get warm and allow Kate to get to bed early and get some extra rest.

Saturday was sunny and beautiful for the homecoming dance. As many of you girls and ladies can relate, a little pampering goes a long way in making us feel good. Kate enjoyed being pampered by getting her nails and hair done. We just love Kate's hair dresser and are so grateful for her kindness and sensitive heart. Knowing that Kate is not anxious to begin wearing her wig again, she worked with Kate's very thin hair to come up with a cute style that allowed Kate to feel pretty. Kate and Brandon ( her skydiving friend from the oncology clinic) had a wonderful time together at homecoming with Kate's friends.

Sunday we celebrated my Dad's 72nd birthday at Texas Road House- for Pappy's favorite ribs! What a fun family time of laughter and celebration. Praise for a wonderfully loving father and grandfather!

Last week was a difficult week for the girls and me as we said good bye to Matt, who decided to return to China once again. God's presence, grace and love has been very real and has comforted Kate, Maggie and me as we deal with the hurt associated with Matt's departure. In the midst of last week, God reminded us in a very sweet and tangible way of just how loved we are loved by him and our friends and family. On Thursday we were showered with flowers, gift baskets and gift cards that filled our kitchen! We could only marvel at the overwhelming sense of how incredibly loved we are and how abundantly God has blessed us with family and friends from around the globe and the states that would reach out to embrace us with love, and care for us in the midst of a hard week.

We are encouraged and blessed by your friendship and prayers. Thank you for journeying with us.

With joy,
Elaine

More Homecoming

Kate and Brandon
Riverside Homecoming October 7th, 2006

Happiness

" Whoever said you can't buy happiness, forgot about little puppies".
- Gene Hill

Priority Mail

"PLEASE don't send me back , I promise I'll only chew my own slipper the next time" !



Grace- 10 weeks old

Kate's beautiful homecoming attire..NOT !!!

It's WACKY WEDNESDAY !!!
A Riverside tradition to wear the craziest outfit you can come up with !!
Kate, you did a GREAT job........ where did you find that skirt????? :)

RMS Lady Panther

It takes effort,
It takes grit,
Dedication,
Pride, Spirit,
Teamwork
Strategy
Executing
Flawlessly,
Concentration
on the win,
Focus, drive and
Discipline,
A mind and body
equally fit,
An ATHLETE
must have
all of it!

Way to Shoot the Hoop
Maggie
our Lady Panther!!!

Update from Elaine

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been awhile since I have shared an update with you. Life has been busy running between Maggie's basaketball games and ballet, homecoming shopping and preparations for Kate, and my subbing.

MEDICAL UPDATE:
We are thankful that Kate's counts have rebounded since her transfusion on Sept.20 when her counts were low and her fatique level high. Children's has been gracious and allowed us to do counts at the local Medical Center to save us trips to Pittsburgh. Counts on Mon. Sept 25th showed Kate's counts had climbed significantly after the transfusion.
*Praise for increased energy level as a result of that climb in counts and that Kate was able to attend a full day of school every day last week!

Yesterdays blood counts had dropped off slightly but the nurse practitioner doesn't expect a large drop the rest of this week. If Kate does begin to feel fatiqued late in the week, we'll repeat counts and do a transfusion if need be so that Kate's energy level will be good for homecoming festivities on Saturday evening, October 7th.
*Please ask that Kate will feel well and be able to enjoy the homecoming festivities.

The anticipated drop in blood counts will be next week. More than likely we will go into Children's sometime next week for another transfusion.

MRI - October 26th
*Please pray in advanced for Kate's MRI scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 26th @ 10:15. This will be a full brain, full spine MRI and will show the effectiveness of the 9 radiation treatments in combination with the chemo to the lower back (from T-11 down) and show the effectiveness of the chemo alone on the nodules on the top of the spine ( above T-11). Please ask that the results of treatment will be significant.

FUN TOO :
This past weekend the weather cooperated and Kate's friend from the oncology clinic was able to sky dive with his oncologist. What an experience! The oncologist and Kate were joking and Kate boldly told him she'd sky dive if her oncologist Dr. Jakacki would go with her! He determined to challenge Dr. Jakacki to sky dive with Kate! I don't think Kate is too worried that Dr. Jakacki will go for the idea! :)

MAGGIE:
It's hard to believe that basketball season will end in two more weeks. It's been fun watching the team learn and improve their skills.. Maggie is growing again and is just about to pass Mom by. She was absolutely delighted a week ago with the purchase of new ballet and point shoes. Maggie's enthusiasm for the little things in life brings joy to all of us. Maggie, who is my high energy girl, has the job of wearing Grace out each evening. It's comical watching them run circles around the table. They both sleep well :)

GRACE:
I think as many people ask me how Grace is doing as ask me about Kate :) Training is keeping us hopping. It's like having a toddler all over again! Those cute little shoe button eyes make it difficult to be tough on discipline. Grace is a great distraction and has brought us much joy! We love having this little ball of white fluff in our family!

You will never know how much it means to us on a daily basis to be touched by your prayers and countless expressions of love, encouragement and support. Thank you simply does not express how grateful we are for each of you!

With love and thanks,

Elaine for Kate and Maggie too.