Rejoicing !!!

Rejoice - the MRI was clear! Thursday afternoon, the scan lasted almost 3 hours. Kate was on the MRI table from 2:20pm until 5:10pm. Kate exemplifies such grace, as the table is hard and she must remain extremely still and not move. When we left the hospital we did not know the MRI results. Oh, what a time of waiting....
Today (Friday) Kate and I went to Carlowe University for some educational diagnostic testing at 9:30am. This testing assesses some of the processing issues we have observed and will provide documentation and a report for Kate to take to college so that she can get any necessary accommodations in the classroom. The clock seemed to tick ever so slowly. The longer I sat and waited while Kate was testing the more anxious I became, wondering why they hadn't called me yet. Finally sometime after 11:00 am the nurse practitioner called and asked me if I had been sitting on pins and needles. She apologized and told me that she was at the office until 7:00pm last night and they didn't receive the MRI report. When she and the doctor came to the office this morning they still had not received the report. Finally, Kate's doctor went down stairs and read it herself. Upon reading the report she noticed how long the scan had taken and said we need to call Elaine, because she probably thinks something is wrong because the scan took so long. The radiologist determined to add some extra angles and films to make sure he covered everything well. All that said, yes, it was a good stable scan, no changes! We are of course thrilled and praising God for still another of His amazing grace gifts. An added blessing is that Dr. Jakacki told Kate yesterday if the scan was good she could get her broviac (central line) removed. Before we got home this afternoon the hospital had already called ready to set that up that out patient surgery for a little later in January!! God is good!! Thank you for praying with us and for us!

Merry Christmas

Dear Friends and Family,

May your celebration of Christmas be filled with

moments of laughter and love,

gifts of kindness and caring,

renewal of faith and hope...

the Lord is come!

Have a wonderful Christmas,

Elaine, Kate and Maggie

Christmas Dance X2

Kate and Maggie had their school Christmas dances this weekend. Friday evening was Maggie's middle school dance. She and her friends had a great time. The high dance was Saturday night, however, a snow and ice storm caused them to cancel Kate's dance while most of the students were on their way to the school. Kate and her friend CJ did however, get to pose for pictures and enjoy dinner out before they learned the dance was canceled.

Maggie had her first winter league basketball game and scored 7 of the 9 points the team had in a losing effort. Because I was helping Kate get ready for her dance, I missed Maggie's game... it seems like her highest scoring games are when I'm not there!!

Kate's 18th birthday celebration was special. Thank you for your cards and emails, she was delighted with the wishes you sent her way. We celebrated with a family dinner on her birthday and she had the girls in Friday night for tacos and a movie. On her birthday, Kate and I went to the Make a Wish radio broadcast and Christmas at a mall near Pittsburgh where Kate was interviewed as a "wish kid" and our school made their donation. We all worked as volunteers collecting donations at the mall. Since Kate's wish in 2005, it's been a yearly event for us to accompany the group of teachers and students from our district that make the donation.

We met this week with an educational diagnostician who consults with Kate's oncologist's patients as needed. We've talked about the changes we've observed in Kate's cognitive and processing skills, probably an effect of radiation. She will do some testing during the Christmas break, that will help us identify where the processing issues are and ways to compensate when she studies. This testing will also provide Kate will have an official report to take with her to college should she need any accommodations for testing, etc.

Praises and requests:
~We are thankful that lately nausea has been somewhat better. Fatigue however remains an issue and Kate's appetite has waned a bit.
~Please pray in advance as Kate will have an MRI December 27th. it is her scheduled 3 month scan. The thought of an MRI always creates anxiety for both Kate and me. Please ask that the MRI be clear.

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS

Dear friends and family,

Maggie so much enjoyed finding the mail box full of cards for her birthday, she wants to do the same for Kate. We would love to have you join us in celebrating Kate's life and her birthday this coming Wednesday, December 12th. It's hard to believe she is going to be 18 years old. I think Maggie will get almost as much enjoyment out of checking the mail box for Kate as she did when she was showered with cards for her birthday in July. Our mailing address is: 209 Chapel Drive, Ellwood City, PA 16117. Thanks for helping us celebrate the gift of Kate!

Homecoming Exclusive !!!

Weeks later the wonderful memory of homecoming lingers on for us. We were so happy to receive this picture taken by our friend Cory Morton, a photography student. He truly has a gift for taking pictures. We thought this photo captured Kate's special moment so well. Thanks Cory