Phew! We made it through the day! Last week we found out that Adrian had been scheduled for knee surgery on Wednesday (today) and shortly thereafter, we learned that Ashley would be due at Children’s Memorial for her next round of “in-patient” chemo on the same day. At times like that, you kinda’ wish you could just clone yourself and be at two places at the same time. Thankfully, we are blessed with wonderful friends and family. I was able to drop off Adrian at knee surgery on the way to the hospital and his cousin, Sylvia, came with her family to help him home. Then I headed to CMH with both of the girls. Luckily my best friend, Cathy, was able to come with and help me out. There is a lot of sitting and waiting and sitting and waiting at the hospital so I was tremendously relieved to have Cathy with me. Ashley got a lumbar tap and intrathecal (spinal) chemo at the hospital today. The really great news is that she will get the rest of her chemo this week at home. The hospital has been pretty full lately so we were given the option to do outpatient chemo by coming to the day hospital on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We were okay with that, but it would have meant very long days at the hospital. So when I requested that we do post-chemo hydration at home … it worked out that we didn’t have to go to the hospital at all. Our home health nurse will come to us and administer it directly. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but we totally hit the jackpot when it comes to home health nurses. Our nurse, Marianne, is pretty amazing and because of her I have two little girls who want to be nurses when they grow up. So the entire family is at home tonight resting comfortably in their own beds and that makes me very, very happy. One of the hardest things for me emotionally is when our entire family is not together. Just before Ashley went to bed this evening she asked her Daddy how he was doing and just to be sure she opened up her little Fisher Price medical kit and took his vitals. After listening to his heart, she gave him a hug and said “Night Night Daddy. I wub you.”

This is officially Week 13 of Ashley’s treatment protocol. Weeks 14 and 15 do not call for chemo. However, we anticipate starting radiation sometime during those weeks. Thank you for your continued prayers.

I’m happy to share that we’ve been enjoying a quiet week at home! Ashley continues to do incredibly well after her recent surgery.  All of the surgeons and oncologists have been tremendously pleased with the outcome.  The scariest part about surgery is that just before you go in the surgeons remind you of all the things that could potentially go wrong in surgery.  So naturally I was terrified, but thankfully our prayers were answered and the surgery was a success with no complications whatsoever.  Thank you all for your continued prayers!  

We have a lot coming up in the next few weeks.  Ashley has been given the go ahead to proceed with chemo.  In theory, she would be admitted next Wednesday for the next round of in-patient chemo.  I’m not quite sure if that will happen because Adrian is also scheduled for knee surgery on Wednesday.  We also recently met with the radiation oncologist at Northwestern to discuss Ashley’s upcoming course of radiation.  She will be receiving radiation on a daily basis (Monday through Friday) for six weeks.  She’ll also be sedated every day that she receives radiation.  So I expect that our schedule will start to take shape in the next couple of days.

One last thing, for anyone who was planning on attending the Irish Eyes are Smiling benefit being hosted by the Woodridge Junior Woman’s Club on March 7th,  please note that RSVP’s are due this Friday.  We look forward to seeing everyone who will be attending!

This update will be really brief, but I wanted everyone to know that Ashley came home Sunday morning and is doing really well.  I think that must have been one of our shortest hospital visits ever!  Our stay ended on a high note!  Saturday afternoon Ashley was moved from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) on the 2nd Floor to the Heme / Onc unit on the 4th Floor.  Anyone who is a “regular” on 4W knows what I mean when I say this but you feel like you are in an episode of Cheers when you arrive.  Everyone knows your name.  Everyone is happy to see you.  Everyone welcomes you with open arms.  Several of Ashley’s favorite nurses came in to greet her when she arrived on the floor.  It was really sweet and again very humbling.   I am so grateful to so many of the nurses on 4W.  They are truly some of the most amazing people to walk this earth.    No chemo this week … just a couple of follow up visits with the surgeons and potentially a meeting with the radiation oncologist at Northwestern.  Thank you for your continued prayers!

We have so much to be thankful for today. Ashley went in for surgery shortly before 11am and was done just after 4pm.  There were tears of joy when the doctors came to tell us that the surgery was a success.  They were able to resect all of the tumor that is visible to the human eye.  That’s not to say that she is cancer free. Some rogue cancer cells may still be out there,  but that is why she will continue with her treatment protocol until it’s completion in December 2009.  Ashley will probably get a break from chemo for a week or two in order to give her body time to heal from surgery.   I must say that sitting down with Dr. Alden after surgery had to be one of the most humbling experiences of my life.   How do you properly thank the person who has been so instrumental in helping your child fight cancer?  How do you find the words? 

I’ll write a little bit more about the surgery over the weekend.  For now, it’s bedtime. We were all up at 4am this morning, so we are all a bit tired.  The last thing I would like to share with you, though, is the fact that Ashley was in great spirits after surgery.   She is 100% Daddy’s Little Girl and the moment that Adrian came to her side she was full of smiles, giggles and kisses.  She’s in the PICU on the 2nd Floor at CMH and will probably be there for a few days.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she is able to go home Monday.  She’s one tough little girl.  Thank you so much to all of you for your prayers!  Thank you for loving her and thank you for keeping us strong!

The big day is finally upon us.  Tomorrow we’ll arrive at the hospital at 8am CST.  Surgery is scheduled for 9:30am CST.  I’d like to ask everyone to say a special prayer for Ashley as well as the team of surgeons that will be operating on her, specifically Dr. John Maddalozzo and Dr. Tord Alden.  We’ll be sure to post a message on our site tomorrow to let everyone know how surgery went.

I was asked today if Ashley knows that she is going in for surgery tomorrow.  The answer to that is “no” mainly because she is 2, but also because the hospital is such a familiar place to her now.   The hospital is just a place we go, all the time.  Some kids go to the park, we go to the hospital.  Ashley not knowing what lies ahead of us is definitely a blessing.  A parent volunteer at the hospital told me early on “Ashley is 2.  She’ll grow up to be a beautiful young lady and not remember any of this.  SHE will be fine, but YOU will be crazy forever.”  I asked her to explain what she meant by that and she told me that her daughter had been treated for a brain tumor at CMH when she was a little girl.  Her daughter, now a college student, might casually mention in a phone call to her that she has a headache and her immediate reaction is to want to hop on the next plane to Boston and take her to the ER to get an MRI. I completely understand now what she meant on that day. I’m just thankful that Ashley is 2 and hopefully won’t remember too much.

As always thank you all for you love, support, and prayers.  I’d also like to ask you to keep a few other children in your prayers.  You meet so many wonderful families at CMH and you inevitably fall in love with all of the children. I’d like to ask you to keep them in your prayers as well:  Gloria, McKenna Grace, Janae,  Allorah, Abigail, and Harlow.