Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Walkin' on Sunshine




What a gorgeous morning to receive such wonderful news! MRI results look beautiful. Apparently the remaining tumor is so small it is virtually un-dectable. The areas of enhancement that were being closely watched from the MRI in January are gone and thankfully that meant they were simply areas of inflammation that have gone away. I believe Dr. Riva-Cambrin used the words "no residual tumor." He said he won't say it's totally gone but it is very hard to see. He said he knows he had to leave some behind during surgery but perhaps her immune system fought the tumor itself while fighting off the infection. We call that a miracle.

It was fun to visit our friends- Dr. Kalra, a neuro-surg resident, (we missed two of our other resident friends/heros who were in surgery) and the good folks in NTU- Cassie was shy but they could tell she was finally healthy. I wanted to hug all the parents I saw and tell them to stay strong but I restrained myself. I so appreciate the expertise, patience and compassion of those amazing people at Primary Children's- from the surgeons to the custodians. Everyone we dealt with has influenced us for good. They saw a lot of tears and tantrums coming from me, some cussing too probably. But we feel like we have fought a good battle and victory is sweet.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Sleeping Beauty



Cassie had another follow-up MRI this morning and has been sleeping ALL DAY- they decided on Nembutal to sedate this time because she seems to be building a bit of a resistance to the other sedation drugs and had to be given a second round last time. So the Nembutal worked instantly- always a bit unsettling how quickly she goes from awake to out cold- but it has taken forever to wear off. Thinking she and I might be pulling an all-nighter. Yikes.

We don't know how things look yet. We meet with Dr. Riva-Cambrin tomorrow for the results.

Today I was able to thank and hug the sweet nurse who was with us after the first MRI Nov. 17 when the tumor was discovered. She told us she would pray for us as we walked out the door months ago. She was our recovery nurse again today. It was a sweet full-circle moment. Another angel nurse was with us today who had been involved in a few of our sedations during our hospital stay. What special people we have come in contact with! God bless good nurses! I really feel a deeper sense of love for those around me- those I know well and others I hardly know at all.

An update on Cassie's overall health- SHE IS DOING FANTASTIC! We are so thrilled with her progress and apparently the C Diff has left. We are blessed.

Therapy Days


Here are our PT and OT therapists Sunell and Shaunna. They have become our friends who we love so much. Cassie is still excited to see them each time they come. We are down to weekly visits now and they still come to the house. Cassidy has made incredible progress and they deserve a lot of the credit. They have been knowledgable and confident and positive and creative and energetic. We really appreciate all they have done and the part they have played in Cassie's amazing recovery.