On Wednesday August 31st we received an unfortunate phone call from Darby's doctor, Dr. Keller informing us that Darby had relapsed and that one of her blood tests came back positive showing leukemia cells were growing in her bone marrow again. This news, news that we had hoped to never hear came as a shock the the system and took the wind form our sales. Prior to this everything seemed to be going great. Darby had been in remission for over six months, her doctors were so confident in how well she was doing that they removed her port just two days earlier not thinking that she would need it any more. Darby was admitted the hospital on September 1st to begin a five week regiment of stronger chemo including arsenic. She has been in the hospital for a week now and if all goes well she will be able to come home in the next couple of days. That would be an answer to prayers so she, mom and baby Vivienne can get some much needed rest. If she continues to handle treatment well she will be able to stay home and but will have to make daily trips to the hospital for chemo therapy. Even with the many long trips back and forth it would be a blessing just to have our evenings together as a family. Our doctors are hoping to reach complete remission with this round of chemo. After this five weeks of treatment Darby will under go a bone marrow transplant. We have more questions than answers right now, but we do know that it will mean lengthy hospital stays and weeks of high risk of infection. Most of the details are still being worked out, but we know that it is a very invasive procedure and will be hard on her. We love our big girl so very much, and know in our hearts that all will be well. But it is unbelievably difficult to watch her go through this challenge. She is so tough and such a fighter. She loves her big brother and baby sister so much, as well as being a wonderful big sister.
At this time we do not have any active auctions or fund raisers, but would grateful for any support and prayers for our Darby. Donations can be made here on the Dollars for Darby page by using the Donate button to the right or at Wells Fargo by asking to donate to the Dollars for Darby fund.
Thank you
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Darby's biopsy
This morning we took Darby to Egleston for a bone marrow biopsy. The procedure went well and all of her doctors and nurses commented on how much she was growing and how good she looks. As soon as Darby woke up from the anesthesia, she said "baby-guy." For those of you who don't know, Darby has two prized possesions. Her first doll, aptly named "baby" and her well worn pink bunny, strangely named "guy." Over the past few months their names have gradually morphed into one word. She couldn't wait to eat and drink and her main request was for "nanny" which is her word for candy! The first thing she ate today was Valentine's chocolate!
Her primary oncologist, Dr. Keller, came and examined her and said her counts are still right where they need to be. He also said that they are putting a rush on the biopsy results. What would normally 2 to 3 weeks will now only take about 1 week. We may have the results as early as this Friday. After three months of holding our collective breath, I guess we are not the only ones anxious to see what the cancer is doing. For the time being, we will start another cycle of maintenance chemo at home. There is still no need to up her dosages so we hope Darby will continue to do as well as she has been doing. Dr. Keller feels optimistic about the results, but he also cautioned that if her cancer cell level was even slightly elevated, Darby would need a transplant. He feels that if the level is still the same, he should consult with other members of the children's oncolgy group to get a consensus about further treatment. Of course, we hope and pray that none of that will be necessary and Darby will be in molecular remission.
We realized today that it has been 11 months since Darby's diagnosis. People say this all the time, but it truly has been the longest and fastest year of our lives. As we quickly approach Darby's 2nd birthday, we are so grateful that she is still with us. Watching the struggle some of our friends are having in dealing with the loss of their child to this terrible disease, we are again reminded of how much we have to be grateful for. I'll post an update as soon as we receive Darby's results. We appreciate those of you who are praying with us for good results. Oh, and happy Valentine's Day!
Her primary oncologist, Dr. Keller, came and examined her and said her counts are still right where they need to be. He also said that they are putting a rush on the biopsy results. What would normally 2 to 3 weeks will now only take about 1 week. We may have the results as early as this Friday. After three months of holding our collective breath, I guess we are not the only ones anxious to see what the cancer is doing. For the time being, we will start another cycle of maintenance chemo at home. There is still no need to up her dosages so we hope Darby will continue to do as well as she has been doing. Dr. Keller feels optimistic about the results, but he also cautioned that if her cancer cell level was even slightly elevated, Darby would need a transplant. He feels that if the level is still the same, he should consult with other members of the children's oncolgy group to get a consensus about further treatment. Of course, we hope and pray that none of that will be necessary and Darby will be in molecular remission.
We realized today that it has been 11 months since Darby's diagnosis. People say this all the time, but it truly has been the longest and fastest year of our lives. As we quickly approach Darby's 2nd birthday, we are so grateful that she is still with us. Watching the struggle some of our friends are having in dealing with the loss of their child to this terrible disease, we are again reminded of how much we have to be grateful for. I'll post an update as soon as we receive Darby's results. We appreciate those of you who are praying with us for good results. Oh, and happy Valentine's Day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)