Baseline Testing and Beginning of Chemo

                   We are in Little Rock again. We arrived last night and are staying at the Ronald McDonald house. Today was very long due to the battery of testing that Amy needed. The doctors are trying to determine a baseline for what is normal for her due to the many side effects of the chemo treatments.

                   So far she has had a EKG, echocardiogram, xrays, hearing tests and repeat blood work. The chemo treatments will be tough on Amy, the tests will give the doctors a guideline and they will be able to determine any side effects to her organs and senses. We were feeling very overwhelmed with what could possibly be but the benefits outweigh any side effects she may experience. It is not an easy process to see her go though and we ask for your continued prayers for us and our family. 

                   

                   Tomorrow she will have a port placed and begin a four day chemo regiment. Then we will return home for three weeks. She will have just enough time to recoup and then return for another four day treatment. This will continue for a total of four treatments. 

    

Million Dollar Smile

                   Her doctors are very optimistic but are proceeding as if it were stage 3. As of right now the plan is to only do radiation and surgery if Amy starts to show symptoms. Once the four chemo treatments are completed she will have more tests to determine how the cancer reacted. Then a new plan will be made based on those results. 

                It is hard to believe she is sick sometimes and it is difficult to have constant reminders that there is something inside of her trying to take her from us. It has already been a rough road and more troublesome days are to follow but Amy continues to be optimistic and smiling. She constantly reminds us that it will be ok.  We are holding onto the faith that God is in control and he does have a plan and a purpose in all that we face. 

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 

Test Results Are Back

  We received a call from the hospital today. Amy's cancer has NOT metastasized (spread to other parts of the body) and it is NOT in her bone marrow! Praise God! We are so very thankful for the results of the latest testing.

Little Amy with a FROG! 

  The testing also revealed that the mass is in a high stage 2 almost at 3 so we will be starting treatment soon. The week of the 29th we will be returning to the hospital. Amy will have a port placed, consultation with the oncologist and treatment. She has an appointment with the neurosurgeons at UAMS ( University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences)  for another consultation as well.
  Please continue to pray for Amy as she begins the next step in this journey.
  The picture on this update is of Amy when she was a very little girl. As small as she was she enjoyed being adventurous! We are reminded of the acronym F.R.O.G - Fully Rely On God! Our family is doing just that during this stage of our life. He is the one helping us to walk on the water as this storm is raging around us. We are so blessed to have her in our lives and how He is keeping us focused on the fact that she was put here with us for a purpose. God has big plans for our little girl and all we need is to rely on Him! 

Amy's New Friends

Laura and Amy

   Amy has made a few new friends.  The first is Laura. She was sent to us by the hospital and she is a Child Life Specialist. She has been wonderful for Amy and helping her understand her diagnosis, explaining her treatment, and going over what procedures are going to be done. She does all this to help keep Amy's mind busy by playing games and chatting with her. Her technical job is to help us and Amy prepare for upcoming tests, surgeries and procedures. She comes in to make sure while Amy is in the hospital she has time to play and experience things that she would normally be participating in at home and with her friends.  

Sadie Mae the Therapy Dog

 






The second friend is Sadie Mae. She is a Vizsla and part of the hospitals "TAILS" program. This stands for Therapeutic Animal Intervention Lifts Spirits. This wonderful girl came in to help reduce any anxiety and boost Amy's mood while at the hospital. Sadie Mae is a certified therapy dog and she has helped our entire family relax and enjoy her company. She is a volunteer from the community and we appreciate her and her owner spending time to get to know Amy and help us. Unfortunately she is so good at her job she has the entire family wanting to bring a Vizsla puppy home! 

                                        Thank you Laura and Sadie Mae for a wonderful day! 

Checked In and Awaiting Resuts

Wednesday Dec 3 - We are checked into the Ronald MacDonald House in Little Rock.  We have our own room and there are tv rooms, library, and a play room for the kids. The bone marrow biopsy is scheduled for tomorrow so we will get some sleep and start fresh in the morning. We met a little boy named Christopher that has been battling cancer for 3 years. Their family is in need of a miracle too! Please pray for them while you pray for Amy! We want to be sensitive to the needs of others while we go through this journey.

Thursday Dec 4 - The bone marrow biopsy was completed today and Amy had the injection for the MIGB scan. She is tired but other than that doing well and we are hoping to be home by Saturday. 

Friday Dec 5 - All Scans completed! We should have the results in about two weeks. Once the results are back her doctor team will make a plan on treatment. 

Busy Thanksgiving Week

   The Thanksgiving holiday had us very busy. We spent Monday and Tuesday with the Stafford family in Louisiana. The days were filled with fun activities including canoeing, campfires, putting up the Christmas tree and an early Thanksgiving dinner! The kids laughed and played while being silly and having a good time.
   
   Wednesday we were with friends in Livingston, LA at pizza, shopping, posing for pictures and having the girl's hair done.

   We are so thankful for all the blessings that God has given us.
We were with family on Thanksgiving Day including all the grandmothers and extended family members.

   Friday was exciting and busy at the same time. We drove all the way back to Memphis, TN and went to the Memphis Zoo. They had it all lit up for the Christmas holiday and Amy got to ride a camel and then the ferris wheel. The best part was when they made it SNOW! We are headed back to Arkansas to begin testing the first week of December.

We are so thankful for the wonderful week we had and continue to look for God's hand in our lives. 

Visiting more Friends

     A big thank you to the Asher Family for the great time that our families spent together. We arrived at Amy's friend Crystal's home on Nov 21st and spent the day. The girls played the piano, sang, hiked, and spent a good part of the afternoon working on drawing pictures. We had a wonderful time and can not believe that the past few weeks have flown by us so quickly. We have plans to go the the Memphis zoo and see the Christmas lights on our way back home to Arkansas.

      Please continue to keep us in your prayers as the first week of December will be challenging for all of us. Amy continues to do well and as of yet has not shown any outward symptoms other than being a little more tired than usual. The plan to start diagnostics is still in place once we are back home and we will have to spend several days in Little Rock.

     Thank you to all who have donated either through your local church, privately or online! We are extremely grateful to all those who have reached out to us at this time. It has been a roller coaster of emotions but God has seen us though so far and we continue to depend on His faithfulness. We desire your prayers most of all. Thank you to those who have been praying for us and we ask that you continue throughout this journey that we are on.

~ The McMorris'

Fun With Bethany - by Amy

The past few days have flown by as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. We wanted to share a quick update on Amy and her adventures. Thank you to the Pinkston family for giving her some time to just be a little girl hanging out with friends! The following story is from Amy on one of the days that she spent with her friend from Mississippi.

Helping with Thanksgiving Crafts

Amy and Bethany being Silly Girls!

Bethany and Amy

Cupcakes!!

 " On November 21st I woke up at 4am! I arrived in Mississippi and my best friend Bethany's mom took me with her to the school where she teaches. I helped her kindergarten class make Thanksgiving crafts. 

   
   At noon we went to pick up Bethany from her school. She thought she was going to a doctor's appointment but I surprised her instead!! She squealed and I squealed the entire time we were hugging! We were so excited to see each other! 
   


We went to Target and bought legos and tried on funny glasses and headbands. We went to a cupcake bakery and ate peanut butter, chocolate cupcakes. Then we decided to go to the bookstore because we both LOVE to read! Later that afternoon we just spent hanging out and having a great time together." 

CANCER

New Hair Do

GANGLIONUEROBLASTOMA - the scary name that we were not expecting to hear. It is Cancer and only 5 out of every million children have this type of tumor. The doctor called with an initial plan today.

 The first step is to find out what stage it is in. An metaiodobenzlguanidine ( MIGB) scan will be done to help locate and diagnose tumors in the body. It will tell us if there are any more tumors. Since this particular type of tumor also attacks bone marrow she will need a bone marrow biopsy. The doctor let her know that it will be painful and we are trying to prepare her for it. She will have to take medication for her thyroid prior to the MIGB scan to protect her thyroid from the radioactive dye that is injected into her system. Pictures will be taken and any bright spots that show up are identified by the doctor. About 10% of these scans do not work and she will need a separate bone scan if that is the case. She will also need another CT scan of her entire chest and measurements will be taken of the tumor.

It will mean several days of testing at ACH and then once the results are in we will make a plan for treatment. We will begin these tests the first week of December. The doctor recommended that Amy gain a little weight and we requested a few weeks of normalcy.

Over the next two weeks we will be doing the things that Amy likes to do. We are going to bring her to visit friends that live in Mississippi and then going to Louisiana to visit family over the Thanksgiving holiday. It will be so nice to have a little time to balance out the craziness of the past few weeks.
Thank you to everyone who is praying and supporting us through this time. We know that our God has a plan for us and for our Amy. He is BIGGER than cancer.

Amy's Diagnosis

Amy at the Doctors

Hi Everyone, this blog is so that you can keep up with Amy's progress as her journey continues. Amy was diagnosed on Nov. 12 with gangelonureoblastoma, which is a type of cancer. Despite the diagnosis, she remains positive and smiling, as you can see.

Our family is extremely grateful for your prayers for our Amy D, and we ask that you continue to lift her up in the days ahead. The best way to get the most current update is to visit this blog, as we will strive to keep it up to date.

Thank you for your prayers!

- The McMorris Family

Home Sweet Home

We are home! Amy had a great day today. She and Zeke were able to play with their puppies and they had friends come over to visit. She walked to the neighbors house to bring muffins. Yum! She is still running a low grade fever but feeling much better. 

Camp Wannaplay!!

Amy's Scarecrow from Camp Wannaplay

We are going home today!! Yay! Amy was up and moving much better today. The hospital has a program called Camp Wannaplay. She was excited to make a craft as Amy is all about ART! She also felt up to taking a walk in the garden even though it was a challenge learning to get around with the iv and chest tube. She handled it like a pro. Her Child Life specialist came back today to help distract her while the tube was being removed. We are hopeful that we will go home today and that the test results will come in soon. 

One more Night at the Hospital

Holding Daddy's Hand

Nov 6th - The doctor came in this morning and said that we need to keep the tube in until tomorrow. She is still in a lot of pain. They had a child life specialist come in today to speak with her. She is helping Amy understand what is happening and she is playing games with her while they talk. They played Sorry and Crazy Eights. Amy was really enjoying the time she spent with her and it helped take her mind off the pain for a little while. The doctor told us that the biopsy has been sent to a national specialist and it may be a few more days until we get the results. We are ready for the results to be in and to make a plan. Everything in God's timing though and we are trying very hard to be patient. Amy is doing well on the hospital food with lots of chocolate ice cream, chicken noodle soup and mac n cheese! The doctor wants her to gain some weight so that should do it! 

Holy Moses and Hallelujah!

Silly Girl 

Nov 5th - What a day for our girl! A trip to the primary doctor this morning sent us right back to the ACH ( Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock). They thought she may have a collapsed lung but it was fluid that was not being absorbed post biopsy surgery. It had caused the left lung to be compressed. Again they needed to insert a chest tube. They gave her a sedative to relax her so that they could get the tube back in and that's when her funny side really showed. She kept saying things like "holy moses" and "hallelujah!" when she felt the pressure of the tube! We are now in a room, they have given her some pain meds and she is resting. The doctor came in to say that the biopsy results have not come in yet and it may be next week sometime before we know anything more. 

Home Again

Waiting for the Doctor 

Nov 1st - We are home and she has had a great morning! Friends have come over to visit and she opened all the cards that were sent. Thank you to all who are praying and showing support for our family, it means a lot!

Nov 2nd - She slept ok but still running a fever and hurting more than I think she should. The little things in life make you so much happier, like finally getting a real shower after being away from home for a few days! We are all happy to be home and getting a chance to regroup! We called the doctor around 4pm because her fever is higher and gave her tylenol per his instruction. 

Nov 3rd - Amy rested well last night. She still has a fever but felt good enough to sing with her Daddy for about an hour. We called the doctor this afternoon because her fever keeps climbing. We will be taking her to her primary care doctor in the morning to be re-evaluated. 

Post Biopsy Surgery and Costume Party

~ Oct 29th We are in a room and Amy is in pain but resting. When she awoke from the anesthesia we explained to her that she has a chest tube in to help drain excess fluid from the surgery site. Her doctor came in to say that he is still very optimistic that this is benign but that the surgery to remove the mass will be extensive. The tube should come out in the morning and we will be going home soon! 

~  Oct 30th Bryan and I attempted to get some sleep on the small couch in Amy's room but she was restless most of the night. We were not aware that the chest tube would cause so much discomfort for her. Thankfully it is out now and we are going home. The hospital has a costume party planned for 1pm and Amy is excited to be going as a MOUSE! She is weak but is insisting that she is energetic enough to attend the party and have some fun. 

  Amy stayed for a little while at the party but I think it got the best of her. She is exhuasted and requested to go back to her room. We are going home! 

Time for the Biopsy

 On Tuesday, October 28, we received a phone call from the surgeon team. We had an appointment with the surgeon team to consult with them about the taking the biopsy at 2pm on Wednesday. We met with the surgeon on Tuesday and he was very optimistic about the mass and thought maybe he could remove it and not just take a biopsy. The surgery was scheduled for 7:30 am on Thursday morning. We left the doctor's office with high hopes that this would be done and over by the weekend. We checked in our hotel, had supper at Appleby's (because that is were Amy wanted to eat, she really wanted crawfish), did some shopping and headed back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. On Thursday we arrived at the ACH at 5:30 am with Amy in good spirits, we had talked about all that she may experience and talked with nurses, doctors and anesthetist about any questions she may have. She was taken in to surgery at 7:50 am and we were told that it would take up to three hours and that we would be updated on the hour. An hour later the receptionist notified us that the Doctor needed to speak to us in the consulting room, our hearts dropped and we immediately sent up a prayer asking for peace. The Doctor told us it was not what he expected. The mass was very vascular and that she had lost more blood than expected however she did not need a transfusion. He was only able to take a small biopsy. She was doing well, her vital signs were good, but she had a chest tube that would continue to remove the blood and fluid from her chest cavity.   

Finding the mass.



On Thursday, October 23, Amy begin to run a low grade fever it continued through the night. Friday morning her fever was 102 and she was complaining of severe stomach pain on her right side. Her Daddy was convinced that it was appendicitis due to the fact that he had his appendix out at the age of 13 and had the same symptoms. We headed to the hospital prepared to stay a few days. After arriving at the hospital the Doctor told us that it was probably a virus that causes the lymph nodes in the stomach to swell and cause the pain and fever. However to be sure it was not her appendix he decided to run a CT scan. The results were that she did have the virus but it also showed that there is a mass the size of a soup can connected to her spine at the T10 vertebrate. She was then sent to AR Children's Hospital (ACH). We arrived at the ACH around three in the afternoon and begin testing, meeting doctors and waiting, waiting and waiting for results. MRI did agree with the CT scan that a mass is there and is around her T10 vertebrate. Basic neurology test were given and due to the fact that she has absolute no symptoms we were to take her home, watch her closely for symptoms, and wait for a phone call from the surgeon team who would conduct her biopsy.   I was blown away by the news of her mass, but Amy in her calm positive manner said "Mom, it is going to be OK." Thank God for a husband who insisted that we take Amy to the ER and for a God that knows all things.