Recovery Time

   Amy is doing great tonight! Her recovery is going well and we hope to be out of the hospital soon. She is right back to her talkative self! Her doctor told his staff that she was probably the strongest kid in the hospital! Thank you for all your prayers, calls, gifts and continued support of our family.

THANK YOU!!!!!

   The chest tube is out, the wires and iv have been removed as well. Amy has been able to move around a good bit these last few days. She is really enjoying having her sister's ( Maecy and Bryanna) here as well as her Maw Maw Linda, Granny and Aunt Dana. We have not received the pathology report yet but it has only been a few days and the last word was that it could take up to seven days to get back to us.
   If Amy continues to improve as well as she is now we will be going on family vacation in October. It has been quite a while since we were all together and are looking forward to celebrating all that God has done so far.
   

Surgery Completed and Recovery Beginning

  We are overjoyed to be updating everyone on Amy's progress today! The amazing drawing below is of the tumor that has been giving us so much trouble this past year. Her surgeon drew it for us to help explain what was done during the last 4 hours. First off we would like to say "Thank You" to everyone who was praying for Amy and our family today! God's hand was on her and the surgeon and we could not have asked for a better outcome.

Abstract Surgeon Art 

   The tumor was in four parts. It had projections into the muscle in her back ( the halfmoon to the left of the drawing), between her ribs( the funny rooster cone on the right), directly into her spine ( the little circles down the middle) and along the side of her spine( the banana/oval in the middle).  The general area is vascular and Amy did lose a fair amount of blood but not because of the vascularity of the actual tumor.  She did not need a transfusion but her blood counts will be monitored over the next week. We believe that the chemo may have reduced the blood flow inside the tumor making surgery a better option than before treatment. A chest tube was placed to drain any excess fluid buildup but will be removed before we are discharged. The surgeon reported that he did not have to go through the diaphragm, the nerves in the area were not damaged in any way, and that he was able to remove at least 90% of the tumor only leaving what was directly in the spine.
   We will be here in the hospital until next Monday or Tuesday. Thankfully, we will be going into a regular room and she does not need to go to the ICU. Amy is still sleeping right now but they will be getting her up tomorrow to walk. The surgeon said she should make a full recovery with only minor repercussions. She may have numbness along her left side where incisions were made. She may also have weakness in the left side of her stomach and some irregularities in the muscles around the stomach. Her surgeon and team believe, from analyzing what was removed, that the chemo did it's job and the cancer was destroyed. They have sent it to the lab and we should be receiving a pathology report in the next five to seven days. Her surgeon seemed confident that it would be benign but wanted to have testing done to confirm.
   Everyone here has been quite taken with our young conversationalist. She asked to be awake before going in and discussed openly with the doctors on what was going to happen. We did have a few trying times during the last few weeks and today's anxiety level was high. It is in these moments that we find peace in prayer and the knowledge that God has a plan for Amy. Please continue to keep our brave girl in your prayers. We are deeply grateful and overjoyed with all God has done in Amy's life and through our family reached others with a message of faith and hope. We will continue with updates as we have information to share.
 
   

Surgery Consultation and Visiting Philadelphia

   The consultation for surgery was yesterday morning. After talking to the team of doctors here in Philadelphia, we have decided that surgery is the best option at this time. Her doctors are confident that chemo reduced the vascularity of the tumor and the bleeding risk is much lower than before. Surgery is set for tomorrow afternoon and should take about three to five hours. The goal is to take as much of the tumor as possible at least 75-90% without causing any harm to the spinal cord. We ask that you just pause for a moment tomorrow and pray for Amy and our family. 

   Amy spent a little over a week in NY with Malinda, Paul Ray and Lola. She got to meet a lot of new friends and had a busy week of camping, working at a dog grooming salon, and relaxing with several good books. Lola really enjoyed having Aunt Amy read her stories and play toys with her. She had fun road tripping with Malinda to meet us here in Philadelphia. 

   There is so much history here and we would like to visit as much as possible before checking in to the hospital. We  have already spent some time touring the Brandywine Battle Field and the house that George Washington used as his headquarters prior to the battle. The plan is to visit a few more of the famous historical sites in the area including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. 

   Once the surgery is completed we will spend several more weeks here during her recuperation. We have been blessed with the use of an apartment here and are thankful that God provided for us a space to call home until we are able to return. After the doctors release her to travel we will fly back home to Arkansas and Amy will continue to be monitored by her team at ACH.  

   Many, many thanks to everyone for your support and prayers! We are blessed to have so many friends who continuously keep us lifted up in prayer

Updated Treatment Plans

   We will be meeting with a specialist in Philadelphia to discuss the possibility of surgery. Although we were discouraged in the beginning from pursuing surgical treatment her current team at ACH feel that it should now be addressed. The consultation is set for August 24th. We have many questions for the doctors that we will be meeting during this appointment. If surgery is deemed the best option then we have a tentative date of August 27th.  Amy will have a long recovery period and the family will be spending some time in the area until she is released to travel back home.
   As for now Amy continues to do well. She is her usual bubbly self and is going to visit Malinda in NY for a few weeks before we go to Pennsylvania. We are so very thankful for her and what God is doing in her life despite the diagnosis.
 

Thank you so much for following along with us and keeping Amy in your thoughts and prayers.