Amy - Beloved

Her name means Beloved. It fits her well.     

Amy and Becca at Silver Dollar City

    The beginning of April was a trying time for our family. Testing was completed and we were anxiously awaiting the results. The doctors were optimistic and we were in constant prayer that this journey was going to end soon.
     Amy has a non-typical mass. This means that the usual plan for this type of tumor, chemo then removal, is not an option. The area where the tumor is located, and the amount of vascular tissue located inside the tumor prevent the use of radiation and surgery is not possible. The risks far outweigh the benefits to even try to obtain a new sample for biopsy. The news we received was that the tumor has not grown but it will not go away. It will be more like scar tissue and our option is to complete one more round of chemo and then more testing in three months.
     Amy is doing well. Her doctors are confident that the cancer cells were killed especially since her only symptoms have been caused by the chemo and not the actual tumor. She is tired sometimes and it has slowed her down some but she remains our same Amy. After the next chemo and testing she has been given the go ahead to return to normal life. She has plans for swimming, bike racing and horseback riding. We are looking forward to it as well.
     The tumor will not go away and it will need to be monitored long term but God has answered many prayers and we could not have endured this without His grace and mercy to our family. We hope and pray that in some way we have reached out to others during all of this and pointed them to Him. Our life will only count if we do not point to ourselves and say look at us but to point to God and say He painted our story. He brought us through a rough and frightening time and on the other side was His peace and love.
 We will continue to update everyone on her testing and progress as we go along. Thank you for all your support and continued prayers.

Happy Birthday Amy!

    We wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who wished Amy Happy Birthday and all those who have supported and continue to support her! Her 12th birthday was full of squealing pre-teen girl stuff, including but not limited to: slumber party with two good friends, movies, games and of course presents! She had so much fun! In true Amy fashion she used her birthday money to buy a microscope and has been examining all kinds of things around the house. The Allen family, cousins in New Orleans, sent her a box full of stuff for Mardi Gras! We decided it was time for her to receive her hope chest for putting away those treasures meant to last a lifetime. It is so hard to believe that our baby girl is growing up so fast. She keeps reminding everyone that in less than a year now she will be 13! Yikes!
     We are back at ACH this week for her last round of chemo. We had an x-ray this morning and hopefully will begin treatment shortly. As long as everything goes ok then we will only be here until Friday. Once this round is finished we will be waiting two weeks then returning for testing. The doctors will be looking to see if the chemo did it's job. Many of the initial tests will be done again to see where we are in this process. Please continue to pray for us and especially for Amy.

    Amy has such a silly side and just like her Daddy it can really shine at times. This week was no exception and the unlucky victims of her prank, of course, was her older sisters! Since the beginning, both Malinda and Bryanna told her that if she loses her hair then they will shave theirs as well. She really put them to the test! She tied bandanas around her head to make it look like she had shaved her head and took pictures. Then she sent them to Malinda and Bryanna, and called them to ask if they were keeping up with their part in the bargain! Both sisters were TERRIFIED that they would now have to shave their heads and one even scheduled an appointment with her hairdresser this week so she wouldn't chicken out!! Finally Amy came clean and said that she was just joking and that she still has the cute little blonde bob haircut and not a shiny bald head! Thankfully it wasn't too late but she really had them going! They both insist that she is a stinker and they wouldn't have it any other way!
    A big thank you to everyone following Amy. She really is a special girl and we know God has a special purpose for her life! How amazing is it that He decided that we would be her family?! We have been truly blessed with a little girl who is now a bright young lady.
 

Blood Counts, MRIs, and Revolutions OH MY!

    We were back in Little Rock this week at ACH ( Arkansas Children's Hospital). Amy's white blood cells were low and they recommended isolation. Zeke has been a little under the weather so they had to be on separate ends of the house. As you may have guessed, Amy thought this was a much needed vacation from her little brother. So far as little brothers go he is the best but even the most patient of big sisters needs some down time! Amy says it was an answer to prayer!!

Amy's New DO! 

   She has been studying the French revolution this week and her creative mind has gone into overdrive designing clothes. She picked out a dress pattern, and of course some BRIGHT colored fabric, and has been sewing away!
( Oui Oui !!!)
    Amy's platelet count is also very low and we thought she may need a transfusion. Prayers were definitely answered and she did not. She did have scheduled MRI. Her neurosurgeon team decided it would be best to have a MRI done every 60 days due to the fact that the tumor is located on her T10 vertebra. The mass is is almost completely around her spinal cord and this area controls her diaphragm (breathing), bowel function, and lower motor movements.
    God has been so good to us! The team that has been working with Amy said that we could not have found this at a better time. Praise God that she has not experienced any symptoms from the cancer!
    The third round of Chemo is scheduled for Feb. 11th and we will be in ACH for a total of three days.  We humbly ask again for your continued prayers and affirm that they are indeed being heard. God has given us grace, peace when we needed it most, and continues to bless Amy throughout this journey. It has been AMAZING to see God's hand in all of this and how it really makes a difference when together, God's children, call on Him to do marvelous things!   

T-Shirt Update!

TEAM AMY 

We wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who has ordered Team Amy T-shirts. We ask for your continued patience as during this whole process we had to find a different supplier. The shirts should be arriving soon and we will keep you updated on when the orders should be here. Once we receive the shirts we will be mailing them out to you. We are all excited about getting these out there and were disappointed with the delay but now we are confident that they will be here soon! 

Second Chemo Treatment

Our Bright, Funny Girl

    Amy has such a positive attitude and going into the second round of chemotherapy her bright spirit really showed. We were thankful that her blood work came back normal and we were able to proceed with treatment. This second treatment was not supposed to be this week but the doctors felt it was necessary due to the fact that she was doing well and could handle another treatment so soon.
    We were praying that this time she could receive treatment and go home. Our prayers were answered, Amy did not spike a fever and we were released after only one day in hospital. She did receive three types of chemo, including a very nasty one nicknamed " the red devil".

Malinda, Paul and Lola

 Paul, Malinda and baby Lola arrived in Little Rock from NY on Wednesday and they spent the day with Amy at the hospital. After we were discharged from the hospital we all traveled together and arrived home Thursday night.

Lola and Auntie Amy

                                  Amy is experiencing some side effects of the chemo including pain and nausea. So far everything is manageable at home with medication. We were told by her doctors that this would happen but actually going through this with her is not something you can prepare yourself for prior to experiencing it with your child. Bryan kept reminding us last night that we needed to keep our heads on straight and be strong for Amy.
    We continue to trust that God has Amy in His hands and we ask that you continue to pray for us. 

First Chemo and Learning New Things

SELFIE!

    The placement of the port went as well as could be expected. Amy will receive everything through this port. It allows the doctors and nurses to administer her chemo, give her medication and fluids and also draw blood. It really is a wonderful device as it provides the nurses with access to her veins and alleviates the need for her to be poked every time she needs medication or blood work.
     

Piano Playing at the Hospital

Amy completed her first round of Chemo last night and all went well. She had mac n cheese and a boiled egg for dinner. What a combination! We played games with her doctor and her child life specialist, we also skyped with Lola in New York! Please keep praying that all goes well during the next several treatments.
       Send up a special prayer for us as Amy has decided to learn to play the ukulele. She is a special girl and has big ideas, this one happens to be very noisy!

Out and About

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