A Walk in the Park

We had such a fun day yesterday! Six Flags Great America and Cure Kids Cancer invited Aidan to be the ambassador for Six Flags. It was a beautiful day-hot, but not beastly. Aidan and I both got to speak to a crowd of about 400 people. He wasn't even scared! We should have known. There's not too much that spooks our guy. Randy and Aidan closed the park down last night. I think it may be a new record: 7:00 am -9:30 pm! Chloe and I left around 6:00- we were exhausted. Summer is here and we are ready for fun! Please continue to pray for Aidan. Next labs: August.
Till Next Time,
Carrie

Good News, but Weird News

Finally, after days, hours, minutes we heard back. Dr. Morgan, Aidan's Oncologist, called late this afternoon. She explained that while they couldn't do a thorough study of their own, what they were able to see convinces them that Aidan is fine. There are too many missing pieces for them to think that he has relapsed. The pictures they were able to see were deemed "unremarkable". This is my new word of the week. Since blood, urine, and his overall health are perfect, we are going to consider this just a "blip" on the radar. We will pursue this scan in 3 months at Children's. I have already called my insurance to get the ball rolling.
We feel a sense of relief, but still wish they could have completed their own case study. We have full confidence in Dr. Morgan, as she is a straight-shooter and is very conservative. She assured us that if she thought this was something more, we would be in doing every test under the sun. So, we are back to our normal 3 month check up in August. September we'll try this scan garbage again.
Thank you to our dear friends who have prayed for us, sent us good vibes, and heck, even bought us groceries (thanks, Shawn). How blessed we are to have so many friends and family that love us and our sweet boy. Tonight we went to Moe's, our favorite local hot spot for dinner to celebrate. Even though Aidan has no idea what we've been through these past few days, he was very happy this evening. Give your kids an extra hug tonight-we sure will.

Unreadable AGAIN.

Really, they are unreadable again. Around 11:00 am, Children's called to say that they still cannot read the scans. They are working with IT from Lutheran and IT from Children's. We wait. We wait. We wait. I am not a good waiter. We may have to re-scan at Children's. Are you serious? And then guess what? We'll have to wait again. Meanwhile, the house is a mess. We need to hit the grocery store. And, my poor children want their real mom back. Uff da! The best words I have are, "Calgon...take me away".
-Will update as soon as I know something more.

Still Waiting...

Can you believe we STILL don't know? Today has been such a frustrating day for us. I left at 6:30 am to bring in the scans from Lutheran (which I picked up Sat) for Children's. After waiting for 2 hours, I finally saw the doc, gave her the scans, and was ordered to go home, as they would call me when the scans were read by the radiologist. After arriving home, I receive a call from Children's stating that the scans were "un-readable". Lutheran General needs to re-do the scans in a different format, and then they would Fed-Ex them. Are you kidding? I don't think so. I cannot wait an additional 3-4 days for Fed Ex. Ugh. I left AGAIN, drove to Lutheran, got the scans myself, and drove back to Children's. Now, it is 8:00 pm and still I KNOW NOTHING!!! Frustration is high, patience is low. I truly cannot wait anymore. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY!!!!!! I go to the worst places possible in my head. Why are they taking so long? Is something horrible on them? Do they need to call in specialists to read them? Why???? What is going on? Pray for answers for us soon...I have 2 kids who would like their normal mommy back; not the crazed, deer-in-headlights one.
I will update as soon as I hear...

Please Pray for us

We received the inconclusive results back from Aidan's scans tonight. We had to wait all day, only to find out that "something" suspicious showed up. It is teeny-tiny and we are unsure what to make of it. Since the scan was done at Lutheran General and NOT at Children's, we have to wait until Monday to get it read by "our people". Aidan's oncologist and stem cell doc both told us to not worry too much about it. Yeah, right. We are scared out of our minds and praying, praying, praying that is nothing. I will be going to Lutheran first thing in the morning to pick up the films so I can be at Children's bright and early Monday morning.
Please pray for Aidan. We are so upset by this. The not-knowing is horrid. I will update as soon as I know something on Monday.

Think Good Thoughts...please.

Aidan had his nuclear injection today. Tomorrow at 1:00 is his scan. He repeats the scan on Thursday. Same time. Same place. PLEASE think good thoughts and say some prayers for our little man. We are struggling tonight. Ugh.

Save the Date

Happy Summer? When WILL the rain stop! Not only was Aidan's last soccer game canceled today, but also a fun Children's Memorial Luau. We are bummed!

As some of you may know, Aidan was asked by Six Flags, to be the "Ambassador for Six Flags Great America" on June 27th. Six Flags is teaming up with the organization Cure Kids Cancer. If you are free on June 27th, we would love to have you sign up and walk on "Team Aidan". All you need to do is to go to http://www.walkintheparks.org. You will need to locate "Great America" and then sign up under "Team Aidan". So far, we are in the Top 10 for fundraising (8th place). Not bad, huh? We would love to see you there.

This is a big week for Aidan. On Tues-Thurs we will be heading down to Lutheran General Hospital to get a nuclear medicine scan called an "MIBG". We have not scanned for a year now, but due to a new neuroblastoma study published, our oncologist wants Aidan to start scanning regularly. This study provides convincing evidence that the best way to detect relapse is through scanning. Our oncologist is an anti-scanner, so for her to recommend this, it's a big deal. Please pray for us, as these scans check him from head to toe. We have been so blessed with clean blood and urine, we just pray that we continue with a clean scan too. On Tuesday, Aidan will get injected with a nuclear dye. No, he doesn't turn orange! It settles in his body and then Wed and Thurs they scan. The scan is the same both days. It apparently gives them a clearer view waiting 24 hours, then 48 hours after injection. It's a lot to digest. Due to insurance purposes, we have to scan at Lutheran, not at Children's. Let's hope that goes well too. Aidan loves Robert, the scanner at Children's. He can do a mean "Spongebob Square Pants" song and dance WITH accent! Ha!

Praying for our friends battling every day. There are just too many kiddos out there battling cancer. Please say extra prayers for them tonight. It is a long and scary road.

Hugs to all,
Carrie

Another Milestone Date

Two years ago today, Dr. Grant Geissler, removed "the beast" that was growing in our son's tummy. An eight hour surgery, he came out with arms stretched, and told us he got it all. There was a cheer by the 15 or so of us that tirelessly waited, prayed, and hoped that day. 2 years. And look how far we have come. God is good.