Christen is doing well!!

I apologize that it has been so long since we have posted here! Thank you so much for the continued prayer and concern for Christen. She continues to do well. She is having regular scans to check for possible recurrence, and so far God has seen fit to keep the cancer away. We are so grateful for that! She will be graduating from High School this June and is planning to continue her education with college starting in the Fall.

Steve & Debbie

April 2009 Scans Clear!!

Christen's latest round of scans are all clear!!! God continues to sustain and bless her as returns to "normal" life. Thank you so much for the prayers!!

Steve & Debbie

Central Line Removed!!

Christen had the central removed yesterday at UVa and was able to come home yesterday evening. We are all so happy for her since it was the last remaining vestige of the chemotherapy treatment that she endured this year and having it removed is another significant step for her toward returning to some semblance of normalcy. Of course things will never be completely the same for her as they were before, and in some significant senses that is a good thing, but she is very happy to be able to get back to "normal" life without a central line, etc.

In terms of the suspected line infection, it turned out that she did have a minor infection on the outside of the line which caused the tenderness. Thankfully the infection was not inside the line which would have been a much more serious thing which would have resulted in her staying in the hospital for a week to 10 days on powerful antibiotics. We are so thankful to God that was not the case.

Thanks to you all for the prayers and support. People tell us on a regular basis how much they pray for all of us and I can tell you for certain that God has been answering those prayers. How could we ever have made it without His strengthing hand? His grace towards us undeserving sinners has truly been amazing. Love like that can only be supernatural.

Steve & Debbie for the family

In Hospital

Please pray for Christen as she had to go back to UVa Saturday afternoon because of a possible infection in her central line. She is actually feeling fine, but because of the chance of a serious infection developing she has to stay in the hospital for 48 hours while they wait for the blood culture test results. Actually, the whole thing may likely turn into a blessing in disguise because they are talking about taking the line out on Monday, which she would love. We asked her recently what she wanted for Christmas, and the only answer we got out of her was "I want my central line out." Nothing else. She has been so good about not complaining about it, but it really is a terrible nuisance for her. The progress of taking a shower is about 10 times more complicated because of it, for instance. I'm sure that got old for her a long time ago.

We are expecting her to be able to come home on Tuesday.

Thanks!
Steve & Debbie

CT Final Report

Good news! Yesterday evening we received word from UVa on the CT results. The nodule on Christen's lung has not changed in size, and while they can't say for sure that it isn't a metastasis, they did say it doesn't have the appearance of being one and that it could be scar tissue or a collapsed air sack. The central line will be left in at least until the next scans are all done in January--full body bone scan, chest CT (again!), and leg x-rays. The platelet count is still only about half of what the lowest normal level would be, although it is increasing by small increments.

We are rejoicing in God's goodness to us, though undeserved, that we can anticipate spending the holidays together at home. It is a very big gift!

Steve & Debbie

CT Scan Result

Thanks for all the prayers for Christen's CT scan today. The initial report is that the nodule in the upper portion of her left lung has remained the same size. That is good news. We are thankful to God for this report. We should get the final report Tuesday of next week. Because her counts are still coming up slowly they will probably leave the central line in a little while longer. She would love to have it out, but seems content with the situation.

Christen and Debbie were able to visit many of their friends at UVa today. They had an enjoyable time reconnecting with many of the staff who graciously provided her care during this difficult year. We have been very blessed to receive such excellent care. Christen's hair is growing back nicely. She looks very beautiful.

Steve & Debbie

Update on Christen

It has been a while since we have posted so we wanted to give an update. Christen is still struggling with low counts. She had a bone marrow aspiration last week and the initial results came back fine. We are so thankful for that. However, she still tires very easily. This is likely caused by the low blood counts so we are hoping and praying that will change soon. Otherwise she is doing very well, and the whole family is enjoying being together again. We are returning to just dealing with all the "normal" issues of life for the most part, with the exception of a test here and there, and the worry about her counts. The next significant event for Christen will be chest CT on December 3rd. Please pray that the spot on her upper left lung will not have grown, and indeed that it will have disappeared.

Christen also just celebrated her 16th birthday this past Sunday. We feel very grateful to God for giving her another birthday. Each one is a gift. God used cancer to help us see that in a new way. She enjoyed the weekend also because she was able to attend a Harvest Ball Dance held at our church. We hope to publish pictures of the event soon.

Thank you for the continued prayer and encouragement. God has used all of you!

Steve & Debbie for the family.

We are Home!!!

Sorry for the delay in posting. We did make it home safely on Friday, and had a very nice relaxing weekend. Please pray for Christen as she works at returning to "normal" life now. Her energy level is still low since she has been through so much this year. It will probably take her at least 6 months to get back to normal levels of activity. Please also pray that her blood counts will continue to rise.

Thanks!
Steve & Debbie for the family

Meetings at MD Anderson Complete

We had our last meeting with the Dr. here at MD Anderson regarding Christen's situation. Her PET CT scan was clear, and they also agreed that the spot on the chest CT is too small to make a clear determination of what it is, so he wants to keep a close eye on it. She will have another chest CT the first part of December. We are really breathing a sigh of relief right now, almost pinching ourselves that there are no major issues on the horizon. Can it be true? Now we wait...

We also had a film crew in the room while we were meeting with the Dr. filming a documentary on the whole process of dealing with childhood cancer. They were very nice and supportive folks, and Christen was able to meet a college student who is an osteosarcoma survivor.

We are very glad to have made the contact with the Dr. here. He is an expert in the field of osteosarcoma and will be keeping track of Christen's case as time goes on. He gave us a number of options to consider should she have a recurrence and wants to get the red tape out of the way in VA so that she could receive further treatment there should it be needed. The meeting was very educational. It was definitely worth the trip down here.

Please continue to pray that Christen's counts will improve, and that she will have no recurrence either in her leg or lungs. Pray also for renewed strength since she still tires quickly. It will take her some time to get back to her old self.

Praise be to God. We give Him all the thanks. He has answered your prayers.

Steve & Debbie for the family

Counts On the Way Up

We received the results from yesterday's labs and are very grateful that Christen's counts have risen somewhat although still low. We are all rejoicing at this step up; she is sooo glad to be able to go out in public without a mask! This morning we went to The Galleria which Christen wanted to see as she said it is one of the largest malls in the U.S.

Late this afternoon, her PETCT was done. We will meet with the doctor Thursday morning after he has looked at the results. He will give us his thoughts then regarding what he believes to be the best course of action regarding further care. The PETCT will give a very good indication if there is any active cancer in her body at present. Statistically, she has a number of very big strikes against her for recurrence; however, we know that even this is under the control of a loving heavenly Father. It is not always easy to keep this in mind; but praise God, we do know it is true!

Tomorrow, we have "off." Pray for God's blessings on our time together and for wisdom for Dr. Anderson. Pray, too, for the scan results; and that in everything, God would be glorified. Christen remains her cheerful self inspite of all; and our other children seem to be hanging in there quite well.

Thanks to all for your prayers and support of our entire family!

First Meeting in Houston

We had our first meeting with the Dr. today. Christen also had x-rays taken, and will have a PET CT scan tomorrow afternoon. Once the Dr. has all the information in hand he will give us his opinion Thursday morning.

Thanks for the prayers and encouragements!

Steve & Debbie

Safely in Houston

We had a good flight to Houston today. The only little difficulty we encountered was Christen setting off the scanner while going through security. She was able to get through after they pulled her aside for additional screening. We met a nice family on the plane who took the time to give us information about the area around the hospital. It is an amazing thing to experience such acts of kindness from complete strangers.

The three of us enjoyed a nice evening relaxing, laughing, and joking together. Thanks be to God for the little moments of joy that He has given us in the midst of the trial. :-)

Please be in prayer for our meeting tomorrow morning with the Dr.

It turns out we didn't get to stay at the Ronald McDonald house because it is still closed due to damage from the recent hurricane.

Thanks!
Steve & Debbie and Christen

Off To Houston

We leave for the airport in the morning to fly to Houston for Christen's appointment with osteosarcoma specialist. Christens counts are still very low, so we are particularly concerned about her white cell count since she will be exposed to more germs in the airport and on the plane. An infection of any sort could be very dangerous for her.

After we return from Houston she is scheduled to receive a bone marrow aspiration. This will give the Dr. more information as he tries to determine what is causing her blood counts not to return to normal levels. Please pray that we will all have peace about this.

Steve & Debbie for the family

Blood Counts Still Low

We received the discouraging news today that Christen's blood counts are still low. She is still able to go to Houston this weekend, but she needs to be very careful about infection. She is really discouraged because it means she won't be able to do as much in Houston as she was hoping. :-( Please pray for God's peace to be upon her.

Steve & Debbie for the family

White Cell Count

Please pray that Christen's white cell count which has been unusually low since the the end of chemotherapy. The Dr. is not sure yet why it is still low. We are planning to travel to Houston on Sunday for our meeting, so pray her count will come up prior to the trip. If it doesn't come up she may have to wear a mask on the plane and be very careful about exposure to germs.

Thanks!
Steve & Debbie for the family

Back from CHOP

Christen had a very good appointment today with her surgeon in Philadelphia. He is very pleased with how she is progressing. Additionally she had a bone scan and chest CT this past Friday which we were worried about, but they both turned out to be clear. There were some unusual aspects of both scans that gave us some (well actually a lot of) concern. The CT scan report made mention of a small object in her lung. However they decided that it is most likely nothing of significance. We are so thankful beyond words for that. It is hard to describe how hard these tests are for us every time she has one. Thankfully Christen does a much better job with them than her parents do. :-)

Now we start getting ready for our trip to Houston this Sunday. Please pray for wisdom for all of us in this process.

Thanks!
Steve & Debbie for the family

Next Steps

The next phase of Christens treatment today is beginning today. She is at UVa today to get a chest CT, and a full body scan to see if there is any visible cancer activity anywhere in her body. Please pray that these tests would all come back negative. Also please pray that her blood counts would return to normal soon. They took an unexpected drop this week.

Christen returns to CHOP this coming Monday (10/6), and then we go to Houston October 12th for a consult with an osteosarcoma specialist about possible further treatment.

Thank you all so much for the continued prayer. We appreciate the prayers and encouragements which you regularly lift up our behalf. They mean so much to us.

Steve & Debbie for the family

Recovering

Christen is doing well recovering from the _last_ chemo treatment. She is feeling quite tired in general but is otherwise feeling OK. She is returning somewhat to "normal" life, taking classes, and doing homework, etc. She tires very easily and it will take some time before she is able to function at %100 strength. We are encouraged to see how she is progressing steadily on the road to recovery.

We are continuing to prepare for our trip to Houston in October to see the specialist at MD Anderson. We look forward to taking the next step in this incredible journey that God has put us on, and are very thankful that we have the opportunity to go there. Please pray for the many details that we still have to work out. It takes a surprising amount of work to get documents sent from one hospital to another, along with working out travel arrangements, etc.

Steve & Debbie for the family

Finished!!

Christen has completed her last treatment of chemotherapy. She came home yesterday afternoon, took a nap, then went out to Bible study in the evening. She is really looking forward to normal life, including the stress of getting homework done on time! :-)

We will continue to update the blog as things progress. Her next Dr. appointment is not until October which seems like an eternity compared to what she has been going through for the last 9 months. Please pray for all of us as we now turn our attention more fully to making plans for the trip to see the osteosarcoma specialist in Houston in October.

Thanks!
Steve & Debbie for the family