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On January 5th, 2011, Lily was admitted to the Phoenix Children's Hospital because she was experiencing pain in her legs and back. A week later and after what felt like a million tests, scans and biopsies, we had a diagnosis: she has a soft tissue tumor called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. A PET scan revealed a small tumor in her foot that was not apparent from the outside; it was not until the cancer had already spread to her bone marrow that she experienced any symptoms. This came as a total shock to everyone as Lily has always been healthy, active and full of energy. We love our darling girl and her sweet, happy, loving spirit. This website is for friends and family to stay connected during this difficult time.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Happy New Year

Although I didn't get as much accomplished during my holiday vacation as I wanted to (the garage is still an unorganized mess), I did get some much needed time to focus on renewing and recharging my energies.

A large part of this was due to the fact that Lily hasn't had chemo (or any doctor appointments for that matter!) in over 3 weeks. This is one of the longest breaks that she has had in her treatment. She was initially scheduled for the chemotherapy Irinotecan for 5 days straight the week before Christmas, but we knew that if she stuck with that schedule, she would be sick for Christmas weekend and we really didn't want that. Then, for the two weeks following Christmas, the east valley clinic was closed on Monday and rather than going to Phoenix for treatment, we decided to take a long break to just enjoy the holidays without having to worry about it.

It's been wonderful to see her feeling so well. Her hair is starting to grow back and she's gained some weight. She's been running around, playing with her friends in the neighborhood, and her wheelchair is now just another thing to clutter my garage!

My one wish for the new year is that she will continue to heal and grow into the beautiful young woman I know she can be. My artistic, funny, original, smart, caring girl. How I love her!

During my time off, I spent a lot of time reflecting and it's helped me to feel recharged and ready to face whatever 2012 brings.

Bring on 2012
Lily is scheduled for chemo on Monday and it's hard to think about going back. It's also hard to know if these rounds of chemo are truly necessary at this point. We are trusting the doctors who tell us that according to research, the likelihood of the cancer coming back is lessened if Lily finishes the entire course of treatment that was prescribed. And this makes sense, I mean, think about it- when you have an infection, you don't stop taking antibiotics as soon as you feel better. You are told to take the entire course of treatment to ensure that your illness doesn't come back.

The last thing we want is for the cancer to come back.

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1 comment:

John Urquidi said...

I'm so glad to see that everything is going so well! Lilly is an unstoppable force! We love you guys and can't wait to see you!

January 31, 2012 at 8:06 AM

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