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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.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Shining Stars Ski Trip

Lily had so much fun on her ski trip to Colorado.


She skied standing up AND sitting down :)
She played in the snow
And showed off her mad dance skills


Made lots of friends
And made everyone laugh
A big thank you to everyone who gave of their time, energy and love to make this a very special time that Lily will always remember!




Denver news clip about the trip: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/30690343/index.html

Friday, March 2, 2012

Marvelous March: Exciting Adventures Await

Today the PCH clinic had an end of treatment party for Lily.

This is how excited she was:

Hooray! No more chemo!


Lily is also looking forward to being in the fashion show this weekend and next weekend she goes on her ski trip to Aspen, Colorado with the Shining Stars Foundation. This trip is going to be an amazing experience for her. She will be gone 8 days and will have daily one on one ski instruction and lots of fun activities.

And to top it all off, Make a Wish Foundation is going to grant Lily a wish!!

Her wish?

To have her own private Victorian cottage playhouse/ art studio in our backyard!

This is is sort of what she is envisioning. Source: The New York Times

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Lily's MRI and PET scan did not indicate the presence of any cancer in her body!!

Her doctor's appointment to review the results isn't until Friday but I couldn't wait that long-- I called the doctor the day after her scans and he confirmed that she is in remission and that as long as her scans continue to look good, she is done with treatment.

So although this is her second negative scan, we are doubly excited because Lily is not only in remission, she is finished with her year long intensive chemotherapy treatment!!

This is truly an amazing miracle and we are incredibly grateful that things have gone so well. It's been a tough year and Lily has had to be so strong through it all. She is certainly proof of the power of love and positive thinking!

Lily has never once doubted that she would get better and through all the many, many chemotherapy and radiation treatments, she never lost her focus. No matter how sick she felt, she simply accepted it all with the grace that only a child could have.

For us, this was important. There was no anger toward the cancer. For us, this was not a "fight" or a "battle" to be "won" or "lost." Although I think many people like to use that metaphor, we do not. For us, it is a matter of accepting what is, dealing with it, and moving on. I learned how to do this from Lily. When Lily first got sick, I remember saying, "Life is hard enough without cancer." This past year has taught me that it's all in your perception. Life is only as hard as you make it. A heart full of love and gratitude is the best antidote to a mind full of doubt and worry.