Annabelle on KSL

Annabelle's segment aired on KSL news at 10 last night. I hope that in some small way, her story (and sweet face!) will help to raise money for the place we love so much. Thank you Primary Children's for saving my daughter's life, and providing a place of healing and HOPE for us all.

If you'd like to watch it, just click on the link below and then select Annabelle's video.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=20647204&title=family-turns-to-primary-childrens-to-save-ailing-son&s_cid=queue-2

I promise that an update is coming soon. Thanks for being so patient!

Hope

Words cannot express how grateful I am for every single person at PCMC who worked together to save Annabelle's life.  I will forever feel indebted to them.  It's the annual fundraising week for Primary's and this video was made for it.  I can't help but cry as I watch this video and see some of our fellow cancer friends, the rooms, the hallways, the hospital entry, and all those familiar scenes we left just days ago.  Annabelle is in remission, but there are still many, too many, kids being treated at PCMC.  Please remember them.

Cancer Free!!!

I'll post details later, but for now I just wanted to share the good news that ANNABELLE IS IN COMPLETE REMISSION!  She is CANCER FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scans

The time has come for Annabelle's end of treatment imaging.  A time we've been anxiously waiting for and also anxiously fearing.  She had her MRI today and will head back in tomorrow for x-rays, a CT scan, echocardiogram, and a bone scan.  We will see the Dr tomorrow afternoon to get all of the results.  She did great with the sedation for her MRI today and is feeling fine.  I, however, am concerned with the preliminary results the radiologist gave me.  I am grateful that he came out to talk to me, though, because it turned out that her last MRI (Augsust 2011) was mislabeled and therefore wasn't showing up for him.  He was comparing today's results with her MRI from diagnosis, so he was saying she has had a remarkable response as her tumor was quite large at diagnosis and today he only saw a 6mm area that he wasn't sure whether it was residual tumor or scar tissue.  I immediately picked up on the 6mm figure because in August they had reported a similar finding that was 3mm in size.  After speaking with me, the radiologist did some searching in her file and that's how he found her August MRI had been mislabeled.  He came back out and said he had found it and would use it for comparison, and that's all he had to say.  It left me a little uneasy, as you can imagine, so I'm praying for peace and comfort as we get the results tomorrow!

I will do my best to post as soon as I can tomorrow to share the news.  I am so grateful that Annabelle is such a brave, sweet girl and my rock when I am weak.  I'm a lucky mom.

D.O.N.E.

It has been big excitement for us lately.  Serious big excitement.  Annabelle rang the bell last week as she finished her last inpatient round of chemo.  KSL was there to film it and then interview us for PCMC's telethon coming up on June 2nd.  Annabelle was super excited about "being on TV", as she called it.  She also gets to go to the KSL studio later this week and learn about doing the weather.  She has this obsession with the weather and likes to do her own forecasts so this is a dream come true for her!

Josh arrived on Saturday and the girls couldn't be happier!  Next time he leaves we will be going with him.  Such a good feeling!  Today was Annabelle's last outpatient chemo treatment.  I really thought I would cry or feel more emotional but instead I am too exhausted and have a horrible headache.  She also needed blood so we are sitting in clinic right now waiting for that to happen.  Things always take 3 times as long as they should in clinic so it's 4pm and they are just starting Annabelle's blood.  That means we will not be leaving here until at least 6:30 and getting back to Tremonton around 8pm.  I'm so glad it's our last time here.  Clinic is exhausting.

And now for your viewing pleasure...pictures!

Annabelle had colored a special picture to give to Layla before she rang the bell because she was worried Layla might feel left out.  She always thinks of Layla and wants to have things for her too.

 The infamous bell.  After a year of walking past it, our turn finally came to ring it!

 Cupcakes and cake to celebrate.  Poor Layla was still recovering from having croup, a sinus infection, and a reaction to an antibiotic!

 Happy last chemo banner.

 Yummy!

Yahoo!

Time for a dressing change...

 The last bag of Cytoxan!  Goodbye icky poison.

 Infusion complete...yes!

 That's my girl!  A fighter, a champion, my hero.

 One last wish in the wishing pond.

 I'm sure you know what we both wished for!

Please keep Annabelle in your prayers as she will have scans next week to see if the cancer is gone.  We are fully expecting it to be, and would be devastated if it is not, so please join us in praying for no evidence of disease.  Thank you!

Ringing the bell!

One Year Later

Today is exactly one year since the day my worst fear was confirmed.  Annabelle DID have something very serious happening in her little body.  April 23, 2011, the day before Easter, is the day we found out Annabelle had a tumor in her neck.  A day that changed our lives, forever.

She has come a long way, though, and I couldn't be more proud of how has handled it all.

Here's to many cancer free April 23s to come!!!