Hello all from Basking Ridge!!
Catie is sleeping. (Not really, she is visiting with her Uncle Sean, Uncle Bill, Aunt KC and Mom-Mom and Da), but she took a 5 hour nap today so she should be just fine. She had her teeth cleaned, (no cavities) and had her long hair cut short for easy management, she looks adorable, (pictures coming). Special thanks to Aunt Franka and Ginny for take care of these needs.
Aunt KC has set up a face-book page that has had over 400 hits, one of which was from Catie’s cousin Sean Holmes, the circle grows and grows!!
The Catie Fund is now established and deposits have been made to open the account, (thank you to Phyllis and Bunny at St Columbkill who arranged for a donation from the St Vincent DePaul Society.) Any donations should be made out to The Catie Fund. Donations of $100 or greater will receive a letter for tax purposes. Proceeds from the account will go to ancillary expenses for Catie and Christine while in Memphis and for expenses related to care of Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly and M.E. and the management of The Catie Fund. Any funds remaining after Catie is CURED will be donated to St Judes. Any donation can be sent directly to our home address: The Catie Fund, 5016 Firethorn Lane, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.
Christine and I were talking in the car as we made our way to New Jersey and we thought back over the last month and the absolute blessing of Catie being out of pain. Even though we have a struggle ahead, the joy of seeing her pain free and back to being herself is overwhelming.
I had a long conversation with Dr. Comito, the head of Neuro-Oncology at Hershey, and she has been wonderful in caring for Catie and has offered her services for any part of the care in the St Jude’s protocol including the time between radiation and chemo when she is home. What a blessing to have health care professionals who put aside competition for the good of the child. She also indicated that ATRT primary tumors of the spine have shown up less than a dozen times in any of the reported cases, so when Catie beats this, she may be the first to do so, and when she beats this, it will be in no small part to all of you and your support and prayers, thank you!!
We have been blessed with 6 wonderful children and yet as we spend more time with Catie and see the poise and grace with which she handles this, we realize that Catie is uniquely suited to deal with this journey and teach us lessons of perseverance through laughter and triumph over disease. Please accept our sincere thanks for letting her know how special she is and for lifting her up in prayer so that she continues to have that Catie smile.
One of the items we will be putting on the website is a location for prayer requests. We really want to know what is going on with all of you. If you desire our prayers, please just ask. Any sense of normalcy in all of this is welcome, and we desire to take your requests to God as we lift our prayers to Him.
Catie and Christine leave for the airport in just a few hours and have a day planned in Memphis that includes meeting the doctors, getting checked in at the hospital and housing, but no testing. Thursday and Friday will be testing days, and on Friday, Catie will be undergoing her MRI at the same time as her Da is having his. Catie has challenged Da to have surgery and he has accepted the challenge and assisted by the courage of his 7 year old granddaughter will be undergoing surgery in a few weeks. We will keep you posted.
Finally, on a personal note, as Christine and Catie rest, I think ahead to the morning and the emptiness I will feel as they depart for St Jude’s. Christine is my best friend as well as my better half, and the prospect of being without her for the next 8 weeks and then the subsequent 4 months is heart wrenching. Only the love that I have for her and for Catie and her brother and sisters could fill the chasm that will exist until they return. I pray for all of you that you never have to be separated from the ones you love but that you share a love with them that could survive such a separation. I am blessed that Christine and I share our faith and that she makes me laugh. Humor and faith will get us through the next few months. That and the support we have from you all has us more than ready for this next phase. As much as Catie is a one in a billion because of the rarity of the tumor and its location, you, with your support have made us just as rare. We cannot imagine any family being as blessed and supported as we are. THANK YOU!!
May God bless you and keep you in the palm of His hand. We look forward to seeing you.
Christine and Kevin (and Catie, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, and M.E.)
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