Day 4
Catie’s family,
When our Catie looked at me and said, “thank you, this was my best Thanksgiving ever!”, all of the twists and turns of the last 6 months fell away and the beauty of this little angel was again revealed to me.Thank you to all of you for making it possible.Each of you played a role in this holiday through your support and she and we are eternally grateful.We are still working on a medication regimen that will keep her pain free, as the times that her pain breaks through can vary from 3 hours to 12 depending on the position she is in and what she is doing.Her neuropathy and her ability to move her left leg below the knee continues to worsen.In three days, she has lost all mobility below the knee.She still has feeling, however each time you ask her to try to move her foot and she looks at her foot and says that she is trying and it stays still, it breaks a little piece of your heart, and hers as well.Christine and I are very hopeful that some treatment plan that involves physical therapy could restore some functionality.Though we are not planning on doing any more MRI’s at this point to know for sure, the tumor’s progression, now unchecked by radiation or chemo, is most likely increasing rapidly.Our hope for Catie’s cure is now medically “impossible”, and rests solely in the hands of Jesus the Divine Physician, and we ask only for our acceptance of His will regardless of the outcome.Our daily prayers now center more on the daily struggles and triumphs and on her ability to have a good day, pain free and able to accomplish all that she plans.
Most of the partygoers have left and we are still ensconced at the Marriott.We have taken over this hotel, and the wonderful associates here have taken to all of the kids and watch them and keep them safe as the ride up and down elevators and escalators, sit in the lounges in the lobby, and generally make themselves at home.Christine and I have begun planning what life at home may be like, where Catie will sleep, how the wheelchair will be incorporated into our routine, and what the “plan” is for the next few months.Catie has some wishes that if God blesses us with time we will try to grant and fulfill.Make-a-Wish is working on expediting passports so that she can go to Lourdes.She has been given permission to go swimming even with her central line in, and we will work on a way to keep it dry and get her is the water when we get home.She missed a birthday party with her cousin Helen in June, and we will recelebrate it this month.The “bucket” list goes on, and we will try to cross things off for as long as she continues to enjoy herself.
There are a number of new photos on the website, and many new entries in her guestbook since the news of Tuesday.We will continue to share each of your messages with her and Christine and I cherish each one of them as they allow us to laugh, cry, share in your journeys, and witness your support, thank you!We will try to see as many of you as possible while Catie is still able to travel.We pray that each of you continue to see God’s hand at work in your lives and that the gratitude that swells in this Thanksgiving season remains alive in your heart as 2008 ends.
Love,
Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Catie, Mia, Molly, and M.E.
