We Could Not Have Made it This Far Without Your Prayers
Hello from St. Jude’s,
Today, on Election Day, as a country, we sit and await results. Well here are the official results of the Catie Story that began 5 months ago with a pain in her leg. Today Round 1 officially ended. Chemo rounds end when the patient’s “counts” reach a certain level and Catie’s have achieved that level. This is good news because she was able to recover to this point with very few transfusions, no infections, and no fever. Thank you Catie for wearing your mask, and thank you Christine for keeping her healthy and wiping out more germs than the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. Catie’s protocol for SJMB03 is a 9 month protocol. As you know it involved surgery to remove the initial tumor in her spine, (DONE), 6 weeks of radiation, (DONE) and 4 rounds of high dose chemotherapy and stem-cell recovery. With Round 1 behind us, we have passed the halfway point, that is great news. The fantastic news is that Max is here to celebrate with Catie. The doctors and B Clinic have given her the OK to play laser tag (if Max and Catie promise to wipe down their “weapons” with Clorox wipes), to visit the Zoo (if they promise not to feed the animals – I would have no problem with that), go to the arcade, (again using the wipes), and go out to eat. Catie is so psyched.
We need to work on Catie’s caloric intake and physical strength and flexibility. She is not able to run gracefully any longer. She can not jump or hop or skip. Some of this is due to the medications that she is taking. Some of it is because of all the blood activity in her bones. Some of it is because of how slight and frail she is, and some of it may be a bit of fear on her part that she may get hurt. Either way we need to get Catie moving and eating for the rest of the week. Perhaps Wii Fit is the answer, Yoga would be great for Catie!!
Friday at 9pm we return to St. Jude’s to go in-patient for round 2, (so much for the time off). We go to the hospital ready and more knowledgeable than we were in round 1. Catie knows what to expect. She has stopped taking most of her medications. She will not give up her baths. She has healed very nicely and there is only a tiny spot where the femoral catheter was inserted into her groin.
We could not have made it this far without all of you. Thank you for all of your support and love. Your cards and e-cards and prayers carried us through to this point and we can make it the rest of the way knowing that God and all of you wonderful people are behind us. Thank you one and all for all of your prayers, they allow all of us to rest peacefully in your love.
God Bless from St. Jude’s,
Christine, Max and Catie
and from Mechanicsburg,
Kevin, Maggie, Mia, Molly and M.E.
