St. Jude's Patient of the Month for September

Helen Tully 2 years old

Diagnosis:
Helen was discovered to have rhabdomyosarcoma in February 2008. (THIS IS WHAT THE DOCTORS FIRST SUSPECTED PAUL HAD.)

Helen's Story:
When Helen was born in 2007 in Latvia, she was a happy, healthy baby. Just eight months later, in February 2008, her mother, Andra, noticed a bruise on one of Helen’s buttocks. Concerned, she took her daughter to the pediatrician, who dismissed the bruise as nothing more than the result of Helen rolling over on a toy. But when a pea-like lump appeared overnight, and the bruise continued to spread, Andra took Helen to another doctor. He performed an ultrasound, and the results it revealed were devastating. Baby Helen had tumors on her pelvis. A follow-up MRI confirmed the presence of tumors, and surgery was scheduled for a week later.
Andra e-mailed a family friend in the United States to explain that she might be hard to reach for awhile because Helen was ill. The friend requested that she e-mail him Helen’s scans so that he could share them with friends of his who were physicians. He called Andra back quickly, and his advice was alarming. The physicians had reviewed the scans and felt that surgery would be dangerous. They recommended that Andra and her husband, John, bring little Helen to the U.S. for treatment, and one of the hospitals they recommended was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Andra and John searched online for the best options for Helen’s long-term treatment. St. Jude kept coming up, and since John had family in the area, they decided that St. Jude might indeed be the best place for their baby. Their doctor provided a referral, and the next few days were a whirlwind as the family prepared to travel to Memphis.

At St. Jude:
At St. Jude, doctors determined that Helen suffered from rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common, aggressive soft tissue tumor in children. Because of the size of Helen’s tumor, she could not undergo surgery right away. Doctors started her on a 54-week chemotherapy treatment plan. After her first two rounds of chemotherapy, Helen’s tumor had shrunken about 60 percent, much to her family’s delight. Helen later underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and radiation. Today, her scans show no evidence of disease.
“If we had not come to St. Jude, I don’t think Helen would have celebrated her first birthday,” Andra said. “In Latvia, we don’t have the medicine they have here. At St. Jude, the doctors and nurses are so wonderful, they care so much. We know Helen is getting the best possible care. Whatever the children want or need, whether it is ice cream or an MRI, they get. It’s amazing.” Helen is finished with treatment and returns to St. Jude every three months for checkups. She loves music, dancing and playing with her older brother, Martin.

St. Jude's Patients of the Month for August

Javon and Jakayla Bass 8 and 3 years old

Diagnosis:
Javon was discovered to have acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2003 and his sister Jakayla was found to suffer from ALL in 2008.

Javon and Jakayla's Story:
When Javon was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. He underwent three years of chemotherapy at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Near the end of his treatment, doctors discovered Javon had suffered a relapse and would need more chemotherapy, as well as radiation. Javon began his new course of treatment at St. Jude, and was nearly always accompanied by his mom, Lisa, and baby sister, Jakayla.
In fall 2008, about a month before Javon finished treatment for a second time, Jakayla became sick. She had the symptoms of a cold, and then she stopped eating. Lisa took her to their local doctor, who did blood work. The results of those tests were troubling, and the doctor quickly referred the family to St. Jude.

At St. Jude:
Faced with the possibility that not one, but two, of her children were suffering from cancer, Lisa was devastated. "I thought I was in a dream, and I'd wake up," she said. But she trusted the medical experts at St. Jude.
St. Jude doctors quickly determined that, like her brother, Jakayla suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She began an intense chemotherapy protocol.
Lisa says that it was hard for Javon to learn that his little sister had cancer too, but the Child Life specialists at St. Jude explained to him that he could help her get through it, and that made him feel better.
The two children couldn't be closer. They like to sing together and play Gameboy™. "Jakayla loves Javon," Lisa said. "She wants him always by her side."
And although Jakayla still has two more years of treatment to go, Lisa is happy to report that her little girl is in remission.

August 2009

St. Jude Patient of the Month for July

Robert Brindle 9 years old

Diagnosis:
Robert was found to suffer from acute lymphoblastic leukemia in December 2008.
Robert's Story:
When 8-year-old Robert unwrapped a new Xbox 360 on Christmas morning, his parents immediately realized something was wrong. Robert, who had long coveted the video game console, showed no excitement for the gift. That weekend, Robert developed terrible nosebleeds and was listless. By Tuesday, he wasn’t feeling any better. His doctor ordered blood work, which revealed devastating news—Robert was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. The doctor referred him to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
At St. Jude:
When Robert and his parents arrived at St. Jude later that evening, they were afraid. “I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact Robert had cancer,” his mother said. But right away, they felt at ease. “Someone was waiting for us,” she said. “They knew who Robert was as soon as we arrived.”
Robert started a two-and-a-half year treatment protocol immediately. He takes oral chemotherapy every night, and visits St. Jude once a week for intravenous chemotherapy. Robert is a bright child who often asks his doctors at St. Jude very detailed questions about his treatment. “He trusts them,” said his mom. “The staff is very straight forward and they explain everything to him.”

St. Jude's Patient of the Month for June

Talyn Conley 2 years old

Diagnosis:
Talyn was found to suffer from bilateral retinoblastoma in April 2008.

Talyn's Story:
The first indication that something was wrong with Talyn came during a well baby checkup when she was 10 months old. Talyn’s doctor noticed a white glare in her eyes and sent Talyn and her mom to a specialist. The news was devastating. Talyn suffered from cancerous tumors in both her eyes, known as bilateral retinoblastoma.
Talyn was referred to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital right away. “We didn’t have time to go home,” said Talyn’s mom. “Once the doctor said we needed to go to St. Jude, we got right on a plane. Our whole world changed overnight.” Within hours, Talyn and her parents were on their way to Memphis..
At St. Jude:
When they arrived at St. Jude, Talyn’s parents were full of worry, but St. Jude staff assured them that their baby was at the best place possible for her treatment. Talyn underwent seven months of chemotherapy and four laser surgeries on her eyes.
Talyn’s parents felt anxious about the cost of their daughter’s medical treatment, and they were understandably overwhelmed. Talyn’s dad said he would work three jobs if necessary to save his little girl.
But when they learned St. Jude provides treatment regardless of the family’s ability to pay, they were amazed and relieved. “We didn’t know that St. Jude helps out so much,” Talyn’s mom said. “It was a big load off our shoulders.” They were able to focus on what was important—getting Talyn well.
Talyn responded well to treatment. Her doctors are hopeful they were able to save her eyesight. In December, Talyn was able to return home in time for Christmas. She visits St. Jude every six weeks for checkups. Talyn is walking and talking, and has a new puppy with whom she loves to play.

Plateau...

I took Paul in this morning to have "the mass" measured. To recap, they removed a mass on Feb. 5, and, since then, we've gone monthly to watch the thing grow back. It is supposed to stop growing at some point and then shrink up and go away. The only danger is if it were to grow big enough to hit something important (closest important thing being his windpipe).....it's not nearly that big at this point. From March to April, it grew quite fast and the fear was that it would continue to grow at that rate.

However, today's ultrasound showed that its growth has levelled off. It was, essentially, the same size today that it was a month ago.

So, this is another answered prayer. YEA!!

St. Jude's Patient of the Month for May

Ellen Taylor 5 years old

Diagnosis:
Ellen was found to suffer from non-Hodgkin lymphoma in February 2008.

Ellen's Story:
The mother of 3-year-old Ellen was plagued with worry over her daughter’s swollen lymph nodes, even though doctors repeatedly told her it was nothing.
They insisted the bumps on Ellen’s head and neck were caused by a simple infection. But after three months of taking antibiotics with no improvement, Ellen’s primary care doctor examined the bump on her head and said, “It’s not good. I don’t know what this is, but we need to get it off.” The doctor sent them immediately to the local children’s hospital, where the family was devastated to learn their little girl had non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The doctor referred Ellen to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
At St. Jude:
Ellen’s mom remembered how terrified she and her husband were when they arrived to St. Jude. “We were at the security gate, and you could see the devastation on our faces. The security guard put his hand on my husband’s and said, ‘You are in the right place.’”
Doctors immediately placed Ellen on a two-and-a-half-year protocol of chemotherapy. The treatment is tough, but Ellen has been brave.
Ellen’s mom says there are two miracles at St. Jude: the cures the hospital provides and the beautiful people she’s met during this experience with her daughter—people like the doctors and nurses who care for her daughter, as well as the volunteers and donors who give so generously to St. Jude.
Darlene, a nurse in the medicine room, knows how much Ellen hates shots—but also knows how much she loves the Wizard of Oz. So when Ellen gets her chemotherapy shots, they hold hands and repeat, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Ellen’s mom said these small acts of kindness mean the world to their family.
Ellen is responding well to treatment, and her prognosis is good. Ellen loves cooking with her dad and playing dress up. She also loves to sing, and she knows all the words to "The Star Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful."
May 2009

Quick video of Paul in my lap...

I took this video not even thinking about Paul's "mass," but this is a great shot of it (when his double chin is not in the way!). Hopefully, someday, when this is all behind us, he'll be amazed to see this video, having no memory of this time.