Update on Katie
Dec. 1st, 2004 08:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancerjodiMore on the brain tumor (this gets a bit techie). For reference, the NEG is our group (the New England Garrison). We were able to get an autograph from Smallville's Louis Lane for her with a sweet get-well note (Katie is a huge fan of the show).
We've contacted Albin about Dana Farber Hospital in Boston - its where my boss received her Cancer Treatments, where my Nana was going for her Leukemia, and is one of the better Cancer treatment hospitals in the country. We've also let him know that if they come to Boston they'll have many people that can host them.
Today Katie received her initial radiation consult. She is preparing for
radiation to try and shrink the tumor. This is not designed to remove
the tumor, but shrink it to alleviate the tumor's effects. This, along
with chemo-therapy, will hopefully restore quality of life for Katie and
buy her some time. How much time is hard to say. For now, her balance is
improving, she can move her eyes just enough to focus on people, and she
is ravenously hungry from the steroids she takes to reduce the swelling
around the tumor. The child is ALWAYS eating! It's pretty funny to get
woken by her at 3 a.m. asking for chicken nuggets. :)
Since the glioma is located in the pons of the brain stem, it is
virtually un-reachable surgically. This makes the tumor much more
threatening than a tumor found on the cortex, where it can be cut out
with relative ease. This has cast a pall over the prognosis of the
cancer, but we are not giving up. I am driving to Duke Medical Center on
thursday to have her looked at. I'm also waiting for word back from
three other hospitals in NY, MD, and TX. If anyone has any leads on any
other hospitals, esp contact information, please let me know. I have her
digitized MRI information and medical report I can send out.
Katie is upbeat about the whole thing. She knows she has a serious
illness and she knows that everyone is rooting for her. Your prayers and
best wishes have had an incredible impact on her. The love and caring
we've received in the form of emails, letters, cards, gifts, and
donations has been overwhelming. No doubt the medical costs will be
staggering, but the help of the ECG, Carida, NEG and other 501st
Garrisons will help us to keep fighting as hard as we can. Thank you so
much for all your hard work.
My time has been very limited, as can be expected, so I am sorry I have
not been able to properly thank everyone for their emails and well
wishes. I will try and email each of you in turn, but if it takes me a
while please forgive me. For now, I can say this: Katie loved the
autograph from t.v.'s Smallville's Lois Lane that the NEG managed to
score for her a few weeks back at a con. Katie's a huge fan of the show.
Katie also loved the footage she saw of all the troopers from the ECG
and Carida working hard to raise money for her hospital fund. This
weekend she got an ewok toy from none other than Steve Sansweet and Mary
Franklin. That was so sweet of them and she loved it. This, along with
the cards from Germany, the best wishes from 501st'ers all over, and the
signatures on her imageevent site have been an incredible boost. Katie
has a smile on her face because of you all. She can feel the love you
are projecting, and Kathy and I can too.
I will keep you updated as often as I can. Please keep praying for Katie
- she has only met a fraction of the 501st troopers, but she loves you
all and smiles every time she sees a trooper. She is the original
trooper, in my mind. And I can promise you we will not go into this
without a fight.
God bless you all.
- AL (Tk210)
We've contacted Albin about Dana Farber Hospital in Boston - its where my boss received her Cancer Treatments, where my Nana was going for her Leukemia, and is one of the better Cancer treatment hospitals in the country. We've also let him know that if they come to Boston they'll have many people that can host them.
Today Katie received her initial radiation consult. She is preparing for
radiation to try and shrink the tumor. This is not designed to remove
the tumor, but shrink it to alleviate the tumor's effects. This, along
with chemo-therapy, will hopefully restore quality of life for Katie and
buy her some time. How much time is hard to say. For now, her balance is
improving, she can move her eyes just enough to focus on people, and she
is ravenously hungry from the steroids she takes to reduce the swelling
around the tumor. The child is ALWAYS eating! It's pretty funny to get
woken by her at 3 a.m. asking for chicken nuggets. :)
Since the glioma is located in the pons of the brain stem, it is
virtually un-reachable surgically. This makes the tumor much more
threatening than a tumor found on the cortex, where it can be cut out
with relative ease. This has cast a pall over the prognosis of the
cancer, but we are not giving up. I am driving to Duke Medical Center on
thursday to have her looked at. I'm also waiting for word back from
three other hospitals in NY, MD, and TX. If anyone has any leads on any
other hospitals, esp contact information, please let me know. I have her
digitized MRI information and medical report I can send out.
Katie is upbeat about the whole thing. She knows she has a serious
illness and she knows that everyone is rooting for her. Your prayers and
best wishes have had an incredible impact on her. The love and caring
we've received in the form of emails, letters, cards, gifts, and
donations has been overwhelming. No doubt the medical costs will be
staggering, but the help of the ECG, Carida, NEG and other 501st
Garrisons will help us to keep fighting as hard as we can. Thank you so
much for all your hard work.
My time has been very limited, as can be expected, so I am sorry I have
not been able to properly thank everyone for their emails and well
wishes. I will try and email each of you in turn, but if it takes me a
while please forgive me. For now, I can say this: Katie loved the
autograph from t.v.'s Smallville's Lois Lane that the NEG managed to
score for her a few weeks back at a con. Katie's a huge fan of the show.
Katie also loved the footage she saw of all the troopers from the ECG
and Carida working hard to raise money for her hospital fund. This
weekend she got an ewok toy from none other than Steve Sansweet and Mary
Franklin. That was so sweet of them and she loved it. This, along with
the cards from Germany, the best wishes from 501st'ers all over, and the
signatures on her imageevent site have been an incredible boost. Katie
has a smile on her face because of you all. She can feel the love you
are projecting, and Kathy and I can too.
I will keep you updated as often as I can. Please keep praying for Katie
- she has only met a fraction of the 501st troopers, but she loves you
all and smiles every time she sees a trooper. She is the original
trooper, in my mind. And I can promise you we will not go into this
without a fight.
God bless you all.
- AL (Tk210)
