Thursday, January 20, 2011

It's ON!

NIH contacted us and said they want Savannah there on Feb 1st. She will fly out the morning of the 1st and check in as soon as she arrives. They want her there to run all kinds of scans, tests and to put in a port/line. Her chemo will start on the 4th and she will receive the TIL cells on the 10th and the Interluken a few hours later. They have her scheduled to return home on the 24th....IF....the counts on her immune system are high enough. If not, she will need to stay a few extra days. Danny and I will be driving. We will leave a day or so before Savannah to give us time to get there before she arrives. Danny can't miss a whole month of work so he will come back after she is through the worst part. I will stay the whole time and ride back with my very dear friend, Susie, who is coming out to "take care of me" after Danny leaves.
Thankfully, we will be staying in the Safra House which is such a blessing. It's right across the street from the hospital. It's like a little mansion but yet it's warm and cozy and has an awesome eat-in kitchen where you can cook or order in or whatever. Best of all they have a cappuccino machine that's on 24/7! The kitchen is also the "meeting place". Everyone there has someone in the hospital and you kind of get to know some of them and hear their stories. Some of the stories are so awful that it makes you realize your problems aren't so bad.
I know all I do is ask for prayer but......it's the only thing that works so.....
Please pray for Savannah - that the treatment will work, for traveling, etc....
Danny and I - that we'll have safe travel (as well as Susie), we'll all stay healthy (physically & emotionally) and for our finances through all this.
Thanks again for all the support. We would be NUTS without it.!
love you ALL
!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Latest News on Savannah

Well, of course Savannah didn't put me on speaker phone....."the appointment happened too fast and she didn't have time".....right!......
The news could be better but it could also be much worse. The tumor on her adrenal gland is still there and has grown a little bit but the good news is that it hasn't spread, and all other areas are still cancer free. It looks like we will be returning to NIH for another TIL Cell therapy and Interluken 12 treatment.
We don't know how this differs from the Interluken 2 that she had the first time. Apparently it has different qualities to help with the kind of tumor she has now.
If everything they said holds, she will probably be scheduled in the next 2 or 3 weeks and we will be gone 3 to 4 weeks....( I think )!
Thank you for the prayers and sweet comments!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Prayer Request

First of all, ....Sorry for the -empty- email a couple weeks ago. If I ever send you an email that doesn't have a message attached or is messed up in any way......It probably just means there is a new post on the blog! Have y'all forgotten how technologically challenged I am?
I'm asking for prayer for Savannah today. She is on her way to Maryland for her appointment at NIH. She is driving (w/friends). I wanted to go with her to be there for the scans and results but she said she could just put me on speaker phone during the clinic appointment and I could hear everything the Doc said. ---NOT the same as being there! :( Anyway, they left yesterday, her scans are on Wednesday and Clinic is on Thursday. That sounds like plenty of time but they're having to take it slowly due to the bad weather throughout the South and East. From what the weather station says they are headed straight into the worst of it. Please pray for their safety and that nothing will keep her from getting to her appointment.
Also that when they receive the results of the scans - there will be no tumors ANYWHERE!!!!!!
Meanwhile the rest of us are just trying to stay warm cuddled up with our fleece blankets in front of our new IMAX theater. Well....it's not REALLY an IMAX theater.....it just looks and feels like one! Danny has a very generous friend that gave him a BIG - HONKIN' TV !!!!! This would not really be a problem if we had a Big Honkin' room to put it in. Instead, it is in our little sun room--- which --- gives you that IMAX experience since loud noises make the room vibrate like surround sound and the screen is so large that it envelopes you. I (lovingly) used the term "ghetto" to describe it to someone and totally offended Danny but "ghetto" or not, it has made my little 27/29 ? inch TV in the living room seem very insignificant and hard to see. It goes against every decorating instinct in my body but Danny says it kind of makes up for all the floral walls and pink stuff he's lived with for years....the jury's still out! ???
Thank you ALL for your prayers! Stay safe and WARM! Love Y'all