The lowdown on the slowdown

Happy FALL Y'all !!!

2011-10-31T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of the year!!!! All the beautiful Fall colors, the crispness in the air, sweaters, Razorback Football and our yearly Hayride & Weenie Roasts. Shelby had her "friend" hayride Saturday night and our family hayride was last night. It was a huge success! Everyone had a great time.... Melanie and Carson even drove up from Belton, Texas just to be here for it. Of course, anytime all of us "crazies" get together we have a blast and the more people that come the more fun we have. Between the family stories, the snake stories and the ghost stories, I think everyone had a few good screams.
We have SO MUCH to be thankful for and to PRAISE GOD for!!!!!!!
Savannah's new medicine is most likely working on her tumors!!! She traveled back to NIH a few weeks ago for tests even though she is not officially under their care as of now. They said that most of the tumors looked smaller. Some were a bit larger but they think that might be the difference in the time of the tests and the delay in getting the meds. She feels great, looks great and seems to have quite a bit of energy. I can't stop praising GOD for all He has blessed us with! :)
I guess Shelby and her friends will be here tonight passing out candy to the trick or treaters so if you're looking for candy.......drop by.........OOoooooooOOooooOO!!

2011-09-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

PRAISE GOD!!! PRAISE GOD!!! Savannah's B-RAF Mutation Test came back positive!!! Even though any kind of mutation sounds scary to me, the doctors say it's a good thing. Apparently, if her cells are mutated, there is a drug (that has just been FDA approved last week) they can prescribe that can go into the mutant cells and attack them to eat up the cancer.....or.......something like that. You know me and scientific talk... :) Anyway, they say it has a high success rate so--that is our specific prayer now...that the drug works on her. She has other tumors in different areas besides her adrenal gland and liver but the doctors don't seem to be that concerned. I guess if the medicine works - it will work on all the tumors wherever they are. They finally put her on a steroid- type drug to calm her nausea and give her an appetite. It seems to be working. She is starting to eat a little bit and doesn't seem nearly as weak. She's not 100% yet but she's working on it.
There were a few dark days while we were there. Savannah was SO sick... then, we learned that the IL 15 Treatment was not working. At that point they pretty much told me there was nothing else NIH could do for her because there were no other clinical trials that she qualified for. Our Doctor said he wouldn't just leave us hanging though, and was researching other options at different hospitals etc....It was like a bad roller coaster ride....up, down and all around.
That night, I went to my room, exhausted, and fell asleep crying and praying. Everything looked so dim. Through the night God sent His spirit to comfort and console me. When I woke up It was almost like an audible voice that said "Get UP!!! It's a beautiful day!!! Why are you down? I told you from the very beginning I would take care of this and nothing has changed. I've got it under control!....TRUST ME!!!" SO...what else could I do?....I got up with a renewed spirit and had a great day with Savannah. She had a good day too! :)
Now, we are just waiting for all the paper work to be done and they will be sending us her drug. I haven't even read the info on it yet. I'm hoping side effects are mild and that she will tolerate it well.
We are asking for your continued prayers for total healing. Thanks SO much!!!!

The unexpected!

2011-08-25T12:14:00.000-07:00

Never would I have dreamed that when I woke up Tuesday morning and started getting ready for an eye exam that- at the end of the day, I would be standing on the Metro deck at Reagan National airport in DC.!!!
After Savannah and I got home last Monday night, she continued to get worse. She had not really eaten much of anything for 6 weeks and she was nauseous to boot. It got to where she couldn't even keep water down. Fortunately, she had to be back at NIH this Monday for tests. When they heard of her condition they decided to admit her the minute she got here. I was SO thankful for that because she was so weak she could barely walk.
Getting her out hear was a nightmare though. She left XNA at 3:30 pm on Sunday and was supposed to arrive here at 10 pm. But - of course.....that would have been too easy and drama free! When she got to Dallas, they had cancelled her flight to DC. Nobody knew why....it was just cancelled. She was stuck in Dallas, too weak to even sit up, wanting to come home and go to bed....She was miserable and so were we, trying to do something to help her. Finally, the airlines arranged for a hotel room that SHE had to pay $75 of her own money for.... (that's an unresolved issue...!) But at least she was able to go to bed. The next morning she missed her next 2 flights because she was too sick to leave the room. She eventually made it to NIH.
I was sitting at my eye appointment with dilated eyes when her Doctor called. He said she was in bad shape. Her body had basically started shutting down because it was in "starvation mode'.
SO.....thanks to Darrin & Carla I was on a plane headed for my baby within a few hours.
They started feeding her by IV and by the next morning, she was already feeling much better. THANK YOU GOD!!!!
She just ate some mashed potatoes and gravy ...her first solid food in weeks!!! YAY!!!!!!!! I guess we'll be here til Monday because that's her next scheduled appointment and they want to monitor her till then. Hopefully we'll be flying home Monday evening.
Seeing as how we can't do anything without some sort of drama. I just have to share.....The medical team was just getting ready to put Savannah's picc line in when the earthquake happened. They had to evacuate the building. Everything was crazy for a while. Even the next day, that's all anyone was talking about. When I arrived later that night, it took forever to get from the airport to NIH because the Metro was running at only 15 mph due to crews checking out the lines and structure for quake damage. They did find some but not on any of the lines I had been on! wheeeewww!
Now, we just have to deal with the hurricane they say is coming through!
We need prayers that her tumors are dissolving!!! Thanks SO much! Love to All!

Saturday, August 6th

2011-08-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Well, Savannah is doing pretty good. She gets her treatment around 11am every morning and about 2 hours after that she starts chilling and gets sleepy. I wrap her from head to toe with the heated blankets they have here and she sleeps for about an hour or so. In the evening, after she is unhooked from everything she comes over to the Lodge with me and we have a little dinner and watch some TV. She is eating a bit better so hopefully her energy level will start to rise.

She was in good spirits when I got here today. I thought maybe she was feeling a little better, and she might be... but.... after a brief investigation I found out it was due to a new - "HOT DOCTOR"

Day 3 of Treatment

2011-08-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

August 3rd.....Savannah's 3rd treatment, Bo's Birthday and the day Carla leaves to go home.

Oh such an eventful day! lol

Savannah's treatments are going well. She isn't having extreme side effects like they thought might happen, but at the same time, the longer she has them the tougher they get on her system. They said the 2nd week might be more harsh. Her spirits are good but she has NO appetite at all and hasn't for about 3 weeks now. Because of that she is running low on energy. They said that's fairly normal when you have liver problems - in this case she has tumors on her liver. Both the spots on her adrenal gland and liver have increased in size a little bit BUT - that's what prayer and this treatment is for. :)

As I said - Carla left to fly home this morning. As she was leaving, she made the comment that "it's too bad you have to fly out of town just to get to spend time together." She'll probably never know how much I enjoyed and appreciated her coming out. We got to do a few fun things but I really didn't get to show her all of the sites in DC and the surrounding area that I wanted to. We did go to Union Station and see all the great architecture, some monuments, and the restaurants and shops that are there. That pretty much took a whole day by the time we took the metro etc...... We also went to Middleburg, Virginia (where Jeff, Donna, Lilly & Rose live). We attended church with them and got to see Rose light the candles, we shopped along the quaint little street and had lunch before we were off to Upperville where Lilly and Rose were in a Musical called HONK! It was a variation of The Ugly Duckling. It was Fantastic! Lilly and Rose did a wonderful job. Lilly stole the stage in the 2nd act with her dramatics and solo & duets. Very proud of them both!!! Afterwards, everyone else was busy with cast parties etc... so Jeff took Carla and me to an old historical Inn for dinner. We had such a good time just sitting, talking and reminiscing. Wish I got to see him more often! :(

Other days we hit a few neat shops around the Bethesda area and of course, Home Goods and Barnes & Noble for some new reading material for Savannah while she's in bed. Carla rented a car for a few days so it would be easier to get around. I can't tell you how thankful I am for that! Just ask her ----It's not like home where you decide you want to go somewhere and you hop in your car and get there within a few minutes. It takes planning and time and shuttles and metros and fighting crowds!!!!! :0 ...it's CRAZY! We also spent some time MOVING!!!, We started out in a Hotel then moved to Children's Inn, From there, we moved to Safra Lodge. We were there one night when they moved us to a 2nd floor room. I thought that was enough but turns out - if my prayer is not answered, I will have to move from Safra back to Children's Inn and then back to Safra to finish up our stay. It's all due to availability and the large numbers they're trying to accommodate . Hopefully, I will just be able to stay in Safra til we leave.

So, now I'm here all alone and plan to get caught up on a lot of paper work, reading, Bible study and quiet time. I'm actually looking forward to it....I already have a little "office" set up in Savannah's hospital room so I can be productive while I sit with her.

We are still asking for those prayers of TOTAL HEALING. Thanks everyone!

Delay in Bethesda

2011-07-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Savannah made it to Bethesda with no problems on Sunday. After many delays, Carla and I miraculously arrived in DC within minutes of each other on Monday.

We were going to have to wait an hour and a half for the shuttle so I thought it was a great idea to just hop on the Metro and get there sooner. Yea, right! A couple hours later we still had not reached our destination, we were exhausted from hauling big suitcases (that would not roll correctly) on and off the train, up and down escalators and elevators. Anyone watching us would have likened it to an episode of I LOVE LUCY where Lucy and Ethel had gotten into some comical mess. I've decided people out here just don't see the humor in things like we do! :)

They did Savannah's tests on Monday and Tuesday and were going to start treatment on Wednesday. There's one test they didn't get the results for and they can't start the treatment without it....so.....she has to go in for a little while tomorrow and get her pick-line put in. After that she'll be free again til Sunday night when she has to check back in to the hospital for treatment on Monday.

She's a little bummed that this glitch has added another 5 or 6 days to her stay. She was really wanting to get in - get it done - and get OUT! In the grand scheme of things 5 or 6 more days will not matter that much, even though I understand how she feels.

Carla and I visited Union Station today. I think she was impressed! It's an awesome place to see, eat, shop and just people watch! After riding the Metro back we're just chillin' with Savannah in the Children's Inn until Tuesday when I move to the Safra Lodge...(my favorite place).

Savannah isn't feeling her best so please pray for minor ailments as well as total healing for her.

Thanks for those concerns and prayers! Love to All!

Ready, Set....Goinggggg!

2011-07-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! It seems like it has become a habit with me but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. There's just always so much to do before you leave town for weeks on end. I guess I won't worry about the house, the laundry, the grocery shopping etc...Danny and Shelby will just have to live with it or do it themselves. :) Hopefully, I'll get some projects painted, upholstered, tagged and to the flea market before I leave. Business has picked up and our booth is looking a little empty but.....that's a good thing!!!
Anyway.....
Savannah's flight will leave Sunday morning at 10:30am for Bethesda. To save more than a couple hundred dollars, I will fly out the next morning at 8am...ughhhhh!!!....that means I'll have to be at the airport by 6:30am... :(
My cousin, Carla, is taking a week or more out of her busy life to come with me. She is flying a different airline and will meet me at the airport. If all goes as planned, we will arrive within about 30 minutes of each other. She will return home on the 3rd and I will stay the rest of the time by myself. I feel bad for Danny, I know he would like to be there for Savannah.
It looks like we will be in a hotel for a few days until a room at the Safra house opens up. It will be a bit inconvenient since the closest hotel is several blocks away, not to mention $200 or more a night!....it's ridiculous! On the other hand, the Safra house is right across the street from the hospital and we can get there within 5 minutes on foot if needed. But....whatever!...I guess it'll all work out like it's suppose to....it'll only be a few days!
Savannah's IL15 treatment will hopefully start on the 27th. That is, if she gets all her tests and scans done on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We're really praying that this treatment is not so hard on her as the last two were...AND....that it works!

So, quick story for those of you not on FB. Saturday morning, I was sitting here just trying to catch up on some computer stuff when my phone rings. It's my cousin, Sheri. She wants to know WHAT'S GOING ON? I told her what I was doing and she said her family was freaking out because they had heard that I'd had a stoke and they were taking me to Little Rock. It was such a strange feeling knowing a rumor like that was flying around about me with no thread of truth to it. We were cracking up how fast word of mouth gets around....even without emailing, fb or texting. Apparently, someone had heard it at church. They called my cousins, Heath & Vicki in West Fork who they were friends with. They called their sister (Sheri) who called me and didn't get an answer so she called my other cousin (Carla) in Fayetteville who called Danny in Lowell. In the meantime Sheri called me again and I answered...thus....finding out - I was fine. It was very amusing.....for a while!
Once we back tracked and got to the bottom of things.....we discovered that it had all been true....they had just gotten the wrong Patti. It was Patty Underhill that had a stroke and was on her way to Little Rock.
That took the humor out of it. So, I haven't heard any updates but hopefully y'all will join us in lifting her up in prayer.
Exciting times in Greenland and West Fork!
Thanks for the prayers and support!

A Definite Plan

2011-07-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

NIH contacted Savannah and told her that we need to be in Bethesda on Sunday, July 24th. On Monday they will start running the scans etc... and hopefully start the treatment on the 26th or 27th. We don't really know what to expect but it shouldn't be as bad as the last 2 treatments....(we hope), and 2 to 3 weeks instead of 3 to 4 weeks.

This week has been a crazy one.......
At the end of last week, Savannah's right arm started swelling and got some red spots on it. Some swelling is normal since they took out her lymph nodes when they removed the tumor under her arm but this was excessive swelling. It moved into her hand and fingers. Then, she started having bad pain in her middle finger and down her wrist and up her arm. By Saturday she was having to use only her left hand for everything and was in a lot of pain. Then the red spots started puffing up.
Between calls to NIH and everywhere else, we debated whether to go to the ER and wait 6 or 7 hours or just wait til Monday morning and see our PCP. We decided to wait. SO......Monday morning I called and got her an appointment. I also got Shelby and appointment because she has had some kind of coughing, stuffy head, thing going on for a couple of weeks. Turns out their appointments were pretty much back to back. Then, this morning, Bo called and said he needed to be taken to the doctor because his eyes were swollen shut and oozing gross stuff! So after a bunch of calls, a bunch of money, and a bunch of trips to the drug store.....all three kids are on the road to recovery and I'm pretty sure the doctors office has told their receptionist to screen all calls from "that psyco Dutton lady" that keeps calling!!!! The diagnosis?......Savannah - they don't know for sure (they're treating her for an infection of some kind)
Shelby - upper respiratory infection
Bo - eye infection
Well, enough about our boring ailments.
We need you prayer warriors out there to start or continue to pray for us.
Specifically for Savannah's healing, our health and strength, finances, safe travel and I could go on and on....... :)
It's so comforting to know that there are so many good people out there sending prayers up for us. We love you! Thanks!

IL15 in the near future

2011-07-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks of intense waiting, NIH called and said that Savannah has qualified for a new protocol. The first time, she had the Il2, then the IL12 in February of this year and now it will be the IL15 treatment. They have only used this on 6 other people, so really, they're still researching the benefits of the treatment. We don't have a start date yet but it will be as soon as they can get her scheduled.
One good thing about this treatment is that it doesn't require chemo. It won't make her so sick and therefore, shorten her hospital stay to 12 - 15 days. That's still longer than she'd like to be there. :( WE always try to look on the bright side though - If she has to go back to Bethesda for treatment, that must be a sign from God that she needs to revisit HOME GOODS and purchase a few more home decor items......right? :)
I will be going with her while Danny stays here to work.
Please be in prayer that this treatment will dissolve the tumors!
Thanks! LOVE to ALL!

Exciting times in Nashville!

2011-06-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

We have heard from Savannah's doctors and the little spots on her liver are tumors. They were supposed to let us know yesterday (friday) what protocol she will be eligible for but we still haven't heard from them. My guess is that they are still researching options. Please continue with the prayers!!!!

Well, as most of y'all know, we can't do anything without a little drama.....

It all started a few years ago when Shelby started guitar lessons with Francis Harderson. She learned quickly and became quite a good little picker. That grew into her pursuit of the mandolin, then, the auto harp, the piano, the fiddle, the harmonica and she is now asking for a stand up bass, a banjo, a Dobro, a steel guitar etc.......(sigh!)......Anyway, I digress. Since she started lessons her favorite music to play has been bluegrass. Of course she LOVES country music too and has a dream to play the Grand Ole Opry some day. We had been promising her a trip to Nashville for a long time but money and life got in the way of our plans. Finally, I just ordered the tickets. I knew if we had them we would have to go. So...Monday morning, after MUCH anticipation, Susie (my friend), Savannah, Shelby, Bo and myself were headed for the country music capitol of the world!!!! Bo slept the whole way since he had worked into the night the day before and swears that he could still see the last restroom stop out the back window as we were pulling in for another stop.........I don't think so but.......whatever! He's a guy AND his bladder is much younger than Susie's and mine. :(
We arrived in Nashville and dropped Bo at his friends house. We didn't see him the rest of the trip!
We found a hotel downtown and checked in. Savannah and Shelby decided to do a little late night sight seeing. Next thing we knew Savannah was on the phone telling us they'd stumbled on a filming of a Rascal Flats video. Shelby had gotten out of the car and ran up as close as she could to see. She got pretty close and got some good pics on her phone. EXCITING STUFF!!!!(for her anyway :) A while later we received another phone call. Shelby was very calmly telling me they had a (little) wreck in Susie's car!!! Savannah was driving and they had hit a police car! No, not a "regular" car but a POLICE CAR!!!!! Good news is that it didn't do extreme damage to Susie's car. It scratched up the fender & grill but was still drivable. The police car however, was NOT! It was Savannah's fault but she shed enough crocodile tears and I guess the cop felt sorry for her so she ended up not even getting a ticket! Oh to be young and able to cry or flirt your way out of trouble again!.....
I think that put a bit of a damper on Savannah's week :( Susie was very gracious and just thankful the car was still drivable.
That night, Bo text'd us to say they were giving out armbands to fill seats at the CMT awards at a local cafe downtown. All we had to do was go to the cafe, go to the back and ask for the armband.......yah right! An hour or so later after standing in line with hundreds of other people we got 'em!
Next, we hit the Country Music Hall of Fame. It was really interesting. We all enjoyed it. Our favorite part was seeing Jared Neiman (sp?) in the gift shop. He was there promoting his cd and signing them. Very talented and VERY cute!!!!
We left there to check in at the Grand Ole Opry Hotel. (If you have never visited this place....it's a must see!) I've been there a few times but Susie and Shelby had never seen it. I think I can say....they were impressed! Our Opry tickets were for the 9:30 pm show so we hung out outside the Opry at a little festival they were having until our show started. We got to hear Patrick Davis play while waiting and we liked him a lot. (You should look him up....very talented song writer and singer.)
The Opry was packed with stars due to the CMT awards and the CMA festival beginning on Thursday. (I didn't know that when I booked the tickets but it worked in our favor). The line up included Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Oak Ridge Boys, Darius Rucker, Jared Neiman, Bill Anderson and maybe some I forgot! ? It was awesome....very good show!
The next day we took advantage of the hotel and all the beautiful scenery, shops etc...and just had a lazy day.....preparing for the CMT awards.
We ended up having to stand in line for an hour and a half or so in the hot Nashville sun just to get inside to be a seat filler but as Shelby says...."It was TOTALLY WORTH IT! We were to the side and back of where the stars were sitting so we got our eyes full of the celebs as they walked back and forth, getting photo shots when they won etc... I think Shelby's favorite was when Rascal Flats and Justin Bieber stood down - right in front of us for a photo after winning their award.
All in all it was a great time considering I've never been in to country music that much until the last few years.....I guess Shelby's love for it kind of changed my mind. ? And now, she wants to attend school in Nashville even more than she ever did........sigh!.......it's SO far away.......I don't want to be a dream crusher but maybe she'll have a change of heart during her senior year. :) OH......and did I mention Bo is wanting to move back there also? If I have 2 babies in Nashville, I might have to become rich, buy a condo there and live there part of the time! I know they would enjoy that! :]

Made it home by the grace of God. I'm very thankful for that among many other things!

Mom and Daddy are starting home from Virginia today. They are bringing Rose and Lilly with them. We can't wait to spend some time with them. We just don't get to see them often enough. They will only be here this week. They'll be returning next Saturday. VBS starts the next Monday and goes through Friday...(20th - 24th). After that maybe I can "get myself together" and start my Spring cleaning.! Just a few months late! :[ another big sigh!!!!!!!
Love to ALL! Thank you for the prayers!

June 1st NIH visit

2011-06-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

Savannah flew out to Bethesda yesterday morning for her monthly checkup at NIH.
Since Mom and Daddy are out there, visiting Jeff and Donna, they decided to drive over and stay with her during her visit. I'm glad they were there for her because the news was a little less than satisfactory.
The tumor on her adrenal gland has NOT continued to shrink. It hasn't grown either....it's pretty much stayed the same which makes us happy but the doctors were not as impressed. The scans revealed some tiny spots on her liver. They are so tiny, in fact, that they're not even sure what they are.
They scheduled an MRI for this afternoon so they could get a better look. Her team of doctors will evaluate everything at their Monday Meeting and then let us know how they are going to proceed.
There are a few options but right now we don't really know what they are. They did mention starting back at square one. We don't know what that means either but I don't particularly like the sound of it. :(
We know God has a plan for us so we're just riding it out knowing that everything that happens is for our good and will ultimately be His will. I keep saying to myself...."This is a test.....this is only a test!'
In the meantime, we'll still cherish any prayers you will offer up for us!
LOVE to ALL! Thanks!

Home from Nashville

2011-05-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

This morning finds us back at home after a great 5 days in Nashville. I didn't think I was too tired until I started my bible reading and woke up with my face in John chapter 4.....and that was after 2 cups of coffee! It was a very fun trip. My new found friend, Maria, was a wonderful hostess and tour guide. We got to see rural parts of Thompson's Station, Franklin, Nashville (of course) and my personal favorite....Leiper's Fork. It was just a tiny little town but had very quaint old houses and shops, good food and my favorite..... charming, historic homes. Tennessee is really beautiful. I love it! No matter where you go you can always find (my) big Southern, Antebellum Plantation Homes.
The CM Marathon brought more than 30,000 runners and spectators to the Nashville area so you can just imagine all the attractions going on. We hit Broadway, Music Row,.....all the hot spots. Then we hit the Franklin Festival in the evenings. It's a really cool downtown area on a much smaller scale. Of course, anywhere and everywhere you go there is amazing musicians, bands and performers. Soooooo FUN!

O.K. (good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise) we will be having the yard sale this Friday, May 6th !!!!!!!!

Oh, almost forgot to mention...... If any of you have old, junk jewelry or broken jewelry that you want to get rid of, let me know. I need it for some art projects.
Of course I'll take donations :) but if you bag it and give me a price, I will see if my budget allows me to make a deal! :) Thanks!

Savannah's Results

2011-04-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight we are THANKING & PRAISING God for his blessings. Savannah called earlier to let us know that her scans all came out clear and the existing tumor on her adrenal gland is a little smaller!!!!! Very good news!
She thought she would be getting home tonight but the bad weather in DC kept her plane on the tarmac for over an hour so she missed her connecting flight in Dallas.
Good thing her friend Nicole is living there now. She's going to pick her up and get her back to the airport tomorrow morning for her flight home. Oh, the drama!
Danny, Shelby and I are leaving in the morning for Nashville. We are visiting a couple of colleges that Shelby is interested in. No....she's not a senior....just a junior but being the over-achiever that she is, wants to get a head start on everything. It doesn't hurt that the big Country Music marathon & festival is going on this weekend either. Her friends are running the 1/2 marathon. She was training to run it too until she sprained her ankle. The doctor advised her NOT to run or even walk that far . He said it was a pretty serious sprain. Guess she'll just have to walk around the festival, listening to live concerts from up and coming artist, eat the great food, shop the booths, and watch for the celebs walking around. Hmmmmm,....tough job! :)
We will be staying with a new friend that we met at NIH while we were there in February. She was there with her dying friend, Teri. The minute we heard each others accent, we knew we had that "southern thing" in common so by the time we left, we had become good friends. She might even be a long lost relative.....she acts an awful lot like our family... :0 ....Oh my!
I probably should quit rambling on and get packed. What does one wear to a big - Who's Who in Nashville event? lol
Thanks for the prayers!

Early this morning.......

2011-04-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

Bless Danny's heart! He got up at 4-something this morning to get Savannah to XNA for her 7am flight to NIH. He let me stay in bed and listen to the rain and thunder.....total heaven...til I had to get Shelby up for school at 6am :(
As I was praying for her safety, I was thinking how an Ark might be a safer means of travel than flying through so much rain, lightning, winds etc......but God controls all that stuff anyway so....
Her scans and tests are this afternoon then she has her breathing treatment and clinic tomorrow. She will fly back tomorrow evening. Clinic is when they will tell her if the last treatment is working or how well it is working. We believe it will be great news but extra prayers never hurt anything. So, once again, we are asking for prayer that she will have NO tumors anywhere in her body. She could also use prayers to get rid of a pesky sinus infection that she's been fighting for a couple weeks.
We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. Wes & Melody (Couch) and their 4 little girls hosted our family Easter dinner after church. It was great celebrating the Resurrection with such precious family members!
Speaking of Savannah, she just called and has made it into Chicago. From there she will fly straight into DC and take the Metro to NIH.
PLEASE keep up those prayers! Love to ALL!

Day after-April Fools Day!

2011-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Oooops! Didn't mean to hit enter on that last title....sorry!

Savannah has signed a lease on a tri-plex she found this week. She's very excited about it. I think it will be really cute when she gets her stuff in and decorates. It's in the area behind Fiesta Square so it's a good location..easy to get to any part of town.
Shelby is looking forward to having the whole upstairs to herself but I think she will miss Savannah more than she realizes....although....Savannah's new place is within 2 minutes of Shelby's school so Savannah might have a little more company than what she's bargained for!!! :)
I have been very amused lately!.....April Fools Day has never really held any significance for me so I was surprised at how excited Shelby, Laura, Megan and Kim got about all the pranks they were going to play on their friends. I even overheard Laura and Megan saying this was one of the best days of their lives. Yes, they were being overly dramatic but they were VERY excited!!! They started planning the night before with all kinds of ideas....some good, some bad and some...just....well....stupid. :) Anyway, I'm not sure what they did to their poor friends at school but when they left here yesterday morning, they had a huge coffee mug velcro'd to the top of Shelby's car. It looked like she just sat it up on top to get into the car and then forgot it. BTW - I've done this with everything from a drink to a Bible....if it's not velcro'd on...it's not a good outcome! :(
I really didn't think many people would see it or pay attention but as they were trying to get out of our driveway, Greenland actually experienced their first ever
"traffic jam". It was great! Shelby was waiting her turn to pull out and cars were stopping, honking, rolling their windows down and yelling to warn them that there was a drink on top of the car. When I heard the commotion I looked out the front door and cars were lined up from our second driveway to the stoplight. It was mostly men and/or young guys waving them down. The girls just played dumb and gestured like - "what???....we don't understand you"!!!!!! Apparently, this went on all through town. All the way to school and all the way home! At some point, they got tired of playing dumb and wrote on a piece of paper with mascara (didn't have a pen - even though they were on their way to school....hmmm...?) a sign that said GOTCHA! Everyone seemed to have a good sense of humor about it, I guess.....I didn't get any phone calls from the police.
So after such an exciting day we're back to normal....whatever that is! Oh, except for Bo. He is in Dallas at the PASSION CONFERENCE. It's supposed to be one of the biggest and best Christian conferences ever! He and about 40 other people from his group left yesterday. He has a few pics of it on his FB page already and said that so far -it's "wicked sweet" I think that means really great! :)
BTW - He is looking for a much needed job. If any of you hear about ANYTHING please let us know! Prayers would help too!
Savannah will be returning to NIH in about 3 weeks. We would appreciate continued prayers that the one tumor she has will be gone.
Thanks and LOVE to ALL

Day after - April Fools Day!

2011-04-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Clinic day

2011-03-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

I wish the doctors would have told us NOT to expect anything on Savannah's first visit back! They told her in clinic today that the reason they brought her back out this soon after treatment was to make sure there were no complications going on. They don't expect to see any results til her next visit which is 4 weeks away.
I said in the last post that we are excited to see what God has in store for us next. I think it might be teaching us patience and faith...?maybe?....only time will tell....
Anyway, her news is good because there was no new growth and they said the existing tumor might be a teenie-weenie bit smaller.....maybe.....we'll have to wait til her next visit to know for sure.

The girls had a change of plans last night. They did go to DC but they didn't get to see Donna, Lilly and Rose after all. Their plan is to get with them on the way out of town today so it won't be such a long trip for Donna and the girls. I tried to talk them in to staying another night but Savannah's good friend Julie is in for Spring Break and she wants to spend some time with her. So she is itching to get home!
However, they were going to make time to stop by the Home Goods store. Not that I blame them...:) Savannah is preparing to get her first apartment so I really hope she shows some restraint in shopping. It will be tough for her. Bless her little heart!!!! I haven't exactly set a good example there. :)
Please keep up those prayers for healing! We appreciate them SO much!!!!
Love to ALL!

Road Warriors...?

2011-03-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

OK, so....how does an 8 to 9 hour trip to Nashville turn into a 12 hour trip??? Well, let me see if I can count the ways....#1 - leaving from home then stopping at TOBO's for 20 minutes or so...before you even get out of Greenland. #2 - taking a "short cut" from Conway around Little Rock..(a crooked little 2 lane highway). #3 - getting pulled over for doing 40 in a 60 on that crooked little road. And of course it takes a little time to flirt your way out of a ticket with just a warning! #4 - trying to find your way back to the Interstate after two or three wrong exits. I'm sure there's a number 5 but I don't think I really want to know!!!
Savannah, Shelby and Kim spent Saturday night in Nashville with a girl (friend) of Bo's. I thought that was really sweet of her to let them take over her house for a good nights sleep. They were up and on the road again fairly early Sunday morning.
They finally arrived in Bethesda last night at their hotel....(Thank you LORD!)
Savannah's first appointment was at 6:30 so she left Kim and Shelby in bed to get caught up on some much needed sleep. When they woke up they caught the shuttle to the Metro and went to downtown Bethesda. As soon as Savannah's tests were over she met them and they all headed to DC on the Metro. I think Donna, Lilly and Rose are meeting them in DC for dinner later tonight. I'm sure they will have a blast!
Tomorrow is the big day!!! Savannah will have her clinic appointment and we will find out how well the treatment is working. We're anxious and excited to see what God is going to do with us next! :)
Thanks!

Spring Break and NIH

2011-03-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

NIH for Spring Break....just where everyone wants to go...ha! Well Shelby and her friend Kim want to...only because it beats staying home the whole week!!! Savannah's appointment for tests and scans is scheduled for 6:30 am Monday morning. (whoever scheduled that didn't know who they were dealing with!!!) Anyway, Savannah had a mid-term in Bentonville this morning but after she finishes they will be heading for Maryland. They will probably drive to Nashville or Knoxville tonight, get a room, then drive the rest of the way Sunday.
Kim has never been to DC before so they are planning a little jaunt there to see the sights. Shelby and Kim are both dead set on getting a cupcake from the DC CUPCAKES shop. It's actually in Georgetown but it's very popular - especially since they have a TV show on the TLC network. Shelby never misses an episode. The only problem is the long line down the street just to get in. Because of limited time, they might have to choose between a cupcake and sightseeing. I'm sure the cupcakes are wonderful but I think I would choose seeing all the great sights.

Bo is on some river, somewhere, with some friends, camping, canoeing, fishing etc....for his Spring Break so......except for Danny.... I'm childless for part of the week!!!!!!! :) Hopefully, I can get myself together and start spring cleaning and gathering for a yard sale.

Please pray for good results for Savannah and a safe road trip there and back for the girls!.....and Bo too! Thanks SO much! Love to ALL!

Valentines Day????/

2011-03-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Don't let the porch decorations fool you! It is not February or Valentines Day. After being gone for only a month - it seems to take me 3 months to get caught up!!!! But my Spring and Easter decorations are calling my name so....hopefully, I'll get myself together soon!

Savannah is doing great! She goes back for scans next week (the 21st &22nd). They will be the first ones since the TIL treatment so we are anxious to know how well it's working. Please pray that the tumor has shrunk or even better..... vanished! :)

Shelby turned 17 yesterday. I can NOT believe that she is that old. We bought our house the month she was born so we have been here that long too. It just doesn't seem possible that time can move so quickly. Realizing that makes me really, really want to make every day count. Anyway, we went to HUHOT Grill last night to celebrate and it was awesome! We had a guest at dinner named Maggie. She is 3 years old going on 16. Savannah is her (part-time) nanny. We all enjoyed having a little one around again. Bo had to leave a little early to go help feed the homeless that he is working with but later we met at home for cake, ice cream and gifts. Grandma made Shelby her favorite Chocolate Bundt Cake... which.... I think I enjoyed a bit too much. All in all it was a very nice time for the whole family.

We are so sad today. A very sweet lady - Sharon Harderson lost her battle with cancer. She is the wife of Francis Harderson who is Shelby's beloved guitar teacher. They are a precious family and our prayers go out to them during this very difficult time. Her funeral will be tomorrow (Thursday) at 10am at West Fork Baptist Church.

Thank you God for all your blessings as well as your comfort and peace.

Home...

2011-03-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Savannah arrived home safely Friday night. Since then she has felt pretty good. A little week, not much of an appetite but otherwise good. She finished her antibiotic Tuesday so she doesn't have to deal with anymore infusions. She's pretty much a happy camper! She goes back in a couple of weeks for scans, tests and the pentamidine breathing treatment. She'll have to be on that for at least 6 months and possibly longer depending on her lung scans. Every chemo patient has to have meds to help the lungs recover but Savannah is allergic to sulfa drugs so she has to have the treatment instead of pills.

Susie and I arrived home Monday evening. We had a great time on our way home. We only stopped at two flea markets!!! I thought we showed great restraint considering......Tennessee has several along the route home. We even bypassed the one that said "The South's Largest Flea Market".........I know!........can you believe our willpower?
After being gone a whole month, I was a little afraid of what I was going to come home to. When I walked into the house, Danny and Shelby (and maybe Mom) had cleaned up, vacuumed and had it generally looking very nice.....until.......I brought a months worth of stuff and dumped it in the living room. :( Later, when I got a little deeper into putting things away etc....I heard myself asking everybody -- "why is there red glitter in my kitchen utensil drawer"? and "Is that a piece of chocolate stuck to the wallpaper"??? When I saw what looked to be a piece of Shelby's car fender on the porch, I just decided to quit asking questions. Plain and simple - What I don't know can't possibly stress me out.......right?

You know, we all like to brag on our kids from time to time- so- let me take a moment to say that I am SO proud of Bo and his friends. They have been cooking and feeding some of the homeless people in Fayetteville. They were trying to find sleeping bags and tents for them. I think they reached their goal and found enough to get them set up. They tried to make them as
comfortable as possible. I admire what they're doing....I don't think I had anything on my mind at their age other than boys, clothes, shopping, boys, jewelry, shoes, boys and having fun!
So........ GOOD JOB GUYS!

Oh the DRAMA!

2011-02-25T19:24:00.000-08:00

In the last post, I said Savannah was coming home. Shortly after that, Danny and I decided she should fly home a different route since flying through Chicago was risky with it snowing there. I stayed on the phone forever with NIH travel trying to find her another flight through anywhere. We tried every airport here into every airport within 2 hours of XNA but there was not a flight to be had. We ended up just keeping her on the original flight hoping she wouldn't get stranded.
About 10 minutes later she called and was very bummed out. They canceled her flight because of trouble in Chicago. I rescheduled her flight out for tomorrow and told her she could just check out of the hospital and stay here with us at the lodge. That just didn't excite her at all --so-- she started doing searches on her computer and found a possible flight through Atlanta. Her persistence paid off this time. Finally, she left on the shuttle at 2:30 to get to her flight at 5:00. She text'd me from the airport here and said her flight had been delayed an hour or so due to extremely high winds. Shortly after that she sent a message saying the delay had been canceled and would be arriving home around 9 pm.
So.....she is now back home and very, very happy!
She feels pretty good, she's just very week. She will have to go get a daily infusion of antibiotic until next week but other than that, she's AWESOME. God has blessed us - yet-again!
Susie and I will be leaving early in the morning. See y'all soon!!!

Checkin' Out!

2011-02-25T06:27:00.000-08:00

She's going home!!!!!!!!! Savannah called me at 7-ish this morning and said that she could leave. She is ecstatic! So now we have to get her all packed and on the shuttle to the airport. We're a little worried about her flight through Chicago since it is already snowing there! PLEASE pray that she gets through with no problems.
With her immune system being so low, we definitely don't want her to be stranded in a huge, crowded airport like Chicago.
Since she is leaving a little later in the day, Susie and I are going to wait and get a fresh start early in the morning. We should be home by Sunday, Monday....or.....Tuesday.....depending on how many Flea Markets we spy on the way! :) Thanks for those prayers!!!! LOVE!!!!!!

Thursday

2011-02-24T21:07:00.000-08:00

Today Savannah got more platelets and they will check her count in the morning to see if she can go home. We rescheduled her flight today to fly out tomorrow at the same time but the doctors have the final say so......we'll just have to wait til morning to find out.
She came over to the lodge again to have dinner and watch the rest of American Idol. Susie treated us to Chinese food tonight. Lots of places around here deliver to NIH so we were able to stay in. We all REALLY enjoyed it and Savannah ate more than she has eaten in weeks. (Thank you Susie........Bless your little heart!)
So- that's all I know for now! Good night!

Wednesday

2011-02-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well, like I said, everyday there is something new. This morning they were going to put Savannah's pick-line in and probably let her go home tomorrow but when they put the line in her arm she started bleeding. Her blood wasn't clotting due to her being low on platelets. This afternoon the Dr. said NOT to plan on going home because they are going to have to give her a platelet infusion. She says she can get the platelets and still catch her flight out. I don't think so. I think she'll be going home on Friday.........hopefully!
She came over to the Lodge tonight and actually ate a little dinner and watched American idol with Susie and me.
We'll see what tomorrow brings..........??????????
Take care!

Tuesday

2011-02-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

When I went to bed last night the ice and snow had covered everything. Apparently at the end of the snow it turned to rain so it ended up much better than we expected. Still, we just stayed on campus all day.

Every morning is a new day as far as Savannah is concerned. After she returned to the hospital last night she got sick. Through the night she started running a fever again and her platelet count dropped. By the time I got to the hospital this morning I thought we were going to be here for another week or two. A little later in the day the doctors came in and said she would probably be going home on Thursday.
She immediately started feeling better!!!
Because her fever keeps popping up, they wanted her to have a chest x-ray. She declined their offer to take her to radiology. She said I would take her. So, after I found a wheelchair we were off. On the way there, I didn't run her into any walls or corners like I did a few days before. No getting caught between the automatic emergency doors or sandwiched between the elevator doors. UNTIL....we reached the radiology waiting room. Have you ever tried to push a big wheel chair through a crowded room with lots of chairs and people and trash cans? I had an elderly lady chasing a trash can that I ran Savannah into. You know, the big plastic ones that sound like a bass drum if you hit them just right. I noticed Savannah laughing and gasping hysterically as we spun out of control doing donuts through the innocent, unbelieving audience. People were offering me their seats just so I would quit moving. Finally, I got her parked and they immediately called her name. The nurse took it from there.......enough said. It was, however, nice to see Savannah laughing so hard....even if it was at my expense!
She doesn't feel all that great but she has such a good attitude and outlook on things. Before I left her room tonight, she ate a little bit. That's quite an accomplishment. Pray she gets her appetite back so she can regain her strength.
Thanks! LOVE Y'all!!!!!

Monday

2011-02-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

There is a 100% chance of ice and snow in the Bethesda area tonight. Day before yesterday it was 70 degrees. Just like Arkansas....we feel right at home!!!!

Savannah is no longer neutropenic so she can get out of the hospital a little bit. Tonight she came to the lodge and watched a movie with Susie and me.
She is still on antibiotics so she has to spend the night at the hospital. I think she was wanting to go somewhere tomorrow but I have a feeling it's going to be too slick to get out. We might just end up having a chick-flick marathon in the room. :)

Susie and I went to Home Goods today. It makes us so happy! I would LOVE to open one in Fayetteville and Susie wants to open a Cheesecake Factory......maybe when we win the lottery. LOL!
Hope to see y'all soon!

Sunday

2011-02-20T18:57:00.000-08:00

Savannah called me this morning and said the doctors had been in and said she was low on blood and platelets. They didn't really say why but apparently it's not unusual with this treatment. Once they got her hooked up, it took all day for her to get it. When I left the hospital about 7:20 pm they were just starting her antibiotics.

She is getting really bored and wants to come home but her counts have to be over 1,000 for 3 days in a row. Today was the first day they hit 1,000 so only 2 more days!!!!....barring any other problems. :)
I think Susie and I are going to watch a movie so.....better get the pjs on and get comfy!
BTW Carla, thanks for mentioning that twirling "thing" on facebook!!! :)
LOVE to ALL!

Saturday

2011-02-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize how long it's been since I last posted a blog. Time is so strange out here....I'm usually not even aware of what day it is. Time flies but yet it seems like I've been gone forever....? Susie made it out without any problems. It's nice having her here to keep me on track. ;)
Savannah is doing good. It was a little scary there for a couple of days. She started running a low grade fever and her blood tests indicated she had some kind of infection. The tests showed a Staff infection but they didn't know if it was in her system or if it was a contamination from the pick-line they had installed. They ended up removing the line and putting her on some strong antibiotics. It looks like the threat of infection is gone. So for now we're still just waiting til her immune system is back up where it should be. She has NO appetite at all so we're all trying to push food on her but...stubborn is her middle name!!! I guess she'll eat when she really needs it.
We had some disturbing news today. Joe Salsbury, Danny's brother-in-law (married to his sister Shirley), found out that he has cancer. He is such a precious christian man. I would like to ask y'all to please pray for him for healing. We are all well aware that God can do anything! He performs miracles daily and I believe that will be the case for Joe.
Hope to be home soon. Thanks for the prayers!!!! love you ALL!

It's late...

2011-02-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

I just got back in the room from the hospital. Savannah had kind of an "off" day. One blood culture they took grew something indicating there might be a possible infection or contamination so they started her on an antibiotic. She had some kind of reaction to it....nothing major, just an itchy rash that broke out on her head and started down her face and neck. Fortunately, it only lasted a half hour or so but even after that, she just wasn't her bright, cheerful self. They said she might be very tired because of all the hard work her body is doing inside to heal itself. I stayed through more than half of the antibiotic tonight to make sure she wasn't going to have the same reaction. When I left she was good and ready to sleep! I'm sure she'll have a better day tomorrow. :)
Danny is now at home dealing with busted pipes, work, Shelby and her friends etc....so I've been by myself for a few days. I've made a lot of new friends.
Susie left this morning so she should be arriving tomorrow afternoon or evening.
I'll be glad when she gets here safely.
I'm exhausted.....going to bed........goodnight!

Saturday

2011-02-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Savannah got the TIL cells Thursday. It was exciting but didn't even take 30 minutes all together. She's neutrapenic so that means no immune system at all. We are having to take precautions going in and out. Otherwise, she feels very good. The treatment is over. Now it's just a matter of her counts getting back up to normal which could take anywhere from one to two weeks. The doctors are impressed that she is doing her school assignments. I guess most patients on this protocol don't feel like doing much of anything.

Jeff and Rose left here Friday to fly home for a visit with Mom and Daddy. I hate it that we're missing time with them but maybe we'll make up for it later. We got to spend a little time with Donna and Lilly today. We had a nice visit then Donna, Lilly and I came back to the Safra house to get Lilly ready for her Valentines Day Dance at school. You would have thought she was getting married or something. I was doing her nails while Donna was curling hair. We both worked on her up-do for a bit then I started on the makeup and Donna the wardrobe. She looked beautiful.....not so much because of us but just because she is a natural......and such a lady. Sniff, sniff, (they grow up so fast!!!!)

Danny is leaving early in the morning (Sunday) to come home. He should arrive home Monday night and he'll be back at work on Wednesday. I think he's coming home to some busted pipes due to the freezing temps this past week. Joy, Joy :(
Since he is leaving before Valentines Day, he took me out for dinner tonight at The Silver Diner. It's very cute and fun. Juke boxes at each table, 50's & 60's music and 50's decor! Good food too. We had a great time.

Please pray that Danny will have a safe, uneventful trip home!!!
Thanks for ALL the prayers!!! love

Free day

2011-02-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today was a free day for Savannah. No chemo or IVs or anything.....until tonight at 10 pm when they start her IV fluids for hydration. In the morning they will replace the fluids with her TIL cells. It will probably take a few hours to receive the cells.

Since she wasn't hooked up to anything, we decided to go out and about. We had planned to go walk around White Flint Mall and maybe catch a matinee but when they released her for the day they said she could do whatever she wanted as long as she stayed away from the malls and movie theaters. So.....there went our plans.
We did make it to Homegoods and OH MY WORD! It's a decorators paradise. It just made me happy to wander the isles and imagine all the possibilities. Savannah was in bliss too. Danny........not so much.

When you are saying your prayers please remember all those people here in the hospital. Their families are staying here at the lodge and we've met many of them. Hearing their stories just makes us so thankful for our situation.
So far, we've met people from all over the states, England, Jamaica, France, Russia, China and some others we haven't figured out yet! :) ???

Y'all stay in and warm. I'm a little bit bummed that I'm missing the biggest snowfall in years but judging by the temps - I might get back before it thaws!
LOVE!!!

Lab Day

2011-02-08T21:24:00.000-08:00

Today we got a tour of the LAB where all the magic happens! Mark was our guide. He explained everything very well and as simply as he could given the complex nature of his work. I'm sure he dumbed it-WAY- down as soon he saw the "deer in the headlights"look from the three of us!
I never thought I could get excited about science but the work they're doing here is truly AMAZING!!! We saw where the tumors are analyzed and tested and where the TIL cells are grown and stored. With a telescope, we looked at Savannah's cells that they have harvested. They keep them at several different stages. Looking at them under the microscope you could see how many cells were in the smallest drop... and they just keep multiplying!! They have her cells there ready to go on Thursday when it's TIL Time. They are going to put 10 million cells in and within a few hours those cells will double to 20 million!
Last time, they grew the TIL cells from parts of the tumor they removed from under her arm. They were then put in IL2 to grow and multiply. This time, they are using cells from the tumor on her spleen and growing it in IL12. Mark referred to these cells as the "Arnold Schwarzenegger" of cells. They will be bigger, better, stronger and tougher than any so far AND they will continue to stay in her body and fight against cancer. Sounds cool.... huh?
I'm so thankful to God for these people He's using to discover cures and treatments. I hope they know they're being used by Him!

If Savannah feels like it, she wants her Daddy to take us to Home Goods tomorrow so she can shop around. After that, maybe a matinee?????
Thanks for those prayers! love!!!!

Savannah's address

2011-02-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

Some of you have been asking for Savannah's address here at NIH so here it is......
Savannah Dutton
c/o NIH
10 Center Dr. Bldg.10
3NW, Room 2624
Bethesda, MD
20892
Today was a good day although Savannah still feels "yucky"
After her chemo treatment this morning they said she could have some time out of the hospital so we took a little drive around the city and stopped a couple of places. She can't stand to eat anything and even slight smells from food and other things makes her nauseous so we had to be careful where we went. Other than that it's been an uneventful day....which is FINE with me.....uneventful is good around here.!!!
I'm still feeling under the weather but better than the last 2 days. I feel those prayers working! Thank you!!!!!!!!!

Family Day

2011-02-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

Savannah is feeling kind of yucky today due to the chemo but as usual, she's a real trooper!

Jeff, Donna, Lilly, Rose, David and Aparna all came for a visit today. They arrived with armloads of food perfect for lunch on a cold winters day. We had a wonderful time talking and catching up with each other. I wish they lived in Arkansas so we could spend more time together!!!! hint, hint....Anyway, Rose has been sick for a few days and I am getting something so while the rest of the group went to visit Savannah, Rose and I went up to our room and did nails, make-up and hair......what else? It was a nice day.....except.........I am sick! I'm not sure what it is....bad cold, sinus infection...who knows...but I need some major prayer because not only can I give Savannah something but all the people here have family or friends that are in the hospital and everybody has a compromised immune system. Please pray it will just go away!
Right now, Danny is in Savannah's room kicked back in the lounge chair watching the Razorback Basketball game with her......IF she can stay awake.
If she feels like it, we plan on having a Super Bowl party in the family activity room tomorrow evening. GO GREEN BAY!!!!! (that's what Danny says anyway.....I have no clue)
Hope everyone stays in where it's warm and safe. Cuddle with your kids!!!!
Love to ALL

Chemo day

2011-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we walked into Savannah's room and found her looking somewhat like a smurf. They had put her line in and used blue antiseptic...I guess....anyway, she makes a cute smurfette! She was in a little discomfort due to the incision on her neck but otherwise good and happy. The doc said she shows traces of some kind of infection, UTI or maybe sinus etc....I don't think it's enough to stop them from starting the chemo this afternoon like they plan. When we left her last night she was frantically trying to get her homework done that she has gotten behind on.
No real excitement till chemo this afternoon or early evening.
I'm feeling like I could be coming down with something........sore throat, coughing, runny nose.......please pray for me that I can stay well enough to function for Savannah's and Danny's sake. Also, when she gets nutrapenic (no immune system) I won't be able to be around her at all if I'm sick. We can't have that!!!!
More later! love!!!!!!!!!

"Houston, We have a Patient"

2011-02-03T05:32:00.000-08:00

Savannah has arrived!!!!! We should have organized a parade!
She was scheduled to fly out at 3:30 pm yesterday but after a few delays etc....she finally landed last night around 11pm. She rode the Metro over to NIH and Danny picked her up at the shuttle station. She went straight to the hospital and checked in. They started her tests, scans, etc. at 7 this morning. Can't wait to get over there and see her beautiful smiling face!
While waiting on Savannah to arrive yesterday, Danny and I went "junkin'". They don't have the same idea of flea markets and antique shops as we do but it was a nice way to spend the day til Princess arrived. We learned that Danny and I - together can totally confuse a piece of high-tech equipment like our friend- Tom Tom He had us turning in places that didn't even exist. Bet y'all can't do that!!! We did get to see some new neighborhoods and scenery!

Many of you tell me that you appreciate the email reminders about updates to the blog but because they have changed the format of yahoo I can only send out 20 emails at a time. Since my address book has grown far beyond that, it has become too time consuming to send emails out every time I update the blog so....I will post on face book when I update. While we're here I will probably be updating every day so if you choose, you can put it in you favorites or....something like that! Remember.....I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to "computer stuff"
We love you! Thanks for the prayers and EVERYTHING else!

No Patient!

2011-02-01T17:39:00.000-08:00

Seeing as how we Dutton's love drama so much.....Danny and I are here in Bethesda at NIH. We are all warm and tucked in our nice lodge. So.....let's see.........we have the parents, the doctor's, the nurses, the medications, the hospital room waiting for the patient but.....NO PATIENT!!!
We drove out of Greenland early Monday morning and arrived this afternoon (Tuesday). We were on the phone much of yesterday with the NIH travel team trying to change Savannah's flight from going through Chicago to Dallas since Chicago was almost at a stand-still due to blizzards etc....! Who knew that at 6:40 this morning when she was supposed to be flying out of XNA that all flights in and out of Dallas would be cancelled......not to mention the XNA airport closing. There was also another winter weather advisory out for this area but fortunately it didn't do anything. Savannah was on the phone all day today trying to get a flight out. As of this moment, she is scheduled to fly out tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 through Dallas. We are really praying they can get the airports in working order so she can get here. They have her on a very tight schedule and the difference in a day or two can throw a kink into the whole plan.
Oh my my..........never a dull moment.
Oh....did I mention we have all of Savannah's luggage with us? We thought it would be best if she didn't have a bunch of heavy bags to check and tote around, so we brought them with us...which.....if everything had gone according to plan, would've been a good idea BUT....all of her books, pc and school stuff is packed in our car and she is stressing a little about getting her assignments done on time especially since she will get behind during her treatment.
Never a lack of things to pray for.....????!!!!!!!! Love to ALL

It's ON!

2011-01-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

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 !

Latest News on Savannah

2011-01-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

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!

Prayer Request

2011-01-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

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

WOW!

2010-12-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe the last time I was on a computer was October 9th. My how time flies when you're crazy!!!!!
We have just survived the Christmas season and looking for a wonderful New Year to come. When I reflect back on the past year, all I can think of to say is..."Thank you God for all the challenges, victories and blessings You have allowed us to experience."
I've really dropped the ball on keeping everyone up to date on Savannah's progress but now that "I'm back" (online) hopefully I'll do better from this point on.
The Epi treatment in Little Rock at UAMS did not seem to affect the little tumor on her adrenal gland. The good news however is that no other tumors appeared anywhere else so it's just the one place we're battling right now. UAMS has released her as a patient so it's back to NIH in Bethesda. She was never released from NIH just allowed to participate in the Epi clinical study at UAMS. She will always be a patient at NIH due to the on going studies of the Til Cell Treatment etc.....
Anyway, we are waiting to hear when her appointment is. We're guessing sometime very soon after the 5th of January. At that point they will do more tests and scans to see what is happening and then determine whether she needs the Til Cell treatment again or a different form of treatment. We are just praying that when they do the scans, they won't find the tumor anywhere! If she has to have the Til Treatment again we will deal with it...just as before, but of course it breaks our hearts to see her so sick and suffering.....not to mention loss of work for us and almost a month away from home etc... but that is all of little concern when we think of her health. SO....please pray for NO TUMOR!!!!

It amazes me how blessed we are. Not just my family but all of us. Just to have our families with us, a warm place to sleep, enough food to keep us going and the freedom to live and worship as we please. God is SO good and still in CONTROL !
Hope Everyone has an AWESOME 2011 !!!!!!!!!!!!

Forgot to mention

2010-10-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to those coming to the Centennial Celebration.....
Bring blankets and/or lawn chairs.

2010-10-04T19:52:00.000-07:00

Savannah has had 2 treatments so far and as of this moment is tolerating them very well. No side effects! We are praying that continues. We won't know how well it's working til they do testing and we don't know when that will be....maybe at the end of the treatment which will be several more weeks.

I guess I'm tired so I can't even think of anything else to say except.....about the Greenland Centennial Celebration.......first of all....just let me say that at one of Danny's City Council meetings he thought it would be a good idea to volunteer me to help organize it. .... :0
SO......this is the easiest way to plug it..

Saturday, October 9th......THIS Saturday....Parade starts at 10am and goes up Wilson St. to the Community Center. Festivities to follow are...Bluegrass/country/gospel Music, Food, Square dancing, Martial Arts demo, Blacksmithing, Antique Car Show, Historical memorabilia exhibit, Bouncy house, games for kids of all ages a costume contest and much more. Come join us It'll be FUN

If you would like to be in the parade -call me @ 871-0749

Savannah

2010-08-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Savannah had her post-op appointment at NIH August 4th & 5th. They ran the scans and did all the testing and found that she has a small tumor on her existing adrenal gland. They recommend that she has a treatment called Ipilimumad.
It is an infusion that she will get every 3 weeks. It is considered experimental medicine since it has not yet been FDA approved. There are only certain places that administer the drug. Fortunately, there are 2 in Arkansas....Little Rock and Hot Springs. Her first appointment to discuss the treatment will be next Tuesday, August 24th in Little Rock. After that, they will schedule the start date. Once she starts, she will have one treatment every 3 weeks for 4 or 5 months........I think! We don't really know much about it til we have the appointment. They did tell Savannah at NIH that it has some pretty major side effects but we believe God can take care of all the details.
From what NIH told us, the other 2 options they were discussing were not good options at all....(unless the Ipi doesn't work). One was to do the Til cell therapy again but they said that was like taking a bazooka to kill a fly. The other was removing her other adrenal gland which would put her on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of her life....so....that would be the last choice!
Apparently, this is a tumor that had been the size of an apricot and then disappeared and is now back the size of an acorn. That doesn't sound too bad til you realize how aggressive this form of cancer is.
Please pray that the treatment will work and that the side effects are minimal.
She will be trying to go to school and work during all of this. Please also pray for her spirit and attitude. So far she has been a real trooper!

Shelby is home from Germany! She had a fantastic time and was a little sad to have to leave. Only a week after she got home, we encountered the "German Invasion" (just kidding). Corinna and her family came to America to visit us and see where Corinna had spent a year of her life. Her Dad's name is Berthold, her Mom is Kordula and her sister is Saskia. All very sweet people!
We thoroughly enjoyed their visit. They were gracious and charming, spoke English very well.....(probably better than us!) and had great personalities. We enjoyed a cook out while they were here so that some of Corinna's school friends could stop by and see her. The next night at Dinner, Saskia, who is a wonderful pianist, entertained us with some classical pieces and Kordula, who is a former Opera singer sang a beautiful song in Italian...of coarse!
They were interested in the American Indians so the next day while the girls did "girl things" the adults went to Talaquah to the Indian Village. It was a nice day although it must have been at least 110 in Oklahoma! :(

The day the Fischer's left to go to Las Vegas and San Fransico, Shelby started back to school.....she is a JUNIOR this year.....oh my!
The day after that , Bo arrived home with my nieces, Rose and Lilly.....
they had been here before for only 2 days when their great-grandmother Dot passed away....so....Donna and Jeff asked Bo if he would accompany them back to VA for the service and then back to AR to finish their visit. As it happened....Savannah was finishing up her appointment in Bethesda at the same time Bo was checking out the sights in DC. Her airport is in DC and she just happened to miss her flight...so that made it very convenient to meet up with Bo, do a little sight seeing, stay in a nice hotel, have a nice dinner and sight see some more the next day. She finally made it home....two days later. :)

I am looking for a job! If anyone knows of anything please let me know.
Of coarse, I would love to do something creative in art, music, something with kids or adults but at this point.....I would probably consider anything that I'm physically able to do. :)

Thanks to all of you out there that have never stopped praying for Savannah.
We have received so many notes and cards from individuals and churches that have been praying every single week since her diagnosis. God hears those prayers.
We still hold to the belief that God is in control.....not the cancer.
Thanks again and love to all!

Home again

2010-07-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Mom, Melanie and I got back last night from our jaunt to Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. My elbow surgery was a little more uncomfortable than I had hoped but I'm doing great besides being a little sore, black and blue. I had to bring a therapy machine home with me that is the size of a small fork lift. We really had to do some tricky packing to get it in the car with all of our other luggage. It's now in the middle of our Living room because it doesn't fit anywhere else.
All in all we had a great trip. God answered those prayers to keep us safe, healthy and out of trouble.......although........for a really interesting story.....ask Melanie about driving at night near Des Moines, the Exit, the Atlas, her cell phone in the median and the scary twist of fate that put me in the drivers seat for a while!!!! :0

While we were gone we had some news that Dot (my sister-in-laws Grandmother that lives with Jeff & Donna) had a really bad fall out their back door and broke her hip and her upper femur bone. At some point...before or after....she had a heart attack. She now has had surgery and is in serious condition. We would appreciate prayers for her. She is very special to her whole family as well as ours.
She is such a precious person.

Bo is taking off a few days from job hunting and going with some friends to Albuquerque, NM to go hiking.
Shelby is looking forward to their trip to Bavaria on Sunday to see the castle that Disney fashioned Cinderella's castle after. I believe they will will see another castle or two while there. I'm SO jealous!
Savannah is....just......being Savannah! :)
Thanks for the prayers! Hope all is well with y'all love!

2010-07-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

It's mid July and Savannah is doing GREAT!....aside from getting robbed 2 times in one week! First- her IPhone then- her purse......both were found THANK GOODNESS!
NIH just scheduled her for her next visit the 4th & 5th of August. They will do all the normal scans etc... and we expect to hear that she is totally cancer free.

I am leaving in the morning after church to head back to Mayo for my elbow surgery.
Mom (Daisy) and Melanie (my cousin) will be going with me. Your prayers would be appreciated since I have never even seen the doctor that will be performing the surgery. The only thing he has seen of me is an xray of my arm. I see him Tuesday and will have the surgery on Wednesday. It's "probable" that I will be without pain and have full range of motion when fully recovered. :)

Shelby is living it up in Germany with Corinna (our former exchange student) and her family. She loves it there and says the architecture and history is just amazing. She has already visited a castle or two and seen the Catholic Cathedral in Paderborn. I'M SO JEALOUS!!!! She has been attending school with Corinna for the last 2 weeks but now that their school is out, I think they have some big plans......not sure what they are......it's probably best that I don't know! :)
She will be returning the last day of July. We miss her a bunch......as well as Kim, Megan & Laura and all of our other girls that don't come around unless Shelby's here!
She is trying to post pictures on facebook if anyone is interested.

Bo and Savannah are looking for jobs (again). They will also still be going to school in the Fall so if you hear of anything - please let us know!

Again we would appreciate your prayers for safe travel, good weather,successful surgery, pain-free recovery OR really good drugs and wisdom for the doctors and staff.
Thanks so much! love you ALL!

BTW - SALE at Fayetteville Trading Post - Look at their Face Book page and mention it at the register for 20% off anything in our Sassy Salvage booth.
We have new items weekly so check them out......they're Fun, Funky and perfect for putting the finishing touch in your decor.

We're also running a 20% off sale at Daisie's and Olive's in Prairie Grove and at The Treasure Chest in Lincoln.

IT'S AFFORDABLE CHIC !!!!!

2010-06-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

Savannah has been home a little over a week and a half and is doing great! Of course she still has some pain due to surgery but otherwise she is getting around like usual only a bit slower. She says the only time she has to take her pain pills is when she is around Shelby or me. She says we make her laugh too much and it hurts her. ??? It's not like we're trying to make her laugh...... is she saying we're stupid or something????? surely not :)
While she was in Bethesda, Savannah got a cute, sassy little haircut that looks adorable. She could have gotten the same "do" here but of course it's much more trendy if you pay triple the price while you're out of town......right???
For the moment, all is well with the fam...Bo found a job, Shelby is getting ready for her trip to Germany, I'm preparing for VBS Crafts (june 21-25) and Danny is staying busy working and trying to keep up with yard work etc.....plus a little fishing here and there. And as always - Savannah lives in Savannah-land where everything is always wonderful. love!

Surgery Update

2010-05-18T18:20:00.000-07:00

Savannah was supposed to be in surgery around 10am this morning but they were running late in O R... so... in true "Savannah Land" style, she was taking it easy, basking in the glow of "Hot Doctors" morning visit. I know she wasn't looking forward to surgery but hey.....a girl does what she has to do to get near the man of her dreams!!! She wasn't exactly dreading it.
After several phone calls back and forth, Danny finally called me at 1:15pm and said she was on her way down and it would take 2 1/2 to 3 hours. 4 hours later she was just coming out. Wheeeewwwww! rough day waiting around.
They were able to make 3 or 4 smaller incisions instead of the really big one they first thought.
Everything went well except that when they removed her spleen, they found many more tumors in it than they had suspected. Thank God it is out of there!!! AND there were no more surprises.
Danny said she probably will be too drugged up to talk to me tonight so I'm trying to be patient :)
Tomorrow they will start her on jello and drinks so maybe she can get some of her strength back.

I would like to Thank everyone who has been praying for her all along. It's so comforting knowing there are so many others talking to God on her behalf.

A year ago tomorrow Danny and I celebrated our 25th Anniversary in Bethesda because Savannah was in treatment. This year we'll be celebrating separately but I will be here for Daddy's birthday (which is tomorrow) so.....party either way!!!!!! :)

SURPRISE!!! Savannah just called. She sounded good - but drugged up!
She said she is hurting right now and is not as loopy as she'd like to be but they have given her a button to press to release pain meds into her IV so she is in control of the drugs.....uhooooh!!! :)......look out "hot doctor"!!!
We would appreciate the continued prayers for a quick recovery without infections etc.... Thanks love!

2010-05-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

So....Danny and Savannah left this morning at around 6am for NIH. Their flight was delayed a few minutes due to severe fog in NWA. When they were approaching the runway in Chicago, they were headed down but all of a sudden the pilot pulled the plane back up. It seems the plane in front of them hit some birds and it made a big mess. They had to circle the airport til the runway was cleaned and cleared.
Both of these delays ( plus the mile trek to her gate at the other end of the airport) should have made Savannah miss her flight, but once again, God had everything under control. As she was walking up they were just shutting the door and let her sneak in. Danny had a flight one hour later so he was there just in time.
Once in DC, Savannah made the shuttle to NIH but of course since Danny's flight was later, he had to catch the metro into Bethesda.
Savannah went straight to NIH and got admitted and prepped etc....
Danny got checked into SAFRA House. They were both going to turn in early.
Savannah is 2nd on the surgery schedule so they estimate she will go in about 10am or so. Danny has strict orders to call me as soon as she wakes up!
I thought I would be ok with not being there but it's killing me! What was I thinking? Although, Danny has it all under control and he is wonderful with her so I just need to give it up and pray!!! :)
We would appreciate all your prayers! Love and Thanks to all!!

Update on Savannah

2010-05-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

SORRY! I would have updated much sooner if Melanie or I had taken a laptop with us on the trip. It's not fun being without technology....even if you don't know how to use it most of the time. :)
Once again, God is so good and kind and gracious and merciful.......
Savannah is going to require surgery on May 18th. They will be removing her spleen and one of her adrenal glands. They said that those two spots were different than all the other cells and didn't respond to the TIL Therapy. The good news is that after they remove the organs, she will be cancer free! They said they combed the scans over and over and there was no trace of anything else. We are SO thankful for this good news! The surgery is not really major....they said if she was at home she would only be in the hospital for 3 or 4 days. Since she has to travel home they will keep her a few days longer so they told us to plan on 5 - 7 days or so.
I think Danny will be going with her this time due to the fact that 1 plane ticket is cheaper than two- AND- I still haven't recovered from my 2 week jaunt from Minnesota to Maryland back to Arkansas and all places in between. It was SOOOO much fun hanging out with Melanie again (just like old times) but we are both worn out from all the traveling. I feel like I will never get caught up again with the mail, paper work, flea market stuff and sleep!
Mel and I kept a journal of our travels so as soon as I can get time I'm going to put a few stories on the blog.
Please keep Savannah and ALL of us in your prayers!
Thanks so much! Love y'all! OXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Road tripping AGAIN!

2010-04-16T11:43:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave town is always crazy but when you don't know how long you'll be gone it's even more NUTS! Tuesday morning, My cousin Melanie and I will be heading out for Rochester Minnesota for my appointment at the Mayo Clinic. I haven't been there for a few years and need to check out my "condition" to see if it has progressed and if I'm on enough medication etc....I think I'll only be there through Friday, unless they hold me over the weekend for more tests on Monday.
THEN...we'll drive from MN to Bethesda, MD to meet Savannah for her NIH appointment. She will flying out from XNA on Sunday the 25th. Hopefully we will all arrive around the same time....SAFE and HEALTHY! Savannah will have her tests on Monday 26th and clinic on Tuesday. That's when they will tell us if she needs her spleen removed or not. If not, we will be on our way back home on Wednesday. If she does require surgery, we will be there for at least 5 to 7 more days. Please pray that there will be no trace of cancer in her body.
One good thing about all of this is that Melanie and I are going to get a lot of quality time together....( melanie, I apologize ahead of time ) We haven't been on a long road trip since the last time she and Carla took me to Mayo. I'm thinking that was in 2001 or 02. Anyway, as sick as I was, I still remember how much fun we all had together. There's nothing like time spent with the cousin's.
It makes for new material for family story times. LOL! Kidddd!
Besides praying for Savannah's health....we would appreciate your prayers for safe travel, good diagnosis for me, continued health for Melanie( since she will be the one driving the most) and NO CAR TROUBLE! :)
Thanks to everyone! We love and appreciate all of you!

Don't forget to shop our Sassy Salvage booths at Fayetteville Trading Post in Fayetteville, Daisie's & Olive's in Prairie Grove and The Treasure Chest in Lincoln. We will do custom and specialty pieces. We also offer Home Staging and complete Interior Design services....(on ANY budget)
New home phone # 445-6171
cell # 871-0749
Linda # 409-3874

Recent visit to NIH

2010-03-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

We are asking for your prayers again.
It seems the doctors were a little too optimistic last time Savannah visited NIH. As I reported in earlier posts, they thought the cancer was completely gone but this trip they realized that what they thought was "scar tissue" in her spleen was in fact cancer. It had grown ever so slightly and they detected a pea size tumor on the outside of her spleen as well. She goes back in 3 to 4 weeks for more extensive testing. If it has stayed the same or grown they will remove her spleen. They assured her this was not really a big deal.....you can live just fine with out it. Of course, we'd rather her not have to have any kind of surgery but.......whatever makes her well! SO.....please remember her in your prayers again and please pass it on to all those prayer warriors!
We have had a few weeks of non-stop activity around here. In mid February, Mom and Daddy left for Virginia to visit Jeff (my brother) and his family. Donna had to go to Africa on business and Jeffrey needed help with the girls so they stayed about a month or so. While they were gone, I had the bright idea to redecorate their master bedroom. I wanted them to have a nice relaxing space to come home to after being away from home so long. Too bad I was so thoughtful and selfless!!!! :) I almost killed myself trying to get everything done! Bo and Savannah proved to be....some.....help. They helped prime and paint the old, dark 70's paneling and trim (when their schedules allowed :) and Danny was useful in getting the old closet doors off and cutting out the headboard so I could upholster it. All in all it turned out to be a lovely, bright, peaceful room. They were extremely surprised and both seemed to love it.
OH!, did I mention in the middle of all of that.....Shelby had her 16th birthday party at their house? I thought it would be a good idea to get movies and pizza for the 9 girls and let them PARTY in the basement while I worked upstairs finishing their room. HA! Needless to say......no work got done that night!
When Mom and Daddy got home they had my two precious nieces (Lilly, 13 and Rose, 7) with them. They stayed for their whole 2 week Spring Break. We had so much fun with them. The first week Shelby was still in school but everyday as soon as 2:18 hit we picked up 4 to 6 LOUD girls as well as Rose & Lilly and off we went.....we looked (and sounded) like a caravan of wild gypsies traveling down 71B in Grandma's suburban. People could hear us coming for blocks and heaven help the single or cute guys at the stop lights! Grandma might never be the same!
We also celebrated Shelby's actual Birthday too. We ate at JD China....Shelby's favorite place and then came home for cake, ice cream and gifts. Yes, she got a car. My Aunt Wanda got a new car and she was getting rid of her old one so Shelby got it. It's really nice and well taken care of. I hope Shelby keeps up the tradition. :)
In the midst of all this....Savannah decided since it was Spring Break, she and one of her friends would just "road trip" to Maryland to her appointment at NIH. So she left all the madness of home and was off driving....who knows where..... hopefully to Bethesda.
Anyway, have you ever been to a 9 day sleepover with 4 girls that shower constantly? It's exhausting but totally fun. The laundry however is NOT!
I say 4 girls because we invited Kim, Shelby's friend, to spend Spring Break with us. Rose and Lilly love all of Shelby's friends and consider them to be their friends too but all except Kim were on a mission trip. We had big plans to do all sorts of cool things but those 12 inches of snow on Sunday dampened a few of those. Although... we did make it bowling, to the movies, shopping, a sleep over with Bella and Gabby (cousin Wes & Melody's girls) and to Branson on Friday. We had a blast! Mom, Daddy, Rose and Lilly were up very early Saturday morning in order to get the girls to their plane by 10am. We all need to sleep for a week before life resumes. I WISH! But....Life goes on whether your tired or not....so......
This weekend Linda and I opened our booth in Lincoln at the Treasure Chest. I would never have considered such a location but other vendors say it is very profitable there. So...NOW....Sassy Salvage has 3 locations for your shopping pleasure. Fayetteville, Prairie Grove and Lincoln. Wohoo! we've hit the big time!
LOL! Thanks for your prayers for Savannah GOD is Good! love y'all

Today is March 9th

2010-03-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

In the past, March 9th has not held any special significance for me....that I can remember anyway...BUT today is different!!!!! One year ago today, I got that terrifying phone call from the Breast cancer doctor telling me to find Savannah and get to his office immediately. He spoke with such urgency that I knew it was bad news. I kept telling myself on the drive to his office that -even if she does have breast cancer...people survive it all the time and surely we've caught it in time. Still, I knew whatever it was... was serious. Savannah knew it too. I could hear the fear in her voice when I spoke to her on the phone and told her to meet me there. Sensing we were going to need all the strength we could muster I called Danny and he met us there too. I was pretty much prepared for whatever bad news the doctor had (or so I thought) so when he circled a big ugly place on her back shoulder and said it was melanoma and that was what was causing all the problems, I was wondering why he had made such a big deal over something that could be removed so easily. I had always heard that melanoma is one of the worst kinds of cancers anyone could have but at least it was just on her skin. Then horror flooded my mind.....It wasn't just on her skin, it had spread to make that huge lump under her arm and if it had spread that much where else in her body was it? It was the most terrifying feeling I've EVER had. I can't even imagine what Savannah must have been thinking. The doctor was so good with her....he hugged her and said he had a daughter her age and told her they were going to fight this with everything they had. He had tears in his eyes and kept looking at us as if to say - I'm so sorry but you're going to lose your daughter. We made it outside to the front steps of the office before we burst in to tears.
I don't know why I want to remember the events of that day....maybe to just reflect on how far God has brought us and all the true miracles He has performed since that day. I will never forget the fear of that day. I will also never forget the peace that God gave me shortly after that...within hours really....and it stayed with me til we got the news that she is cancer FREE!! So, March 9th will never be taken lightly around our house again. It will be a day of Thanksgiving for our "Sweet Savannah" and her precious life.

Some new DRAMA
Bo is doing well after 2 trips to the emergency room a couple of weeks ago.
He thought he was dying......We thought he was having an appendicitis attack.
The doctors found a kidney stone! He was miserable and extremely sick. It was awful seeing him in that much pain but as I said, I think he's back to normal again.
Shelby is going to be 16 years old on the 15th of this month and she is expecting to drive!!! Who made that rule up?????? I'm all for changing the driving age to at least 18!!!! I'm not having an easy time picturing her out in this crazy world driving everywhere with all those nuts on the road.
Maybe I'm getting nervous in my old age......whatever it is......it's not a good feeling.
Kids driving.....Oh Lord, hear our prayers! :)

Linda and I have expanded our Sassy Salvage business. Now you can find us at our first location - Fayetteville Trading Post on N. College right across the hwy from Acumbaro Mexican Restaurant AND in Prairie Grove at Daisie and Olive's Flea Market. We are having so much fun and really have some funky, unique and fun home decor and fashion items. We add new things weekly so drop by on a regular basis so you won't miss anything. Many items are -one of a kind- since they are hand painted or crafted. Sometime soon we hope to have a Sassy Salvage blog or website.

It was March 9th when I started typing this but it has taken me so long to write it that it is now March 10th. I'm so slow! Good Night!

p.s. I still don't know when the FOX News story will be coming on but I'll send an email as soon as we know something. Love to ALL!

More "Dutton Drama"

2010-01-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Well,.....it all started last month when we decided to let Shelby go with Savannah to her NIH appointment. They were excited about taking a "sister" trip together, you know, bonding and that sort of thing.... :).....? Things heated up when"hot doctor" called Savannah, personally, on her cell phone and asked if she would mind being the NIH Diva in a piece that FOX Network is doing on cancer. She very reluctantly agreed so they rescheduled her appointment from the first week in January to the second.
Then the DRAMA started.....
Oh my word!!! FOX news! It's seen by millions of people! What would she say? How would she say it? Would they do a personal interview or a group thing? Would "hot doctor" be there?
But more importantly......WHAT WOULD SHE WEAR???? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(These are not actually her comments but I know how her mind works :) jk No, really she was so stressed about it she wouldn't even let us talk about it.
So then we had the daunting task of changing Shelby's flight to match Savannah's. Several minutes and $150 later.....done!
So, at 5:45 Sunday morning Danny was off to take the girls to XNA.
Upon arrival they found out there was something wrong with the plane. They were put on a flight through Dallas instead of Chicago. Somewhere over the friendly skies, Savannah got sick....the stomach bug type. Fortunately, we didn't hear about this until they were safe on the ground in DC. They got checked in at the hotel and stayed there the rest of the night.
Monday Savannah was feeling better so they spent most of the day at NIH doing Savannah's tests and scans. I thought all was calm for a while til I got a frantic call from Savannah saying that the Financial aid guy from school called and needed all her school information by 4:30 that afternoon or she would be kicked out of the system and not be able to attend this semester. Information that,by the way, I had been strongly encouraging her to get turned in for at least 3 weeks or more. When I mentioned that I wanted to inflict bodily harm on her for putting me thru this she almost giddily replied that she was in Maryland and I was in Arkansas and I would be over it by the time she got back. :@ Luckily she had her laptop with her so she found all the info, emailed it to us and we printed it out. By the time I had it in hand to take, I looked at the clock...It was 4:10. Hmmmm 20 minutes to get from my house to the Mall area?...not unheard of......even in traffic it shouldn't be that big a deal.....unless....of course...my gas tank is on empty...???......Anyway, after a few stressful minutes of crazy driving and praying......I MADE IT! With 30 seconds to spare.
So for a while....all was well....
Shelby says the FOX story thing went really well and that Savannah did a great job. We didn't really know what to expect. They hadn't told her much other than she would be in it. They filmed it as if Savannah were having an appointment with "hot doctor" and Dr. Rosenburg (THE cancer doctor at NIH over EVERYTHING). Savannah still doesn't want to talk about it but I'm sure she did a great job. I did find out that it is not just a story on NIH. Fox is doing a whole story on cancer so they will be in other big cancer hospitals as well. It will not air for a month or two so we will definitely let everyone know when it will be on.
OH!!!!! and in all the madness of her TV debut....we all totally forgot about the results of her tests. duhhhhh!
GOD is so unbelievably good and kind......
There were no visible tumors left in her body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing they saw was some dense tissue in her spleen. They think it is scar tissue but they said that IT is even shrinking! I think they are amazed at how fast she has recovered from such a severe case. I want to go on and on about God's greatness but I just keep repeating myself. I think it suffices to say that God is GOD, He sees our trials, He hears our prayers, He has compassion for us, He is gracious and merciful and JUST and He answers our prayers as He sees fit. Thank You GOD!
So....on to the next drama.....
I called this morning (Wed.) to make sure the girls were up and getting ready to get on their way to the airport. Shelby answered and said they were getting ready to leave the hotel but she didn't sound too good....although she said she was "fine". Savannah called shortly after that and said Shelby was sick....with the stomach thing. She said there was no way they could get on a shuttle or metro into DC with Shelby getting sick every few minutes and they needed to get there asap to catch the plane. Danny and I thought maybe they should stay another night and take the same flight home tomorrow to give Shelby time to recoup. That would have been a good idea if we wanted to pay about $350 extra for the flight change, hotel etc......
SO, after Danny was on the phone for....a long time......with the airlines, they will be taking a later flight today at 4:45pm getting in around 8:30.........barring any other drama!

Hope I didn't bore y'all with the trivial little dramas of our family life. It's really not all that dramatic but we've gotta spice up life somehow right?????
Again, as I've said in so many posts before.....
Thank you all so much for the support, the prayers, the encouraging words and everything else you all have done to make our trials bearable .
We love you all!

Finally....a new post

2009-10-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Savannah and her friend Nicole left Tuesday for her monthly appointment at NIH.
She had her tests on Wednesday, her breathing treatment this morning and at 1pm the CLINIC appointment. This is her favorite part...they tell her the results of the tests AND she gets to see her "hot doctor"! Today, "hot doctor" had the news we've been waiting for....with the exception of 2 very tiny tumors (one on her spleen, the other in her tummy)... all the other tumors are
GONE!!!!!!!!!!! She is doing so well that she doesn't even have to go back til January. Of course she's happy with the diagnosis but no "hot doctor" for over 2 months....whatever will she do?
Even though we've had faith all along and have experienced the miracles that God has performed in our family, it still amazes me that He would bestow such blessings on such unworthy recipients. We don't deserve any of it but He takes care of us anyway!
I know I've mentioned this before but I'm SO proud of Savannah and the way she has handled this whole experience. Her attitude has been incredible. Even when she was lying in bed, soooo sick, she kept her sense of humor and her sweetness to the staff etc. She handled everything with such grace and dignity.
So, 7 1/2 months after she was diagnosed with potentially fatal cancer, she is almost cured, attending college and working as a newborn baby photographer
at Willow Creek Hospital. She is loving every minute of her life. She realizes God has a purpose for her. We can't wait to see what's in her future!!! THANK YOU GOD!

NOW...all about me... :)
My friend and business partner, Linda Parrish and I started a Home Staging business last year that we enjoy very much but because of the Real Estate market being so slow we found we had extra time and creativity on our hands. SO...we recently opened Sassy Salvage Flea Market booth at Fayetteville Trading Post.
It's new, located at 2600 North College Ave. ( in the old Arkansas pools & spas building ) a couple of doors north of Schlotsky's Deli. We have a large shop and sell recycled home decor and furniture. We find old, sometimes ugly pieces and paint and/or embellish them with bright colored paint and patterns. You know,
make it Fun and FUNKY! Danny has even gotten in on the action and is building things for us and helping repair things etc.... He is a very good carpenter.
We were voted "Best Booth" for the month of October.
Hours are M-F, 11am to 6pm Sat, 10 to 6 Sun, 12 to 5
If you get a chance stop by and check it out.....it's fun to see all the boothes.

O.K.....Considering I'm falling asleep as I proof read this blog, I think it's bed time!
We would still appreciate your prayers for those 2 little tumors to vanish. We believe that will be the January report! :) Thanks and love to all!

Doin' the Happy Dance!

2009-08-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

God has blessed us (yet again) with AWESOME news from NIH.
Savannah had all her tests on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning she had her breathing treatment and then at 1pm she had Clinic. That's where they tell the results of the tests. The Results - A few of the tumors have DISAPPEARED and the other tumors have shrunk considerably. The TIL cells are live cells that continue to live in her body forever so no further treatment is needed....hopefully EVER. She still has to return every 4 weeks for their research and our peace of mind. God is SO good, He answers prayer. It's not just a comforting thought or phrase....He really does answer prayer. He has blessed us more this year than we can even comprehend. We are so Thankful!
When Savannah called to tell me the good news of her tests.....I'm not sure if she was happier about the results or the fact that she has a "HOT" new doctor.
Apparently, he's beautiful and they will probably get married. :)

My new catch phrase lately is "Dutton Drama" which simply means - when things seem too simple or are running too smoothly...we just throw some problems and challenges into the mix. Our latest "Dutton Drama" started Tuesday night before Savannah and Haley left EARLY on Wednesday morning. Danny noticed that the hotel where the girls were staying requires guests to be at least 21 years old to check in. I really didn't think this would be a big deal...we've stayed there before, I had made reservations weeks ahead of time, they knew she was an NIH patient....she's very mature for her age...etc....SO...I called the hotel to discuss this little matter with them. First of all, I find it amusing that a place called The AMERICAN Inn has no Americans working there. The nice man I was speaking with listened to my dilemma and assured me (in his thick Jamaican accent) that it would be "no problem maaaaaan" as long as someone 21 yrs old or older was there to check them in. I tried to explain (again) that Savannah was an NIH patient flying from Arkansas and would literally be out on the street with no place to stay. I assured him that I was the parent and would take responsibility for any mishaps or expenses that might occur should she be "irresponsible". After repeating several times that it would be "no problem maaaan" as long as someone 21 would check them in, I asked to please speak with a manager to which he replied...." Yes maaan, I be de manager". ???? Sensing defeat, I just said Thank you and hung up. I said a little (or big) prayer and tried to start coming up with a solution. My brother (Jeff) and his family live about 2 hrs away so I couldn't ask them to drive all the way there just to check them in. Oh wait, yes I could...I was desperate......no wait....I couldn't either....Jeff was in Maine and Donna was in India. I was getting a little stressed. Savannah suggested David and Aparna who are the ONLY two other people out there we know. I had not even thought of them! I really didn't want to ask them to help out though. Aparna is a doctor, David works and they have very busy lives....BUT.....what choice did I have? I emailed David early Wednesday morning then headed to the clinic for my treatment. Within 2 hours, David had it all worked out for us. He wasn't able to get into Bethesda but he has a very good friend that goes through there daily. He asked his friend (also Dave) if he could meet the girls and check them in. Dave agreed and around 8:30pm they got checked in to their room and hit the bed. They were exhausted after being up most of the night before. I don't even want to know what went through the mind of the person that checked them in. An older "uncle" checking 2 young "cuties" into a hotel room where there was only 1 queen bed???????????????
Like I said...."Dutton Drama"
More to follow in the coming months (i'm sure!)
They are flying back today at 5:30pm Eastern time so please keep them in your prayers. Thanks and love to All

2009-08-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

On the last post I was talking about Savannah and Bo at Camp War Eagle. Well.....they ended camp a week and a day early this year due to the outbreak of FLU. I think the counselors were more upset about it than the kids. Of course the kids were very upset too since it was just the first week of their two week camp.
I'm amazed at the quality of the camp and the dedication of the staff. Many of the kids come from very troubled homes or have had horrendous things happen to them. The counselors are so focused on the kids and their need to just be kids and to have fun in a safe and secure environment. They try to help them focus on God and his all encompassing love. It is really a GREAT thing.
Anyway.....Savannah came home from camp with the flu. We got her to the doctor where she got a prescription of Tamiflu (sp?). The doctor said the whole family needed to be treated so we were all on meds. I guess it's a good thing because she shared her germs with me and I got it too! :( I THINK we are all OK now...?

NIH called and rescheduled Savannah's appointments from the 12th and 13th to the 19th and 20th, so...she and her friend Haley will be flying out in the morning (Wed) at 6:15am to Bethesda. They will return on the 21st.
PLEASE pray for their safety and for a great report from the doctors. We don't expect anything but good news but prayer is very reassuring :)
I will keep posting as I know more. Thanks for the prayers. Love to ALL

Time

2009-07-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

WoW! I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I posted a blog. I didn't realize it til several of you started emailing me about it. Time has become very blurred. I still don't feel like I have caught my breath from being gone from home so much.
I'm feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do and to catch up on. Thank You Notes for example. Oh my goodness! I don't know how I'm ever going to get all those out to everyone that has helped with prayers, food, the benefits....everything! If you're reading this...your Thank you card will come - eventually!

We are SO thrilled to announce that Savannah felt good enough to go work at Camp War Eagle as the camp photographer. She will be there for a total of 5 weeks. Before she left she took her breathing treatment here in town as well as an ultrasound on her leg (due to some swelling). It turned out to be fine.
She will be going back to NIH on August 12th & 13th for her monthly check-up.
I can't wait to hear what the doctors have to say about how much the tumors have shrunk. The really large one on her neck is barely visible. God is SO good!
After she returns from Bethesda she will only have a short time til school begins.
She will be attending NWACC for a few semesters till she decides what she wants to major in at U of A or who knows where.

Bo is still at Camp War Eagle working and will still be at the UofA this Fall.
Shelby has been playing Music shows like crazy this summer, solo and with her band "Out of the Sticks" VERY entertaining!

I was reading in the June 17th blog that Corinna had not left the country yet.
She ended up passing her driving test with flying colors......LOOK OUT GERMANY! Attended her first Vacation Bible School ever. Went Fishing for the first time....and last, I'm pretty sure. :) And finally, on June 29th, after much ado, we got her to XNA to begin her long journey home. We arrived early and it's a good thing because she had too many bags so they charged her extra and then the bags that could be checked were too heavy so we spent some anxious minutes transferring stuff from her bag to a plastic airline bag. Not to mention the big, poofy, Prom dress that we had suctioned into one of those flat storage bags. The only problem with that was the unseen whole somewhere in the bag that let all the suctioned air back in. It kept wanting to inflate. This is where my handy taping skills came in...by the time I was done, her big, beautiful, dress looked like a squashed up bag of potatoes. I hope it's wearable again.
By the time we got through our tearful goodbyes and she got thru security they were doing the last boarding call. She later told us that when she got to the last security guard she was crying so hard that he even gave her a hug.
I think she loves America. We certainly love her and will miss her like crazy.
One of these days when I have time, I'm going to post an overview of her "experience " in America. She has several interesting stories she shared with us about life before she came to live with us and then there are our stories...yikes!
Hope everything is well with all of you. Please keep Savannah in your prayers for continued healing and strength while at camp. Thanks Love to all

2009-06-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

Savannah is doing very well...especially her spirit. We are all praising God on a continual basis. Every time a problem or situation comes up and I start to get stressed about it...all I have to do is think about all the blessings we've received lately (and always) and...it just doesn't matter anymore. She looks so good and healthy it's hard to believe that she has gone thru so much. Even though we know the treatment is working, she will still have to return to NIH every 4 weeks for tests. She also has to take a breathing treatment to prevent a specific type of pneumonia that chemo can cause. We would still appreciate your prayers that the Til Cells will continue to work like crazy and also for safety traveling back and forth.

Yesterday I had a lovely day with my girls. It was my birthday so they took me to lunch and a movie and shopping. What more could a girl ask for? I enjoyed them both so much and of course I had already received the best gift of all....Savannah's good news!

Corinna is off with one of her friends at her lake house for a couple of days. When she returns she will not have much longer here in the states. She will be taking her driving test on the 26th of this month. Getting her license here will save her 2 to 3 thousand dollars in Germany. Can you imagine?
Shelby passed her driving test and now has her permanent license. Of course she still has to wait until she turns 16 to drive by herself and that won't be until March 15th of next year... (thank you Lord!) :) I have been trying to teach Shelby and Corinna to drive at the same time...that's a whole other blog story..... :-O

Shelby will be playing at the West Fork River Show Saturday night. It starts around 6:30pm. If you have not attended a River Show before there are several young talents that perform there. They play mostly country and bluegrass. So...if you want a really casual evening of good music and fun....you're invited. :) Remember your lawn chairs and bug spray.

While I'm inviting...might as well mention VBS again!
Any of you that have kids or grandkids....This Saturday, (20th) from 10am to 2pm Sang Avenue Baptist Church will be having a Kids Fun Day. Games, free food, a bouncy house, sports, face painting and lots more will be available for anyone who wishes to come. We will be pre-registering the kids for our VBS that starts on Monday the 22nd from 6pm to 9pm and runs thru Friday night the 27th.
We always have so much fun with the kids at VBS and it is amazing how much they learn and retain.
Please continue those prayers. We Love You ALL! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PRAISE GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

2009-06-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Our many prayers have been ANSWERED!!! God has heard them and the treatment has worked.
The DR. read the scan and found no new Tumors and the Tumors that are there have shrank significantly. WOOHOOOO!!!!

Glory be to GOD!!!!

2009-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

Oh my word! It's been a crazy couple of days! Savannah and I both flew out of XNA on Tuesday evening. She flew United because that's what NIH booked for her. I flew Delta because it was the cheapest. Her plane switched in Chicago and mine in Atlanta. In the end I was going to end up waiting on her at Reagan National for an hour and a half so we could take the shuttle together to our hotel. Well, when we got on our planes in Atlanta and Chicago, we had delays because of the storms in the DC area. Savannah said her wait wasn't too exciting. I, however, have a different story. I was on my plane, along with 200 other people stranded on the runway, waiting for clearance for 1 hr and 45 minutes. I was o.k....I had stuff to read and I watched a movie but some people got really cranky! There were 4 southern ladies from Alabama sitting next to me and they entertained me with stories of their traveling escapades and crazy friends and family.....(reminded me of my friends and myself). Anyway, one of them was a diabetic and she started feeling shaky so she pulled out a bag of peanuts to eat. When she did, the lady in front of her that was traveling with her disabled husband and son came unglued and jumped all over this lady for having peanuts out. It seems her son is deathly allergic to them. If he even smells them he starts swelling up all over and can't breath or swallow etc.........he's almost died 4 other times.. The only thing is...no one but the mom and dad new this. They hadn't told the airlines, the flight attendants or anyone sitting around them. It was a huge ordeal, the boy started crying because his mom and dad were so upset and he thought he was going to stop breathing, the flight attendants were trying to keep peace and attempting to keep the southern lady (Joy) happy by moving her and giving her free drinks...but I can tell you right now...free drinks were not the answer for Joy considering she had a very vivacious personality and wasn't afraid to speak her mind! The flight attendants were flittering all over the place trying to settle the mom and dad down, making sure the boy was still breathing, trying to keep Joy off the ceiling and all those other cranky people happy. It was a very eventful hour and 45 minutes on the ground! :)

Savannah and I finally met up at baggage claim at 2:30 am. By this time, I had become "phone friends" with our little shuttle driver, Boris who is from Russia. He had been waiting on us for about 3 hrs or so. He picked us up and $60 later we were at our hotel.

It was 4am before we were in bed. Needless to say, yesterday was a blurrrrr! We were both zombies. We went to bed at 8:last night but....we had to be here at 7am this morning for Savannah's blood work. To be here at 7, we needed to leave the hotel at 6am because we had to take a taxi to the metro, then from the metro take a shuttle to the hospital. I don't know how these people do it. Besides being SO expensive, it is such a hassle. I guess it explains why there are a lot of rude, impatient people here. I might be too if I had to deal with transportation issues all the time. :) It really makes me SO thankful for home and our calmer lifestyle.

Savannah is getting a blood transfusion right now. Her numbers were low. They say that happens to about half of the patients. Later today she has clinic with her doctors. That's when they will tell us the test results. I'm excited! I know they are going to be good!

She is starting to eat a few more things so hopefully she will be gaining strength.

David and Aparna (and maybe Donna) are meeting us this evening for dinner. We're not sure where we are going but we trust them to make a good choice since they live fairly close by.

Love to ALL!

Sunday, 7th

2009-06-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today was Decoration Day at Baptist Ford. We went down and visited with some of the family and friends. We got to show off Lilly and Rose (my nieces) that are visiting from Virginia. There wasn't as many people there as usual...not sure why!
After that we sat lazily around on the front porch , drinking ice tea and watching the girls play. It was a nice afternoon.
After church tonight, we had a little wienie roast and s'mores party. Lilly and Rose love them and Corinna has never been to one so we thought we should give her that experience before she returns to Germany. Did you know that in Germany they don't have graham crackers or marshmallows or HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE!!!!??? Can you believe it...a country without s'mores??? They also don't have peanut butter! :0 How do they survive???

Savannah ate a little tonight. That made us all very happy! :)
I am so proud of her and the way she is handling all of this. She has stayed positive and kept her sense of humor throughout this whole ordeal. She knows God is taking care of her and if she has any fear, she never shows it.

We leave Tuesday. Wednesday, she has an apheresis (sp?) and Thursday they will be doing all the tests and scans so PLEASE pray for shrinking tumors and healing.
Also.....a safe flight out there and back. Thanks MUCH love!

Hey!

2009-06-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone tells me to post daily but I'm afraid our lives are not that eventful! :)
Right now, We are waiting to go back to NIH on the 9th for Savannah's tests. We should be home on the 12th. She is doing very well. She has not been nauseous for almost 5 days but is still having trouble finding her appetite although she takes a few extra bites each day. She looks great and feels good enough to have a bit of a social life.
I'm still trying to catch my breath before we have to go back to Bethesda. Danny will stay here to work and I will go with Savannah to NIH. We will be there from the 9th thru the 12th.
I can't believe we are already in to June. Being gone for 3 1/2 weeks makes it seem like we've totally lost a month. It's a little scary!
When we get back we will just have a few days left with my nieces, Lilly & Rose.
After that we have to make sure Corinna is ready to take her driving test before she heads back to Germany. Then, we have Vacation Bible School at our church starting on the 22nd thru the 26th.

That reminds me....Summer VBS at Sang Ave. Baptist Church, June 22nd thru 26th from 6pm -9pm. Open to kids ages 3yrs old and up. We always have a very good Bible School so PLEASE pass along the info to anyone that might be interested. There will be teaching time, missions, songs, snacks, CRAFTS (that's me) and many more activities the kids will enjoy. Saturday the 20th, there will be a Kids Fun Day. You can bring the kids by....pre-register them, have snacks and play games. This will help the registration process be much shorter on the 22nd.
Hope to see all the kids there.

Back online

2009-06-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

The other day I had a very long, lovely post written and ready to send. Just before I hit the publish post button our Internet went haywire and deleted the whole thing. Considering how long it takes me to remember what has happened and type it all in....I was a little frustrated. Danny worked on it a while and seemed to fix it until....I typed another lovely post and it crashed in the middle of it also. I gave up. So, no more lovely post...I'll just state the facts.
Savannah got home Wednesday night and Susie and I got home Thursday night. I'm still trying to recover from being away from home for 3 1/2 weeks. The pile of paper work and mail alone could keep me busy for days.
Savannah is doing good. At first, we were very concerned because of her lack of appetite. She was nauseous and couldn't keep anything down. She is taking nausea medicine around the clock now so that has helped but she still has not put more than a couple of bites of food in her mouth for several weeks now. It is getting a little better day by day.
We go back on the 10th of this month for tests to see if the til cells are working. Of course, we believe they are! We know that God has had His hand in this from the beginning and He has a perfect plan for Savannah and the rest of us.
My nieces...Lilly (12) and Rose (6) are coming at the end of the week for their summer visit.
We are looking forward to spending time with them. We always have so much fun. Savannah and I will miss out on a few days with them due to our trip back to NIH so we'll have to make every minute count. I know there are a few things on their To Do list we'll be taking part in like....Gator Golf, the Drive-in movie, shopping etc....
So...for now...we're just trying to catch up and hang loose. :) Love to ALL!

A Restful Day

2009-05-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

God knows when we just need a "time out". It was cold, windy and rainy today so Savannah and I went to the hospital to tie up some loose ends while Susie did some of our laundry. After that we came back to the Lodge to relax. We all decided it was a perfect day to just keep the pjs on, close the curtains, get in bed and watch movies all day. Later we ordered in Chinese food for dinner and then went back upstairs for more movies. They are waiting on me right now to start yet...another movie.
Savannah will be flying out tomorrow (Wednesday) at around 1pm. Susie and I will start home as soon as we get her taken care of. We are all anxious to get home again.
Savannah looks good and feels pretty good...she just gets tired very quickly.
Can't wait to see everyone again. It seems like forever.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Savannah had to go back over to the hospital this morning and check in with her nurses and doctors. They did a blood test etc. and said that she is free to stay at the Lodge until she leaves NIH. We also heard that NIH was having several new patients come in the next day or two and they needed her room. It didn't take long for us to load a big cart down with her stuff and get out of Dodge! She has to get all her drugs and supplies tomorrow, talk to the doctors one last time and then we're outta here! Although it's possible that they won't schedule her flight til Wednesday morning so we might have one more night at the mansion :)
Today, after the big move, Savannah, Susie and I went to downtown Bethesda again to a shop Savannah had seen the day before. Considering that there wasn't an article of clothing in the shop under $150.....we left and went in search of other places to shop. We found several and had lots of fun!
We are getting ready to get in our pjs, put a movie in and have a girls night in. We are all exhausted!
They're waiting on me so gotta go! Love

A SUPER Sunday!

2009-05-24T19:01:00.000-07:00

This morning Savannah called early to tell me that one of her doctors said she needed to get out and do something. We started making plans but before we really decided on anything, Donna called and said she and the girls wanted to come for a little visit. As it turned out, we had a great visit at the Lodge with Donna, Lilly, Rose, David, Aparna and Aparna's parents; Lalitha and Prasad (sp?). They are originally from India but moved here years ago and now live in Virginia Beach. They are some of the sweetest people ever! We really had a nice visit.
After that, Susie, Savannah and I went downtown to see a movie and eat dinner.
We saw Night at the Museum which was not our first choice but we got the theaters mixed up....anyway...it was cute. We ate at the Austin Grill. It was very good.
Savannah is going to stay the night with us at the Lodge. I think it will do her good to be out of her room for a while.
We Thank God for all the wonderful things He is doing for us and many other people here at NIH! Love to ALL!

Saturday, 23rd

2009-05-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry....I forgot to post last night!

Today is a good day for Savannah. She feels better...no nausea or dizziness but still a small fever.
We might get to come home Tuesday or Wednesday.

Earlier we enjoyed a nice visit from Jeffrey, Donna, Lilly & Rose. Toward the end, Rose caught her second wind and did some Irish step dancing for us. Savannah and I were both wishing we had that much energy!

Kristi Parrish just called a few minutes ago and said the Benefit Rummage Sale was a HUGE success. We can't express how Thankful we are to Kristi for getting all of this started and to all of you who helped with it. I know everyone is EXHAUSTED!
Thanks also to all of you who shopped! We appreciate everyone SO much!

Please pray that Savannah's fever will go down and stay down! Thanks!

Thursday, 21st

2009-05-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

Danny made it home yesterday afternoon and Susie got here safely.
Today the doctors said that Savannah's white count and platelets are still doing really good. She's on track. Today they gave her more blood and antibiotics and about 20 other drugs for various things....I've lost count of it all. They said after tomorrow she might not be neutropenic! Woohooooo! She's still having issues with nausea and dizziness so please pray that will all go away. She is also starting to take a bite or (maybe) 2 of some foods. Everything tastes different to her and she's just not hungry....she has to force herself to eat.
I've just tucked her in for the night so I'm headed for bed too! Love you all!

Oh!....almost forgot.....Thank you to all of you who have been helping get the Rummage Sale ready for Friday and Saturday. As you all know, I've had my fair share of yard sales and I KNOW how much work they are. It is SO kind of y'all to work so hard for us. Thank you.....Thank you.......Thank you ALL!

Wednesday, 20th

2009-05-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Danny left this morning to go back home and back to work. My good friend Susie is coming to stay the remainder of the time with me. She should be getting here some time this evening.
I thank God every day for all the good friends and family He has given us.
Savannah is on the mend. We are still waiting for her platelets to multiply and for everything to fall into place. The doctors are saying she might be ready to come home early next week instead of late next week like we first thought. I'm in no hurry...I would rather her stay a day or two extra and be stronger than to push it.....we'll see!
They have already scheduled her return appointment for June 10th. Things move fast around here.

May 19th

2009-05-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today was another lovely day in Bethesda. Savannah is feeling a little better and her sense of humor is coming back . Earlier we watched American Idol together and BTW....GO CHRIS ALLEN from Conway, ARKANSAS!!!!!....anyway, I took her on a walk around the hall to get some exercise before putting her to bed and we got the giggles. She was acting really goofy. Maybe it was the medication...(not!) Whatever it was, it was good to laugh with her again.
For our Anniversary Danny and I went to downtown Bethesda and ate lunch at a quaint, trendy little place called the BlackFinn Grill. It was very good. We went in a couple of shops and then headed back to check on our BABY! It was a beautiful day to be out and I think it did me good to get away from the hospital even for a couple of hours. Keep up those prayers please! love to all!

Monday, Monday

2009-05-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today we entered Savannah's room to find her receiving 2 more units of blood. Her hemoglobin was down to 7. That could be another reason she is so weak. She's still neutropenic so they've still got her on all kinds of antibiotics. Her right arm where she had the tumor removed is swelling more than usual but I don't know what they can do about that. I sound like doom and gloom but actually she feels and looks a lot better...she's just really tired.
She received some mail today so that pleased her.

On a much lighter note...Danny went shopping by himself today! Tomorrow is our 25th Anniversary so he decided he would take off on the metro to Pentagon City Mall to find me a gift. It has 4 stories with some really nice shops. I've been there before so I knew what he was getting into...and I told him...but... he was determined to go! SEVERAL hours later, he returned with a beautiful silver and crystal snow globe with a picture frame in the top and on the bottom he had our names and "25 years of Loving" engraved on it. He did a good job. He must REALLY love me because He really HATES Malls! :)
Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19th is also my Dad's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things change fast!

2009-05-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! yesterday we thought the bad was over and then it all changed. Savannah gave us a good scare last night. Her fever spiked, she was chilling, her heart rate was speeding, it seemed everything that could go wrong did....for a little while anyway. Danny and I both decided to stay the night.
Aunt Lou got the prayer chain going at home and by this morning they said she had turned the corner. She is exhausted, fatigued and extremely weak from the treatment but now that it's over, her body just needs time to build itself back up. They are giving her drugs to help with that too.

Thank You God

Today, we had a wonderful visit with Jeff, Donna, Lilly, Rose, David and Aparna.
They came over to the Lodge before going to see Savannah. We sat around in the kitchen area and had coffee and a little later...lunch. We took a walk thru the garden and then headed to the hospital so they could say "hi" to Savannah before they had to leave.
All in all, it was a very good day. :)

Yeah She's thru w/ IL2 !!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon until this morning (Sat) has been a little rough on us all. Mostly Savannah! The IL2 has so many side effects. The nausea and shakes were probably the worst ones. They had to put her on oxygen because she was having a hard time breathing due to the fluid on her lungs and she was having some very real, vivid dreams. They said that's when it's time to stop!
She is still neutropenic which means she has no immune system at all, so the next 7 - 10 days they will be trying to get her immune system back up and running.
Since Thursday Danny and I have been taking shifts staying with her. Danny was gracious and let me have the day shift and he took the night. He's used to the night thing with his new job so that helps but we're both pretty tired. Not physically just emotionally.
Today I'm just sitting here watching her sleep. The doctors are calling it "chill" day. She gets no treatments just some good old fashioned rest. It's a nice day to chill because the hospital is always dead on the weekends so there is not a lot going on like during the week. It also is a little overcast here and looks like it might rain......always a good time to kick back!

If anyone would like to pray specifically, Please pray that she loses the fluid off her lungs and that she doesn't have any long term side effects from the chemo
AND of course for complete healing!
God is Good! He has blessed us beyond compare. love y'all

An INCREIBLE God!

2009-05-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

It was so SWEET! Earlier one of the TIL LAB Techs came in to meet Savannah. She brought her a hand made card from all the people in the lab. She said that they had been working with her cells for weeks and wanted to put a face to the cells. She said Savannah had AMAZING cells. Til cells that other peoples Til Cells could only aspire to be like! Of course she was being silly but she said that every day they would come in and count them and it would blow them away how fast and strong they were.
The card said "The entire Til Lab staff would like to congratulate you on receiving all 47.6 billion of you cells. They were such a pleasure to take care of......"
She said they are studying why her cells grew so good and fast and some peoples don't.
I should have told her it was all the prayers.....that's something they won't find out in the lab. :)
They gave her 47.6 billion cells and by the time she comes back for her check up in 4 weeks they said she will have over 89 billion cells fighting the cancer. Isn't that AWESOME?

TIL CELL DAY!!!!!!

2009-05-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today is til cell day...the day we've been waiting for....the reason we're here!!!!
It only took about 30 minutes or so to get them and now they are just monitoring her to make sure she stays stable. Right now, she feels pretty good but around 3:00pm they will bring the dreaded IL2 in and get that started.

When I came in the room today, Savannah had a "thing" on the computer for me to watch. She, Bo & Shelby had written love letters to me and then Savannah had put a variety of pictures of our family (with music) on a DVD for my Mother's Day gift. It was the best gift anyone could have given me. Of course I started crying and then Savannah did and Danny just laughed at both of us. It was the sweetest thing EVER!

While I've been trying to write this post Savannah has had all her vitals taken, done her physical therapy, seen her Infectious Disease doctors and the Chaplain. Man, am I slow or what?
I am SO slow (as a matter of fact) that they just came in to start the IL2...so...probably should go talk to them.

Tuesday, 12th

2009-05-12T17:37:00.000-07:00

Today was another beautiful, sunshiny day in Bethesda. After Savannah's treatment we checked out her dream store...ANTHROPOLOGY. She found a couple of cute things she just had to have!!! After that we visited White Flint Mall, did a tiny bit of shopping and had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. She was so tired afterward that we came straight back and put her to bed. I don't think we will be trying any more outings that big for a while. She's just too weak right now.
We were supposed to go to Baltimore tomorrow to meet Jeff, Donna & the girls, David & Aparna (Donna's brother and his wife) and Aparna's brother and his wife and new baby. We were going to meet at the Inner Harbor and go to the Aquarium and see the sights there. Well....Jeff & Donna both came down with a terrible bug and Savannah is just not up to a trip that long so we are going to have to save that for another time.
Her last chemo treatment will be in the morning at 5am. Thursday is till cell day.
They will give her the till cells around noon and then later in the afternoon she will start the Interleukin 2. That's the part I'm dreading most. They say she will get very sick. They will continue the IL2 until her body can't handle it anymore then they will stop it. After that she will be very weak for a few days. From then on we will just be waiting for her immune system to get back up to full strength.

Thanks for the prayers...please keep them coming!

Monday, 11th

2009-05-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Savannah felt like going shopping . We went to the Wig Shop where we had plenty of laughs. I think the little Asian man who owned the shop was wondering about us till we told him we were from Arkansas. He seemed to take us in stride after that. Some people ...(danny & savannah)... just give Arkansas a bad name! :] We found The Container Store and ULTA (similar to Sophora) and had dinner. By that time Savannah was getting very tired and another storm was brewing so we called a taxi and headed for NIH. Savannah is once again, all tucked in for the night and by now probably sleeping tight! Our LOVE to ALL!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a lovely day! The sun was shining, there was a nice warm breeze and as I sipped my coffee on the patio this morning, little birds were flittering all over the place in the garden.

Donna (my sister-in-law), Dottie (her mom) and my nieces, Lilly & Rose all came to visit Savannah this afternoon. It was really pleasant. We talked, lounged around, played games and then came over to our humble little mansion to walk through the gardens and have some coffee. Later after they left, we had a late lunch/early dinner, fought over the massage chair (again) and took a little nap. Savannah is back over at the hospital now all tucked in for the night. I think we wore her out!

Tomorrow looks like wig shopping day and possibly other shopping too!!!

We feel all the prayers being prayed and we appreciate it SO much.

God reminds me daily - HE is in control...not the cancer!

2009-05-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last night was a little uncomfortable for Savannah. The chemo made her skin turn really red and her face & lips start burning. She was running a fever too which is normal but it was a little higher than they wanted it to be so they ran more tests to make sure there was no reason for infection. Today, she is feeling much better. They just started her on the 2nd chemo that is much easier to tolerate. She will receive that daily for the next 5 days. During that time, if she feels like it they will let her go out on pass to shop, eat or see the sights. SO......all is good for now. :)

Friday 8th

2009-05-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up to the beautiful sunshine and warm breeze which is in sharp contrast to the gray, stormy weather we've been having. I think the sun has helped our attitudes as well as the nurses, doctors and everyone else.
Savannah is very sleepy today so we're just leaving her alone unless she wakes up needing something. The nurse just started her 2nd dose of chemo a few minutes ago. All is going well and the doctors say we're on track. :)

Thursday 7th

2009-05-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today was fairly uneventful til around 4pm when Savannah's research nurse stuck her head in the door and told us they did the last check on the till cells and everything was a GO! They started her chemo around 5pm and aside from one little bit of nausea (which they medicated her for) she is very tired but doing good.
Danny and I are tired...even though we haven't done anything but walk back and forth from the lodge to the hospital. I think ours is mostly mental exhaustion.
We feel your prayers and we're so thankful for them.

Savannah's address

2009-05-06T15:01:00.000-07:00

Some have asked for Savannah's address here at NIH so here it is -

National Institutes of Health
Building 10/CRC, Unit 3NW
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892

Patient - Savannah Dutton, Room 3-1640

Wednesday 6th

2009-05-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Savannah spent last night in her hospital room so she could have a procedure done this morning to put a pick-line in her neck. That is where they will administer all the fluids, drugs and till cells.
We're happy about that considering she has tiny veins and doesn't like being stuck repeatedly with needles. She is having some discomfort but the pain meds they gave her are starting to kick in.
They told us this morning that the new scans they took showed some growth in the existing tumors. There are some new spots also on her liver and lungs. They said it is not surprising considering she hasn't had treatment yet. When they start the treatment, it will effect ALL the tumors in her system so that's a positive!
PLEASE pray that the treatment works, the side effects are minimal and that she gets no infections while her immune system is down.

Danny caught the Metro earlier to go to the grocery store but he's been gone quite a while. I hope he's not lost......or.....maybe he's just searching from store to store looking for Savannah's pomegranate body wash she ordered! :) She's definitely got him wrapped around her finger.

We Love Y'all

Overwhelmed!

2009-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

As I sit here trying to write this.....I am at a loss for words.

The Benefit for Savannah was beyond successful. We are SO thankful and humbled by the outpouring of love and generosity that our friends, family and community have shown us. We will never be able to thank all of you that were involved! Hopefully we will have the opportunity to pay it forward one of these days.

They are saying at least 400 were served food... (I'm thinking maybe more) and it was estimated that there were between 600-800 people that got through the door to listen to music, visit and bid on the items auctioned off. Some came, saw the masses, left a donation and didn't stay....so there is no telling how many were really involved. :)

Diane Cramer and her whole family along with many others too numerous to mention, did a FANTASTIC job cooking, organizing, serving, etc. It was a HUGE undertaking and they pulled it off without a hitch.

We are also thankful to the musicians who performed (they were wonderful)

We appreciate the Auctioneer and all those who donated those yummy looking pies, cakes, cookies and other desserts as well as household items to be auctioned.

We are so blessed!

It might be a while before I can get Thank You cards out but all of you involved......you know who you are........please know that we Thank You and we thank God for you!

NOW ABOUT SAVANNAH.....

Monday was a blurrrr! We didn't get much sleep Sunday night. Danny and I flew out of Tulsa at 7:45am and Savannah flew out of XNA around 10:30am. We caught shuttles to the lodge at NIH. We all took naps. :) Savannah had to check in the hospital and have some tests run but then they let her stay in the lodge with us. We found an awesome Italian place that delivers to NIH so we took advantage of that for dinner. After that we found a massage chair in the 3rd floor sitting room. We fought over that for a while and after we were all de-stressed.....we went to bed.

Savannah had to be back over at the hospital at 7am for more tests. Since then we have been hanging out doing....pretty much ...nothing. She has to go back over in a little while for an MRI then come back to the lodge for the night.

This is such a beautiful place and they have thought of everything. It is comfortable and useful and a haven from everything else going on around us.

We are so Thankful and so Blessed.

Again THANK YOU.....WE Love you ALL!

I wish

2009-04-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

As much as I dread Savannah's treatment, I wish we could go and get her started today! The tumor on her neck is growing rapidly and is making her whole chest hurt. It even hurts her to move. She tries to be brave but I can tell she 's not feeling good. Please continue those prayers. Thanks!

Wow.......I'm bad at this....

2009-04-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

Diane Cramer's address is diane.cramer@yahoo.com

Oops!

2009-04-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Diane Cramer's info - "Diane Cramer" Thanks

NIH called

2009-04-23T18:39:00.001-07:00

We heard from NIH today. They have scheduled us to come out on May 4th. Savannah will start chemo on the 7th. They want her there a few days early to do some blood work. She will be on chemo for 7 days. It will totally wipe out her immune system. After that they will infuse the till cells into her system and then start the Interleukin 2. Since she will have no immune system the threat of infection is a very real one. I'm getting a head start and asking for prayer that God will just keep her cradled in His hands and keep her free of anything that could cause infections. I also ask for prayer with all the side effects of the chemo and IL2

Danny and I would also appreciate prayers for us to have the emotional and physical strength to handle all that lies ahead as we take care of her.

I feel a little strange promoting the benefit that some WONDERFUL FRIENDS are having for Savannah... but.... so many are asking for specifics that I thought I would address some of the questions.....
What - Dinner (mexican/fajitas), music show & auction
When - Saturday, May 2nd @ 6pm
Where - Greenland Community Center
From what I've heard, they could still use some volunteers to help serve, take $ for the auction and clean-up afterward.
Anyone interested can contact Diane Cramer @

Friday

2009-04-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Savannah's appointment today. The scan showed that the bump on her neck....above her collar bone is a new tumor. It grew rapidly but some of the other spots did not SO... there is always something to be thankful for! Now, we will just wait for NIH to contact us with our schedule.
Thank you for keeping up the prayers. Also, Thank you to all of you who are volunteering all of your time, energy and resources to benefit our family. We don't deserve it but we definitely appreciate it. We are so blessed. :)

2009-04-17T06:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I've decided that I had better watch what I ask you guys to pray for because the minute I put a prayer request on this blog......it gets answered before I get off the computer. I was re-reading the last 2 posts and I realized I left a part out. I said that God had just worked the IL2/ insurance thing out but I didn't tell how.
They were not going to give her the treatment because it is so expensive and some insurances won't pay. As soon as I logged off the computer, our connections at NIH had emailed and said If we decided to go that route, they would see to it that she got the drug. Then, that afternoon we had an appointment with our doctor here and He said that he had talked to WRMC and if she wanted the IL2 treatment...SHE WOULD HAVE IT...PERIOD! As I said before, now she doesn't need it because the till cells are growing so fast! :)
Savannah had another scan Wednesday and we go today to see what they say about whether it's fast or slow growing.

I have a sad heart this morning. Danny had a young friend and co-worker die in a car wreck. His name was Paul Lindey and he was 23 yrs. old. Danny said he was a really great guy. I feel for his family who lives in Mena where they are still recovering from the tornado that hit there the other day.
Coach Calhoun, one of Shelby's former teachers died of a heart attack. He was the sweetest man ever. The kids loved him so much....we will miss him dearly.
And.....though not last on my list by any means......Aaron Tomlinson, the son of some good friends of ours, has left this morning to serve our country in Iraq.
My prayer request today is that God will just comfort these families in their loss. I also pray that He will go with Aaron, keep him safe and return him to his family soon AND give his mama & daddy PEACE about it!

WOW!

2009-04-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

In the last blog I posted earlier today, I asked you guys to pray that Savannah's till cells would grow. They told us last Friday that it would be at least 2 more weeks before they would know. About 2pm today NIH called and said the till cells were growing like crazy!!!!!!! Next week they will have our schedule ready and be able to start treatment earlier...in May instead of June.
THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!!!
He just keeps on blessing!

Oh "Me" of little Faith!

2009-04-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

In the last blog on Friday I said we needed a MIRACLE........ by the time we got to our doctor appointment God had just taken care of it! I know He is an awesome God so why does it surprise me every time He answers a prayer?

Savannah's doctor talked to NIH while we were in the office and they expressed to him that they really thought it would be best if we waited for the till cell therapy. It has the possible highest rate of success. I guess the IL2 will be the treatment IF the till cells don't grow. It will still be about 2 more weeks till we hear about that.
PLEASE PRAY THE TILL CELLS GROW! She has had another small lump come up in a lymph gland on her collar bone...on the same side. The doctor said it is not unusual but of course, it bothers me. We go Wednesday for another scan so they can try to see how fast or slow things are growing. We will hear those results Friday at our appointment.

Easter was a nasty but glorious day. As I sat at the piano in church, I looked down and there was my whole precious family....Danny, Bo, Savannah, Shelby & Corinna (our exchange student). I looked the other way and saw Mom & Daddy, Aunts, Cousins and so many friends......SO MUCH to be thankful for. After church, we used our church's family center to have an Easter get-together. A bunch more showed up and the kids had a blast playing and hunting eggs.
All of that plus the obvious reason for Easter - The day our Saviour arose from the grave and LIVES !!!! Like I said....It was a glorious day!

Thank you all for your continued prayers!

2009-04-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not doing a very good job keeping the blog updated. :(

We got home late Monday night.....we were exhausted so it took a couple of days to get back in the groove!

Savannah is feeling pretty good except the surgery site....it's still pretty tender.
We have an appointment today with the oncologist so he can keep up with her case and offer services if needed. While we are waiting for the till cells to grow, we are trying to get her on a treatment that she could take here at home. It's called Interleukin 2. It is the strongest treatment available right now with the least major side effects. She would have to be hospitalized for about a week while getting the treatment then released for a few weeks til the next round. This drug has the potential to shrink the tumors and possibly wipe out the cancer.
If the Interleukin 2 works there would be no need for the till therapy. They would then freeze the till cells to keep in case she ever needed them again. They can keep them for years.
This is where my prayer request comes in..... hospitals won't give the drug because so few insurance companies will pay for it. It's extremely expensive and they don't even offer it as a possible free drug from the drug company.
We need another miracle. I say - miracle - because dealing with insurance companies that don't care about human life......only money, are almost impossible to work with. Actually, I'm just praying for total healing so we don't even have to deal with insurance companies!!!!! :)

We would still appreciate your continued prayers. God has blessed us so much and we know He will continue.

We have been so touched and thrilled with all the phone calls, messages, emails, gifts, food and prayers from all of you wonderful family and friends and friends of friends...............it's truly amazing! We're SO thankful for ALL of you. I'm just sorry I can't get back with everyone of you and tell you personally what you mean to our whole family. We love you!

New Challenges

2009-04-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

Everyday brings new challenges to think and pray about.

We've learned that Savannah's tissue type does not match the qualifications it needs to use " genetically engineered" immune cells. So, we need to pray that in the next few weeks the lab will be able to grow the till cells needed to fight the melanoma . They will know if the cells will grow in about 3 weeks but it will still take 6 -8 weeks for them to grow enough to give her. There is about a 70% chance they will grow. Since she is young and otherwise healthy.....they are optimistic! :)

On a lighter note... The Family Lodge we're staying in is WONDERFUL.
It's like having our own little suite within a Mansion. Super Nice, very comfortable......AND.........MAID SERVICE.....wahoooooooooo!

We are not sure when we are coming home.....possibly Monday....who knows
We really miss everybody! Thanks All!

A long day

2009-04-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a long, trying day. Sitting around waiting is hard work!

Savannah went in to surgery around 9am to 9:30. She didn't come out till around 3pm. It ran longer than they had anticipated. The mass under her arm was much larger than they had first thought so that took extra time. They also removed the spot on her back shoulder which added time to the procedure.
Her team of doctors say they removed as much of the tumor as possible without getting into the nerves, muscle and other important parts. They have plenty of cells to work with now to grow the till cells.
They will be doing another procedure early in the morning to extract about 15% of her white blood cells to "feed" the immune cells to insure they grow well and multiply.
Savannah is doing well. She is in good but "mellow" spirits......I'm pretty sure that is due to the wonderful pain medicine they have her on.
Today Danny moved us in to the Family Lodge where we will be until we leave here. It is only about a 3 or 4 minute walk from the hospital.

Earlier this evening we had a room full of visitors......it was great! The nurse didn't know what to do........we told him it was a good thing we weren't at home where we knew everybody!!! ;)

God has answered many prayers today and we trust He will continue. Thanks for all the prayers!!!!

Learnin' to blog

2009-03-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

For anyone who hasn't heard yet, Savannah has been diagnosed with stage 4 Melanoma. She has a large tumor under her arm and has 3 small spots in other areas. We are blessed to have been accepted at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. We are in Middleburg, VA right now staying with my brother and his family untill we can check in at NIH. We had an appointment with her doctors on Thursday and they explained several treatment options. The one they decided to use is where they remove the tumor and somehow extract the good immune cells and treat them to fight the melanoma. They will put the good cells back into her through an IV infusion. To grow the immune cells it takes 4 to 8 weeks. When they are ready she will come back to the hospital for 3 weeks while they give her the treatment. This will hopefully shrink or terminate the other spots.

*************************************************************************************

We heard from NIH today and found out that Savannah's surgery has been moved from Wednesday to Thursday due to scheduling problems. :( We were hoping to get it over with and get back home sooner but apparently she is not the only one needing medical care. Savannah is doing well but she is having pain in her underarm area where the tumor is. She has pain medicine that is helping but the real help will be when they remove it.
We have been having fun, killing time till check-in; shopping, seeing a movie taking in the scenery. Danny & Donna (my sister-in-law) got to go to an NRA Banquet and today Danny, Savannah and I went to Front Royal to the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm) Canine Explosive Training Facility. Donna's best friend, Diana, works there and she made that all possible......it was awesome! We also took a drive up Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Mtns .....it was gorgeous. Savannah took tons of pictures. Maybe we'll get those online soon....?
Tomorrow we will go to Bethesda and stay in a hotel for one night. They want Savannah to go ahead and check into the hospital on Wed so they can have her all ready to go on Thursday.
Hopefully, from Wed. on we will be staying on NIH campus at the Family Lodge.
Please continue all those prayers! Much Love the Dutton's

The "first blog"

2009-03-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Savannah makes fun of me because I use quotation marks a lot. I just type like I talk......scary, I know but.....oh well.......
I've never posted on a blog before so I have no idea what I'm supposed to say...but....I want to tell everyone how proud I am of our sweet Savannah. She is so brave and courageous and has so much faith in God. She knows He will heal her and of course, we do too. We have already seen some amazing things come out of all this mess. I will "post" again later when I have something to say. ;)