blue...

Spent the morning with Ammy and physically she is doing well. They had originally said she would have to lie flat for 24 hrs but she was able to sit in a wheel chair this morning for about an hour. I must admit however her spirit is not doing so well. She is very sad and not wanting to really talk with anyone. She told me she just wanted me to sit next her but not ask her any questions. I read her a few books like she asked but it seems like she was not really listening. She just liked the familiar voice and the ability to not have to respond in any way. She said she was feeling sad in her whole heart but then a little later said she felt happy a little bit too. The nurse said this is common for the day after surgery but it still hard to see and hard for Beth to watch. So as you pray for her continued healing please pray for her spirit as well. It is however not all bad that she is feeling this way as she really does need to process thru all this and she should feel sad about the things that have happened. She isn't one to always share what she is feeling so I hope as she ponders thru all this and the sadness that comes with it she will also remember the hope and the miracle of it all. For today however she can be sad...

update and sassy pics

Ammy is awake this morning and feeling pretty good. Her cold is bothering her and so like all sick kids she feels a little grumpy. However do you blame her after the day she had yesterday. She is still on a liquid diet but is hoping by tonight to be eating some pasta. She is chatty and sassy which is nice to see as we remember last time she it took about three or four days to see that side of her.
I thought I would share with you some pictures our talent and wonderful friend Kim took a few weeks ago. Ammy was posing like a real model, It was fun to see her so spunky.


Thank you Kim!!!!

Surgury went well! Ammy is able to move both arms and legs and was eating a popcicle. Doctors feel that they were able to get most of the tumors and are hopeful she will not need futher surgury. There was a point in the surgery where her sensory montor for her left leg dropped really low but it went back up. There may be some weakness on that side but nothing PT won't be able to help with. So now we are waiting for the swelling to go down so we can know how her movement is. I will try to update againin the morning.Thank you for your prayers!

surgary update

Ammy surgery started about 11am this morning. The doctors decided to go ahead even with her cold. We just received and update about 20min ago. The have just gotten to where the tumors are and there is a lot of nerves around them so they have to go very slow at this point. It looks like it will be still be at least a few hours more. I will try to post again when we get another update. thank you all for your continued prayer for Ammy, Beth and the doctors.

surgery is still on...

Ammy went to the doctor today and seems she has a cold but no infection. So they are planning on going ahead with the surgery as planned. She should be in surgery around 9:30 or 10 and it is expected to take about 4 or 5 hours. I will try to keep the blog updated as the day goes along. Thank you all for your prayers.
As for Ammy's spirits she seemed to be doing pretty good and she had a dinner with some of her cousins. Had her nails painted and played a game on the Wii with Aunt MIchelle. Some of the guys from church came over to pray over her. She was then going to sleep in her new PJ's. I hope for her it is a restful sleep.

please pray....

Ammy is scheduled for surgery this thursday, however she has come down with a fever this morning. If her fever does not go away by Wednesday she may not be able to have the surgery. Please pray for her and that the doctors use wisdom in making the decision about the surgery.

Ammy had her first day back to school today. she had so much fun. We are doing half days for the rest of the week, and she is not happy about that. She had so much fun that she wanted to stay for the rest of the day. She has an aide with her in the classroom with her at all times which is very helpful, at least it keeps my mind at ease! The assistant who is with her at lunch time is fluent in spanish so that will help her to catch up with the rest of her classroom. All in all it was a great day for her and she can't wait to come back tomorrow.

update

Ammy had a doctors appointment and a school meeting today. The school meeting went well and it looks like Ammy may be able to return to school as soon as monday. She will have someone to help her during transitions around the school and in crowds.
At the Doctors we were able to meet with her Neurologist who performed the surgery, as well as an oncologist and a few others. Everyone was very pleased with her progress and shocked at her recovery. The showed us her original MRI and how big the tumor was. They went on to explain that the surgery Ammy had was not a normal tumor removal but and emergency life saving surgery. The goal of the first surgery was to relieve the pressure on her spine and determine what kind of mass it was. That being said they had no idea they would be able to remove as much as they did. God was at work in so many ways! The MRI from yesterday showed small part of the tumor remain and or have grown back. Compared to the tumor before the spots look like little dust speaks. What does this all mean? Well Ammy is going to have surgery again most likely in about two weeks to remove these spots. They are hope-full to be able to remove the spots. The surgery will take about four hours. There is a chance she may also do a round of radiation after the surgery but that will be decided after surgery and another MRI. To be honest we are feeling a bit relived, there is a plan and things look better the we feared.
I will post again as soon as we have a date for the surgery. Thank you again for your support and prayers!!!

World Cancer Day

Today is world cancer day odd that later today we will find out just what the plan is for Amm'y cancer...
Here is some info about today and how it started. I got the information from the candlelighters web site they are an amazing organization that helps family effect by childhood cancers. To find out more about them you can go to there site at http://www.candlelighters.org/

"On 4 February 2000, the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millennium adopted the Charter of Paris, calling for "an invincible alliance" between researchers, health-care professionals, patients, governments, industry and the media to fight cancer, and urging that each year, 4 February should be observed as World Cancer Day.

Seven years on, the need, if anything, is even greater.

Cancer claims twice as many lives as AIDS worldwide. At least 7 million people die of cancer each year and close to 11 million new cases are diagnosed.

In fact, more than 12% of all deaths every year are caused by cancer. That's more than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria put together.

In 2020, if current trends continue, 16 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and more than 10 million people will die of the disease.

But together and united, we can work to reverse these rising trends"


The reason I posted this was to ask you all to today take a moment to think of those around you who have been effected by cancer and say a prayer for peace for them and their families, may they find hope in the promises of Jesus, and wisdom for the medical professionals as the search for a cure.

For more information on world cancer day you can visit the official web site at
http://www.worldcancercampaign.org/

MRI TODAY

Ammy had her MRI today and was so brave. She had to have them put the IV needle in 3 times before the got it in. She woke up at the end of it and was able to see what the MRI machine looked like. She was very funny as the sedation was wearing off. She was slurring her words and could not keep her head up. The meds wore off and she spent most the day resting and enjoyed a great dinner made by Beth of Ammy's favorite meatloaf.
She has a doctors appointment tomorrow late afternoon to find out the result of her MRI. I will try to update all of you as soon as I can in the evening.