History

Journal History

Sunday, November 21, 2010 10:19 PM CST

Hi this Kate i am doing good. This is the first time i ever updated myself. My family is doing good too.

My health is good.I'm almost 11. I got lots of friends.I'm in grade 5. I'm looking forward to Christmas and my birthday too.

bye

Sunday, October 26, 2008 7:41 PM CDT

Well we just got back from another visit to BC Children's hospital.

Katie's hearing loss has remained stable. Her inner ear functions are relatively normal and they are thinking it isn't chemo induced. Probably it is caused from the tumor in her other ear, the acoustic neroma. It does have a name... bi-lateral hearing loss. It is rare but does happen in a few people and we all know if it is rare Katie will develop it.

Her growth has improved immensely since starting growth hormones. She has grown 9cm in the past year! When I took out her winter cloths they were ALL too short! Amazing since she has been wearing the same pants for over two years prior.

We are going to get her neurophysiology testing done in the near future. We have noticed a bit of anger issues and not knowing personal boundaries. Her funding at school for her assistant has been cut fro 20 hours a week down to five! Not good. Hopefully the testing will give the recommondation for more funding.

School is still going well and she still loves to read! For her not to have any learning disabilities is a miracle.

We will head down again in spring. Until then we just keep swimming.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 5:50 PM CDT

Hello out there!!!

Hehehe... anybody (besides my mom(Hi Mom!!))reading this anymore?? I do admit I haven't been updating nearly as much as I use to, especially since life here has been relatively normal.

Katie is doing wonderful!! Her growth hormones are working very very well! I can't remember the exact numbers but she is growing! I actually see it! Cool eh?? Her hearing aid is being very well tolerated.

Some sad news we did have this year so far was our friend Jenn. She passed on January 8th from stage four renal cancer. Felica was heartbroken and Katie had her first experience losing someone close to cancer. She has lost quite a few friends but that was when she was younger and didn't really understand to the level she does now. Felica has also suffered a huge loss this month. Her father took his own life on the fourth of May. I am so saddened for her. He had his issues, but there was always the hope that he would change and be the father he should have been and sadly that will never be able to come to fruition. I am sad that she won't get the chance to dance with him at her grad or walk her down the isle when she gets married. She is an amazing resilient young lady and so proud of her strength!

Other than that life here has been pretty ho hum. I love boring!!

Until the next time.... Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, December 29, 2007 10:01 AM CST

It has been sometime......

Life here is wonderful! Katie is doing amazing! She has started her growth hormone shots, she takes them like a trooper even reminding me when she needs them. She is in grade two already!

The last few weeks have been a bit, no not a bit, very very hard for our little family. A dear beautiful friend of ours is nearing the end of her fight with cancer. She is only twenty years old. We try to visit as often as we can. Felica is really close to her and is having a really hard time dealing with it all and seeing her physically different. Katie is realizing that cancer doesn't always turn out as well as hers has and has lots of questions. Please say a prayer for or friend Jenn and her family.

Still plugging away at the therapies. Katie has a hearing aid now..... sorta.... see she lost the loaner and we are waiting until the 25th of January till she gets her permanent one. Nothing like losing a thousand dollars. uggggggg.

Hope the new year brings you all health and happiness
Cheri

Thursday, July 5, 2007 9:54 PM CDT

mri was clear!!!!!!!
She is going to be fitted with a hearing aid within a few week and is starting growth hormone within a week. all in all things went wonderful. tomorrow night we are headed to a canucks game. life is good!!!!!!!!

We are in Vancouver right now.
Katelynn's mri is scheduled for noon.
I will update later tonight.
I am typing on my new phone that I got so I can still stay in touch while we are away.
Prayers are always welcome!!!

Absolutely nothing new here to report! I love nothing!

It looks like Katie will start the growth hormones when we go to Vancouver in October. The new bladder meds are doing nothing! Still very wet when she wakes in the am. Hopefully things will turn around and soon.

Katie's report card was amazing!!! 18 "fours" we don't grade A B C's until she hits grade four, right now she is on a scale of 1-4, 1 being not meeting expectations and 4 being exceeds grade level expectations. Her reading is amazing!!! Definitely above grade level!!! So cool considering the learning disabilities she could have had and we still are on the look out for!

I added it up and the girls look to be home with me for a grand total of 20 possibly 15 days at home this summer. The rest will be spent up at the cabin with me on the weekends or spending weeks at a time up there with my folks.

My mom sent me some pics of the cabin we are building and bunches of the kids...I am going to work on them right after this and post some!

So until next time
Stay cool(it is stinking hot here)
Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, May 4, 2007 9:18 AM CDT

Just back from our most recent visit to BC Children's hospital.

Let me say this, after the critical stage of treatment, the fears of being off treatment and now six years from diagnosis, childhood cancer is still ever present in our lives. I honestly thought things would get not easier per say, but maybe slow down somewhat.

Needless to say things at this round of appointments did not go quite as easy as they should of. Katie is on yearly MRI's and oncology visits, so those aren't until October. This trip was endocrine, audio and urology.

Urology was interesting to say the least. It started in a very loud, very crowded waiting room, it appears the room is shared with general surgery...ugg. Katie needed a urodynamics test, which is where they insert a catheter, place electrodes on her but checks and one into her bum. They fill her up with water to see how her bladder responds to the pressure. It was not fun. Afterwards, we saw the doctor and was told that Katie has a smaller than average bladder...really? Katie has something small, never... He has decided to up the one med she is already on and add another, DDVAP?, it is a nasal spray that we hope will slow down her urine output some more. While the meds she originally was on has stopped the leaking during the day, it has barely touched the nighttime issues. So hopefully this one will stop me from having to do laundry every morning. Today is a good day...not five minutes ago she came in here and proclaimed she had a dry pull-up! Cross your fingers. When we were at the pharmacy at children's they had filled the prescription with a similar drug that needs to actually be blown into the nose with a tube, not the spray one the doctor had been talking about. When they were showing me how to use it, I was lost and then say the bill!.....$50 for less than a month supply!!! This is after what our insurance covers! Then the pharmacist said there is another type we could use if we were travelling, a nasal spray, the one the doctor originally prescribed. Once things were changed to the spray I still have to pay $30 a month after insurance. Better.

The next day was endocrine. We have been seeing Dr. Stewart for a few years and every time we do she has said the same thing... she is growing, very slowly growing, but growing none the less. We have always held off on giving her growth hormones. Last October she ordered another blood test to see what the levels were at, turns out one of the growth factors are now unmeasurable! So within the next six months or so Katie will finally be starting growth hormones. I knew she was going to need them, but it still is a downer to know she will be getting daily shots for the next ten years or so. She needed to talk with the endocrine board the next day then figure out if we wait six months till we are at children's again or if they will send up a home care nurse or if we are going to make another trip to Vancouver sooner. Needless to say Katie is not happy about starting the injections.

Finally was audio, another one we have been seeing for many years. She has always remained stable. This time there was another drop in her hearing levels in her left ear. With the tumor in her right ear that we are still not sure what is going to bring (surgery, radiation, or nothing) We have to start thinking of how we are going to approach it, leave it for now or aid it. This time we again choose to leave it for now and see what six months bring. At school they are using an FM system that broadcasts the teachers voice over the speakers, but there is a new one that fits into Katie's ear that is suppose to be much better and they are recommending that one, I'll have to talk to her hearing therapist.

Not all was bad about our tip though. We took Felica and made it a mini vacation too. We went shopping and to the aquarium. Felica got to go to her beloved lululemon. Katie loves the aquarium..even in the rain. I got to go to Ikea then got us lost...hehehe.

I'll let you know what is up with the growth hormones when I find out. Until then I took some new pictures and will get them up as soon as I find my cord to upload them.
Cheri

Friday, March 9, 2007 7:56 PM CST

I know I know........

It sure has been a loooooong time!

So what's new in Katie's world????? Lots!! Some good, some not so good. Lets start with the good.

Katie's speech has improved so much! I can never get her to stop talking! Literally, she even talks in her sleep!
Her reading is AMAZING! Her recent report card has her exceeding grade level expectation! Same thing with her math!! I am so proud of her! She loves to go to school. I could not be happier!

On to the not so good...
Katie recently started taking a daily medication called oxybutynin. It is for her bladder. We are not to sure what is really going on, she'll get some testing done in May at children's hospital. She is leaking during the day and is sopping wet when she wakes in the morning, she is also getting urine cultures that are positive for a bacteria weekly, but isn't showing any signs of a uti. It is really weird.
Her flat feet are getting worse, and her heel cord(tendon) is tightening. We are doing daily exercises to try to loosen them up.
She is still going to weekly speech, occupational and physical therapy, and in september started hearing therapy.

We are all looking forward to the snow melting! It has been a wicked winter! Lots and lots of snow. We have been to a bunch of hockey games...our local junior team came in first for regular season play and are now in the thick of the playoffs! Go leafs go!! Katie is a regular hockey nut!

Prayers and lots of love
Cheri

Friday, December 22, 2006 7:13 AM CST

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

Katie turns seven today! Wow were did the time go???

Today is also her first day of Christmas vacation.Lucky girl!Today she is going to go sleigh riding with her sister,cousin and aunt, then when I get off work we will go to Gramma's and Papa's for pizza, cake and gifts. I will have her birthday party for her friends sometime in the new year because how busy it is this time of year. After today I have ten full days off work!! YAhoooo!!! I will have much more time to be online and will do a proper update along with some pictures!
~Cheri

Friday, October 20, 2006 9:06 PM CDT

Ten days shy of Katie being five years off chemotherapy I am so very excited to announce......Katie's MRI was CLEAR!!!!!!!!!

I really can not find the words to describe how happy I am we hit the ever important five year mark!

The tumor in her right ear is still stable, and her hearing in the left ear is the same as it was six months ago.

And sadly with the good news there always has to be some bad it seems. Katie still has not gained any weight, still the same 39 pounds she has been for over a year now and only grew 2cm, so more blood work was done to recheck the growth hormones. Another blood test they did was to check her thyroid level, which we won't get back results for until Monday. It seems Katie may have a thyroid issue. She is anemic, almost always cold, and tires much easier than other kids. If there is an issue, a daily pill will be needed. I'll let you know more when I know more. For now we are celebrating FIVE years off treatment!

We got to see our friend Jenna while we were at Easter Seal House! Katie was so excited to see her again! We also met a 12 year survivor of medulloblastoma! Wow 12 years! And we also got to met some wonderful little kids battling numerous medical conditions. Just wish it didn't rain every morning we were there!

~Cheri

Saturday, October 14, 2006 3:05 PM CDT

Wow! It sure has been awhile!

As the saying goes.....no news is good news, and that is the case here.

Summer came and went wonderfully, and now Katie is in grade one!She is so excited to being going full days. She is doing great!!! She is reading, writing and her math is amazing! Katie is now the proud owner of a new pair of glasses and front teeth! She had her teeth removed in 2002, so seeing her with an full set of teeth is so cool! (almost...she keeps losing the baby teeth...and adult ones keep popping up)

We are headed to Vancouver tomorrow for her check-ups. A full week of testing with the climax (MRI) on Thursday. We will be home on the 20th.

October 30th will mark FIVE YEARS since her last chemo!

I will try to post some new pics, if I can find my cord to download them off of my camera.

~Cheri

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 7:52 AM CDT

If you head over to Disney Pictures! you can see some of the pics I have up so far!

The picture above is Katie with Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She got to walk and talk with her half way through the park as Belle was on her way to get ready for the parade!

Monday, June 12, 2006 7:34 AM CDT

We are home!

It was a wonderful magical trip! One we will never forget, especially with the three hundred plus pictures I took!!! tonight I will get them organized and get them put up asap.

Cheri

Friday, June 2, 2006 10:17 PM CDT

OMG!!!
We are headed to Disneyland in the AM! I have a feeling the girls are not getting to sleep tonight! Then again neither will I.
I will update with tons of pictures when we get back.
Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, May 14, 2006 1:44 PM CDT

Happy Mother's Day!!

Today I got the best mother's day present ever! I got to watch my 6 year old daughter walk the survivor's lap at our relay for life this morning! This month also marks her five year diagnoses anniversary! Can it honestly get any better than that?

Our trip to Vancouver was short, sweet, and weird! First we drove through a major snow storm! First day of May seemed like the first of December! We got to the hospital early in anticipation of blood needing to be drawn and they decided that we will do that in October when she gets her MRI. Katie got her first poke free visit ever! Her growth is slow, but she is growing so we are still hold off on GH. There has been no change in her hearing. The only negative news was her need for glasses. Very minor.

Our trip to Disney has been postponed till June 3rd.... somehow, someone, forgot to book our hotel! Uhmmmm how does one forget the hotel? Oh well...more time to pack.

I am also going to put up some new pics right now....including one of the snow.
So till next time....
lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, April 30, 2006 6:16 PM CDT

Hello All!!!

I know it has been sometime since I came on and updated. There just hasn't been a lot going on here. Which I am so grateful for!
We head down to the coast again in the am. Just some regular test and stuff. This time there will be no MRI, Katie is scheduled for one in the fall. She will have her endo clinic, audiology appointment, two eye doctor appointments and her long-term follow-up oncology with Dr. Davis. We will be home Wednesday night.
Two weeks later we are headed to DISNEY!!! None of us could possibly be any more excited than we already are!
I will update with the results of her testing
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, March 11, 2006 10:44 PM CST

Hi all!
Things here are going wonderful!
I do seem to say the same thing every time I update, Life has been very boring medically speaking. In the past three months the only one that has been on antibiotics is me for a sinus infection. Katie is doing amazingly well. I could not be happier!

This week she starts swimming lessons! Just this past summer I finally got her to like the water, ever since she was born she would scream anytime I got her near it! And yes the only way I got her to was to throw her in and let her float(yes she was wearing a life jacket) She is so looking forward to hanging out in the indoor pool over her spring break! It will get her ready just in time for summer when she gets to go to the lake!

Katie is still loving kindergarten, but is looking forward to spending the next two weeks with her auntie and cousin! Hailey just spent a week at Disneyland, and Katie can not wait to hear what amazing things she gets too see while we are there in May!

For those that have not yet heard, we are headed to Disneyland in May!!!! Katie was granted her wish to dance with a real princess. Almost every night we are checking on the internet or reading her book about something that has to do with Disney! She is so excited....so are Felica and I! Eight days in southern California will do us wonders! So far the plans are... two days at Disney, a day at legoland, a day at universal studios(where she gets to see Dora! shhh...she doesnt have a clue yet that Dora will be there! I can not wait to see her face when she sees Dora...she is her absolute favorite!) a day at sea world and a day at the San Diego zoo. All courtesy of Children's Wish FoundationPlease, please check out the site and make a donation or volunteer!

Felica is loving JR high! I hated the school she went to when I was her age, so this is a huge relief! While her marks are not the best they could be, she is trying and that is all I can ask for right?

Lets see what else is new???? Oh my little sister went to Poland begging of February to attend school! From talking to her and reading her blog she is having a blast!

I guess that is all that is going on here. Sorry for not updating more frequently, please forgive me :)

When I get myself a new card for my darn camera, or if my camera happy mother sends me some pictures.. I promise to update some pics...

Until then
Lots of love
Cheri!

Saturday, January 28, 2006 10:42 AM CST

***Very exciting News update!!!***

Katie has officially been approved for a wish!!! Baring any unforeseen hiccups..it looks like we are headed to Disney the week of May 20th!! We will be there for her five year diagnoses anniversary. She is so so excited! The night I told her she was running up and down the hall screaming "I am going to Disneyland!" over and over again.

Wow it sure has been awhile.....

Katie is still loving school! I have never seen a kid so excited to wake up in the morning to go to school! She is doing really good too! Her next report card should be out in two weeks or so. I can't wait to share it with you all..so stay tuned.

Health wise she is also doing fabulous! No major colds or flus so far this season(knock on wood) She has had a couple of UTI's, two so far this season. I am going to take in to the local peds to get her opinion soon, just trying to find time in our busy lives.

Her speech is getting better and better every day! I wish you all could hear how much it has improved! She is turning into such a chatter box! And some of the things she comes up with! What a ham. She is still really small for being six...but that is something she doesn't even notice yet. It is funny to see the expression on strangers faces when she comes into a room, chatting up a storm looking three but talking and acting like a six year old.

On Thursday I got a call from children's hospital...for her next set of appointments...not till MAY! This is the soonest they have ever called in the five years of going there! Yep, end of May marks FIVE years since diagnoses day! Amazing!!

I hope everyone is having a safe and fun filled winter...spring is only six weeks away! Yahoooo! Time to head out and get some shopping done before the 10-15cm of snow they are calling for today comes.

Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, December 22, 2005 6:26 AM CST

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

Katie is six today!!!! She is so excited to now have to use two hands to count to how old she is! Four and a half years ago when she was first diagnosed, this day seemed very far far away, almost unatainable. Now here she is...six!

Tonight we are having dinner with the family then having a slumber party with her cousins. Should be a fun filled night.

Saturday, November 26, 2005 7:53 PM CST

She did it!!! She has made four years cancer free offically! The results of her MRI were wonderful! Dr. Davis feels that she can safely move to yearly scans now. Amazing! We are still going to hold off on the growth hormones as she grew almost an inch. And to make things even better there still hasn't been any further hearing loss. While getting the hearing checked, she was asked if she heard better out of one ear over the other, and Katie said her left ear isn't as good listening as her right. That was the first time I ever heard her say that she had an issue, I knew she did, just no one ever asked her. I think that some days we forget that she is almost 6 years old, not the toddler she looks like. I got a picture of her MRI for the first time....the tumor in her ear is a lot bigger than I thought it was, but it hasn't grown at all in the past four years.
Last night was a bit of a ride tho...Katie ended up at the ER with a 39 degree fever with a headache. I knew it was not tumor because of the MRI, but with the shunt, we can never be too careful. So the doc up there ordered every single test our little hospital could do, and I knew it was a UTI the second I saw her cloudy pee. This would be the fourth one this year. Come monday I am going to call the peds and see if there if anything we can do to stop them or if it could be caused from her chemo.So needless to say she is on yet another round of antibiotics.
Katie is really looking forward to her birthday and christmas..she talks about both everyday. It has been snowing off and on now for two or three weeks and she loves it!
Thank you all for the prayers! They are very very appreciated!
Lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, November 16, 2005 5:01 PM CST

This is Chris Chloe and Hannahka's Mom updating for Cheri and Katie.

Katie had her MRI this morning which she woke up amazing from, then she was off to endo to an almost 1 inch in hieght growth. And had her oncology Follow up this afternoon with MRI results.....THEY ARE CLEAR!!!!! 4 years cancer free. The best news is she doesnt need another scan for a YEAR!(from 6 month scans)

I have one thing to say to Katie WAY TO GO BABY!!!!!

Cheri will be on if I forgot something when they get home!

Monday, November 14, 2005 8:04 PM CST

We are headed off in the morning for the eight hour drive down to Vancouver. Wednesday is full of appointments... MRI @ 7:30am....Endo @ 10:45....Oncology @ 1:15. Thursday @ 1 is the audio. While down we get to see Christine, Chloe and Hannahka. Katie is really worried that Hannahka is going to be upset because Felica isn't comming with us.My gramma may or may not be comming down too...she has changed her mind three times today already. LOL..
I have a feeling endo will be interesting, as I really do not see much growth in the past 6 months, kinda more chunkier, but no real height. Her friend Emma has already surpassed her and she is a year and a half younger.
Please say some prayers for good results on all tests. I will get the results on Wednesday, but won't be able to post until we visit Chris and the kids Thursday. So until then...
Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, October 30, 2005 5:00 PM CST

Four years ago today Katie had her last chemo treatment! I can not beleive how far she has come! I want to thank you all who read this for being there to listen to me rant, rave and rejoice in every smilestone.
Two more weeks untill her MRI. Please pray that all stays clean!
Have a safe and wonderful Halloween!
All my love
Cheri

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 6:33 PM CDT

Wow! Another update so soon! I know shocking ain't it??

Things here are going so good! I am in complete amazement that in two weeks, Katie is marking four years cancer free. Yep FOUR YEARS!!!

We have things set up for her MRI and other appointments next month. They booked them all for a whirlwind of two full days. So prayers are greatly accepted.

School is still out, but we are getting use to it. Felica has been a big help so I can still get in 8 hours (somedays more) of work. I honestly beleive they are doing this for the betterment of our children and am standing behind the teachers.

Please remember to sign in if you are the big 50,000th visitor!

Until next time
Cheri

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 9:15 PM CDT

Oh my goodness!!! I am so sorry for the HUGE delay in updates! We have been busy with just normal life!! Awsome eh??

Katie is LOVING school! Too bad the teachers went on strike this week and it looks like it may last awhile.Without getting into politics, lets just say these teachers spend the majority of their time with our children, helping mold them for the future...it can do our kids no good having 30 kids per class(Felica's school has some classes with 31) I just have to thank God for having family so close and able to watch them.

Katie has her MRI comming up in a month...November 16th...it was schedualed for the first, but things like to change.Just very grateful that we will be home for Halloween!

It is starting to get really cold here, had frost on the car a couple times already.

If you scroll down you will notice the counter is slowly approaching 50,000 hits! If you are that very special one...please sign in and let us know!!!

So until next time..
lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, September 7, 2005 10:47 AM CDT

Katie is at school!!!!
Today is her first day and boy is she ever excited!!!! She woke up at 6:30 ready to go. She is there until 10am. I got confirmation that she is authorized for four hours of one on one help per week, one hour a day. Kindergardners only go for four days a week.
Honesy four years ago I never thought this would come. If you could've seen her four years ago, so sick, so little. Well I must say this is amazing!
I took some pictures but won't get them until tonight, I am sitting at Papa's shop killing time until she is out.

Sunday, August 28, 2005 6:16 PM CDT

Colin went home to Jesus today. He may not have won this battle but he has won the war. Fly free little buddy. You'll never know how deaply you have touched my soul.

Saturday, August 27, 2005 11:46 AM CDT

I come to you today to ask for prayers for Colin and Family. Things are not looking good.
Prayers for Colin

Katie is doing wonderful! School starts in two weeks. She went for a week to the lake with Gramma and Papa and had a ball. She is headed up there again next week too. I have lots of pics to post, but Papa has to send them to me first!! So next week I'll update more with pics!

Thursday, July 21, 2005 9:21 PM CDT

Happy summer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well it is happy now that we have some sun. Took till the second week in July to get it, but it is here.

Katie has been doing wonderful.Growing, yes growing! She was laying on the couch the other night and I can not beleive how long her legs are getting. She has almost out grown most of her summer clothes from last year.

We have spent alot of time up at the cabin. This past weekend we were able to finally go swimming off the dock. It was so nice. August has family/friends comming up every weekend. Should be a hoot.

School starts in a few weeks. She is so excited. I can not beleive that she is that big already.

There are some new pic in the photo album. Enjoy.

Saturday, June 18, 2005 9:44 AM CDT

***Update on Colin!!!*** Please please say prayers!! The news was devistating!
http://www3.caringbridge.org/page/colinsjourney/

Wow it has been over a month since I have updated! Sorry!

Nothing much has been going on here. The long weekend in May we went to the cabin and got rained on. In fact in the past month we have had only a few days of sun, it has been raining forever! We can't wait for summer and for some sunshine!

In May we did the Relay for Life and raised $1810!! It was ver wet and very cold, but we had a ball! Nelson raised $114,000!!

We have been busy getting Katie ready for school, she starts kindergarden in September. We have had team meetings, phone calls galore, a visit to her class, and many letter written. The verdict is in and Katie will be getting an aid for the begining of the year. The aid will help bridge the communtication gap that she still has.

And speaking of her speach! She is moving up to a new therepist. The one she has now is for preschool kids and we have had her since December of 2001, except for the time she was on maternity leave and we ended up with the wicked witch. I am really sad to see Rosie go, she has worked so hard on helping Katie with her speach. I got a copy of her final discharge report, and it is amazing! In 2002 Katie omited 74 percent of her ending sounds and last months tests show that it is down to 0 percent !!!!!!!!!!!!! All areas of her speach are improving! The best news that I got was, it will continue to improve. A few years ago when Katie was diagnosed with dysarthria, a form of speech/muscule/neurologigal speech delay, I was told that the liklyhood of her ever having clear speech was very slim, and now today the therepist is sure she will improve more. She never will have 100 percent of her speach back, and will always have problems with some sounds, but the time will come when she will be much more understood.

Katie is still doing her other therepies(o/t p/t) and those therepists will be going with her to school. Nancy(p/t) has been a huge part of Katie's life too. And I am so happy that she will still be seeing her.

The hardest part of getting ready for school has been reading all the reports. Actually seeing it written down clinicly has put me into a bit of a down mood. The hardest was from her peds doctor yesterday. Seeing failure to thrive, significant developmental delays and all that has been a bit of an eye opener. Don't get me wrong, I knew all this, it is just hard to see it. However most importantly Katie is a happy and yes even healthy little girl! Yes she has chronic health conditions, but she does not let it slow her down! She isn't "sickly" there is no slowing her down, she is always on the move and learning new things everyday!

Katie has the best group of little friends at the daycare and I am sad to see her have to leave them. One of the little boys that she has been going there with since the first day said the most sweetest thing on Wednesday. Katie had forgotten her wig in her cubby, the teacher said something about it and the little boy said "That's okay Katie, I like your old hair better" How is that for being accepted for who she is? It brought tears to both the teacher and I's eyes.

Another cause of angst here is Felica. Come September she starts Junior High. Ugggg! What happened to my little girl!?! She is growing so fast, and into such a wonderful beautiful young lady. I am so proud of her. I think she will do okay.

Please say a prayer for our little buddy Colin. Last week he had emergancy surgery to relace a very plugged VP shunt, and was readmitted last night and is having an MRI this morning. Colin, Tanya, Rich and Sam have gone through so much more than any family should ever have to deal with. I know I could get in trouble from CB higher ups to link, but the more that pray the better.... http://www3.caringbridge.org/page/colinsjourney/

Lots of love
Cheri

PS~if you have made it this far, there are new pictures!!!

Saturday, June 18, 2005 9:44 AM CDT

Wow it has been over a month since I have updated! Sorry!

Nothing much has been going on here. The long weekend in May we went to the cabin and got rained on. In fact in the past month we have had only a few days of sun, it has been raining forever! We can't wait for summer and for some sunshine!

In May we had the Relay for Life. Out team, Katie's Krusaiders, raised $1810! We are very pround of ourselves! It was a very wet, very cold day, but we had a ball none the less. Nelson raised $114,000! A record.

We have been busy getting Katie ready for school, she starts kindergarden in September. We have had team meetings, phone calls galore, a visit to her class, and many letter written. The verdict is in and Katie will be getting an aid for the begining of the year. The aid will help bridge the communtication gap that she still has.

And speaking of her speach! She is moving up to a new therepist. The one she has now is for preschool kids and we have had her since December of 2001, except for the time she was on maternity leave and we ended up with the wicked witch. I am really sad to see Rosie go, she has worked so hard on helping Katie with her speach. I got a copy of her final discharge report, and it is amazing! In 2002 Katie omited 74

Tuesday, May 10, 2005 10:04 PM CDT

So sorry for the delay! I was trying to absorb the info we have learned from Katie's latest round of tests.
First the good news! Clean scan!!!!!!!! No signs of cancer! Really really wonderful news! Plus she gained about three pounds and here is the kicker......she grew 4cm!!! That means no hormones for the time being! Yahoooooooo!!!!!!!!!
Her hearing has gone down a tiny bit from six months ago. One ear in fine and in normal range, and the other is just below normal. What does this mean? Well in six months we will retest and see what that one has to say.If it is more and she is having issues in school with her hearing, we will look into a hearing aid for one ear.
The big kick to the head was genetics. Katie has been offically diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 2. What is that? Here is a bit of a summary from the BC Neurofibromatosis Foundation.......
Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is a genetic disorder in which tumors called schwannomas are found on nerves in the inner ear. These tumours can also develop on nerves in other areas of the brain or spinal cord. Persons with NF2 are at high risk for developing brain tumors and most of all affected individuals develop tumors on both nerves to the ears (also called the eighth cranial nerve
If you want to learn more here is a link to the site.... NF2

Yes this does mean the tumor in Katie's ear in this. What does this mean for Katie? She will continue to be monitored indefinately six months at a time to check for changes or more tumors. The most important thing to remember, these tumors are NON-CANCEROUS and very slow growing. She should not have any symptoms for at least 10 years. And in ten years time, medical science will be more advanced then they are now. So until she does develop symptoms we will just plug along at life as we are now.

I want to thank everyone for the prayers and warm thoughts.
All my love
Cheri

Tuesday, May 3, 2005 6:51 PM CDT

Two words...............

It's clear!!!!!

Will update more Thursday night.
Cheri

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 7:18 PM CDT

Thank you to all that have helped raise funds for our Relay for life team! To date we have raised just over $900!! Remember it still isn't too late...the relay isn't until the fifteenth of May! Here is the link......

Please remember to email your pics of our cancer heros! and spread the word we are looking for some!

Katie is doing wonderful! She has her MRI on Monday May 2nd, and a whole bunch of other tests crammed into two days. Busy busy. Still going to her weekly therapies! The weather here has been soooo warm! We have had to break out the summer wear! Yahooooooo!
I'll be getting some one to update on how the MRI went on tuesday night. Even tho the years are passing, this just doesn't get any easier.
Lots of love
Cheri
ps....who needs spell check when you have a mom that checks everytime you do an update?!? Love ya mom! :)

Thursday, April 7, 2005 10:39 PM CDT

Hi everyone!!!!!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great Spring!!! We still have a bit of snow, but everyday it is melting more and more! Yahoo!!

Katie is doing wonderful! Life is wonderful!! First week of May we are heading back down to Vancouver for the dreaded MRI and other tests. This will be her 4 years since diagnoses tests! FOUR YEARS!!!!!! Amazing!

So in spirit of being a four year survivor.....as you may know....we have put together a Realy for Life team! Yes I am pleading with you for donations! and yes I will even be emailing some of you to "remind" you to donate! Without YOU this disease can not be beaten! With YOU it can and will!! Any amount can and will help! I know how hard it is to part with our money, heck I am a single mom working full time. I have been there, done that, got the t-shirt.Every little bit makes a differance! If you don't feel comfortable donating on-line, email me, I will be more than happy to provide an address to mail checks to. Or click here for online forms.....

This years theme is "I relay for....." Well what am I realying for? I am doing it for Katie and all the other Katie's out there, and the Colin's and the Spencer's and the Katia's and the Cameron's and the Jordon's and the Kaylee's you get it right? I am doing this for the kids touched by childhood cancers. What I am doing this year is nothing new and has been done before all over Canada and the US, yet hasn't been done in this area. I want to do a faces of childhood cancers mural. Pictures of kids and their stories to show at our team site May 15th. Please please please email me a picture of you little one and their story to add to our board. Tell others to do the same! I know if you have a CB site you can't link back here BUT you can spread the story and give my email to others! cherilee@telus.net

I hope everyone has a great week!
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, March 19, 2005 0:18 AM CST

Happy weekend all!!!!

Katie is loving her new wig! She has barely taken it off all week. I think it is growing on me, especially now that it has been cut better to fit her face. It doesn't look so old ladyish any more. Oh yes and stay tuned for info on a new style that mey be comming soon.

I have heard word about our next set of appointments in Vancouver. We most likely will be there the week of April 17th. Some may be wondering why that day sounds so familiar, well sadly it looks like we are leaving on Felica's birthday. Poor girl. She completely understands that this wasn't planned and we knew it was going to be a possiblity. She is really excited she gets to go visit Auntie Lisa next week and have some fun during Spring Break.

As you can see from the banner above, we have formed a realy for life team this year. Please click and donate, or if you would rather send a check, email me and I will be more than happy to send you the addy that it can be sent to. Each member of our team has a goal to raise $100, for a team total of $1000. This was Felica's idea, what an amazing little girl, opps sorry young lady, she is!

I hope you all have a safe and fun weekend!
Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, March 11, 2005 6:07 PM CST

March 17th~~~~~Katie got a hair cut! I think it looks much better.

~*~*~*~Pics of Katie in her wig!!!~*~*~*~

She loves it! She hasn't taken it off since she got it. I think I will take a bit to get use to it, I haven't seen her with a full head of hair since 2001.
It is staying on really good, she even was rolling in the grass at daycare and it didn't fall of.
Be sure to check out the photo page there are more pics in there!

Katie will have her wig monday morning at 10am!!!!!!!
She is so excited and running around yelling three more sleeps, three more sleeps! So make sure you check back Monday night for updated pictures!!

This year we are joining the relay for life! We have a team of family and friends and are all looking forward to helping raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society. If you want to visit our team page or make a donation here is the link.... Katie's Krusaiders Felica was the one who sugested we do this as a family. She is such a smart girl!

Things here are good, but busy. Katie's chin has healed nicely, but I think there will be a scar there.
So until monday night, have a safe weekend
Cheri

Saturday, March 5, 2005 9:56 PM CST

Happy (almost) spring!

The weather here has been wonderful!! Sunny and warm! We have retired our winter coats and broken out the mud boots. :-D

Katie's wig will be here sometime in the next six days! She is getting so excited! So am I! It will go so well with her steri-stripped chin. Yep Katie has gotten her first non-medical related scar! She was running around this morning and smacked her chin a good one on the coffee table. She is fine, a bit bruised and a nice gash, but none the worse for wear, the coffee table, well that is a differant story, it now has a very loose leg.

In April the kindergarden teacher is going to come to the daycare to watch her in her own environment and asses what type of help she (Katie and teacher) will need to make the transition to school as smooth as possible.

Other than the trip to the ER this am, things here is the same as always. So until next week, with wig pictures,
Lot of love
Cheri

Sunday, February 20, 2005 9:08 PM CST

Katie has her first adult tooth!!!!!!! Back in September she lost it and then a few months later she lost the one beside it. Now seven months later one has grown back!! Relief doesn't begin to describe how glad I am that it is in. I was really starting to wonder if it was going to come in at all. The other one isn't too far behind, you can see at bit of a lump there, as with one of her top ones! She has been lived so long without teeth, I really don't remember what she looks like with them. Hopefully by the time she starts school in September, she will have a full set of front teeth again.

On Friday she went for a wig fitting! It should be here in a week to ten days. Now for the price.........are you sitting down...........get ready....$261! Ouch! Well worth it, but ouch none the less. Thankfully my insurance through work will cover it or at least a portion of it. It also will not be her only one. Thank goodness there are organizations out there that are willing to help. It is going to look so sweet on her. But I won't give too many details, you'll just have to wait until it gets here and I post a picture. hehe.

We have another IEP meeting on tuesday. She is still going to ocupational, physical, and speech therepies every week. This one is to get ready for the one for school. So I will try to update then with info on how it went.
So until next time..
lots of love
Cheri

PS....If you made it this far......there are new pictures up.

Saturday, February 12, 2005 9:09 PM CST

Oh wow, I feel terrible! It has been a month since I have done an update. I really am sorry to you all.

Well things here are going the same. Katie is still plugging along with her therepies. She is mastering new things each and every day. We do have some ezciting news....next week Katie is being fitted for a wig!!!!!!! She is so happy. I am looking at a really short pixie cut one, done in blonde of course. I'll be sure to post lots of pics, both of the fitting and the wig itself once it get here in about two weeks.

Right now both girls are watching Variety's show of hearts telethon Katie loves all the preformances. I have my box of tissue ready.

Until next week..
lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, January 12, 2005 10:19 PM CST

Our lives are so boring!!!!!!

And I love it!!!!!!! Nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing at all is going on here!! Katie is still going to therepies (OT,PT,ST) three days a week. I have definately been noticing a differance with her speach, it is ever so slowly getting clearer. I am going to send off an email to her therepist about doing this test we did on her about two? years ago. She recorded Katie saying random words. Because none of these words were "in context" and we weren't able to see her body language, we could barely understand a single one. I am sure it has gotten much much better.

One "fun" thing I have been trying to make her understand is every action has an equal and opposite reaction. But she is so stuborn and pigheaded, it doesn't seem to be getting through. Uhmmmm, wonder where she got that from? I always said Felica was going to be the easy going good child and Katie would be the harder give me more gray hairs one. And let me tell you she is living up to it. However, tell the girl she can't go to walmart until her room is clean, it is done in seconds.

Hope the new year is treating everyone well.

Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, December 25, 2004 12:14 AM CST

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful magical day.

Ours started at 5:30am. I got up because I could smell the coffee brewing. Katie woke up at 6 screaming, kinda was confussed not waking in her own bed. Oh did I mention we spent the night at Gramma's and Papa's? We do it every year. There were ELEVEN of us up there! Stocking and presents were opened and we had breakfast all by 7:30! Both girls got a great haul. Are they ever spoiled! They are now vegging in their rooms and I am sitting here with my cup of "second cup" coffee. To step foot in the lobby of Children's in Vancouver is to understand "second cup" coffee. I lived on the stuff for six months while Katie was getting treatment, and NEED to go there everytime we go back down! To be sitting here with a cup in hand is wonderful!

Really should run....need to shower and head back up to the folks for turkey dinner.

Again hope everyone is having a wonderful day!!!!!!!!

Lots of love...
Cheri, Katie & Felica

Saturday, December 18, 2004 0:24 AM CST

First and foremost I must thank the Simply Enchanting Angels for stopping by and leaving all the wonderful birthday messages!! Everyday she looks forward to seeing what wonderful picture will be in her guestbook.

I can not beleive how fast this month is flying by! Before we know it it will be 2005!

I talked with Katie's speech therapist yesterday to go over plans on what we are going to work on over the holidays, and she mastered it in an hour last night!! Her speech seems to be getting better and better everyday! A month ago she was omitting all 'S' sounds, now she can clearly say them in all words no matter where they are. She is getting there!! It is taking a long time, but it is comming.

We are really looking forward to the holidays, all three of us have the same week off at the same time! No wrok, daycare or school. Yahooooo!!

I will be back again this week for an update. I know I know, shocking isn't it?? So until Wednesday.........

Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, December 5, 2004 6:15 PM CST

Wow almost a month! I am soooo sorry!!

Not much has been happening. Katie did have to be put on antibiotics for a week because she had a bladder infection. Pray that it is the only one she gets this season. Two years ago she got them lots and even had to be admitted for IV antibiotics because they would not clear up. She also seems to be stuffed up lots, but hey tis the season. I am okay with her getting regular run of the mill illnesses, makes things normal. ;-)

Both girls are looking forward to Christmas this year, but Katie is more looking forward to her birthday on the 22nd. She is going to be FIVE! Wow, five. Really does not feel like five years ago. Because her birthday is so close to Christmas and with her b-day falling on a wednesday, there isn't going to be a BIG party like in the past. Just a family dinner that night, and of course presents and cake! My little sister is comming home for the holidays that day too. Yahoo.

I have all our shopping done, except the girls. Hopefully we will get our tree up soon. Did a bit of baking this weekend too. Butter tarts and shortbread cookies. With all the snow we got this weekend the best thing was to stay in and what better thing to do than bake. Today alone I had to shovel the driveway twice, and will probably have to go back out before too long. There are some muscles that are hollering, I haven't shoveled and used them in a really long time.

Hope everyone is staying warm and dry and the hollidays are wonderful so far.

Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, November 13, 2004 6:12 PM CST

Happy weekend all.

Not a lot to report this week. I am so happy with that!! Uneventful, boring days are good. All the snow we got last week is gone. Katie can not wait until more comes.

Today we went and got our family pictures done. When I am finished here, I will go post some.

I am still really heartbroken about Ivy. She will be sadly missed.

So I guess until next week...
lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, November 10, 2004 8:02 PM CST

I really really needed to come on tonight and ask you all to pray for Ivy,her family, and all that has known her.

Sadly Ivy has passed. She had complications during her heart surgery.

I am so so very sad that I never got to meet her in person.

Ivy was very special to me and my girls. Her guestbook messages, encouraging emails, and posts will be sadly missed.Just as the love she has shown will be deeply missed by all that she has touched.You can visit little Cam's page through the link below.

Ivy~ I never did get the chance to meet you, but I can honestly say Katie, Felica and my's lives are better knowing you. I will miss you! I love you! Fly free, fly happy, and fly with all that has gone before you. I am sure there were many caringbridge kids waiting for you at Heaven's gate with open arms.

So, to quote Ivy.........
Love is the best medicine

Friday, November 5, 2004 9:39 PM CST

WOW!!! Three updates in one week!!

I am still head over heals that Katie is three years in remision!! I am taking a long time comming down from this high. I also wanted to say thank you so much for all the guestbook entries!! Katie, Felica, and I are so delighted that so many people still stop by and have so many prayers for Missy Katie.

Day to day life is relatively calm, with the odd issue thrown in for good messure and to keep me on my toes. Next month she is going to be five!!!! FIVE!!! WOW!!!! I still have a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that she will be that old and it was that long ago that I had her. My little Christmas present. Oh how my life has changed! So much for the better. No it is not "perfect" but we are so blessed.

I guess that now would be as good a time as any to tell you all the bad news we got with her lastest trip to Vancouver. I did elued to it journal entery before last. I I have learned that Katie has a chromosome disorder. All but the 23rd chromosome are identical, but Katie's 22 chromosone do not match. One is a figure eight and the other is a ring shape. What does this mean?? Not 100 % sure yet. From what I have managed to learn from the internet. When chromosome 22 is in a ring it is called ring 22. This can cause many issues, most being the tumor surpressor gene is missing, meaning she is prone to central nervous system tumors. Two of the most common being medullo and acoustic neuromas, both of which she had/has. It can also cause hearing loss and speach delays. Ummm hello this sounds really familiar.

In April she will head to Vancouver again and will see a genetasist. More extensive testing will be done and to see where we go. Again nothing concrete is know, and most of what I have learned is generalized and not Katie specific. As for now? We are just to enjoy life and life it the same way we have been.

Other than that life here is great. Katie loved the snow we got. Besides the stuff that has frozen and is hard and crunchy(it is really really cold) most of it is gone. Right now they are both curled up watching Shrek 2. It is so funny!! So until next time...
Lots of love
Cheri

Monday, November 1, 2004 9:58 PM CST

Hi guys!!!

Had to come on and post this picture right here on the front page!!!

It's snowing like crazy right now! Both Katie and Felica could not be happier!!

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!!!!

Good thing I got the winter tires on.

Thanks for stopping by
Cheri

Sunday, October 31, 2004 10:13 AM CST

Hi all!

So here is the more detailed update I promised, but a day late.

Katie had her stim test for growth hormones in the am on Monday. Four hours long!! They gave her an IV and drew blood every half hour for a total of EIGHT vials of blood! By the last vial, her IV was clotting and it was really hard to get the blood out. She did great tho and watched movie after movie. Right after that we got to meet Chloe, Hannahka, and Christine. They were a bundle full of energy and Katie took to them right away. We went for lunch and played for a bit, then it was time to see the endo doc. Katie grew about half an inch!! So barring anything really drastic with the stim test, we decided that we are going to hold off on GH for six more months. While at endo, we did get some really crappy news. It appears that Katie has a chromosome disorder. Her 22nd chromosome is in a ring shape insteed of a figure eight. What does this mean? Well, CHR22 is the gene that holds our tumor surpressors, so Katie is highly prone to tumors of the central nervous system. Medullo is one of them, so is the tumor that is in her ear. While I do not have all the info about this, I did a little digging on the net and alot of Katie's issues mimick neurofibromatosis type 2. I know a really big word and more info to understand. As of right now she has an appointment in April with a geneasist(more words to learn to spell) and will most likely have more info then. Until then, we are just going to go along the same as always. Tuesday was audio, and things remained stable! Her hearing loss is comming from way deep in the inner ear, so they are thinking it isn't from chemo, and with the info I have learned this is similar to neurofibromatosis type 2. She will be seen again by audio in April. Wednesday was the MRI, and as ususal Katie did awsome!! When they gave her the IV, she didn't make a peep and when she got the sleep medicine I was off to find coffee. Thursday we got the results, and as you know all is good!! The ear tumor hasn't grown, and the uptake in the scarbed is the same as previous MRI's! She had both head and spine. Next MRI is in April, almost four years out from diagnoses.

So this weekend marks a huge milestone for Katie. Yesterday was three years from her last chemo and tomorrow marks her last stem cell rescue.

Thank you for all the prayers and wonderful messages in her guestbook. We were lucky enough not only to meet Christine and her girls, but also Jenna, who also has a CB page. I also meet the most wonderfull little guy! Jordon also has a BT and is going thro radiation right now. One more week to go ! He has the best smile and Katie adorred him right away.

So until next time
Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, October 29, 2004 7:30 PM CDT

Hi all!!
We are home!! MRI was clear, hearing is stable and she grew!!

I am beat right now so will update more in the morning.
I do have a favor tho...anyone that has any info on medullo and chromosone 22, could you please email me?? Thanks

Lots of love
Cheri

Monday, October 18, 2004 11:40 PM CDT

Hi all!!

Well finally we have gotten all our appointments made!!!
So here it goes.....
Monday October 25th...Growth hormone testing, 7:30am. They say it will take about four hours! And Katie can not have anything to eat! Oh please grant me patience!! At 1:45 we are to meet with the endo. I am thinking there is now way what so ever that she will have test results that quick.
Tuesday....she has an aduio. It has been over a year since her last one.
Wednesday....the MRI! This one will be at noon and again Katie isn't allowed food because of sedation. Last one was seven months ago.
Thursday....11:45 we meet with the onc to get the results of the MRI.

So we will be busy, but not to busy to meet Chloe & Hannahka! Really looking forward to it.

As you can imagine we are taking any and all prayers! However on top of the prayers for great test results, I am also asking for prayers that the snow melts by then! Yep there are snow in them there mountains. I love the snow, but some folks aren't that good driving in it and that is what scares me the most.

Have I mentioned what a trooper Felica is?? Well she is! On Friday we went to Kelowna and she got her tonsils out! Finally!! She did really good and is slowly starting to feel better. Now she can't wait to eat pizza, but I told her she still has some to wait.

Well all, I will update again when I get back from Vancouver. Most likely I will call Kim and get her to post in the guestbook the results, so check there.

Lots of love
Cheri

October is Brain Tumor Awarness Month!!

Facts about Brain Tumours....

Each year over 10,000 people in Canada and 185,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumour.1

Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39. 2

Metastatic brain tumours (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20-40% of people with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumour. The incidence of metastatic brain tumours is increasing as cancer patients live longer. 3

There are over 120 different types of brain tumours, making effective treatment very complicated.

Because brain tumours are located at the control centre for thought, emotion, and movement, their effects on an individuals physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.

Brain tumours in children are different from those in adults and are often treated differently. Although as many as 60% of children with brain tumours will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.

Enhancing the quality of life for people with brain tumours requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care and rehabilitative services. Improving the outlook for brain tumour patients requires research into the causes of and better treatments of brain tumours.

Friday, October 8, 2004 10:14 PM CDT

Hi all!! Happy October!!!!

I thought I would share with you all the wonderful news we got this week....

We had our three times yearly Daycare IEP for Katie on Wednesday morning. And the results are......

Katie's balance has improved tremendously! No need to wear her helmet anymore!! However she chooses to wear it whe jumping and doing really rough things. She has mastered walking up and down stairs without hanging on, she can now stand without hanging on to anything. All in all her gross motor skills have improved! Such wondeful news.

Speech...well what can I say about speech??? Wonderful wonderful news!! Her speech is improving!!!! June 2003 was the last assesment, she was omitting her sounds 74 % of the time, now it is only 33 % of the time!! Others have told me how much easier it is to understand her, but being around her always I haven't really picked up on it. To see it written down on paper, well wow, I am so happy.

Ocupational therepy wasn't quite where we need her to be yet. Her therepist will contimue seeing her three time a week. Hey 2 out of 3 ain't bad. (ohhh anyone else have a meatloaf flashback?)

We are headed down to Vancouver the week of the 25th. Finally may get some real answers to why Katie has gained only one pound in the last year and a half, and has stayed at three feet. Uhmmm growth hormone issues? maybe?? heck what do I know I am only Mom?? She will also have an audio test and hopefully an MRI. We do get the joy of meeting a fellow CB family.....Hannaka, Chloe and Christine. Can not wait!!

Oh yes, Felica is finally getting her tonsils out next week, on the fifteenth. Because we have to go to Kelowna to get it done, she is going to be staying the night in the hospital. First time she has ever stayed the night in, and the first time since September 2002 for me. Katie is going to have a sleepover at Gramma's.

Please Remember October is Brain Tumor Awareness month!! I proudly wear my pin and am more than happy to let anyone know, whether they want to or not, the facts about Brain Tumors. Heck if I catch you looking at the pin I will go on and on and on... ;)

so until next time
lots of love
Cheri

PS.....Auntie Mary...if you are reading this....call me...number has not changed!!! okay got it!!

leaving this up...............

October is Brain Tumor Awareness month......

Facts about Brain Tumours....

Each year over 10,000 people in Canada and 185,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumour.1

Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39. 2

Metastatic brain tumours (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20-40% of people with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumour. The incidence of metastatic brain tumours is increasing as cancer patients live longer. 3

There are over 120 different types of brain tumours, making effective treatment very complicated.

Because brain tumours are located at the control centre for thought, emotion, and movement, their effects on an individuals physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.

Brain tumours in children are different from those in adults and are often treated differently. Although as many as 60% of children with brain tumours will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.

Enhancing the quality of life for people with brain tumours requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care and rehabilitative services. Improving the outlook for brain tumour patients requires research into the causes of and better treatments of brain tumours.

Thursday, September 30, 2004 11:43 PM CDT

October is Brain Tumor Awareness month......

Facts about Brain Tumours....

Each year over 10,000 people in Canada and 185,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumour.1

Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39. 2

Metastatic brain tumours (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20-40% of people with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumour. The incidence of metastatic brain tumours is increasing as cancer patients live longer. 3

There are over 120 different types of brain tumours, making effective treatment very complicated.

Because brain tumours are located at the control centre for thought, emotion, and movement, their effects on an individuals physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.

Brain tumours in children are different from those in adults and are often treated differently. Although as many as 60% of children with brain tumours will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.

Enhancing the quality of life for people with brain tumours requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care and rehabilitative services. Improving the outlook for brain tumour patients requires research into the causes of and better treatments of brain tumours.

Saturday, September 25, 2004 10:06 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

Things here are going well. Pretty much the same old same old.

Katie is still doing her therapies, pt, ot, and speech. I had to cancel her appointments for Vancouver this month. Financially I just wasn't able to do it. We are reshedualed for the week of October 25th. That week will mark three years off treatment. Wow three years!! What really gets me is she is almost five!! FIVE!!! Where did the time go???????????? Today I ran into a lady from work and she was with her son. She started to say how our kids must be around the same age, and when I asked her how old he was she told me three. I felt so sorry for her when I explained to her that Katie is in fact two years older than him. So as you can guess she is still her regular small self. We do know she is growth hormone defictiant and next month will be the extenssive testing. I am really happy with the desicion I made to hold her back a year. Kindergarden will be much better next year. So this year I am going to travel our school district kindergardens and see if i can find one that she will flourish in.

Today she had a most exciting day. Katie got to ride in a fire truck!!! My friend Kim is a voluter fire fighter/ first responder for the Robson fire department We went and visited her today. Katie absolutely loved it!! I took some pics and yes I have posted them in the photo album! Thanks Kim!!! It was great to see you hun, and I didn't mean to make Emma cry, she was just so sad that we were leaving.

So I guess until next time. Please say a prayer for all the kids out there battling cancer and other health issues. It seems I come across more and more sites every day. I also have a special prayer request... my grandfather has been batteling alzheimer's and just the other night had a stroke. To know Grandpa Jack is to love him. His picture hangs in a very prominant spot in my livingroom. To my understanding he is stable right now, but you all know what this disease can do to a person. I choose to remember him sitting at my parents kitchen table with his cup of "coffee" close at hand and yelling at gramma.

Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, September 25, 2004 10:06 PM CDT

Monday, September 6, 2004 10:12 AM CDT

KATIE LOST HER FIRST TOOTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay well technically it is her sixth tooth, but the first five don't count because they were pulled. On friday night Felica was showing me her loose molar and Katie came up and said hers was loose too. I was sitting there thinking yah right, you aren't five just yet and are too young to have adult teeth coming in. Well I wiggled it and sure enough it was loose. After doing some googling I found that it is normal to lose teeth this early if they get them early and to the best of my recolection she got her first one at about four months. It is the one that is suppose to come out first, there was no redness, and now that the tooth is out, there is nothing structurly wrong with it. So I guess she is just an early loser. Even though now she looks really funny with the top four gone and the bottom one gone, at least we know her adult teeth are on the way. She was so sad when it fell out this am, but now that she knows the tooth fairy is comming tonight, she is okay with it.

Other than that things are well. WE have appointments in Vancouver next week. May have to postpone them till October. With the move and stuff I don't think I can afford to travel till then. This will be the longest time ever between scans for her.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, August 14, 2004 2:04 PM CDT

Hello hello hello!!!!!!!!!

I know I know it has been almost a month since I have updated anything!! Please please forgive me!!!!!!!!

Well we have all been enjoying summer, trying to stay cool. We have camped and hung out at the beach lots.

Next month we head back down to Vancouver for lots and lots and lots of test and appointments! I do know it will be the week of the 12th, just not to sure on what days will be what. More endo testing will be on the 16th and speach on the 15th. Nothing else is set in stone yet. I will let you konw.

There are new pictures in the photo album. Some of Katie playing outside at our new place and some of her campinig. She got to ride in a canoe for the first time and loved it.

Lots of love
Cheri

Monday, July 19, 2004 9:11 PM CDT

Hi all!!

We are loving our new place! We have defiantely are starting to make it a home.

We got the call today from Katie's endo. And as we were thinking all along, she is lacking in the growth hormone department. (oh boy more long words to learn to spell) When we head down to Vancouver in September she will be getting more extesive testing done then. Then if those show that she is deficient, she will start replacements.

I guess what I am so worried about is she never had radiation. If she did this would be expected. I guess I will be doing some research and finding out what can cause this without radiation. If anybody has any info please email it to me!! I would be forever greatful. I am looking on the bright side right now. At least we have over a year to ge tthis addressed before she school.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lots of love
Cheri.

Thursday, July 8, 2004 9:49 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

Well as said in the last update, we are all moved in! All three of us love it. Katie asks everyday when I pick her up from daycare if we are going to the new house. When I tell her we are, she gets so excited. Felica is really loving having her own room and space.

Katie does have an appointment tomorrow sometime(they will call) with thte orthopedic doctor. Her left ankle is turning in really bad. It almost looks like it is collapsing on itself. Her physio therepist thinks all it will take to correct it is with a shoe insole/arch insert thingy.

Still using dial up right now, sorta. My dad lent me his moden for a few hours tonight. It appears my modem is fried, no really fried, smoke was coming out of it!!! Monday is the earliest they can come with a replacement. Good thing I am only renting this one!

So until next time
lots of love
Cheri

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 0:47 AM CDT

Hi all!!!!!!!!!!!

We are done moving! Both the girls love having their own space. I will update more when we actually have a real internet connection. Right now I am using dial up. Oh how I miss my high speed!

Hey Cam, anytime ya wanna drive that little jeep over this way, we will bw happy to have you!!!

Lots of love
Cheri

Tuesday, June 29, 2004 9:49 PM CDT

Hi all!!

Well we are back! It was a very quick trip, drove for eight hours, stayed for eleven and drove for another eight! We were really tired last night, both girls went to sleep well and I fell asleep on the couch until 4, the whole time sitting up!! Pure exhaustion!

So what did we learn?? Well get this...Katie is small for her age! Well duh, I KNEW that! She is completly off the growth charts for her age. Something else I already knew. So we got her blood drawn for growth hormones and a bone age x-ray. No results yet. I hope to hear something before our trip down for her MRI in September. She does have a follow up appointment for JANUARY!!! Six months from now. I am sure I will hear before than. Right?? Please tell me I am right!

We move on thursday. OMG! I am so not ready!!!! I have piles and piles and piles of clothes to go through tomorrow. Anyone wanna come help? hehehe. I won't have internet hooked up for a WHOLE 24 HOURS!!! Ugggg, I do not know how I will do it.

So until next time
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, June 26, 2004 10:03 AM CDT

Happy weekend!!!!

All is well here.

We head out tomorrow for Vancouver again. Katie has endo testing on Monday morning. Finally we are going to get down to the bottom of why she isn't growing much. She is four and a half and still wearing size 2!! She is filling out nicely, she has turned into a chunky monkey, but isn't showing much weight gain nor height.Sadly Yesterday at work I was talking to a friend and her son just had the EXACT same tests done here in our hospital! Some days I wonder! So we will drive down in the am tomorrow(Sunday) and drive back monday afternoon. Why so quick you ask? Well Thursday we are moving!!! I have found a three bedroom place to rent! Felica is getting to the age where she needs her own space. It can not be much fun to share a bedroom with a four year old.

Sorry to make this so short, I really need to get off my behind and get packing!

I'll update when we get home!
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, June 12, 2004 10:53 AM CDT

Good Morning!!!!!

Not much going on here. Everyone is doing good.

Katie got her voice output device on Thursday! I have yet to figure out how to program it, but I have an appointment on tuesday to learn. On the 28th we head to Vancouver again for an endo appointment. She is still only 31 pounds and she has barely grown. She still fits into a size 24months pants! Hopefully they see a need to start growth hormones, she definately needs some help in that department! I have also heard that it can stimulate hair to grow too! That would be great! We were down at Wal-mart last week when Katie said to me that she forgot her hat. I was thinking no big deal, until she said "people stare at me when I don't wear my hat" I got so sad and started crying right there. I was so hoping it would be awhile until she realized that she had little amount of hair. Knowing that she knows that she is differant really breaks my heart. In the grand scheme of things, it could be alot worse, but still I am sad.

Please remember Colin in your prayers, he is starting chemo on monday. Yesterday he had a stemcell harvest and a line placed. Shortly he will be having a feeding tube placed.

For those that are trying to access Parents Place....
ezboard had a major hardware failure and sadly it held our server. Word is that it should be up and running sometime today.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, May 27, 2004 10:07 PM CDT

Hi everyone!

Everything here is well.

I come to you tonight with a very urgent prayer request.......

As many of you know, I am a member of Parents Place, a wonderful support group started be Tanya. Tanya is a wonderful woman, and someone I am truely proud to call a friend. Tanya has two boys, Colin and Sam. Colin was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in 2002. Today they have found out he has relapsed. Please, please lift him up in your prayers!! Colin's Site

I HATE CANCER!!!!

Thursday, May 27, 2004 10:02 PM CDT

Saturday, May 22, 2004 10:27 AM CDT

Well Katie made it through the chicken pox well. Lots of spots not too much itching. There will be a few scars, but who doesn't have at least one of those? Her appointment for endo testing on tuesday has been canncelled. Reschedualed for June 28th.

This weekend is a tough one for me. It marks three years since Katie was diagnosed! Wow three years!! The 23rd she was air lifted to Vancouver, the 24th she had the MRI which confirmed a brain tumor, and the 25th marks the surgery and actual diagnisos of cancer. She sure has come a long way in the past three years. Still can not put my mind aroung the whole three years mark. She is my hero!!

I love you Katie!!!! More than you will ever know. Oh how you have changed my life, so much for the better.

Thank you all for joining us on this journy.We are going to stay low key this weekend, way too much rain. I have four days off work. Monday is Victoria day, Tuesday is my b-day and we get our b-days off at work. Probably going to go watch Shrek 2 today.

Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, May 15, 2004 10:11 AM CDT

Katie woke up this morning with chicken pox!!!!

Nobody at daycare had them, I have no clue where she picked them up!! Thankfully because her immune system is good this shouldn't pose any problems! She was a bit "off" yesterday, now I know why. This will cancel her endo appointment next week. At least we will be home for my birthday and her anniversary day.

How neat to have a normal childhood illness!

Monday, May 10, 2004 11:07 PM CDT

Hello Everyone!!

Everything here is the same old same old. Katie's mouth has healed well from the tooth pulling/spacer appointment on the 30th. She was back to eating regular food the next day without any complaints. Speach/physio/ot are all going well. I was amazed when I saw her run today, she ran normally!! It was really neat to see. No weird stagger, no tripping over her feet. I was almost in tears. Still no word on her dynamo, the voice output device she is going to get. Endo testing at the end of this month. All in all she is doing great! Slow progress but progress non the less. I just got hooked on phonics for her off e-bay today. Anyone with any experiance with it?? I need to have her reading on her own before she starts school. She is suppose to start this fall, but because her birthday is in December I can hold her back a year, so next fall it will be. We have a fair bit till then. Felica finally has her tonsill appointmant on Wednesday. Only took a year. Her and I will be going to Kelowna tomorrow, staying at a hotel, and Katie will be staying with gramma. Just mom and daughter time. It should be nice. You really should see what she got me for mothers day. A beautiful diamond necklace she paid for with her own b-day money! What a girl! I am so proud to have such a wonderful daughter!!! I am back to regular working hours, so I have caught up on my sleep. Other than that not much going on around here. But low-key is a good thing! Our little buddy Cameron is really having a rough go of it during transplant, a link to his site is below, stop by and give him some encouragement. We love you Cam!

Lot of love.....
Cheri

Friday, April 30, 2004 10:36 PM CDT

Have I told you all lately how amazing Katie is??? Wait how could I when I haven't updated in forever!! Sorry, life has got us by the horns and isn't letting us off anytime soon! In the past three weeks Katies has been to the denist three times, I haev been working ten hours days(sorta)and Felica has had a birthday.

Okay lets start with Katie and those darn teeth of hers! I think the kid has lucked out on the good oral faires. NOTHING we do can make this kids teeth healthy! I brush them three times a day, floss, and take her to the dentist always. Actually read that to say WEEKLY! Once a week for three to be persice! First was to just get them looked at. The gums were red and swollen, teeth had junk litteraly growing on them(even though she was just there a few months ago) in a nut shell, they were gross again. So anyway I took her in and the dentist concluded she needs to get them cleaned more regularly by the pros, so the following week she goes in for a good cleaning and floride treatmet. Much to the dentists amazement, Katie has a absessed tootht that wasn't there the week before, so out it has got to come. Because it is a molar, it needs a spacer to let the adult tooth come in. This involves making a mold of her top teeth. Side note....Katie only has six teeth up there as she got the front four pulled in 2002....Anyway, have you ever tried to get a mold done on someone with a MAJOR gag reflex?? I mean anything touches the top of her mouth, execept stuff either (a)She has put there or (b) stuff that is suppose to be there ie:food, she gags. So here we are literally holding Katie down, as she is inches from hurling, her eyes are bright red and watering, she was one unhappy camper. So taoday we go in to get hte spacer and the tooth pulled. She hated getting the spacer in, same prossess as the mold, gagging and crying. The tooth came out in seconds. Now the freezing is out and so far no complaints. Oh yes did I mention what the spacer looks like?? Well, it goes from the tooth beside the one pulled, over the roof of her mouth to a the tooth on the oppisite side. There is a jell like cushion in the middle on the roof of her mouth!! And so far no gagging. Actually it doesn't even seem to bother her much, if at all. Go figure!

As for me, working ten hours 6-4:30, minus a few missed hours for the dentist and speech with Kate. I am wiped out. So happy for the weekend!! Going to the cabin with my parents and the girls, Should be fun!

Felica had a great birthday! Lots of cake and presents! Wow, she is 11!!! Thanks for stopping by and signing her book, she loved them!

Well so that should bring you up to speed abit about what has been going on. We are into that month almost. THREE years from diagnoses. May 24-25. Her scans were on the 24th and surgery was on the 25th. We will be down in Vancouver again on the 25th for endo testing. Also happens to be my birthday.
So until next time
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, April 17, 2004 9:24 AM CDT

First and foremost..........

Happy Birthday Felica!!!!! Today is Felica's 11th birthday! I can not beleive that I am a mom to an eleven year old! She is the best big sister/daughter we could have ever hoped for! I am so proud of her! And while we are on the topic of Felica, she finally has an appoitment for her tonsils on May 12th! Only almost a year later! Today she is going for lunch with Aunty Amy, then going to get her hair done!
WE LOVE YOU FELICA!!!!!

Katie is doing wonderful!!! No word yet on her Voice output device. I did hear from the Endo yesterday and she has an appointmant in Vancouver on May 25th, for testing. I hope we can get to the bottom of why she isn't growing.

May 25th, that day is so significant in our lives! That was the day of her surgery and the day we found out she had cancer. Three years ago! Wow, three years! Some days it feels like a lifetime ago, and others like it was yesterday. She has come so far in the past three years. I know we have many hurdles to still jump, but she has already jumped so many! Don't mind me, I am just bursting with pride at my two girls today! May 25th also happens to be my birthday. What a way to celebrate eh?

Hope you all have a great weekend, I am sure we will! Remember to sign the guestbook! an if you get a chance, Felica has her own(link is above)

Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, April 4, 2004 10:59 AM CDT

Happy Sunday Morning!! Did you remember to set your clock ahead?

Sorry for the lack of updates! Not alot going on here. Same old same old. Which, by the way I love! Katie is still chugging along with therepies. No news yet on the speech device. I am sure I will hear something soon. If you haven't had a chance yet, go check out the photo section and take a look at her trophy, it is beautiful. I have it sitting on a window sill and when it catches the light it sparkles. Our snow has finally melted! With a little proding from me, needed to go break up the last of the piles yesterday.
Have you all clicked on the link that will take you to a great network of friends?? No?? Then what are you waiting for? Parents Place is a wonderful group of ladies and I must say we have some great fun chatting!

Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, March 19, 2004 11:08 PM CST

Well as you all know now, the scan was clear! Yahoo!!

Bloodwork seems to be all in order. Katie was great for the IV, didn't even faze her. This was her first one since 2001, she has always had the port.

She got approval for her Wish!! We should here from them soon. As of today Katie wants a puppy and a kitty. I am sure that will change.

Her and Felica got their end of treatment trophies. A bit late. I will have to get a picture of them. Katie's has inscribed on her's the speech the lion gets when the wizzard gives him his badge of courge(from the wizzard of Oz)

As for her speech appointment. Katie is a perfect canidate for a Voice Output Communiction Device. Not the news I was hoping for. She will have an electronic device that will help her talk. I will program phrases and words that she uses on a daily basis and she will be able to touch a picture on this device and it will say it for her. She is currently on a waiting list, and should have it in a few weeks. Tehn another trip to the coast to help me learn to program it.

Katie will be having a full endo work-up in a few months. It would appear that she hasn't grown much taller. Well duh I could've told them that by her size 24months pants that she still wears. She is still off the charts, way off.

Again, thanks for the prayers!
Lot os love
Cheri

Friday, March 19, 2004 7:23 PM CST

ITS CLEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll update more tonight!!!
Thanks for the prayers!!
Cheri

Saturday, March 13, 2004 6:27 PM CST

Hello everyone!!!!!!!!!
So sorry I haven't been around for awhile, but life is happening. We have been busy doing regular normal everyday kid stuff!! and mom stuff too! It's kinda weird, not having cancer invade your every thought. So just as we are sitting here enjoying life we remember that it is fast aproaching scan time. Four more days to be exact! Vancouver, to me, has always been about the hospital, cancer, sick kids, and stress. Well I must say that this time I am not going to let it be all about that! We are taking an extra day to just enjoy the things Vancouver has to offer. First and foremost is the Imax movie!! That is more for me than the girls. A NASCAR movie on the big, big big screen with lots and lots of watts of sound!! Yahoooooo!! Really really excited for this! Then later in the day we are headed to Science World . The girls will love it!! The exhibits this time around is geared to both the girls. Busytown(Katie) and Gross Fest(Felica). We are also going to get some shopping done! Oh by the way, did I mention Felica will be comming?? It is spring break so she won't miss any school. The girls great gramma is comming down for the ride too. Please pray that the weather will stay nice, and there will be no snow along the way! They are calling for a bit! Ugggghhhh.
So our scheduale looks like this......
Wednesday March 17th.....7:30 checkin for MRI and bloodwork. 8:30 MRI. Really hoping we will be out by noon-one o`clock.
Thursday March 18th....10:30 Speach augmantation appoitment at Sunnyhill Rehab Hospital for Children. I guess I should explain this one a bit more. As some of you may or may not know, I recently recived Katie's speech assesment and things are not looking good in this department. On the bright side she comprehends at a six year old level, who wouldn't with all the medical terms she knows. Sadly she still communticates at a less then two year old level. There are just too many things working against her on this level. If you read back a few enteries I think I explained it there.Right now, it is the beleif that her speech either will not get better, or will only improve marginally. I am still holding out hope though, you see in 2002 I was told the likelyhood of her walking was poor, and now here she is running around like a monster! Anyway, this appointment is to see how, technology wise, we can help her communicate better. Be it picture boards, or what ever. I have been fighting this for a year now, and watching videos from then and now, the improvement is small. So it is time for me to bite the bullet and do this for her. After speech, we go back to children's for a complete check-up by her oncologist. So not too much stuff, just long appointments.

If I am not able to get to a computer next week, I will call someone to update this page and let you all know how the scan went!
Until we return........
Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, February 27, 2004 7:50 PM CST

Well we finally have a date!!!
March 17th at 7:30am!!!!
I can not beleive it has been six months since the last one. It feels sooo much longer! The only appointments we have set up are the MRI and that's all. So it looks like I will have to call and set up the rest myself. Oh well at least we have a date.
All is well here. Nothing new really. Spring is starting, it has been raining for a few days. Katie is her regular trouble maker self.
Hope you all have a great weekend!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, February 22, 2004 10:57 AM CST

Wow, has it really been tweleve days since I updated?? Well let me tell you what you missed......Nothing. Still all status que here. No word yet on Katie's MRI scheduale. I am starting to go stir crazy just waiting for them to call. Usually when I get the date that is when the nerves kick it up a notch, but let me tell you, just knowing that it is next month is getting to me. As any parent with a child in remission can tell you, the time before an MRI is crazy. Every little thing Katie does has me climbing the walls. Was that stumble something?How about the way she is standing, is that normal? Do her eyes look alright to you? Is her mouth drooping more?? Uggggghhhhh!! It is almost enough to get me comited.
Two little guys are getting their MRI on Friday the 27th. Colin and Cameron. Colin is in remmision so please pray that it is still gone! Cameron is fighting relapse and going through chemo treatments still, please pray it is working!
Well not much going on this week. The girls are over at Baba's eating pancakes, a sunday morning ritual. I am going to go watch the race. Not much else planned. Hope you all have a great week!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 0:27 AM CST

The more we get into the month of February, the more I get stressed about Katie's test coming up next month. Between the heartburn, headaches and lack of sleep(notice the time I have to get up at 5am uggg) I am falling apart. Either that or it was the chilli we had for super! But seriously, for those that have been around for awhile, you know that this is all normal! I usually go off the deep end about a month before Katie's scan's. I guess that is just par for the course.
Katie is doing great! Her new cap hasn't bothered her at all. In fact I think she may be eating more now with it back on!Friday night I was afraid that she was going to throw up she ate so much! 10 chicken nuggets, a plate of fries, fruit leather and two cookies, two big glasses of milk(with the "k" sound I may add" and she still wanted more!!! That is more than I can eat at one sitting. Well I guess that all depends on what time of the month it is. Ewww girlie stuff, sorry. Felica doesn't even eat that much(yet lol)
In case you all haven't heard, I sent a few emails out about it, or you just scan through the top of this page. I am a member of a great group called parents place. Parent's Place is an online community dedicated to the following: This board was created for Parents/loved ones dealing with an ill, disabled, or special needs child. No matter what your child's situation is, come here to inquire, vent, find support and share your story. Or just stop in to relax from the daily stresses of life! We also have a fun general chat forum where all are welcome! It was started by two wonderful friends of mine, Tanya and Sheri. Two sisters whose sons both have cancer. These two, and the rest of the wonderful ladies on the board have been a great bunch of people. However we are looking to get more people to join. So if this sounds like something that interests you, or any one you know!Stop by, we would love to have you! Parents place
Hope the rest of the week is a good one!!
Lots of love!
Cheri

Thursday, February 5, 2004 6:33 PM CST

Well the excitment never ends in this house now does it??? After Katie's bath last night I was brushing her teeth and noticed one of her back teeth all nice and white. Now keep in mind, she doesn't have white teeth, all, and I mean every last one of her back teeth are nice and shiney silver! You may remember back in August 2002, she had major dental surgery to fix her chemo/pedia-sure/tumor sucking all the good growing power away, really really ugly, decrepid teeth.Surgery took three hours and out she came with "fixed" choppers! Well wouldn't you know that one of those caps came off. I called at 8 this morning, got an appointment for 2:30, and was out of there by 3:10, with a new shiney tooth! Whole thing took about ten minuets to do. It took longer to wait for the dentist, try to get an x-ray, and set up an appointment for Felica!!! Not only that all it cost was $6.16, and that includes parking fees!! So can someone explain to me why if all it costs is $5 and about ten minuets to do, why in 2002 they charged me $5000, and it took 3 hours???? I don't get it!!! Oh well somethings we may never understand! We tried forever to get an x-ray of her teeth, to no avail. All she did was gag and fight because the x-ray tabs are way to big for her tiny mouth, so we have two options. Both require sedation, either here or in Vancouver. And since we all know how willing they are to put Katie under here(not) it looks like we will be getting it done in Vancouver. So add another appointment to the list! The dentist noticed that she has at least one for sure absess on one tooth and another possible one. They will need to pull them. Grrr total of five(possibly six) missing teeth before they are suppose to be gone. I guess in the grand sceme of things it could be worse. She is still here right. With all that could've happened, all the minor things really aren't all that bad. It is a really good thing the little things don't bring me down, or I think I would be a wreak by now! LOL!
And on that note.....
This whole cancer thing really boogles my mind. Today a little guy got his angel wings (Conor) and another one was given a second chance with new blood (Katia) Say a prayer for both tonight.
All my love
Cheri

Monday, February 2, 2004 0:06 AM CST

Okay, so who else got to see a part of Janet Jackson that nobody should ever see????

The snow finally stopped yesterday!! Yeah!! I love it, I really do, just not on the roads or the slush that my driveway turns into!!

All is well and quiet here on the homefront. Not much at all going on. I can not beleive that it is already February!! Where does the time go??? Katie's MRI is quickly sneaking up on me. The stress level itself won't rise until I get an actual date. Katie is still plugging along in her therepies. I have noticed that she is making a concious effort at ending her words. Slow and steady wins the race right? As I speak(type) Kim is sending me pics of Katie that were taken on the first of January. I will be sure to get them up when she is done.

So until next week......Thanks for stopping by, and please don't forget to sign in and say hi!

Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, January 25, 2004 11:45 PM CST

Wow two updates in one weekend!! Aren't you all lucky!!! LOL! And yes Kim, this does mean you can't bug me for a new update for at least a month, and by the way don't I talk to you daily anyway?? Only buggin' you know I love you darling!

Anyhooo..... Can somebody make it stop!!!!!!!!!!!! The snow is unbeleivable! Think I am kidding? Go check out the last pic in the photo album! That was yesterday morning, add another 5inches to that, plus the 10 more we are to get tonight and the 15 we will have during the day tomorrow!!!! Do you think anything will close down? Noooo, not here!! Never in my life have we ever had a snow day. When I was younger I remember this one year there was so much snow we were jumping off the second floor deck at my gramma's, couldn't see out the basement windows at all. And wouldn't you know it, those window I am looking out right now, and it looks like Felica will be able to make the same memories as me. Too neat! No Katie will not be learning how to swan dive into snow anytime soon! The girls have spent the better part of the weekend playing outside in the wonderful powder. Oh I think I hear the snowmobile calling me! *Cough cough* Might have to call in "sick" tomorrow! Wouldn't that be nice, but no someone has to pay the bills.
Well guess what? Still not much going on here. The booger queen, I mean Katie, is feeling a bit better. Tires out at the end of the day, then crashes quick. Yeah no seranding at midnight. I really should get of this computer and go to bed. Then again my show is on(the sheild, I know, a bit nasty, but darn the comish looks good bald)and I do have a movie I need to watch, it is due back tomorrow. Shot it looks like I may be up for awhile still.
And I would be beaten with a wet noodle if I didn't say....
Happy birthday to Gooch & Katia!!!!!!!
Until next week.....
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, January 24, 2004 11:49 AM CST

I can't beleive that another two weeks has gone by. Thank you Kim for reminding me to update. Love you girl!
Well not much is going on here. We are all getting over another cold. Still want to know where kids get so much of their boogers from. Katie went through a whole box of tissue in one day!! YUCK!!!!!! Katie only missed one day of daycare this week due to the cold. Yesterday, she woke up really groggy and not functioning very well. I got her out of her PJ's and pullup and she fell asleep right there on the floor completely naked except for a pair of socks. It was too cute. The when I got her dressed she fell back to sleep again. So I felt it would be best for her to just stay home and relax for the day, so she hung out with gramma. Wouldn't you know it within ten minutes of me being gone to work she was up and running like a crazy lady eating like a horse. Figures. This morning was so cool. She came into the kitchen and asked for a drink of milk. Now understand when Katie says anything she omits the last letter, always. We are practicing her saying the end at speach and today she said milk, not mil. It was so good to she that she really gets this speach stuff. The swelling of her shunt from her fall three weeks ago is down conserderably, looks completely normal again.
Like I said not alot going on here, which is a great thing! Next MRI is not yet schedualed, but is due for the middle of March. Do you know this is the longest we have gone in the past three years from staying away from Vancouver? Yesterday marks three months the Katie had her port removed. and with no appontments until March, that will be five months in a row! Very nice!
Well you all have a great weekend!! We got another dumping of snow last night, so I am going to go send the kids out to play. I have added some new pics to the photto album, go check em out!
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, January 10, 2004 10:07 AM CST

Can someone tell me why four year olds do not sleep?????
Last night Katie sang to herself until some late late hour, not sure since I fell asleep around midnight to her little voice coming down the hall. Then at four I woke up, small bladder, and she was again(still?) singing away!!! Aroung five I was still hearing noises, then at seven she crawled into my bed and asked for a snuggle cuddle, half an hour later she informed me "done cuddling now, I go cuddle my baby in my bed" Well it is now an hour later and she has just gotten out of her bed and wants to watch cartoons because "it is morning time now, light on outside" I am really hoping she got SOME sleep last night or that will make for a really cranky Kate!
Nothing much, if at all, exciting is going on here. All back into the routine of work/school/daycare. Fun fun. Katie had her speach therepy on wednesday, and Rosie was shocked that Katie uses all her words. Before the christams break she would say for 'that is a cat in a hat', "that cat in hat", now it is the whole sentance. She is getting there, just very very slowly. Rosie is thinking that speach for Katie will be a life long strugle.She has three differant speach problems going on, please don't ask what the tecnical words for them are because it is too early in the morning and I am so not functioning properly yet, if I even will today. First she doesn't have front teeth, so that messes with speaking clearly. Next the surgery itself has damaged some nerves that are need for speach, but that can be worked on and Rosie beleives overcome. The third problen is related to the tumor in her ear. It is sitting in the nerve that controls facial muscles, so her mouth has issues with forming some sounds, this is what will cause her to have lifelong speach problems. In March we are meeting with the speach augmentative(sp?) therepists at Sunnyhill Rehab Hospital, to see if there is some kind of device that will help her be better understood. This would probaly be a computer that will talk for her when the words will not come. With Katie starting school in just over a year, we are needing to get the ball rolling for her to be understood and not have her comunication skills(or lack there of) hold her back in anyway. Katie, in reality, can start kindergarten in nine months, but she(me) is not quite ready for that. Wow has time ever flown by.
Well the girls are all up and the three of them want breakfast(Felica had a sleepover last night)so I must be off. I will work on new pictures today, so stay tuned!
Lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, December 31, 2003 10:39 PM CST

Wow I can't believe that it has been almost two weeks since I updated! Please forgive me! Please? First I want to say thanks for all the birthday and Christmas wishes in Katie's guestbook! We really do appreciate all the love and support that you all send, it really means allot.
So I guess I have lots to update you all on. Let�s start with her birthday party!!! It was really wonderful. Not so much from a party stand point, but more of just good friends and good food meeting for a melting of the minds (or shall I say expanding of the hips) She had a Dora cake, ice cream and a bunch of baked stuff that I got up at 6 to make. She really had a ball and I know I will cherish the memories for years to come.
Christmas was a hoot!!!! We spent the night at Grandma�s and Grandpa�s house on Christmas Eve. Papa read us all ��twas the night before Christmas� as he has done since I was a little girl, had lots of good food, and just could not get her to go to sleep. Like I was expecting anything different. I was up shortly after 5 along with grandma and grandpa, and we had to wake the girls up at seven. Well Felica and Hailey were awake; it was Miss Katie that refused to budge. Finally she got up and we opened presents! Well those two girls of mine got spoiled something big. I think I need to add on to the house just to fit all the new toys and clothes. I must say that I didn�t make out all that bad either. After a wonderful breakfast of eggs benedict and blintzi (Russian Crepes) we came home to put toys together. Answer me this, whose bright idea, was it to make kids toys that don�t come preassembled??? Then we went back to grandmas and grandpas for turkey dinner. On Sunday, Felica and I went snowmobiling, while Katie stayed with Grandma. Let me tell you it is now four days later and I still hurt! Definitely getting old. And what would Christmas vacation be without a trip to our local ER??? Last night Katie took a header down the stairs at grandma�s house. Mind you they were only four stairs or so, but she landed on her shunt. And I mean right on her shunt. It indented, got carpet burn and has a huge goose egg attached to it. Not pretty. So I took her up to get her nuero signs checked and all looked good. The doc there wanted me to bring her into her doctor today to recheck and things still seem to be fine. Like I said it looks much worse than it was. And for those that are asking where her helmet was, she had just taken it off to go home. We don�t have stairs here and there really isn�t much she can bang her head on while she is asleep so� Now I just have to keep an eye on her for the next couple of weeks and see how she does. Just a jump to my heart and like a friend said tonight, another twenty years taken from my life span.
Tonight is New Years Eve. Both girls were invited to a sleepover, I haven�t decided yet if Katie is going to go. I know I know, it is already after eight here, so what am I waiting for? Three things are holding me back from letting her go. First was her bump last night, I don�t know how comfortable I would be with her not in the house with me. Second if she does go, she will be attached to Felica�s hip and how much fun could that be for a ten year old to have her baby sister with her. And thirdly, what would I do? If she was home at least I would have a good excuse to stay in tonight. I am really not the type that likes to go to big parties with a bunch of people. I prefer to stay here at home with the girls. This way I wouldn�t look like a big (ger) loser. LOL! Sadly I am serious. No plans, nothing. Just going to stay here maybe watch a movie, then fall asleep on the couch well before midnight. Oh help me I need a life!!!
Next year will mark three years Katie has been on this journey into childhood cancer. We have learned even more than we did the first year. She passed the magical �Colin�s law� time frame. We have made allot of new friends and reconnected with old ones. Sadly we have lost way too many kids this year. I pray that this is the year that we see huge leaps in a cure to cancer and other childhood illnesses.
May God bless you and yours and may the New Year bring nothing but the best!
Lots of love
Cheri
PS~I decided that Katie will stay home with me tonight. Felica deserves to have a night out with friends and be a normal little girl.

December 22, 2003

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today you are four!!! I couldn't be prouder to say that I am your mommy. The strength and determination you show me daily amazes me. You, my dear, are my hero! God really blessed me when he allowed you to come into my life. I love you more than you could ever imagine.This song sums up what I am feeling and hoping for you.

~I Hope You Dance~
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give fate a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance, I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances, but they're worth taking
Loving might be a mistake but it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance (time is a wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance (rolling us along)
I hope you dance (tell me who wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance (where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance.
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance (time is wheel in constant motion always)
I hope you dance (rolling us along)
I hope you dance (tell me who wants to look back on their youthand wonder)
I hope you dance (where those years have gone)

I hope you dance

~Lee Ann Womack

I want today to be filled with as much love and fun as you can get. I love you baby girl!!!
~Mommy

Monday, December 15, 2003 9:32 PM CST

It was pointed out to me that it has been over a week since I have updated, so this one is for you Janice!!!

Sorry I haven't posted any santa/snow pictures, my dads scanner is not working, something to do with a scuzzy?? Not sure, but needless to say I can't scan any santa pics. My digital camera had a dead battery and I just now remembereed to pick some up at Wal-mart, so as soon as I am done here I will get some together for you all!! I will also include some pictures of tonight. What was tonight you ask?? Well little miss Katie had her very first christmas concert!!! The daycare had a potluck/concert/santa thing tonight, and goodness was Katie ever cute! I did manage to get a pic of her sitting on santa's lap there, not sure how it turned out though so we will see. ***New pictures are now on!!! And yes that is the three of us!!!***
Other than that not alot going on here. Katie still has no spots! This is a good thing. This is the second time this year that Katie was in close contact with someone that has had the chicken pox and she didn't get them. I am beggining to wonder if when she got the zoster(sp?) shot while she was exposed to them during treatment and her counts were down if that didn't help build her amunity to them. Who knows.
So a week from today is Katie's birthday!!!(December 22nd) I can not beleive that she is going to be four! Where did the time go??? We are having a taboggan party on Sunday the 21st! So if any of you all out there want to stop by and take a few runs down the hill and have some hot chocolate you are more than welcome to.
I want to say a big YAHOOOOOOO!!!!!! to Hayden! Congrats on ending treatments this week! If it wasn't for you guys being there for us when Katie was first diagnosed, and hanging out with Amy and I during Katie's surgery, I would have been a bigger mess than I already was. I remember when you dragged my sorry butt off of 3A onto 3B and doing the child run around the ward. Knowing there was someone from home just down the hall ready to show us around and hold us up and show me that it was okay to be a part of life again, well Tracey I must say that was the best and I will always be thankful to you guys! I am sure you will never know the impact you had on our lives(and still do). Thank you!
Okay so now that I am starting to tear up, I am going to end this here. Must go get some pictures done and I will need to see for that.Please remember to keep Cameron and all the others facing relapse in your prayers. And also all the families facing Christmas without a loved one. Cameron's link is down below and many others are on the Adopt a kid site. www.chubbychica.com
Until next week.......
Lots of Love
Cheri

Saturday, December 6, 2003 8:59 AM CST

Happy December all!!!
Have I ever mentioned that this is my favorite time of the year??? I love the snow, the Christmas lights, the trees, and most of all the Christmas carols!!! I am a huge Christmas carol freak, yep freak, at least that what my co-workers tell me. I am always belting out Christmas songs at work really annoying those around me, but guess what, too bad. I have no patience for bah humbugs, and scrogges. They all whine about how commercial Christmas is and to that I say..it is only how you make it. To me this season has nothing to do with the gifts or shopping or stuff like that. It is all about good friends, good family, good food and good times. To me Christams was meant to be spent being with each other. Take last night for example, the girls, my "third daughter", my best friend and I all lounged around in front of the TV watching Christmas cartoons. Goofy's Christmas, Garfields Christmas, you know all those types of shows(my mom recorded them in 1995 for Felica when she was two and seeing the old commercials was too funny) We sent there for almost four hours, before I had to put the girls to bed as they were falling asleep. To me that is the ultimate Friday night.
Well Katie seems to be getting over her cold, she hasn't had a fever in a week! This is good!! However, on Monday morning her cousin woke-up with Chicken pox!! UGGGGHHHH! Then her other cousin got them on Tuesday!! Double UGGHHH!! This would be fine if Katie didn't play with them all the time. Sunday she was with them for the better part of the day, and the Wednesday before that she was also with them. So needless to say we are on spot watch again!! With Katie being off treatment now for over two years, this shouldn't be a big deal for her to get. The only major problem would be trying to find child care for the week she couldn't go to daycare. I just can't miss much work with Christmas coming. Just pray that she doesn't get them during Christmas!!!
We are getting tuns and tuns of snow this year!! Yeah!!! The girls are going to go out and make snowpeople today!! I will make sure to get lots of pics and post them for you all. I have to go down to the mall later and pick up the girls pictures they had taken with Santa on Thursday night, then I need toi take them up to my parents to scan them, then I will post that one too. Today is going to consist of a whole lot of nothing. I am going to make a HUGE batch of nuts and bolts, thats the goal anyway.
Remember to keep Cameron in your prayers. His family is facing some really hard choices right now. They are living my ultimate fear.
Well have a great weekend and I will be back later tonight to post some pictures!
Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, November 27, 2003 7:58 AM CST

I know that many who read this are off today celebrating Anerican Tanksgiving so....Happy Thanksgiving all!! I have so much to be thankful for, my little girls are here with me, trying to live as much as a normal life as possible. Many do not have that anymore. Many are facing the unknown. Today I come to you to pray hard. As many of you know I have met many many kids through this website, and none have touch my heart as much as Cameron. Cameron is the same age as Katie, diagnosed a year after her with the same type of tumor. Yesterday he found out the damn beast has come back. I am sure they can use as many prayers as they can get. So please stop by " Cameron's Site.
Katie's cold seems so insignificent right now. So minor compared to the reality Cameron's family is facing. Katie is still not feeling well at all. She has a wicked cough, really boogery nose(anyone know where kids keep it all?) and no energy what so ever. For the past two days she has slept off and on curled up on the couch watching cartoons. She is on day two of a fever that advil barely touches. It is weird to have a fever and not have her admited. Still can not get use to being off treatment mode even though it has been two years. Because she has the vp shunt, basicly a forgein object in her, if she gets a fever I still have to take her up to the hospital, but they are looking for signs of a visible infection, which they have found always(ear this time) She is given oral antibiotics and sent home. Today I get to go to work for the first time this week. Gramma said she would hang out with Katie. Katie is really excited. It is not fair to send her to daycare with a fever and boogering so much, we don't want the other kids catching what she has.
Well thanks for listening to my rambling. I am so sad right now about Cameron, that I am sure none of this made any sense and there are numerous spelling errors I am sure.
Hope everone has a happy thanksgiving.
Lots of love
Cheri

Tuesday, November 25, 2003 1:03 PM CST

So who feels like going and beating an ENT doctor????? I have permission, he told me that if Katie gets an ear infection in the next month I was allowed to smack him. Well guess what....hello ear infection!And strep throat, and fever, and vomiting, and cough.....Poor baby. Funny thing if she got her tubes put in her ears last month, she never would've got this darn thing. Oh sure I am sure she would still get the cold part, but her ears would've been fine. So there we were at 9am trapsing up to the hospital in a freaking BLIZZARD!! Did I mention I got my wish?? The one for the snow to stay, well it is staying, snowed about two feet in the past 2 days. Anyways...did what we did at the hospital, got a perscription for antibiotics and went outside and saw about 4 inches on my car, we were only inside for about an hour. So needless to say I came straight home(in first the whole way) and got my mom, who has a 4x4 to go pick up the perscription. Now Katie is curled up on the couch, watching tv and falling asleep. Oh tis the season!!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, November 22, 2003 1:38 PM CST

***Saturday Evening***
Check out the photo page!! The girls got their portraits taken tonight!!

Well here we are another Saturday! Not alot has been going on since the last update. This is a good thing. Katie as usual is enjoying daycare and doing well with her therepies. In speach we are working on getting her to end her words. That seems to be her biggest problem. For hat she says ha, this makes it really hard for others to understand her. So we are just plugging along reminding her to say the endings, and when she does it comes out so clearly. Last Thursday we went in to get our flu shots. Fun fun. I also had the nurse weigh and messure her. She still comes in at 29 pounds, and is 90 cm(2.9 feet) tall. Way under what she should be at this age. I guess when we go back to Vancouver in January or March (not sure which one yet, but definately March for MRI) I will have to talk to her oncologist about this.

It is so cold here, yet the snow we have been having is not staying and melts shortly after it has fallen. I hope we get snow that stays soon, Katie wants to go out and make snow angels. I haev huge plans for this afternoon, there is an outdoor NHL game on today. So looking forward to it!! Good golly I need a life!!

lots of love
Cheri

Tuesday, November 11, 2003 6:17 PM CST

Here in Canada it is Rememberance Day.
First and foremost, I ask that you all take a moment to remember those that have lost their lives fighting in wars so that we may have our freedom that others are not as fortunate to have.

Well I have today off from work, yeah!!
I managed to change out of one set of pajama pants into another. Nice lazy day. Katie didn't get out of her jammies until ten, and then wanted to go to daycare. Not a heck of alot going on. Making some chicken soup doing some laundry, maybe I will go watch a soap or two. Hehehe.

We went over to a friends the other night, and she has a little girl that is a year and a half younger than Katie, but is about an inch taller than her and she easily has about five pounds on her. Katie is still in size 18months to size two pants. I think we are going to be seeing the endo alot sooner than I thought. I hate seeing Katie next to kids her age she is just so much smaller than them. So I guess I better be calling the doctor tomorrow to see if he can get the ball rolling. I was hoping to put this off for a few years. Usually they don't see this in chemo only protocals, but because Katie had the high dose chemo that had to cross the blood brain barrier, this wasn't all to shocking.

Other than that Katie is doing wonderful!!!! Therepies are all coming along steadily. She is making progress daily.

Well I am off, thanks for stopping by and signing the guestbook!
All our love
Cheri

Saturday, November 1, 2003 10:02 AM PST

Happy November!!!!!!!!!!

Last night was wonderful!! Katie dressed up as a giraffe, and gosh was she cute! It was so cold last night!!! Clear and no rain though so that was a good thing!! Katie loved going from house to house trick or treating, but didn't last too long, maybe about an hour. Then her and I came home, and Felica stayed out with Auntie PJ. We didn't get a single kid at our door. It was so nice to be home for halloween! Today we are sitting around doing nothing, maybe do laundry. We have already had our first snowfall, though it didn't stay. I actually just looked outside and it is snowing now!!!!! So cool!!! We love the snow and winter and all that comes with it. My silly parents are camping!!!! Well not really camping, but close enough!! We just bought property out in the boonies near a lake and they had to take the trailer we just bought up there. Lets hope it has heat.
Not much on the mediacl front. Her insision from her port removal is healing nicely. The steri-strips fell off on Thursday night and it looks good! She has a runny nose, well more so runny than usual. Ever since she was on chemo she has had a runny nose. I mean she always has stuff coming out of it. I should really take out stock on Klennex.
Today is two years since her last stem cell rescue. It still amazes me that it was two years ago that she ended treatments! For those who don't know stem cell rescue is like a mini bone marrow transplant, using your own sten cells. Using her own stem cells meant that there was virtually no side effects. It was an out patient procedure and we were able to go home right after. Due to the fact Katie had three rounds of really high dose chemo three months in a row she had three stem celll rescues. Without them her counts would've stayed dangerously low for a long period of time, and that was just too risky.
Anyways there are new pictures up, or they will be as soon as I am done updating!!I don't have any pics from last night yet, my sister has them on her camera and they need to be developed than scaned and well that may take a bit. Sorry. Hope you all have a great weekend and I will be back soon!!!
Stay warm!!!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, October 30th @ 10:30pm

Hi all!!!
Well today is it, two years since Katie had chemo! Wow!! Really I am amazed that it has been this long. It feels like yesterday, yet also a life time ago. I remember sitting in the clinic watching the first drug go in over two hours than she needed another one. As usual things were running slow and we needed to be moved up to the ward(3B) for the final chemo because the clinic was closing for the day. When we went up there, it was surreal. We were in the same room with the same nurse that gave Katie her first dose of chemo six months prior. I was in a weird state of mind then. So very happy that she was done, yet scared out of my mind that this was it, we were left to move on without the one thing that was keeping the monster at bay.
Here we are two years later and she is doing so good!!! Clear scans for two years!! How cool is that??? All day today I would get this grin on my face and realize how lucky we are. My baby beat this monster!!!! She was one of the lucky ones. For that everyday I am greatful!!
Okay so I am going to leave it at that tonight. I need to get up in the morning to go to work and right now I have tears steaming down my face because I am so happy. Tomorrow is trick or treating!! All of us are really excited. So tomorrow I will be back, and with pictures!!!
Until then lots of love!
Cheri

Saturday, October 25, 2003 4:05 PM CDT

KATELYNN IS DEPORTED!!!!!!!!!

One week shy of two years from the end of her chemo treatments for Medulloblastoma Katie is port free!!!! I couldn't be happier!! Katie is okay with it and will gladly lift her shirt to anyone and say "my port all gone"
Now what would a trip to Vancouver be without an interesting story or two?? So sit back grab a cup of coffee because this could be a long one.
Our trip down was uneventful in way of driving, but we did see some weird things. We saw a pickup truck pulling a helicopter and a train pulling three buses. It reminded me of that, song down by the bay. You know the one, have you ever seen a moose kissing a goose. Anyways we got there no problems and had her first appointment the next morning. Hearing test. Her hearing is at the same level as it was in March. No better, no worse. We will still keep a real close eye on it. The good news continued on into her ENT appointment. Katie for the first time in forever doesn't have fluid in her ears and she didn't need tubes this time around!! Yeah!! However the doc did tell me that if in two weeks she gets an ear infection and the fluid builds up I am allowed to deck him. LOL. We got out of there and went to toys r us. I love that place. Katie got herself a new baby and all was well in the world. We went back to the house and I had to call Daycare Surgery to find out the time of Katie's surgery the next morning. Oh wait did I say morning, well one would assume that a three year old wouldn't be put through the torture of not being allowed to eat or drink all day, but that is precisely what happened. Her surgery was scheduled for 2:30pm. Ughhhh!! So the next morning Katie got up bright and early wanting to eat and drink, so I did what any level headed mom would do, I took her shopping!!! We spent all morning in the mall and avoided the food court the whole time, and it worked wonders! So off to the hospital for 1:00(they wanted us there early) We get weighed, blood pressure, temp you know all that good stuff, and we wait. And wait, and wait, and well you get the picture. Finally at about 3 the resident comes in and says they are running late. No really?? What was the first clue?? The fact we have been there two hours already and the doctor is just coming in to see her? He says they should be ready in ten minutes. Well half an hour later, the anesthesiologist comes in and tells me......they are running late still. You don�t say?? He checks her out and says maybe ten more minutes at the most. Well half an hour later, the surgeon comes in and says, that�s right you guessed it ten more minutes. By this time Katie is doped up on codeine (pre medicated) and totally engrossed in the movie she is watching, so thankfully she has no cares in the world. Finally at about quarter after 4 they call her back to the OR. For the first time in over two years she needs to get an IV in her hand. I am so proud of my little girl. She sat oh so calmly while they put in her IV not a whimper or whine, and gives a big sigh when it is over. She gets the drug to put her to sleep and out she goes. An hour later, they come out to say she was done and in recovery, the procedure took all of seven minutes, sorry they didn�t come out sooner, but he was finishing up on the little girl before her, and didn�t actually get to her until half an hour after they put her to sleep. Ummm is it me or does this seem wrong on a whole bunch of different levels??? I went back to recovery to see her and she was out like a light. I whispered in her ear that I was there and did she want some apple juice? She shot bolt upright, and said yes. Half an hour later, we were sent home with instructions that she has steri strips on and to just let them fall off on their own. Oh yes she might be a bit sore so give her Tylenol. That�s it that�s all. Very weird experience. In that half hour though, she did have two popsicles, and some apple juice. She was also given some popsicles and ice cream to take back to the house. The recovery nurse was great; she really was good with Katie. She was really taken by Katie�s story and understood the importance of what the surgery really meant. One door in this experience closed and a whole new world opened up. Katie still lives with the daily affects of treatments, but I truly believe that not another cancer cell will grow in that little body of hers. I don�t know why I feel this, but it was if a total calm came over me when that port was removed. Yes she still has MRI�s in her future, and yes, daily living is altered beyond the norm, but she is okay and will be okay for a long time to come.
And on that note I am going to go and spend some time with her. I will be back next week, that is a for sure. You see next week marks a huge milestone��..Two years post treatment. So until then��.
Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, October 19, 2003 11:49 PM CDT

Hi all!!
Sorry it has been so long, but we have all had the flu and are just now starting to feel better. I thought the flu wasn't supposed to start until November or something like that. How dare it sneak up on us, before we were able to get the flu shot. Felica was lucky and barely had it, Katie was a bit worse than her. She only missed one day of daycare, a bit of vomiting, a cough and runny nose, nothing major, and she is now doing wonderful! I was the really lucky one, I had it so bad that I missed a week of work. Anyways we are all better and life is getting back to the way it should.
Two days from now we leave for Vancouver! I think Katie may be okay with having her port taken out. I have been really expressive with how happy I am to get rid of it, and I think she has gotten on the band wagon. Let's hope this lasts!!! Wednesday is a hearing test and Thursday is the removal and tubes put in. Back home on Friday. So I won't have internet access for the week :-( But i will make sure I update the second we get home.
So I have learned a real important lesson this week. Be careful what you wish for. All summer we had really dry weather, which caused droughts and fires, now we have floods. It has rained more than it ever has in the past few days. Records were broken all over BC.
I must go and get some sleep now, I have to be at walmart at 8am to get winter tires put on the car. The mountains have seen some snow and I really don't want to drive down on the bald tires I have on right now. You all have a great week and talk to you soon!!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, October 5, 2003 7:39 PM CDT

Okay where did this year go????????? I can't beleive that it is already October!!!

Things here have been going really good. Katie has been doing great. Surgery is still schedualed for the 23rd. Katie is soooo not happy about getting her port out. This thing has been a part of her for the past two plus years. She has had it for more than half her life, this is huge for her. I am sooo not looking forward to the temper tantrum when she wakes up in recovery and realizes it is gone. Nothing is working to get her on the band wagon for this. Every time I mention it, she freaks!! "No my port!!!" I have even told her that she wouldn't have to be poked in it anymore, nothing!!! Uggghhh. Well we are going to get it out, if she likes it or not, and I will just have to deal with the fit afterwards, and she will have to deal with the fact that having a port is not normal. Any ideas??? I am at the point where I won't mention it to her again until they are putting her to sleep. No really, as the sleepy juice is going into her, I will tell her "Hey Katie, by the way, you are going yto wake up without your port in" Is that too cruel??? I am at my wits end with it. One thing for sure though, we are keeping it. I have her lines still. She had lines, pulled then out while she was getting a platelet transfussion. When they origanally were going to do the surgery for her line I asked for them to put in a port instead, but they said she was too young. Two months later out it came and in went the port. Now tell me, what do two months differance makes?? Oh well, now we will have two funky things hanging around.

Make sure you check out the photo album, Gramma got Katie a wig!!! Okay so it is a bit big, and a bit gray, and yes she looks like a dork. But gosh she sure would look like me if she had dark hair, well hair in general.

A friend of mine, that I met online, has set up a message board for parents whom have kids with special/medical needs. It is a great place!!! Lots of fun!! So have a look, say "hey", leave a joke, or vent if you need to. Just click here Parents Place

Hope you all have a great week, and I will be back soon. No that is not a threat it is a promise.
Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, September 25, 2003 7:47 PM CDT

I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to get on here and update this, sorry sorry sorry, please I beg you, forgive me!!!! LOL, needed to add a bit more drama to the day!!!

Anyways, I think my frustration level with BC Children's Hospital has reached an all time high!!!! In this past week, Katie's next set of appointments(port removal, tube instertions, and audiology) has been schedualed three thimes and cancelled twice.First they called on Monday wanting to do it TODAY!!! Ummmmm three days notice soooooo does not work, so I called back and asked for a date change. I got another call today saying the first of October, six days away, not really what I had in mind but doable. Then three hours later, another call, how does the twenty-third sound? NOW THAT MORE LIKE IT!!!! So as things stand at this hour, almost six pm, Katie will be down in Vancouver for her appointments in just shy of a month. We will see what tomorrow brings though.

I did good today, only made two people cry! First was Katie's speach therepist, her old one, the one we love!!! Rosie is a doll, the greatest, absolutely wonderful, okay I will stop there, we only have 45 minutes on this at a time and I could go on all day. She was on leave for a baby, and hadn't seen Katie in almost a year and a half, when she was still only crawling and could barely talk. Needless to say the change she saw in Katie moved her to tears! We are still going to plug away with Katie's speach and try to get her to slow down and articulate more. She has the words, just doesn't say them quite right yet.
Second crier of the day, Mary-Liz, we love you and couldn't be happier, you need to call me so I can tell you what Felica had to say! Mary-Liz has been so great and, shoot gotta stop there, only 45 minutes, through this whole ordeal. The things you have done for us Auntie Mary could never be matched and I think your idea is a great one!!!

Katie is still getting stronger and better by the day. Potty training is going wonderful, actually it is no longer potty training, she is trained. She still has a runny nose 24/7, but that has been ongoing for the past two years.

So Katia's mom had a great idea, POSTCARDS!!!! Katia is collecting postcards, so the other day I bought a book with a book of stamps and have started sending them out If anyone wants us to send them one of what our town looks like, let me know(Janice? Betty? Sara? Denice? just to name a few) We would be happy to send some out. We are sending Katia five so far, and have oodles left.

Still no word on Felica's tonsils.

Lots of love
Cheri
PS. For those that have enjoyed Blue...he will be back!!!! It has turned into fall around here, kinda. Nights are getting soooo cold, but daytime temps are still reaching 25-27 celsius(almost 80 fahrenheit) The smoke has finally cleared though!!!

Sunday, September 14, 2003 3:40 PM CDT

Happy Sunday all!!!!

Well to start with, Katie's scan was clear!!!! Yeah!!!! No signs of any cancer!! This is the best news!!

Her oncologist wants her to see an endrocologist sometime in the next year, he is thinking that she is a tad on the short side. Okay I guess more than a tad, considering she is in the tenth percentile for her age, but that is not something he thinks needs addressing right this minute. As for the port removal, it was yet again cancelled, but I knew that going down, and her hearing test will be reschedualed for that time, probably a month from now.I cancelled because honestly I did not want to stay down there for a week since her appointment was for the 17th. Her ENT appointment showed fluid build up again, so we may be looking at tubes put in her ears, but that too will wait a month. I also learned something interesting while there. Katie is in a very small group of kids that has not relapsed while on a chemo only protocol. The main treatment for medullo is radiation, and she was too young for it when she was diagnosed. Her oncologist got a request from a neuro-oncologist from the U.S. to have all files, scans and tests sent down to him, in order to study her case. Personally I know only two kids that have had chemo only and are at least two years out and didn't relapse. All were on differant protocols, and the one kid that I know that was on the same protocol as Katie, has relapsed. So who knows what this may bring for further treatment for other little ones diagnosed down the road.

Thanks for all the prayers for clean scans, it sure is nice to know so many people care.

Need to run and go grocery shopping.
Lots of love and thanks
Cheri

Saturday, September 13, 2003 8:03 PM CDT

It's clean, it's clean, it's clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Came home a few days early, but I will explain later. I am way too tired.

It's clean, it's clean, it's clean!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, September 10, 2003 8:39 PM CDT

UGHHHH!!!
I am in such a kafufle today!!! We are leaving tomorrow morning for Katie's appointmants in Vancouver, and I am so not done packing.Why do I always put things off til the last minute?? Between lack of sleep, due to stress, and working this week I have got nothing done. Felica is coming with us, so that will be a huge help, especially on the freeway, to keep Katie entertained. The MRI is at 10:30 Friday morning.Even though I know the test will be fine, I will always have those butterflies of what if. As I said before, it is called PMS, pre MRI syndrome. Katie will be fine, I will be fine, everything will be fine!!! Now if I keep telling myself this just 5 billion more times, maybe the nerves will calm. Here is the funny thing though, I am not as worried about the MRI as much as the drive down there. Not because of the usual worries, because I want to know how far the drive will set Katie back with her big girl panties. That's right, Katie is finally potty-trained!!!!!!!!!!!!! Last week I told her big girls aren't allowed to wear their pull-ups to daycare and low and behold, she is potty trained!!!!! Just like that. I am soooooo very proud of her!!!! She loves daycare and runs in every morning yelling "bye mommy" Too darn cute!!!!!
So I guess that is all. I don't have internet access while I am down there, so I won't be able to update, unless I find an internet cafe. I'll try. So until then, please rememmber Katie in your prayers for a clean MRI. And don't forget all the other little ones out there. Our friend Cameron just got a clean scan today! Yeah Cam!!!!(you can say hi to him by going to the links way down below)
Lots of Love
Cheri

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Not really much of an update just stopping in to tell you the song Katie sang this morning
"I am going to Daycare, I am going to Daycare, I am going to see my friends, I am going to Daycare" Let me tell you it was way too cute!
On the 12th (just over a week from today), Katie will be having her MRI. I honestly didn't realize how soon it was. The nerves have really kick in now!
The new pic was taken Saturday, a friend of mine brought over his bunny for the girls to see. Katie thought it was the coolest thing in the world.
I also changed the backgroud back to Blue's Clues because Katie missed it.

Saturday, August 30, 2003 11:34 AM CDT
Good Morning! Happy weekend!! And all that good stuff!!!

Well first and foremost, the girls are back!! Yeah!! Let me tell you I sure missed them. The week without them taught me something. I love being a mom. I knew this but just not on this level. My life revoles around them, and I could not be happier.
The girls had a great time camping. Katie even learned how to bush pee, a must when you live here. She likes doing it outside so much that the other day she had to go potty, so I took her to the bathroom, and she screamed so I let her get off and she ran outside and squatted in the front yard. Oh boy what will the neighbours think?
Katie is getting better and better everyday! She had OT on wednesday, and the therepist needs to reasses her because she has mastered everything she had planned for the past six month in less than two! Good job Katie!!!
School starts on tuesday! Felica is so happy, she loves school!! How luck am I?? This year is fifth grade. Am I really old enough to have a fifth grader?? It feels like yeterday that she was Katie's age. Also on tuesday, Katie starts daycare again. I am so thankfull that they have reopened. There was real doubt when they shut down for the summer, but the are going to be up and running, Yeah. Katie asks everyday, "I go to daycare today?" and when I tell her not today she starts crying. It's so much more than a daycare, it's part of her family. She relearned to walk there, she gets all her therepy there, it is so good for her.
As for her doctor appointments in Vancouver in September....Can someone please get their poop in a group, this is unbeilvable!! They wanted us there for the second, eigth, twelveth, fifteenth, and thirtyith.Umm so not going to happen!!!! I don't think they realize that it is an eight hour drive to get there, and I can't pack up the girls and make a day trip down. So as it stands today(and trust me this is subject to change) on friday the twelveth she has an MRI and on wednesday the seventeenth she has audio. They are trying to fit some more in but who knows. Her port removal was cancelled for the monday, and they are trying to reschedule it for someother time, but as it look right now she won't get it out for another three months. I was so mad on thursday when they made all these changes. The booking nurse I talked to didn't even have an MRI set up for her. Um hello? She gets them every six months and her last one was in March, so unless someone has changed the calendar on me, she is due for one is September! I am so frustrated!!!!! So it looks like we are going to be down there for a weekend I am sure we can find some fun things to do.
Still no word on Felica's tonsills, not that I am expecting anything right now. She needs to go to Kelowna for them, and well Kelowna was just hit really hard with forest fires. It is actually really upsetting what happened there. A third of the town was evacuated. This is a city of 100,000 people. Lots of people have lost their homes. So very sad. The fires are still burning here, really slowly, and aren't threatening town yet. It is only a half a kilometer closer than last week. The smoke is still really bad. Still no rain in sight. It is suppose to be hot and sunny all weekend. Like Aili said in the guestbook, never in a million years did I ever expect myself to be praying for rain, not here, where we usually get enough rain for most of the country. Wasn't just a few years back that they moved shooting of the X-Files from BC to LA because of too much rain? Weird.
We got some really sad news this week about another Caringbridge family. Katia has relapesed with AML. Please stop by and offer her and her family some prayers. Her mom Tracy "adopted" Katie and visits here often and is always leaving wonderful guestbook entries. We love you guys and will be praying hard!
Well I guess that is all for now. MRI jitters are in full swing, and will be for a few weeks. Everything that Katie does will have me thinking wierd things. Thanks for stopping by! I will be adding new pics today, sorry for the delay!! They will be on ASAP(if the aren't already there by the time you read this).
Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, August 21, 2003 0:11 AM CDT

Yeah it is the middle of the week, almost done!!!

Okay so this past week has sucked!!! No not with the girls, they are great!! Just life in general has gotten to me. Last week a friend of mine passed away. I knew this guy since we were in grade three, a very long time. His sister, Stacey, is on of my most dearest and closest friends.He had epilesy, and saddly it got the better of him. He was my age (28) and hadn't even really began to live his life. We will miss you Butthead!!

As for the girls...
Well your guess is as good as mine!!
They left last night to go camping with Erica for a week. Yep I am kidless for a week!!! This is the first time since Katie was born that I have been alone for more than a day or two!! I must say I am less than twenty four hours into this and I do not like it at all!!! My life revoles around those two. When I get off work, I go home, make dinner and hang out with the girls, that is my life, and honestly I love it!! I didn't know what to do after work tonight. I found something to do though. I went and hung out with a friend, watched Nascar truck racing, and fixed his computer. It was good, to get out and not have to worry about getting the kids home on time for bed. Weird, but good. I have been told that I have plans for Friday & Saturday night. Both nights include Nascar races. Thanks Mark for getting me out and enjoying something I love to do. Sunday I am going to Yimr with mom, dad and Amy. Last time I went I had a ball!! So that leaves me Thursday night and Monday night alone so far. Anyone wanna go for dinner?? Mary-Liz? Moe? I need to do something or I will go stir crazy with boerdom. I miss my girls!!!!

Still no word on Felica's tonsills being taken out. I hope to here from them soon. As for Katie's appointments in September, I got another call from Vancouver. Her hearing test is schedualed for the 17th. According to the audiology's computer, Katie is schedualed for the 15th, 17th. the 2nd, and eigth with various appointments in September. Ummm so not going to work for me!!!!! This is not an easy trip to make!!! 8-10 hour car ride each way!! Nope can't strech that into three weeks!! I really hope someone gets their poop in group, and get these appointment closer together. We will see what the next few days brings.

For those who haven't noticed, I still haven't put up the new pics yet. I will get on it soon. No camping stories either tonight. I hope to get both up in the next few day. With no kids here, I will have a more free time on my hands and will get to them soon.

As for the fires here, they are still creeping closer to town. The smoke is gross. I have some pics of that too that I will post here before the weekend? hopefully. We have one closing in on the Washington State/Canada border that is about 800 meters form Canada, only a matter of time untill that one is here too.

Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, August 15, 2003 11:53 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

Things here are going well. Katie has a bit of a cough, gee, I wonder could it be from all the smoke??? For those not around here, the last few days have been gross. There are new fires, and they are all here in this area. Closest one being 13kms (8miles) from Nelson. They say it isn't threatening any homes, but still that is a little bit to close for comfort, I mean when you go to your car after work and it is covered in ash, that can't be good can it. We had a beautiful sunny sky today, but could only see brown smoke on sky. Honestly it scares the crap out of me!! Oh yeah and did I mention that the helicoptor flight path is right over my house and they start at 5am!! Can you say sleep deprived?
Anyways, as I said things here are going good. Katie is doing awsome!!! Want to hear some great news?? I found out this afternoon that Katie's port removal surgery will be September 15th!! How cool!! Two years and month after she got it put in! I am asuming that she will also have her MRI and hearing tests done around that day too. You see the nurse for the surgeon called and said that since Katie was having other appointments at this time that they will fit her in. Well I haven't heard anything about the other appointments, so as usual I am the last to know!!

***Camping stories***
So they we are playing in the lake, oh did I mention this lake is full oh fish and pollywogs?? This little boy about 7 shows up in the water and starts screaming, "the waters getting warmer guys, wanna know why the waters getting warmer,huh guys, wanna know why the waters getting wammer, I tell you the water is getting warmer, wanna know why, I'll tell you why. I AM PEEING" Then went and threw a dead fish at my sister and a dead pollywog at my neice(he killed both) Then ran away!! Can you say RITALIN?????

Within ten minutes of being at the campsite, Katie covered herself in dirt, literally, and sat at the picnic table chanting "I am camping, I am camping" over and over again. Too darn cute.

I put some pics up last week and will put more up tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, August 10, 2003 11:45 AM CDT

Hi all!!! We are home!!!
I will try this again cause I updated last night and it didn't show up. Oh well life goes on.
First off, Betty, I am so joining you in the Hamptons, camping is not all it's cracked up to be!!! One thing I learned was, I am not a kid anymore. My body hurts so bad right now!!I did discover Aleave while I was there, is it leagal to ship boxes of that stuff here?? It worked so good.
Katie had a ball!! She loved it!! She even went on a hike to the Canadian/US border, she made it 3/4 of the way, then pooped out so Auntie Lisa's boyfriend carried her the rest of the way. We also went on a tour of a cave, and she loved it, she kept saying "wow" She slept good everynight. She swan, helped row a boat, and played so much.
On Thursday we went shopping!Yeah, something I can handle!!! It was pouring in the morning, thunder lightning, the whole nine yards, great day to shop. Wal-mart down there has way more stuff then we do. The one thing we couldn't find was Cheese Whiz! We went to five differant stores looking for it, everytime we asked we were led to spray cheese, definately not what we were looking for!! Is cheese whiz something that is native to Canada? Cause I swear I see commercials for it on the US stations.
I am going to go and unpack, then hold down my couch, wouldn't want it to run away or anything. The girls are playing up at Baba's so it is nice and quiet here. I'll update more soon with camping stories.
Lots of love
Cheri.

Sunday, August 3, 2003 3:23 PM CDT

Happy Sunday!!

So I decided to take a few days off to relax before camping. Felica went with my mom and dad though. Katie and I are just hanging out at home. Sadly she seems to be coming down with another cold. Yeah more boggers!!

Our province is still being ravaged by forest fires. Our premier has declared a province wide state of emergency. We have more than 350 fires burning right now. You know it is bad when it is on CNN. Yep there I was flipping through the channels this morning and they had a little story on it.Scary!! Reports on Friday night said the the entire town of Berrier was burnt, now that they are able to get in it appears that 60-85 homes are gone, not as bad as first thought. Ten thousand people have already been evaquated. More are expected. So far the are well to the northeast of us. However, my grandparents, aunt and uncle and some cousins live in Armstrong, and as of noon was put on alert to get out with an hours notice. Please pray that they don't have to go, that the fires stay far away from them.

Lots of Love
Cheri

Saturday, August 2, 2003 1:47 AM CDT

Hi all.

Well another week has past and things here have been going well. Katie is doing great!! That girl sure has an attitude. Tonight when I told her it was bedtime, she crossed her arms, put out her lower lip, and muttered over and over again "no fair, no fair, no fair." It was way too funny!! Gee I wonder where she learned to be a drama queen from?? ;-) Still no word on when Felica is going for surgery and her throat is still sore. Poor girl, I really feel sorry for her, every morning she wakes up with a painfull throat. I guess in the big picture tonsills are a minor issue, so I will take it over anything else.

Now on to a real serious issue....

We desperately need some prayers sent towards our province.With the dry hot weather conditions we have had for the past month, our forests are tinder dry. We have some major fires burning. All residents were evacuated from Barriere BC this afternoon, and as of an hour ago, the little town was comsumed by flames. I could not even image what these people are going through. Three thousand people are left with nothing. Thankfully the fires are not near here, but they are saying that this is the driest and hottest this are has been in over fifty years. Very scary. The Galcier National Park fire is creeping towards the BC border, it is about 3-4 kms away. To our friends in Montana, our prayers are with you, but do you really need to share?;-)Seriously though we are praying for you. There are also two fires burning on the BC/Alberta border.The smoke around her is increadable!! I actually have a box by the door of ALL my negatives just in case something happens here. I have also told Erica that if anything happens to grab that and my computer tower and run. I think I may need to seek some proffesianal help, but if I didn't have the files that I do on this computer I think I would twitch.

I am off work for a week!! YEAH!!! First holidays I have taken in three years that didn't involve taking Katie to Vancouver, but can you really call that a holiday? We are going camping down in Washington State(about an hour over the Canada/US border) to a little place called Box Canyon. The swimming is great there. This will be Katie's first camping trip, so I will be sure to take lots of pictures. I learned something today though, my family is a bunch of weirdos. We will be taking a day trip to Collvile, to visit Wal-Mart. As mom says "American Wal-Marts are much better then Canadian ones." Who takes a day trip while camping to go to Wal-Mart?? Gotta love my Mom.

Anyways~ Stay safe and have fun this weekend!!
Talk to you all soon, I will be making guestbook rounds in the morning.
Lots of love
Cheri, Katie and Felica.

Friday, July 25, 2003 8:59 PM CDT

Hi all!!!!

Here we are on the eve of a weekend and not much is going on....except....Katie is cured of cancer!!!!! How do those words look??? To me that is the best sentance I have ever written!!!!!!! I know that it has only been two years and a bit sine she was diagnosed, but for some reason(still unclear to me) medulloblastoma is calculated completely differant than other cancers (five years cancer free=cure) Wanna know what the thereoy is???? Well according to some studies that have been done (called Colin's Law) a child diagnosed with medulloblastoma can be considered cured when they use a formula that takes the age of diagnoses multiply by two nine months. Today is that day for my Katie!!! From my understanding the cells that the cancer developed in, die out in this time. Don't really know the exact science of this, but hey, I am running with it!!!

Other than that "little" bit of info, life is the same here. Hot, tiring, and wonderfull!!Yesterday I came home from work early, I think I may have had heat exhaution. Really really tired, hot, fever, nausea. Yep that was fun!! Not!!! Felica is still relly excited to get her tonsills out! I haven't heard anything yet. Thnaks to those that have signed her guestbook, she really thinks it is neat. For those who have yet to make it there, there is a link either down at the bottom, or higher up, they both work. It's still hot.. so let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!(thinking cool thoughts here)

Jpe you all have a great weekend!!
Lots of love
Cheri
PS. Lori~ Felica picked out the graphics and I made the page. I too really like the clouds.

Tuesday, July 22, 2003 7:41 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

As is the norm these days, Katie is doing great!!! Got over her summer cold just like that! Completely full of piss and vinager! Not a day goes by that her antics don't put a smile on my face. Last night we were outside playing in the sprinkler and she stripped down, completly naked and ran through with her cottage chesse butt cheeks and all. Let me tell you it was hilarious.
Now we have had a bit of excitement this week, this time with Felica. For those that don't remember, late winter she had mono, and ever since has had a sore throat almost every morning. I have taken her to the doctor and the bimbo told me it was normal for kids her age. Now I do know that, but if I took this doctors word on everything she said, Katie would have gone longer without a diagnosses(she said it was an inner ear problem) my mom saw her and said she was going through menopause when in fact it was early stage liver failure. Now some of you may ask why we still go see her, well we are from a small town and most doctors are a bit of a wait to get in, so if we need to see a doctor asap we go to the walk in clinic, where we have no choice on who we get. Anyways to make a long story, not as long, I immedietly asked(demanded) a second opinion. She offered a referal to the pediatrian, and I ran with it. Our little town only has one, who we are absolutly in love with. Dr. Carrie is the best, when Katie needs to see her she will drop everything to get her in. However, Felica has never been there as a patient, so we needed a referal. Carrie looked in Felica's mouth, asked me how long has this been going on for, and said "These things need to come out" So in a few weeks time Felica will be getting her tonsills out. Yeah!! A regular childhood surgery!! No port insertions/removals, no tumor removals!!! Felica is handleing it like a champ! When she found out she said "well it ain't brain surgery!" How sad is that? No ten year old should ever have to utter those words. She should be scared, but no she is so looking forward to spending time in a hospital with just mom, no sister. Due to long wait lists and no more surgery being done here in Nelson, the quickest we could get in was if we went to Kelowna. I'll let you all know the days when I get them. Until then could ya all stop by her own site that she has and say hey.?? Thanks.
Now on to the thing I have been complaining about the last few weeks, the heat. Today was 43 degrees celsius(109.4 fahreheit.)Janice I am packing up now so we can switch! Forest fires are a huge risk, with the sky in the evening turning brown from all the smoke. Very creepy looking! We live in the bush here so I am starting to get worried! Let it snow, let it snow let it snow!!! LOL!!
Hope you all have a great week!!
Lots of love
Cheri!

Friday, July 18, 2003 11:09 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

Another week has passed and still not much going on. Katie is getting over a summer cold. Nothing major, just lots of boggers. Sorry for the visual. ;-) She seems to be handling it well. Both girls went for a two night sleepover at Erica's. Wow was that weird?? Only me in the house was so strange, I didn't know what to do with myself. I got some shopping done, that was neat I didn't have any "Mom can I have this, or Mom can I have that" it was nice. Last night I went for dinner and drinks with some of the girls from work. Now let me tell you that was fun!! I haven't done that in close to a year, and boy did I ever need it. A chance to relax and unwind, and talk to adults with no kids needing me for anything. I even got to see some old friends that I haven't seen in almost forever, that didn't know I had Katie let alone what she has gone through. Only made one full grown man cry. I realized with everthing that has been going on for the past two years, with Katie's cancer, my job and trips to Vancouver I have become a real hermit. Life has definatly change, and I am thinking for the better here. I had this one friend that I haven't seen in about five years tell me that he sees a differant me, someone that really understands life now and has a grip on reality, that knows what fights to fight and which ones to just let go. Yeah! That beleive it or not really made me feel good. To have that valadation from someone that hasn't seen me for awhile and knew me in my wacky, crazy, messed up pre Katie, pre cancer life. I'm really glad to have had that opportunity to revisit parts of that life, and realize how wonderful I have it now. But let me tell you I love having my girls back now, boy did I miss them.

For those of you still with me here....

The weather has not gotten any better. UGHHHHH! Two weeks straight of at least 35 degree heat, and still no rain in sight. In the next few days we are predicted to reach 40 degree temps. This is not just heat I am talking about. This is the sticky, smelly, gross, shower three times a day heat. Thank God we finally got air conditioning at work this week. Big metal building huge concrete parking lot = in one word HELL!!!! To top it off we have alot of forest fires in the area, so our little valley is smoked in. Can barely see the mountains on some days through the haze. Janice, have room at your place for some folks who would really love a break from this stuff?? LOL!!! I am signing christmas carols here trying to think cool thoughts. Both girls are definately summer lovers! They love it. Tomorrow I am headed down to the hardware store to buy myself a screendoor so I can sit here and enjoy the cool breeze that is trying to squeeze in between the moths and mosquitos. Wish me luck!! This weekend happens to be our little towns busiest weekend. Lots of folks in town. Every year our town plays host to Streetfest. What is streetfest you may ask? Well, to quote the website "Streetfest is a three day celebration of the arts.It is an international gathering of street preformers and artisans all serverd up in one of the most pictuesque communities in Canada. It is busking at it's best.... The Nelson International Street Performers and Arts Festival (a.k.a. StreetFest) takes place outside � thus the term �street performers.� Baker Street (Nelson�s historic main drag) is closed off to cars and opened up to all manner of performers � jugglers, acrobats, contortionists, comedians, magicians, artists, people on stilts, people with puppets � crafters (dozens of the region�s best artisans doing demonstrations and selling their wares) � musicians, and of course, you, the public!" Okay so this may sound appealing to some, but sorry I have some serious issues about getting on this bandwagon. See my problem with this is the people. We have about 9,000 people here, and when this weekend hits, the population swells to about three to four times this. For those of us who need to get shopping done, closing down the main stip is sooo unpracticle. Trafic is horrible, and with the heat, well we won't go there. But somewhere I will go is body odor. Oh my Goodness!!!! You pack all these people in five blocks and it gets bad. See most of the people that show up for this happen to be hippies, no not the fun loving 60's type, the more modern day ones, the tranisets that seem to have forgotten what a shower was sometime in the 90's!! Honestly, it is gross. Our darling little town seems to be the meka for these people. Could be have something to do with the Kootenay Green. In the past five years we seem to become the haven for the folks that think the world owes them something, and all they want to do is sit on their butts, smoke dope, and have the government pay them for it. No seriously, no word of a lie every summer we get litteraly bus loads of folks from back east who come here just for our slack welfare laws. These aren't families, these are physicaly capable single men/women who just do not want to work. Frustrates the heck out of me. Anyways that is what is going on here this weekend. No seriously anybody have room at their place for a few days?? LOL!! There is a beach just a bit out of town that is looking really sweat right now, think after I get the door up that is where I will be headed. Either that or we will hide up here in our yard. Oh thank you God for blessing me with a redneck family that thinks the more acres that are secluded the better.

Well now wasn't that a bit long winded?? Sorry, but the girls are sleeping and I am bored.
Lots of Love(and don't forget to sign the guestbook!!)
Cheri

Saturday, July 12, 2003 6:23 PM PDT

Hi all!!!

It has been awhile hasn't it? Sorry but we have been busy. Wanna know with what??? Life!! Yep normal, everyday, boring life stuff. Nothing has been going on!! I really really love to say that!! Katie is doing GREAT!!!! For the past two weeks I have been going with Katie to physio. For the past year she has been getting it at daycare, and when they closed at the end of June I have had a Wonderful friend of mine to come in and sit with both girls for the day. Anyways as I was saying.. Physio... Holy Cow!!!! What an improvement Katie has made!! I know she has, I see it daily, but this is differant. The results of a physio test she had in Febuary compared to last week, are amazing. To see these results written down just blow mw away!! And to think, a year ago her nuero-surgeon told me she will probably never walk again! I can not wait to see him again and laugh in his face! Cruel? Oh well!! Never tell a Poznikoff she can't do something!!!Even her speach from a month ago has improved sooo much!!! I tell you this girl Amazes me!!!

We have been in a HEAT wave the past week! The temp has been getting above 35 daily. That's celceus. Erica has been taking the girls to the pool. I took them to the beach today. That lasted two hours, until the wind picked up, and the sand started a blowing. I think I have sand in places that I didn't even know I had. But it was wonderful and we are going again tomorrow!!

Tonight, as most Saturday's is movie night. Tonight's choice is Thumbalina. So I must run! As always...remember to sign the guestbook!!! I know I myself am bad for that, after the movie I will definately be making the rounds!

Lots of Love
Cheri

Wednesday, July 2, 2003 3:02 PM CDT

Happy July!!!! Some one want to tell me where this year went to?????

Hope you all had a great weekend!! I am getting an extra day off today!!! Yeah!!! I did go to work this morning, was told that there wasn't much to do, and if I wanted to go I could, so I ran and didn't look back!!

Katie had a ball at the beach!!! We went down at 11am and didn't get back until 5pm. She loved the water, she loved the sand, she loved the whole experiance!! It was wonderful. Felica's under the sea sand castle was awsome, though didn't win anything. She too had fun. We came home, had soup and sandwiches, then went back to the park for fireworks. Katie loved them too. I though she would be afraid of the noise. There she was, clutching her little Canada flag, waving it away, yelling out "Wow" All in all it was a very good day!!!

I am going to try to go to work tomorrow, hope we will have some stuff to do, this whole end of fiscal year thing has made us so sloooow.

To ALL of our American friends out there, we wish you a...

Lots of love
Cheri

Monday, June 30, 2003 7:31 PM CDT

*** NEW PICTURES***
Well here we are on day three of my looooong weekend!!!! Trust me when I tell you I throughly enjoyed sitting around playing with the girls and having Auntie Stacey, Joey, and Ellie visit, and getting paid to do it! I Need a job where I can do this daily. Oh to dare to dream.

Anyways~Katie and I haven't made it to the beach yet, Felica went today with Auntie Lisa. Tomorrow we have a big "to do" down at the park/beach for Canada Day. Cake, entertainment, face painting, food and fireworks. We plan on going down then and entering the sandcastle compation. Felica wants to make a mermaid pool. We actually didn't do too much this weekend sat around in the sun on Saturday. I swear I put sunscreen on the girls, but I think they were running in and out of the pool so much it must of rinsed off, cause both got a bit red., as for me I had my one sunburn of the year and will just keep getting browner. Neither of them hurt, and they are all better now. Sunday we stayed in, it was waaaay too hot, 36 degrees. Sorry Janice, I know it is winter for you right now, but you can rub it in when we are sitting at -20 come January. Today we played outside untill it go too warm, visited with Stacey and the kids, and watched movies. Tonight we are doing much of the same.

I know I said this a bit ago, but I am so happy that Katie really gets to enjoy this summer. This is her fourth summer. First year she was only a baby, summer after that she was going through treatments, last summer she wasn't walking yet, so THIS summer is her year to SHINE!!!! And that she is doing, all she wants to do is go outside to play. YEAH!!!!

Wednesday Erica will be comming to watch the girls for the summer. Since Katie's Daycare cllosed on Friday, I have a really good friend to come and watch them while I am at work. Erica has been there from day one. She has some serious things happen to her over the years, and her life could have really gone in the wrong direction, but she persavierd and is probably one of the few that I admire most. We really love you lots Eka, and am so glad my kids will be in the best hands.

Until next time.........
Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, June 26, 2003 8:16 PM CDT

Wow two updates in as many days!!! Aren't you lucky??? LOL!!!

Is it possible for a three year old to FAKE not feeling well??? Why(hehehe)you ask?? Well this morning Katie was kinda of draging around, didn't really want to go to daycare, but mommy had to work, so she went anyway. Not even fifteen minuets into my work day, daycare called and said Katie was not feeling well all she wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep and was a bit lathargic. So I went and got her, and figured since my mom was going to take her up to the hospital this afternoon to get her port flushed anyways, I would take her up and just get her checked out because she has some foul smelling urine and she said her back was sore. I was thinking a possible UTI again. Well four hours later she was jumping around in her bed and was just fine. The urine sample showed high keetones(sp?) which indicates dehydration. So she got her port flushed, and was perfectly fine the rest of the day!!! I think she just wanted to hang out with mommy today!! What a monkey. Now she is running around the house like a mad woman!!

Anyways~ I am sooooo looking forward to the weekend!!! It is Canada Day on Tuesday, and that means I am off work for four days!! Yeah!! Look out beach here we come!!!

I want to thank you all that come by and sign Katie's guestbook, all the prayers are WORKING!!! Two years cancer FREE!!! Please don't stop!!! Keep on signing!!!

Supper is almost ready so I better go feed the monsters!!
Lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, June 25, 2003 8:14 AM CDT

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

I here this word fifty million times a day. Anytime I ask Katie to do something, anytime we go anywhere, anytime we do ANYTHING, Katie asks WHY? I was thinking we may have bypassed this phase, guess I was wrong.

I thought I would update this morning with some funny stories from our trip. We drove down this time around. We left Tuesday morning at 5am and got there at 2pm, not too bad. So there we are in Vancouver, I have got my car with us, and what does Felica want to do?? Take a bus to the sky train station, so she can go on it down to the water front and go on the sea bus. I was planning on driving to Longsdale Quay, but this was easier. Oh well they had fun and I got to see some really "neat" people on the public transit system. As for Katie, I have never seen someone get so excited to visit a hospital as she does, then throw a fit when it is time to leave. I got to meet with a lady whose daughter had the same type of chemo as Katie did(thiotepia) and her daughter also has pernament hair loss, she gave me a number to this place in Vancouver that are doing research with kids that have lost their hair because of chemo, so we will see what he has to say. On Thursday morning we spent TWO hours at Toys r Us. Wow. To say the least the girls loved that place. That evening I got to go to Wal-mart in Burnaby, and found some great deals!! On Friday we went to Kelowna's Wal-mart, and on Saturday when I got home I had to go to the Wal-mart here. So yes that is three differant Wal-marts in three days, oh lord I need a life.

Well I must be off, gotta get the kids up and ready for school. Felica has today and half of tomorrow left then she is off for the summer!! Katie's daycare will close on Friday, then a friend of mine will watch them for the summer, YEAH no more lunches to make for two months!!!

Lots of love!!
Cheri

Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the new pics!! And don't forget to say HI in the guestbook!!!

Saturday, June 21, 2003 4:48 PM CDT

We are HOME!!!!!!!!!

Wow what a trip!!! So I guess y'all want to know what happened down there eh?? Well Katie will NOT be having a second eye surgery as planned. They mesured the degree of turn in her eye and it is no where near as bad as they first thought. Yeah!!! We will keep an eye on it and see what it does over the next few years. As for the hearing loss. Well she has lost a little more in her left ear, though she can still here conversations and such, her right ear is taking over most of the slack. As for the tumor in the right ear, yes we actually have diferantiated betweeen left and right, it is called an Acoustic Neuroma. And the best news of all, they beleive that yes it is NON-cancerous. Supposedly they are quite common. As of now it is causing face palsey, which is where her face droops on the left. It is also the reason her talking is not the greatest. The tumor is effecting the nerves that controls the face muscles. If they were to go in and remove it, she would definately lose the hearing in her right ear(good ear) and it is as big of a surgery as the one that removed the origanl tumor.So as of today we are just going to leave it. Her platelets have gone up, not alot mind you they are sitting at 182 now. Here at our hospital they call normal at 180-440. The doctors are happy with this?? I guess I will just keep an eye on her and see what they continue to do. Now for the best news.... Katie's port is coming out!!!!!!!!!!!!! In about three months we will go back down and have it removed!! In August it will be two years since she has had it, I know not nearly as long as some kids, but it hasn't been used since September 2002, she just gets monthly flushes. So all in all it was a good trip, but I am so happy to be HOME!!
*Auntie Chris~ Thanks so much for letting us crash at your place last night!!! We love you and hope to see you soon!!

Lots of Love
Cheri

Monday, June 16, 2003 11:13 PM CDT

Well here I am, on yet another eve before our trip to Vancouver. I really dislike the place. I guess it's because I am a small town girl completely!!! The big city is definately not for me. Oh I do like the shopping, don't get me wrong, what girl doesn't like to shop? It's just so inpersonal. Katie has two eye appointments on Wednesday, then on Thursday, blood work(pray for platelets to be up) ongology clinic, and two ear appointments(pray for no more hearing loss) We are going so to some sight seeing while there. On wednesday afternoon we are taking the sky train to the sea bus, then going to Longsdale Quey. I have never been there, but I heard of this great place that makes great coffe, and I am always on the hunt for the ultimate cup of java. On Thursday we are headed to the Wal-mart in Burnaby. I know, how weird to actually go out of your way to take a trip to a mall, but you see the Wal-mart here doesn't sell bras my size, and the one in Burnaby does, so I like to stock up. Too much info??? Sorry. On Friday we are headed to the Okanagon(SP?)to visit with family. Then we will head home on Saturday sometime. Did I mention I am taking both girls?? Felica is almost done with school, so I figured what the heck. She does have some homework so she won't miss much. We will be staying at Easter Seal House this time around because it is much easier with the two girls. If any one has any recomendations on other stuff to do whith kids down there, email me to night or google easter seal house and you can get the number, just ask for me when you get the front desk.
Wish us luck!!!
Lots of Love
Cheri

Thursday, June 12, 2003 8:42 PM CDT

Hey there!!
Looks like the spots went away!! I swear she does this just to try to stress me out!!! Little monkey!!!! Thanks guys for taking a look at the pic though and reasuring me!!! When I sent it to my mom she told me that I also slept with my eyes open.

As I said last night things here are going good. Just getting things organized for our trip to the coast next week. Both girls are seeing how far over the edge they can push me until I snap. Felica was dancing around the computer this morning hit it and knocked my coffee all over the keyboard. Needless to say I had to go buy a new one afterwork.Then also this morning I was cleaning out Katie's bag for daycare and took out a pair of shoes that has been in there all week that she never wears, so guess who wanted to wear them when we got to the daycare, then blew a fit to match any two year olds!! Thats okay though cause they are kinda cute and I love them!!

On a much more somber note- Our caringbridge community lost another brave warrior today, and a family lost their son. Colby, who has bravely fought JMML for over a year, endured two bone marrow transplants, earned his beautiful angel wings this morning. Please stop by and offer the family support during this unbelivably hard time. I pray I never have to feel half of the pain his parents must be going through. www.caringbridge.org/pa/colby

Lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, June 11, 2003 11:10 PM CDT

Happy Wednesday!!!!

Not much new going on around here. Things have been good. No new tremors. Things are pretty much status quo. Which is just the way I like it!!!!

I posted a new pic tonight that I took of Katie after she fell asleep on the couch, daycare takes alot out of a girl! To say the least it is kinda creepy. See Katie sleeps with her eyes partly open, her sister did the same thing when she was little too. But thats not the reason I posted it. If you look at her upper lip it looks like we may have the begging of chicken pox. There is a big red dot with white in the middle, and a few smaller ones around the mouth area.She has had a runny nose for a couple days (sorry but there is evidence of that there too, no matter what I do I can never keep her face clean!) The pic is kinda on the big side so that if there is anyone who can tell me what they think of them, you can get a real good look! Oh please tell me I am over reacting, cause if they are and she gets them our trip to Vancouver is a no go for next week!

Either way I will update again tomorrow and let ya all know(and get the spooky looking pic out of there!I will be keeping it in my files though for bridery at a later date!;)

Thanks guys!
Lots of love
Cheri

Friday, June 6, 2003 8:47 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

Things here are going really well!!!

The weather here has been wonderfull!!!!! The temp has been hovering around 30*!!! That wound be around 90*F!!!
Nice and warm.

On Wednesday morning we had a bit of a fright. When I woke Katie up she had a real bad case of the tremors and had little balance. After surgery Katie developed hand tremors that where bad, I liken them to parkinson patients. Over the past two years they have been going away to the point where unless you are looking for them you can't tell. That morning she woke up they were almost as bad as the were in 2001. To say the least it scared the heck out of me!!! I also realized that this happens about every three months or so. I sent her to daycare with the strict instuctions that if they got worse I was to be called, they didn't call, but I did call them. I was giving it the let's see how she does through out the day approach. The tremors slowed a bit, and by the time I got home they were almost gone. The rest of the evening she was really cuddly and quite, and the next day she was perfectly fine again. I think I have an idea to why this is happening. Katie's hydrocephalus developed 3 months after her craniotomy, it was so severe that it cause her to go into a coma. Now every three months she goes "weird" for a day and is fine the next. I think it may be VP shunt related. The presure either isn't right or a partial blockage. Either way I will ask her oncologist about it on the 19th.

Other that little bump, Katie is doing awsome!!! She has finally learned to jump with two feet!! Yeah!!! Speach is still about they same. Tomorrow is supose to be another beautiful day, so we will be outside lots(I will take lots of pics!!) Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! The girls and I are going to cuddle on the couch and watch a movie tonight!!!

Lots of Love
Cheri

Friday, June 6, 2003 8:47 PM CDT

Monday, June 2, 2003 1:21 PM CDT

For those of you who didn't read this am's update~
The residents of BC raised 7.5 million dollars over the weekend for new equipment and research at Children's hospital!!!! All I can say is WOW!!! BC has a population of about 4 million people so this is amazing.

As I predicted we will be plugging along with Katie's therapies as we have been. I had a pleseant suprise though, we finally have an OT again!!! I think it has been about a year since the last one left, so this is good.

Katie is doing wonderful!!! I am so amazed with her!!! And still no spots!! Yeah!!! Looks like when we come back from Vancouver, she will be getting the shot.

Speaking of Vancouver, we will be leaving again in two weeks. This will be the first trip down where she won't be put to sleep for any procedures!!! MRI isn't schedualed until the end of summer. Wow that sure is a long time from now. This trip will be for her eyes, ears, a meeting with the oncologist, and blood work. Lets hope that her platelets have gone up some. Last check they were 141 not too bad, but still too low for my liking.

I want you all to visit Anthony's Site Our caringbridge family has lost another brave soldier. Please stop by and offer his family support. This little guy fought so long and so hard.

Remeber to sign in ;)
Love Cheri

Monday, June 2, 2003 9:15 AM CDT

Well another week has gone by and things here are going really well. Katie has a bit of a cold but other than that things are going great. This morning we have an appointment with all her therepists. I am not expecting anything major. We are just going to plug away at what we are doing.

This weekend was our Hospitals yearly telethon. Residents of BC raised over 7.5 million dollars for new equiptment!!! YEAH!!!!!

We are going down again in two weeks. Ears and eyes are being checked. Lets hope the hearing loss has not progressed.

Hope you all have a great week. Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Love
Cheri!!!!

Monday, June 2, 2003 9:15 AM CDT

Saturday, May 24, 2003 9:29 PM CDT

Wow!!! Two updates in one day!!! This is just to let you all know what a WONDERDFULL day we all had. Today was a sunny 28 degrees(thats 85 for all you Americans out there) Who would a thunk it eh?? We just had a snowfall EIGHT days ago!!!! The girls cousin Hailey was over for a visit, and we literally spent all day outside!! Never got a stitch of house work done at all. I don't think the girls were dry for five minutes. Silly me though, I put sunscreen on them but forgot about myself. Now I am as red as a lobster and sore, but it sure was worth it to see Katie really enjoy her first summer of being able to RUN around outside, last year she was only able to crawl. That got me to thinking how she would only stand by herself when she was in her little pool, no other time. Wow what a differance a year makes eh??? I have some new pics up of our glorious sun shinny day!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!!
Love Cheri

Saturday, May 24, 2003 9:48 AM CDT

Well I must say that today I am in a differant and much better frame of mind then I was on Thursday night.
Today is it. Roughly about this time two years ago I was sitting in a hospital room with Katelynn, getting the news that she had a brain tumor, and surgery was schedualed for first thing the next morning. I am so very thankful that my sister Amy was there with us. As fate would have it, Amy was working in Vancouver at the time and lived a short twenty minute walk from Children's. There definately a higher power with his hand in that one.

Today I am thankful. I am thankful that my baby Katie is here with us. I am thankful for all the people we have met. I am thankful I have learned many valuable lessons about life and the charecter of some people.

As I was told shortly after Katie's surgery, whatever she lost as a result of surgery, she would gain back in a year. Anything that didn't come back after one year time the likelyhood of her regaining was slim. Well, last year at this time, she still couldn't walk nor talk. Look at her now!! She doesn't just walk, she jumps,runs and twirls. Yeah her talking isn't all there yet, but six months ago I could barely understand her, now things are much clearer.

Tomorrow is the day of her surgery, my twenty eighth birthday. Today the weather is nice and sunny and warm. A week ago we had snow on the ground. Things change and more often for the better, even if we don't really see it at the time.

I may or may not update again tomorrow. It depends on how I feel. As it stands right this minute I am happy. Felica is garage saleing with Gramma, Katie is sleeping still. Soon I am sure I will here the voices of both the girls yelling and fighting over something. Yeah!!

Yesterday is history, tommorow is a mystery, today is a gift and that is why it is called the present.

All my love goes out to you all. To those that reached out the other night, thank you for holding me up.

Love Cheri.

Thursday, May 22, 2003 9:11 PM CDT

Hi all!!!

Well here I sit, the eve of D-day, kinda. For those who don't know, D-day is diagnoses day. Kinda means that it was a three day process to get to the diagnoses of cancer. Life turned for a worse on May 23rd, 2001. Katie was flown to Vancouver by air ambulance because the Pediatrician suspected that Katie may have a brain tumor.

Three days isn't that long of a time frame. Mind you little things, in perspective, started going wrong from the beginning. For the first seventeen months of Katie's life her toenails didn't grow. When I say didn't grow I think I may have cut them three times. Minor at the time, but now I know that the tumor was sucking all growing power for itself. Her teeth were slow to come in. Just little things. On April 24th, 2001, Katie had an ear infection with drainage, and things from there started going downhill, quickly. She started vomiting three-four times a day, losing her balance to the point she couldn't walk anymore. I took her to the doctor twice a week for four weeks, each one saying it was vertigo from the ear infection. On May 20th she had an appointment with the Pediatrician. Well it wasn't really the regular pediatrician, it was a wonderful lady who was in for the regular one. I instently felt comfortable with her and was able to talk about some fears and frusrtations was having. Katie at this time was really clingy. The only time I could leave her was to go to work, when this wonderful old gramma type lady watched her. Ironicly Eva was diagnosed with cancer six months after Katie. She was not a normal one year old. After talking to Dr. Neubaugher,she decided that Katie had Laberenthitis, which is a middle ear infection that can cause Menengitis, and if Katie got a fever to bring her to the ER. Katie had a follow-up appointment On June 3rd, which she never made it to.

To say the very least, I am NOT handeling things too well. I was doing really well today, until my best friend brought it up at dinner tonight. He mentioned that on Sunday that itwas my birthday, and wasn't Katie diagnosed around your birthday, he goes. Well the flood gates opened and have not stopped since. It has been two hours.

I want to thank you ALL, every single one of you that read this. Being able to vent is great. Being able to vent to people who "get IT" is even better. I will be back tomorrow night and will probably have something to say everynight for the entire weekend, ending on Sunday, the actual day Katie was diagnosed with cancer, my birthday. It is honestly THE hardest thing to say your baby was diagnosed on your birthday. Thank you all!!!

Don't get me wrong though. Katie is a two year survivor!!! For that I am thankful!!

Love Cheri

Thursday, May 22, 2003 9:11 PM CDT

Saturday, May 17, 2003 10:24 AM CDT

***New Pics as of 05/19/03***

Happy Saturday Morning!!!!

Well we are still spot free!!! Yeah!!! Katie's doctor recommended that if she doesn't get them this go around she should get immunized against them. So lets pray that she doesn't get them. Other than a little cold she is doing wonderful!!! This little girl blows my mind!!

Yesterday we woke up to snow, yep I said snow. I was beggining to think I slept through summer. So not use to snow in the middle of May. The thing is I planted my garden the weekend before. Grrrr. Lets see if anything will grow! Must say I was cursing my "aunt" Moe who is on a two week holiday in Florida.

Tonight we are going to a BBQ at Erica's to celebrate my "neice" Ellie's birthday. Happy Birthday Bella!!!! We love you tons and tons. We can't wait to see you and Joey!!!

Oh yeah before I forget~ Thanks Mary-Liz for stopping by. Both me and the kids loved it. We don't get to see you nearly enough!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! It's a long weekend here in Canada. Queen Victoria's birthday. Here we don't celebrate the leaders of OUR country but of some others, how bizzare! Oh well it's a day off and I will take it.

Lots of Love
Cheri

***Monday 19th,2003***
Still no spots!!! I think they may of passed her by!!!!! Mind you the spots show up 7-10 days after exposure and she is on day seven today. She has also been running a low grade fever off and on today and she doesn't seem 100 o/o. Pray that all it is is a little bug.

Saturday, May 17, 2003 10:24 AM CDT

Happy Saturday Morning!!!!

Well we are still spot free!!! Yeah!!! Katie's doctor recommended that if she doesn't get them this go around she should get immunized against them. So lets pray that she doesn't get them. Other than a little cold she is doing wonderful!!! This little girl blows my mind!!

Yesterday we woke up to snow, yep I said snow. I was beggining to think I slept through summer. So not use to snow in the middle of May. The thing is I planted my garden the weekend before. Grrrr. Lets see if anything will grow! Must say I was cursing my "aunt" Moe who is on a two week holiday in Florida.

Tonight we are going to a BBQ at Erica's to celebrate my "neice" Ellie's birthday. Happy Birthday Bella!!!! We love you tons and tons. We can't wait to see you and Joey!!!

Oh yeah before I forget~ Thanks Mary-Liz for stopping by. Both me and the kids loved it. We don't get to see you nearly enough!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! It's a long weekend here in Canada. Queen Victoria's birthday. Here we don't celebrate the leaders of OUR country but of some others, how bizzare! Oh well it's a day off and I will take it.

Lots of Love
Cheri

Monday, May 12, 2003 7:11 PM CDT

UGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

Guess what Katie was exposed to at Daycare today???CHICKEN POX!!!!! I called her doctor and they say we are to treat her like a normal kid for this!!! Wow a normal childhood disease that doesn't require hospitalization!!!! Still it does make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I mean for the last two years I have heard how BAD chicken pox are, and now to sit back and let her get them is kinda hard and scarey. The funny thing is though last night I was giving her a bath and noticed a blister like mark on her cheek and behind her ear and thought it looked like chicken pox, but just kinda brushed it off. So far I have only seen those two spots, but she does have a cold and that is one of the first signs. This will be THE major test to see if her immune system is up to par. Thankfully it is only a three week thing because she has an appointment in Vancouver in five weeks. I'll keep y'all updated!!!

Lots of Love
Cheri

***Tuesday May 13th @ 6:50pm***
Just a quick little update here. Still no spots!! Yeah!!! However another little one was sent home today with them, so I imagine it will only be a matter of time! That's two out of nine kids at the day care.

Monday, May 12, 2003 7:11 PM CDT

Sunday, May 11, 2003 9:09 AM CDT

To all the mom's out there!!!

With all our love
Cheri, Katie & Felica!!!

Sunday, May 11, 2003 9:09 AM CDT

To all the mom's out there!!!

With all our love
Cheri, Katie & Felica!!!

Saturday, May 10, 2003 9:22 AM CDT

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!!

I was around this morning signing some guestbooks and again they double posted. Sorry!! I think I may have figured out why though, I don't let the page fully load before I press the button. Silly me!!

Well Katie's eye appointment on Thursday didn't go quite as planned. First her appointment was for 3:20 and she didn't get in untill twenty to five. We are so use to this by now it was kinda a non issue. As the other little ones around us was having meltdowns, there was Katie playing away quitely. Why is it when you are in a group setting like that every weirdo comes out of the wood work??? Two differant families took it upon themselves to tell me their life stories!! Both of the kids were there for fairly minor eye issues, yet I find it really hard to muster up empathy for them. Maybe Katie's experiance has hardend me but I feel like screaming at them "when you have to hold down YOUR little one ten days out of every month to inject them with a needle of medicine that BURNS going in and they are only a year and a half old, then we will talk." I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but just because we are in the same room doen't me we have anything in common. Sorry got a bit off topic there. Anyways the doctor wants to do ANOTHER surgery on Katie's eye. He feels it is still out of allinment. He wants Katie to see a differant kind of eye specialist before they do this surgery. So when we go down to Vancouver next month we will be adding yet another doctor to Katie's long list!!! Our next trip down will be June 19th, with a day FULL of appointments. We will be driving down this time, so that means we will be on our own scheduale, meaning we will be able to go visit some people while we are there!!! YEAH!!!

Gotta run to Wal-Mart to go get flowers for the garden. It's beautiful here today!!! So sunny!!!!

Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, May 10, 2003 9:22 AM CDT

Tuesday, May 6, 2003 7:40 PM CDT

Wow it's been a few weeks hasn't it???

Not much is going on here. Katie is doing GREAT!!!!!
No ear infections for awhile now!!! Yeah!!!! I swear her talking is getting clearer and clearer as the days go by!! On Thurday May 8th she has yet another eye apointment. This time it is with the doctor that did the surgery to correct her wandering eye. Hopefully there will be no surpises at this one. Last time he saw her he had surgery schedualed for the next morning. The following day I have booked the day off for a bit of Cheri time. I have to go renew my license, visit the eye doctor(which I haven't done in about six seven years) and go see my GP for a cyst I have on my ear that keeps getting bigger. Not much of a relaxing day but oh well might as well fit it all in at once.

We are fast approaching Katie's two year diagnoses mark. On May 23rd, 2001 we were flown down to Vancouver in the late evening, and on May 24th they found her tumor, and on May 25th she had surgery to remove it. Technicly we found out that it was cancer on the 25th, but that being my birthday, I CHOOSE to say she was dx on the day they found the thing. The thought that my baby was dx on my birthday is just a little too much for me, a little denial is a good thing!! However all that said, Katie is a TWO YEAR SURVIVOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The last two years have been amazing, the things I have personally learned about myself and others blows my mind. The PEOPLE we have met because of it I am sooooo greatful for!! Don't get me wrong I wish that this never happened, but since it has, I am a better person for it, and one day so will Katie!! So on that note, I was sent this e-mail the other day and wanted to send it to all of you reading this, some of you I sent this to already, but honestly I am so thankful that YOU all reading this is part of "my dash"

I'M GLAD YOU'RE IN MY DASH

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.
(1934 - 1998)
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...

And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not, how much we own;
The cars...the house...the cash,

What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...

Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile..
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

I am glad that you're in my life and part of my dash.

Lots of love
Cheri

Monday, April 21, 2003 10:49 AM CDT

Hi all!

Katie and I had a great Easter!!! Most of our time was spent up and gramma's and papa's house. We played outside most of the day as it was in the low twenties! That's celsius, I have no idea what that is in ferinheight. Gosh I don't even think I spelled that right!LOL! Her cheeks were a wonderful rosy red.Today looks like it is suppose to be the same. Yeah!! This was the first year she understood that the easter bunny brought goodies so it was really cute to see the expression on her face when she got up in the morning. Priceless. I took some pics so I will put them up as soon as I am done this entry. Katie has turned into a reall drama queen lately. On Saturday night I told Katie to go pick up her toys in the livingroom and she sticks out her lower lip and says "mommy mad at me" then yesterday papa and gramma had to get some veggies for dinner, so Katie and I stayed at the house to watch the turkey(on the bbq) and as they are driving away Katie starts screaming "papa don't leave me" then just before dinner she wanted some peanut butter and I told her no and she crosses her arms and get a scowl on her face and says "no fair" How cute she is!!

Thanks for all that stopped by and signed Felica's guestbook for her birthday. She will be very happy when she gets back from her dad's sometime today. I still find it hard to beleive that she is ten already.

Papa told Katie that if she starts to use to potty soon they will take her camping this summer. Last summer was just too hard to go because she wasn't walking. So this year will be hers!!! Almost every weekend my parents go camping and 9 times out of ten they take Felica and Hailey. So this will be a big treat for Katie. And mom too!

Well I better go and get some groceries for the girls lunches this week. This four day weekend passed much to quickly.

Lots of love
Cheri!!!

Monday, April 21, 2003 10:49 AM CDT

Thursday, April 17, 2003 8:00 AM CDT

***Quick little update here....Tonight I stopped by a few sites to send some Easter greetings and it seemed my post went in double! I swear I only pressed the button once!!! LOL!! If anyone(Chris) can explain why I would forever be in your debt!!! ***

Hi all!!

Happy Easter!!

Well the offical report is the same as the unoffical, with one slight differance, the tumor in her ear hasn't grown at all since May 2001. Katie's ped assumed I knew about it, and felt really bad about the way I found out about it. I belive they are just going to leave it and see what it does(hopefully nothing) The brain itself is clear, YEAH! And yes it is in the right ear, so this does not explain the hearing loss in the left, but we go down again in June to look at that. So to sum it up.....Katie is still in remmision, and there is no signs of cancer!! That is all I can hope for. So yes the prayers worked. Katie is doing wonderufl, full of p*ss and vinegar. She is running around like a crazy person. We were of at gramma's last night and she said that she look like a brute. So chunky now, and really solid. Her speach is very slowly getting a bit better. We noticed that when she concentrates she can say the words perfect, it's when she's playing or wanting something now, that she has an issue with pronouncing it properly. Laziness maybe??? She did something the other night that brought me to tears again. There she was playing in the livingroom and starts hoping on one foot. All I could think about was a year ago she couldn't even walk let alone jump on one foot. This kid amazes me.

On a differant note...... today is Felica's 10th birthday! Have I ever told you what an amazing child she is??? Well she is!!!! She is one of those kids who really care about others. If there is a kid at school being teased, Felica will befriend them and stand up for them. I am so very blessed to have such a caring girl for a daughter. I, in fact owe my life to her. Before I had her I was going down a really bad road, I was doing things that were really self destructive. Then I got pregnant with her and life changed. I was only seventeen when I had her. She made me face reality, go back to school, and gave me a reason to live. So that said.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FELICA!!!!!!!!!
She has her own page(link down below) Go there a drop her a little note plaese. She would really love it.

Lots of Love
Cheri

Monday, April 7, 2003 12:00 AM CDT

Okay, so just a few moments ago I got the "unoffical offical report" Katie has a tumor in her right auditory canal, belived to be on the 7th cranial nerve. This tumor enhanced on MRI's done in May 2001, October 2002, and March 2003. Yep you read that right, May 2001!! This has been there from the beginning!! Uhm Hello, did someone just fail to mention this to me???? As to why this is an "unoffical report" Katie's ped hasn't got the "offical" report from the radiologist yet. This will be taken care of today!! The report was sent from the Oncologist that Katie saw at her last visit. If this report is correct then it would explain alot. The 7th cranial nerve is the nerve that controls your face, hence why she has facial droop and her mouth can not form words to talk properly. I still have no clue what if anything will be done about it. We are still in a holding pattern on that. Katie's ped will call later on in the day to tell me what the radiologist's report says. So until then, we wait some more!!! I'll let you all know what this one has to say then.
Love Cheri

Monday, April 7, 2003 12:00 AM CDT

Saturday, April 5, 2003 10:46 AM CST

Wow, I can't believe it is April already!! Only 12 more days until Felica turns 10. When did I get old enough to have a ten year old????

I intended to update this way sooner, but I caught that horrible cold that has been going around and could barely move. And of course being the giving mommy I am I shared it with Katie!! Poor thing is so boogery!! But thankfully no fevers!!!

Still no word from Vancouver! GRRRRRRRR!! I will definately be making a call monday morning!! For those you haven't heard, go back and read the last journal entry, it is quite a story!!

Despite the news we had while in Vancouver, we did manage to have some fun! On Friday the 21st we went to the aquarium. I think that just may be one of Katie's favorite places!! I'll work on getting some pics up of that today, so check back!! Lucky Katie got to go to toys r us twice! She also loves that place! I even managed to get some shopping down for myself. We bought so much stuff I had to buy extra bags to bring everything home in!!

Besides her cold, Katie is doing really good right now. She has no symptoms that anything is wrong, so this is good and I will take it! Please pray that whatever this is it doesn't grow! Her talking is definately getting clearer, but I don't think many can understand her 100% yet. Physically she is strong! She loves to climb on stuff and jump off. This kid has no fear what so ever! Me?? Just adding to the gray hairs!!

Today Felica is off grage saleing with gramma, Katie is watching Dora, and I am going to get some much needed housework done.

All our love~
Cheri, Katie & Felica!!!

Saturday, April 5, 2003 10:46 AM CST

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 11:53 PM CST

Hi all!!

Sorry it took so long to get back and do an update, but I had over three hundred emails when I came home and just got through them all tonight! I guess that is what get for being on so many email lists! LOL!

Anyways here is the story��.

So there we are sitting in the audiologist�s office Thursday afternoon, Katie had just had a pressure test done on her ears, which her left ear failed miserably. As the audiologist is going through her charts to see what the last test shows she comes across the MRI report from October, and says to me �From this report, it could be the tumor that is causing this� I�m like she doesn�t have a tumor, it was taken out in 2001. She goes �No, from this report, there is a tumor in her left ear� Well I just about fell out of my chair! This is the first time that I am hearing about this. She goes on to say that this could be what is causing hearing loss in her ear, yada yada yada. I had pretty much tuned her out by then. We continued on with the rest of her tests, and sure enough, Katie�s left ear has more hearing loss more than the past test. While she can still hear conversations, it is harder for her to hear on her left than her right. Okay so by this time I am ready to ram something down Katie�s oncologist�s throat!!! Why the hell wasn�t I told about this in October???? I was really really mad at this point! Luckily for me, not the doctor, Katie had an appointment to see him right after the audio was over. So I march down to the follow-up clinic ready to tear this guy a new you know what. I get down there and low and behold the guy isn�t there for the week, Katie gets to see this lady, who we have never seen before!!! GRRRRR!!!!!! My blood is almost starting to boil over at this point!!! We go into her office and she can not tell me anything official yet, because Katie�s MRI hasn�t been read yet. So she says she will be right back, she is going down to radiology to get it read. Have I mentioned that this doctor has to be in her 60�s and walks with a cane going about a quarter mile an hour, I�m talking slooooooooow!!!! So half an hour later, she shows back up and says the radiologist wasn�t there, but got another one to look at it and compare it to the notes from the one in October, not compare them side by side, and from what he could tell it has grown a �tad� yep that is the word they used, �tad� What the heck does �tad� actually mean??? Can someone please tell me!!! Cause I am clueless over here!!!! Now let me clarify something, I am saying this tumor that has grown a �tad� is on the left side, that is where the radiologist who looked at the films that were taken last week sees it, the report from October says it is and I quote �on the right side opposite the VP Shunt� Well guess what, her VP shunt IS on the right side, opposite of that is left!! Someone down there has issues deciphering their left from right!!! I am so angry right now!!! So this lady says Katie�s regular doctor won�t be in until Monday, and will get it officially read then and call me back!!! Well here we are Wednesday night and not a word!!! She can�t tell me anything, has no clue what her regular doctor will want to do, but expects that Katie will need to be rescanned in the next 6-12 weeks. One thing I do know for sure is we will be going down in June for more hearing tests. After this fiasco, I got her blood counts back, and Katie�s platelets have dropped. In December they were 222, last week they were 141. Normal is 150-400. What does this mean??? Again I am clueless, but the doctor didn�t seem too worried. Me?? Just makes mommy a little more neurotic than I already am!!! I have had an eyebrow twitch since last week, can you say stress induced?? Don�t they call mental hospitals when people start to twitch?? LOL!! Daily Pavilion here I come!!! I then wanted some clarification about one of the chemo drugs that Katie got and nerve damage, and again the doctor doesn�t think this is still an issue for Katie. So finally we are done for the day, and I truck on over to the oncology booking desk to get time for her speech appointments the next day, and guess what, NOTHING!! That�s right, no record of Katie needing to see the speech pathologist at all. So I cancelled our plans for Seattle for nothing!! However with the boarder line ups due to increased security, I think that may have been God�s way of saying now was not the best time. I am soooo sorry Ivy & Cameron!!! I was really looking forward to meeting you guys!!!

So, I have a theory though about the tumor. If it was cancerous, it would be growing quicker than a �tad� in six months. And if it was something really serious, they wouldn�t have let us leave Vancouver, and I would�ve heard some thing by now��right??????? So please pray that it is just one of those things. I personally am prone to cysts so lets hope it�s a hereditary thing.

Anyways, this is getting really long (two pages in word) and I need to get up early for work. We did do some really fun stuff while we were in Vancouver, but I will save that for another night.

Lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, March 26, 2003 11:53 PM CST

Sunday, March 23, 2003 6:45 PM CST

First off sorry that the page didn't get updated while I was gone. Kim felt it was not her place to say what happened down in Vancouver.

By all accounts the brain itself is clear. But there is a questionable spot that is growing in her ear. I guess this was there in the scan in October, but I wasn't told of it until this time around. The offical report in October calls "it" a tumor. While this time it has gotten bigger, it hasn't grown too much. Now what does this mean???? We need to go back to get rescaned in 6-12 weeks. Right now we are just going to keep an eye on it to see what it does.

I need to go relax and make some phone calls, but I will come back tonight to give details. Thanks for the prayers

Love Cheri

Sunday, March 23, 2003 6:45 PM CST

Tuesday, March 18, 2003 10:58 AM CST

Okay, so I know I just updated last night but, I am over stressed, all packed and have nothing to do with my time but worry!!! I hate the day before a scan!!!! My nerves are shot!!! Maybe it has to do with too much caffine???? I'm on my second pot this morning. I was up at 6 and it is now 9. UGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I think I came on here today just to get out these feeling, trust me it helps!!!! For those who haven't got the chance, scroll down a bit, and just under the pic of Katie during treatment is a poem called the scan. It pretty much sums up how I am feeling right now!!!! On a good note, the weather here is wonderful!!! A perfect day for an airplane ride. Take off is in 4 hours. We have appoinments on Wednesday, Thursday, and now on Friday. I found out about the friday appoinment yesterday when I got home from Creston. Nothing like leaving it untill the last minute eh???? What really makes me angry about this is we hadn't heard from them so I assumed we weren't going to have one so I made some really important plans to meet some very special people!! That proves my theory that when you assume something it only makes an ass out of you and me. Hehehe, get it!!(Kim~love ya) Anyways~ I need to go get batteries for my camera, so I am off. Again I will get someone to update tomorrow night with the GOOD news!!! We love you all!!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2003 10:58 AM CST

Monday, March 17, 2003 10:06 PM CST

Well, here we are the night before we head down to Vancouver!

We went to Creston yesterday to drop off Felica at aunty Stacey's. Since this is spring break week, she wanted to go spend the week there. I think she will have alot of fun. Today while we were there we went to the brewery where the brew Kokanee. Must teach the kids all types of cutures right?? It's alright to be a redneck!! Hehehe!!! Mind you I think I may of stuck out like a sore thumb there, I was wearing my Dale Earnheart Jr jacket, and his sponser just happens to be a differant beer company. Opps fashion faux pau.

Anyways, we leave tomorrow at noon to drive to the airport, and we should get to Vancouver about quater after two. The next day we have to be at the hospital for 7:30am for sedation at 8:30. I won't have acess to a computer this time, so I will call someone to update the page on Wednesday night. Yes Kim, I think I may be calling you for that task!!

So wish us luck & say some prayers!!
Love
Cheri

Monday, March 17, 2003 10:06 PM CST

Sunday, March 9, 2003 11:28 PM CST

Well here we are another week behind us.

This week has been great!!!! Both the girls are feeling good!! Katie has yet another new trick. She sticks out her tounge and gives a great big wet "rasberry" then says orry(sorry) I'm afraid she is doing it to be a snot! What an attitude she has had lately!! Don't know where she gets that from!Hehehe!!

As for me...PMS (pre mri syndrome) has set in big time! Tonight Katie was laying on the couch watching Tarzan, when she grabs her head and says owie. Can you say stress level went shooting through the roof?? She has never complained of a headache before. I really need to calm down some. I started shaking. A fear I haven't felt in a long time hit me right in the stomach. Then I started telling myself over and over agian "she is okay" I truly beleive this,she is okay, it was just a headache from over playing today. She was up at my Baba's most of the day running around with her cousins. I just want this week to go by really quickly so the 19th will be here and my blood presure will go down! Ten more days! I know it will be clear! I do this to myself every MRI time, get worked up over little things.

Anyways, today was a really lazy day. Felica went to Amy's to bake cookies, Katie was with Baba, and I made sure my couch didn't run away while I watched the race. Now I am going to go and get some sleep. Yeah right, MRI time comes with it lack of sleep. Tomorrow is more speech therepy. I hopefully will find out when Katie will see the speech pathologist when we are in Vancouver next week. Good night!
Love Cheri

Saturday, March 1, 2003 10:51 PM CST

Here we are, Saturday again!!

Not a whole lot going on here. Katie had a great week. Nothing happened!!! How cool is that??? She is feeling really good. However, she is into everything, and I mean everything. This afternoon while I was making lunch she took a poop. Nothing wrong with that right? Wrong! She then precided to strip down and play with it. Felica walked into the livingroom and in a very calm manner says, " umm Mom, can you come here?" I go in and there is Katie going "yuck" Yep that was pleasent. I have a feeling all kids do this at some point in their lives cause I remember Felica doing it too. I'm going to look into a way I can bottle a bit of the energy that this kid has and sell it. She woke up at 5:45 this morning and now it is almost 9 and she is still running around making a whole bunch of noise! She is definately feeling good these days!! As fro Felica, she is also doing really good! She does get really tired in the evenings, but I think it has been about three days since she complained of a sore throat!
I noticed as I signed in to type this that in 42 more hits Katie's site will reach it's 10,000 visit!!! Although the guestbook doesn't reflect it! Hint hint! Wanna do me a favor??? Who ever it is that hits the 10,000, can the sign in and tell me who you are?? And no Kim, you can't keep hitting the refresh button!!!

Lot of love
Cheri

Saturday, March 1, 2003 10:51 PM CST

Saturday, February 22, 2003 12:30 AM CST

***NEW PICTURES!!!***

Happy Saturday!!!!

Things here are going wonderful!!!

Katie is as great big giant ball of energy!!! No ear infectons for a month now!!!! YEAH!!!! Felica had one this week, but is doing much better! I figure if it's not one it's the other! As I type this Katie and Felica are laughing their heads off playing in the livingroom.

As Katie and I were curled-up on the couch last Saturday night she looked at me and started singing "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" word for word. Amazing!! I called almost everyone so she could sing to them on the phone! Gosh was it ever cute!!!!

Things are still a go for next months scans. My nerves are already shot. But believe it or not I am more relaxed than any other scan she has ever had. I KNOW it is going to be clear. Just that feeling I have deep down, the same felling I had when I knew she was really sick and it wasn't just vertigo. But this is a good feeling!! It is coming up to two years that this all started. On April 24th 2001, she had an ear infection that ruptured her ear drum, and her health just went downhill from there. It was one month to the day after that that she had her first MRI, that showed us that she had the brain tumor. With Katie's type of tumor the five year cure rate is not appyed. Medulloblastoma uses a formula called "Collin's Law" where they take the age of diagnoses(17months) multiply by 2 then add nine months. This would make Katie "technically" cured at 3 and half years old. That's two months from today!!! I don't know how much faith I put it that therory, but eh, it is kind of nice to say isn't it??

We hope you all have a great weekend!
Love you all
Cheri

Saturday, February 22, 2003 12:30 AM CST

Happy Saturday!!!!

Things here are going wonderful!!!

Katie is as great big giant ball of energy!!! No ear infectons for a month now!!!! YEAH!!!! Felica had one this week, but is doing much better! I figure if it's not one it's the other! As I type this Katie and Felica are laughing their heads off playing in the livingroom.

As Katie and I were curled-up on the couch last Saturday night she looked at me and started singing "Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star" word for word. Amazing!! I called almost everyone so she could sing to them on the phone! Gosh was it ever cute!!!!

Things are still a go for next months scans. My nerves are already shot. But believe it or not I am more relaxed than any other scan she has ever had. I KNOW it is going to be clear. Just that feeling I have deep down, the same felling I had when I knew she was really sick and it wasn't just vertigo. But this is a good feeling!! It is coming up to two years that this all started. On April 24th 2001, she had an ear infection that ruptured her ear drum, and her health just went downhill from there. It was one month to the day after that that she had her first MRI, that showed us that she had the brain tumor. With Katie's type of tumor the five year cure rate is not appyed. Medulloblastoma uses a formula called "Collin's Law" where they take the age of diagnoses(17months) multiply by 2 then add nine months. This would make Katie "technically" cured at 3 and half years old. That's two months from today!!! I don't know how much faith I put it that therory, but eh, it is kind of nice to say isn't it??

We hope you all have a great weekend!
Love you all
Cheri

Tueday, February 11, 2003 8:39 AM CST

Good Tuesday morning!!!!!

Katie's meeting on Friday went wonderful!!!!These meetings are kind of like an IEP, but for preschoolers. We are all really happy with how far she has come since the last meeting six months ago. One of the big issues back in September was her balance and the safety aspect of her being able to walk but with no balance, so she would fall all the time. Well that is pretty much resolved itself with practice, practice, practice, and physio therepy. We will still make her wear her helmet, just in case. Speach is coming along, though very slowly. She can say the words, but she can't pronounce them clearly. So we will plug away at that.All in all things went very well. One of the ladies that was there said she walked away from the meeting with warm fuzzies.Yeah!

Flights down to Vancouver are being booked today. For those that remember I was really upset last October because it will cost me $1200 to fly less than an hour. Well really good news to report there~A wonderful family, whose daughter had leukimia, had 250,000 air miles donated to them when she was diagnosed three years ago. Since there is no possible way for them to use them all, the mom told me to call her whenever we need to go down and she will book the flights for us, using the air miles!! Thank you Leona, we love you! So all I will need to pay is the taxes and stuff and that will be about $150!! Big differance!! We do have to stay longer, because to use air miles, a saturday night stay is mandatory. In the grand scheme of things, this is no big deal!

Sorry for the spellling mistakes, and grammer erorrs. It is really early here. Take care.

Love Cheri

Tueday, February 11, 2003 8:39 AM CST

Thursday, February 6, 2003 5:50 PM CST

Firstly~Yes we had a great weekend!!!! It was soooooooo nice to "get away from it all" even for a little bit. However within the first hour there I had to ask where the nearest hospital was, just in case. Thankfully there was no just in case!!!

When I got home from work this afternoon, there was a message on the machine from Children's Hospital. Katie's next MRI has been scheduled for March 19th. She is also to go see the ENT the next day. Most likely they will want to put tubes in her ears,due to all the ear infections, so we will probably be going down again six weeks after that. Hopefully her port will be able to come out at that time too.

Katie has been feeling pretty miserable for the past couple of days. I think her ear is acting up again. She doesn't have a fever or anything, it's just mothers intuition that something is brewing, and sadly I am usually right.

Tomorrow is the day all her therepists and I get together to talk about Katie's progress, and revamp anything that needs to be done. I'll try to let you all know how that goes. I'm working on getting pics up from this weekend, but too much to do and not enough time to do it in. I'm off all day tomorrow, so I'll try in the afternoon.

Say some prayers for a clean scan. It's sometime off still, but the stress level raises daily as the actual day approaches. I get really stressed and over analize every little move she makes after we get schedualed.

Lots of love
Cheri

Thursday, February 6, 2003 5:50 PM CST

Sunday, February 2, 2003 1:04 AM CST

Hi all!!!

We are away for the weekend!!! We went to go visit Auntie Stacey, Joey, Ellie, and Darcey. The girls are having a ball!!!! Tomorrow Felica is going on a hike with Darcey, while Stacey, Katie and I go shopping! Yeah!!! I have taken lots and lots of pictures, but won't be able to post any till we get home. Stacey~ really think about getting a new computer, this one has seen better days!! ;0)

Hope you all have a great weekend! We are!!! And yes Kim, this update was mostly for you!! You've probably tried to call and got no answer, and was wondering what was up.

Ciao
Cheri

Wednesday, January 29, 2003 at 08:03 PM (CST)

Hi all!!

I need to say one thing first before I update on Katie...
"Greg" you suck!!!!!
There that's all I am going to say about that!

Things here are wonderfull!!!!!! Everyday she has a new sentence for me. Today we had a "real" conversation.I was asking her about her day and she was answering back, and from what I could make out, she had a really good day!! My mom took her to the hospital to get her port flushed today. She really needs that thing out!! When I ask her if we can she gets mad and yells "no mine" I think she thinks it is a part of her.

A bit of bad news to report though. Our wonderfull government has decided to make cuts to daycare funding. For those not from here, let me explain. This is the same government who thinks its a good idea to cut 20 million dollars from the oncology department at Children's hospital. Some of you might of heard of him, the drunk premier that was on CNN two weeks ago. One of the daycare's slated to close is Katie's. Without this daycare, I wouldn't be able to work, and she wouldn't get the care that she really needs. This daycare is the only one in the area that can deal with special needs kids. As it stands Katie needs one on one care to deal with daily tasks and interacting with other kids her age. At a parent meeting last night, a fellow parent that I work with mentioned what this would do to Katie's social development, and it seems that these people are really interested in getting Katie's story out to the media. So things are in the works to get me an interview with the news stations. We will see.

Now if you all haven't fallen asleep from my ramblings.... I am very sad to say we have made a new friend here on CB. His name is Luke and he is three years old.Last week he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Today they got some news on treatment and could really use some prayers. His site is hereLuke's Site Stop by and say hi and let his parents know that there is a big group of people that are praying for them.

Hope you all have a good week!
Cheri

Friday, January 24, 2003 at 08:47 PM (CST)

Hey there!!!

Things here are going really really well!!!

Both girls are doing great. Katie has cut down her afternoon nap from 2 and a half hours down to one! This makes bedtime much easier! She is a great big ball of energy!! How great is that??? Now if we can only work on the attitude! What a brat lately! But it is all normal three year old stuff!!!

Felica's monospot test came back as a false negative. That means some markers came back negative, some positive. So yes she does have mono just a really mild case of it. Her white blood cells are elevated put still within normal range. The doctor said we could do a more comprhensive test or just let it run its course(2-8weeks) When I asked what we would do for her after we did more testing he said let it run it course. So I decided not to do the test because the in the end we would do the samething. She gets really tired quickly, and has a wicked sore throat and achy muscles, but is otherwise doing fine.

The girls are having another sleepover tonight! I swear we have one every weekend!! Tonight it is my neice Hailey. The girls are curled up on the couch watching movies. I wonder if there is enough room in there for my big bum! LOL! Only one way to find out..........

Ciao
Cheri

Wednesday, January 22, 2003 at 09:44 AM (CST)

***Update to this down further***

I uttered words this morning that I never thought I would say.
"Don't worry Katie, you don't need to go to the doctor"
I said this after I told Felica she needed to go see the doctor today. Felica's tonsils are still HUGE!! So we will go get them checked again this morning.

As for Katie, she is doing sooooooo good!!! Ear infection cleared up quite nicely. Every evening for about a week, she has worn her panties instead of her diapper, and is doing really good telling me when she needs to go potty. They are also working on it at day care. Whenever we go shopping, she wants to walk, and her strength is getting better. Her talking is going even better. She is putting together four word sentences. The words are still a bit unclear, she has an issue saying the endes of words, ie: sit is si. But it's a start and I am soooo proud of her!!

I still want to encourage everyone to go to Adopt a Kid (remember to click on Caringbridge.) I think this is such a great idea!!!! Yeah Chris and Amie!!!!!!

Love Cheri!!

PS~ Mary-Liz we will stop by soon, I promise!! One of Katie's daycare workers comes with us now to speach. Give us a call soon and we will work something out!!! Felica would love to see your kids!! Love ya sunshine!!

*** New Pictures!!!!***

Wednesday Afternoon Update!!!!!!

Felica's doctor didn't have good news for us this morning. Felica has mono!!! I took her to the lab to get a CBC(her first one)We should know offical results by this afternoon or tomorrow. I am sure the poor doctor has never had a mother laugh when they are told their daughter has mono! Needless to say though I am quite a bit worried. Having a daughter with cancer, I have learned far too much to have my head in the sand. I know lots of kids who have leukemia that were first told that it is mono. I KNOW the chances of it happening are slim, but that nagging feeling in the back of my mind, the what if. It's rare, but not unheard of. To top off my day Mom called me and my Dad was diagnosed with diabites this morning! So lets recap~ Katie had cancer, Felica has mono, my Mom has liver disease, my Dad has diabities, and my Grandfather has alzheimer's. I know it could be worse, but can't my family have one good year? Enough already!! Now that I am done feeling sorry for myself, I am going to go cuddle Felica, she may be nine but she will never be too old to cuddle!! I will keep you all posted on Felica, when I here back.

Tuesday, January 14, 2003 at 11:31 PM (CST)

Okay so here is the deal... everytime I update Katie's page, a day or two later she gets an ear infection! Coincidence??? To look at her you could never tell that anything was wrong with her, at least with her ear. She is running around playing, still going to day care, being three. She is so cool!!! Felica on the other hand, looks like crap. She has strep throat and a ruptured ear drum!! She woke up this morning with blood in her ear, but no pain. When I took her in to see the doctor, he said it is badly infected, and her tonsills are huge! Poor girlie, she never gets sick, but when she does it's a wopper!!
At Katie's last ear appointment at Childrens, they said if her ears don't get better, they will look into putting tubes in. So I guess that will be the next step. We don't have anything set up down there untill March, so it will be some time.
I want you all to go to Gooch's Site and see what a wonderful idea that is proppsed on his page. I'm going there myself to sign-up right now.
Take care
Cheri

Sunday, January 12, 2003 at 11:56 PM (CST)

Hi there!!!

Things here are going really wonderful! Katie is doing really well!!! On Monday the 6th , Katie had speech therapy for the first time since the week before Christmas, and her therapist was amazed at how better her speech is getting. She can now make sentences that are understandable, and her vocabulary list is growing daily!!!! The only issue I feel she has right now is her attitude!!! When Felica was little, I always said the terrible twos were bad, but the threes are horrible. Katie is so following this same pattern!!! What a little stinker she is being!! A perfect example is the other night when I put her to bed at 8 o�clock, an hour later I heard this knock on her bedroom door and her calling �Mommy� I go in there, and she tells me �I poop� so I laid her down to change her, and as I am undoing her diaper she looks right at me and goes �Ha-ha� She hadn�t taken a poop, she just didn�t want to go to bed!! About an hour later she did the same thing!! What a kid!! Whenever I ask her to do any thing, she sticks up her finger, and says �one more minute� then tilts her head to the side puts her hands under her chin and says �please Mommy?� Makes it really hard to say �no� to her when she is so darn adorable!! On Wednesday, the daycare called me at work to tell me Katie had a low grade fever. I picked her up, and she was fine the rest of the day. I think she just wanted some Mommy time. When I went up to Dad�s shop to tell Mom that she didn�t need to pick her up that afternoon, my car started to slide away on the ice. So as I go to jump back in the car to stop it, I managed to smuck up my shins and pull my left shoulder muscles, yep all of them. Let me tell you it hurts like you wouldn�t believe, and I have a really high pain tolerance! So needless to say, I am on pain killers now and a muscle relaxant at bed time. Now I can hear some of you say �why didn�t you just let the beast car go?� Well see Katie was still in the car, I was going around to get her out. If she wasn�t in there I would have let it go!! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to say I got hit by my own car? I don�t think I will live this down for a long time!!
On a much more somber note~ we have had way too much tragedy on Caringbridge lately. Another little guy lost the battle yesterday, a little girl is losing it, and Ryan has relapsed for the second time! He also has Medulloblastoma. Things like this are not supposed to happen in my limited pre cancer world! I really wish some days that my head could�ve stayed buried in the sand, so I don�t have to feel this pain. So tonight(and every single day) remember all these little ones that shouldn�t have to go through this!!!

All my love~
Cheri

Wednesday, January 01, 2003 at 9:00 AM

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Katie and I spent a quite night curled up on the couch together. It was really relaxing and peacefull. The only thing that would've made it better was to have Felica here with us, but we will go pick her up today!! Katie is really excited. It seems that this latest infection has not slowed her down at all!!! Last night she was doing jumping jacks and lunges, while yelling out "exersice, exersice" Where she picked that up I do not know but it sure was cute!!!!! This afternoon we are supposed to get a MAJOR snowfall(again) So after Felica gets home we are going to play outside, then go to my parents for dinner. Nice lazy day. I work tomorrow, and the girls start back to school on Monday.

Hope this new year will bring good health to everyone!!!

Cheri

Monday, December 30, 2002 at 08:45 AM (CST)

Well, I knew it was too good to last for long. Had to take Katie into the doctors yesterday. She's got her mandatory monthly ear infection,but to add a little excitment into the mix she also has bronchitis. She is hacking really bad. So she is on another round of antibiotics. Other than that she is still doing wonderful!!!! She gets to hang out with Gramma all week while I work. (her daycare is closed untill the 6th) She is really missing her sister, every morning she wakes up and callsout "fesha were are youuuuuu" so sad, yet cute too. Have to make this short today, off to work. Remember to sign the guestbook!!!

Cheri

Friday, December 26,2002 at 10:05PM

Happy boxing day!!!!

Hope everyone's Christmas was as wonderfull as ours!!!

Katie had a ball, and got spoiled rotten!! We spent Christmas eve up at my parents house,and the girls didn't fall asleep until around midnight. The next morning they were up shortly after seven. We spent most of the day up at Gramma's and Papa's and had Turkey dinner there too. This year we had TWO turkeys!!! One done in the oven and the other one cajun stlye on the BBQ(infussed with two bottle's of hot sauce) Lots of leftover's to take home!!! Katie actually at some for the first time!!! Everyother turkey dinner we had she ate cereal, so this is a big step!!

Christmas night we finally got snow!!!! Although this is technically Katie's fourth winter, it is the first time she has ever been able to walk during it. So today we went outside to play in the snow, and the first thing she did was laydown and make a snow angel!! She loves snow(just like her mommy) Felica went to go spend a week at her Dad's house, so Katie has her nose a bit out of joint right now. Every so often she gets up from whatever she is doing, and starts calling out her name, and searches the house. She sure loves her big sister.

On a really sad note~three kids lost their battles in as many days. I keep reminding myself the lost this battle, but they have won the war, they are in a much better place than us. So say an extra pray for the families of Kyle, Justin, and Quito. Losing a child at any time is devestating,lossing them during the holidays, there is no words to describe the pain.

Lots of love
Cheri

PS~ New pictures will be added tonight 12/26

Monday, December 23, 2002 at 03:05 AM (CST)

Okay,I am up way too late!!!!

For those of you keeping track,this is the third update in as many days! Everything is fine here. Katie is doing oh so good!!!! We had a wonderful day today. Very quite. We cleaned out her toy box in preperation of Christmas morning,not to mention the pile of toys she got for her birthday!!! Then this evening we watched "The Sound of Music" Did you know it is 4 hours long????? I sure don't remember it being that long, or maybe they had way too many comercials????? Katie loved it, she danced and sang along to all the songs, and Felica sat there mesmerized by it. They didn't crawl into bed until 11pm!!! Neither have to get up early tomorrow though, so it's okay. Katie has speach at 10am and I don't go to work till 12:30.After tomorrow I am off until the 30th, YEAH!! After the girls went to bed, I fixed the web site up. It turns out the server I was using, no longer allows remote linking, or something (Chris did you jinx me???LOL) As it turns out I have been paying for webspace for the last year and didn't even know it(through my ISP)And since I am paying for the bandwidth, I can link.Hows that for late night rambling that you don't understand Erica??? So all the Christmas pics I went and put up on all those sites aren't working now, sorry. I will get around to putting new ones up tomorrow night, but for now I am going to put Bob back up on Cameron's guestbook, So goodnight all.

Cheri

PS~ katie sure got a kick of all of you that signed her guestbook today~ Gooch, she must have sat here for a good ten minutes laughing her head off, that was until the sreensaver came on. Thanks everyone!!!

Sunday, December 22, 2002 at 08:45 AM (CST)

My little Katie bug~

Three years ago today, I was given the best Christmas gift ever, you! They have not been the easiest three years, but they sure have been the best! This morning, as you are fast asleep in your bed, I can't help but recall the past nineteen months. The surgeries, the treatments, the pain you have gone through. Never in my worst nightmares did I ever have to think I would utter the words "my daughter is a cancer survivor and she is only three" And a survivor you are Katie!! You have been delt a very hard blow, but have handled it with such a strong will and determination, people many years older than you could never do! Everyday I watch you get stronger and more independent. You are going to grow up to be a wonderfull woman one day, this I now know.

So today Katie, we celebrate your life!! The past, the present, and the future. There will never be enough words to describe how special you are.

Here are a few quotes that I always want you to remember~

If you can DREAM it, you can DO it.
~Walt Disney

[about the past]
...the way I see it,you can either run from it,or learn from it.
~Rafikki to Simba in Disney's The Lion King

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
~Les Brown

If you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen.
~Cher

He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that�s why they call it the present.
~Source Unknown

HAKUNA MATATA
~Timon & Pumbaa Disney's The Lion King

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

Happy Birthday Princess!!!!!

I love you!!!!

Mommy

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

Mini Update!!!!

Just recieved an email from the people where I store my pictures...they are doing some updating to their server or some such.....so I am going to take down some of the decor for a tiny bit. I am looking into something more perment, as I have heard a few people have problems veiwing this page.

Saturday, December 21, 2002 at 09:16 PM (CST)

What a wonderfull day we had today!!!!!

Today we celebrated Katie's third birthday with a little party for her. Her actual birthday is tomorrow though.

There was cake and presents galore!! And also alot of talk about how amazing the stuff she has gone through in these past three years.

Now we are going to curl up on the couch(all three of us) and watch some Christmas shows.

So goodnight all

Love Cheri

PS~there are some new pictures up of her party!!!!!

Tuesday, December 17, 2002 at 10:16 PM (CST)

Hey there everyone!!!!

Things are going really good here!!!! Katie is doing wonderful!!! No ear infections!!!! Oh shoot did I just jinx us?????

Katie is at that perfect age for Christmas time! She loves it, the lights, the trees, the santas!!! Her eyes light up everytime there is a Christmas show on TV. Right now they are watching "How the Grinch stole Christmas" the original one!!!

I got the girls pictures back and they turned out sooooo nice!! Got a ton of wallet size left over if anyone wants one lets me know!!!

I'll update you all again after her birthday which is on Sunday!!!! I can not belive she is going to be three!!! She has been dealing with cancer for literally half of her life!!! Amazing!!!

Please remember to keep all the other kids in your prayers!! Cameron is going for his MRI today~pray that treatments are working!

Lots of love
Cheri

PS~ I just heard that there may be some problems veiwing this page. If anyone else is having problems could you please let me know?? Just email me! Thanks!!

Wednesday, December 11, 2002 at 08:04 PM (CST)

Katie's platelets went up!!!!! They now stand at 222!!!! What a wonderful number!!!

Things here are going really well. Katie is getting stonger and stronger by the day!!

I think she may have lost her mind though!! Every night she pulls her little Minnie Mouse chair in front of the Christmas tree, and has a conversation with the tree! I don't have a clue what she is saying but I think she could be telling it what she wants under it come Christmas morning! Who knows what goes on in the mind if a three year old! Well she won't offically be three for eleven more days, but who's counting???

Did I mention that I might have a little Picasso on my hands?? At daycare, they cut out bear faces and had the kids draw the faces on themselves. Well Katie drew the eyes,nose and mouth perfectly, she even put little eyeballs in the eyes!! I'll have to get my dad to scan it so I can post it on here. It is amazing how good it is!

We finally have some snow here. Very little for what we are use to around these parts. Last month was the first time in recorded history that our area didn't get snow in November! The girls wanted so badly to go out and play in it,but I haven't had a chance to get to Wal-mart and buy boots and snow pants for Katie. I have Friday off so I think we may make the trip down then. The reason I have friday of is the daycare is having a pro-d day. Who ever heard of a daycare taking a pro-d day??? Schools yes, Daycares, no!! Oh well it will give me some time to get some much needed Christmas shopping done!

To all of you that have emailed me lately~I am so very sorry for not getting back to you all, life has been hectic, but the good kind, so I will try to get to it on Friday. I have been so busy, I haven't even checked the mail lately and when I did on Monday, I found a Halloween card in there for Katie from Cameron. So thanks Cameron, she loved the stickers!!!! It's a good thing most of my bills come by email, or I would start getting thing cut off soon!!!

Remember to keep all the little ones in your prayers!! Especially at this time of year, when lots are stuck in a hospital! I am so thankfull that Katie's treatments fell in between holidays. I couldn't imagine the stress you parents are going through!!

All my love,
Cheri

Tuesday, December 03, 2002 at 07:07 PM (CST)

Well, went and saw the doctor today, and things are good!! Mind you they could be better, but good none the less. Her platelets have gone from about the 300 range down to 189 in less than a month. Her doctor thinks that it is caused from the same virus that is affecting her ears. It turns out that when a person gets a virus, it effects the counts. Any normal person's platelets would also drop,but because this is one thing that I keep a watch out for, I notice this sort of stuff,where your average Joe wouldn't. We are going to see what her platelets look like again next week. With that said, there still could be something else going on, some people can aquire a platelet disorder, we are hoping that this isn't the case, but only time will tell for sure, hence why we need to check again next week that they aren't going down more. For my sanity(or what leftof it) I am going with the virus sinerio!!! On a GREAT note, her ears look much, much better!!! They are still abit red, but definately looking better!!

I'll update again next week after I get her counts! Or sooner if anything weird happens!

All my love
Cheri

Monday, December 02, 2002 at 05:30 PM (CST)

Well another day off, but as usual, not for good reasons!!

Katie had to go get her port flushed this morning (I can't wait for it to come out) It took about an hour for it to stop bleeding!!! So I called her doctor and she suggested that she get her blood levels checked! So I took her back up to the hospital to get another poke! Funny thing is when she got the port flushed, the nurse asked if she needed a blood draw! She didn't AT THE TIME!!! Grrrr!! So two pokes in one day, she hasn't had that happen for awhile! I won't know the results until tomorrow morning! I have a feeling it is just me being over paranoid! It's just with the ear infection not going away, brusies, a bit of petichi, and the possible side effects from the chemo she was on, I get a bit scared sometimes! However, the lab told me they are going to be checking for my biggest fear, leukemia. Katie was on six differant chemo's and all but two of them have leukemia as a possible late side effects. So lets hope my imagination is just getting away from me!!!

Other than that, Katie is doing really well! A bit unsteady on her feet lately, hoping it's her ear. Still eating way too much peanut butter! But at least she is eating something! We went to my cousins birthday party on saturday, and the girls had a ball. That night Felica had another sleepover.

Well I will update again tomorrow after Katie's doctors appointment! Remember Katie and all the other kids fighting....Cameron, Joey, Gooch, Justin, Kyle, Mckenzie, ....... The list goes on and on!!!!!!!!! If you have a spare moment in your day please go visit one of these little guys sites too, links cann be found in the guestbook!!!

Love Cheri

PS~If anyone has a bit of spare snow to share, you can send it our way!! Beggining of December and no snow here yet!! Very weird!!! I can't wait to get on the snowmobile!!!!

Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 07:26 PM (CST)

Hi all!!

I took Katie into the doctors yesterday again, and the ear infection is still there!! So she is on her third antibiotic in as many weeks. Due to the fluid in her ears she is a little bit on the wobbly side, but otherwise doing great!!! She has been walking on her tippy toes and thinks it is so cool!! Her balance HAS to be improved for her to do that!! Katie is eating really good lately, although her favorite is still peanut butter!! She has about three or four spoonfulls of the stuff everyday! That doesn't include the three peanut butter sandwiches she gobbles down daily! I saw on the news the other night that women who have five teaspoons of peanut butter a week, reduse their chances of developing diabeties. So at least there is one less thing Katie will have to deal with when she is older! LOL!

I want to wish all our American friends a "Happy Thanksgiving" today!! Us canucks had ours last month. I don't get it personally but.... "Vive La Diferance"

All our Love!

Monday, November 25, 2002 at 10:13 PM (CST)

Hi all!!!!

As you can probably tell there are new pictures up!!!!

Ever since Felica was born I have always got portrits done in November(makes great Christmas presents)This year was no exception. For those who don't know the picture at the bottom was taken last year. Boy has Katie ever packed on the pounds!!!! And with the lighting they have at Wal-Mart Katie's hair sure looks dark, same with Felica's. What happened to my little blonde babies???There are a few more pics that were taken and I will try to get them all into a nice little group, but have patience with me because tonight I am tired and am going to go veg on my couch, I think Fear Factor is on. I sure like my reatilt shows, I know how pathetic but it one of my few guilty peasures!

Katie is doing great, finally eating again!! However I am not too sure about her ear yet, she was tugging on it again today, so I will take her in to get it checked tomorrow. Hopefully she was just tired and the ear infecton is gone, because that antibiotic was so GROSS, tasted awful, so it had to work right?? Isn't that what they say about Buckleys cough medicine?

Anyways, our thoughts and prayers are with all the kids out there fighting cancer and other serious illnesses! Remember them in your prayers too.

Love Cheri

Friday, November 22, 2002 at 09:20 PM (CST)

Well so far so good!!

Katie has been in an awesome mood for the past few days so I think this antibiotic is working!! I am going to take her back to the doctor when this course is done just to double check though.

She did the cutest thing this evening...She walks into the kitchen holding a teddy bear, puts it on the ground and pretends that it is walking.I started bawling!!! A year ago she had just finished treatment, and was no where near being able to walk, and here we are now, she is walking soooooo good!!

It has been almost one year since I started this web site for her. I can not believe how far she has come in that time!! I AM SO GREATFUL!!!!! I am also greatful for the wonderful families that I have met through Caringbridge!! Each and everyone of you are amazing people!!! Our thought and prayers are with all of you!!!!!

Tomorrow the girls are going to spend the night with a very dear friend of mine~Erica. I have the best friends in the world!! Even if they have all moved away the last few months!! I don't think I have ever really thanked them for how perfect they all are. And trust me they have put up with alot of crap from me over the years!! So Erica, Kim, Stacey.... I probably don't tell you all enough how much I really do love you guys.. but I love you guys, and am so very happy you are all a part of our lives!!! I also wanted to say a few other thanks to a few more amazing people that have always been there whenever I needed anything.......Lua,Mary-liz,Wendy,and all the great people I work with and for, where would I be without all of you??

As you can probably tell, I am in a sentimental mood tonight, listening to 80s love songs do that to me.So I will sign off now, my couch is trying to run away, must go protect it!!!

Love
Cheri

PS~ The picture at the bottom of the page was taken one year ago today!!! What great strides Katie has made!!!!

Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 11:49 AM (CST)

Does it ever end??????

I had to take Katie BACK to the doctor again yesterday. Do I get frequent flyer miles?? I had this feeling that the antibiotics weren't working at cleaning up her ear, and sadly I was right. Sometime I hate mothers intuition. So she is on a stronger medicine now, and lets hope that this clears it up. I knew it was only going to be a matter of time until she built up an immunity to amoxicillan, but how does she build up an immunity to ear infections?? She has been such a cranky bear for the last week!! Just down right misserable! To add to her already cheerful self, she had to get her last immunization today. She took one look at the nurse and started screaming! Something she doesn't usually do. I took today off(again) to moniter her for any weird side effects from todays shot.

Everyone have a good week, and remember to sign the guestbook, the girls love it. Take care!!!!!

Cheri

Wednesday, November 13, 2002 at 09:18 AM (CST)

Well it's that time of month again, time for Katie to get her monthy infection. The infection of choice this time around is an ear infecton, with a hint of something going on in her chest.

Yesterday morning Katie woke up with a fever, so I called work and daycare and told them we wouldn't be in. She sat on the couch for awhile, and her temp kept going up and down. Highest at 38.8 lowest 37.7. Finally at around eleven thiry(when her temp was 38.8) I took her up to the ER. When the doctor was examining her she heard some ratteling in her lungs, so she wanted to get a chest x-ray. For a little girl who is feeling so crummy, she sat so good while they took the x-rays.I took the x-rays back to the ER, where a med student read them, then she went to get the regular doctor, who in turn went and got another doctor, then this doctor got on the phone and called down another doctor!! By this time I was panicing!! Our original doctor, Dr. Reid, came up to me and goes, "sorry for that, but it looked like there may have been something on her lungs, and just wanted to rule out a mass, but it was just her diaphram tucked under her rib cage." I am so thankfull that Dr. Reid is soo through. She always seems to be the doctor on call when ever I take Katie up to the hospital. This lady is so amazing, she respects me and knows that I'm not an over parinoid mother. She was genuinlly thrilled when I told her Katie's scan was clear on the 30th. I wish more doctors were like her.

So, it turns out Katie's ear is badly infected and there may be something going on with her lungs. Dr. Ried feels the antibiotic Katie was given will wipe out what ever it is that is trying to brew in there.

This morning she woke up with a fever of 38.3, and the advil I gave her doesn't seem to be touching it, so I will keep her home with me again. We will get some serious cuddle time on the couch today. She also has a runny nose and a horrible cough. She hasn't eaten since monday, just drinking water and juice. Hopefully this will keep her well hydrated.

Have a good day
Cheri

Sunday, November 10, 2002 at 08:08 PM (CST)

I hope everybody has had a good weekend!!! Tomorrow is Rememberance Day here in Canada so we get a long weekend! YEAH!! What a crappy why to get a long weekend, so remember to think about why we are able to have the freedom we have!

Katie is doing really really good. If I am not mistaken she is speaking much clearer! Earlier today I asked her if we could take out her port, and she informed me no!!! So she still has it and will until I feel she is able to deal with it coming out. Just now does not feel right! I swear she is getting more stuborn by the day!! Anyone know where she would get that from???? The bottle fairy has come and taken all her bottles away! She is sooooo not happy, but eh, she is almost three, so the time has come. Next we tackle potty training!!!!!!!!!

Felica has yet another sleepover tonight. She had one Friday night as well. She has had a few issues at school the last couple of weeks. There is this little girl that tells Felica everyday Katie is going to die because she has cancer. Felica is handeling it really well, telling this girl that Katie HAD cancer and she is doing really well now!! Yeah Felica!!!! What a great kid you are!! So strong!!!!

Our thoughts and prayers are with EVERY child and family that has to fight this monster called cancer!!! Then again any child fighting ANY kind of illness!!!

Lots of Love
Cheri!!

Monday, November 04, 2002 at 08:54 AM (CST)

Well, we had a very uneventfull weekend. Now it is Monday, and the routine begins again.

Katie has speach therapy this morning and an eye doctors appointment tomorrow morning so I won't really get into the rut of a full work day until wednesday, but that is okay by me.

It seems even with Katie's helmet on she likes to bang her head. She has a huge goose egg on her forehead from falling at the grocery store. Poor girlie.

Now that her scans came back clear do not be too alarmed if I don't update as often as I have been. I will try to do it at least once a week, but you all know how real life can find a way to wiggle in. Or so I hope! So you all keep praying that she stays in remission and gets stronger!! I will be posting pictures when you least expect it though! And remember as always to sign the guestbook!!! So until next week......

Lots of love
Cheri

PS and yes there are new pics again!!!

Friday, November 01, 2002 at 09:26 PM (CST)

Okay, so we are finally home!!!!!!

We had a really great trip! Things could not have turned out better!

First off, in case you haven't heard, Katie's scan was CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a refleif!! To say the least I am over joyed that she has made it one year past treatment. It is such a milestone! When her oncologist saw her he was very impressed with how much she has grown.Both her nerosurgeon and oncologist can't beleive the progress she has made in the past year! She is only going to get stronger!! The only bad part was the hair growth. It seems that due to her high doses of chemo, the likelyhood of it returning now is slim. It will get longer but it just won't fill out. But this is a minor thing if you look at the big picture!! We don't have to go back for six more months!!!

I want to thank you all for your prayers! I don't think things would've turned out as well without them!

I did find out that we lost two more kids that I have gotten to know well. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families right now. The only thing that is stopping me from curling up in a corner and bawling is the thought they are in a much better place. I also met some awsome families and kids when we were down this time. All of them facing some major stuff right now, much worse than Katie. I have fallen in love with these little guys!! One is facing a relapse after a BMT, one has an inopertable brain tumor,one has serious side effects from radiation for the same type of cancer as Katie, and another was given really crappy odds, but is proving them all wrong! The angles really need our prayers right now!!!!

Anyways~now that I have completly depressed you all~ I am going to put my feet up and relax. Which will be hard, Felica has a sleepover tonight already. Can you guess who?(inside joke)

Love to you all!!!
Cheri

PS New pics!!!!!

Thursday, October 31, 2002 at 07:01 PM (CST)

IT'S CLEAR!!!!IT'S CLEAR!!!!IT'S CLEAR!!!!

Yep that's right the results came back and there is no sign of any cancer!!!!!!

I am so greatful!!!

I'll update more when we get home tomorrow!!

Thanks for all the prayers!!!

Love you
Cheri

Wednesday, October 30, 2002 at 09:33 PM (CST)

Greatings all from Vancouver!!!!!!!!

So I know you are all waiting on pins and needles for the reults of Katie's scan sooo..........

We don't know anything for sure yet! How frustrating eh?? I am 99.9% positive that if it was bad news then we would've heard something by now. I could be wrong(and someone correct me if I am) but, if they did find something growing in that little head of hers, we never would've been able to leave the hospital this afternoon. So offical results will be in tomorrow at 2pm! So until then say an extra little prayer that I am right!!

Love you all~
Cheri

Monday, October 28, 2002 at 10:04 PM (CST)

Okay...So I lied. I am going to update again before Wednesday!!!

It' been raining and cold out all day, so in between packing and cleaning I've been out signing guestbooks!!!
Packing isn't quite what I did, it was more~ pack, unpack, repack, repeat, about four times! First I forgot Katie's helmet, then my socks, then our toothbrushes, and then THE most important thing of all.......Katie's Halloween costume!!!! Silly, silly me!!!

Katie has been such a trouble maker today! Into everything, chocolate, folded cloths(thankfully not at the same time) Felica's stuff. I think she is trying to cramm as much of the terrible two's in as she can before she turns three, in two months!!!!! Her eye is healing beautifully. The swelling an dbruising have gone down.

Today I also found time to make Felica her very own web page. I started fron scratch, almost, the alignment was there but still, it's a start. Check it out at.....Felica's Page She has a guestbook too and would love it if you all could find the time to sign it ;-)

So until Wednesday....
Send some "clean scan" prayers Katie's way
Thanks
Cheri

Sunday, October 27, 2002 at 11:28 PM (CST)

Well here we are three days away from the MRI!!!! And as par for the course the butterflies are in over drive!!! I'm really hoping that one day this will be easier, but I highly doubt that. I can not beleive that it is almost one year off treatment. Look how far she has come!!! She is amazing. I can't remember if I told you all how much she weighed last? She's at 13kilos thats 29 pounds!!! WOW!!! This time last year she was 17 pounds. You sure can tell she has gained weight, she has a puggy tummy, a double chin, and some thighs on her!!! When we are in Vancouver we are going to be staying at the Ronald McDonald House. We last stayed there during her last round of chemo. I can hardly wait to see everyone again. Her eye is healing nicely, and I haven't noticed wandering off, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this worked.
Anyways I'm going to try to watch "The Mothman Profices" I tried last night and fell asleep so hopefully i can stay awake for the rest of it this time.I have a bad habit of falling asleep during movies ~ especially Bond movies ;)!
I probably won't update until Wednesday night after the MRI, so remember at around 1pm PST say a little prayer.

All our love!!!
Cheri
****I put in a guestmap!! So please remember to stop there and show us where in the world you are from!!!****

Saturday, October 26, 2002 at 09:14 AM (CDT)

Hi
Okay. yesterday was one of the worst experiances of my life!!!That hospital has NO experiance dealing with children! We were told to be up at the hospital at 8:30am, her surgery itself was not schedualed until 12:30!! Someone please explain to me why we had to be there four hours early?? They have nothing to keep the kids occupied at all, just one tiny tv, and some older people had comendered it to what talk shows, so that was out. Did I mention that one of the people watching the tv was housekeeping?? Another shinning exaple of our tax dollars at work!!!! Then I got into it with one of the nurses, it seems that most kids who have surgery at our hospital get adivan(a sedative) before they start an IV line. Well our Katie isn't like most kids. I refussed to let her give it to Katie, and she went on to tell me that, kids are scared and blah, blah, blah. And here I am trying to explain to her that this is a "normal" thing for Katie, she doesn't freek out when we access her, she will be fine, but she just wouldn't listen to me. This went on for about fifteen minuets, when I finally told her to get the perscribing doctor, and I will talk to him about. The anesthesiologist comes up and says he read through her chart, and it seems that she's an old pro at this, so it is no big deal she doesn't need it!! GRRRR! Why do some people think that just because they have an RN at the end of their name, that they know my kid better??? Anyways we get down to the OR, and surprisenly they let me come into the room with her,(normal pratice at Children's, not so normal here)and it takes half an hour to access her port!! The dariling nurse that was doing it missed the port the first time!! How can you miss it, it is kinda big!!! They give her the sleepy tiome juice, and she takes a big sigh and passes out. Twenty minuets later it is all done and the doctor comes out and says it went well. Three hours later we were able to leave the hospital. When Katie got her teeth done, it was a three hour surgery, and we spent less time in the hospital then yesterday!! AGHHHHHH!!!
As for what they actually did to her......
It is called an inferior obligue dayomectomy. They took one of the bottom muscles in her eye and shortened it, so that the eye will not automatically turn up,it is being forced to look straight. The musscle will repair itself over time and she will need more surgery, but this will help her see better for now. The doctor thinks that because this eye isn't straight she has double vision, she has had it for so long that she just worked around it. So we will see how long it will work. Otherwise she is doing great as usual, just a bit of swelling, a corner of her eye is red, and a little irritated, but she should be fine in a day or two.

Cheri

Thursday, October 24, 2002 at 09:59 PM (CDT)

Hi there~

Well we had an interesting day today!!! Katie had her eye appointment today, and her doctor has decided to do eye surgery TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!! Just like that, no warning, no nothing!!! We have to be at our local hospital at 8:30am. I went to this appointment expecting that he would maybe patch her good eye, to build up strength in the bad one, definately not surgery. Now here is what happened~ We go in he shines a light in Katies eyes for about five minuets, says to the other doctor there "are we still able to book for tomorrow" this guys says "yes" then leaves the room. Here I am thinking okay more tests tomorrow no biggie. He shines his light in her eyes for another five minuets or so then tells me that Katie's eye is really bad but don't worry he can fix it, then puts drops in her eyes and says to come back in about half an hour. He checks her eyes after this and the sends us to his secretary, who then informs us that surgery is tomorrow. The look I gave her must have been priceless!! So I walked back into his office and go "you are doing surgery???" It turns out the muscle in her eye is too tight or something alomg that line, and he is going to correct it, but this is only a temprary messure and there will be many more surgerys to come!!!! This will help her for the time being but other than that I don't have clue!! GRRRR!!!! I feel really stupid for not asking oh I don't know maybe a billion more questions but I was in so much shock!!! Needledd to say tomorrow morning I will come armed to the teeth with some questions for this guy!!! So I will update again tomorrow!! Until then.......

Love Cheri

PS I uploaded a picture that shows her bad eye really good. It is the middle one in the photo section!!

Sunday October 20th

Hello all~

As you can tell we have gotten into the halloween theme big here!!!!! Tommorow we are going to decorate the house and yard!!!

Katie is doing really really good. She no longer walks, she RUNS!!! Every day she has adds a few words to her growing list. She continues to amaze me every day!!! It has been three days since her last antibiotic, and so far so good.However the last one she was on has given her a nasty yeast infection, and all the creams I have tried havn't seemed to work. so I will call her doctor in the morning.In ten days Katie will get her one year off treatment MRI!!! Boy do I have butterflies!!

I really should be off, it's late and I have a card to get into the mailbox for a special little boy!!!(Cameron start checking ;)!!!!!!)Good night!!!!

Cheri

Thursday, October 17, 2002 at 09:56 PM (CDT)

Hi all~

Katie is doing awsome!! She doesn't let a little thing like a UTI slow her down!! She took her last dose of antibiotic today, so lets hope she stays off of them for awhile. That little monkey has more doctors then I thought. After work today I had four messages from four differant doctors offices!!! One from her oncologist, to conferm her appointment with him on the 31st, one from radiology, conferming her MRI on the 30th, one from the optomologist, to say that he will be in town on the 24th, and wants to see her at 4:30, and on from our family doctor, to tell me that her urine culture came back positive for ecoli! Now don't stress, like I did, it seems the type that she has is present in all our bodies, actually it is found in your stools, so I think because she wears a diapper still, and her immune system isn't one hundred % yet things like to grow really really good in her. What a lovely thought eh??

I have found away around having to pay 1200+ dollars for our flight to Vancouver. My dad has that same week off so he will drive us to Kelowna and we will fly from there. It will only cost me 300 dollars!!! What a big differance!!!! The reason it is so much more to fly from Castlegar is there is only one airline that flies from there, so they can pretty much charge whatever they want. How sick is that???? Oh I feel my letter writing nerves start tingling!! LOL!!

I did something really silly this morning. Felica forgot to tell me that today was picture day today, and I sent her to school with jeans and a t-shirt on, her hair up in a ponytail, not looking at all as cute as she can(good thing that girlie is very photogenic). Can you say retakes??? Other than that, Felica is doing really good, growing like a bad weed.

I am going to watch survivor now so Good night!!
Cheri

Thursday, October 10, 2002 at 10:03 PM (CDT)

Well that was too good to last. Katie is on antibiotics again, this time for another urinary tract infection. I got a call from her day care at 10:30 this morning to tell me Katie was crying and saying owie everytime she went pee, so I went to pick her up, called our doctor who then suggested we go up to the ER. We spent three hours up there waiting for Katie to pee enough to test it, and when we got enough it took the lab an hour to get the results back, so needless to say it was a long day! Thankfully I think we caught it in time so we didn't have to spend the night on IV antibiotics. The thing I found really funny/weird about this infection is she doesn't have a fever, where last time she did, and it hurts her this time, but her last one didn't. I knew that today was going to be bad day when I woke up this moring to a dead mouse floating in the toilet, then my car wouldn't start. And then to top it off while at the hospital we ran into our neighbors from across the road and she informed us that there was a bear and two cubs in her feild last night, so I guess the girls aren't going to be walking up to gramma's anytime soon. On a the upside, Katie's platelets have gone up to 247!!! She hasn't had this good of platelets in well over a year!!! She has also gained 5 pounds in the last month so she is finally up to 28 pounds now!!!!!!!! Her white cell went down a weee little bit to 7.2 from 7.5 no bid deal. After we were done at the hospital Katie ate one and a half peanut butter sandwiches, a dunkaroo snack, and some grapes, so thankfully this hasn't effected her apitite at all. I would so love to have one month where there is no drama in her life!!!! Anyways I am very tired so I am off to bed.

Cheri

The month of October in Canada is Brain Tumor Awarness month.

Did you know......

Each year approximately 185,000 people in the United States and 10,000 people in Canada will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor.

Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death in children under age 20 now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39.

Brain tumor patients, including those with certain "benign" brain tumors, have poorer survival rates than breast cancer patients.

Metastatic brain tumors (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20 to 40% of persons with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumor. The incidence of brain tumors has been increasing as cancer patients live longer.

In the United States, the overall incidence of all primary brain tumors is more than 11 per 100,000 people.

There are over 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated.

Because brain tumors are located at the control center for thought, emotion and movement, their effects on an individual's physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.

At present, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, used either individually or in combination.

Only 31 percent of males and 30 percent of females survive five years following the diagnosis of a primary or malignant brain tumor.

Brain tumors in children are different from those in adults and are often treated differently. Although as many as 60 percent of children with brain tumors will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.

Enhancing the quality of life of people with brain tumors requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care and rehabilitative services. Improving the outlook for adults and children with brain tumors requires research into the causes of and better treatments of brain tumors.

Complete and accurate data on all primary brain tumors are needed to provide the foundation for research leading to improved diagnosis and treatment and to investigations of its causes.

These fact were taken from The National Brain Tumor Foundation
Another good site is Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada
I also recomend The Musella Foundation

Sunday, October 06, 2002 at 09:27 PM (CDT)

Hi all~

Well we just got back from our local Light the Night walk. This was the first one held here and technically it wasn't called Light the Night but it was still a fundraiser for leukemia research.Actually it didn't really have a name it was an imprompto get together that the two leukema kids moms from our area put together. We all walked through the park with flashlights, glo-sticks, whatever we could find that glows. There was a pretty good turnout considering it was put together last week.
Although Katie herself doesn't have leukemia, I feel that if we get the research to cure one type of cancer the odds that we will one day be able to cure all cancers is worth it. Besides one of the late term side effects that Katie can aquire later in life is leukemia, so all the ammo now is great!!

The month of October in Canada is Brain Tumor Awarness month.

Did you know......

Each year approximately 185,000 people in the United States and 10,000 people in Canada will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor.

Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death in children under age 20 now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in young adults ages 20-39.

Brain tumor patients, including those with certain "benign" brain tumors, have poorer survival rates than breast cancer patients.

Metastatic brain tumors (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20 to 40% of persons with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumor. The incidence of brain tumors has been increasing as cancer patients live longer.

In the United States, the overall incidence of all primary brain tumors is more than 11 per 100,000 people.

There are over 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated.

Because brain tumors are located at the control center for thought, emotion and movement, their effects on an individual's physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.

At present, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, used either individually or in combination.

Only 31 percent of males and 30 percent of females survive five years following the diagnosis of a primary or malignant brain tumor.

Brain tumors in children are different from those in adults and are often treated differently. Although as many as 60 percent of children with brain tumors will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.

Enhancing the quality of life of people with brain tumors requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care and rehabilitative services. Improving the outlook for adults and children with brain tumors requires research into the causes of and better treatments of brain tumors.

Complete and accurate data on all primary brain tumors are needed to provide the foundation for research leading to improved diagnosis and treatment and to investigations of its causes.

These fact were taken from The National Brain Tumor Foundation
Another good site is Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada
I also recomend The Musella Foundation

Thanks all for stopping by, remember to sign the guestbook.
Cheri

Saturday, October 05, 2002 at 11:28 AM (CDT)

Hi all;

Boy did I ever go off on the last update. Sorry if I offended anyone but I needed to let it out.

Katie has been doing really well this week!! That little girl amazes me. I can not believe what an imagination she has. She is slowly getting more steady with her walking, not falling over as much. Everday we are practicing making sounds, she loves to imitate me and her sister. I think she may be making some head way on her constipation issue, she has had a bm everyday for four days now. For those who didn't know Katie has had constipation her entire life, it started when she was about a month old, I had to take her to her doctor because she hadn't done one for about a week. The only time she hasn't had this problem was during chemo when it was they other extreme, how weird eh? I know what pleasent topic but I am excited for her. LOL!! Potty training is going nowhere yet. I think that one time this week was a one time thing. Oh well there is time for that when SHE is ready.

I can not belive that she is going to be three in two months. Three is a big milestone for her. With her type of cancer "they" (don't know exactually who they are) say that kids are technically "cured" after a weird formula of time called Colins Law. You take the age the person was diagnosed( for Katie this would be 17 months) multiply it by two then add nine months. With this formula Katie will be so called cured at 43 months or 3 and a half years. Too me this sounds way to good to be actually true. I feel this is something she will be threatend by for the rest of her life. But as of today she is a SURVIVOR, and all we can do is live life one day at a time.

Thanks to all who gave me comfort this week, and the past year and a half. I wouldn't have made it this far without all of you, and I do mean everyone!

Cheri

PS 25 days and counting until MRI time!!

Wednesday, October 02, 2002 at 08:23 PM (CDT)

Wow a week has gone by and no ear infections! How long until she builds up a resistance to this antibiotic I don't know but so far so good! She has been doing great this week. Today she had a towel wrapped around her shoulders, flapping her arms, and yelling "i,i,i"(fly) She did number two on the potty today, I hope this is a start of something good. Twenty one more days until her one year post treatment MRI, yes I am already counting the days. I am so thankful for how well she has been doing.

So I got the update about Katie out of the way and now it is time for me to vent and I mean major venting!

I am so sick and tired of people saying that now Katie is done chemo treatments that they are glad she is "all better" or "aren't you glad that it is all over" or "boy has she ever been through alot" First off no she is not "all better" all better doesn't consiste of rushing to the ER when she has a fever, having speach/physical therepy every week, getting her port flushed every month, being put in the hospital overnight for a bladder infection, which most of us can take care of by drinking cranberry juice. "All over" ha-thats a joke, she has to live the rest of her life with the threat that this monster will come back, getting MRI's at least once a year for forever, blood counts checked every three months forever, speach delays, physical delays, mental delays, no it's not all over it has just begun! What about school, friends, being an adult,having children, these are all unknowns. "She has been through alot"? I really hope that was sarcasim cause alot is an understatement, this child has been giving anistetic more times than me, my family, my friends, have been given combined.Surgeries, MRI's, CT scans, you name it she has had it done to her!No folks this isn't done, not by along shot!

So what has made me so mad?I have had a really bad couple of days! I went to go get groceries yesterday, and I seem to have "lost" two hundred dollars, when you live check to check this is alot of money! I called the bank they told me they would put a trace on it but since it looks like it was taken out from my debit card there probably isn't much they can do about it. Considering my debit card has been sitting on my microwave for a week now this is ludicris! By the way this is the second time this year money has gone missing from my account. Secondly I got a call last night from my friend that works for H&R Block and did my taxes this year that Revenue Canada has decided to audit me. Can we get a colective YEAH! How good can this be??? LOL!!! I know that my taxes were done right but it is just the fact that they are doing it that irks me! And too top it all off in order for Katie and I to fly to Vancouver at the end of this month it will cost me $1200. Now ya want to hear the ironic thing about this??? The reason it is so much is Katie is over two so I need to buy her a seat, but she can't fly in her own seat if she is under thirty pounds.She weighs 24 pounds! Can anybody figure this one out for me cause I sure can't!!! Daylight robbery is what my Baba said about it!GRRRRRRRR!

Thank you all that listened to me freak out!! It so helps to get it off my chest! Love and prayers to you all!!!
Cheri

Thursday, September 26, 2002 at 11:10 PM (CDT)

Wow two enteries in two days, hows that for a record eh??

Today at 3:30 my mom called me at work to say Katie was running a fever of 38.1. I rushed home and it had dropped down to 37.8 and she was full of energy.So I let that temp ride, maybe mom took it wrong?? We ran down to the mall(Katie walked most of the time) to pick up some stuff then came home. Katie wanted her bottle, so she layed on the couch for about an hour then I took her temp again it was up to 38.3, so up to the ER again! She was pulling at her left ear by then so I knew she had an ear infection, and sure enough she does. Honestly I think this may be an issue for her for some time to come. It seems she can't go more than two months without one. GRRRRRR! This doctor that we saw hadn't seen Katie before so I got to retell her history. He came in and asked if Katie was a healthy girl and I could not help but to laugh. I have to give him credit in that he took a guess at what type of tumor she had and he gumbled up it but was on the right track. So she is on antibiotics for another week.

Other than that things here are really normal.Yeah! Everone have a great weekend and hopefully the next update will be some better news. Remember to sign Katies guestbook while you are here!

Love Cheri

Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at 07:12 PM (CDT)

Hi there!

So very sorry I never got a chance to update after fridays and mondays appointments. On Friday we had the team meeting~ I feel it went very well. The physio therepist is very happy with the way Katie has improved so much on her walking,now we are going to work on her strength and balance. As for speach~ well we still are not as far with that yet so we will still plug away. We are going to try to use picture boards to help Katie with the day to day words like her foods, and toys. All in all she has come so far, we are all pleased with how well she is doing.

We FINALY have a time and day set up for Katie's next MRI!!! October 30th at noon~ one year to the day that she had her last chemo treatment! All MRI's are hard but this one, I don't know why, has got me on pins and needles.I am sure that it is because it will be one year post tx. I pray that I won't be this uptight five, ten , twenty years out.

Today at work I climbed up on my little ole soap box and started spewing out childhood cancer facts to anyone who would listen. For you people that are close to me you know I do this on a regular basis but this was differant. Something just came over me and I felt I HAD to let others know that this is very very real. I live in a small town where I only know two other kids personally who are affected by this, and I would never had known them except for the fact my daughter was diagnosed. Both family's I met in Vancouver, not here at home, how sad is that??? If anyone would like some facts on childhood cancer I urge you to visit
~ Gooch's page ~ His mom has a letter there that I think everyone should read at least once!!!

Cheri

Wednesday, September 25, 2002 at 07:12 PM (CDT)

Monday, September 16, 2002 at 07:59 PM (CDT)

Hi everyone!!!

Things here are back to normal again! Katie is feeling much much better.Went back to daycare today and had a ball. On friday the new speach therepist will visit with Katie then on monday with me and gramma. So hopefully they feel her speach is improving. I think it is. Then this week or next we are having another team meeting, this is where all Katie's therepists, doctor, and anyone else that has to do with Katie in Nelson get together and plan out what Katie's needs are for the next three months.

I wanted to tel you all of a new friend we have met. His name is Cameron, he's four months younger then Katie and was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in June of this year. After surgery he also developed posterior fossa syndrome, like Katie did. Something about this little boy has really touched my heart, so I want you all that stop by our site to go visit his when you are done here, and sign his guestbook, okay.Make sure you check out his picture page cause boy is he cute.His link is just above this journal entry.

Anyways take care and I will update again soon!
Cheri.
Lots of love

Friday, September 13, 2002 at 06:41 PM (CDT)

***New Picture 9/14***

Hello there!

Well we ended up staying overnight at the hospital for 24 hours of antibiotics. It turns out that it wasn't the shunt after all but just a urinary tract infection!! So because she was tired her eye was drooping, poking at her stomach was caused by the infection, but I still don't get why she was pulling at the top of her shunt, but that too has stopped. That little girl scared the poop out of me though! Last night was just awful, I don't know how we managed to do that for weeks at a time! Of course Katie took it all in stride as usual., I don't know how she does it. Anyways we are home now on oral antibiotics and things look good. Thanks to everyone for the extra prayers I they really helped.An extra big thanks to Kim for the A&W(I can not eat that hospital food for the life of me) and Moe for the real coffee(our hospital's coffee tastes like dish soap).
Love to all
Cheri

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 at 01:31 PM (CDT)

WBC~7.4
RBC~3.9
Hemoglobin~11.8
Platelet~198

Weird to see Katie's blood counts posted eh? Trust me it is weird for me too because she hasn't had a CBC done since May! For those that don't know these numbers are all normal however they are on the low side of normal. Wanna know the reason she had her counts taken today?? Well this morning she woke up with a fever of 38.1, and with her having her port in still and a vp shunt, if she gets a fever we need to go up to the er, so off we went(again).
Now I'm not trying to alarm anybody but I am very worried about my baby girl today. You see for the last three days she has been pointing to the top of her head(where the shunt is) and saying "owie", then to her tummy where the shunt drains and saying "owie". She has also been very cranky and just not her happy playful self. And that right eye of hers, over the last two days have gotten worse, sunken in, turning more, sensitive to light. These are all signs of a shunt malfunction or please god no a relapse. I and the doctors are more inclined to think if anything it is a shunt related thing, becuse to us, and yes I mean the doctor that is always up at the er when we are there so she sees her fairly often, her shunt looks bigger.So what do we do now?? Well we wait, yes I said wait. GRRRR. I am tired of waiting!We wait to see if she gets worse, we wait to see if she starts vomiting, we wait to see if she gets more lathargic. At least they told us to go home to do this waiting. Tomorrow morning we have an appointment to see Katie's doctor, who herself is sick right now. Dr. Carrie has been wonderful to Katie, and always been on top of everything. Today she is going to talk to the doctors down at children's and we will go from there. So please say some extra prayers that this is nothing wrong with Katie right now and there will be no need to go back down to Vancouver any sooner then our schedualed trip next month!

I also wanted to say to all our American friends that our thoughts and prayers are with you all today.

Cheri

Thursday, September 05, 2002 at 09:10 PM (CDT)

*************NEW PICTURES**********

Hi Everyone!!!

Not all that much is new here. We live a very boring life, but trust me this is a good thing! Katie seems perfectly fine after the tumble she took on monday night.

Katie gets to see the neurosergon on October 17th, one year and one month (minus a day) after the shunt insertion. I would love to know why it took this long for her to be seen by him, but hopefully it will be productive. Her MRI is tentavely set for the day beore that. What a long month this is going to be. The following is a poem that pretty much sums up how I feel before the MRI

THE SCAN

A Sleepless Night

Tomorrow our lives could change again
forever...forever...
Will the scan be clear, will the tumor return,
now...or never?...
We try to smooth the ups, the downs.
It's been nice breathing calmly, nice not to frown,
But tomorrow our lives could change again,
forever...forever...

Tomorrow we'll sit while the bangs and clicks
surround us...engulf us....
staring down the tunnel, waiting for the films
that free us...or damn us...
The probation could last for another four months,
Or find us retreating behind false fronts
That we take out tomorrow to hide the anguish
around us...within us...

Tomorrow our lives could continue on course
or falter...get altered...
It's amazing to think that one simple test has
such power...such impact...
To the world around us the test dates come
one after another, eventually numb
To the fact that tomorrow could leave us again
bewildered...off kilter...

Tomorrow we hope that the treatments have helped
change things...delay things...
Are there further treatments that we can survive
do we want them?... can we stand them?...
Has the Cancer been killed; does it lie there in wait?
Will it show up tomorrow, or some much later date?
Tomorrow a crossroads, or merely a rest stop
on a journey....to eternity...

Tomorrow our lives could change again
forever...forever....
Tomorrow our world could be turned upside down
tossed asunder...it's no wonder...
That we dwell in the past, trying to recall the way
That we made it through "tomorrow"
when it was yesterday
And why we hope to face "tomorrow" again and again
forever...forever...
~Steve Fass

So I hope everyone has a good weekend and thanks to everyone that comes to check up on us~ it really means so much!! ((((((HUGS))))))

Cheri

Monday, September 02, 2002 at 11:01 PM (CDT)

I swear one day my children will put me in a mental hospital!!!!!!!!!

We just got back from a "quick" trip to the ER. It seems Katie loves her new found freedom on her two feet but is unaware that she still has some limitations! She thought that it would be fun to try to jump but instead fell backwards and smucked her head really good at the end of the coffee table. Thankfully she didn't rupture the skin so no stiches but it was right where her crainiotomy was so off we went. The doctor was the sameone that we always seem to get whenever we go up there so at least there was no repeating of medical history and the thought that I am an over paranoid mother!LOL!She seems to have done no serious damage but I need to check on her a few times tonight(thank goodness I don't have to work tomorrow)to make sure she hasn't vomited, and if she does up to the hospital we will go again!

We learned last night that it is impossible for Katie to eat corn on the cob with no front teeth, darn it that was something she really liked too. Felica has been having some bad growing pains this week and has been really clumsy so another growing spurt is on the way(she is going to out grow all her school clothes by October. At the rate she is going she will be taller than me in no time(not that it will take much!)

I was helping Bob and Moe build an addition on their house this weekend and hammered way too much my arms are just aching so I must stop typing before I cramp up too bad. LOL.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!!!
Lots of love~
Cheri

Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 07:19 PM (CDT)

Wow....Another week has gone by already!!What happened to summer??? Katie's mouth has healed wonderful. The dentist down in Van wanted to see her this week but there is no way I was going to go down there two weeks in a row just to see a dentist, so we decided that she would see the dentist here. Dr. Starr was trained as a pediatric dentist so I felt we were in good hands!

Katie is still walking everywhere! Barely crawling at all.How great is that?? I couldn't be happier. Felica is in Creston this week with her Auntie Stacey, Joseph, Ellieanna, & Darcey :o)Boy do we miss her! I think I saw her for five days this month!

Thanks to everyone that has signed the guestbook it means alot!!
Love Cheri

Tuesday, August 13, 2002 at 06:38 PM (CDT)

Well we are home!!!

What a fun trip that was! NOT! I hate Vancouver! Sorry to all you that live there but I chose my one horse town! It's not that I dislike the place it's what it represents~cancer,chemo,hospital. I am sure I would have a ball down there if all that other crap wasn't thrown in there.

As for Katie~ she ended up having her four top front teeth pulled :(, her six bottom front are fine, and all the rest are silver capped! Boy does she look funny! They gave her morphine & codeine & tylenol for the pain so she was really drugged up yesterday. We got to the hospital at 6:15am and didn't leave untill 1pm so it was a long day. Katie was loopy when I took her took Ronald Mcdonald House for a visit we only stayed for about ten minuets then went back and she slept from 3:30 monday afternoon until 5:30 this morning. We left Vancouver at 7am and she slept until we got to Hope then fell back to sleep until Osyos and she was up for the rest of the super hot trip back.She now wants to go show gramma and grampa her teeth (or lack of) so until next time....

Cheri

Friday, August 09, 2002 at 12:21 PM (CDT)

Finally we have a time for Katie's surgery!!! We need to be at children's at 6:30 am Monday morning for a 7:45 surgery start. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute eh? Anyways~ we are off to the hospital now to meet with ortho for her leg brace! Wish us luck! I will update later on how the brace goes, I have a feeling she will hate the thing! Cheri

UPDATE~
Did I say she would hate her leg brace? That is an understatement! She screamed blue murder for about the hour it was on.It was not pleasent. How do you reason with a two year old that this is a good thing? Oh well come hell or high water she will get use to it!(yeah right) Now that I know for sure that we are leaving to Vancouver in two days I better get some laundry done so we have clean clothes to wear. I can't wait to see Felica tomorrow, Katie has been having a hard time going to bed with her gone so I am sure that she misses her too.

Love Cheri

Wednesday, August 07, 2002 at 10:07 PM (CDT)

What can I say... I have an amazing daughter!!! For the past two days Katie has done nothing but walk!!!! She took her first tenitive steps way back in April and I was sure on cloud nine then but now when she wants anything she will walk to it. Not only that she steadies herself when she starts to get off balance. This is truly a miracle because in January the therepist told me that there was too much damage done to her cerebelum and she probably not walk properly ever again. Well dammit when we walk into that office on Monday morning they are in for a shock!!!! However I don't know if we are going down to Vancouver next week because they gave us a day for the surgery but I have not heard anything about a time. They said that they would call a week before it, so now I guess I have to get a hold of them. I am really getting frustrated with these doctors or whoever pushing us under the rug. I have been trying to get an appointment set up with the nero people because she hasn't seen anyone since the shunt was put in way back in September, they have now schedualed the MRI's six months apart when our roadmap clearly says for the first two years post treatment that she is to get them every three months. All I get is don't worry we know what we are doing. Well if that is the case can somebody fill me in please! Anyways I will calm down now and go and enjoy Katie. Felica has been in Kamloops for the past week and boy do I miss her alot, can't wait to see her on Saturday! Till next time......

Lots of Love

Cheri

Saturday, August 03, 2002 at 03:45 PM (CDT)

Hello there!!!

Again there isn't much that is new around here. Katie has her dental surgery in Vancouver next Monday, so there will be more to tell then.She is getting so big and heavy. Her face is pudgy, she has double chins! On Friday she will be getting her brace(hopefully) I am thinking of looking into the Shriners Hospital for her legs. I have been told that they do remarkable stuff. We will see. If anyone has any info about them let me know, I would greatly appriciate it! Thanks! So until next week.... Keep the other families battling cancer or who have lost a child to it and even the ones doing good all in your prayers. There are way too many of them out there it is so sad and scary.

Lots of love
Cheri

Wednesday, July 24, 2002 at 09:16 PM (CDT)

Hello there everyone!!

I would've updated earlier but I have nothing new to report on the girls. They are both doing sooooo well, both enjoying the summer, and the heat! Katie has good days and bad days with her walking ~ some days she will some days she won't, today she has been good. Compared to a year ago she is doing wonderful. Some days I look at her next to other kids her age and my heart just shatters for the limits she has, but hen I look and see how far she has come and my heart swells with pride and love and happiness at how WELL she is.

Here is a poem(?) I found that brings me to tears everytime I read it ~

I Am The Child

I am the child who cannot talk. You often pity me, I see it in your eyes. You wonder how much I am aware of -- I see that as well. I am aware of much--whether you are happy or sad or fearful, patient or
impatient, full of love and desire, or if you are just doing your duty by me. I marvel at your frustration, knowing mine to be far greater, for I cannot express myself or my needs as you do.

You cannot conceive my isolation, so complete it is at times. I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated. I do not give you answers to your everyday questions,
responses over my well-being, sharing my needs or comments about the world about me. I do not give you rewards as defined by the worlds standards -- great strides in development that you can credit
yourself; I do not give you understanding as you know it.

What I give you is so much more valuable-- I give you instead opportunities. Opportunities to discover the depth of your character, not mine; the depth of your love, your commitment, your patience, your
abilities; the opportunity to explore your spirit more deeply than you imagined possible. I drive you further than you would ever go on your own, working harder, seeking answers to your many questions with no
answers. I am the child who cannot talk.

I am the child who cannot walk. The world seems to pass me by. You see the longing in my eyes to get out of this chair, to run and play like the other children. There is much you take for granted. I want the
toys on the shelf, I need to go to the bathroom, oh I�ve dropped my fork again. I am dependent on you in these ways. My gift to you is to make you more aware of your great fortune, your healthy back and legs,
your ability to do for yourself. Sometimes people appear not to notice me; I always notice them. I feel not so much envy as desire, desire to stand upright , to put one foot in front of the other, to be
independent. I give you awareness. I am the child who cannot walk.

I am the child who is mentally impaired. I don�t learn easily, if you judge me by the worlds measuring stick, what I do know is infinite joy in simple things. I am not burdened as you are with the strife�s and
conflicts of a more complicated life. My gift to you is to grant you the freedom to enjoy things as a child, to teach you how much your arms around me more to give you love, I give you the gift of simplicity. I
am the child who is mentally impaired.

I am the disabled child. I am your teacher. If you allow me, I will teach you what is really important in my life. I will give you and teach you unconditional love. I gift you with my innocent trust, my
dependency upon you. I teach you about how precious life is and about not taking things for granted. I teach you about forgetting your own needs and desires and dreams. I teach you giving. Most of all I
teach you hope and faith. I am the disabled child.
Author unknown

Anyways bath time for the girls and Katie has found a pencil and making new wall decorations, good thing it earases. LOl!!

Lots of Love
Cheri

Friday, July 12, 2002 at 11:41 PM (CDT)

Wow it has already been a week since the last update, where did the time go???

Katie is still doing really good, minus one minor trip to the er on sunday night.All day sunday she was running a slight fever, and was cranky. I think I am still somewhat in chemo fever mode because I took her temp every half hour it seemed, and while she has great counts now, I am programed that when her temp reaches a certain number to go to the er and prepare for IV antibiotics but she isn't on chemo so I was pulled between is this a regular kid thing or?????So I called her oncologist to double check and he said that because she has her port and shunt still to take her up and get her looked at.So up we went and thankfully the doctor on call knew Katie's history checked her out and it turns out it is just an ear infection!!! Never has a parent left the hospital with their child happy that they have an ear infection!She was put on amoxicilin(weakest antibiotic she has ever had no big guns this time) and at her check up today her doctor said it is looking really good! Now I am a little stressed about an ear infection in some ways because she has only had two before this and that was one month before dx and one month before the coma incident.However she seems to have bounced back quite nicely being her regular old self!

Daycare is going really well too, she loves it and has the time of her life there.I think this was a good move because she gets to interact with so many differant aged kids, it is doing her wonders.

Other good news.....My mom got out of the hospital yesterday and they declassified her. Now instead of being in stage three liver faliure she is down to stage two.BIG improvement!So we will see how that goes.Keep your fingers crossed that she continues to improve.

Well I must go and get some sleep. It is so hot here 42 degrees forcasted for tomorrow!We have a big day planned the kids are going down to my friends house, he has decided to have a water fun day for the kids, I am sure I will be running around after them in the heat.Take care and go find some shade:)

Lots of love
Cheri

Saturday, July 06, 2002 at 12:08 PM (CDT)

Things went okay yesterday with the ortho doc, however he forgot to tell the people making her afo(leg brace) that it needed a flexible joint in the ankle, so we wait again for a new one. However she did get the insert and it doesn't seem to bother her too much.

Other then that she is doing great! Slowly her walking and talking has improved. I don't know if she is talking better or if we can just understand her more but what ever it is I will take it! She has turned into a little dare devil`Trying to stand where evere she feels like it. Two nights ago we were visiting gramma at the hospital and she stood up outside on the concrete which slopped and bang smacked her head right into the cement! Thankfully she has great platelets because it left a nasty mark!

It is now time to go enjoy the wonderful sun(which we never got to do last summer)I think a trip to the beach is in order. Pack a picnic and make it an all day thing....so enjoy the weekend and sun and talk to you soon..

Love Cheri

July 3rd, 2002 10:15pm

Well daycare is going really well, infact she didn't realize I was gone until 11:15 on the first day when she started to fuss, fell alseep for about twenty mins. had lunch then I came just after noon and boy was she mad that she had to go!Today she was crying abit but not for me for her sister, go figure.

Katie has learned a new trick today......she will get up on her hands and feet then slowly get to her feet, stand there, then walk away!Today she was mad when we were visting gramma and took off almost at a run relized what she was doing, sat down and threw a temper tantrum. Just seeing her try was wonderful!She will get her leg brace and instert at 8:30 Friday morning!I am so excited! She will hate them but hopefully this will give her legs the balance they need, so she CAN run.PJ is already calling her Forrest(gotta love my sisters)

I will update Friday night to tell everyone how the brace is!But in the meantime even if you have nothing to say just say HI in the guestbook! Felica and Katie love to listen to the posts!

As for my mom she looks so much better!About 4 months now Christine(LOL)She will have a biopsy either tomorrow or the next day! So keep her in your prays too!

Love Cheri

Monday, July 01, 2002 at 12:42 PM (CDT)

Happy Canada Day!!!!

Tomorrow will mark a new chapter in Katie's life... she will be attending her very first group day care. I think she will have a great time!The teachers there all seem very warm and friendly and understanding of what Katie's needs are and will work with her physio/speach schedule.There is another little boy there that is also learning sign language so she will not be alone with that.

As for every day life she is getting stronger and more twoish(is that an actual word?) What a strong willed little girl she is turning into don't know where she gets that from lol! She gets her brace on friday so I will update after that.

My mom is doing really good getting a real colour back and the bloating is going down. You can tell she is getting better and stronger because she is starting to nag again!But she is still in hospital and getting a biopsy tomorrow so we will see what is up after thaose tests come in!

Please remember to sign the guestbook the girls love to see who is checking up on them!

Lots of love
Cheri

Sunday, June 23, 2002 at 10:13 PM (CDT)

Another week has passed and Katie is still doing wonderful! The last two days have been great for her she got to play with her cousins, some she has never met before~Jessica, Micheal & Jo-Jo and some she has~Morgan & Kevin. Thanks guys for comming down it was great to have the family here even if was only half of them~ Mark,Marla seriously I think a trip down is long over due! ;-)

All the prayers we have been getting from all over the world has done wonders, now I ask for us to shift gears a bit now that Katie is doing so well~ see my mom is really sick, her liver has failed and is in need of a transplant but things are really touch and go with her, so can you inclued mom in those prayers that she recovers enough from this bout that she will be able to get the transplant.Thanks!

Anyways the girls are in bed and I think I need to go to. Take care and don't forget to sign the guestbook, we love to here from y'all!

Lots of Love Cheri

Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 02:06 PM (CDT)

Happy Saturday everyone!!!!!

It is a beautiful day today!!!! I just wanted everyone to know that the pictures have been updated~so check them out!!

Now to go have some fun in the sun!!!!

Cheri

Friday, June 14, 2002 at 09:43 PM (CDT)

The same old same old here, I think this is just great!!Katie now stands up all by herself but only in the pool???? I have no clue why but that us where she does it. Potty training is going very very slowly (I am not pushing too hard though) We will have a team meeting next week to see where Katie is and what concerns there are from all the therepists and doctors.So I will update then!

Cheri

PS. I have noticed alot of people have visited the site over the last few weeks but nobody signs the guestbook!:( Please take a bit to say hi! Even if you already have! Felica and Katie loves to here who is out there!Thanks! :)

Friday, June 07, 2002 at 10:55 PM (CDT)

Wow, what a whirlwind of a day! Juat before noon my mom called to tell me that the pediatric orthopedic doctor was in town for the weekend and had heard about Katie and wanted to see her to see what could be done about her feet. This guy was born and raised here in Nelson and comes once a month to visit and while here checks in with the physio therepist to see if there are any kids that need to be seen who would other wise make a trip to Vancouver for all this! Anyways half an hour later mom called again to say Katie had an appointment at 4, ten minuetes later Nancey the physio therepist called to say that the appointment was now at 3:30. I left work picked up Katie and took her to see this guy....it turns out she has drop foot in her right foot, this is where the muscles that hold up her foot do not work properly.I was told a year ago that this was a side effect from vincristine(chemo drug) but beacuse Katie was not walking it was not noticed til now!Things get done sooooo slowly sometimes but they do get done! So Katie's feet were messured and a mold was made of her left foot because as it turns out it is flat foot!She will have a the brace(right foot) in a month when this guy comes back to town!She will also have a orthopedic insole to correct the left foot's flat foot problem(what amouth full!)
Now I am left wondering is this is why the walking is very slow going??? But even that is getting better...Katie insists on walking everywhere now even if she does fall every 10 steps if she doesn't have anything to hold on to. She looks like a baby taking her first steps!

On a totally differant subject .... Felica ...what an amazing little girl! I swear she will be a doctor one day! Knows everything there is to know about medulloblastoma! Last night she had her brownie fly up to be a guide! Where does the time go???? The night before I went to Vancouver we took her bike out of storage and it was a foot to small for her and I told her we would buy her a new one after payday which would be this weekend and would you beleive the lucky little girl won one from school today! She is so happy!

Anyways take care everyone> try to get a look at this site.... www.cancerkids.org and click on their stories what an insperation!

Cheri

Saturday, May 25, 2002 at 08:59 AM (CDT)

Katie got a clean scan!!!! Clean is not quite the word because all the spots and enhancments from the previous scans are going away!!! How great life is!!!! Her doctor is very very happy with the fact that swelling and everything else looks so good that they have decided to scan again in six months instead of three YEAH! However~ she needs to go down again in August for dental surgery! It seems that the combo of chemo, pediasure, and the fact that her teeth never really had a chance to fully develop , has caused some major decay! All ten teeth on the top need too be capped and four on the bottom. But if this is the worst side effect from this damm chemo then Iwill take it.As for getting the port out~just as I predicted it was canncelled due to the doctors dispute, minor detail it can be done at a later time.All signs of fluid in her ear are gone and so far she doesn't need the tubes put in.Her left foot has been turning in now for some time and they think it is time to get a brace put on it, hopefully this will give her leg more strenth and the walking will get even better!For now we are just so happy that she seems to be doing so well considering a year ago today she had the surgery!! Wow one year already! Lets see what the next year brings!

Tuesday, May 21, 2002 at 10:25 PM (CDT)

Well it is the night before we take the big drive(8hrs) down to Vancouver!Wow am I ever stressed, we will not be 100% sure if the port removal will happen now due to this damm doctors dispute untill we are down there! Also she has the early signs of a cold and if she is too congested they won't do the MRI because of the anistetic! Hopefully all goes as planned!!!! Wish Katie luck and keep her in your prayers!

Sunday, April 21, 2002 at 09:05 AM (CDT)

The most amazing thing happened on Wednesday night~I told Katie to stand up and walk and she did just that!!She let go of the wall and walked about five feet to her Auntie Lisa!!It has been almost one year since she has done that,I have been on cloud nine since! The days after that she has been slowly getting better at it and has longer periods of freestanding!In 6 weeks is her next appointment with the oncologist and we are bound and determined that she will walk into that office! Miricales do happen!!!

Sunday, April 14, 2002 at 09:27 AM (CDT)

Hello again!

Well we have our next set of appointments for Katie! May 23rd, MRI and check up with Dr Davis, May 24th, port removal. I am very upset about these dates!! One year to the day that she was diagnosed! Vancouver was not where I wanted to be on these days!!! Maybe I am being selfish and should be happy that she has suvived a year(and I am) but dam it I do not want to be alone again on my birthday(may 25th)(the day they removed the tumor)or on the day they found the beast(may 24th) Some friends and I are trying to work out a way that we could be home by Saturday afternoon, fly back friday night or saturday morning(major$$$$) or drive(very tiring)to the Okanagan friday then continue on saturday am, if Stacey can get time off from school or Wendy's doctor say it is okay for her to travel.I definately need someone to drive with because 8 hours alone in the car with Katie is too much!Wow I sound like a spoiled brat eh?
Anyways now that I vented....Katie is doing wonderful!Growing fatter everday, she has more energy, and is standing on her own! Not walkling yet. Her speach is getting clearer a bit easier to understand, but no where near 100%.And the hair on this kid is incredible,very fuzzy!
Wish us luck on a clean scan on the 23rd do you know this is the first scan that I am not terriffied about because she is doing so well!!Bye!!

Saturday, March 16, 2002 at 01:12 PM (CST)

Well not much new stuff to report, which is good because no news is good news as they say!! Just don't tell that to my mom cause we tried to tell her that when Katie was in surgery and Mom was at home in Nelson boy did that stress her out!!!LOL!!!

Katie is now a mimiking monkey she repeats everything that we say to her only in her own language but it is slowly getting clearer! We can not wait for the snow to melt so we can take her for walks with her walker the mall is getting kinda boring these days. We all just got over a bad case of the stomach flu-anybody want to tell me why we all got the flu shot cause so far we have got the bug twice this season!

Hopefully we can get her port out soon but...they (the doctors) say it is elective surgery not absolutly nessasary so we wait to see what is going on with the doctor cutbacks!

On a good note next time we go down to the coast the nurses are going to hold a little party to celebrate the end of treatment which was five months ago!!! I can not beleive it has almost been a year since she was diagnosed how time flies!!

Anyways till next time.......

Tuesday February 19, 2002 6:28 PM CST

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! Clean MRI!!!!!!!!!!

What a relief!!!With the vomiting issue a few weeks back that had me so scared they now say it was 100% the flu. No more blood work and her port can come out in 3 to 4 weeks!The hospital will have a special little party for her then!! Also on Sunday just as quick as it started her appatie came back she is eating almost as much as Felica!!!I am going to go broke feeding them but at least I don't have to smell pediasure anymore!!LOL!!!Her talking is slowly comimg back and she can stand without hanging on to anything for longer periods now. So she is getting there! Untill next time........

Saturday February 2, 2002 11:35 AM CST

Hello again things are going really well here. Katie is being your typical two year old!!!!!!!!! Only she still is not walking or talking so she gets frustrated really easy. On monday she begins learning sign laungage just in case her speech doesn't develop down the road, It will be a useful tool none the less.
On febuary 18th she has her next MRI so till then......keep her in your prayers!

Saturday, December 29, 2001 at 08:24 PM (CST)

Well Christmas came and went and so did her birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!Wow she is now two! I can not believe what she has gone through in only two years probalbly more than most adults do!

Her birthday was spent with family and friends,a teletubby cake,lots and lots of presents and she was in such a good mood!

Christmas......what can I say about Christmas..... Santa came and saw her at home twice and then came on Christmas eve too!Never has Santa came to one little girl(who was scared witless) so many times in one year! She had so much fun at Gramma's and Papa's house. She only got tired once went for a nap and was playing again!

Physically she is getting bigger and stronger. However she still is not walking. More waiting! Anyways time to go play!!!! Until next time.......Happy New Year!!!!!

Friday, December 07, 2001 at 03:41 PM (CST)

Well the MRI was done on Monday and we got some so so news. They found "something" thats about 3-4 mm big so they took a sample of her csf and it showed no signs of any cancer cells!!! Now that leaves us with what is it ?????Blood clot, scar tissue, an infection??? The doctors aren't sure so they are taking a lets wait and see what it does approach.So we wait again. That all it seems we do. On a good note Katie had her first physio appointment today and the theripist was impressed that Katie was doing as well as she is!! They think its just a matter of time until she is walking. Yep more waiting. To see her this happy again is the best Chritmas gift I could get.
She is a bundle of energy and getting more friendlier by the day. She actually stayed with Freisha yesterday and didn't care that I left. What a huge step forward for this little girl who two months ago would freak if I left the room even. Anyways I'll keep you all updated to how she is doing and let you all know how her second birthday party went. December 22nd will be a wonderfull day!!!! Merry Christmas to all.

Saturday, November 24, 2001 at 11:24 AM (CST)

Since this is the first day of my daughters site I'll just give you a bit of back ground info....

On May 23, 2001 Katie was flown down by air ambulance to BC Childrens Hospital because after a month of what the doctors thought was vertigo(she had all the classic symptoms-dizzyness and vomiting after an ear infection) it was not getting any better and they now thought it was a brain tumor.The MRI was done at 5am the morning of the 24th and the neurologist came to her room three hours later to confirm my worst fear that yes there was a tumor and they were going to remove it the next day! Surgery was eight hours long then the doctor came and told us they had gotten the whole tumor, it was cancerous, and she had pulled through the surgery with flying colors. The little fighter had pulled out her intubation tube five min. after the surgery. Seeing my little darling hooked up th all those monitors was almost too much to bear.
Katie had gottten one of the rarest side effects from this surgery-mutisim-for about three weeks she was unable to talk, eat, walk, or even hold herself up.She was sent to a rehab center and finally on the day they were about to start she started eating again and said mama. Now that she was on her way to recovering the chemo could start.
Katie would be on a clinical trail that would start with proven drugs for the first cycle then a combination of two drugs that, while seperatly had been used, together they were still new and would cause severe side affects.
She got her central line placed then after her first round of chemo she got a stem cell harvest so that her second cycle wouldn't be so damaging to her system after they reinfussed her with her stem cells.
Everything was going very smoothly with just a few minor trips to the hospital for transfussions of platelets and packed red cells and of course the fevers caused from low white cells no infections, no bleeding. She even pulled out her central line during a transfussion of platelets and the only major concern was how to administer her vincristine the next day, two weeks later she got her indwelling port put in and things were right on shecedule, until September 18th.
The morning of the 18th Katie was very tired and very fussy so I put her for a nap and three hours later when I tried to wake her she wouldn't wake up. So we were once again flown down to the childrens hospital, she was given a ct scan and they had found the fluid that was moving perfectly was now not, so off she went to the or again for a shunt placement, and within 48 hours she was back to herself. Why three months after surgry the fluid would stop flowing no one is sure of but...
On October 30th Katie had her last chemo and everything seems to be doing ok. Her platelets are still low though but the doctors think it will inly be a matter of time. Yep hurry up and wait!On December 3rd she has her first follow up MRI. Until then she is getting stonger by the day, playing with her big sister Felica and finally eating again.(at her lowest she weighed only 8.4kilos)
Now we sit here hoping that we have finally reached the end but I know that this will always be there as a threat to our happy little bubble. So we live each day waiting for the next MRI.....

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