Emmy's Story Archive

The initial round of chemo will run for 12 weeks after which we will rescan to see the effects it is having on tumor reduction. At that point the doctors will decide if it is safe to operate or they need to continue her on the chemotherapy.

The initial round of chemo drugs left our little lady feeling nauseous and very uncomfortable. As we mentioned, there are a whole host of side effects that come along with this treatment, most of which we won't begin to see for another 10 days or so, but nausea and fatigue are immediately apparent.

Today marks the beginning of week five of chemotherapy treatment where, all in all, things are going ok. She still battles nausea for days after each treatment but we seem to have a pretty tight handle on her medication regimen now, keeping the nausea to a dull roar.

In other news, we met with our care team this week and had a long discussion about Emery's care plan moving forward. The surgery was successful in that they removed the majority of her tumor but the pathology result margins were not clear and some cancerous cells remain. This will result in a number of additional procedures to go back in and remove these mutated cells.

Monday morning we will be back in Denver bright and early for surgery number two which will be less invasive than the first, but is surgery nonetheless. They are going back in to continue removal of any residual cancerous cells. After this procedure, she will continue on with chemotherapy treatment for 12 or so weeks in this cycle before new imaging.

We are thankful for you. Thankful that you are joining us on this journey through the dark, ever pressing towards that brilliant sunshine at the other end. Having friends and family by our side is where most of that strength comes from. You are the origin. Your encouragement, positivity, and love are what carry us through this sometimes very dark space. Thank you for being by our side as we go forth together.

Positive (negative) results from these tests will not alter our current plan which has us continuing chemo through the end of April at the earliest. It is hard as parents to wrap our heads around that many treatments and that many times these caustic drugs have to work their way through our daughter's system but it is what needs to be done to ensure she will someday be cancer free. So, carry on we shall.

In other news, during the last visit to Children's Hospital Colorado where Emmy had a big chemo treatment she was also intubated for a new CT and MRI. This was to take a look at her tumor site checking for regrowth but also to see an image of her chest which is where this particular type of cancer would go next if continuing to spread. We are ecstatic to report that all scans came back clear and the good people on our care team are not seeing any indications of cancer!

They told us right at the beginning of this whole thing, that it would happen. It was said that somewhere along this journey that Emmy would get sick enough to be transported to Denver via ambulance. We've gotten close to the line a few times but have always been able head home from the Vail Valley Medical Center ER without taking it any further. This time, as you might have guessed, was different.

...little Miss Emmy's condition as been improving at a pretty fixed pace. The girl quietly napping in the crib next to us is a completely different girl from the one who was rushed down here in the back of an ambulance a few days ago. Pale, fragile, feverish, and sickly was how she arrived but as of this morning she is most definitely feeling more like herself.