Emmy's Story Archive

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.

Back to Denver yesterday for second round of chemotherapy and first big checkup since we were released from inpatient care. Her blood tests came back looking ok and she seems to be taking the treatment process well. For those of you keeping score, this is week 2 of 12 on Emery's chemo therapy plan.

Today marks the beginning of her third week of chemotherapy treatment which leaves nine more before we will do all new imaging (MRI, CT scan, PET scan) to see if the chemo is having a positive (shrinking) effect on the tumor.

Off to Denver tomorrow for the next big round of treatment and an overnight at Children's Hospital. This will be the first time she gets all three chemo drugs since we began treatment several weeks back. We are a bit anxious to see how she will react but are simultaneously comforted being at Children's knowing that she is being cared for by the best.

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.

Emery and mama spent Thursday at the doctor for week 6 of chemotherapy treatment and per usual, she did great. How a six-month old can get repeated heel sticks for blood draws week after week and not even utter a whimper is beyond me. I think is beyond much of her care team too since their wowed comments about her behavior and demeanor stay as consistent as her radiant smile.

So here we are at week 10 of chemotherapy treatment, just two weeks out from new images and a new game plan. This little lady is hanging so tough through all of this, each day blowing our minds with her ability to power through the side effects and flash those trademark Emmy smiles in the face of adversity. She is feeling pretty good day to day, fighting through the nausea that never seems to subside and staying healthy despite the odds.

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.

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.

So, next Tuesday we head down to Children's Hospital Colorado for another overnight chemo treatment, only this one is a little different. It is her LAST in this 40+ week course of treatments! After this last big dose of those lifesaving yet horribly caustic drugs, she will get a well deserved break.

Last week found us back on the 7th floor of Children's Hospital Colorado, a floor we've become so familiar with over the last 11 months or so. This time though, was different than all the others.

I do want to point out how beneficial writing about our story has been for Aja and I. We’re dealing with some pretty heavy stuff that comes with a mountain of information attached to it; to hold all that in your head without release, may in fact cause your head to physically explode.

The next morning we woke, haggard and sleep deprived as much from the arduous travel as from the two crazy children, who were jet-lagged and ornery. It was all made ok though as we woke in our new Denver apartment, Team Emmy’s new base of operations for the remainder of the journey.

That brings us to today. No chemo this week (thankfully), just more of a wait and see approach as we monitor her numbers and their anticipated drop. After completing a treatment run this tough she has historically needed multiple rounds of blood products (both blood and platelets) to get her through to the next step. Anticipating this, we have no intention of taking her anywhere far from the hospital.

...since we have been on this journey there have been an untold amount of people who have helped us out along the way. Everything from the incredibly generous donations, to the notes, gifts, messages, food, beverages, kind words, positive thoughts and all of it in-between. You’ve all been nothing short of amazing.