The Jury Has Deliberated!

Well we got some more news today. Poor Kade had a rough day. First we had to go to the Cancer Agency, so Kade could get a PET scan. This is so his Radiologist can start to plan and map his treatment. His Radio therapy will start Nov.8, and is scheduled to finish Dec.20...so we know what we are asking Santa for this year! They had to sedate him with a general anasthetic, so he would be still enough for the imaging...You try asking a 5 year old to stay still and not move a muscle for an hour! He woke up groggy and with a sore little mr. happy because they had to put a catheter in. Poor little man.
Right after that, we had to go back to BCCH for another chemo treatment. That was fairly quick though we were outa there in about 2 1/2 hours. About 2 minutes before we left Kades Oncologist popped in to tell us he had the results of Kades bone marrow biopsy from friday.
It's completely clear! I get a tear in my eye every time I say it...yay...it's clear!

The Jury Is In...Again!

Well Kade just had his second evaluation, and we got some good news...thankfully! The cancer has been shrinking everywhere. Some of the lymph nodes have gone back down to normal. Some of the leisions on his bones have disappeared. Most importantly his primary tumor has shrunk by about 30%. Kades primary Oncologist thinks that his bone marrow has cleared up as well, since his blood counts seem to recover fairly rapidly. Unfortunately he is not a candidate for surgery. If they tried to surgically remove his primary tumor, they would have to remove his bladder and it would probably ruin his one functional kidney. In other words it would most likely kill him. I learned that with this type of cancer (as well as others), when they surgically remove tumors they have to take a fair amount of healthy tissue around the tumor. this ensures that they get all the cancerous tissue and reduce the probability of a relapse. It's common sense really! Kades tumor is touching most of his organs in his abdomen. Rhabdomyosarcoma's are very penetrating cancers, and therefore can be difficult to completely remove surgically...depending of course on location! Kades tumor is in one of the worst spots it could be, for not being in his head!

The good news is that he can be treated with radiation, and they may be able to completely kill the cancer.This would possibly mean that they may not need to do surgery at all, and he would end up with scar tissue instead of a tumor. Now that's my understanding after talking to the Oncologist, so it may not be entirely accurate.

Kade will be starting his radio therapy soon. We still need to meet with his Radiologist to get all the details. You know the scary details, like how the radiation that your child with cancer will be getting, may cause cancer and/or make him sterile, or kill him! However it beats the alternative!

All in all, it was good news. We are getting closer, but we are a long way from being out of the woods! He is a tough little trooper and he is truly my hero!

On another note, our great nephew Ayzac has been in childrens hospital for about three weeks now. He has a mitocondrial metabolic disorder that a team of over 60 doctors are trying to figure out, and it could take them days to a year. Poor little Ayzac is only 10 weeks old, and he and his parents are going through hell. Our hearts and thoughts are with them, and with the rest of the family!