It is a beautiful day and Faye's pain is near zero.   She had back-to-back tutoring sessions this morning (and most of last week) with Gary and Bev to cram in as many 'good' hours as possible before her next round of chemo.  It is turning out to be a delightful, 'Dr. Seuss' kind of Halloween; Bev brought the hat and Gary brought the 'Green Tomato Pie' (close enough Sam I am).



Faye & Bev - 'Happy Halloween'

Speaking of pie, this community is exceedingly gifted with culinary skills and generous beyond belief.  As we head into 'round 3' tomorrow I am both grateful and relieved that healthy, delicious meals are not on my list of concerns...


Emma & Max -Marry Me?

And finally, I have to sneak in this photo taken Friday evening of my nephew Max as he proposes to Emma, his new bride-to-be!  We could not be happier or more excited.  Being the emotional basket-case that I am, it just plain makes me giddy. 

~Lolly
 

I often struggle against being a 'Debbie Downer' but I'm not gonna lie:  it has been a brutal week. We spent almost every day at the Hospital but we are ever so grateful (and knock on wood) it has been 'outpatient'.


Yesterday started with a 7:30am PT scan and ended with several late night discussions with oncologists regarding the results.  The scan was the 3D color image that was supposed to have happened on Wednesday - they moved it to yesterday.  I venture to say that the results are 'great', though the delivery of the news was a bit unsteady. There is still metabolic activity (active cancer cells) in the neck, shoulder and chest region and based on this we were told that this was 'less than optimal' and that Faye would require more chemotherapy, beyond the original four sessions.  4 hours later they called to tell us that on further evaluation the mass has shrunk by greater than 60% which changes the parameters which they use to qualify treatment.  And, based on the amount of shrinkage Faye is now classified as an 'early rapid responder' and she will not need the additional chemotherapy.  She will definitely need two rounds of radiation but we kind of already knew this.  So.  Whew.  Big sigh of relief.  We are half way through the chemo part!

The one day that we managed to avoid a trip to Children's was the day of Ellie's funeral:  it was an absolutely lovely remembrance and memorial service.  The church was packed and overflowing into an outer viewing area and beyond.  I'm certain not one soul sat through that service without being overwhelmed with emotion.  It was an inspiration to us all to reflect on how capricious life is and how vulnerable we all are.  Cheers and big hugs to all.  ~Lolly

Melpo, Ellie & Faye

Everyone is just as sad as can be; we lost our Ellie Brown Sunday night.  Ellie was an amazing friend, team mate and class mate and the entire community is devastated with grief and loss.

Faye was so lucky to be Ellie's friend and team mate.  They played together as freshmen and sophomores at Creek and on Littleton United's white team. When the United coach and team visited Faye while she was in the hospital they had to take shifts there were so many - an amazing and beautiful group of girls.

Tomorrow is Faye's last chemo session of round 2.  She will be at the lowest point of her cycle on Friday but she is determined to make it to Ellie's service.  With Doctor's consent - and if at all possible - Faye will gather energy, put on her mask, and make it so, otherwise we will have to be there in spirit.

Zoe & Faye - Homecoming Night

Faye's next PT scan is scheduled for Wednesday Oct 26.  This scan is the full body 3D color image that shows remaining live/active cancer cells. Apparently some of the dead cancer cells remain as scar tissue and will show up in regular x-rays so the PT scan is necessary to know how much of the mass is active and it will determine the remaining course of treatment.  Based on the scan we will also find out the details on the radiation - how much, how long, side effects, risks, etc.

How can such gorgeous days be so tough and so sad.  ~Lolly

Faye had chemo yesterday afternoon followed by outpatient surgery: she had her new port put in and they removed the PICC. I'm not sure if being the last surgery patient of the day is good or bad, on the one hand they get you in and out quickly, on the other hand they get you in and out quickly (I am kidding - kind of - we're lucky they fit us in). Creek came through and will be providing a home/hospital tutor who starts Monday. We are also excited that some very good friends (thank you Bev and Karl!) have offered to help tutor Faye with her AP English and AP Math classes.  Hopefully Faye will make it out to the soccer field tomorrow morning to watch Zoe and Lydia's games and enjoy some of this beautiful Colorado weather.

Dr. Albano, Faye's Attending Oncologist, just stopped by our room to tell us that the mass has decreased -wow- 50%!!!  Faye will definitely get a port.  Dr. A will be back in later to show us the before and after x-rays and discuss the surgery.


We are at Children's and have just started our first day of Chemo for Round 2. Each round starts with 8 days of intensive chemo and drug therapy: the first day is a full day of 6 different chemos, the next two days are only 3 tor 4 more chemos which take a few hours each day, the 4th day we come back in for a quick injection, followed by 2 days of oral pills at home, then we come back to the clinic for one more day of chemo.  Amazing how time flies while it drags in slow motion at the same time.    ~Lolly

Faye and I just got home from a long day at Children's.  We ventured there this morning despite the temporary shut down yesterday from a stomach bug that had spread from the 4th floor.

Good news: the xrays show a 'definite reduction' in the size of the mass. We are super stoked about this though we still don't know how much it is reduced, or, if it is sufficiently reduced to safely implant a port. The PICC line is completely unreliable so we are crossing fingers and awaiting good word on this from the attending oncologist. More good news: Faye's blood count is super stable so we have a thumbs up to start 'Round 2' tomorrow (huh. wow, it is similar to a boxing match). 

While Faye and I were stuck watching multiple nurses horse around with the aforementioned malfunctioning PICC, we missed a meeting with Faye's counselors at Creek this afternoon.  Fortunately Steve was able to go, and with some juggling and dropping a course or two, Faye should be able to graduate on time.  No doubt though; Round 2 and the PT scan that follows will be the most important tests of the semester.

Lydia sporting 'Team Faye' attire

Zoe and Lydia left for school this morning sporting zazzy green 'Team Faye' t-shirts. To all who helped design, organize, order and wear them - they look great, wow, and thank you! Speaking of grateful, in a previous post I mentioned Chinese food and voila, home made Chinese arrived hot and yummy. I also mentioned 'wine' and presto - more wine for Mom... Not to be greedy or anything I'll just sneak in a couple more phrases here like, 'permanent remission', and, heck while I'm at it how about 'a million dollars' (please forward this blog to Warren Buffet if you have his address...).

Keep the well wishes, fingers crossed, prayers and positive energy coming our way.  And thanks to one and all for the wonderful meals, visits, texts, emails... everything.    ~Lolly

Back home! Predictably the best part of Faye's hospital stay was leaving, and we could not get out of there fast enough.  Yesterday evening we pulled onto 225 southbound in rush hour.  The routine (and traffic) began with scary similarity to the Wednesday before where, after a very long day at the Hospital, we were able to go home for only a few short hours before Faye's temperature went up and back to the ER we dashed.

Last night we all hovered over Faye anxiously pushing food and drink, taking her temp and being annoying in general.  And though we made a couple of late night phone calls to consult the on-call physician, we were allowed to stay home. I think we even slept a bit.  Today is a better day, a beautiful fall day in Colorado.

Faye has opted to stick to the original schedule and starts round 2 next Wednesday, 10/12. We plan to take full advantage of these next six days; they should feel like a vacation compared to the past six days and, like a typical vacation, we will be forced to return all too soon.

Once again I have to share my awe and gratitude for the ongoing cards, letters, notes, flowers, food, and general, lovely well wishes. The words 'thank you' just don't cut it. ~Lol

Faye & Melpo Catching Up

Though Sean the radiologist was super cute today, I'm certain Faye will not miss CT scans or the ionic 'contrast crap that tastes real bad'. Her CT scan shows big improvement and Faye feels better and better as her blood counts continue to rise.

Dr A has cleared Faye for clear liquids (notice the fabulous array on her tray: broth, jello, and ginger ale, whoo hooo), and, fingers crossed, Faye will graduate to 'solid' food tomorrow. Faye has been craving Chinese, no doubt due to watching Big Bang Theory where they seem to eat Chinese take out in every episode!!

I'm sure Faye would quit all pain meds and IV drips cold turkey if she thought it would get her home any quicker, but alas, she will have to make slow adjustments. We may get out of the hospital as early as tomorrow evening but Thursday AM seems more likely. This whole miserable episode may set us back a bit on our next cycle of chemo, which was originally scheduled to begin on 10/12. We will keep you posted.

Faye is enjoying her first visitors for this hospital stay, other than family. Her blood count had been prohibitive before now. In fact, Melpo is filling Faye in on the latest Creek action, Homecoming dynamics and soccer goings on as I type.

And finally, as expected and right on time, Faye's cute new short hair cut is proving to be short lived as well. It is messy, kind of scary and strangely liberating to move through this dreaded stage of the process.

I can't thank every one enough for everything you've all done, too numerous to list; from text messages, emails, visits, gifts, chocolate bars, care packages, wine (nourishment for Mom), jammies, flowers, meals (and meal schedules!), movies, pillow pets, house cleaning (!), tshirts, feathers and blogs - truly uplifting and amazing. ~Lol

Round 1

The first round of chemo was completed during the first week in the hospital and, depending on the side effects, they were hoping she could possibly attend school during the time she felt well, before the next round of chemo. Faye got to come home, Friday, Sept. 23rd. (Zoe was extra happy to have Faye home for her 9/25 birthday!)
Due to some side effects causing typhlitis infection, Faye was admitted back into Children's ~Sept 28. The Walker's celebrated Lolly's Oct 1 birthday with Faye at Children's. They are aggressively treating Faye with antibiotics,  to keep her strong and maintain/boost her white blood counts. Please keep the cards and letters of encouragement coming.