Hawaii - Thank you, Make a Wish!

Madeleine’s Blog

March 24, 2013

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

  

From Madeleine:

To anyone and everyone who helped put together my Make A Wish trip: 

You did an incredible job. You brought so many wonderful memories, laughs, smiles, and experiences to my family and me. I am so blessed to have been able to be granted this wish. You have given me even more strength and drive to keep fighting and beat this cancer. This trip is something truly amazing and I will never forget it. Thank you.

Madeleine

Surf lesson

At the Luau

Sunset dinner cruise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner cruise with the whole family!

With Max

With parrots - Luau

Make-A-Wish !!!!

Madeleine’s Blog

March 11, 2013

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10

  

Madeleine's t-shirt & lei

Madeleine has been granted a Make-A-Wish trip to Hawaii! While the trip has been on the calendar, and the destination has been known, it wasn't until yesterday that the true excitement of this Wish being granted started to set in. 

The Make-A-Wish representative came over and met with the whole family yesterday and unveiled the wonderful itinerary of her upcoming trip. He arrived (dressed in an aloha shirt, holding balloons) and presented her with a beach bag & towel, sunscreen, macadamia nut cookies, and also a Make-A-Wish t-shirt along with a lei that was flown in from Hawaii (pictured). A few days previous, ice cream packed in dry ice and party hats had arrived at the door from Blue Bunny (one of  Make-A-Wish's corporate sponsors) - all to help in the celebration. 

After such a long year of so many treatments, often bearing the disappointment of difficult news, and pressing through to keep on fighting -- this is such a huge bright spot. We are so grateful that she is able to go on this trip. And it won't only be Madeleine... the whole family gets to go! What a blessing to be able to go somewhere together, to be distanced from the stresses of this year, and to enjoy such a beautiful place.

The trip will include so many wonderful things - a surf lesson for Madeleine, a Luau, a sunset dinner cruise, staying at the beautiful Hyatt Regency, limousine travel to and from the airport, and many more extras that will make for a great time together.

We are so grateful to Make-A-Wish for their generosity in bringing such an oasis in the midst of all the events of this past year. We are thankful for all the people and corporations who have given in order to make a trip like this possible. Make-A-Wish's mission is: "We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy." Based on Madeleine's excitement about this upcoming trip, I think they've already been successful in bringing a little "hope, strength, and joy" our way.

First day of the clinical trial

Madeleine’s Blog

March 6, 2013

So do not fear, for I am with you

Do not be dismayed, for I am your God

I will strengthen you and help you

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 41:10
 

Madeleine's UCSF oncologist, Dr. Daud

I am pleased to report that Madeleine has officially made it into the Merck "anti-PD1" clinical trial at UCSF. 

We have been waiting and praying that she would qualify for this trial, which uses one of the most promising new drugs for melanoma treatment available for those with Madeleine's diagnosis. 

Over the past weeks, we have had several meetings with Dr. Daud, signed lots of paperwork, had a new CT scan, an EKG, and many different blood tests to make sure that Madeleine didn't have any condition that would exclude her from the trial. One of the last remaining prerequisites was a baseline biopsy of her melanoma. It was determined that they had to biopsy her liver because the areas in her neck had recently received radiation. So, last Friday, Madeleine went to UCSF and had the required biopsy (which enables the drug company to have a good "pre-drug" sample of one of her melanoma tumors to use in the study).

First anti-PD1 infusion - thumbs up!

Yesterday, we went to San Francisco for the first of her anti-PD1 infusions... 

We started the day with some "shop therapy" (so much better than chemotherapy!) at San Francisco's Westfield Mall. Madeleine was able to pick up some new items for her upcoming Make-A-Wish trip with her family (more on that in an upcoming post!).

Then it was on to UCSF. She started out with a blood draw with oodles of tubes of blood needed; then on to an exam and discussion with Dr. Daud; and finally to get the infusion of the new drug, which went very smoothly. Although none of this is easy, and the treatment procedures are stressful and somewhat scary for Madeleine, I must say that Madeleine's history with months of aggressive Biochemo treatment actually helps to make everything look a little easier in comparison. (I also noticed the same kind of perspective when she had her wisdom teeth out last spring. Madeleine: "Hmmm...this is no fun, but really it's nothing compared to having all the lymph nodes in your neck removed!").

The good news is that they do not expect the side effects of this new treatment to be difficult, although they do warn you of all the possibilities. This drug is based on one that your own body makes, and its effect is on your immune system - helping your own body to better recognize and fight the melanoma. There have been some truly amazing results with this drug, especially in a cancer like melanoma that works by "tricking" your immune system into letting the cancer grow unchecked. 

Madeleine will get an infusion once every three weeks down in San Francisco, and her next scans will be in 12 weeks. Thank you all for your encouragement over these past months. While this has been a long, ongoing battle, we are so grateful that Madeleine is able to enjoy life and activity even in the midst of it. Please pray with us that this treatment would be effective; that the melanoma would fade and be eliminated from her body; and that she would be free of negative side effects during this process. Thank you!