Graduation & other news

Madeleine’s Blog 

May 14, 2012

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

This morning, we have two different kinds of "graduation" news to announce. The first is that Madeleine made it through and graduated from her intensive four weeks of daily chemo IV's!

Graduation from Chemo - presented by the nursing staff

She did remarkably well through all of this, putting up with the daily IV starts and all the effects of the medications, while still going to classes and other activities. Today, she finds out how to give herself the same medication at home, but in shot form, three times a week...for eleven months.

The second bit of graduation news is that Madeleine will be graduating from Montgomery High School on May 25th, and she has been chosen to be one of the two student grad speakers at her graduation. She is very excited about this, and it was really an honor to be chosen. (She, and the other students who tried out, prepared and delivered their potential speeches to a committee of faculty and students a few weeks ago - while Madeleine was in the middle of chemo).

In other news, Madeleine went with Montgomery's swim team on Saturday to Ukiah for the North Bay League's end-of-the-year swim meet. Much to her surprise, her coach asked her to swim in a couple of the events (even though she hasn't been able to keep up her training because of her chemo schedule). Madeleine somehow found the strength to do it, and though her times did not break any records, we think her courage did!

Even in the midst of all this good news, we end this (as always) by asking for your prayers. Madeleine had a full-body scan done on Friday, and we are expecting news of the results this week. Thanks everyone.

Week 3 done - a few challenges

Madeleine’s Blog 

May 5, 2012

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

After last weekend's highpoint of being able to go to two Proms (!), this week has been a little more challenging. Fortunately, Monday was "Senior Cut Day" so Madeleine had the opportunity to stay home from school and catch up on her rest a little bit. :)  Even with the extra rest, though, she has been battling fatigue and nausea this week.

Madeleine and friend, Austin

On Friday, the doctor discovered that she had a pretty severe ear infection, and so part of the treatment was that they had to puncture her eardrum (not fun!) and start her on antibiotics. Needless to say, she is taking it easy this weekend, trying to recover from all of that.

This next week will be the last week of her daily Interferon IV's; then she will shift over to having Interferon shots three times a week. On Friday, she is scheduled to have a PET scan to see how her treatment is going.

We would appreciate your prayers as we head into this coming week - that Madeleine's ear infection would clear up, that the fatigue and nausea would improve, and that the scan results would be good. Thank you to all of you - friends and family - for your prayers and encouragement.

Week 3 begins...and Prom!

Madeleine’s Blog

April 30, 2012

It is just great to report how well Madeleine has been doing with her Interferon treatment! We had been anticipating that it would be so much worse based on what we'd read and heard. However, Madeleine really has risen to the occasion, as she has for each phase of this process. Just watching her go through it has felt like a miracle, really. We are so thankful for answered prayer, good care, and for the inner strength that she is discovering. She still has to fight fatigue and nausea, and it still takes a lot of time out of each afternoon, and having an IV started each day is no picnic, but...she is exceeding all expectations and we are so happy for that!

Madeleine has been conserving her strength a little (no competitive swimming right now), but has been able to keep up most of her regular activities and has done well with school. On Saturday night, she even got to go to Montgomery's Prom...and then on Sunday night, she went to Cardinal Newman's Prom! Keep in mind that, at the beginning of all this, we weren't even sure if going to a Prom could be a possibility. And then, here she is, able to go to both Proms, and able to have a great time.

So, we have lots to be thankful for right now. She's made it through 2 weeks of the daily IV's, and has 2 more weeks to go.

Interferon - day 2

Madeleine’s Blog

April 18, 2012

Here is a picture from the second day of Interferon. Madeleine has been doing really well - her main symptoms are having the shakes, or shivers, after the treatment and in the night before she falls asleep. Her energy level so far has been very good. We'll keep you posted if that changes, but so far so good!

The Infusion center where she gets the medication is an interesting place. It is a long room with about ten chairs like you see above (with big tropical fish tanks and TV's, as well as nursing stations so they can keep an eye on you).

While there is a sense of privacy, there is also a connection between the people there - they are all battling cancer in one way or another. But the atmosphere isn't dreary like you might suppose. There is encouragement and laughter, as well as support when there are tears. Because of a generous donation, there are lots of different snacks and juices for the patients to enjoy, which helps make the time go by a little easier. It's also nice that Madeleine doesn't have to be alone during the treatment - they give us a nice corner with a little extra space so that we can be there with her.

Interferon - Day 1

Madeleine’s Blog

April 16, 2012

  

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 had her first Interferon treatment today and is doing amazingly well so far! She is having the treatments daily by IV at Kaiser here in Santa Rosa. To help combat the flu symptoms from the Interferon, they have her take alternating doses of Advil, Tylenol, and Benadryl, as well as lots of fluids. Hopefully she will have a good night tonight, and at this point she is planning to go to school tomorrow.

The nurses we worked with today were very helpful. It was also very interesting to see several of the other cancer patients (who were undergoing treatment in the infusion center) come over to encourage Madeleine as she was beginning her treatment.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and encouragement. The nurse says that the symptoms tend to build with time, but we are praying that Madeleine will have grace and strength for each day as it comes. Madeleine may have to be careful about how much she exerts herself, but she is definitely making plans for the Prom and Graduation!

Interferon rescheduled

Madeleine’s Blog

April 9, 2012

The infusion center had to reschedule the start time for Madeleine's Interferon (see below) until next Monday, April 16th at 3 pm. That means another week to enjoy life and activities before gearing up for the daily infusions. Thanks in advance for your prayers and encouragement!

Interferon begins Monday

Madeleine’s Blog

April 5, 2012

  

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

It has been a few weeks since we've posted any news, and actually it has been nice to have a little time for Madeleine to recover from her past treatments before getting ready for this next one. As you have probably noticed in the recent posts, Madeleine has really been enjoying being back in the pool, as well as resuming other activities. She has also continued to recover her strength and range of motion.

We met with her doctor on Wednesday, and it is now time to begin the next phase of her treatment. This coming Monday (4/9), she will begin a year-long series of Interferon treatments. Interferon stimulates your body's immune system and helps it to fight off any cancer cells that remain. During the first month, she will go to the hospital each day to have Interferon administered by IV (5 days a week for 4 weeks). Then, for the 11 months after that. she will have Interferon injections three times a week.

The doctor spoke with us about some of the challenges that are likely with this treatment. Madeleine will need to conserve her energy because Interferon (at this dosage) gives you symptoms that are very similar to the flu (fever, chills, body aches, etc.). This will impact her swimming, and other activities, and she will need to really find what she can do and what she can't do during this season. While everyone reacts a little differently, the doctor wanted us to be prepared for what is ahead.

The doctor also recommended that she try to look at this treatment one day at a time, or one week at a time. He said that those who do best are the ones who are able to make short-range goals and achieve them, such as, "I can make it through this week of treatment!" (rather than trying to take on the whole year).

In order to help with the side effects, they are recommending that the Interferon be given in the late afternoon each day so that Madeleine can try to sleep during the worst symptoms each night.

As you can see, we are heading into a new challenge. We would really appreciate your prayers...that Madeleine would have grace and strength during this season, and that the treatment will be effective. We appreciate all of you, and are so thankful for your encouragement and prayers.