It is well....

Lisa finished this round of chemo and only "got sick " once. She has been awake and eating some but food doesn't really sound that good when you are nauseated. The doctors say it looks like the mass on her shoulder is shrinking some, that is really good news. During the next few days Lisa's body will be trying to rid itself of all the chemo "poison" that was pumped into her. The key to whether or not she can come home depends on how much chemo is left in her system. I guess her friend, Randy, was not able to come home last week because his levels were still too high. They tell them to get up and walk around and to eat to help the shedding process along. It really helps that Lisa has not been so sick and is able to do some of that.

We are glad, Lisa, that things are going good again this time. Hope to see you in a few days!

ss

We knew Lisa was "First class" but this is over the top!

We don't know if it was because they heard about Lisa's card playing skills... but Lisa has been invited to go to Vegas, ALL FIRST CLASS! Well I am sure that Lisa is a fierce Go Fish player, but I really doubt that is what got her invited on this Vegas extravaganza! (I think it was her smile!)
Here's the scoop... 4 kids were chosen by the nurses and doctors to go to Vegas April 5th - 10th. They will fly first class, ride in a Hummer Limo, be escorted to several top rated shows and stay in a first class hotel on the strip! There is absolutely no cost to the kids. It is sponsored by Sunshine Kids, Las Vegas Getaway. The actor that plays in the TV show The Closer pays for kids to take this trip. It is only for cancer patients with the kind of cancer that Lisa has. Those patients are near and dear to his heart. So Lisa will head for Vegas soon. No parents allowed! (But who's to say Gordan and Gail can't just take a road trip and end up in Vegas, coincidentally!)

So Lisa, you better hone up on your card playing skills some more, and I hear you have a good start on that. Tonight about 7:30 Lisa will start Chemo. She has already rounded up a group of kids to start some card games at about 7:00. Her Chemo is hooked on a pole and she is mobile with it, so they will play until it really starts to hit her and she feels like resting. You go girl!

ss

I don't have alot on info, but I do know that Lisa was admitted to the hospital to start this part of the chemo. I guess that means that either she was feeling better, or they do the chemo whether you are sick or not. I will keep you posted as I hear more info.

ss

The following is a message written by Gail on Tue. Feb.24th.
Greetings
I am so sorry that I did not let everyone know that Lisa was able to come home yesterday. A few hours after she got home she start spiking a fever and had a bad stomach ache. The fever reached 100.7 and has stablized at 100.3 I have been up all night because her temp. has to be checked every hour, if it reaches 101 then she has to be at the hosptial within an hour.
The Doctor seems to think that she some how got the stomach flu LUCKY LISA !!!
Today(Tue) she is still at 100.3 and was able to have chicken noodle soup.
The Doctor also said that she would be able to enter the hospital tomorrow for round 3 of chemo so we are still on track . (2nd part of this long session)
Gordon will be going again to help me with Lisa so maybe I will get some sleep up at the hospital .
Please pray that God will break this fever and we both can finally get some rest .
Thank you for all of your wonderful responses
Many Blessings to you all.
Gail

It's not all fun and games, but there have been a few!

We had hoped Lisa would be able to come home today, but her blood count was off a little and they would not release her. The whole process starts over on Wed. so they are hoping to be able to spend a day at home before they begin the chemo again.

It sounds like Lisa has been able to make the most of her time at Deornbecher. She was the instigator of a rip roaring game of Go Fish. 5 kids got together in an area outsides of their rooms and played cards. Many of the parents were able to congregate around them and talk about their kids and what they have been going through. It was a great connection for the parents and many of them were touched because they had not seen their kids laugh in quiet a while. Those are priceless moments.

It has been so nice that Lisa has felt good these last few days after her chemo. It has allowed Gail and Lisa to have some good times. In the laundry room I hear that Gail and Lisa put on a private concert (just for themselves) and sang songs from Lisa's I pod.
Again, thank you for all your prayers, it helps more than you can know.

ss

so good so far

First of all I want to tell you .... As can easily happen with all the info. that gets thrown at you we misunderstood the sched. of chemo for this session. Lisa will be up at Doernbecher for 4 days at a time, but the chemo is only administered to her for 4 hours the first day. It is such a strong dose of chemo that they spend the next 3 days giving her lots of fluids to wash her system out and to monitor how her body is reacting to the extreme chemo. So with that said...Lisa started chemo about 8:30 last night. She spent 3 hours getting very sick. Gail was so thankful that Gordon was there to help her with Lisa. The nurses were great, but the burden that a mom and dad carry is heavy. They were gearing up for a long 4 days but a little while after the the chemo was finished Lisa settled into her old "sleeping beauty" way and slept most of the day. About 5 I talked with Gail and Lisa for a few minutes and Lisa was enjoying a action packed episode of Sponge Bob on TV for a little while. So again they are very thankful that Lisa has not continued to be sick and is resting well.

Next door to them, Randy the senior from West high, was admitted to start his session of chemo tonight about 7:30. Lisa and Randy had a few minutes to chat and support each other. It is always nice to connect to someone who is going through what you are going through.

If all goes well Lisa will be home on Sun. afternoon. Thanks for your prayers.

ss