Hi everyone...

By now most of you, if not everyone, know that Emmah's in the hospital and is very ill. She's been in there since the 4th of August and is still there today as I write this. For those of you who are finding out here, please believe it wasn't because we were keeping it from you... it's been hard these past three weeks... and I'm sorry that this is the way you find/found out.

She has cancer...

Neuroblastoma

I know everyone wants an update and wants to know what is going on, so I will try and keep things current, but understand, there hasn't been much change since coming off the chemo... it seems for every step we take in the right direction, there's three going to the left to the right or backwards. It's (the setbacks) expected so the doctors say, but it's so painfully slow going getting to the end goal.

With almost any other cancer, she would have her age on her side... an ally. Seems that our "luck" continues to come to us from the wrong side. The cancer she has is rarely found in a child her age... it's usually discovered in children under the age of five... where it has a 90% success rate cure... we're looking at around half that number for Emmah, so as you can see, it's somewhat of a dire situation for her. The number of new case nationwide, annually, is only around 600... and for some more "good news" it's not usually found in kids until it's stage four... and that's where Emmah's is. But... it's not in her bone marrow, and it's not in any of her organs and an initial scan showed signs of preliminary necrosis after the first round of chemo.

We will grasp to any and all threads no matter how short or how few and hopefully we will get enough of them to make a nice strong rope to pull us up from the bottom.

The old saying goes, "once you've hit bottom, you've got nowhere else to go but up" While that may be true, it fails to mention anything about how long you have to sit at said bottom!

I've been given a two day pass and thought I would take the time to tap something out without all the distractions of the nurses and beeps and bells. I've been with her the entire time day and night since her stay started... not alone every night, Julie has been there here and there, but there's other children to tend to too. So it's been me every single day (and night) since the 4th. It's nice to be home, but there is a slight feeling of guilt that washes over me as I sit here in the comfort (as it is) of my house and my own bed.

We ask that you keep her and us in your prayers... we know that she is loved by a great many people out there and we know that we are not alone in our suffering.

Oh, I guess I should mention her condition as I write this... her white cell counts were rising, but have dropped again today... she's still in constant pain and has become somewhat of a junkie for the pain med. She's actually in not too bad of spirits, all things considered, she's starting to lose her hair now, but she knew that this was going to happen as a side effect to the chemo. I do believe that if we could get the pain better under control, her spirits would be lifted a great deal. I've seen signs of the pre-hospital Emmah, though far and few between, she's still there.

I would like to take a moment and thank everyone whose help, offered help and the like, has been given and offered. In conjunction with everything else that going on (house, baby, school starting) it's been a bit overwhelming for us and don't rightly know how to thank, or take up some of those offers, from everyone. Once things settle down, that is to say once we get into our "new routine" we will better be able to assess the where and what that can be done to help. Hopefully by that time, the offers will still be standing, cuz we will, undoubtedly, need them at some point in the near future.

Keep Us In Your Prayers... KUIYP