June 4, 2014

I have heard from a number of people that they are waking up in the middle of the night waiting for my daily FB updates. I wish I could talk with you all personally, but this is much more efficient. Anyway, in my quest to keep myself organized, here is today’s list of fun and exciting events pertaining to Afton’s recovery.

Wiggling Toes and Walking - I feel we are witnesses to a miracle. Afton started wiggling her left toes again tonight. She is walking with the aid of a walker and she gets better every day. From not being able to move her leg to wiggling and walking, wow! She even walked the loop of the Pediatric Oncology ward today.
The doctors and nurses were astounded that she would get up and walk a few steps in her room but when she used her sheer determination to walk the circle they cheered her on. When her night nurse came on shift she walked in and said she heard Afton was making round and everyone is talking about it. Man this girl makes her parents proud.

PET Scan - The results of the PET scan came back this morning and the results were unfortunately, exactly what was predicted. In other words, there were no surprises. Sitting through the scan was terrible, but she painfully made it through.

Lab Report - The final genetic testing came back from the tests on the biopsy and the the results are that Afton’s cancer is the most common form of Ewing Sarcoma. That is good because this form has the most research and the best response to the chemotherapy that we are using. However they are still trying to figure out why it is growing so aggressively and why it is in her liver. Although this is an aggressive cancer, hers is much more so than what they have seen. In addition, they don’t see Ewing’s in the liver. This is something they will have to figure out.
 
Visitors - Surprise of all surprises. Corey Howlett, one of my childhood friends from Alaska, showed up with his wife Melissa and all of their eight children. Holy smokes that was fantastic surprise. I’ve known Corey since I was five years old and he was three. We rode bikes together in the woods near our homes, threw rocks at cars together (don’t tell anyone that), he taught me how to fly airplanes and now he shows up over 4,000 miles away from his home to wish us well. What a fun visit! In addition, Kristi Pierce, our neighbor whose daughters swim with Afton and Emily Wolfe and her daughter Ronnie brought up a package from our house. They also brought the mail, and the bills. I hate bills!!!
 
Packages - In addition to the packages that Kristi brought, Afton received another huge load of mail today. Thank you all for taking time to send so many thoughtful cards, presents, gift cards, etc. We are simply without words for the way you have all reached out and shown your love and affection. They brighten her day and she loves reading the messages. The loves she feels (in fact the entire family feels) is sustaining her.
 
Temple Trip - I was able to sneak away for a few hours and travel about 35 minutes to Franklin, TN and go to the Nashville Temple. I love the peace and comfort that attends the temples. It was a good escape. Cary Talbot, that is number 33.
 
CT Scan - Afton had the last diagnostic done today. They took a CT scan of her chest. I think they wanted to make sure every part of her body was covered so they can compare progress when future scans are taken.
 
Blood Drive - Oh my heavens, thank you to everyone who donated blood at the ERDC blood drive yesterday. They received 125 pints of donated blood and had to stop because they ran out of supplies. There were still a number of people waiting to donate. I know that there are future blood drives scheduled in both Vicksburg and Clinton. I will send out details regarding these blood drives later. Again, I can’t thank you enough for these donations. While Afton will never (I hope) need 125 pints of blood, there are hundreds (literally) of people who will benefit from your generosity. Thank you!
 
T-Shirts & wrist-bands - Some of you have asked if there will be more wrist-bands and the answer is yes. We have also ordered a number of T-shirts in Afton’s honor. Please recognize that you are not obligated to donate anything for these wrist-bands and T-shirts but we are so grateful for the donations that we have received. This money will go toward the yearly maximum deductible and any travel costs that we have incurred during this nightmare.
We received a phone call from one of our friends today who had flown to North Carolina. He saw someone in the airport with a yellow bracelet and approached him to ask him about his bracelet as he was wearing his #Aftonstrong bracelet. Ironically he was also wearing an #Aftonstrong bracelet and was visiting from Vicksburg. We are learning it is a really small world.
 
Doctor’s prognosis - Ok, now for the good stuff. The Doctor is fairly confident that with the progress Afton is making, they will either transfer us to a hospital in Jackson or send us home after the next round of chemo. It will all depend on how well her red and white cell counts respond but since she responded so well to the first round of chemo, they are fairly confident we will be able to bring Afton home. That is so exciting I can hardly contain myself. Afton is still very sick, but they now are confident in what she has and how to treat it. That is a far cry from where we were two weeks ago.
 
Sheri and I - many of you have asked how Sheri and I and the other children are doing. Well, to be honest this has been the most traumatic two weeks of our lives. We thought it was bad when Abigail had to have surgery only a few weeks after she was born. Then we thought it was bad when Kaylynne had a bone cyst that had to be removed. Those were chump change compared to this. We have felt things that no parent should have to feel. However, I can honestly say that it has been one of the most spiritually rewarding two weeks of my life. I cannot tell you enough how much the prayers, well-wishes and continual inquiries into our well-being have meant to us. I have never loved the heat and humidity of Mississippi but I have always loved the people. Now I know why. You have reached out and shown us such love and consideration that there are no words sufficient to state how we feel. So many people have asked what they can do and quite frankly you have done exactly what we needed. You have given us your hearts, your faith and your prayers. Thank you.
 
Success - While we have received very good news today, this fight is not yet over. Ewing Sarcoma can come back and sometimes returns even when the initial chemotherapy is successful. Further, there is likely bone damage that will need to be surgically repaired. We will not know how significant this is until the cancer is in remission. Success for me will be when this cancer is in remission, when Afton is swimming again and feels like herself and when my family is back together again. Until then, if you have faith, please pray that the chemo will continue to be successful at removing the cancer, that the bone damage will be minimal and that she will continue to regain the full use of her legs, mouth and feet.