THE TUMOR IS SHRINKING!!!

We've finally gotten some amazing news since this whole journey has started!!!  Anxiously waiting to hear from the doctors yesterday, we got the call that Gabriella's ANC count went up to 2000 and we were going ahead with her overnight chemo this week.  But the big news we were waiting on came a little before noon today.  The preliminary results of the tests done on Friday show that Gabriella's tumor has significantly shrunk...SIGNIFICANTLY SHRUNK!!  In fact, Dr. Aftandillian told us that "It's shrunk...if not gone"!!!  WOW, it's working.  Adam and I are elated to know that the chemo is working.  It's killing the cancer.  We won't stop until every cancer cell is gone and we get our healthy little girl back.   I remember seeing the MRI and how big this tumor was just a couple of months ago.  That image will be forever burned in my mind.  It will be settling to see the new images and see how small her tumor has gotten.    

With any positive news comes some apprehension.  There are so many questions that I still have.  How is this going to effect the rest of her treatment?  What about the radiation?  Her ovaries?  Future surgeries?   The meeting for May 29th is still happening.  All of the doctors involved in Gabriella's care will meet to discuss her progress and our next steps.  We will be meeting with them the next day, May 30th and I expect the majority of my current questions will be answered.  There is still so much more information to collect, to process and to evaluate.  I still have trouble catching my breath at times.  It's hardly the end but it's a wonderful victory and of course we are celebrating this one!




The past couple of days have been a mini vacation for us.  We've had a wonderful time playing on the beach with our great friends John and Una; more lovingly known as Uncle Johnny and Auntie Una who rented a house on Rio Del Mar beach.  Since we haven't been able to go to far, any time away from home has been like a vacation.  On the lead of Uncle Johnny, we have been busy building sand castles (or fortresses) every day and trying to keep Bridget from crushing them!  We've watched dolphins swim by, pelicans diving for fish, eaten sand filled Pirate Booty, made sand cookies and jumped over endless waves crashing on the beach.  Auntie Una and Bridget have been working hard on making piles of white shells and black rocks while we dug up hundreds of sand fleas.  Gross but very entertaining for the girls and a favorite beach memory for me.  It's amazing how little it takes to appreciate life these days.

As Grandpa said today, "That little girl has gone through hell and deserves a lot of fun times".  We really agree and are having as much fun as we can but taking into consideration that we can't wear her out.  The goal is to to keep her healthy but give her as normal of a life as possible under these circumstances.  It's such a fine balance right now.  We walk the line more severe than we did just a few months ago.  As a parent, you want to make the right decisions for your kids and help them make the right choices.  In this situation, there is so much more relying on our decisions.

I am still so hopeful and positive!!!

TEAM G is AWESOME!!!

My Cuties!