Dear Friends and Family,
After 29 days in the hospital, it looks like Michael is finally going home tomorrow. His blood counts were slow to rise, but jumped up on Wednesday morning. So we were able to retrieve stem cells Wednesday and today. This is in preparation for MIBG therapy, which we will probably start in early to mid April in Michigan (earliest date is probably April 9th).
Michael’s surgeries were successful. His doctors are estimating that we got about 95% of the spinal tumor and about 90% of the left eye orbit tumor. If they had removed 100% of both, he would have almost certainly come out of this with some amount of paralysis and vision loss. So they saved the spinal cord and optic nerve, knowing that Michael is about to undergo aggressive non-surgical treatment.
While we wait to begin MIBG, Michael is scheduled for chemotherapy March 15-19.
Michael is recovering well, and is in good spirits now that he is going home. He has truly enjoyed every note, email, video and gift he has received over the past month. And Mike and I thank you for all of the meals. Our family has not been under the same roof for four weeks, and we have been trading places every few days at the hospital. There has been little time for grocery shopping or cooking, so the meals have been an enormous help.
We are very excited to let you know that Team Michael is in third place in the Neuroblastoma 5K Run on March 31st. There is not a lot to do at the hospital, so every morning Michael checks the website to see where we are. We started in 11th place, then slowly climbed to the number 3 spot – thanks to you! So thank you!! I will attach a paper form to fill out and mail if you would like to donate or participate in the run. Or you can go to the website, which is http://nbwalk.org/events/team.aspx?teamid=99.
Another exciting opportunity that helps a lot of children fight neuroblastoma is an event that Wipe Out Kids Cancer is doing with Jersey Mike’s during the entire month of March. Some of you may remember this from last year. Anyone who eats at Jersey Mike’s this month is donating to pediatric cancer. They are giving a portion of all sales in Dallas to Wipe Out Kids Cancer. So if you live in Dallas, please try to eat there this month! Whenever you can! 🙂
So many of you have asked how Michael has been getting through these surgeries, the chemotherapy, and the multiple procedures he has had this month. There are many answers to that question, all of them centered around family, friends, faith, and a powerful determination to live. But here are a couple of examples.
I would like to tell you a wonderful story about Michael’s soccer team from last year. They are the Tiger Sharks from the Park Cities YMCA, led by Steven and Katrina Bradford. Michael was devastated that he missed his opening soccer game last week, and the Bradfords have bent over backwards to make him feel part of the team. They asked for some Team Michael t-shirts, wore them to the first game over their uniforms, made a video for Michael, and even wore them for their team photo that Michael had to miss this week (photo attached). It has given him an extraordinary amount of motivation.
The other thing that makes Michael want to get up every morning and continue this painful, cruel and daunting battle is his school community at Meadowbrook. They have been supporting Michael every moment that we have been in the hospital – staff and students driving almost an hour to visit numerous times, setting up a fairy calendar so he gets gifts and messages every day, and like his soccer team, making Michael feel that he has not lost his connection to his school and his friends. His teacher Lesley Armstrong has visited so often that she may have a reserved parking spot in her name by now; she was sent straight from God to our son.
So while Michael has been very lonely, he has also learned what it means to be part of a loyal and nurturing community of friends, a team that fights for you, and a family that loves you more than life itself.
With love and hope,
Alison, Mike, Michael and Emory