Wow! That last update was definitely scary. I'm glad she is OK and they are going to go to the beach. She definitely deserves some fun and normal time.

Today is Mama's birthday and they are at the beach. I hope they have a relaxing, fun week and forget about cancer while they have the chance.

Dear Kelly- I only just saw this thread, and have added your family and most especially Claire to my prayers. May God bless all of you, keep you close, grant peace and healing as this process continues.

Praying,
Mark56

Aw. I am sad that the little one has a tumor in her back. I do hope that the doctors will be able to remove/treat that tumor. That is a difficult 'journey', as you put it, for the parents and the baby. I will pray for you and for them.

Here's another update. They just got home from their "vacation":

"We are back from the beach and wanted to give a quick or not so quick update. We had a wonderful time and feel recharged. We went to the beach with Blue Skies Ministries and were not expecting all that we got out of it. Our favorite part was "kindred journeys". This is the part of the day that we got to spend with other parents discussing various parts of our journey with cancer. It was so helpful to Seth and I to hear from the parents who are farther along in the process. For me, I feel hopeful for the future after this week. We met three other families whose child has Neuroblastoma. It was what we needed. To see those children thriving and living their lives filled me with hope. Seth may update his own experience later. We each got so much out of it I would love for you to hear from him too.

The boys made some good friends this week that live close to us. They were loved on and made to feel special. The whole trip was a gift in every way. I would encourage our friends to consider giving to this ministry that meets real needs in a way no other ministry can. Check out www.whereskiesareblue.org .

So tomorrow we go for cycle 5. I have been dreading this cycle knowing how sick Claire will get. Also, she will have a CT scan and a PIC line put in tomorrow. It's going to be a hard day and I have not been looking forward to it. When we got home from the beach Saturday night, we went to my parent's house for dinner and my sister was there from France! She surprised me. She flew in to be with me during this cycle. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have her here. She will be with me in the hospital and I am so comforted by this. Claire loves her aunt Caira and I think it will help her spirits as well. We will be there until Thursday.

Psalm 20 has been the theme song of my heart these days. Please read it and let it also enourage you. My hope is in the Lord and He never lets me forget it. He has continued to confirm to me my place in His heart. I am not blessed because of the things God gives to me or the things He does for me. I am blessed because I have His spirit living inside of me and I am empowered for obedience and godly success. My physical body grows weak (especially since I have not been exercising). God continues to strengthen my spirit. "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn." Psalm 18:32-36"

Here's today's update:

"Yesterday was a long day. Claire did really well, but did not get her CT scan until 3:00pm which means she didn't eat anything all day. I was so proud of her. She didn't complain much and had a great attitude. I'm sure it had something to do with aunt Caira being there entertaining her with her IPhone.

The scan and PIC line placement went very well. She is not in any pain. We will hear from the surgeon today about the CT scan. The scan was done to determine if the tumor has shrunk. We will also get a date for surgery which will be in October sometime.

Chemo was started very late last night. So far she is not sick, but it does take about 24 hours to kick in. We are trying a different medication for nausea and I have a homeopathic card that sits on her skin to help as well.

Thank you for the prayers!!"

How wonderful that they were able to go to the beach! Especially with people who can give support and friendship and have gone through similar things. They certainly sound like they have been through a lot and deserve this little break! I'm so glad that Claire is able to go swimming--that is wonderful. I came into this story a bit late, but am keeping the family in my prayers.

Prayers are being answered!

"We have some praises! First, Claire has had some nausea that seems to come in waves, but no vomiting. In fact, she is eating and drinking. Normally, after one day of chemo, she completely stops eating and drinking. We were also expecting the severe nausea and vomiting with this particular cycle. It just hasn't happened. She has also gained some weight, at least two pounds since her last chemo cycle. God continues to surprise me. Just when I think I have it figured out.......

Also, the surgeon came to see us today with some great news. The CT scan shows the tumor has shrunk by at least 1/3 of it's original size. Surgery is going to be tricky, but he thinks he can completely resect all of it. There was some concern initially that they would not be able to resect all of the tumor, but the surgeon feels like he can get it all with some fancy camera work. Another positive is that this tumor is showing signs of maturity which is a good thing. I am not sure how all of it works, but Claire's tumor is not growing at a fast rate. In fact, it may have stopped growing by the time we caught it. This also means with a total resection, she will have less radiation.We don't have the exact date, but surgery will be the week of 10/18. We'll post as soon as we know.

Please pray for us as Seth's brother, Nick, is getting married 11/5 and we really don't want to miss this special time in their lives. Also, Seth is in the wedding! We are trusting the Lord for perfect timing. He has overwhelmed us with goodness and we continue to trust His plan for our lives.

So, we are here until Friday morning. I will update by the end of the week unless something changes. We have had some visitors and have enjoyed it so much. Claire's favorite visitor was uncle Nick whom she performed many scary tricks for attached to her IV machine. She became a different child when he showed up and so I think he will have to plan on staying with her for all of her hospital visits. Having my sister here has really made this round easy. Thank you to our friends for getting her here!!

The boys are doing well. It is hard for them to be away from their mom so much, but they are handling it well. Please make sure when you speak to them, not to ask them how Claire is doing. Instead, ask them how they are doing. Another parent shared this advise with us at the beach last week and I thought it was very thoughtful."

Praise God, Kitty! That is AWESOME news--thanks for sharing it! Still praying for Claire and the whole family, but I am so glad that she is doing so well right now.
Please, if you don't mind, sometime just let them know that all of us here on NT are praying for them. I am sure most of us on NT know pain, trauma, surgery, etc--it is always comforting for me to know that there are people praying... and I am always amazed when people who haven't even met me are praying for me. So, pass the message on if you have the chance. Won't stop praying! Asking God for more and more blessings for this precious family! Hope YOU are doing well also. (((hugs)))

Kitty, that is great news to hear. Our loving God is with her to watch and care for her and her family. When you see her next give her a hugh hug for me.
These little ones on earth are precious to us all ways. May God be with you all, you all are in my thoughts and prayers.

Darlene