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Hello Friends,
Lauren is doing well. She went to clinic this week for IV chemo and a lumbar puncture. Her blood work was right where it should be this month and her nightly oral chemo was increased slightly. Last month she was having issues with her liver levels so hopefully this increase won't cause her levels to rise again. She will have blood work in a few weeks to make sure everything is where it should be. Lauren has been on the blood thinner shots for her blood clot for 8 weeks. I am so proud of her. I know it hurts to get poked with needles and in the last 8 weeks she has had 120 shots in her thighs. She has a follow-up ultrasound in 4 weeks and hopefully we will be able to drop down to one shot a day.
We are looking forward to Halloween this year. Last year Lauren was completely bald and seemed so fragile. What a difference a year makes. I am thankful for how well she is doing now and hopeful that she can continue moving forward with treatment and keep crossing days off the calendar until we get to the finish line.
Thank you for all of your support.
xoxo,
Shawna
McKinley is doing really great. She's loving school, LOVING dance & enjoying being off chemo meds. It really is amazing how much she's grown, how much she's developed & how much more personality she has since she's stopped chemo. All things are looking great which is wonderful news. We've been very busy with advocating & promoting childhood cancer awareness month & attending a lot of events. We did have one scare at this months appointment but all was confirmed negative with an ultrasound. Myself, a few other "cancer moms" & McKinleys oncologist were all concerned about a vein by where her port was placed especially since she had a clot in the past. But all was confirmed ok with a quick ultrasound (Thank God). I'm not sure I'll ever be able to take a deep breath but I do try too. We are praying for a Halloween at home this year (last year we spent 8 days in the hospital fighting a nasty virus over Halloween). And although the nurses & staff came by her hospital room to trick or treat, I'm actually looking forward to sweating & fighting bugs on Halloween night this year. It's the little things 😉 Thank You as always for keeping McKinley in your thoughts & prayers.
xoxox,
Karen
LAUREN'S CORNER