Got home at 8 pm tonight to find my wife crying and hugging our 13 month old son. My first thought was that something had happened to him and she was panicked. I was wrong, instead she told me that she had just hung up the phone after talking to my mother, we got some bad news. Jenny, my 1st cousin, 9 years younger than I, has a 1 year old little girl, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It is inbetween the 2 halves of the brain.
At first the Dr. said she "MIGHT" have benign cerebral palsy, as in treatable with physical threapy. This was 2 months ago, now, after much urging from Jenny, the Dr. finally relented and performed a MRI, and what turns up is a tumor.
Jenny and her husband will be bringing Katie to Childrens Health Care here in Atlanta for a follow up MRI, and surgery/treatment. Hopefully they will be able to see the Neurosurgeon that has taken care of my son, he is wonderful, and he does not treat kids as just "patients". He listens and addresses all of a parent's concerns.
They will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House so they can be right there on campus for their little girl, eventhough she has family so close to that area.
Tonight, and the next few nights, I am asking for the ATOT effect. Please send all your positive thoughts and prayers out for this little girl, because she has a long life ahead of her.
Ulfwald.
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Update
I just got off the phone with my uncle, little Katie's grandfather, he informed me that the MRI they performed yesterday in savannah shows the tumor to be a slow growing tumor. This is why it took so long for the symptoms to manifest themselves. But.............the tumor is about the size of a lemon. So just imagine something that size in the brain cavity of a 1 year old little girl. Thing is, she just had her 1 year birthday a few days ago. 🙁
Thanks for all the support, once again this proves that ATOT is more than just a forum on the "net", it is a living breathing caring family. Like most, we have our differences, but in times of crisis, we all pull together. 🙂
UPDATE 9/27/03
Well, they got 99% of the tumor, she will now have to go through some pretty aggressive chemo therapy. She will be staying the next 7-10 days at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.
She seems to be doing well, she has pulled out 2 I.V.s, yanked the bandages off he head, ripping a staple out of her head. This caused some fluid to shoot across the room and scare the crap out of her mother and father, but the doctor came by and said it was ok, because all it would do is relieve pressure.
You can see Catie here.
She came out of surgery just fine, no breathing assistance needed. Seems active and healthy.
At first the Dr. said she "MIGHT" have benign cerebral palsy, as in treatable with physical threapy. This was 2 months ago, now, after much urging from Jenny, the Dr. finally relented and performed a MRI, and what turns up is a tumor.
Jenny and her husband will be bringing Katie to Childrens Health Care here in Atlanta for a follow up MRI, and surgery/treatment. Hopefully they will be able to see the Neurosurgeon that has taken care of my son, he is wonderful, and he does not treat kids as just "patients". He listens and addresses all of a parent's concerns.
They will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House so they can be right there on campus for their little girl, eventhough she has family so close to that area.
Tonight, and the next few nights, I am asking for the ATOT effect. Please send all your positive thoughts and prayers out for this little girl, because she has a long life ahead of her.
Ulfwald.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Update
I just got off the phone with my uncle, little Katie's grandfather, he informed me that the MRI they performed yesterday in savannah shows the tumor to be a slow growing tumor. This is why it took so long for the symptoms to manifest themselves. But.............the tumor is about the size of a lemon. So just imagine something that size in the brain cavity of a 1 year old little girl. Thing is, she just had her 1 year birthday a few days ago. 🙁
Thanks for all the support, once again this proves that ATOT is more than just a forum on the "net", it is a living breathing caring family. Like most, we have our differences, but in times of crisis, we all pull together. 🙂
UPDATE 9/27/03
Well, they got 99% of the tumor, she will now have to go through some pretty aggressive chemo therapy. She will be staying the next 7-10 days at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta.
She seems to be doing well, she has pulled out 2 I.V.s, yanked the bandages off he head, ripping a staple out of her head. This caused some fluid to shoot across the room and scare the crap out of her mother and father, but the doctor came by and said it was ok, because all it would do is relieve pressure.
You can see Catie here.
She came out of surgery just fine, no breathing assistance needed. Seems active and healthy.
