Well, we finally got the MRI results last Wednesday afternoon after a long day of waiting. I apologize for it taking so long for us to get the post written. Our nights just seem to fly by. The MRI went well on Tuesday and Emma handled the anesthesia well. Unfortunately Emma got taken down late and by the time she got back up it was almost 4:30 so they wouldn’t read the MRI that day. That means we had to wait until Wednesday for the results, and as I have mentioned we are not very good at waiting. Dr. Abromowitch finally called late Wednesday afternoon with the results and they are generally good news.
Dr. Abromowitch said that it was a little difficult comparing the MRI from February with this one, because the when we did the MRI in February there was a lot of of pressure from the fluid which caused the the right side of Emma’s brain to be pushed in. This pressure caused the structures of the brain to be pushed together more than usual. She felt because of this it was a little difficult to compare the two. However, after lots of measurements and comparisons the doctors feel that the size of the tumor has stayed fairly stabled. The amount of fluid between the skull and brain is improving. There is still fluid there, and enough that they don’t think she is ready to have her shunt moved from a subdural shunt to VP shunt. The fluid is improving though, and the brain is starting to move back out toward the skull making the structures of the brain not appear so constricted. Even though it was a little difficult to compare the overall size of the tumor has not changed much. She said there are a few places that looked a little bigger on the tumor, but there were also some that looked smaller. The MRI showed the two small spots on her spine are still there. The contrast on the MRI was a little different than the last time, so they had a hard time comparing them as well. The doctor said they were a little harder to see because of the contrast, but said they may be slightly smaller. So I guess we will just have to keep watching those as well. Before the MRI, Dr. Abromowitch had told us that probably the best case scenario for this MRI was that the tumor would maintain it size are only have grown slightly because the first 10 weeks of chemo probably wouldn’t be enough to start causing any noticeable shrinking. I guess we take these results as good news. It wasn’t great news, but it wasn’t bad news either. We are very thankful that the tumor has not grown and that the fluid is diminishing. This also means that we can continue on with Emma’s chemo regimen as planned and don’t need to make adjustments at this point. Thank you to everyone who has said extra prayers this week for Emma and the results of the MRI. Tuesday and Wednesday were hard days for Brent and I and your love and support helped to get us through. All of the prayers for our little baby girl mean so much, and seem to be working!!
Emma goes back to chemo on Tuesday to begin her first week of maintenance phase. She will do four weeks of chemo and then have two weeks off. We are looking forward to the shorter time between breaks. We have really enjoyed our last two weeks off. It has been so nice to not be in the hospital and clinics and just be able to enjoy being home and being together. We had a wonderful weekend spending time with friends and family. Little Miss Emma has been in great spirits and very happy the last two weeks. We are looking forward to the end of the school year this week and having more time to spend with Aiden and Emma. Emma turns one year old on Friday! I can’t believe it was a year ago that she surprised us arriving five weeks early. What can I say, she is quite the little drama queen! It has certainly been quite a year.
We are also continuing to get ready for the Cure Search walk here in Omaha. The walk is for a great cause. The money raised at the walk goes to helping find a cure for childhood cancer and brain tumors that unfortunately so many kids and families are effected by. We have met so many families the last few months that are going through incredibly difficult journeys and one of the best ways we can help is continuing to raise money and support efforts to find a cure for these horrible diseases. If you don’t have any plans and want to take part in a great cause please consider walking with the Emma Strong team to help fight for a cure. The Cure Search Walk is Saturday, June 1st, from 8:00-10:00 at Village Point Shopping Center in Omaha. You can register for the walk at www.curesearchwalk.org/omaha and look for Team Emma. If you are already registered, thank you and please plan to wear your Emma Strong shirt to the walk that day so we can take a group picture.
Thank you again to everyone for their continued support. We love you all! Emma Strong!!