Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Katie's Journey!!!! The Diagnosis!

As the journey with Katie began, it is important for me to tell the events that lead to her diagnosis. It was July and we where packing up the house to move to our temporary home until we finalized the purchase of our home.  The 2 older girls had gone to get their sports physicals at school.  When they returned home, Katie informed us that the PA had discovered a lump in her neck. I didn't think to much about it and thought, " we need to go to her doctor and check all this out before school starts." This would start a chain of events that kept us wondering in the valley. Waiting became such a normal common feeling for the coach and I.

Every test, every doctors visit would lead us to more tests and another doctor. The coach received a phone call that Katie's ultrasound showed blood flow to these nodules and her blood tests where out of whack. She would need to have a fine needle biopsy to determine if she had cancer. They told us " prepare for the worst and hope for the best." Are you kidding me! They let you get away with telling people this? We are talking about my child!  My emotions where on a roller coaster ride! I was scared, angry, resentful! We tried to go on as normal as we could for the next 10 days. Waiting again was a familiar feeling!! Being a nurse, I all of the sudden found myself on the other side of the fence. I did not like this! The patient was my daughter and I was not dealing with this well. I was so accustom to taking care of horrible situations and being the one in control while at work. I was no longer in control and God was showing me daily to TRUST him and have FAITH!

My mind began reflecting back to the end of school.  Katie had always been my one child that was so full of energy and ready for anything. Since she was a toddler, she was the last to go to bed and the first one up everyday. She wore us out with all her energy! She was sleeping 16 hours a day. No energy, constant fatigue. Not feeling good. Aches and pains. She even told me, "mom I am soooo tired and just don't feel good." At the time, I thought she was being a teenager. Not the case! Deep down I wondered what is wrong with her? Is this typical? I just could not put my finger on it.

The day of the needle biopsy was sobering, to say the least. The physician explained that after collecting samples from Katie's cells,  the pathologist was questioning the slides and was questioning what he was seeing. He felt that she needed to have surgery. The plan would be to take half of her thyroid and tumors. He would send off the tissues for pathology. If they came back as cancer, poor Katie would have to go back in for another surgery to remove the other half of her thyroid. When we left his office Thurs. afternoon, we received a phone call that Katie had been scheduled for surgery Mon Aug. 6th. WOW!!! What is the urgency, I thought! They keep telling us that it is probably nothing. Panic began to set in with all of us!!!! We had everyone praying!!! Face book, email, text, phone calls. Anything we could do to get the word out and widen the prayer circle, lifting this child up!!!

When we arrived the morning of surgery, Katie was ready!!! I knew when she told me "Mom God is the great physician!!! I trust the surgeon and he is a good guy!" I knew right then my baby was ready physically, emotionally and spiritually! She would be facing this mountain head on and she was not going to back down. God all ready knew her outcome and the story book of Katie's life!!!!

The next 4 days in the hospital was an experience that will live in my heart forever. The courage my child showed was one that I viewed in total awh and amazement! So grown up, yet still a child! I was taken back several notches!! The rug had been snatched up underneath us. God grabbed me up and put every circumstance into perspective. She was given to me on loan, by his mighty hand, his doing, not mine. He showed me that he is in control, not me, not Katie, but my Heavenly Father. Katie and I both have very controlling personalities!! God was showing us both to take a back seat in all this!! Depending on him for everything!!!  He already knew her outcome. He wanted us all drawing closer to him and depending on him. I needed him to hold me up because I could not do this alone! It's Humility!!! He was showing me Humility! Alot to take in, but I knew it was for a reason, his purpose, and my best interest. Cancer was not what we wanted to hear, but it was what we were given. The pathology reports showed thyroid cancer and lymph node involvement! What next!!! Again, we waited and we prayed!!!!



Have a blessed day,
Anita

PS: Today is my mothers birthday! I woke up this morning and thought about what today is. This sweet lady went to be with our Lord and Savior 12 years ago, after her long battle with cancer! Boy, do I ever miss her! Love you Mom!!



Monday, October 29, 2012

Willing to Share!!!!

Hello to ALL!!!! I know that it has been forever since I have blogged!! To be quit honest, I have not had the time nor the energy to devote my time. I have truly missed it!!!I know its time, I am ready, I am willing  to share the many experiences that our family has gone through. I have prayed for a long time for the Father to show me where to even start to share with others the valley that I was walking through. My want and desire is to help others and help them with similar circumstances as mine. To show awareness and the effects of childhood cancer and maybe, just maybe, I could be a blessing to someone else.

There is absolutely no way to tell this story in 1 or even several blog entries, so please bare with me! :)  I tend to ramble!! lol! I am going to try very hard to have a series of events that happened with stories and pictures that follow one another. This way I can time line everything. Makes it easier for me to write and you to read. So here we go!!!!!! Katie's Journey!!! The story of an adolescents battle with cancer and her spiritual growth. Her families struggle with her diagnosis and how truly awesome and faithful GOD is!!!!!!

Our dear sweet 14 year old was diagnosed with thyroid cancer August 6th, 2012. The coaches ( my husband) cell phone rang, the surgeon gave the news! Katie has cancer!!!! I had to believe and trust that God would work his hand through the surgeon and the medical team. The coach and I both felt like we had been hit with a sledge hammer! I remember sitting there trying to wrap my head around everything. How in the world did our daughter develop cancer. What next? Why, Lord? Please, let me trade places with her!!! We cried, we prayed, and we sat there numb!!! We rallied every prayer warrior in our inner circle of family and friends. We both knew that our lives, along with our daughters, where about to change forever.

We where told that if anyone was going to get cancer, this was the one they wanted. It had a high survival rate and the younger you where at diagnosis the better your chances. We would later learn that Katie was 1 out of 5 kids in the OU Children's Hospital (Pediatric Endocrinology) that had thyroid cancer. I didn't know how or what to feel after finding out this information? It was time to get proactive for Katie!! The coach and I did not have time to feel sorry for ourselves or the situation. We had to learn all we could to better help our daughter. It seemed like every time I talked to family or pondered on scripture. Psalm 139: 13-18 kept coming to my mind. God had a special plan for this girls life! He was molding her for his will and plan for her life and the special things to come. I thanked him and praised him, even through our pain. I needed him and he never left us!!!!!!!

Each of us has a specific task to complete for the Lord while here on this earth. What is your task or special gift? How can he use you for his purpose? Are you willing? 

UPDATE ON KATIE:
Katie is doing great!!!! She is such an inspiration to her mother!!! Weekly blood draws still continue. We will go back for her big check up Dec. 5th to see if she responded to her treatment. Pray for her please? 

Have a blessed day,
Anita