ALLY'S TREATMENTS:

After 6 rounds of "regular" chemo, an almost 10 hour surgery, 2 rounds of super killer chemo, 2 stem cell transplants and 20 sessions of radiation, Ally is in remission.

Ally is now entering the "maintenance" phase of her treatment. She will be on one heavy duty medicine for 6 months, she will continue to take Bactrim and will have at least monthly visits to the NH hospital.


THANKSGIVING DAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2008 08:06 AM, EST

It has started to set in! We were not expecting results yesterday. We thought, with the holiday, the earliest we would hear would be next Tuesday or Wednesday.

It is awesome to be able to say "Ally is in remission!" Plus I can give my 3rd graders an extra spelling word next week!

This is by far our best Thanksgiving yet!

We are still not done with cancer treatment, she still has 6 months of medicine to get through, we are still talking about the central line, she is still in quarantine and she will have to be tested often to see if the cancer is coming back, but for now our baby (toddler) is CANCER FREE!

Here are some of the test results we got back:

(First some background info: chemo turns neuroblastoma to stone. Ally will always have these "stones" in her, but hopefully they will not come back to life.)

CT scan: still shows the cancer stones, but no new ones = good result

Bone Marrow: negative = good result

Hearing Test: in the normal limits, but a slight decrease from previous test = good for now!

Fluoroscopy/Ultrasound: these were tests for her kidneys. She has stage 1 reflux in one of her kidneys = another test in 2 years or so just to keep an eye on it (the oncologist made it seem like this is no big deal)

Echocardiogram: her heart is looking good = GREAT result!

MIBG: NO LIVING CANCER = BEST NEWS EVER!

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful for all this good news and for all of you and all the support you have given us. We are not at the end, but a huge weight has been lifted, and it has not been as heavy because all of you have been helping us carry it. Thank you does not seem big enough for all of you who helped to save Ally's life (because all of your thoughts and prayers helped do that). What can you say to people who saved the most precious thing in the world?