Back to School

Madeline is back at school. She had a fabulous week with her friends and got lots of love from her teachers. It was a spirit week which only added to the FUN! 

She will have her port removed on Thursday. Please continue to pray that she remains cancer-free FOREVER and that the surgery on Thursday morning goes as planned. 

Cancer Free!!!

Madeline's scans all came back clear! She is officially cancer free!!!

Feeling Optimistic

Just a quick update. Madeline had a clinic visit yesterday. Her blood work came back great and we scheduled her post-treatment scans for Tuesday. If the scans all come back clean we will schedule her to get her port removed. Please keep her in your prayers. We are praying for NED - no evidence of disease. We are so grateful for your prayers. I will update next week once we get the results back. 

Home!!

We are home! Madeline's doctor said we could leave at 5am this morning and we were dressed and walking out the door at 5:30. Chemo is done!! She will have some scans in a few weeks so keep praying, but I am unpacking our hospital bags! 

Thank you just doesn't seem to cover how we feel about each of you reading this. They kindness you have shown our family over the last eight months is just overwhelming. We are so grateful and a bit overwhelmed at how much love you showered our family with during this time.

I hope that from our experience you hug your loved ones a little more, feel thankful for each day, and enjoy life. It can change in an instant with no warning. 

#madelinestrong Forever!!!

Last day of chemo

Madeline is all checked in and will have chemo early evening.  She is in good spirits and the doctors and nurses were clapping for her when she left the clinic and headed up to the oncology floor of the hospital, for what we pray is the LAST time. 

Brad is at the hospital with her today, and I am on puppy duty. He really might be the cutest puppy ever. 

Happy Monday

First of all - meet Oliver.  He joined the Prugh Crew on Saturday. He is the cutest Goldendoodle EVER and is 7 weeks old. He loves his furry duck and napping. 

I am sorry I didn't update last week, it was super busy but Madeline cleared the Methotrexate at the 48 hour mark and we headed home late Thursday night. She was so happy to sleep in her own bed, it was truly a miracle. I didn't even believe the nurse when she came in to tell us. Ha! 

Tomorrow we will head back to the hospital for what should be the last chemotherapy treatment. I can't believe it's here. I almost can't think about it too much. Please pray that her blood counts are high enough, that she doesn't suffer any side effects, and that we get home on Friday. We have tickets to see "Wicked" on Friday night. I had the tickets before she was even diagnosed, so the timing could be perfect and what a special way to celebrate the end of treatment. 

As always we are so very blessed by all of you. Please keep praying, thinking good thoughts, and wearing those MadelineStrong bracelets and t-shirts. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

Pine Cove

Many of you have asked about Pine Cove. I am thrilled to say the girls officially switched to the later week today and will be going! Pine Cove was so understanding and helpful once we explained the situation. So excited for them! 

Greetings from Medical City

Madeline was admitted this morning, and chemo started a little while ago. She is in good spirits and happy today. So happy the end is in sight! We are checking this one off the list before bed tonight, and then one more round next week.

Prayers that the side effects will be minimal and that she clears quickly. Friday is always our goal! 

Home this week

Madeline's counts are starting to go up, but they were not high enough to have chemo today as we hoped. The good news is that we are home and she feels fine. We will go back next Tuesday and hopefully start the second to last treatment. We are so ready to be d-o-n-e! 

Thank you for thinking of us! 

Quick Update

Yesterday Madeline had her clinic visit. She is feeling pretty good but she did need a blood and platelet transfusion which we kind of expected since her numbers were already low last week.  It took a while to get started, but we were home by dinner. I couldn't help but feel so loved when we pulled into the garage and one sweet friend drove up with dinner, and another brought Ben home from track practice. We are so so blessed by our terrific friends. 

We are definitely hoping that her body will recover quickly and she will be able to have chemo next Tuesday as planned. I can't tell you how eager we are to start the final TWO in-patient treatments. If not, we will get another week at home, and try again the following week. We trust the timing will be perfect. Almost to the end! 

First of the "Lasts"

Madeline's LAST out-patient chemo treatments were on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. They were each a quick 40 minutes and then we were on our way back home.  She hasn't had any nausea which is sort of amazing. Today she also had her LAST Neulasta shot. She hates these because it stings so much. We've tried all kinds of ways to numb up her arm prior and nothing works. So she is extra happy that she won't have to get another one. It's an amazing drug that works to keep her white blood cell count up. You may have seen a commercial for it on TV. What they don't tell you is that the shot costs like $12,000. It's ridiculous! Thank goodness we have AMAZING insurance and we pay nothing. 

We also had a 4-month follow up with Madeline's orthopedic surgeon. Her X-ray was perfect and he wished us a great summer with no restrictions. He does want her to have tendon-transfer surgery once her body recovers from chemo. This would essentially solve the problems of her drop-foot, and return her foot to "normal" but we will have to think and pray about it. Right now we want to focus on getting through the next few weeks. 

Next week is an "off week" with just a clinic visit on Tuesday. The last time her body needed two weeks to recover plus some blood and platelets, so we are kind of expecting the same next week. We definitely are praying to avoid any delay, but having only two more rounds sounds great! It seems impossible but she could be done with treatment three weeks from tomorrow!! 

Please pray that there is no cancer anywhere in her body. She will have a chest CT in a few weeks and we are praying hard it is clear. Osteosarcoma generally metastasizes into the lungs and Madeline's lungs have been clear from the start and we definitely want that to continue. Pray that her body recovers from the chemo quickly so she can start the last two rounds on schedule. Thank you so much.  We are so grateful for our prayer warriors. 

the end is in sight

We are back at Medical City this week completing another Methotrexate cycle. This week marks the end of block 5, with 15 rounds of chemo complete. Once we go home only one block to go! Next week she will have outpatient chemo on Tuesday and Wednesday, then a week off (praying for only one week off this time), and then just TWO more inpatient stays. She is so close to being done. 

Yesterday went smoothly and she didn't feel quite as bad as last week. I stayed with her last night and we watched, "Daddy's Home." Will Ferrell is so funny and he always makes me laugh out loud. Now she just hydrates and waits to clear. Last week she cleared in 60 hours with a beautiful 0.07 by Friday morning, so the pressure is on for another quick week. We are definitely looking forward being home to celebrate Easter weekend! 

I am obviously going crazy because we are talking about getting a dog once this is over. What?? Obviously all this downtime is messing with my head, because those of you that know me well know I am NOT a "dog person" but Ben and Madeline really want one, so we are considering it. I love that both the kids are old enough to research, and I love hearing them debate breeds, size, and dog intelligence levels. 

Speaking of people who really, really want a dog, I don't talk about Ben much on here, but he has handled this year with such grace. He keeps us laughing and he always knows how to cheer up Madeline. Ben loves his family and reminds me to enjoy this unplanned gift of family time we have been given. For a kid that doesn't want to talk very much, he makes us so proud with his actions and decisions. I'm constantly asking if his stuff is ready for school, his homework done, his lunch packed, etc and it ALWAYS is! He goes three days a week to workout before school and he never complains! So, so proud of him, and excited to see what's ahead for him in high school next year. 

Please pray Madeline clears quickly with no side effects, and that we are home soon. Thank you for staying #Madelinestrong for so long. The meals keep coming, the thoughtful cards, texts, and calls never stop, and we are so thankful. Keep praying as we near the end!

If you need a new (or another) #Madelinestrong bracelet please just click on the link. 

https://goo.gl/5a26j7

Wednesday

I am sorry this is just getting posted. I thought I hit publish earlier tonight but it must have not gone through!

Madeline made counts at clinic yesterday and she was admitted mid-morning for chemo. I prayed hard for patience yesterday because each week things seem to get more and more delayed and truth be told, my patience is definitely running thin. We were happily surprised that they were able to get the chemo in record time with NO DELAYS, and it ran from 4-8pm last night. 

Madeline started feeling bad as soon as it started. I think at this point some of it is psychological, and the first week seems to always be worse than the second. I think she is feeling so good and then her little body just gets angry about the big disruption. Brad stayed with her last night so I could pick up my mom from the airport and take her to the house. She slept through much of today, but I would rather her sleep than feel miserable. I am staying with her tonight, although I am a little worried she will have her days and nights turned around with all this resting today. This is the chemo you have to clear to go home; so our prayer is always that she clears it quickly, with no side effects, and that we will be home on Friday so she can enjoy the weekend before another round of the same next week. Some of her blood work came back a little funky tonight so they will retest her in the morning. If you happen to read this tonight, please pray it was just an error and all will be right in the morning. Just THREE more inpatient weeks to go!!

One of Madeline's good friends, Maddison, brought this awesome sweatshirt blanket home from Pine Cove for Madeline last week.  The girls went to camp there last summer and are hoping to return this summer. When we registered last summer for this summer, we had no idea all of this would happen, so it's something our families have been praying about, especially the Maddies. We requested to switch to a session later in the summer so that Madeline would have more time to recover, and the girls are at the top of the waiting list, but so far no luck switching. As I watch her all wrapped up in that blanket today, I'm asking if you would please pray she will get to go to Pine Cove this summer. It is something she is really looking forward to, and she's already given up so much, so I really want it for her. She's just so sweet and never complains or asks for anything. That has always been her way. So when she does ask for something, you just have to do it, and this one means a lot!

As always thank you for all the sweet texts, calls, prayers and good thoughts! We are so grateful. 

Delayed

Madeline did not have high enough counts to start chemo today. We are back home and will go back next Tuesday. Madeline gets a spring break after all, even if it's super rainy here! 

The good news is that she is feeling fine so we are glad she can enjoy the week! 

And yes, Mickey Mouse is #madelinestrong too! 

High Point, Low Point

Hello sweet friends and family! One of my favorite things we did as a family when Ben and Madeline were little was to play "high point, low point" each night. Sometimes this happened around the dinner table, sometimes it was when we were tucking them in. It's a good reminder that good and bad things happen to everyone through the day, but that you can't let the low points outweigh the high points. We are also blessed with one child who always had an abundance of low points and another child who could name an equal number of high points of the day. Always an interesting conversation that now I wish I would've recorded. 

So...High Point was last week. Outpatient chemo was awesome, efficient, and fabulous. We arrived at 9:30 and were home before noon. We enjoyed every minute of it! Madeline barely made a dent in her homework before it was time to leave, and I'm sure the nurses thought I was crazy that I packed such a big bag of things to entertain ourselves because we were there for such a short time. 

It was Ah-mazing! It was kind of how I imagined this process would be, and we were so grateful to be home every night. 

Low Point - yesterday. Madeline had a clinic visit at 2pm. This is just a little check up and some blood work. We left the house at 1pm and didn't get home until after 10pm! Turns out Madeline's numbers were really low. She honestly seemed fine, maybe in hindsight a little more tired and pale, but nothing out of the ordinary. The doctor decided she needed blood and platelets before we could leave and I was completely unprepared - no chargers, no iPad, and no snacks!!  Timing put us in a bad position where the outpatient area was closing and there were no openings on the oncology floor so I think everyone kind of dragged their heels hoping we would become the other person's problem. I didn't ask the right questions before we left the clinic which delayed things, and the doc ordered the blood over a much longer time than other transfusions she's had. We had to juggle to get Ben home from track practice and fed - thank goodness he is so self-sufficient and for meal delivery!! Thank you Jenn & Shelley for SAVING us. Madeline was so patient and sweet through all of it. She was happy to have American Idol to watch to help pass the time, and very relieved to crawl into her own bed last night. 

We will be back for inpatient chemo (aka spring break medical city) on Tuesday. Lucky us! 

My picture today was sent to me from the most thoughtful "moms in prayer" group. I am so thankful to them for praying for our family, and for letting me know we are prayed for. It means so much!

I have three friends right now who are facing the loss of a parent. It's hard to believe that I have already arrived at that stage of life, but today I am so thankful for my mom. She literally dropped everything and came to Texas to help us when Madeline was diagnosed. She makes sure Ben is well taken care of, that we have food to eat, and that our household keeps going. She is headed back to town on Tuesday to help and I am so thankful that she is coming. I can't wait to see her and give her a big hug. Last time when I picked her up at the airport we were dressed alike - it was so funny! So if you haven't hugged or called your parents today, you should!

Please pray that Madeline's body recovers quickly and that she doesn't suffer from any side effects. We are so thankful for this weekend together, and pray that the upcoming week of chemo goes smoothly for her. Please also pray that I can be patient while we wait for her body to clear the methotrexate. This is getting harder and harder for me each time. I'm thankful that we only have four more weeks of it, but ugh, I'm already dreading it. 

I will update again next week.  Enjoy the weekend!

New adventure today

Today is a new adventure- outpatient chemo. We are all happy to know we will be sleeping in our own beds tonight but not knowing how today will go, is a bit nerve wracking. Please say a prayer for a quick, smooth, no surprises kind of day. Pray the chemo does it's job and that Madeline is strong. We appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers so much!!

** 11:20am and already on the way home! Best day of chemo ever. Thank you for all the prayers. 

Round 12

Six months have passed since August 17th, the day we first heard the words cancer and osteosarcoma. We were busy finishing up summer break, celebrating Madeline's 12th birthday, unpacking from a beach trip, putting my classroom back together, buying new cleats for the upcoming sports seasons, enjoying the last summer swim, the last Sonic shake, and the last late night. In a second it all changed. I pray none of you ever have to hear those words that literally make your life STOP. 

We are incredibly blessed to have our family and friends surround us these last six months, caring for us in ways I can't even begin to describe. We have some wonderful friends who have done and KEEP doing so much for our family. Thank you so much! Please just stay awhile longer. The end is in sight!

We are back in the hospital this week for another round of Methotrexate, round 12 of chemo. We will be here until she clears (usually Friday).  Then, next week she will have outpatient chemo (something new) on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by a week off. We are getting there - just four more in-patient weeks to go after this week. 

Madeline is doing well. Keep praying that the chemo does it's job, that we are home on Friday, and for no side effects. 

Heading home soon!

I didn't sleep very well last night and I woke up way too early this morning. Maddie was at 0.19 at 6:30pm last night, and I really wasn't looking forward to the LONG wait today to get to 0.10 to go home. The test takes forever to process (think 4-5 hours) and we are all just ready to go home!  Madeline is not feeling very friendly and the revolving door of people is taking her to new lows of unfriendliness. It's such a challenge because I want them to think of her as being the sweet, amazing, smart girl that she is but she is so stoic when they try to talk to her. The more they try to connect the farther back she pushes. 

But then here's the God moment...

When her doctor came in this morning he said he didn't need to test her again, and that we could go after her noon meds because she is so consistent every time, and he was totally confident by noon she would be clear!  Praise the LORD!!!  Perfect timing.

Round 11

We enjoyed every second of our twenty days off from hospital life. The weather was super warm last weekend and we heated up the pool. It felt like summer (almost). 

This past weekend we went to our town's "Mardi Gras Dog Parade." It's one of our favorite traditions and I'm so thankful the weather was so beautiful. We even stopped for sno-cones on the way home. 

We are back at Medical City this week for round 11.  This is methotrexate so she has to clear it to go home, but we are hoping to be home for a fun Valentine's Day weekend. Then same thing next week. We are definitely counting down! Just five more in-patient weeks and two out-patient weeks to go after we check off this round. 

Please pray that Madeline continues to handle the chemo so well, that any remaining cancer cells are killed, and that the side effects are minimal. Pray for her doctors and nurses, and all of the other children here. The oncology floor should not be so full! Pray that we continue to find the strength to get through these long, boring days. We appreciate every one of these prayers!!  The scripture blessing I posted first is from a sweet friend who brought us a delicious meal on Sunday! We are so thankful for our friends who continue to pray for us, check in with us, bring us meals, give us hugs, and wear their #madelinestrong bracelets proudly!! Love our people so much!!

Wednesday 1/20

We are back at the hospital this week for round 10. She had chemo last night (Tuesday) and will have the same tonight (Wednesday), and then home on Thursday afternoon. We started yesterday at the orthopedic surgeon's office for a follow up appointment. He was happy with her healing and told her to work toward walking with no crutches in the next few weeks. Hooray! She doesn't need to wear a knee brace unless it makes her feel better, and he feels the foot-up brace is giving her foot plenty of support. He also took an x-ray which looked perfect! I'm so happy she got to hear from him that she is healing up, and that she doesn't have any restrictions on things she can and cannot do. So, so happy about that news. Today when she had PT, she amazed me by all walking down the hall with one crutch and even taking a few steps on her own. I don't think the physical therapist expected her to be so strong and athletic.

Today she is in good spirits, making Valentine's Day cards, and catching up on her new favorite show, "The Flash." I think everyone is relieved this the last of the three-week-in-a-row hospital stays. I know we are all looking forward to being home in our own beds for the next two and a half weeks. 

For our wonderful prayer warriors:

Please pray that her leg continues to heal and that she is able to walk on her own soon; that these chemo drugs wipe out any remaining cancer cells in her body, so she can begin to reclaim all that has been taken from her these last five months. Pray for a complete and total recovery for our sweet and amazing Madeline. 

Love you all! 

Round 9✔️

Waiting on Wednesday

Good morning! We are back at Medical City this week. We are actually in the same room as last week, so it truly feels like Groundhog Day! Chemo finished last night about 9:30 and was uneventful. Today they will do her 24 hour labs at 5:30, and then we try to entertain ourselves until she hits that magic 0.10 number. We usually get to go home Friday evening, so we are praying for the same (or earlier) this week. Madeline is in good spirits, working on school work and keeping herself busy with crafting, drawing and beating me at every card game we brought with us. 

Next week, before chemo, we will have a follow-up appointmentwith her surgeon. I feel like there is a huge disconnect between what the physical therapist she meets with here is saying and our conversations with the surgeon before and after the surgery, so I'm anxious to have my questions answered and my concerns addressed. I truly believe Madeline will make a full recovery and be able to do the activities she enjoyed before all of this. She is so athletic and determined, and I just refuse to believe anything less than complete healing. I know our prayer warriors are praying for the same.

We have to come back next week for another round, but then she will have two weeks off. We also learned this morning that next week is the last in-patient chemo for one of the chemo drugs she receives, which means an extra week at home for two weeks we thought we would be here. We also are halfway done - 9 rounds done- 9 to go.  Single- digits! Oh, such a long road! 

Wednesday

We are back at Medical City for another round of Methotrexate this week. We were able to get started early yesterday and chemo was all done at 9:45 last night. This is the one you have to clear so now we just wait for that magical number of 0.10. Usually we are here until Friday evening. The physical therapist visited this morning and was impressed with how well she is walking with her crutches. She got the go ahead to bend her knee to 90 degrees and she took a long morning stroll by the nurses station. 

That is all of my news. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers each day. We pray that the drugs do their job, they quickly exit her system with no side effects, and we are home soon. 

**Madeline cleared and we were discharged Friday night. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  We had a quiet, uneventful Christmas at home, which was perefct. Madeline did lots of baking, we did a lot of eating, and everyone enjoyed the time off from the hospital routine. We rewatched the Harry Potter movies over Christmas weekend, and shared the Bourne trilogy with the kids for our annual New Year's Eve movie marathon. Madeline is enjoying her time at home, she is feeling good, and getting around well on her crutches and becoming much more independent. She can put quite a bit of weight on her left leg now, but does prefer to use her crutches so she can get around fast! Her leg is healing well, and she is starting to compensate a little bit more for her foot, so I feel hopeful that it won't be too much of a problem going forward. Pray that she continues to grow stronger despite these upcoming weeks of chemo. 

She will have three more rounds of chemo on each of the next three Tuesdays, and then two weeks off before the next three rounds. If all goes as planned, the last chemo will be the week of April 12th. So I just keep telling myself - January, February, March, and a little bit of April.  We are praying the chemo does what it is supposed to do and kills any small bits of cancer that might have "escaped" from her leg. The chemo this week is the one she has to clear before going home so we pray her body clears it quickly and we are home on Friday to enjoy the weekend. I'm also praying we can get started quickly on Tuesday. The last few times we have been delayed getting started, which then delayed our discharge later in the week. I'm not sure exactly what is happening or why, but now that it's happened several times, I will definitely be bugging the nurses to stay on time. 

We are so loved, and we feel just overwhelmed by the kindness so many of you have extended to our family. Thank you so much for everything. We extended the meal signup to cover us the next few months. It is so helpful as we travel back and forth to the hospital, and it sets my mind at ease that Ben is eating well. Madeline will not eat anything on the hospital menu, so most days we pack up something from home and bring it to her for lunch and dinner. We are so tired of the fast food in that area and the hospital cafeteria is under construction so we have very limited options. If you need the sign up link, just let me know.  

Happy 2016 to you all! Thank you so much for being a blessing to our family and for all of the prayers being said for Madeline. Please stay on this journey with us a little while longer. I truly believe this is the year Madeline beats cancer!! Love you all!!