1/21 Update

Last week felt like an incredibly normal week - I almost forgot we are fighting through this terrible mess.

Brad and I had an extremely interesting conference call with Dr. Pete Anderson, an oncologist from the Cleveland Clinic who is doing a lot of research about osteosarcoma. He was so helpful and gave us a lot to think about and consider. Last Thursday Madeline had an MRI and chest CT. The appointment was a nightmare of inefficiency, miscommunication and terrible customer service but the results thankfully held no surprises. Her chest is clear (this is important, as osteo usually moves to the lungs) and the MRI shows the tumor has scar tissue around it which is a good sign that the chemo is working.

We will meet with our surgeon this week. We are praying that he will recommend a very straightforward limb salvage surgery and that she will have good mobility in the future. She also has an appointment with her oncologist afterward. Last week we were not able to speak with our oncology team at the appointment about what the Cleveland Clinic doctor recommended. Hoping this conversation might happen this week.

If we want a second opinion on the surgery we also have an appointment with another orthopedic oncologist at MD Anderson at the beginning of February. I am guessing if we decide to get a 2nd opinion we will need to do another 5-day round of chemo beginning this weekend and hope Madeline is feeling well enough to travel to Houston for the appointment the week after.

As always thank you for thinking of us and praying for Madeline. We feel so loved and supported by everyone.