We learned that her next MRI will be March 24. While her last MRI showed that there is no active tumor, we are still fighting against the cancer in our daughter just as hard as we were before the last amazing MRI. Please don't stop praying that God will continue to heal Amanda. I am excited to see this next set of scans!
As I continue to look back over our year, the memory of her radiation treatment stands out as some of the most challenging times for all of us. A bright spot for Amanda was that Ginger went along almost every day. We were blessed with the fabulous team at the Georgetown Cancer Center who could not have been more gracious, compassionate and caring. It didn't take long, however, before the side effects of her chemo/radiation treatment took a toll on all of us. It was a rough six weeks.
Here is a portion of the post from March 26, 2013, the day we met with Dr. Harrod to learn more of her treatment schedule and her first radiation treatment:
I left the meeting today with hope. Dr. Harrod did not hold back with the challenge we have before us. This is not going to be an easy battle. Brain tumors do not "melt away." They either become scar tissue and the tumor dies, or it stays the same size and does not grow, or it starts to spread. They often come back, but stay within the nervous system. We can't surgically remove all of her tumor because of the location. This is the harsh truth of her diagnosis. But we have hope. It is a grade 3 tumor, but it is not a typical grade 3 tumor. I love that! We will pray that the tumor responds well to the treatment, that Amanda physically handles the treatment well.
This afternoon we had her first radiation treatment. I have to say that my daughter is amazing. She climbed up on the table and let them put her mask on then they fastened the mask to the table. She stayed calm, joked with the amazing technicians and basically, wowed us all with her courage and strength. She listened to "Adventures in Odyssey" on the CD player and stayed calm and still for the treatment. Each treatment should only take about 15 - 20 minutes. Along with the treatment, she will also be taking an oral chemotherapy drug. Both treatments will have side effects with headaches and nausea as the two main ones we will be watching for. She has a very bad headache this evening and it was only treatment number one!
As we were sitting outside the room where Amanda was receiving her radiation, I received an email from a dear friend that knew we were sitting and waiting. She reminded me of when the prophet Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant that he might see the armies of the Lord all around them and she reminded me this same army is surrounding our family during this battle. What an awesome image!
We know we are not alone, not even close. For not only do we have the spiritual army of God, we have each of you. You also are the mighty army of God, right here, right now, coming along beside us and fighting this battle with us. We thank our God for you and your support.
What a long road we have traveled in one short year. The image of the armies of the Lord surrounding our family has never left my mind. It has been a constant encouragement to me as we have gone through the ups and downs of the past twelve months. My heart overflows with thanksgiving at where we are today.
Day two of cycle nine is complete!
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| The making of her radiology mask. |
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| Day one. Dr. Brown painted Tweety Bird on her mask. |
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| The mask snapped into place on the table to hold her head still during treatment. She did this five days a week for six weeks. |
As the weeks went by and the sessions got harder and harder for her to endure, we became very inventive with what we brought along with us to encourage Amanda.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
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