Starting Chemotherapy

This post is #32 in a year-long series ... Through this series of posts I plan to share our family's experiences during our 17-year-old daughter's year-long battle with brain cancer, which began in February of 2008. My desire is to process through the events of that year from the perspective that a decade of time has brought ... for myself, really. But if you'd like to follow along, you're welcome to join me.

March 17, 2008

My post today will be in the form of an email I sent on this date ten years ago ...

Hannah had two appointments in Little Rock today, one for her radiation treatment at CARTI, and one with an oncologist at Children’s Hospital.  The oncologist filled us in on the details of the chemotherapy treatment.  Hannah will take a pill called Temodar every day for six weeks, while she’s undergoing the radiation treatments.  After that, she will have a month off from all treatments, then she will take a higher strength of Temodar for five days out of each month for approximately the next ten months.  She will begin taking the pills tomorrow evening.  They really do not expect significant side effects from this treatment.  The most common side effect is for blood counts to drop, and she will have to return to Children’s Hospital weekly so this can be monitored closely.

Bethany also returned to the doctor today.  She will be having another ultrasound of her liver and spleen this week to check her progress in recovering from mono, and she had some new bloodwork done today.  She is still running a low-grade fever and not feeling well.

Please continue to pray for Hannah as she begins to take the chemotherapy drug.  She did have a little spell of nausea this afternoon, possibly related to the radiation treatment this morning.  We are thankful that, so far, for the most part, she has been feeling really well.  Also, please remember Bethany in your prayers as she is still struggling to feel better.

Thank you so much for your faithfulness in praying for our family. We have really felt God’s presence and His peace over the last few weeks (hard to believe it’s been three weeks today since Hannah’s surgery)!  He truly is good…all the time!

Jill and Brad