11.12.2008

Written Nov 12, 2008

Today's results are in.......well almost!

This morning around 4 am after Hannah's morning lab draw we were informed that her potassium levels were really low and she had to receive a potassium infusion early this morning.

Hannah had her morning CT scan of her head and then we were waiting for the doctor to make rounds. I asked the doctor if Hannah's brain bled due to low platelets could there be a bleed somewhere else. There is a chance that this could happen so Hannah went back down for a CT scan of her chest, abdomen, and pelvic area.

We finally received the results. Hannah's head CT showed know new change. This is good; NO change means the bleeding has stopped! The brain should absorb the blood spot in her head within approximately the next 14 days. In two weeks Hannah will have another CT scan of her head. The results of the chest, abdomen, and pelvic CT showed nothing except healthy organs!

YEA...WE LOVE GOOD NEWS!

Hannah's heart rate has been high. It has been staying around the 190's and 200, due to her high fevers. Since this heart rate is really really high Hannah had an echocaridiogram (ultra sound of the heart) done today.
We are still waiting on these results.

Hannah received her neupogen shot, her two doses of her seizure medicine (only five more days of seizure medicine), and the doctor took Hannah off of one of her antibiotics and put her on two new antibiotics. We are trying two different antibiotics in hope that it will help Hannah's fever to go away. She is still running a continues temperature.

Her ANC is still low at 16.9 but her platelets are 210! This is the highest her platelets have been in over a week. We now have to make sure that her platelets stay up so she does not get any new crazy bleeds! Hannah's mouth sores are better but they still look really bad.

A BIG thank you goes out to everyone who has been praying so hard for our Hannah. Thank you for taking time out of your day to say a prayer for her and checking out her website. We really enjoyed all the guest book entries. The entries help us keep our spirits up and we appreciate them.

We are praying for a complete and totally healing of Hannah's body. We are believing that Hannah's brain bleed will vanish and her mouth sores will disappear, that her heart will be healthy, her counts to increase and stay within the normal limits, and NO MORE FEVER! We are proclaiming total restoration of Hannah's body.

She will SURVIVE!

Keep the Faith!

11.11.2008 (Special Prayer Request)

Written Nov 11, 2008 

SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST!

I noticed today that Hannah was acting very lethargic. She slept from 6:30 this morning until around 3:00 or so. I know she is a sick girl but she never sleeps this much. I informed her nurse to talk to the doctor and to come and check Hannah out.

Her old ommaya reservoir appeared to be a little bigger than yesterday. I was concerned and the doctor was as well; she had some blood work done. He called the neurosurgeon, the neurosurgeon came an checked out Hannah and decided we needed a STAT (aka. right now) CT scan of her head.

We received the lab result and the CT scan results. Her electrolyte counts were the same as today, which were pretty decent. However the CT scan showed a small bleed in her brain on her right side where the OLD reservoir was removed. When our neurosurgeon came after the CT to inform us of the results he noticed her left hand twitching a little. Therefor, Hannah was put on Phenobarbital an anti seizure medication.

If Hannah's brain bleed grows it could make her have a seizure so the medication is to help prevent a seizure. Hannah will be on the Phenobarbital for seven days. She will have another CT scan in the morning and she should have one daily to monitor the bleed.

Since, Hannah has NOT had a brain injury the doctors think the brain bleed is due to her platelet count getting too low and her body not being able to maintain the platelets.

**Today Hannah's ANC was down to 15 and her platelets were down to 26. She is supposed to be getting a platelet infusion this afternoon and we are still waiting.
Hannah did get a Neupogen shot today. This shot is to help her counts increase. Maybe if her counts are higher her body can start maintaining her platelets and her lab levels will become normal.

We need prayer! Pray for the bleed in Hannah's brain to vanish, pray for her body to be complete and totally healed of this crazy mess. Don't forget the mouth sores and the burn on her back. They have not improved either.

Keep the Faith!

I will post more after we get the results to the CT scan tomorrow morning!

11.11.2008

Written Nov 11, 2008 

Hannah is still running a fever off and on. Her temperature will spike and then go away with Tylenol then 4 hours or so later it will go up again. Today it spiked all the way to 103.1, then slowly went down and now it is back up to 103.3.

We should start seeing improvement with Hannah's lab in just a few days. Seven to 14 days after chemotherapy is called the "nadir" period. This is when counts go way down and her body tries to rebuild new cells, since all the good and bad cells are being destroyed from the chemotherapy treatments. Hannah will be 14 days out on Wednesday!

Sunday:
Hannah's ANC was 18.43 and her platelets were up to 51 after finally receiving a platelet infusion. Hannah's potassium was down to 2.3 so she also had to received a potassium infusion.

The mouth sores were still really really really bad and it looks so painful. Hannah is still receiving Morphine to help control the pain and she slept the majority of the day.

Today/Monday:
Hannah's ANC is up to 21! Her platelets are back down; they were 18 this morning. She received another platelet infusion and may possibly need another tomorrow. We are going to try to keep her platelet count higher than what is good for most kids with cancer; since Hannah's are having difficulty staying up.

Hannah started swelling today. Her legs, arms, face were starting to look pretty big. The doctor ordered for her to have a dose of Lasix so her body would remove the extra fluid before she is in fluid over load. Needless to say I had to change a lot of wet diapers today!

On the flip side, removing all the extra fluid with the Lasix can make Hannah's potassium decrease. Since she already has trouble with her potassium counts staying up she most likely will have a potassium infusion tomorrow.

Hannah's mouth sores still look bad but I can tell a little improvement from yesterday. Hannah also is wanting to eat and drink. She can't with those painful mouth sores but I am glad that the will is there. The TPN and lipids are keeping her healthy she is still gaining weight. Hannah is almost 22 1/2 pounds.

Let's not forget about Hannah's radiation burn on her back. When we were admitted to the hospital two weeks ago her back was almost completely healed. Now with her counts so low her burn is getting worse. The new skin is starting to peal, and the underneath tissue has became exposed and it is pink again in a 4"x4" area. I requested a burn consult and we are trying a new treatment on her back. If it does not improve in the next day or two we will be trying something different.

Hannah and I have had a busy two days. She is staying strong and still fighting the mouth sores and the fevers. Thank you for all the many prayers for Hannah and all the love and support from everyone. Thanks too for all the encouraging comments on the guest book and the e-mails they really do help us stay strong and shows us how much support and prayers Hannah and our family is receiving.

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,"
Jeremiah 30:17a
Keep the Faith!

11.8.2008

Written Nov 8, 2008 

Hannah's fever has officially broke!

It has not been over 101* since around 7:35 last night. We are very thankful that Hannah's temperature is staying down. She is NOT doing very well and the fever was just adding extra pain and aggravation.

Hannah was also put on a new antibiotic yesterday and her TPN and lipids were increased to 16 hours.

Mouth sores are evil!

Hannah woke up yesterday morning with mouth sores covering her entire mouth (lips, tongue, cheeks, and gums). We were told that the sores can go down her entire digestive system! She was in a lot of pain from the sores and was put on a Morphine pump. Thus far the Morphine is controlling her pain pretty good.

Hannah's ANC was 8.5 yesterday and her platelets were 36. Her platelets were low enough to get a infusion, except she was not at the critical level yet and the Red Cross was out of platelets. This morning her ANC has increased to 23 and her platelets are down to 13 (normal range 150-400), now she is critical and her mouth sores are bleeding really bad since platelets are to help the blood clot. We have been informed that the Red Cross were on there way to NWA to get some platelets for Hannah.

***It is 11:00 and the platelets just arrived! I pray that the bleeding stops!***

Even though Hannah was not feeling well yesterday she did get a couple of interesting visitors. A little dogie name Cheeko came and visited Hannah. She enjoyed petting the dog and holding his leash. She also had a couple musicians come by. One played the chello and the other the bass. Hannah loves music and loved listening to them. She wanted to hold the bow and play too!

Pray, Pray, Pray, for these mouth sores to go away!

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannnot see." Hebrews 11:1

11.6.2008

Written Nov 6, 2008

Hannah still has a fever!
Her fever is not going away. It has been three to four days of a continuous fever. The doctor started her on a new antibiotic today that should help with the fever. All of her cultures have still been negative. That means no infection is in her body; but her fever has still yet to break which makes this confusing. We have to treat her as if she does have an infection. Once her fever breaks she will slowly be tapered of her antibiotics to make sure the fever stays away.

Hannah is still having this very thick mucus throw up! She went down for another chest x-ray and abdomen x-ray today and both x-rays were clear! Hannah's ANC has dropped today back down to 21. Her HGB was a low 6.9 so she had to receive a blood transfusion today as well.

We have officially been introduced to mouth sores. I have heard from the older patients and other parents how painful and uncomfortable the mouth sores can be. Hannah is having to take this special mouth wash three times a day to treat the sores. I believe that it is a good thing that Hannah is back on the TPN and lipids for nutrition because with the sores it hurts to bad to eat!

The neurosurgeon came by this afternoon because Hannah has been hitting her head with her hands as if her head was hurting. The oncologist requested a sample of her CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) be sent to the lab for tests to make sure there was no infection in her brain or spine. The neurosurgeon accessed her new chemotherapy reservoir and the sample of CSF was clear. Clear CSF means no infection but it will be sent to the lab for further testing. Hopefully we will have official results tomorrow afternoon.

Please pray for Hannah's counts to elevate and her cultures to remain negative. Also, her mouth sores to disappear and her fever to break.
This chemotherapy regimen is very potent and aggressive and really doing a number on little Hannah. I pray she stays strong and continues to improve as she already has thus far.
Keep the Faith!

11.5.2008

Written Nov 5, 2008

HANNAH IS STILL TUMOR FREE!

The bone scan results were clear. It did not detect anything in her bone. I asked Hannah's neurosurgeon why the MRI showed something then. Well, it could be because the radiation treatment Hannah received is still working within her bone, it could be a bearer that was placed in case the tumor regrew it would not compress her spine again, or it could be scaring on/in her bone for her back surgeries!
Needless to say, Hannah is fine her bones are healthy we have nothing to worry about.
Thank you Jesus!

However, Hannah has been running a fever on and off for the past three days. Her fever has not broke for over 24 hours. If it does not go away by tomorrow the doctors are going to tap her chemotherapy reservoir and get a sample of cerebral spinal fluid to test for infection. All of her blood cultures she has had drawn are still negative with no growth; which is awesome!
I feel this temperature is her body trying to fight and get healthy again after all the potent chemotherapy she received but we can not assume anything. Therefor we have to treat her has if she has an infection.

Hannah did walk with Jenny from physical therapy today she walked down the hall twice; 35 feet the first time and 40 feet the second. Her muscles are getting stronger. She just needs her right leg to wake up.
Today, I asked Hannah to kick my hand with her left foot. She did very well and raised her leg above my hand. Then I asked her to kick my hand with her right foot. She started moving her toes and she was trying so hard. Her leg was not moving so she used her hands and picked up her leg to make it kick my hand. She is too cute!

Hannah ANC went up from 13 yesterday to 44 today!
Yea! Yea! Yea! I think it is on the rise.

Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers for Hannah. We appreciate your love and support. Feel free to sign Hannah's guest book anytime. We enjoy reading all the comments, support, an inspiration it really is encouraging and helps us to stay strong.

Keep the Faith and pray for Hannah's fever to go away!

11.4.2008

Written Nov 4, 2008

Hannah has had a difficult 48 hours. Sunday night, Monday and Monday night she ran a fever almost constantly. Monday morning it spiked to 102.6 and then last night it spiked to 103.1! She even had the shakes with her fever last night.
Yesterday her ANC was 10, yes a big whopping 10! A far cry away from 200. Although it is slowly on the rise. This morning it was 13.31. I'll take it in hopes it will just continue to increase.
With all the fevers and the throwing up the doctors thought yesterday she could be getting pneumonia or an infection in her lungs. Hannah had a chest x-ray and the results were good. Her lungs are clear and look fine. The doctors also started her on another antibiotic yesterday. Now she is on two antibiotics.

We were also informed that Hannah has a "spot/abnormal looking area" on her L1 bone in her spine!

(Okay, why would you tell me she is tumor free if there is something unknown in her spine where the tumor was? Can you make a mom (and Jon too) freak out or what!)

The doctors think it maybe an infection or something caused from her radiation; but they a really unsure. The MRI she had on Wednesday 10/29 showed "something" IN the bone but was not clear enough to decipher what it was. Therefor Hannah is having a bone scan today at 11am!
We will not have results from the bone scan until tomorrow! Also, Hannah's platelets are low today and she will have to receive a platelet infusion after her bone scan and she was restarted on the TPN and lipids last night for extra nutrition!

Please pray with us and believe that this is merely nothing and that Hannah will be okay! That her fever will leave her body and she will be healthy and strong.

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.
Mark 11:22,23
(What you say will make a difference.)

"Therefor I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
Mark 11:24
(Believe, and you will receive.)

Keep the Faith!

11.2.2008

Written Nov 2, 2008

Hannah is still in the hospital!
I am unsure when she will be discharged. She is still on an IV antibiotic and her ANC has dropped down today to 25. Hannah's blood count is 7.7, therefor she is getting a blood transfusion. She did not run a temperature all day yesterday or today or last night. This is a good thing. Maybe she can get of the antibiotic soon.

Hannah is starting to want to eat. She is also keeping it down which is really good. Her potassium is increasing. She is taking these potassium pills that we are putting in her yogurt and apple sauce.

She is doing well and staying strong. I will talk to Hannah's doctor Monday morning and figure out what the game plan is. I am sure that she will have to be off the antibiotics and her ANC will have to be over 200 before there is any thoughts about her being discharged. We will wait and see.

Keep the prayers coming!
Thank you so much!

10.31.2008

Written Oct 31, 2008 

The surgery did not take place until 5:30. The neurosurgeons wanted Hannah's platelets to be over 100. Therefor Hannah had to receive a platelet infusion. Hannah made it through her surgery with no problems. The first thing she said when she awoke form the sedation was 'daddy' but she wanted mommy to hold her! I was happy that Jon came to visit us yesterday and to be with us when we received the MRI results, who knew she would have to have a surgery too! Hannah had another CT scan this morning to make sure the new 'chemotherapy reservoir' was in the proper place and to make sure her brain was well. The results said everything is how it needs to be. There is still a little inflammation on the right side of her brain where the reservoir went into the ventricular but it should go away in due time.

Hannah's tumor FREE! Hannah's tumor FREE!

Hannah's ANC is up to 2450! It usually goes up before it goes down after her chemotherapy. Hannah's platelets are up to 202 after having the platelet infusion yesterday! Everything is looking good for Hannah to get to go home on Monday as long as her potassium goes up. It is staying really low even with all the potassium she is receiving in her IV fluids. All else fells she may have to go back onto the TPN but for a shorter amount of time. We will just have to see what the weekend has in store.

Please pray that Hannah's ANC stays elevated and that her Potassium elevates up to the normal range. Also, please pray that Hannah's new reservoir works with no problems from here on out.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

Keep the Faith!

10.30.2008

Written Oct 30, 2008 

MRI results are in.
Drum roll please.....................Hannah is tumor FREE!
Yea! No more tumor! Thank you Jesus!

On the flip side we had a crazy night. I noticed that Hannah's ommaya reservoir was not going back down to its original size. I informed the nurse and she paged the neurosurgeon on call. They agreed with me that it should be back to its original size by now. They viewed the MRI and Hannah had a CT scan of her head this morning. The doctors came to the conclusion that there is inflammation where the ommaya enters into the ventricular of the brain.

Hannah is having surgery today in just an hour or so.

The neurosurgeons are going to remove the ommaya reservoir and place a new one on the other side of her head.

We are definitely riding a roller coaster today! But we are SUPER EXCITED about the MRI results! Thank you to everyone for all the prayers for Hannah. She will be having a ruff day today and she still has a long journey ahead of her but Praise God the tumor is gone!

Keep the Faith!

10.28.2008

Written Oct 28, 2008 

Hannah had a pretty good night last night. We thought she was going to spike a fever. We checked her temperature and it was 100.4 then 15 minutes later it went down on its own! I was happy she tolerated everything so well.

This morning Hannah's electrolytes were way off. Her potassium was down to 1.8, which is very very low. She had to receive a potassium bolus and transfusion today which helped out a lot!
Most of today Hannah napped. The chemotherapy really makes her tired. However, Jenny from physical therapy did come by and she worked out with Hannah. Hannah received a walker today. She was very curious and wanted to know what it did. She was not that happy about having to walk since she was so sleepy but with a little help she did it! I was so proud. Hannah's right leg just needs to wake up and then she will be ready to go!

Besides being sleepy today Hannah has been a little more nauseated then normal. If a little nausea and sleepiness is the side effects we can take it. The nurses are giving her extra medicine for her nausea which is helping too.

It is around 11 pm and Hannah has a temperature of 100.8, the nurse had to draw blood cultures and we are having to check her temperature every 30 minutes. Hannah can't have Tylenol until 4 am because of the chemotherapy she has received this evening.

***************
UPDATE: Hannah ran a temperature most of the night. Here fever went up and down, around 3 am it spiked up to 102.0! She has slept well most of the night. This morning her fever is gone. I am wondering if the fever is just her body reacting to the chemotherapy since it only happens during the evening? She is still asleep and doing well this morning!
***************

Please pray with me and believe that God will take Hannah's fever away and no infection will show up in the cultures. Also, continue to pray for the results of Hannah's MRI tomorrow let her body (brain & spine) be free of any tumor or cancerous cells.

We did get a roommate today. A cute little 11 month old boy that was diagnosed with Leukemia a few months ago. He is super cute and his mom is a good women. I think we both have enjoyed each others company.

GOD IS GOOD!

10.27.2008

Written Oct 27, 2008 

We are officially in Little Rock!
We all (Hannah, Jon, Jackson, and I) arrived around 8:45 this morning. We went to the clinic in the hospital and we did not have to wait long; which is a plus. Next, we moved to a room and the nurse drew Hannah's blood to see what her counts were. Then, we moved into a private treatment room where Hannah received her Methotrexate chemotherapy in her ommaya reservoir in her head. (This was pretty difficult for all of us, next month Hannah will have to be sedated or have some stronger medication while having this procedure done.) Finally, we all then waited around to move into a room on the oncology unit and after about an hour of waiting Hannah received a room. Jon and Jackson went back home around 3:00 after Hannah and I were all settled in.

Hannah's lab counts are great. Her ANC is 1277! Yea...she made it over the 1000 mark and her platelets are 106. Hannah made counts and her labs are good enough for her to have all her chemotherapy!

We told Dr. Saylors (Hannah's Oncologist) how well she has been eating and he said she was little miss chunky cheeks and we are going to see how she does off of the TPN and lipids! NO MORE TPN and LIPIDS for awhile! This is great news. Hannah is making such good progress!

Also, the burn on Hannah's back is about the size of a dime today. It is looking fantastic! Hannah also had her feet and legs put in casts. Only for a short amount of time! She is getting fitted for AFO's (aka. walking braces) to help give her feet and ankles support to grow strong. Hannah will be walking again before you know it, just wait and see!

One more thing! Hannah is also going to have a scan of her brain and spine done on Wednesday to see what the status of her tumor looks like. Then she should be out of the hospital on Thursday morning!
Please pray that Hannah's body will be free of this tumor. That no tumor or cancer cells will be in her body. She needs prayer for strength and that she has no side effects from this round of chemotherapy.

'Whatever they plot against the Lord he will bring to and end; trouble will not come a second time.' Nahum 1:9
(Your sickness will leave and not come back again)

'This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him.' 1 John 5:14-15
(Be confident in your prayers)

Keep the Faith!

10.24.2008

Written Oct 24, 2008

Hannah is having a great week.
Even though we are at home we have still been very busy.
Monday to Fayetteville for lab.
Tuesday Physical Therapy at home.
Wednesday Physical Therapy at home.
Thursday to Fayetteville for lab and to access Hannah's port.
Friday Physical Therapy at home.

The burn on Hannah's back is doing fantastic. Today it is about the size of a nickel and it has tissue growing over it so it is not an open burn. Thank you for all the prayers for Hannah's burn. In a weeks time the burn has went from the size of a dollar bill to a nickel. AMAZING!

Hannah's lab results are in.
Her ANC is 798. It is almost to the 1000 mark. We need it to be at 1000 for her to receive her chemotherapy. Also, her platelets are up to 82, almost 100! I am waiting to see if the doctor thinks that Hannah's counts are close enough to start chemotherapy on Monday. If we don't go Monday and her lab results keep improving we may be going to Little Rock on the 3rd of November.

********************************************
UPDATE: We are going to Little Rock on Monday for Hannah to receive her monthly chemotherapy!
(Please pray for her strength during this time and that all the bad cells are destroyed and only new cells grow!)
********************************************

Thank you for the many prayers for Hannah.

Times of trial are full of suffering, trouble, distress, affliction, misery, or pain. But God says during those times that we are supposed to "count it all joy" because "the testing of your faith produces patience" (James 1:2-3)....God says patience makes us "perfect and complete, lacking nothing" (James 1:4)

Keep the Faith!

******Don't forget to watch EXTREME MAKEOVER HOME EDITION this Sunday! This is the episode that was filmed when we were in the hospital. A boy named Job has been doing treatments for 6 years. He lives in Bigelow, AR. and received a new home. They filmed a lot at the hospital and Hannah's doctor, Dr. Saylor's, is Job's doctor as well and he will be on the show. Check it out!******

10.21.2008

Written Oct 21, 2008 

“Hope For Hannah” Benefit Car Show & Poker Run

When: Saturday November 1, 2008 from 10:30am – 4:00pm

Where: 1714 S. Kelly Ave Edmond, Ok. (Physician Care PM)

What: Poker Run Begins @ 10:30am with last bike in by 3:30pm

Car Show Begins @ 11:00am along with the following:
Face Painting, Moon Bounce, Raffle, Snack Bar, Beverages
And much, much more!

Why: To help raise money for Hannah and her family. Hannah is 16 months old and was diagnosed with a rare cancer this past August and was hospitalized for almost 3 months. Hannah just completed 21 treatments of radiation and will have to continue chemotherapy for 2-3 years.

Participation in all of the above is FREE with your donation.

If you are interested in being a sponsor or have any questions regarding this event please contact Amy.

All money raised goes to the
“Hannah Boles Cares Account” at Arvest Bank (THIS ACCOUNT IS NOW CLOSED)

'Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.' Hebrews 11:1

10.20.2008

Written Oct 20, 2008 

Hello Everyone!
Hannah has had a fabulous weekend. She really enjoys being at home and Hannah received a visit from each grandparent this weekend. Hannah loves her grandparents. They make her smile a lot!

Please have a seat before reading the following:
Hannah is now moving her left leg! Yes, her complete left leg is moving. She is pulling her knee up and down. Also, Hannah's right foot is moving. That is the side that only the toes have been wiggling. She is able to point her foot down and flex it back.
What a MIRACLE. The doctors were unsure that she would regain function in her legs after the tumor compressed her spinal column and nerves.
Look at her now. Hannah's right leg is the one that had the nerve cut so it is a little behind but it is working more and more every day!

Hannah and I made another trip to Fayetteville today. She had to have lab work done and the nurse needed to check out Hannah's burn on her back from her radiation. Her ANC is 720. It is still going down but it is over 500 which is good. Hannah's platelets are up and her blood count too! Everything with the lab results are good. Hannah's back is looking great. Since Thursday her burn has shrunk to half the size it was. It looks really well. I am so thankful for the speedy healing of her back.

Hannah will start Home Health Physical Therapy tomorrow. The lady should be here in the morning. I am anxious for Hannah to get more therapy it really helps with her legs and strength. Then, on Thursday Hannah has to go back to Fayetteville for more lab work. If her back is healed up enough and if she makes counts we "could" be going to Little Rock on Monday!

Thank you so much for all the prayers for Hannah. Please pray for her back to heal and her counts to increase. I believe that God has a purpose and is healing her body right in front of our eyes.
Keep the Faith!

10.17.2008

Written Oct 17, 2008 

Hannah did good at her doctors visit. The Fayetteville clinic is a lot different then at L.R. but the people were very nice. I think all in all it will be fine. They want what is best for Hannah and I appreciate that. More less they are kind of the median between us and L.R. when we are home.

Hannah's back is still looking good the medical professionals say, although I think it looks painful and not so good. We are having to treat her back with special medicine three times a day with a special dressing to protect it. I pray this painful burn heals very rapidly.

We will not be going to L.R. until Hannah's back heals and she will still need to make counts!

We received Hannah's lab results back this morning. Her ANC is 800. It is good but not high as we would like it. Her platelets are 24, they appear to be on their way back down. We thought her platelets would increase after having that platelet transfusion last week but we were told that even Hannah is finished with her radiation it will continue to work for about two more weeks. This could be the reason it is decreasing!

Hannah is doing good. She is really enjoying being at home. Jackson and her are getting to spend a lot of good quality brother and sister time together. It is so precious watching them play and share together.

Please continue to pray for Hannah. Hannah's burn on her back need to heal up so she will not be in pain and so she can get her chemotherapy.
God Bless You All!

10.15.2008

Written Oct 15, 2008

We made it home around 11 pm on Monday night.
When Hannah got home she pointed outside and said, "Sadie" (our dogs name), she enjoyed looking at all the rooms of the house. Hannah knew she was home and she has been happy to be here ever since.
We have had a very busy past two days. Jon and I have been trying to unpack stuff and organize things. The seasons have changed since we have been at the hospital and the house and closets need to be organized.

Hannah is doing good and enjoying playing with all her toys and Jackson. Jackson was playing doctor with Hannah and Hannah let him give her a shot. It was pretty cute. She is such a brave little girl. Also, Hannah has been trying to get her appetite back. She is eating some baby food and drinking a lot of water and juice. Hopefully her appetite will continue to increase so she will not have to have the TPN and lipids anymore.

Hannah has a doctors appointment at the clinic in Fayetteville tomorrow and we will have her lab drawn and her port reaccessed. There is a 'rumor' that if she meets counts tomorrow we maybe going back to Little Rock on Monday. But as of right now we are unsure.

Please continue to pray for Hannah. The burns on her back need to heal as well as her strength and appetite to increase. Thank you for all the prayers.
Keep the Faith!

*****Happy 16 month Birthday to Hannah*****

10.13.2008

Written Oct 13, 2008 

We are in the clinic still at 5:10. Hannah's lab counts were almost where they needed to be, although her burns on her back are to bad for her to have chemotherapy. She needs to have time for her body to heal. Hannah's HGB (blood count) was 7.0, so she is getting a blood transfusion right now. We will be headed back home to NWA around 6:30-7:00. It has been a very long day but NO MORE RADIATION and we get to go HOME! We are all excited. Thank you for all your prayers and I will update more when we do get home. Keep the Faith.

10.10.2008

Written Oct 10, 2008

A SPECIAL PRAYER REQUEST!

Today, I received a phone call from Hannah's doctors nurse. Hannah is doing fine but she may not be able to get her scheduled monthly chemotherapy this coming week.

Hannah has to meet counts to get her treatment.

This means Hannah's ANC has to be over 1000, her platelets have to be over 100 and her HGB (blood count) has to be over 8 or 9. If her 'counts' are not at this level or higher her body can not tolerate the potent chemotherapy.

I need everyone to pray that Hannah will meet all her counts on Monday so she can get her treatment. Her treatment is very important, she needs it to kill all the bad cells.

However, if she does not meet her counts we will be sent home. Yes, home to NWA! I am excited about going home but I know she needs her treatment too. If we are sent home we will go to the hospital in Fayettville once or twice a week to get lab work done to see if she meets her counts. When she does off to Little Rock to get her chemotherapy!

Please pray that Hannah will meet her counts on Monday! I ask you to agree with us and pray that Hannah will be healed and completely delivered from this cancer.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:19

******ONE MORE RADIATION TREATMENT******

10.9.2008

Written Oct 9, 2008

Hannah has gotten herself into trouble!
On Wednesday she commando crawled her needle right out of her port! She was playing and wanted to crawl and pulled her self across the bed and her needle was dislodged. It was poking her and she was upset so I removed her dressing and the needle out of her chest. She instantly was a happy baby. She has to have her port accessed 24-7 while she is having radiation and since she is receiving TPN and lipids (IV nutrition) 12 hours each day.
I called my new friend Harmony (Lillie's mom - continue to pray for Lillie) to share with her my experience and she informed me the clinic nurses may still be at the clinic. It was around 5:30 in the afternoon, so it was past clinic hours. I did not want to set in the ER for who knows how long so I went up stairs to the clinic first. It was closed but a few nurses were still their. They called the doctor on call and got the ok to reaccessed Hannah! We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. Thank you Jesus and thank you Harmony for the incite!

Today on the other hand is always one of the busiest days of the week. Thursdays are hard on everyone especially little Hannah. She had radiation this morning at 8 am. Hannah did great and awoke from the sedation happier than ever! Then we arrived at the hospital at 9:30 am. Hannah had physical therapy and did great!

Hannah was in the crawling position (on her hands and knees with support of course) and she pulled her left leg forward! YEA! What a wonderful miracle. She was not doing this or even wanting to try it yesterday and she did it three times in a row! I was so proud of Hannah. Also, Hannah's physical therapist Jenny was asking Hannah if she wanted a toy. She said, "Do you want this toy?" and Hannah replied, "Yes!" as plain as day she said YES! Both, Jenny and I's jaws dropped with amazement. Hannah has never said yes before. She has nodded her head yes but has never spoken it!

After physical therapy we went up to the clinic. We waited and waited and waited. It is a very busy clinic. It's so sad to see all the sick kids. Hannah had her blood drawn and we had to wait a little longer for the results. Hannah's ANC is 753, it is still going down. Her platelets were only 19! (The normal range is between 150-400) While at the clinic Hannah received her weekly chemotherapy and a platelet transfusion. She did really well all in all. Finally, after spending 5 1/2 hours at the hospital we were on our way back to the apartment. We ALL were exhausted.

Keep the Faith!
Pray for Hannah's lab counts to improve!

"Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." Hebrews 11:1

****Only 2 more radiation treatments!****

10.8.2008

Written Oct 8, 2008 

3 MORE RADIATION TREATMENTS!

Hannah is so excited! I think she is anyways. I know that we are all so happy! It felt like this journey was never going to end. I mean this journey is not over but to finally get to go home in approximately 10-12 days is so great. On August 5th when Hannah and I came to Little Rock on the ambulance, I never would have imagined we would still be here 2 1/2 months later. It has been a long stay but we are ready to get back to Siloam. We will still be visiting Little Rock ever month for a week at a time for 2-3 years, but this will be much more tolerable.

Hannah's has been doing wonderful. She is starting to be a copy cat and do anything that you do. A fake cough, clicking your tongue, patting your head, anything you do she will do.
It is super cute!
Today Hannah rolled from her back to her belly all by herself. She also commando crawled the length of the bed to me. She can not get her knees under her yet. Hannah has a fight in her that I have never seen. She wants to get up and go. I believe by the Grace of God she will be running and walking before we know it.

Jon and Jackson left yesterday to go to Siloam. Thursday is the golf tournament for Hannah and Saturday is the benefit concert in Siloam with 'Jackson Waters' preforming at 2:00. If you have any questions about these events just e-mail me and let me know. We would love to have everyone and anyone who can come to go to the concert.
My Aunt Linda came to Little Rock to be with Hannah and I while Jon is gone. I need an extra hand and she is such a great helper. Hannah is really starting to get super spoiled!

Thank you all for continuing to pray for Hannah.
Please pray for her lab counts to go up and for her to get more strength so I can chase her around.
God Bless You All!

10.6.2008

Written Oct 6, 2008

What a wonderful day Sunday was.
We all got up in a good mood. Jon made us pancakes, eggs, and bacon. We all got ready for the day then off we went. We can not go to church because we can not go to public places with a lot of people (excluding the hospital). So, I had a great idea. Let's go to a park! I found a park and thought we could play outside and have a picnic lunch. The park was not a park. It was a lot of nature trails in the woods. We hiked down the trails for about 30 minutes, we were all getting tired and hungry so we hiked back up to the car. We drove around and could not find a place to have a picnic so back to the apartment we went. We all ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then took a nap.
Hannah seemed to enjoy being outside and the fresh air. She and Jackson both took really good naps. We let Jackson stay up late this night and he watch the movie 'Annie' with Jon and I, one of my favorites!

Today, Monday has been a whirl wind of a day! I woke up this morning and looked at the clock and it was 8:30! Hannah's has her radiation treatment at 8:20. We can't be late, we can't miss her treatment or they add it to the end, which means more days we have to be in Little Rock. I called Carti and let them know we were running behind but would be there in 10 minutes. One of my number one pet peeves is being late for an appointment. Needless to say we made it in one piece and Hannah received her treatment.
THANK YOU JESUS!
After Hannah's radiation we had to go to the hospital. Monday's are Hannah's lab work days and of course physical therapy!
Hannah's ANC is 900 today. That is lower than we would like to have it. Hopefully by Thursday, when we go to the clinic her levels will be better. Hannah did well in physical therapy. We came back to the apartment and everyone is taking a much needed nap!

Hannah's port site is looking really good. It does not look like it is infected! CAN I GET AN AMEN! Thank you for the prayers for Hannah's port site.

Please continue to pray for Hannah. We pray for a complete and total healing of her body and that her ANC increases!

10.4.2008

Written Oct 4, 2008 

Hannah had a good day on Friday. We all went to Carti for Hannah's radiation treatment. She did really well and woke up from the sedation really quick as she always does. Hannah only has 6 more radiation treatments and we are all very excited. Hannah's back needs to heal up from the burns and she will not have to be sedated every day as she does now for her treatments.
After her treatment we came back to the apartment and all took a nap. Later that afternoon we went to the hospital. Hannah had to get her port reaccessed. The needle and tubing from Hannah's port has to be changed weekly. When the nurse was cleaning her port site she noticed that where Hannah's needle was looked red and like it could be trying to get infected. The nurse put antibiotic ointment on it and accessed her port in a different location so that we could keep an eye on the spot. If the area swells, becomes more red, has drainage or if Hannah runs a fever we have to go to the hospital.

Today was a wonderful lazy Saturday. We all slept in until about 8 o'clock. We did nothing today expect enjoy being with each other in the apartment. Hannah only has about two more weeks here in Little Rock. If she stays healthy and strong we should get to go home soon.

Please pray for Hannah's port site to be free of infection and that Hannah stays strong and healthy.
Keep the Faith!

10.2.2008

Written Oct 2, 2008 

7 MORE RADIATION TREATMENTS!

Yesterday and Today have been wonderful days!

Yesterday, Wednesday,
We had Hannah's radiation treatment in the morning and then we came back to the apartment for a nap. At 1:00 Hannah had physical therapy at the hospital. She did very well. Hannah is trying to pull her self up into the standing position. She needs help with her legs, especially her right leg, but the will power is there and she is trying hard. She can now push her self up to the sitting position when she is laying down. (The braces on Hannah's feet in the picture are so she does not get drop foot. Since she is not walking her feet are wanting to point down.) Hannah is getting stronger each and every day.

Today, Thursday,
Hannah had radiation this morning and then off to the hospital for Hannah's lab draw and her weekly chemotherapy. Hannah's ANC was 2,480 today! Her lab values are looking really good. Hannah did not go to her physical therapy today. The chemotherapy and radiation together really makes her tired. She has been napping all afternoon.

Also, the past two days Hannah has been eating food and keeping it down! She is drinking milk, apple juice, eating spaghetti, home made chicken pot pie and pizza. None of it has came up and we are very thankful for that!

I found this saying and thought I would share it with you.

If we are going through difficult situations that are not caused by our own disobedience or neglect, we can know that God has allowed these trials in order to work a greater purpose in us. They will test our faith, patience, and love. And the way to get through them successfully is to stand strong by praising God in the midst of whatever is going on.

Please stay strong and believe with us for a complete and total healing of Hannah's body.

9.30.2008

Written Sep 30, 2008

HANNAH IS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!

She was discharged Monday afternoon. We have had a busy past couple of days and not to much happened over the weekend.
Here is the recap of Hannah's past few days!

Friday,
Hannah's ANC was 3,782! She had her morning respiratory treatment and off to Carti for her 10 radiation treatment. Jon stayed the night at the hospital with Hannah and Jackson and I went to the apartment. It was the first time I have ever been away from Hannah. It was hard but greatly needed, the sleep that is.
Jon and Hannah had a rough night. She gets really thick mucus at night that chokes her. She does not understand when you tell her to cough so we have to suction it out. Hannah does not like to be suctioned but after it is done she can breath so much better.

Saturday,
Hannah's ANC was 2,050. She had two breathing treatments, on in the morning and one at bed time. Jon and Jackson stayed at the apartment. Hannah and I had a long night with the mucus.

Sunday,
Hannah's ANC was 3,644! Hannah and her breathing treatment in the morning and we received the news that she should get out of the hospital on Monday!

Monday,
This was a super busy day. The day you get to leave the hospital is always a busy day. Hannah's ANC was down to 2,007. Her blood count was down too. After Hannah's radiation treatment she had to get a unit of blood before she could be discharged. Hannah will also be receiving TPN and lipids at home through home health.
We finally were able to leave the hospital around 6pm and off to the apartment we went.
Hannah was excited. She was laughing and smiling the whole time in the car. I think she loves being out of the hospital as much as we all do. It is amazing how much she knows and understands for a 15 month old.
Our night at the apartment went well we all received a good nights rest.

Today. Tuesday,
We had to give Hannah her breathing treatment before Carti. Jon did a great job at that. We all loaded up in the car and off to Carti we went. Hannah had her radiation treatment then back at the apartment for a nap. Then at 1:00 we had to go back to the hospital for Hannah's outpatient Physical and Occupational therapy. We made it back to the apartment and now everyone else is taking a nap.

Hannah is doing really good.
Only 9 more radiation treatments!
Hannah has been getting burns on her back from the radiation. (She is getting radiation from her T10 vertebra to her L3, which is the majority of her back) It was a little pink after the first week of treatments and it has only gotten worse. It now looks worse than a sunburn and she is getting blisters and they are popping. We are putting special gel on it but is still is uncomfortable for her.

Please pray her burns will go away and that Hannah continues to stay strong and well.
Keep the Faith.
Our God is a good God and we are seeing Miracles happening every single day!

9.25.2008 (event update)

Written Sep 25, 2008

Here is a list of some things that are happening for Hannah. 

Any questions or concerns just e-mail me and let me know. -Tiffany

Saturday, September 27th at 9am
A co-ed softball tournament will to be held @ Sodie Davidson Park in Waldron, Arkansas located on S. 71B. Entry fee is $125.00, there will be concessions for sale and special edition 'Hope for Hannah' softball tournament 2008 t-shirts for sale!

Saturday, October 4th from 1-3:00
A 'Hope for Hannah' benefit concert will be held at the 1st Church of the Nazarene Fellowship Hall, located at 1816 Rice Rd. off of Hwy. 71 South in Waldron, Arkansas. The featured band is "COMMON THREAD" along with local talent. There will be a bake sale, CD sales, and a love offering.

Thursday, October 9th at 9:00 am
The Hannah Boles Golf Tournament will be held at The Creeks Golf Course off of Hwy 112 in Cave Springs (near Springdale, Arkansas) Registration Deadline is Tuesday, October 7th. Cost per team is $200 for 4 players. Five-dollar putting contest before lunch; plus 5 mulligans per team for $25. If interested in having a team and playing call Bruce or  if you are interested in being a sponsor please contact Kirk.

Saturday, October 11th at 2:00pm
A 'Hope for Hannah' benefit concert will take place at Community Christian Fellowship, 525 South Lincoln in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The featured band will be "JACKSON WATERS", with opening music by John and Bradford. Tennille Price and Cindy Kelley will also be preforming.
The doors will open at 1:15.
Admission is FREE with donations at the door!

Thank you so much for all your love and support for our little Hannah. 

 We love you all and appreciate each and every one of you. 

Your thoughts and prayers mean so much. 

Thank you!
Keep the Faith.

9.25.2008

Written Sep 25, 2008

Today is Hannah's 14th day in the hospital.

With Hannah's first 35 days in the hospital and our 2 1/2 days at the apartment and now this hospital stay of 14 days. Hannah has been in the hospital for 49 days and we have been in Little Rock for 51 days and still counting.

Hannah only has 12 more radiation treatments.

The doctor told us today that Hannah may be discharged from the hospital on Monday. Her lab values are increasing every day. The doctor said he could not ask for anything better. Hannah's ANC was 3,311 yesterday and today her ANC is 3,835! She is definitely NOT neutropenic.
Hannah has been on a total of four different antibiotics during this hospital stay and after today she will not be on any. YEAH!

Today and yesterday are about the same. Hannah wakes up and receives her Albuterol updraft breathing treatment. She gets dressed and off to Carti we go in the ambulance. We get back to the hospital around 10:00, then it is nap time. Hannah gets physical therapy and occupational therapy every day. The rest of the day consists of napping and playing with toys.

Also, today Hannah will receive her weekly chemotherapy of Vencrisitne.

Please pray for Hannah to stay strong and that she gets her appetite back, she is still receiving TPN and lipids so she is getting plenty of nutrition. But I know she would like to eat real food too.

Thank you for all the prayers.
Keep them coming and keep the faith!

9.23.2008

Written Sep 23, 2008 

We are 72 hours + fever free! 

Hannah has had a good couple of days. Yesterday her ANC went back up to 568 and then today her ANC was 1,315! Hannah's HGB (blood count) is low today and she will be getting a blood transfusion later this afternoon.

We went to Carti for radiation both yesterday and today and all went well. Since Hannah is in the hospital we have to ride in an ambulance from Children's to Carti and both days we were able to ride with our good buddies Lillie and her mom Harmony! We all enjoyed the ride.
Only 14 more radiation treatments!

Hannah had a GREAT physical therapy treatment today! She lifted her knee, moving her left quad muscle. The physical therapist was excited, we were ALL very excited, she said that the quad is a great walking muscle! Hannah maybe walking again before we know it! Also, the toes on Hannah's right foot are moving more and more each day. 

We may get to go back to the apartment sometime towards the end of the week.
Thank you for all your prayers. Hannah is growing stronger and stronger each day.  
Please pray for a total healing.

9.21.2008

Written Sep 21, 2008 

Hannah had a good night last night.
NO FEVER!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Today, as you can see by the new picture, Hannah has had a good morning. Still no fever and she decided to get dressed up and play on the computer.

Hannah's ANC is 486. It is on its way back down. She is now neutropenic again. Up and down, up and down. Even when it is on the way down Hannah is still a happy baby.
She is such a fighter.

We have added a couple more new pictures; so check them out!
Have a blessed day.

9.20.2008

Written September 20, 2008

Friday, Hannah's ANC was 3,144!

She is not neutropenic any more but she is still running fever on and off. 

Around 3:00 or so Hannah's temperature spiked all the way up to 103.6*.

The radiation and chemotherapy kills all the cells good and bad so the body fights back by running a temperature. I did start to feel uneasy when her temperature was so elevated. We prayed a lot and gave her some Tylenol and it slowly went back down.
Hannah did receive her 5th radiation treatment; only16 more treatments to go.

Today, Saturday is a good lazy day.
We all slept in until around 9am.
Hannah had an Albuterol updraft breathing treatment this morning. 

She will receive one every morning. It seems to help a lot.

Hannah's ANC is down to 1,945.
Still not neutropenic but lower than yesterday.
The doctor said it will go up and down often while she is getting radiation. 

Then, of course 7-14 days after each time she gets chemotherapy.
Also, Hannah has not ran a temperature so far today!

Thank your for all the prayers for our little Hannah!
Please, keep them coming.

9.18.2008

Written September 18, 2008 

 

Hannah has had a busy couple of days.
Anytime you are in the hospital and have to be transported by ambulance to Carti for radiation makes for a busy morning and day.

Wednesday, We went to Carti for radiation although Hannah did not get treatment. After they sedated her she started coughing and could not breathe very well. The doctors at Carti thought it was too unsafe to do the treatment. So we went back to the hospital. She has continued having a runny nose and eyes and a cough every now and then. Hannah did have to receive platelets today because her counts were low.
Hannah's ANC was 74, on the rise but still very low.

On a positive note, Hannah started clapping her hands and blowing kisses again! She has not done any of these things since we have been at the hospital. I love to see her acting like her old self again.

Today, Thursday, We started off this morning with an albuterol updraft treatment from respiratory therapy and some suctioning of the nose and mouth. Hannah was not so happy about waking up and having this done first thing but she did well. Hannah needed this updraft treatment to clear out all the mucus so that Carti could sedate her with out her coughing. Hannah has to have her radiation; it is a priority.

We went in the ambulance to Carti and Hannah did very well. She hardly had any trouble with the sedation and received her full radiation treatment. Also, today was the day for Hannah's weekly chemotherapy and she received her Vencristine today!

Hannah's ANC is 1203! YEAH, it is moving on up!
She was going to get more blood today but her HGB numbers were elevated and she was 10.7 a whole .7 over what she needed to be.
Hannah did get a new medicine today; called IVG's it is to help build up her antibodies. Which she needs if we are going to ever get to leave this hospital again.

Hannah did a great job in physical and occupational therapy today. During physical therapy Hannah tried to crawl moving her arms forward (we had to help move her legs), she rolled from side to side (she did try to move her legs a little on her own), she tried to set up from lying on her side, and she set up and played for 10 minutes or longer. Hannah needs help sitting up but her trunk is getting stronger each day. During occupational therapy Hannah played for 15 minutes or so and was setting on a little bench with little help supporting her trunk. She is doing a great job and is getting stronger every day.

Please pray that Hannah gets her appetite back and is able to hold her food down. 

As well as strength and healing from the top of her head to the soles of her feet.
God bless you all!
Keep the faith.

9.16.2008

Written September 16, 2008

 

So far...another good day.
Hannah has not spiked any more fevers. We are planning on going on with her radiation tomorrow morning, but no sign of being discharged from the hospital yet.

Hannah had an echo (ultrasound) of her heart today. Just to make sure her heart still looks healthy and it is doing fine. She also had a blood transfusion. Her Red Blood Cell count is at 8.8 but for radiation they like her cell count to be a 10.

Hannah still has not had much of an appetite. She acts like she want some milk but she can't hold it down. The doctor still has her on IV nutrition (TPN and Lipids) this is so she is getting enough nutrition even though she is not eating.

Jackson went to play at Camp Wannaplay this afternoon. It is an area set up with toys, paint, games, books, and a lot of fun kid stuff. Jackson loves going to Camp Wannaplay. Hannah, Jon, and I decided to go get Jackson to bring him back to the room. Jackson and one of the male volunteers were putting on a concert for 5-6 ladies. Jackson and the volunteer had guitars they were playing and they were singing so loud. Jackson was singing Jesus Loves Me This I Know; over and over and over again. The ladies were laughing and loving it. The ladies said he had been putting on this concert for the last 15 minutes. Jackson never meets a stranger and just about everyone here knows Jackson!

Thanks for all the guestbook entries; we really do enjoy them. Thanks for all the prayers, support and concern with our little Hannah.

Please pray for a complete healing from this cancer and that Hannah will get her appetite back.

9.15.2008

Written September 15, 2008 

Today is a good day.

Hannah's fever is low grade now and has been since late last night. As you can tell by the new picture that she loved playing during OT. Also, she is 15 months old today! That makes two monthly B-days she has had in the hospital. You may also be able to tell that she is almost bald from the medicine. Other than the hair and fever there has not been much of a change in things.

Jackson and Dad got to go to the zoo today. He ran around so much that at the end he just sat down and said his legs were tired and was not going to walk anymore. Dad had to carry him on his shoulders the rest of the way.

Keep the Faith!

9.15.2008

Written September 15, 2008 

Today, Sunday, Hannah has had a rough day.
She has ran a fever most of the day with the highest being 102.7, needless to say our little girl has not felt well. She is also starting to loose her hair. It has been a long day for all of us, but as of right now she is resting nicely. She will not be able to continue her radiation until her fever is under control, hopefully that will only take a day or two. Tiffany and I both believe one of the reasons for the temp is due to her cutting some more teeth. 

Now, to the good news. Hannah is moving her toes on he right foot more and more. You can touch her knee and she will move her toes. She is also moving her whole left foot now. Everyday you can see more improvements with her feet. 
Praise the Lord!
 Please continue the prayers for Hannah and the whole family. 
Keep the faith because the Lord is working his powers right in front us!

God Bless

(written by Jon) 

9.14.2008

Written September 14, 2008 

OUR GOD IS GOOD! 

Hannah moved her toes on her right foot! Less than 12 hours from me updating Hannah's journal on Thursday evening she started moving her toes. 
She had not moved her toes on her right foot in over 3 weeks.

God is answering prayers for us daily!  
Thank you for all the prayers too.

Thursday night we made it to our room. Hannah had a pretty good night. Her temperature would go up and down but nothing over 101*. 
Her lab test showed that she was in fact neutropenic. 
If her ANC is anything under 500 she is neutropenic and Hannah's ANC was 384. Friday, we canceled her radiation treatment. 
Hannah's ANC had dropped again to 30. 
She ran a low grade fever on and off all day long. 
She is getting antibiotics to fight off any infection that she 'could' be exposed too. Hannah is being strong and doing ok. 

Today, Saturday, Hannah has had a little nausea, she is still running a little temperature, but is resting well and playing and laughing too.
 Her ANC is on it's way up. This morning in was 37. 
Her toes are still moving!

On the welcome page of Hannah's website I have put some information about ordering 'Hope for Hannah' t-shirts. Just e-mail me if you would like one and we will get them ordered. It may be a week or two before you get them. Also, I am going to post a picture of the shirts under the photo tab later today or tomorrow. 
(Shirts are not being ordered/made anymore.)
 
Hannah and our family have made a new friend. 
Miss Lillie Burton, she has just turned four and started her radiation the same day as Hannah. Lillie's family moved into the same apartments as we did, they are good people. Please check out her website and add her to your prayer list too. 
Her website is under Hannah's 'links' tab at the top of the page. 

Thanks again for all your prayers. Please continue to pray for Hannah's blood work to go back to normal limits and for her fever to go away.
 Don't forget we want her legs to start moving too!
 Have a blessed day.

9.11.2008

Written September 11, 2008

Tuesday, was a very busy day. It was a rush to get discharged from the hospital by 8 am and get to Carti by 8:45. We made it and Hannah was early to her first radiation appointment. Hannah did great during her treatment. 

After the treatment we were able to go to our apartment. The apartment is not bad at all. It made Jon and I feel like we were in college again, except with kids. So we ordered pizza for dinner! Hannah and Jackson both enjoyed the pizza. Jackson said, "I want to eat pizza for breakfast too." 

Hannah's home health lady came by Tuesday as well. She showed Jon and I how to prepare Hannah's TPN and lipids (IV nutrition). It is a lot of information but we figured it out together. 

Wednesday, Hannah had her radiation appointment at 8 am. Then, we had to go to the hospital for Hannah's physical therapy evaluation. She did really good and she is moving her toes on her left foot and her left ankle. However, her right foot and toes are not moving yet. 

Hannah has had a really good past couple of days. She enjoys the apartment a lot. Hannah has been sitting up (with support from mom), she was coloring, laughing at Jackson and Dad and eating pretty good. She has really been tolerating her treatments well. 

Today, Thursday, Hannah had her 3rd radiation treatment. After her treatment we had to go to the clinic (at the hospital) for blood tests and her weekly chemotherapy, as well as physical therapy. Hannah did really great with her radiation. We had to wait awhile at the clinic. After getting her lab and weekly chemo Hannah was really tired. So, Jon and I decided to cancel her physical therapy. 

We all went home for lunch and a nap. Hannah was napping so well. I felt her and she felt a little warm. I took her blanket off of her to see if she would cool down. She was not cooling down. I checked her temperature and she was running 102.2* temperature.

We were informed that if her temperature is 101.0 or higher we are supposed to rush her to the emergency room. (If Hannah has a fever it means that she is neutropenic and 'could' have an infection.) Once in the ER Hannah's temperature was dropping. They doctors went ahead and admitted her to 3 Gold and we had to stay the night in the hospital to see what Hannah's blood test are tomorrow morning. 

This may seem a little strange but with cancer patients this happens often. 
This will most likely just be the first of many ER visits.

Please pray that Hannah's right foot starts working and that her blood counts increase. We need a healthy baby to get through all these treatments.
Thank you for all the prayers. God is good and his will, will be done.
Keep the Faith!

9.9.2008

Written September 9, 2008 

Hannah's first round of monthly chemotherapy is complete. 
She has done so great. 
Hannah still can have some side effects and get neutropenic during the next 7-14 days. This is called her "nadir" period. We have to be super cautious at what Hannah is exposed too.

Today is day 35 at the hospital and we get to be discharged at 8 am. We are all so excited. It is almost surreal. At some point in time it feels like you are going to have to stay at the hospital for the rest of you life. We are very excited to get to move into the apartment that Carti is supplying for us.

At 8:45 am Hannah has her very first radiation treatment.

Since, Hannah will not be an in-patient we will be going to Carti Monday-Friday for radiation, to the oncology clinic Monday and Thursday for Hannah's weekly chemotherapy and blood tests, to check her levels, and also to the hospital a few days a week for physical therapy.

Please pray that Hannah does well with her first day of radiation and that she continues to do well and stays healthy.

8.6.2008

Written September 6, 2008 

Hannah's second day of chemo went well. 
Still no side effects from the chemo yet. 
Hannah is just resting and enjoying Jackson. 

We've added new pictures, so check them out. 

Some Siloam Springs, firefighters, and others for a total of 15 adults and 3 children, shaved their heads in support of Hannah. In the picture, you can see the shirts that we are going to have for a fundraiser for Hannah (HOPE FOR HANNAH).

Hannah "should" be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and we will move into our apartment for the next six weeks while Hannah receives her radiation treatment. 

Today is 32 days in the hospital, our whole family is so excited for a change of scenery.

Please continue to pray for Hannah's strength and that this tumor will be defeated!!!! Thank you for all the support and GOD bless!

(I will post/add Pictures Soon) 

9.5.2008

Written September 5, 2008

Thursday, we went to Carti (radiation cilnic) the people there were wonderful. We were informed that Hannah would be back at Carti on Friday for a scan to get her radiation prepared. 

Starting on Tuesday Hannah will have radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. 

After she is done with her 6 weeks she will be done with her radiation. 
We should get to go home after her 6 weeks are complete. She will not need anymore radiation at that point. 

Hannah started her chemotherapy last night around 9pm.
She slept through the whole thing and she had NO side effects.
Thank you Jesus!

The doctors will use Hannah's ommaya reservoir today. 

She has two more days of chemotherapy then Hannah will just get her weekly chemo until next month. Then we will be in the hospital for three days of treatment then home for three weeks (getting her weekly chemo at home); then repeat for the next 12 months. 

Hannah gets to come home in approximately 6 weeks when all her radiation is complete. We are excited to finally have a day to count down too. 
Hannah is doing great and thank you so much for all the prayers for our little girl.

9.3.2008

Written September 3, 2008
 
Today was a good lazy day.

Hannah is almost back up to her pre-hospital weight.
We have an appointment with Carti in the morning to go over all the radiation information. Then, Hannah should start her first dose of chemotherapy in the afternoon.

I wanted to let everyone know that there has been a cares account/fund set up for Hannah. It is through any Arvest Bank. It is under Hannah, Jon, or Tiffany Boles.
(The mentioned above Cares account is no longer active.)
 
Thank you for all your blessings and prayers. We appreciate each and every person that is praying and concerned with Hannah's progress. God bless you!

Please pray that Hannah will not have any difficulties with her first chemotherapy treatment.

9.2.2008

Written September 2, 2008 

Hannah's surgery went great. 
The placement of her ommaya reservoir was done in about an hour. 

After surgery we came back to Hannah's room on 3 Gold (oncology floor).
She drank a little milk then had a nap. 
Hannah ate a good lunch and a good dinner. 
Hannah and I even had a little play time today. I had her laughing and giggling. 
We both really enjoyed that and so did Jon.
Jackson is doing well. 
He is spending this week with his Papa Eddie. 
He gets to ride a school bus Friday and is extra excited about that!

We are unsure of when Hannah's treatments start at this moment. 
Jon and I think we start everything tomorrow. 
Tomorrow we will have a game plan on what the next few weeks have in store for Hannah.
Thank you again for all the prayers and concern with Hannah.

9.1.2008

Written September 1, 2008 5:50pm 

This weekend was pretty good. 
Hannah has taken a lot of naps and ate a lot. 
Just a relaxing weekend, resting up for this big week of new experiences.

The doctors moved her CT scan to Saturday. 
Everything went well with that test.

Hannah's surgery to put in her ommaya reservoir in her head will take place tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM.
Everything should go well and Hannah should be able to go back to her room on 3 Gold (Oncology Floor).

Please pray for Hannah to do well tomorrow and that she has strength to make it through this first week of treatments

8.29.2008

Written August 29, 2008 

Thursday and Friday have been two really good days for Hannah. 
Thursday after noon we finally were able to move back to 3 Gold (the oncology wing).
 "It really felt good to be home," Jon and I said. This place is definitely going to be our home away from home for awhile.

Hannah was took off her morphine pump on Thursday she was able to just get a bolus when needed. That evening we took away the morphine completely. Hannah is still getting pain medicine to make sure she is not hurting but it is very minimal. 

Hannah has lost around 3 pounds or so since she has been in the hospital. We want her to pack on the pounds prior to getting her chemo and radiation. The nurses tried putting a feeding tube down her nose. To say the least that thing was out in less than 15 minutes. However, she loves the chocolate pedia-sure. She drank a whole can with a straw in know time. I think we will start giving her IV nutrition tomorrow as well as the pedia-sure to make sure she is properly getting all the nutrition she needs.
Hannah did get to be free for awhile today. The nurse removed the tubing from her port. She was free of tubes for almost an hour. Hannah receive a nice sponge bath as well as her hair washed; add some baby lotion and presto. 
A nice clean smelling baby. 

Besides Hannah watching her daddy play golf on the x'box, we signed the consent for her surgery on September 2nd to place the ommaya reservoir in her head. 
Hannah will also have a CT scan done on Monday to help the doctors with the surgery on Tuesday.
Thank you so very much for all the wonderful guest book entries and visiting our website. We really enjoy reading all the inspirational things everyone has to say. And Hannah really enjoyed all the hugs and kisses!
Keep the prayers coming. 
We give all the thanks to God for all the family and friends that we have to support us during this time in our lives.
 We pray that God pours his blessings on you all.

8.27.2008

Written August 27, 2008 

Hannah had a great past two days. 
We were supposed to move out of the PICU yesterday but there is no empty rooms on the oncology unit. We are just waiting on a room.

The results to the MRI were WONDERFUL! Our doctor removed ALL of the tumor and there was NO leakage of spinal fluid! The MRI just showed a little edema (swelling) which is normal to have after surgery.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE PRAYERS!

Hannah has slept and ate a lot today. She has had a total of two yogurt's, almost 4 baby food jars, and a ton of pedia-lite. Also, a lot of wet diapers.
Hannah will be resting up from this last surgery and then on September 2nd she will get another port put in her head and start treatments.

We are requesting no visitors after Friday. 
We need to make sure Hannah stays as healthy as possible.
If you are interested you may send Hannah a letter through the Arkansas Children's Hospital website or by regular mail. The mailing address is here on the right side of Hannah's website. Just make sure you write her name on the envelope!
God bless you all.

(These e-mails and letters were very encouraging to us.)

8.25.2008 post surgery update

Written August 25, 2008 

We have settled into the PICU. 
Hannah is resting comfortably and so is Jon.
Hannah's blood was having trouble coagulating after her surgery. 
She lost a lot of blood and received 1 unit of blood in the operating room. 
The doctors and nurses gave Hannah a type of platelet product and her blood is coagulating normally. She is getting blood work done every four hours to monitor her blood count, coagulation, and electrolytes.
So far so good.
She is a fighter! 
Jackson did get to visit with Hannah for a few minutes tonight. He had been asking about her all day.
Our God is an awesome God. 
He has got her through two surgeries before and God is in control. 
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 
I believe our God will do it again. 
God has always came through for us and He is still the same GOD.
Praise GOD!
Thank you for all your prayers for our Hannah.

8.25.2008

Written August 25, 2008 

Hannah just made it out of surgery. 
It took about 4 1/2 hours. 
She did really well through the surgery. The doctor said that prior to the start of the surgery a instrument detected n0 movement in either leg then after they removed the tumor her left toes started moving.
The tumor that was removed from the first surgery had already started to re-grow. 
It has only been two weeks since the first surgery.
This tumor is super fast growing. 
The tumor that they went in to remove was from Hannah's T10 to L3 vertabra.
The doctor did have to remove a portion of each of these vertebra.
The doctor also put some sort of barrier between the vertebra and the abdomen area. The tumor has derived from the L1 and by putting this barrier in place, if the tumor regrows in either of these places it "SHOULD" not penetrate into any other area.
Hannah will have MRI tomorrow to make sure she is not leaking spinal fluid and to check everything out again.
I'm just about able to go see Hannah so I am going to go. 
I will try to update again tonight or tomorrow.
Thank you for all your prayers and faith.
God is in control of our little Hannah.

8.24.2008

Written August 24, 2008

Sorry for such a long wait for a new update. I have been trying to get all my old e-mails into this journal so that Hannah's story will be in sequence.
(That explains the "written" day being different from the day of the post)
 
Friday we got the results to the MRI of Hannah's brain. 
Her brain was clear of any tumors. 

THANK YOU JESUS! 

We had a meeting with our Oncologist to go over all the different chemotherapy drugs and radiation that Hannah will receive. That was one meeting I don't want to ever have to have again. 
Lets just say the drugs are very potent and some of the side effects are very scary. One of the side effects can be the loss of hearing high pitch sounds. Hannah had a hearing screen test and will have one prior to each of her treatments. She pasted the first screen test!
Hannah's surgery is in the morning, scheduled for 7:30 to remove all of the tumor that is still in and around her spine. 
The tumor is growing so fast Hannah is not able to move her legs again. 
This is a crazy fast growing tumor.
Hannah had a great weekend. Sunday she was a little moody and in pain. But, all in all she is well. She did have to have another CT scan of her vertebra tonight at 9 PM for the surgeons to look at in the morning.
We were also informed this weekend that Hannah will have a 4th surgery on September 2nd to put a different kind of port in her head. The port will be so she can get chemo to her brain and spine. Usually she would get a spinal tap done and chemo put directly into her spine. But, after having two back surgeries her landmarks are gone and they can't do a spinal tap through her incisions/scars.
Thanks so much for all the prayers and support. We have faith and God is giving us comfort that Hannah will be ok and her surgery tomorrow will go fine.

8.21.2008

Written August 24, 2008 

August 21st

Day 16

The last few days have been good. Hannah's digestive system has been working and she is eating very well. We have just been waiting and anticipating the results from the pathologist.
Hannah did have another MRI today. The doctors wanted another MRI to compare to the first two prior to her surgeries. They also scanned her brain to make sure it is good and healthy. We should get the results to the MRI tomorrow (Friday).

The results from the biopsy came today. We had to get results from a pathology lab all the way in Boston. They are really good with rare tumors.
 Hannah as a tumor called,
A RHABDOID TUMOR (Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor)
(If you search it make sure you are reading about a Rhabdoid Tumor not a Rhabdoid....sarcoma or something else.) The best place to search is www.cancer.org, this is what the doctor here recommended if you like to research stuff online.

Ok, to clear up what this is. This is a very very very rare tumor. The doctors here see one of these tumors maybe once every two-three years! It derives from the spinal column, brain (hence the MRI of the brain), and around the kidney tissue, and muscle.
Hannah is having a THIRD surgery on Monday morning to get out a small amount of the tumor that was left deep in her spinal column. We have to treat this tumor very aggressively and very quickly. We plan to have all the tumor out on Monday and then as soon as she is well enough, she will start treatment. 
She will have to have a very strong dose of chemo and radiation for the next year, maybe the next two years. After she heals from this surgery on Monday and has treatment we may get to go home for two weeks are so and then have to come back for a week of treatment. 
That will be our plan for the next year. 
A week at Arkansas Children's Hospital then two-three weeks home then back to Little Rock. While at home Hannah will still be on super strong medicine.
On the up side, if this tumor does not regrow during the first two years of treatment, she "SHOULD" (notice quotations) be in remission for the rest of her life.
Our doctor has treated one of these Rhabdoid tumors before. They boy responded to this treatment and is now in remission. That is nice to know that our doctor is familure with this crazy tumor.
Thank you so much for all the prayers.....keep them coming!
We are keeping the FAITH. 
We know our GOD is in control. 
Hannah will survive, we just have a very long road ahead of us.