Friday, July 13, 2012

Collin had his MRI and lumbar puncture today. The MRI was scheduled for 1 pm, but it was about 2:30 when he was finally put to sleep. The only thing he could have for breakfast was jello, so by 2:30 he was starving, but other than begging to eat a few times, he handled the delay pretty well.

Collin's oncologist took us to the radiologist's office before Collin woke up so we could see some of the MRI pictures. His preliminary read of the scan is that the largest tumor, in the floor of the fourth ventricle, is significantly smaller, and we were able to clearly see that for ourselves on the MRI. The other tumors are either slightly smaller or stable, so needless to say I'm thankful for the results. While we were there, I asked to see the original MRI from 2010. The radiologist pulled it up for us, and the minute I saw it I cried. The original tumor was so big, and the ventricles in Collin's brain were so enlarged...it was just unbelievable to see. For the millionth time I thought about how much pain Collin must have been in by the time he was diagnosed, and it breaks my heart. I remembered how that morning of April 22, 2010, a few hours before that MRI, I called my parents and told them they had to get here, because I knew my baby was going to die. As we looked at the image of that original tumor this evening, and I told Collin's oncologist about that morning in 2010, she said he probably would have stopped breathing had the tumor not been found when it was.

Once again the cancer has responded to the round of chemo Collin had a few weeks ago. Since it will be a few weeks until the radiation starts, Dr. Comito feels it would be a good idea to do another round of chemo during that time so the tumors aren't given a chance to grow again. Collin could do ten days of oral chemo beginning sometime next week, and by the time he'd be ready for the Cytoxan, we'd be in Houston and he could be admitted to MD Anderson for a few days for that part of the chemo. Dr. Comito is going to talk to the team in Houston to make sure they are in agreement with that plan. We may also have to see Collin's neurosurgeon next week so he can take a CSF sample from Collin's ommaya reservoir for testing.

Thank you for all of the prayers and good wishes today. Please keep them coming, for Collin and all of the other fighters in this battle against childhood cancer. Please remember the families of the fighters who've earned their wings, especially sweet little Maddie, who was about a month younger than Collin and had beautiful blue eyes; she passed away this morning with her parents by her side. And please keep Collin's oncologist in your prayers as well as she enters the next phase of her own battle against cancer.