History

Journal History

*********************

December 24, 2007 11:00 PM

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The kids are all tucked in bed, yes all 3:)

Katia had no problem scooting off to bed tonight...Every night should be Christmas Christmas Eve. I think a lot of parents would agree:)

I think one of the biggest excitements for tomorrow is that Fozzy turns one! He gets a piece of turkey and some chew toys. Lately he has found that he likes chewing on electrical cords. Luckily none have been plugged in but he has digested some of the wires and that isn't good. He does have chew toys but those wires seem to be calling his name. We got him a muzzle but Katia decided he needs more toys so that is what he is getting for his birthday and Christmas.

Myron works in the morning so we are going to kind of start off slow so he can get home and participate although we will let Katia open up some things but just drag things out plus I will get the girls help me to cook. It is pretty easy to get Katia side tracked.

As far as how is Katia feeling? Well her eyes and hips are her biggest issues at the moment. Her hips are very sore and irritated, basically the skin is pretty ripped up looking and peeling off. It causes her hips to feel like they are burning and aching. The GVHD is about 3 layers deep. I dress her mainly in soft jogging pants or just long t-shirts and panties but most things itch her skin as well no matter how soft it feels to us. Her eyes are still very sore and light sensitive so she keeps them closed a lot even if she is having fun. She has a smile on her face and laughing but her eyes are closed. If I ask her, "Do you eyes hurt?" She just brushes me off and says, "I am alive, don't worry Mommy." Her vision is not good but she seems to be able to get by okay. She is so unaware of the worry and she takes things so day to day. I am glad she sees it that way ands he really doesn't worry. She has some days she just feels rotten and lays around but most days she copes and manages to play and be happy with breaks and rest here and there. She amazes me.

This holiday season, I am just grateful. I can't think of a better way to put it. I am grateful I have one daughter off in college and she is doing well and she was able to get home for Thanksgiving. I am grateful for Tatiana and that she has a good relationship with Katia and does so much for Katia and keeps her happy although I know it isn't always fun playing Katia's little games. I am thankful for Katia's doctors and their attention to every detail and never giving up. I am thankful for my family period because this would be impossible without them. I am thankful for our support team and each of you reading this message whether this is first time you clicked on Katia's page or you come here a LOT! I don't feel it was an accident you dropped by.

I am just very thankful this year. And I think 2008 is going to be GREAT!! I pray things will really turn around with the GVHD issue. I think if something happens that will help Katia, it will in turn help a lot of others facing similar situations. Katia has participated in many trials hoping to find something that works for her and others.

A concerning thing is right now her falling WBC numbers and her overall immune system so we are trying to remove some of her immune suppressing drugs while also not allowing the GVHD a chance to flare up worse. Sounds confusing? It is. But we are praying about it so the right balance is found over the right amount of time.

My hope is that 2008 brings much more positive updates and that the updates for many others can be the same way. There are so many going through some very serious situations that are in desperate need of prayers. If you haven't been by the "Staying In Touch" Message Board it is full of people needing prayer requests and you can also post prayer request or respond to others that have posted.

So, I have written another testament here. Sorry:)

We wish you a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours. Lots of love, The Solomon Family

*************

December 21, 2007 6:00 PM

After a few attempts at getting a new pictures, Katia's eyes weren't in agreement so I went with the above picture from Thanksgiving with all 3 girls.

The shirt Katia was wearing has a cute story behind it. She picked it so that if she got any food on her shirt, it wouldn't be noticed because of all the flowers. Smart, huh?

I really thought with the up in the steroid dose, her eyes would improve a bit but that hasn't really happened nor has her skin improved but her appetite has gone up again. The increase wasn't that much as she really hadn't gone down that much.

But overall Katia is doing well. Her tummy issues are steadily getting better, less nausea which is good.

Fozzy turns one on Christmas which has Katia very happy.

It is nice having all 3 girls here together.

Lots of love, Tracy

December 19, 2007 5:00 PM

Okay, no picture I know but I am working on it... got a little side tracked today.

Katia did have school with Ms. Michelle today which went very well. Now she doesn't have school till next year... 2008.

Can you believe 2008 is just around the corner?? Wow.

Love, Tracy

December 18, 2007 7:00 AM

WBC 2.61
HGB 13.5
PLT 486
Magnesium up to 1.7

Today, we spent the day getting IVIG so hopefully that will hold Katia over till the New Year:)

Her Magnesium is going up with the Magnesium doses so that is good.

Katia has school tomorrow but I have one thing I plan on definitely doing tomorrow, a new picture on the site! Something Christmasy:) I promise I will try to get something done.

I have all 3 girls home right now so of course, we have to get some pictures taken. Tatiana is in exams this week so she has half days of school going on. Katia is having school from 1:00 to around 2:30 or so depending on how she is feeling.

She just got a haircut and with the up in steroids her skin is clearing up some. Hopefully we can get her GVHD leveled out to a point that will allow us to get her off the Cellcept which is what they believe is keeping her nauseated.

Right now her White Blood Cells aren't recovering either which is probably due to all the immunosuppressing medications she remains on trying to combat against the GVHD. Katia keeps her doctors on their toes walking a thin line, that is for sure.

So, that is where we stand right now. Thank you for stopping by and checking in and we hope each of you are having a nice holiday season so far. Look for some holiday pictures and Katia says she will color a pretty picture for me to get up on the site also. She has been doing some nice artwork lately:)

Lots of love, Tracy

December 18, 2007 8:13 AM

Off to clinic for a day of IVIG (thank you Blood Donors)

Kind of an uplanned trip but I pretty well knew Katia would need some IVIG before Christmas so hopefully this will be it before Christmas.

Some good news is her feet have been okay the last two days.

I am a bit anxious to see where her magnesium levels are today. She wasn't able to get the magnesium taken in pill form no matter if it was crushed or whatever so they called her in the liquid form but the pharmacy had a problem with that. It will be ready today but we have clinic this morning before pharmacy opens so she hasn't had the dose so we will see if she has dropped lower??

Katia is VERY eagerly counting down the days till Christmas. Actually each day she gets us to count down the days. She hasn't figured out the counting down process but she has figured out it doesn't go fast enough yet.

I am really not sure what she is most anxious about yet but I think she just wants the day to get here.

By going back up on steroids, I have noticed her skin looks a bit better already. Her eyes haven't shown much of a difference but I think we are going to see a difference. Usually when we go up on steroids, on the outside of Katia we notice a positive change. We just know on the inside, it isn't good for her bones and the long term effects aren't good. Plus she says they make her "moody" and she says she is really really trying to not be moody.

She gets upset and then she gets upset about getting upset.

Well, I just wanted to update real quick before I go get her up.

Sharayah is in town for the holidays. She came in this past Friday and will be here about 3 weeks so all 3 girls will be here for Christmas:)

Fozzy turns 1 on Christmas but he is still small. He is 7 pounds and that is it for him:) He will always look like a cute little puppy! Katia loves dragging him around and the girls all like putting his little shirts on him. Tell you the truth, he likes his little clothes too.

Love, Tracy

December 15, 2007 5:00 AM

WBC 3.31
HGB 14.6
PLT 428
Creatinine 0.17
Magnesium 1.5
IGG 512
FK506 15.6

I guess I am posting a little late or early but this is from clinic yesterday. I have some extra counts up there and some I don't have the results from yet.

Katia had her Pentamindine treatment yesterday and regular labs. We also discussed what to do about treating her GVHD seeing the endoscopy and colonoscopy came back negative for GVHD in her stomach. At this point we are going to go up on the steroids and go down on the Cellcept. The Cellcept could be causing the nausea. The Rituximab will attack Katia's immune system more and her immune system been suppressed so much. It is her immune system that causes the GVHD but the more we suppress it the more we hold it back from be able to build which could hurt in the long run so we need to try to wean her off of another one of her immune suppressing drugs which is the Cellcept. So by going down on that and up on the Steroids, possibly we can get rid of one before adding another (the Rituximab).

Nothing about treatments for Katia is written in stone and she has never really gone by the book so to say so it takes a lot of patience and seeing how things go. Luckily she has always seem to respond to steroids although the do have their nasty little side effects short term and their long term bad side effects especially to her bones and growth. But, Myron and I both agree with this strategy. Her WBC has been staying low as well as her IGG count continuously drops right back down always needing to be boosted back up with IVIG even though she isn't on chemo and hasn't been for a long time. Her immune system just isn't building and she is nearly 4 years out of transplant coming this February.

Someone asked the other day if Chronic GVHD is something that goes away and can go on and on. It should go away but it really is up to each patient and it depends on the transplant they received and how well their body grafts. So it is an individual basis. I personally would have thought Katia would have been further along by now in comparing her with others that have received the same kind of transplant but then it goes along with the individual recipient also not just the match. So it is really hard to say. We are grateful that Katia has remained leukemia free and we always know things could be much more serious. Katia has come a long way when we look over her journal history or back through pictures and a walk down memory lane is like a walk through a path of miracles.

The plan right now is not to return to clinic until after Christmas unless the IGG level comes back too low that she needs IVIG before then but we really plan to lay low through Christmas so that could even wait I think.

One concern is Katia is having quite a bit of pain attacks in her feet. They just suddenly happen. They have been occuring over the last few weeks. Only when she is sitting. She just burst out crying. Please keep that in your prayers. Nothing makes it better and it only last about 15 minutes and then it goes away. She has bone scans coming up soon.

Sorry the updates have been further and further in between. There has just been so much going on but I will try to be better to keep you up to date.

Love, Tracy (and Ms. Katia)

*******

December 13, 2007 12:46 PM

All results are in and everything appears normal with the endoscopy and colonoscopy.

So, that is good.

We should have clinic tomorrow so maybe things will go back to Plan A to treat the GVHD with the Rituximab and go back to the plan of treating the skin and eyes. I am not sure yet. Maybe the stomach and nausea is a viral thing.

Katia still has the nausea and a few other issues with her stomach but hopefully they will go away on their own. For now, her appetite is increasing some as well as her activity level so if that continues, I would think it is something viral and this time of year, that wouldn't be unusual.

Thank you for your prayers. It did take a long time to get the results back which sometimes is worrisome but it also better than getting results back right away with something that just jumps right out with a positive result with something easily seen and a bad so we are grateful.

Right now, Katia is sitting at the table waiting for Ms. Michelle to get her for her school work. She says to tell everyone hello:)

Love, Tracy

December 7, 2007 7:15 PM

Katia did good today. She is much happier tonight than she was last night, that is for sure.

She didn't get the "Happy Juice" she had hoped for but actually she did okay with what they gave her.

They were able to get the biopsies and samples they needed to send off for the viral tests, fungal tests and biopsies.

We should know more by Monday or Tuesday.

She has pretty well slept since we have been home but she has had a few nuggests which is all she wanted since yesterday so she had her mind set on those.

She is quite nauseated these days but a few things she does okay with. Cheerios is one of those things so of course, I wanted that to be the first thing she put on her belly after the procedures but she refused that. She did at least have Gatorade first and that was it until about 5 hours or so and then she had a nugget.

I think she is going to have a pretty low diet until we figure out what is causing her to feel bad. She isn't really losing too much weight at least so she is eating enough to maintain herself.

Somehow it appears she has some yeast growing in her upper digestive tract which, if that is the case, would be a little confusing since she is on a pretty high dose of antifungal meds and has been since transplant. So, we will see what the different tests show.

Thank you for your prayers.

Love, Tracy

December 6, 2007 7:45 PM

We just finished setting up the Christmas tree. Katia has really been looking forward to that so she is happy and very eager for Christmas.

6:00 AM tomorrow we have her appointment with the SPU for her Endoscopy and Colonoscopy so today has been all clears and will end with an enema (she hasn't been too happy with that) so she has been feeling bad and the drink she has to drink has her really nauseated.

Hopefully after tomorrow she will feel better and can eat something.

I will update once we are home so please pray they are able to get the samples and pictures they need.

Thankyou for your prayers for Katia as well as Dr. Warner's family.

Love, Tracy

December 6, 2007 10:23 AM

Our friend Dr. Harold Warner, passed away this morning around 3AM. Please remember his family and his many friends in your prayers. He had battled bone cancer and is now alongside his Heavenly Father. His services will take place on Monday.

Love, Tracy

December 5, 2007 10:57 AM

Hello.

Small update. Katia will go in on Friday for both an upper and lower endoscopy to hopefully find out what exactly is going on with her belly, GVHD or not and how we can deal with it. She is eager to feel better ASAP.

We spoke to Dr. Warner's wife last night. He is non-responsive at this time. The doctors have given him about 5 days. Myron's dad has been asked to come up to preach at his service. This is all just very sad and sudden. Please continue to pray for his family. We let her know that a lot of people are praying for them and she and her family are very grateful for prayers. Being a pastor and family, they have been the support for so many families over the years, including ours.

Thank you for your prayers. I will update more on both of these situations as I know more.

Love, Tracy

December 4, 2007 1:14

Just a prayer request to ask of you for my pastor that I have mentioned before. We found out last night he was moved to Hospice. I don't really know any details other than the cancer seems to have now gone into his brain.

Please keep Dr. Harold Warner in your prayers. He and his family have always been very dear to our family while I was growing up and to Myron's family even before I even knew Myron.

His family has always kept Katia in their prayers through her battle with cancer and we have kept him and his family in our prayers through his battle with cancer.

It seems his journey is coming to a close here on earth. He has touched far more lives on Earth than anyone could ever imagine.

He has two sons that have been affected by serious disabilities their entire lives but have never been held back from reaching out to others and his wife is just an outstanding person and woman whom I have admired since the day I met her.

Thank you for your prayers.

Dr. Warner and Katia October 2007

Love, Tracy

November 29, 2007 7:00 PM

WBC 3.27
HGB 14.2
PLT 426

Today was clinic as you can see. I am not sure I ever put the counts in from last clinic visit. I am kind of slipping on some things with so much going on lately.

I would like to ask you to please keep the family of Alexia (The Princess Warrior) in your prayers. She passed away after a very courageous battle with Infant ALL.

I am not sure how many people visit this page more or the Message Board more but there are a lot of prayer requests over on the Message Board and I appreciate all that have gotten involved over there in posting/following and just visiting over there as well as those of you who check in on Katia over here.

This past week for Katia, well really the last few weeks have not been so good. She has been having constant belly aches. We have tried regular treatments as well as Zofran (the miracle drug) and Ativan. None of which have worked. Then the concern for me was the GVHD is spreading to her stomach. Well that seems to be the concern with her doctors as well. So, next week she will have an endoscopy to see what is going on. She didn't start the new GVHD treatment because that would have just been for her skin and not for her stomach. So if it is in stomach, that would change the plans.

So, please keep this in your prayers. She is feeling pretty puny. Not all the time but most of the time. She has been up and down through the nights. She is eating but not like her normal self. It could be a LOT LOT worse than it is. Luckily she is on steroids which is keeping this (if it is GVHD) from getting a chance to get out of control.

If it is, the plan would be to go back up on steroids and add in another treatment as well. If we went back up on steroids, she would get a temporary relief for her eyes, skin, stomach and everything which she would like and hopefully give a new treatment a chance to work and stop the GVHD from spreading.

What is the likelihood this is GVHD? Pretty high. Since she has had this for so long and the symptoms she is having. It pretty lines up. Hopefully the Gastro doctors are able to get in and get a good sample. Katia just had to make sure she made it clear she gets the right "Happy Juice" and I just am always concerned we don't delay things. I have kind of been thinking the GVHD was affecting her stomach for the last week, maybe 10 days because nothing was making her feel better and nothing seemed to be making it feel worse. Her stools and urine are all still good.

On Thanksgiving she fell down and skinned her knee pretty bad but it actually skinned up a part of her knee where the GVHD has messed up the skin anyway so the skin pretty much just fell off and just left one little sore. She was more upset than hurt in the long run.

In school, she is finishing up a little box set of books called "Bob Books" Set 1 Beginning Readers. It is a really neat set of books that teaches letter sounds. It had 12 books.

1. Mat
2. Sam
3. Dot
4. Mac
5. Dot and Mit
6. Dot and the Dog
7. Jig and mag
8. Muff and Ruff
9. 10 Cut-Ups
10. Peg and Ted
11. Lad and the Fat Cat
12. The Vet

Katia has really enjoyed reading them and she has done very well with them.

So that about sums up things around here.

As far as me, I keep that up more on the Message Board. The link to that is on the bottom of the page.

I hope each of you had a Happy Thanksgiving.

Lots of love, Tracy

************

November 20, 2007 3:30 PM

Just wanted to jump on here and add some new pictures from the Tampa Bay Lightning Game the other night. The picture above is Katia with Nikki Hawkins.

It was taken right before the beginning of the game:)

Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving:)

Love, Tracy

November 14, 2007 7:08 PM

First I want to wish Sharayah a Happy Belated 19th Birthday:) She spent it quite sick with the flu but she is feeling better now. First birthday away from home... We miss her.

She will be home next weekend for Thanksgiving:)

Katia had clinic yesterday but I don't have labs in front of me so I will update with them tomorrow when I have them in from me. She did good and her counts looked well. She will start the new treatment next week. We have it scheduled to start for 4 weeks in row and if she reacts well then we will go from there. Her skin and eyes have been quite irritated lately so hopefully she does well with it and it becomes a promising treatment.

I got hooked up today with a portable EEG machine (ambulatory EEG) to monitor my brain ativity to see if we can see why I am having so many seizures lately. I will have around the clock monitoring, at home monitoring till later in the afternoon till Friday. Hopefully it gives them a clue. I am quite "eventful" to look at it:) There is a more detailed update on the Message Board. While I was there, it seems I parked where I didn't belong and my car was towed so I don't have my car right now....

Good news is (I like good news) we got a call today from a young lady that had written an essay nominating Katia for an award that Katia was selected to be Honored at this Friay's Tampa Bay Lightning Game as one of Yerrid�s Heroes!!! We will be inside the McDonald�s Box office. From there, they will be escorted behind the scenes to do �Let�s Play Hockey� with Steve from ice level to start off the game! From there, they will be sitting in the �Ice Box� at center ice between the benches. They will also be doing a feature on the website about them. I really don't know much else about all of it. I have never been to a hockey game. I do know Nikki Hawkins is going to be singing the National Anthem which is just icing on the cake! She is such a sweet girl with a beautiful voice!

So, that is about it for now. Thanks for checking in.

I will definitely have some pictures to post. Katia will get a team jersey. She loves jerseys and team shirts from Tampa and other places too.

Lots of love, Tracy:)

November 9, 2007 4:43

Hello:)

So, I figured I would jump on here and put up some new pics and a small (yes small) update.

Tomorrow we have a Bone Marrow Transplant Reunion to go to so maybe I will get some nice pictures tomorrow that I can post. I can't believe Katia is coming up to 4 years post transplant this coming February! Wow!

She has been feeling kind of up and down really. She had a nice long tub bath today with bubbles. That is kind of her new thing. She hasn't wanted to really soak very much due to "bottom issues" but the last few days she is wanting to soak more. Her skin is irritated. She gets upset that the bubbles go away. Her eyes are really giving her problems also. The steroid drops are done now also. It was a cycle and the cycle ended about 2 days ago now. It really didn't make the difference I thought it would but the steroids overall aren't making the difference they used to either.

She doesn't go back to clinic till next week. She was supposed to this week but due to some other things going on, it was postponed.

On a good note, she did her FCATs this week. She thought it was going to be overwhelming but she went through it pretty well. Whether she did well or not? Just the fact she completed them is good actually.

I have added some new pictures but there is one in particular if you click on the picture link of someone Myron ran into at the airport. It was a while back but I hadn't posted it. He runs into quite a lot of people but this one... well, he could have brough her home:)

Katia says to say hello. She is quite eager for Thanksgiving coming up. She is already starting to draw turkey pictures using her hands. I remember how happy the nurses were back in 2003 when Katia finally let them get her handprints (I had never been able to get them!) and she made a big turkey using hand cutouts while I was down in the cafeteria.

Enjoy the pics:)

Love, Tracy

******

November 1, 2007 4:50 PM

Just wanted to jump on and add some pictures from yesterday. There are more in the "view photos" link. She got to do her "Mean Doctor" pictures (although she acted quite sweet!) and I got my sweet princess pictures:)

She had fun but she wore out pretty quickly and ended up soaking in the tub and watching cartoons.

Hopefully everyone had a safe evening.

Love, Tracy and Katia

PS As you can see, Fozzy ended up being the "Patient".

October 30, 2007 11:00 AM

Counts from October 26th

WBC 3.40
HGB 15.2
PLT 383
Creatinine 0.4
FK506 (Prograf) 13.0

So, clinic went well. Katia received IVIG (thanks to all the blood donors) and she received her Pentamindine treatment. It was a long day but it is better to have one long day and get it all out of the way. Her new treatment will begin next time around.

Her skin is looking about the same. We are thankful that the steroids always seems to at least hold her GVHD at a steady pace with few flare ups but we really need to get it under control.

Katia is very very much looking forward to tomorrow (Halloween). She is pretty much buzzing around here today which is nice to hear and see. She has promised to let me take some pretty pictures as long as I let her take some scary pictures (agreed!)

Right now she has school first with Ms. Michelle.

Myron carved two Jack-O-Lanterns with Katia and Tatiana over the weekend. They had quite a lot of fun. I wasn't feeling to well so I stayed on the "sidelines" and watched. They turned out suprisingly well though.

Katia is still set on being a scary doctor. I haven't had much luck on finding a scary mask for her because they seem to be the size for teens and adults (what she is looking for) but I have one last try today to see if I can find one. Other than that, we will have to get creative? We will pull it off though:)

I am not sure what Fozzy is in for but he is getting "dolled up" by Katia and Tatiana too. I am not sure they remember he is a BOY! My idea was to dress him up like a cat? Is that boy enough? Maybe not.

I am kind of more a Thanksgiving and Christmas type of person and Easter I guess. I have never really been into scary stuff. Katia says she is tired of being "cute" so we try to stick to "pretty" more but this year she is all about being scary. Weird for me. I think she just makes an ADORABLE (another word she hates!) princess! Golden shoes and all! She has agreed to let me take pictures of those.

Gotta run:)

Love, Tracy

******

*************

October 25, 2007 7:52 PM

Well just wanted to post real quick. We will be off to clinic tomorrow for counts and infusions. We are going to put together a pumpkin craft:)

I am not sure if we are doing the new treatment tomorrow or just signing the papers but I know we are getting Pentamindine and IVIG tomorrow so that is a pretty full day.

Katia has been pretty cranky these last few weeks so I have been getting her to help me clean:) That is what I do if I am cranky, or not cranky.

Fozzy had a bit of an incident today? He is weird. Remember he had the eye problem where he tore his cornea? Well today, he had a nose bleed. Katia came running in my room saying there was an emergency! She had put him in their bathroom (on the tile-smart child!)

I went in there and put him directly in the tub and sure enough it was just dripping blood. I couldn't find the problem. So, I tried to apply pressure but the problem with a dog is that their nose is right by their mouth so it blocks their breathing. Anyway, it seemed to work. But, about an hour later it started again.

By then Tatiana was home and she noticed a cut on his nose?? How did he cut his nose??

So, we are keeping an eye on it. Hopefully it will heal up without needing to go to the vet. It isn't big. He seems a little "accident prone".

Katia is a good doctor/vet/nurse though.

So, that is about all.

I have a picture I took today that I will try to upload tomorrow after clinic or by Saturday. Katia is getting into the Halloween Spirit:)

Love, Tracy

October 24, 2007 5:20 PM

Just jumped on to finally update some pictures!! It was hard to find anything without sunglasses. We really haven't been taking pictures but I found some plus Tatiana had her birthday so I got some from her birthday:)

Love, Tracy

October 17, 2007 12:35 PM

Hello:)

Back home. I wanted to sit down and give some numbers here.

First the labs from clinic the other day.

WBC 3.70
HGB 13.7
PLT 403
ANC 2400
Creatinine 0.3
IGG 606 (I think??)
FK506 6.6

Those numbers were good enough to go on to Miami and deal with after coming back.

I am a bit concerned now about the FK506 being that low as it really seems her GVHD is flaring up and I am actually waiting to hear from her doctor as I type to talk about the next treatment. Katia's hips look quite bad as well as her eyes and bottom area. It was quite and uncomfortable ride for her yesterday but she was able to lay down on her blanket and pillows for the ride most of the way and the doctors were very good about seeing her quickly between eachother. I was very impressed how quickly each one got to seeing her and how sweet they each are with her. She, as well was so easy to work with. I was very impressed with her behavior and how much Katia really understands the importance of letting them do the eye exams.

Now they vision exams. The right eye shows 20/70 and the left eye shows 20/200. The numbers are important for the Homebound School Program to really know what to do and how to move forward with Katia. She really isn't progressing although she and her teacher really are giving it their all.

One of the eye doctors explained some of it has to do with the age her transplant and radiation was done at. Her eyes have to communicate between eachother and her brain and that processing is kind of jumbled. Not much can be done about that. Another one was telling us about a new treatment idea for GVHD of the eyes but that it may be risky due to the fact Katia's immune system also seems to still be so low and it is still a trial in so many ways. The fact is there is at least a lot of research and ideas still going on and the more doctors you see and their willingness to talk amongst eachother, the better. So that is what we are doing.

We are also going to see someone else here. One of the Miami doctors are going to call another very well known cornea specialist closer to us here to see Katia and he can see her and get his input and also maybe he can see her in between so we don't have to go to Miami so much. We will obviously always do whatever Katia needs but we also always want to keep options open.

So, I think that kind of catches things up.

I will update when I know more about the next treatment starting up for the GVHD. Steroids have been in use steadily with Katia since March 2004 and they have always held her GVHD kind of steadily although it has flared up on and off but now we need something new added to the mix again. We have thrown in new things here and there and they have worked temporarily but then stopped and we have always had to steadily relied on steroids but now we need another mix again. So, please pray for that.

Thanks for checking in:)

Lots of love,

Tracy

OCTOBER 16, 2007 5:42 pm

ON OUR WAY BACK FROM KATIA'S APPOINTMENT EYE APPOINTMENTS IN MIAMI.

KATIA'S VISITS WENT WELL. SHE DID VERY GOOD AND WAS SO AGREEABLE AND HELPFUL AND DID EVERYTHING ASKED EVEN THOUGH SHE HATES HER EYES BOTHERED.
HER EYES ARE BAD AGAIN. FILAMENTS ARE BACK, THE PUNCTAL PLUG CAME OUT WHICH WE EXPECTED. SHE CAN BARELY KEEP EITHER EYE OPEN DUE TO LIGHT SENSITIVITY.
THEY DID TEST HER SITE AGAIN WHICH IS WORSENING. I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME BUT THEY WROTE THEM DOWN FOR THE HOMEBOUND SCHOOL SERVICE FOR ASSISTANCE.
WE ARE NOTICING THE GVHD IS WORSE THAN EVEN 2 DAYS AGO SO I WILL CALL HER DOCTORS TOMORROW BUT WE ALL AGREE THIS IS THE BASE ISSUE FOR EVERYTHING AND WE NEED TO ADD/CHANGE TREATMENT OR IT WILL TAKE OVER.
WE ARE GOING TO ALSO CONSULT ANOTHER EYE/CORNEA SPECIALIST BUT I AM JUST NERVOUS AND PRAYFUL TO FIND ANSWERS AS GVHD CAN REALLY GET OUT OF HAND AND HAS A FEW TIMES WITH KATIA ALREADY.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYERS FOR KATIA, OUR FAMILY, OUR JOURNEY TO MIAMI (THE WEATHER IS GREAT!) AND JUST EVERYTHING.

I WILL UPDATE MORE LATER. I REMEMBER I NEVER UPDATED THE LABS FROM THE OTHER DAY. OOPS.

LOVE, TRACY

****************

October 8, 2007 4:20 PM

Hello:)

We are home from clinic. We had a kind of long day and I don't have the counts right in front of me. I will update them when I get them in front of me. They were about the same as last time (which is a good thing). I am waiting for the IGG count mainly to find out about when we need to go back for and IVIG dose before Miami next week.

Katia's GVHD seems to be flaring up again especially around her hips and in her bottom area. Her knees, chin and mouth are staying about the same. Her eyes are quite bad again. Not so much the eyelids but the corneas. We will find out more about that when we go to Miami next Tuesday. Please continue your prayers for her eyes and this persistant GVHD. Her hips have been really sore and her bottom too but I hadn't looked. She has just been wanting to take more tub baths and she soaks in some Burts Bees Wax Milk Soak I had gotten from a good friend. It has proven to really been soothing for her skin for anyone out there who does have dry skin. It was also quite helpful with the skin on her feet.

Nioxin has helped her hair stop falling out tremendously!!! And it helps her scalp not itch as much and it isn't red anymore. Plus it smells like mint icecream:)

One other issue lately has been some lose stools for her. They have been coming and going as well as her appetite.

Angel Hannah's Family has been in my thoughts so much. Angel Hannah passed away on October 4th and I know many of you had followed her via the Prayer Requests that had been listed on here. Katia asked today at clinic (or on the way-I can't remember) "What happened to Hannah?" I told her, "She went to Heaven." She said, "No Mommy, What medically went wrong?" That really caught me off guard but I have to remember Katia knows a lot more than even I give her credit for sometimes. She never gives a hint of being scared for herself really but she does for others. She knew Hannah was very sick when we saw her at clinic 2 weeks ago. She told me that when we were leaving clinic. She knew when we saw Angel Kelly Muldoon for the last time also. She told me that time also. Katia has such a presence about her that she acts so much her age sometimes but at other times so much more grown up than even an adult. I can't explain it but it really brings tears to my eyes to think of all she must think about that she doesn't tell me. Katia has been through so much but yet so many others have been through what she has been through and more. It is sometimes so overwhelming but other times so much a part of our everyday lives. I find it hard to blend in sometimes or to explain things to others as I almost feel out of place or awkward but that is weird because I am just a normal mom in so many ways (I think I am). I am still trying to reach the correct dose of the Topomax which will hopefully control the seizures without leaving me totally nauseated all day. I think there has to be some balance somewhere. I do have a good Neurologist which I didn't have last time I went through having seizures so I am very grateful for that. He is very on top of things, very compassionate and very very easy to talk to and get hold of. Plus he understands I have stress in my life and it isn't going anywhere.

What is she going to be for halloween? That question has finally been answered. A SCARY DOCTOR!!! That is her final decision she says:)

Love, Tracy

October 5, 2007 3:50 PM

Didn't make it to clinic today. Things didn't go too well with me last night actually, nor yesterday afternoon so we put it off till hopefully Monday. These seizures are just draining me and we really need to get them under control. I feel so bad for a lot of the kids I know that go through them as well as so many other kids they are facing. Having gone through them in the past, I know they can drag out for years with no real answers as to why and no real answers as to how to stop them sometimes. I am just praying this time is better than last time. I appreciate your prayers. Katia is a very good doctor for me:)

Of course Myron stays very concerned. You can imagine I am kind of the center of things running around here in many ways so I have to get on the mend. For the most part, I can go about my typical day though. I just feel pretty rotten but staying busy helps.

With so many recent things that have happened though there has just been a great deal of added stresses and stress is never a benefit to anyone so just please pray this will pass. I am sure it will.

Katia is actually quite eager for Miami. She looks forward to the car trip??? Weird I know but she likes the fact of junk food and having Myron and I all to herself. She is hopefully we will take Tatiana along for the ride as well. She gets nervous with eye visits so she likes Tati there with her.

So, that is about it for now. Always feel free to email me if you don't hear from me.

Lots of love, Tracy

October 4, 2007 4:15

We are off to clinic for a while tomorrow for Pentamindine and labs. Hopefully Katia's labs look good and it isn't too long of a day. We have Miami on the 16th and Katia really needs the eye visit as her eyes aren't doing well.

I appeciate your messages and so does Katia as we read them together. School is going so so. She tries but sometimes she just kind of gets to the point she doesn't want to try. I don't blame her. Her eyes bother her a lot and since her main goal is to read and she isn't getting there, she is losing some of her oomph.

So, please keep that in your prayers. I know there are plenty of other things that could be going wrong so we count our blessings daily and so does Katia. She definitely doesn't "sweat the small stuff" but she is just a 7 year old so sometimes she does act her age (more times than you can imagine). She is already looking forward to Halloween, Christmas and her Birthady. I tell you, she does know when those times of the year are coming up! I can't believe she will soon be 8!!!!! Imagine that?? Wow!!! She is a miracle. We have a Bone Marrow Transplant Reunion coming up in November and I can't wait to see some of the other kids! It will be hard to know so many won't be there though. Those that won't be there will always be in our hearts.

Lots of love, Tracy

*****************

October 2, 2007 11:00 AM

Good morning:)

I feel like I keep delaying getting on here. Things here have been pretty much the same with Katia. I am eager to see what her eye doctors think in Miami.

I have been still having seizures so we went up on meds and now we are changing them. They are making me feel quite puffy and uncomfortable and I just think about how much Katia and so many others go through. I really thought we had these seizures of mine behind us but I guess not.

Sharayah is doing well in school. It is starting to cool down here in Florida and even more so in Pensacola than for us. Tatiana very much enjoyed her birthday and is enjoying high school:)

Some day, I am going to stop promising when, we will get a new picture up here:) Katia isn't too happy with cameras right now due to the flash and when she is somewhere a flash isn't needed, her sunglasses are on so... we will work on that.

Lots of love, Tracy

September 26, 2007 3:20 PM

Hello there. I actually jumped on here to add Katia's IGG counts (I use the journal history as a reference a lot so it helps me to post her counts) and ask for a few silent prayer requests. There has been a lot going on with the need for prayers and there are quite a few critically ill patients at this time. Through the "Staying in Touch" Message Board a lot of prayer requests have been able to not only be posted and prayed for but also updated. I am grateful others being able to post and update and I am sure the extra prayers are greatly appreciated.

Katia is having some serious eye issues again. They are about where they were before surgery. She is pretty irritated right now as I think she thought her eyes would be better forever. We go back in a couple of weeks. I kind of think the temporary punctal plug came out and they may decide to permantly close the other 2 tear ducts as there was some improvement to her eyes staying more lubricated. We have been doing a lot of drops though so hopefully there isn't as much damage to the corneas at this time. We will see.

Other than that, Katia is doing decently well. We were talking the other day how great it has been with Katia not being admitted in so long. We are blessed with each day she is home and always know just how blessed we are.

I better summarize here (big bolt of lightening just bammed!!!)

Thank you for always checking in and we love to hear from you either here or on the board. Katia is sitting here with me right now due to the lightening so I am reading her some messages. We are still praying she will be able to learn to read. That is our goal again this year. I think a lot depends on her eyes.

Okay, more lightning. Signing off:)

Lots of love, Tracy

September 22, 2007 10:00 AM

WBC 4.72 (better!)
HGB 13.0
PLT 406
Creatinine 0.3
IGG 791 (good)

All went well at clinic yesterday (and on the way home.) Katia had her Pentamindine Infusion, labs and then we were headed home. Since her WBC count was normal, no GCSF necessary to boost her.

Katia has been having some belly issues so we are going to try to wean her CellCept more to see if that helps without causing problems with the Graft vs. Host Disease flaring up.

Her eyes? Not so good. They are getting worse and worse again sadly. We will go back to Miami in October to get a better look at the corneas.

Please keep Hannah D. in your prayers. We saw her at clinic (the first chance I have had to meet her and her Mom) and I know they would really appreciate your prayers.

This past we met someone who has followed Katia since like September 2003. We met her and her daughters at the park. Katia had a splendid time and although it looked like it was going to storm, it held off. We were so happy. Katia had really looked forward to the park and meeting these girls.

There are a lot of Prayer Request to please keep in your prayers as well.

Thank you so much for dropping by and continuing to check on Katia. We are so happy her WBC remained stable and that is due to prayers:)

Lots of love, Tracy

*************

September 18, 2007 4:00 PM

Happy 15th Birthday Tatiana!!

Tatiana is a wonderful daughter, awesome big sister, great little sister and I am sure a wonderful friend to her school mates!!

Today, 15 years ago, Tatiana was handed over to Myron and I after a very long and overdue delivery date (3 weeks late!)

The moment we saw her, we were in love! She had very very dark, curly and long, very long (like a wig kind of long) hair, rosey red lips and very light white skin. She looked like Snow White. She was just as cute as one could ever imagine.

She was the baby of this family for 7 years until Katia came along and then she just got to move on to being a wonderful big sister and playmate to Katia.

I can't imagine how our family would have ever been complete with Tati:)

Love, Tracy

September 14, 2007 (nearly the 15th) 11:56 PM

Hello:)

First thank you:)

Thank you for stopping by and checking on things.

It is late and I just left a pretty detailed update on the Message Board about our week. It is one week to remember and to happily move on from.

This week however brings another great event! Tatiana turns 15!!!! Yeah, she is growing up! First she is in highschool, now she is 15, what next?

When Katia was diagnosed, Tatiana was just 9 years old. She is still the "sweet one" as we like to say and she is always the best little play buddy for Katia (okay, don't tell Tatiana I said, "little") but she is just always there.

Tatiana is the first one to check to see how my day has gone and goes out of her way if something is wrong to try to make things better. She is a really good kid and a great daughter, big sister, little sister, and everything:)

This is her week!

I am not yet sure what we will be able to do but we do love cake so that is a definite! She likes the cake I had for my birthday. Publix Bakery, Marble with Butter Cream Icing! That is that delicious cake that goes straight to your thighs! The best one!!!!

Katia is doing okay. Her eyes are beginning to bother her more and more again but we don't go back to Miami until the middle of October. She is still doing a lot of drops and trying to keep them as moist as possible. She is not happy with any light still and wears her glasses most of the time or she is squinting. I am REALLY eager to get her vision checked. Both of us need to. I have been having more and more blurry vision and when I do, I just think what Katia must be going through. We rely on our eyes so much.

It is hard for me to get on the computer and type now due to my eyes which is scary to me. Macular Degeneration has taken the site of quite a few of my family members and it is a scary thought so I am really aiming to get my eyes checked ASAP. I am sure glasses are in order for me. I use reading glasses which have gone from barely nothing to quite strong over the last 6 months to the point I can't function without them. I am grateful for being able to blow up fonts and print or read things BIG!

As far as my headaches, they are there. I like to be able to think that at least the aneurysm has gone away so now I just have one little friend in my head, the angioma. We will keep an eye on that every 3 months. There really isn't much they can do because of the risk unless the seizures happen so often that they cause more of a risk. Right now, we just went up on the seizure medications and I seem to be doing fine, seizure free.

I have a lot of ringing in my ears which bugs me because I can't hear what people are saying and I hate to ask people to repeat so I just kind of go along with what is being said. I am not sure if that is caused by the problem or more the medications. They still have me on two seizure meds as well as Lyrica for the sharp pains and hopefully to help with the Fibromyalgia. My back is a mess. One side is very stiff and the other is mushy so I feel that.

I try quite hard to take it easier and not overdo things but, who am I kidding, that is impossible. The other day I was cleaning the baseboards and I did sit down and just scoot along the floor. I felt like a 90 year old but it did help my back not to be bending over.

Sharayah is doing well at college. I can tell she is homesick though because she REALLY stays in touch!!! We both have T-Mobile so that is good at least. Free Mobile to Mobile minutes. Plus we can text like champions!!

Well, I should be off to bed. Last night I fell asleep around 3AM and woke up around 5 so I am aging and need some beauty sleep:)

I am looking forward to a quiet tomorrow. My to-do list is very very small actually and I plan to keep it that way.

Read the message board to hear of our Brighthouse vs. Verizon war going on but I really am going to try to let that rest over the weekend.

Lots of love, Tracy

September 12, 2007 7:45 PM

We are praying for each of you and appreciating your prayers for us. I am looking forward to a hopefully peaceful weekend.

Please keep a few silent prayer requests in your prayers. I know these families will probably post in the Message Boards and probably start their own sites but they have just been thrown into the world of cancer.

I pray someday soon a cure will be found.

Love, Tracy

September 11, 2007 10:23 PM

Remembering all of those families affected by the tragedies of 9/11.

"America Stands Strong by: Myron Solomon written on 9-11-2001

Love, Tracy

SEPTEMBER 9, 2007 6:50 PM

IT IS ALMOST MONDAY...

KATIA SAID SOMETHING A BIT AGO THAT JUST MADE ME SMILE AND I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU:)

SHE CAME IN AND HAD SOME PICTURES SHE DREW FOR ME. THEY WERE DIFFERENT TRACINGS OF HER HANDS OR HER ACTUAL HANDPRINTS. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE FOLLOWED HER SITE SINCE 2003, YOU WILL REMEMBER HOW HARD WE DESPERATELY TRIED TO GET HANDPRINTS WHEN SHE WAS SO SICK WITH THE ASPERGILLIS IN HER LUNGS AND HEADED FOR LUNG SURGERY. I JUST HAD TO HAVE THEM AND FINALLY ONE OF THE NURSES WERE ABLE TO. I HAD TALKED ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOOKED FORWARD TO SEEING HER HANDPRINTS ON THE WINDOWS AND SLIDING GLASS DOORS AROUND THE HOUSE. WELL SHE PUTS THOSE LITTLE HANDPRINTS EVERYWHERE AND I AM GRATEFUL!!! OF COURSE I WINDEX THEM OFF BUT I KNOW THEY WILL BE RIGHT BACK IN A FEW MINUTES. HER HANDS HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS SO EVERYTIME I HOLD HER HAND, I REMEMBER JUST HOW THEY FELT WHEN WE WERE SO SCARED FOR HER LIFE.

SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THEN BUT THEN A LOT OF THINGS HAVEN'T CHANGED AT ALL. WHAT HAS CHANGED IS KATIA IS HOME, SHE CAN DRESS HERSELF NOW, SHE IS POTTY TRAINED, HER MARROW IS ALL DONOR, HER LUNGS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE (ALTHOUGH SHE WILL REMAIN ON THOSE ANTIFUNGAL MEDS FOR A VERY LONG TIME), WE ARE GETTING CLOSE TO BEING 4 YEARS POST TRANSPLANT, SHE WAKES UP EACH MORNING IN HER OWN BED, SHE HASN'T SPENT THE NIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND SHE GETS HAIRCUTS!!

WHAT HASN'T CHANGED IS SOME GOOD AND SOME BAD. SHE REMAINS ON A LOT OF MEDICATIONS, SHE STILL HAS NO IMMUNE SYSTEM, SHE REMAINS ON STEROIDS TO FIGHT HER ONGOING BATTLE WITH CHRONIC GRAFT VS. HOST DISEASE, SHE STILL WANTS TO LEARN TO READ, SHE IS STILL 3 FEET TALL, AND SHE STILL HAS TEMPER TANTRUMS:)

THE GOOD THINGS THAT HAVEN'T CHANGED IS SHE IS STILL HUGABLE AND SQUEEZABLE, SHE IS STILL 3 FEET TALL (SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GROW), SHE STILL IS SO APPRECIATIVE OF BEING HOME, SHE STILL LOVES MACARONI AND CHEESE, RICE PILAF AND DONUTS AND SHE IS STILL A MIRACLE!!

SO SHE COMES IN HERE WITH THE DRAWINGS AND SAID, "THESE ARE HELPING HANDS FOR YOU!" I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST PRECIOUS! SO WE WERE TALKING (MIND YOU SHE CAN CARRY ON A VERY GOOD CONVERSATION LIKE AN ADULT BUT SWEETER) AND TALKING ABOUT THE TIME WE WERE TRYING TO GET HER HANDPRINTS IN THE HOSPITAL. I TOLD HER I WAS VERY HAPPY SHE WAS ABLE TO DO HER OWN HANDPRINTS AND THAT WE WERE HOME. SHE SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT I AM HAPPY FOR?" I ASKED HER WHAT AND SHE SAID, "MY COMPUTER HAS WORKED ALL WEEK!" I HAD TO LAUGH BECAUSE FOR ONE, SHE REALLY DOES LOVE HER COMPUTER, TWO I AM A COMPUTER PERSON AND THE FACT THAT SHE WAS BEING SWEET BECAUSE IF IT DOESN'T WORK, SHE KNOWS IT DRIVES ME INSANE UNTIL I CAN GET IT BACK UP AND GOING. SO WE BOTH ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT AND SHE HAS REALLY BEEN USING IT A LOT!!

I JUST REALLY LIKE THE FACT KATIA IS SO APPRECIATIVE. OF COURSE SHE CAN BE YOUR TYPICAL 7 YEAR OLD IN THE FACT SHE NEVER HAS ENOUGH TOYS, JUNK FOOD OR TV TIME BUT IN SO MANY WAYS, SHE IS SUCH A CARING AND DEEP TYPE OF INDIVIDUAL. I AM GRATEFUL GOD BLESSED US WITH ALL 3 OF OUR KIDS:)

OKAY, SO SPEAKING OF GRATEFUL...

EACH FRIDAY, I AM GRATEFUL FOR ANOTHER WEEK TO HAVE PASSED. IT DOESN'T MEAN IT WAS THE PERFECT WEEK BUT IT MEANS GOD HAS ALLOWED ANOTHER WEEK TO GO BY.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR SMALL THINGS AND I NOTICE A LOT OF THINGS THAT I DIDN'T NOTICE BEFORE KATIA GOT DIAGNOSED IN 2002. I AM GRATEFUL GOD HAS OPENED MY EYES TO THESE THINGS.

I BELIEVE IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN ANYWAY WE CAN AND AM OFTEN REMINDED OF THE "PAY IT FORWARD" WAY OF LIFE. GOD HAS ALWAYS BROUGHT MANY BLESSINGS TO US IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. A GREAT WAY HAS BEEN THE PEOPLE WE HAVE MET ALONG THIS JOURNEY (THAT BEING YOU) AND THE FACT THE WORLD IS FULL OF SO SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE HAS SHONE VERY BRIGHTLY.

I TRY TO MAKE IT A POINT TO "NOTICE THINGS" MORE AND TO APPRECIATE EVERYTHING IN SOME WAY EVEN IF IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING NOT TO BE APPRECIATED.

OBVIOUSLY I DON'T LIVE ON TOP OF SOME "HAPPY BALL OF SUNSHINE" (ALTHOUGH I DO LIVE IN FLORIDA) SO DAYS ARE NOT FULL OF ALL GREAT THINGS AND HAPPY ATTITUDES BUT I THINK LIFE IS MUCH BETTER DUE TO GOD'S BLESSINGS AND KATIA'S JOURNEY. I READ ON A SITE ONCE (CAN'T REMEMBER WHO'S) THAT THEY WERE GRATEFUL TO HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. I KNOW THAT STRUCK A LOT OF PEOPLE AS JUST WEIRD BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS MEANT THEY WERE GRATEFUL FOR THE DISEASE ITSELF BUT YET THE APPRECIATION OF LIFE IN GENERAL ONCE THEY WERE DIAGNOSED.

I THINK OUR FAMILY FOR ONE HAS REALIZED HOW MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE WE CAN MAKE IN A WAY WE NEVER EVEN KNEW EXISTED BEFORE. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I NEVER EVEN KNEW THERE WAS AN ONCOLOGY FLOOR AT ALL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL UNTIL THE DAY KATIA WAS TRANSFERRED THERE VIA AMBULANCE. TO ME "PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY" MEANT PLACES LIKE ST. JUDES. I NEVER KNEW HOW MANY KIDS AND FAMILIES WERE LIVING WITH CANCER. I NEVER KNEW ABOUT THE LIGHT THE NIGHT WALKS WITH THE LEUKEMIA AND LYMPHOMA SOCIETY OR THE MANY DIFFERENT FUNDRAISERS WE KNOW ABOUT NOW FOR MANY CAUSES WE HOLD DEAR TO OUR HEART.

THROUGH THE KATIA SOLOMON FOUNDATION WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP A NUMBER OF FAMILIES FINANCIALLY AS WELL AS IN A WAY OF SUPPORT. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RAISE A LOT OF AWARENESS AND ADD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE TO THE MARROW REGISTRY. WE HOPE THIS WILL CONTINUE FOR YEARS AND YEARS AS LONG AS DONATIONS COME IN OR UNTIL THERE IS A CURE!

OUR FAMILY HAS GONE THROUGH COUNTLESS TIMES OF NEED BUT GOD HAS ALWAYS SHOWN US A BLESSING. OUR FAMILY HAS GROWN CLOSER AND IS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF SOME VERY GOOD FRIENDS WE HAVE MET ALONG THE WAY AS WELL AS EACHOTHER.

AS WE APPROACH THE END OF SUMMER I THINK BACK TO AUGUST 26, 2003 WHEN WE FOUND KATIA HAD RELAPSED. I REMEMBER THE TRIP OVER TO THE HOSPITAL ON THE 27TH THINKING WE WOULD BE GONE FOR MAYBE A MONTH OR SO STARTING BACK ON CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATION AND I JUST PRAYED WE WOULD FIND KATIA A MARROW MATCH RIGHT AWAY BEFORE SHE WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO RELAPSE AGAIN IF SHE WAS ABLE TO REACH REMISSION. LITTLE DID I KNOW IT WOULD BE 11 MONTHS BEFORE WE RETURNED HOME OR ALL THAT WE WOULD FACE AND LEARN DURING THAT TIME. THE FOUNDATION WAS BORN DURING THAT TIME, OUR EYES WERE OPEN TO SO MUCH IN SEARCHING FOR KATIA'S MATCH AND A MOUNTAIN OF APPRECIATION FOR LIFE GREW DAILY.

THIS CARINGBRIDGE SITE BECAME SO MUCH A PART OF SO MANY LIVES BUT WAS ALSO SO THERAPUTIC TO ME IN UPDATING AND THE FACT I KNEW SO MANY PEOPLE WERE PRAYING FOR AND CHECKING IN ON KATIA. I NEVER IMAGINED HOW MANY LIVES ONE PERSON COULD TOUCH. AS TIME GOES ON THIS SITE CHANGES BUT IT WILL REMAIN HERE AS I BELIEVE KATIA'S JOURNEY CONTINUES AND HER PURPOSE CONTINUES TO UNFOLD EACH DAY.

MOST RECENTLY, THE "STAYING IN TOUCH" MESSAGE BOARD WAS CREATED AS WAY FOR OTHERS TO JOIN IN POSTING PRAYER REQUESTS, UPDATES, IDEAS, ETC. AGAIN, PEOPLE HAVE STEPPED FORWARD AND OFFERED SO MANY PRAYERS AND ENCOURAGMENT TO COUNTLESS OTHERS.

SO AS THIS WEEK BEGINS, PLEASE KNOW YOU ARE ALWAYS IN OUR PRAYERS FOR YOUR DAY TO DAY LIFE. OUR PRAYERS ARE FOR CURES TO BE FOUND. UNTIL THEN, OUR PRAYERS ARE WITH DOCTORS AND RESEARCHES TO IMPROVE AND FIND MORE AND BETTER TREATMENTS, FOR INSURANCE WORRIES TO BE SETTLED, FOR FAMILIES GOING THROUGH TREATMENTS TO FIND SOME PEACE IN KNOWING THAT EACH DAY BRINGS US CLOSER TO A CURE.

SO WHEN YOU HERE THE "TGIF" THING, THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO ME:)

LOTS OF LOVE (SORRY FOR BEING SO LONGWINDED-ALTHOUGH I GUESS IT IS EXPECTED)

TRACY:)

***************

September 8, 2007 10:05PM

Hello:)

Thank you so much for your kind messages. I appreciate sharing Katia's journey as I appreciate following others' journies along the way. I have learned so much and have greatly been touched by so many lives. I think we all have.

I am working on editing Katia's book and it has given me a chance to reflect on a lot of the journal history. I get amazed at how much she has gone through and how she just smiles each day and goes on and on. She really is my hero in so many ways.

I had really wanted to update the pictures, really I did. I have just had a headache that won't go away no matter what I do! I am up due to that right now so I figured I would check on some sites, update, etc. I need to get my eyes checked I guess as my vision is on the blurry side close up (I do wear reading glasses) and my ears are just ringing more and more. I tend to delay things but recently I have had my fair share of doctor visits. I just need to add on an eye exam I guess.

So, again thank you for your messages.

I know most of you visit the Message Board but there are two boys headed for transplant that could really use your prayers. Anthony N. and Dylan M. The links can be found by going to the www.ladybugkatia.com" site and going to the Kid's Links. The Message Board can be found via the ladybugkatia.com site also.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers on Katia, her counts, her eyes, etc. Please pray for her to have a good school year and of course, good health:)

Love, Tracy

September 8, 2007 9:00 AM

I just wanted to share something with you that I just watched.

So many of you followed Angel Jake Owen Raborn's Site and know his family started a Foundation. They have a video that talks so vividly and openly about what so many families face. Please watch the Jake Owen Raborn Foundation video.

As we try to help families through the Katia Solomon Foundation and continue our own journey with Katia, it is hard to put into words what really gets faced each day. Why families need help. What happens with the sibblings of the patient.

The journey doesn't end with the end of active chemo treatments, radiations, transplants, it goes on and on until the patient can be considered cured. If the patient passes away, like sweet little Angel Jake, the journey doesn't end, it just hurts and the family still must struggle to face each day without one of their dear family members. Strength is sometimes able to be found in helping others which is what Jake's family is doing and what we try to do with the Katia Solomon Foundation.

Thank YOU for being a part of Katia's journey.

Love, Tracy

September 7, 2007 9:07 PM

WBC 2.66 (dropping again-got GCSF today)
HGB 13.8
PLT 371
ANC 744
Creatinine 0.3 (good)
IGG 525 (got IVIG today)

So, today was clinic all day. The plan was to go to clinic and prepare for Miami by getting IVIG and Pentamindine as well as her regular labs.

So, we did that. But, when labs came back, her WBC is going down and her ANC was all the way down to 744 so she got a dose of GCSF.

For a few reasons, Miami is getting delayed until October. One reason is Myron's health. The last drive down there is probably what landed him in the ER and he isn't any bettter and still waiting to have some tests done so we don't want to chance it. We called and since it is a post-surgery check up, we delayed it. Her eyes are staying about the same this week. They do have their bad days though. Some days they look so great although still red on the eyelids and other days they look irritated, red and she keeps them closed again or holds her hand over to keep them shut. But, we will see at her next appointment, in October, if they are showing signs of more filaments growing on the corneas. The idea is they will grow and need to be removed again but hopefully not for a few months.

Other than that, we had a scare on the way home from clinic. Traffic was bumper to bumper. Katia usually sleeps the whole way home so she is normally quiet and she was today. All the sudden I see her hitting herself in the throat. She was kind of pink looking (moreso than usual) when we left clinic so my first thought was reaction to IVIG. Since it is a blood product you can have a bad reaction but unlike blood or platelets, IVIG comes from tens of thousands of donors so the risk is higher. I gave her some water which she was able to swallow and I was asking her questions which she could answer. She said it felt like she couldn't swallow, not that it hurt to swallow. It got to a point it wasn't worsening but I had already planned if it got worse, stop and call 911 and then her doctor. I am not going to risk her not breathing again. Not sure if it was a reaction or not though.

So, I called her doctor and we gave her benedryl when we got home. She was premedicated with benedryl and tylenol before the infusion of IVIG but 6 hours had passed. Now it has been about 3 hours since I gave her that benedryl and she is still okay. However, I will keep her with me tonight and keep an eye on her. Myron and I are very light sleepers since Katia's diagnosis and she is really good at letting us know when something is wrong and even what is wrong a lot of times. It was so hard when she was 2 and couldn't explain but now she is a little doctor person:)

I am going to change out pictures sometime tomorrow. I am not sure what I am going to put up yet but I just want to change the pictures.

We are going to work on her Christmas picture actually this month. She is going to put on her little Christmas dress (the red one with the white fluff) and get some pictures. That was her idea the other day which was kind of funny because it has been so hot, I couldn't believe she was thinking about Christmas BUT, she is a seven year old:)

So, that is a catch up on around here.

On a good note, Katia is taking spelling tests now with her classes and she did better on yesterday's test than she did on Tuesday's:)

I am not really sure who comes by here anymore.

Love, Tracy

September 5, 2007 10:25 AM

Myron's parents and my dad did very well through the Hurricane as it made a turn and effected them less than they had planned:)

Thank you for your prayers. We continue to pray about any mudslides and flooding in other parts of Honduras and the path of this storm is this area.

I ask for your continued prayers for Myron who is still going through enormous issues with his health and Worker's Comp. He is still out of work, now for a month, no pay, no answers and a lot of stress dealing with Worker's Comp and nobody seeming to have set guidelines on how to deal with this. It is them that is holding up the next test, an EMG which is the only way he can get back to work, to be cleared from the EMG. Headache!

We actually have tried to get some outside advice but it seems since this is a Federal Job, not many people want to get involved... Please pray this will work itself out as we can't survive without Myron's income. Things have gotten way way way behind. We still have Miami coming up on the 10th and I am not sure how we are going to get through our typical bills along with the trip expenses. But I do know prayers are the most needed right now. Prayers for answers, Myron's wellbeing, Worker's Comp people to get a move on and for Myron to be able to get back to work, feeling better. He still is pretty numb, has pressure in his arm, ribs and chest, constant headache and neck pain, etc. It is just sad because he is normally at work and busy with the Foundation and now things have come to a halt nearly. We can't keep this up, he can't keep this up but we feel out of control as it is out of our hands so we have put it in God's hands.

Katia is doing well. Her eyes are again giving her issues, not as bad but are worsening:(

I am not sure what this appointment will bring. They had discussed permantly closing the other two ducts but I think that would be discussed and another surgery date set to return to Miami. We will see. Hopefully she is not growing back those growths on her corneas which would also need to be removed again.

So, that is us in a nutshell. I updated on me yesterday.

Love, Tracy (and family)

**********

September 4, 2007 6:00 PM

So, I am back from my neurologist appointment with some good news and still kind of puzzled... I guess that is typical though.

For one, the aneurysm spot they were worried about didn't show up on the MRA, only the brain scans so that is being ruled out. That is great because it is really worrying to think something in your head could pop so we have been very concerned about that. The follow up is to be seen every 3 months, to go on up on the seizure meds a bit more and on the Lyrica. The Lyrica will hopefully help with some very sharp headaches I am getting but at least I know a bit more of what is in my head and what is not.

The Hurricane? Well, I spoke to my dad around 2PMish and the storm was just getting by him. He is on the mainland right close to the Nicaragua Border. The Island is getting a lot of the outer bands but all in all they are better off than they thought they would be. Once the rain is done will determine any damage by mudslides or bridges washing away. We all pray for everyone's safety as both countries are very populated and have very limited sources of help, evacuations, and help once something has happened. When bridges get washed away or roads disappear, it is very hard to get to and from anywhere.

So, please keep these areas in your prayers and I will update when I know more about our families.

Love, Tracy

September 4, 2007 12:31 PM

Hello:)

Quick update. So far things look good for Myron's parents and my Dad. With the Hurricane going in through Nicaragua, it more protects the Island of Roatan where Myron's parents are. My Dad will get more of the effects of the Hurricane but right now, it is just starting for him and he has things prepared. I think he will get more of a Tropical Storm which due to mudslides can be bad in his area so the prayer is that the storm moves and doesn't slow down which would allow it to dump more rain causing more mudslides.

So, thank you for your prayers:)

I am headed off to my Neuro appointment.

Love, Tracy

September 3, 2007 URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

Please pray for Myron's parents and family as well as my dad as this Hurricane Felix is headed straight for them at a category 5 tomorrow. There are only so many preparations you can do in this region of the world. Myron and I were down there for Hurricane Mitch in October 1998 and it destroyed a business we had worked very hard to start as well as nearly 70 percent of the economy. My dad lived there at the same time, different location. We were on the island (where Myron's parents are now) and my dad was on the mainland (where he is now). There is about a 70 mile distance between them seperated by water. So close but my dad didn't hear from me, nor I from him until weeks after the hurricane. Thousands of people died and were washing up on the shores of the island and people were just trying to stay informed through radio addresses giving messages back and forth to families on someone living or unfortunately not.

After the hurricane, due to the severe damage and the horrible feeling of NO CONTROL, we decided to move back to the US. My dad stayed and Myron's parents, that is their home. We were there knowing a hurricne was headed at us but only because people were constantly calling us from the states did we know the severity of it. We, along with about 100 others, went to Myron's parent's house which is way up on a hill. Our home was right on the beach which in the long run was flooded.

We lost Sharayah and Tatiana's medical records and most of our personal items but the house was okay. The school I was teaching in was flooded and closed. I left with Sharayah and Tatiana to head back to the US sometime in November I think. Myron came back a little later after helping around the island.

My dad's area was really effected by mudslides and severe flooding. Mudslides buried whole villages. His area was okay and the house he is living in now has been built since. He picked out his piece of property because of how well it held up during Hurricane Mitch. He built his house with the knowledge of hurricanes and what they can cause. He is pretty self reliant, doesn't need too many day to day items and has a good water system and can live quite some time without any electricity.

But, please pray. Some things have changed. One is they all have cell phones! Big help if they work.

Secondly is they are more able to be informed of the weather (Myron's parents) as they get CNN. My dad doesn't have any English TV and what TV he does have comes and goes but he does pick up one Christian radio station that is English and it is located on the island right next door to Myron's parents house.

So, please pray for them as well as everyone else in the path of this hurricane. When damage is done it is very slow and sometime impossible to get to and repair. When lives are lost, it is usually in large numbers due to the inability to really go to a "safe place" or the availability of medical care.

I will post throughout to let you know what I am hearing from them.

Love, Tracy

September 1, 2007 8:00 PM

Guess what surprise I woke up to this morning?

Sharayah!!

Sharayah and some friends drove down here yesterday (which she was on the phone with me most of the time but I had no clue!). She got in about 30 minutes after I fell asleep. She slept with Tatiana and this morning, I get up to all 3 daughters sitting on the sofa waiting to surprise me! They say my face and Myron's face was priceless with our expressions.

It has only been 10 days but we are so close knit, it feels so much longer...

Anyway, we have spent a good deal of the day kind of catching up, she visited work to say hello and we walked around the mall.

She will be here through the weekend. This is pretty much the last long weekend before Thanksgiving.

A few friends came down at the same time so their parents all got suprised too:)

Love, Tracy

August 30, 2007 7:30 PM

Hello:)

It has been a while, it feels like, since I have updated.

Today Katia started school with Ms. Michelle again. Things went well and hopefully this year will be the year Katia learns to read. I think so:)

Her eyes have been pretty irritated these last few days. Not sure why but please pray they don't just turn bad again. We go back to Miami on the 10th for an appointment on the 11th. They are planning to have a look at the progress of the surgery as well as check her vision. We have been extra concerned about her immune system lately or the lack there of. As we get into school again, we have to be extra cautious with Tatiana bringing anything from school. She is very good about coming home, bathing, dirty clothes to the washer, etc. We have always been that way but more so when we know Katia's numbers are low. It is the t-cells we are watching right now. We are leaving her steroids at 10mg per day but we are trying to wean down on her cellcept. Instead of Septra on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we are doing Pentamindine every two weeks. Next clinic is scheduled for the 7th for labs, Pentamindine and IVIG.

Dog news? Fozzy had to go to the vet the other day for (get this), eye issues. Yes, it seems he had ripped his cornea. How? Not sure but he is on eye drops and eye ointment. I guess him and Katia were made for eachother. So, both of them do eye drops each day. I have to say, Fozzy does his without any complaint and he doesn't even move. I hold his eye open and it is just so easy... I am getting spoiled.

Myron is still not doing great. There is a big hold up with Worker's Comp. For him to go back to work, his doctor wants clearance from an EMG (nerve study) BUT, Worker's Comp is delaying the EMG as they are "reviewing the case" so this has meant things aren't getting anywhere. No answers, no pay, no work until it is out of review. Some things just don't make sense. Myron's symptoms are still about the same. He is still numb on his left side mainly but some on his right, he is sore, especially his neck, he is getting very bad pressure headaches and his ears are ringing. I am sure I am leaving something out. His Ortho doctor really believes the nerve damage is in his neck from the incident at work. Please pray things move along and we can get answers, Myron can get feeling better and the pay will get straightened out. It has made already bad matters, worse.

On another note, Sharayah is doing very well with college. She has adjusted well (they is even a time difference) and her class schedule is good. She is quite content:)

Tatiana is enjoying High School and having her own room. We have been doing a LOT of cleaning out and cleaning up around here. We had to readjust Katia's stuff to go in her room and get things off the back porch. There was mold out there and we had to really clean. Florida is very hot and humid right now.

Let's see. Me? I am still waiting for my complete Mammo results. The films had been lost from my previous years so they couldn't compare them at first. Then they found the old films and I dropped them off with the new ones, they were compared and I know the doctor recieved the reports today but it was late in the day. So, I am waiting... Anxiously. As far as the endometerial biopsy, all clear:)

My follow up with my neurologist is on the 4th. I am interested to see what the plan is. I really hope I can get off the seizure medicines at least. I haven't had any more. I get awful headaches and I can't really take the medicine for them during the day as it makes me kind of dizzy but I take it at night. The medicine seems to last all the way through noon time so that isn't too bad. Maybe a few hours in the afternoon, I have a really bad headache. I am still working 2 days a week. No weekends though.

Thank you for making the Message Board so useful with prayer requests and other information. I feel much better with that setup as prayer requests stay much more updated.

Also, if you have a FaceBook, I started one. It is under "Tracy Solomon" (creative). If I get enough people, I will start up a group like a Ladybug Club or something. We will see:)

So, until later. Lots of love, Tracy

*****************

August 24, 2007 9:30 PM

Hello:)

I had sat down earlier to do this but I got sidetracked and it cleared so here goes...

Katia's clinic went well today. It was being squeezed in and I had a 2:00 appointment back in Tampa. We were out of there just in time:)

Katia's WBC dropped back down from the 7's to the 3's... At least it isn't as low as it was so hopefully it doesn't drop more.

Her hemoglobin and platelets are always good, sometimes high but good.

I had my Mammo today (OUCH!). I highly recommend keeping up to date on your exams and testing though. It does help to save lives. I have no results yet although I do know they were quite concerned with what they saw BUT they don't have the Mammo films from previous years as they weren't ready to be picked up yet today so hopefully they will be ready Monday or Tuesday. I follow up with my OBGYN on Thursday about these recent test (the breast MRI and Mammogram) as well as the Endometrial Biopsy. I am praying all her good and I am good until next year.

Thank you for your prayers.

We are preparing actually from now for Katia's next Miami trip. I am hoping to have a better organization with getting into RMH. We were lucky last time and we very much appreciate the Ronald McDonald Houses. They are a great home away from home and are a lot less expensive than a hotel.

Well I need to do a little research before I hit the sack.

Thank you so much for checking in:)

Love, Tracy (and Katia!)

August 23, 2007 7:30 PM

WBC 3.27 (dropped back down)
HGB 14.5
PLT 416
IGG 628
FK506 11.9

Hello:)

I don't have the counts from today yet so I will post them later.

One thing we are changing is how often Katia gets the Pentamindine Infusion so we will go back tomorrow for that. She was on Septra which we took her off of hoping her counts would come up and looking at the last two set of counts, that seems to have worked. Not sure what today's counts are yet though.

Another thing we are watching is her T-Cell count. We would hope for around 350 or so but hers are under 100 which is not good. This is around the number you would expect for someone just a couple months out of transplant. So, we have to do whatever we can to protect her from getting sick or exposed to anyone sick. We are used to that though as it has become part of our life. Katia is used to it but she does get a little squirmy wanting to go places.

At least we have Fozzy which was a hard decision to make for us and her doctors. Plus, Katia can eat fast food again which is a huge plus for her! She can't have their fountain drinks or go inside and we have to watch the fact that sometimes fastfood places let their food sit around to long but the McDonalds and KSF by our house know her and her situation as well as the ChickFilA now by my work. So, we work around it.

Today I was thinking how long it has been since Katia has gotten sick or needed Vancomycin. It has been a while. It has also been a long time since she has had C-Diff (poopy sickness) which is great! There are many positives to look at with Katia although things have really seemed to drag out with her body rebounding from transplant and with all the GVHD issues that are ongoing.

We are planning the next Miami trip, September 10th and 11th. Hopefully they see clean eyes and no more added filaments. I think she will have a good appointment. Plus, they need to check her vision. She says she needs glasses, rainbow ones but I would prefer hear that from an eye doctor:)

So, that is about it. I had my MRI today and tomorrow I have the Mammogram and Ultrasound after Katia's appointment. The details on my stuff can be found on the Message Board.

Also for those of you who followed Angel Amazing Jacob and his family, they have a new addition to their family, Baby Allie. She is adorable!! They adopted her and I can't think of a more perfect family for this little girl.

A pray request that was left on the Message Board was for Hannah Deal. You can check on her via her website at http://www.helphannah.org/.

At this time, they are stopping treatments as they have been told nothing else can be done. Hannah has fought a very hard fight and her family has been through so much. Please pray for a miracle. "As long as there is life, there is hope."

Love, Tracy

August 22, 2007 5:30 PM

Sharayah is safely at college and Myron is on his way back from Pensacola. It was quite a journey up there. About 1/2 way into their trip, the car in front of them had a tire blowout which sent the car into a flip and then roll off the road and into the ditch. All 3 boys in the car crawled out which Myron said was a miracle from the looks of the vehicle. Sharayah and Myron had pulled over to help thinking things could have been really bad. One of the boys had a gash in his arm which Myron wrapped and then the police and paramedics arrived. The three boys were on their way to Florida State University, all their belongings crushed along the road. Myron told them they must have had a guardian angel looking out for them as it was truly a miracle they all crawled out on their own.

Myron and Sharayah arrived in Pensacola around 9PM local time (they are an hour behind us) only to find out they couldn't stay on campus (we had been told they could-as early as Sunday even) so they unloaded Sharayah's stuff, put it in her dorm room and went to look for a hotel. That was a totally unplanned part of the trip and certainly an unplanned expense. Anyway, we learned to always get a name from the people giving you information on the phone. Both Sharayah and I had called and were assured Sharayah could arrive as early as Sunday and we had thought about doing that depending on how Myron felt and what appointments were lined up for him.

Thankfully, Sharayah is now registered, has her keys, is in her dorm room and Myron is on his way back to Tampa. Please pray he has a safe journey. I told him to stop often and get out and stretch. The ortho doctor started him on steroids hoping it would reduce any swelling putting pressure on his nerves. He is still numb in his left arm, shoulder, rib area and part of the side of his face and it seems to have spread some over to the right side. His next appointment has yet to be set but it is for an EMG, nerve study.

Katia now has her own room!!! Yes, with Sharayah moving on to college, Tatiana moved into Sharayah's room (completely) and now Katia is in her own room. I thought she would be scared but she slept in there alone for the first time last night and about an hour after she went to bed, she was asleep. I had to go in and rub her head. Part of me wanted her to wake up and come sleep with me but the biggest part of me was very proud of her:)

Tatiana is VERY much enjoying her first few days in highschool!!

I like to share the good milestones and times and I can't wait to get a new picture up here of Katia with her "new eyes". They are staying about the same now, not much more improvement but they are better than they were and that is a positive! Ms. Michelle came by to get some papers signed for school so we should be starting up soon with Katia's classes. Probably still just 2 days a week. Hopefully this year Katia will last longer during her classes and have less missed days due to feeling bad or clinic visits. I think this is going to be a good school year for everyone:)

Katia's MAC computer was acting up but after some help from a very kind person who read my plea from the Message Board, things are up and going again and her JumpStart programs are working well. She is there right now.

One thing is Katia can't spend much time in front of the computer, TV or games as her eyes really get affected quickly so she is doing different things throughout the day. One is trying to train Fozzy! We do have him 80 percent house trained and we are working on his social skills when someone comes over. Right now, he just wants to lick them to death and bite their fingers... We are also working on sitting and staying. That is going better than the social skills part.

I was due to have my Mammogram, Ultrasound and MRI today of the breast but due to a few things, it was delayed until tomorrow and Friday. Tomorrow morning Katia has clinic (just for labs hopefully) and then I will have the MRI in the afternoon. On Friday afternoon I will have the Mammogram and Ultrasound. Depending on Katia's IGG count, she may have clinic on Monday for IVIG. We will see. We are praying for good numbers:)

Thank you so much for checking in. Thank you for the birthday wishes. Thank you for your prayers for safe travels as Sharayah goes to college.

Thank you:)

Lots of love, Tracy

August 20, 2007 1:46 PM

Another milestone about to take place....

Well, many of you have followed this site since 2003. You have not only followed Katia's journey but our family's along with it. The Photo Link" at the top of the site that says from 2002 to present covers a lot of the photos (and a lot more) that have been posted on the site along the way.

Sharayah was just 13 when Katia was diagnosed and Tatiana was 9. So they have really grown up before YOUR eyes:)

THEN (2002)

Tomorrow, Sharayah is off to college! Myron will be driving her up there. WOW!! I was added pics to my MySpace site the other day and the girls looked so small back in 2002. I can't believe how much they have grown up and all that has gone on around them and in their lives. I tear up thinking about it.

Katia has been so much the "center of attention" and never has that been taken in any negative sense around here by Sharayah and Tatiana. They too have always had Katia at the center of their lives. Like I shared one time before. When Katia was just born and in her little bouncy seat, we would put her seat on the dining room table when we would eat. "Close-knit family" really doesn't say it all.

Tatiana started high school this morning! Up before the sun and out the door. This is her first year out of uniforms and she was very excited!

NOW (2007)

With my beginning work part-time and Sharayah having been working nearly full-time, it seems like the days of us all being home at one time was getting less and less. I actually work this evening but should be home in enough time to maybe watch a movie all together before everyone heads off to bed. I have said all along I wouldn't cry when Sharayah went off to college (I think I may be wrong on that!) because it is the way it should be. We have seen so many children pass away before they could live their life and just do what we all expect to be the normal stages of life. To me, Sharayah going on to college is not leaving but moving on and doing exactly what she has been planning on doing since 6th grade (very goal oriented child). It is what we have always imagined she would do right after graduating and she is. She has safely reached this milestone and we will pray to God that she will reach many more.

Tomorrow is also my 38th birthday! Do I feel old? Well of course!! My first daughter is off to college, my second is in High School and Katia is showing less and less interest in Barney!

So, thank you for following us on this journey and hopefully this will be a continued journey of milestones and the setbacks are behind us. Katia still has her ongoing treatments but the word "ongoing" in itself is an accomplishment that God has allowed.

Thank you:)

Lots of love, Tracy (AND FAMILY)

***********

August 18, 2007 7:45 PM

Please keep the family of Angel Carter Finger in your prayers. He passed away today after a courageous battle with cancer.

Love, Tracy

August 17, 2007 9:50 PM

Hello:)

Just got in from work and thought I should jump on here and do an update.

Katia's eyes continue to improve little by little. I am eager for her to go to clinic because they don't see her everyday so I am eager to hear their opinion.

Also, her teacher. I am very hopeful this will help Katia have some better sessions of classes with her teacher:)

So, school starts here on Monday for Tatiana, on Tuesday (which is also my birthday) Sharayah heads off to college. My first baby is off to college! WOW!

It seems things have been just a buzz around here lately with so much going on with Katia's eyes and surgery, trips to Miami, Pensacola, my being sick, Myron being sick, Tatiana starting High School, WOW! It is time for a breather:)

I have had to cut my days down at work to two days per week mainly due to school starting back up and my health. Also, Katia needs me. We are really trying to do the eye drops every hour or so and I am also trying to give her a jump start to school so her brain is in gear for classes. She is still very eager to read but she also just really likes to see Ms. Michelle. So does Fozzy! He loves the teacher!!!

I am going to hop over to the Message Board and update on Myron and check the Prayer Requests over there. I am very grateful for everyone posting prayer requests as well as keeping us posted on the updates. Thank you:)

Lots of love,

Tracy

August 14, 2007 2:00 PM

I just was working on some pictures so I added the top one from a Photo Shoot from "Flashes of Hope".

I will work on getting the rest into the Flickr Albums:) Yahoo has just moved to Flickr so this may take a few days to work, the link. Katia's Flickr Albums. If it doesn't start working, I will figure something else out but for now, the Flashes of Hope Pictures are playing in a slide show right above the journal entries. If you are a MySpace user, they can be seen in my Photo Albums over there also. Tracy's MySpace Site. If you aren't a MySpace user, it is a good way to start a site for you and your family, make MySpace a more positive place:)

Love, Tracy (and Katia!!)

PS I am off to my angiogram...

August 13, 2007 9:18 PM

We are watching the "Hell's Kitchen" finale but I wanted to jump on and update. Katia's eyes still seem to be improving although today wasn't too good of a day for her it seemed. Hopefully tomorrow is better:)

I have my angiogram tomorrow so please keep that in your prayers. I will update on that via the Message Board probably once I am back home. Hopefully it can give a closer look.

Myron followed up with this doctor today, well actually 3 doctors. One is for the neck injury a few weeks back. They think the numbness is due to the injury. However they are concerned about the other symptoms so they sent him to his regular doctor. His blood pressure was very high so they sent him home for 2 hours to relax and come back, still high. They want him to get a brain MRI but as far as the blood pressure, just watch his salt intake. So, he will follow up next week.

They also want him to see an orthopedic doctor about his neck injury.

He is still going through physical therapy for his neck and although it helps momentarily, it doesn't really seem to be a long term help.

So, I am thinking we should lay low for a while and just try to get to feeling better. I am sure things are getting confusing for people checking on the site and as much as I try to keep things about Katia, it is kind of all one thing since we are a family.

I know Tatiana is very eager for school to start:) She got a haircut today and decided to get bangs (big move for a girl to do) but it looks good.

Sharayah is in the process of packing for college. She is really really looking forward to this next step in her life.

Katia is just kind of in the middle of all of this going on around her so I really try to get her aside during the day for one on one time. We both need that and it gives us a good chance to center and focus. We are so used to eachother so it is relaxing for us to be able to sit down and chat or she just takes a short nap with me:)

So, thanks for your prayers and taking the time to check in.

Lots and lots of love,

Tracy

***************

August 11, 2007 12:28 PM

So, an update on Katia's eyes. She is opening them a little more today so that is a good sign:)

I posted Katia's counts from the 7th of August below on the August 8th update. You can see there was a great improvement in her WBC count so maybe stopping the Septra and switching her to the Pentamindine Infusion may be a good move.

I really really pray this worked for her. That is what I fell asleep doing was praying actually. Just for Katia, Myron, my health, finances, a lot of things. Plus I go through prayer requests a lot in my mind during the day, kids I used to follow or adults that have since gone to Heaven, I pray for their families and just imagine how things must be now for them. I pray for those who will be diagnosed in the near future and ALWAYS I PRAY FOR A CURE!!!

I think a lot of us who follow different people fighting for their lives and hearing how their families are so affected continue to pray throughout the day as people come into your mind. I always pray for people as I visit their website as well or read an update on them via the Message Board or email. Everyone can use prayers.

So, hopefully we will have a quiet Saturday.

Myron is still numb in his left arm. If things get worse or change suddenly, he will go to the ER here as they couldn't do an MRI at the Broward Regional Medical Center. They think he really needs an MRI of the brain.

Other than that, he is scheduled to see his doctor on Monday.

Thank you for your overall prayers.

I also updated the "Katia's Story" part above so it is always a good summary of Katia's journey from the beginning to basically now. It is always a good place to start if you are new to the site.

Lots of love,

Tracy

August 10, 2007 11:53 PM

Hello:)

We are home from Miami. The detailed updates from the trip are on theMessage Board but Katia did very well and I really think I see some improvements with her eyes. She isn't really opening them much but they said she would be sore for a few days.

We go back on 9/11 for a checkup on her surgery and to see if the cauterizing of the lower ducts is helping to keep Katia's eyes more moisturized. They were able to put a temporary plug in the right upper eye duct but the left upper duct wouldn't allow the plug to fit. So, if the right eye does better than the left

the idea would be to permantly cauterize the upper ducts as well.

On the next appointment, we will also test and determine if Katia needs glasses.

Another thing that happened while we were there is while the two surgeons were talking to us after the surgery and letting us know how things with surgery, Myron became very light headed, broke out in a cold sweat, felt nauseated and had to be taken to sit down. He looked really pale and pretty well had me scared but then Katia came out of recovery and since Tatiana was with us, she stayed with Myron and I went with Katia.

Myron came in about 20 minutes later feeling better but was worried as to what had happened. His left arm and side were numb and tingly feeling.

Later that night, he was feeling worse but he took some Bayer and fell asleep.

But, this morning, he ended up going to the ER (which was right behind the RMH house we stayed at in Ft. Lauderdale) as he still felt bad and didn't want to have something happen on the drive home.

They took him right in and ran blood tests, an EKG, ECHO, and a CT brain scan.

All appeared normal. They want him to follow up here with his doctor (appointment set for Monday and they have already been filled in on what happened) and they think he should have a brain MRI and see a neurologist, I agree.

My opinion is this could be two things. One which is nerve damage from the neck injury at work when a wheelchair bar fell down and hit the back of his neck and the other part (cold sweat, dizziness and nausea) by the fact he waited until after Katia was in surgery to eat (so 5 hours after he woke up).

So the prayer is this isn't anything serious with his heart or brain AND that they find out what caused it so he doesn't continue to feel bad or have to keep worrying.

I also ask you to pray for a friend of ours, Rosa, who will be having an ovarian cysts removed on Tuesday. She has been a good friend for many years who we had lost contact with for about 10 years but she located us via the internet about a year ago.

Also, something cool that happened! A friend Myron went to basic training with and to Iraq with during Desert Storm and Shield actually ran across Katia's site yesterday. We had searched for him for years (since 1992) and he had searched for us. His name is David Smith which made it next to impossible for us to search him down. And he had been searching for us through the years. So, now we are back in touch! There is actually a message from David in the guestbook from August 9th:)

That is when the Internet is a GREAT TOOL to have:)

So, that is the update:)

Tatiana is very eager for school to start (August 20) and Sharayah is beyond eager to get to college (August 22).

In the spirit of finding friends, any good stories to share about a long lost friend you have recently found? I think reunions are awesome!!!

Love, Tracy

PS I will post Katia's counts tomorrow, they aren't in front of me but good news is her WBC has gone up to over 7.0. We think stopping her Septra was a great idea. She will instead receive a Pentamindine Infusion each month and still stay on the IVIG Transfusion every 4 to 6 weeks, stay on the Prograf, Steroids and the rest of her meds. Hopefully this WBC stays at least above 3.0 so that is an answer to prayer if you look back in journal history. It had been steadily dropping since January.

August 8, 2007 12:47 PM
WBC 7.8
HGB 14.2
PLT 387
ANC 4500
IGG 785

BIG IMPROVEMENT!!!!

Hello:)

I am sorry I didn't update yesterday after clinic. Things went well and I will try to post her counts later.

We are off to Miami. PLEASE pray for a safe trip without the down pours that we expect. Summer in Florida is rainy and last trip to Miami was FULL of rain:)

Anyway, I will update via the Message Board even this afternoon on the drive actually.

I can do that via my phone.

Katia is nervous but anxious to get things fixed.

I have a personal silent prayer request for myself. I will share more as prayers are answered:)

Lots of love,

Tracy and Katia

August 6, 2007 11:00 AM

As you can see by the time, I am trying to "lay low" and not doing too too bad at it:)

I wanted to post that Katia's eyes are worsening so the surgery timing is perfect and I am really glad it isn't later.

I really feel this is going to help. She goes to cliic to prepare and surgery is on Thursday morning, first thing. I will update via the Message Board (link is at the top of the page) during the days I can't get to the computer.

Also, a mention here.

Katia's Transplant Team is wonderful!!! They have helped us with so much personally as well as with the Foundation. We work hand in hand with them.

Here is a link to check out about an upcoming marathon one is participating in with her daughter. Please drop Mati's Marathon Page! and read about what they are doing. Not being an "athletic" type of person, I so much admire those who take place in these events. It takes a lot of training, effort and heart and Mati and her daugher has all of this and more:)

Love, Tracy

**********

August 3, 2007 6:07 PM

I have a couple of things to post actually. I know I have been using the Message Board as a primary place for prayer request and updates on things not concerning Katia's health but I have a few things for here.

First, I want to ask your prayers for Myron's Mom. Myron's Mom is like my Mom to me. She has just always been a HUGE part of my life since the day I met her.

Her Aunt (who raised her from the age of 4) is on her deathbed. I know this is just so difficult for Myron's Mom as well as Myron. We call her Tia Yita and she has just always been a wonderful, compassionate, loving, Christian woman and another person that has just always been so sweet to me and brought me into the family since day one! I know this is difficult on Myron as he can't be home with his parents and say his goodbyes (they live on the Bay Islands of the coast of Honduras). So, please keep all of the family in your prayers.

Also, a couple of weeks ago, there was an infestation of African Killer Bees to go to the Island. Myron's parents lost 2 dogs that were just swarmed down on and killed by this swarm (I keep wanting to say "herd" as it was so bad). The swarm had taken home in the bottom of Myron's parent's house. Myron's Mom was stung a few times as well as others in the area and their small Maltese Dog also. The two dogs they lost were rotweillers and they were very good guard dogs but originally came from a puppy we had given them about 10 years ago. Just weeks before that, they had lost 2 other of their dogs (German/Rottweiler Mixed) to vehicle accidents on the main road in front of their house.

For those of you that have pets, you know how hard it is to lose one but these killer bees attacked these 2 large dogs right outside their front door while Myron was on the phone with his parents. They said the dogs were just engulfed in these killer bees. It really put a scare in us here because the resources to fight these types of swarms are just not there and we were very worried for Myron's parents, nearby children in a Children's Home there and others in that area. It was very scary.

The swarm has been smoked out of the bottom of his parents' house but the swarms are still nearby and on the Island and have basically killed the regular types of bees on the Island. We have called some different agencies in the US to try to get ideas on how to get rid of the swarms as well as what medically can be done if someone is stung and these agencies were very helpful and the information was passed on.

Okay, now to Katia....

Katia told me this morning, in these words, "I think this surgery is something I should do. My eyes hurt so bad and it can't make them more more bad. I really want my eyes fixed."

She had come up to me and kind of tugged on my sleeve and wanted to whisper that to me. I know she is nervous. She has overheard me say the words, "scraping of the corneas..." and I regret that. She does know what the surgery will consist of. She also knows she gets her Propofol to go to sleep which she is happy about.

I look at the picture of Katia on the border of her page (the one in the Pink Princess Dress) and she was just so much happier there. Her eyes were already giving her so much troubles then I didn't think it could get worse. I look at her now and I just really really pray this surgery gives her BIG relief. She needs it.

I went down and registered her for school although she doesn't attend school. She has to be registered regularly and then the HomeBound Program takes over. Anyway, some of the school people know of Katia and ask how she is and do I think she will be able to attend any classes during the year. I always hope so but the main thing is for Katia to be healthy and happy:)

I do really want her to be able to read. She wants to so bad. She sounds things out to a certain point but she doesn't retain the words. She does understand the concept of adding small amounts and if fractions come in the form of food, she understands what it means to divide something in half:)

We want the best for Katia as any parent would but we also know how very lucky we are to have her and the fact she hasn't relapsed.

Please visit the Message Board to see some very recent prayer request concerning Angel Skylar-Jade and Alexia. The links are there also.

Lots of love,

Tracy (and Katia)

August 2, 2007 10:30 AM

Okay, I have to come back later and add some pics from yesterday but we went to SeaWorld:)

If you have seen the weather here lately, it was not a good day to go. We had tickets donated and the only day to use them was August 1st so we waited around until nearly 4PM but it just wouldn't let up. We figured maybe Orlando was better...

It wasn't.

We did get in to see 2 shows, on of which was the Shamu Rocks show and it was wondeful.

Katia was pretty much covered up in her wheelchair, hat, poncho, sunglasses... but we got soaked!! We finally gave in and got ponchos there which everyone had and it seemed the whole place was full of blue ponchos so we couldn't take any chances on getting seperated. Tatiana and I got behind as we are much slower than Myron and Sharayah and suddenly we realized, everyone looked like Myron and Sharayah. Finally we saw 2 people with a wheelchair! That was them!

We were literally ankle deep in water so we headed home. But, we took a chance on stopping at Guest Relations and the girl happily gave us tickets to use any day between now and December! That made our day because it made Katia's day!!

She had really looked forward to this trip and wanted to see and touch a dolphin. We saw rain. I think all of us really tried to keep a good attitude and find the humor in it, which we did but we found the humor much better after we got in the car headed home.

On the way home, since our phones had to be put away due to the rain, I finally checked on emails and voicemails. One which is a quite concerning voice mail but that can be found on the Message Board under the update for today from me.

Thank you for your prayers and our plan today is to stay very very very dry. It is still storming here though. We have gotten a lot of rain.

Please pray for those families affected by yesterday's bridge collapse. That was horrible news to hear on the news last night. Tampa had its Sunshine Skyway Bridge Collapse many years ago in May of 1980. That is our big bridge over the Bay and many people lost their lives (35). My dad, myself and my sister had just crossed over it earlier that day.

Thank you for your prayers and please pray for Katia to stay well and healthy for surgery on the 9th. She goes to clinic on the 7th to have her Port accessed, labs and then we leave to Miami on the 8th. Right now she is the first scheduled surgery for the 9th.

Love, Tracy

***********

July 31, 2007 5:23

Hello and Happy Last day of JULY.

For some reason since I know August is going to be so busy I just want it to get here, plus it is my birthday month:)

I haven't checked the Board or Guestbook yet but due to emails I figure I better get on here and update about my doctor visit. I am going to have the postings on me on the Message Board as it gets a little lengthy and confusing and I really want this page to be about Katia and her tests, upcoming surgery, etc.

Katia is just being Katia today. She is more dressing herself these days and she has these little cotton dresses that are really soft and comfy (I should get a picture). Anyway, one is red with black polkadots (of course) and she has a green one. She is in the green one today and did her own hair and put on her own shoes and socks. She is getting to be more independent in getting herself done:)

Hopefully the bed pads arrive today (it is storming here-has been day after day) and they can get them on their beds tonight.

Lots of love,
Tracy

July 30, 2007 5:00 PM

Hello there:)

Katia is asking 101 questions about eye surgery. I don't think she likes those 2 words together but she doesn't seem scared, just that she wants to know what they are going to do and make sure she will be asleep while they are doing it.

She is a brave little girl, shows me up a lot:)

I read all the post about ideas with Tatiana and her back and right now we are going to try to Memory Foam Matress Pad. I am very much looking forward to giving it a try. I found them online so it is due to come in tomorrow. One for Tatiana's bed and one for Katia's. I hear some upcoming "ahhhhhhhhhs".

Thank you so much for your prayers and for your messages:) I think we are a bit more nervous than Katia. Any surgery is on the scary side but I feel like once she has her checkup and we have the doses set up for her "Happy Juice", things will go smoothly and I pray she will get a great deal of relief! That is the prayer:)

Love, Tracy

July 28, 2007 9:00 PM

Hello:)

So, we got back good from Miami and I have been wanting to sit down all day and do an update but things keep coming up. I wanted to be able to really put my mind to this update.

So, the trip down was good. We actually did not get a Ronald McDonald room due to no vacancies coming open so I called the place "we stayed at last time" (I will get back to that) and lined up a room to stay in. Didn't plan on that expense but they gave us a lower rate and I knew the rooms were clean and the hotel is nice (Fairfield Inn).

So, we knew the way there as it is right off the interstate. After what seemed to be a shorter trip than I thought, with no problems in traveling (Myron was driving), we pull into the parking area. This hotel is through the parking lot of the Marriott. We drive around back and all of the sudden, we see a demolished (yes demolished) hotel!!! There was no more Fairfield Inn. I am thinking, "Who did I talk to then that made the reservation?" So we ask a guy in the parking lot and he just told us that was no longer there. Okay?

So, I call the phone number I had made reservations with and come to find out, we had passed the one we had reservations at about 20 minutes before we got to this one. Both are near airports which is why they didn't say anything when I had asked, "This is the one by the airport, right?"

Okay, so we get pretty turned around in Miami, get lost a couple of times BUT the good news is, we got there to a very clean and welcoming room to stretch out in!!! YEAH!!!

Katia was already nervous about the eye visit but she went to sleep rather quickly.

Next day, we go to Bascom Palmer, up to the floor we needed to go to and go to the appointment desk. What was different about this visit than last year's visit was, THE DOCTOR WAS THERE! Remember last year, we had an appointment but the doctor was gone, on vacation.

So, we signed in and things moved pretty quickly. We were called right in and the doctor talked to us, read the letter sent from her doctors here, glanced over her meds and was just so very sweet to Katia (Dr. McKeown). He was very thorough and wanted us to go right up to see a cornea specialist, Dr. Karp. So, we did. Again, things moved along very well and we were soon in to see her. Myron and I both felt very good about things. Katia was doing well and being very cooperative!!!

Between these two offices, we did the eye drops to dilate her eyes and numb them. GOOD IDEA!

When Dr. Karp came in, we liked her from the beginning. She had a team of doctors with her and she just really gave us a sense that she was informed of Katia's case and had a good idea as to what was causing the problems and how to help ease Katia's pain.

So, the idea was to remove some filaments that are on Katia's corneas which are causing her a great deal of irritation and pain. They can be removed from the corneas and they tried to do it with a little instrument but Katia got scared and it isn't something you can have her jump as it is a sharp tool.

Her eyelids and under eyelids are extremely dry and irritated and probably effected by the same problem.

Due to the dryness, they want to insert Plugs into Katia's eyes to help her retain more moisture.

So, the idea is to have eye surgery on the 9th of August in Miami with both of these doctors. They would scrape the cornea surfaces, remove the filaments, insert the plugs, clean and scrape under the eye lids, do a thorough exam checking for any signs of cataracts and glucoma (both are side effects of treatments she has been on) and hopefully Katia would be able to do all of this outpatient. She would of course be asleep through it all.

I am definitely going to be doing some research. I am really wanting to know more about what causes the filaments and the likelihood of them coming back. Also how well the plugs can possibly work and how often they would need to be checked up on and/or replaced.

The problem is a lot of this is caused by the GVHD which is still there and also some of the problems with her eyelids are caused by the long term use of the steroids which are still being used and will continue to be used.

If this gives Katia comfort, it will be a success. It may have to be done over and over but Katia's eyes are such a discomfort for her and this whole visit to Miami gave us something much needed, a hope that her discomfort could be helped. We all liked the doctors and really feel assured by them and their eagerness and willingness to get her in as soon as they can both be scheduled together for surgery.

So, prayers are working:)

Thank you so much for checking in and for keeping her in your prayers.

Also, her eye test to check her ability to see didn't go very well but the thought is she may have limited vision also due to all of this which could explain a lot of her reading issues as well as her attention span with school. So, hopefully all of this can be helped with this surgery. That is our prayers.

I will look into things and share them as I go along and also add them to the Informational Links page as I am sure others can benefit from any research I can do. If you have any info, please feel free to pass it on to me also.

Lots of love, Tracy

******

July 25, 2007 7:00 PM

WBC 2.38 (up a bit)
HGB 15.0
PLT 345
ANC 928
Creatinine Clearance 157 (good)
FK506 (waiting)
IGG (had IVIG dose today)

So, we are back after quite a long day. THANK YOU AMY FOR THE COFFEE!!

First, we were a bit late but got going as soon as we arrived. After seeing Katia's labs and the fact her WBC count just isn't recovering, we decided to change her from the Septra doses she takes Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week to Pentamindine Monthly infusions again. Hopefully this will show some improvements. Her ANC is pretty low for someone not on chemo.

Also, we gave her a boost of GCSF to raise her counts for the trip to Miami. Hopefully she is "good to go".

What else? I have a few silent prayer request for some families and people I keep up with. They may post on their own but I do know they could use your prayers.

I personally am still waiting for my labs from blood tests the other day. I am a bit concerned about them with the delay but I am praying it is just a delay for no reason.

I do feel a bit better so I think we have gotten some of the medicine doses fixed. I felt really draggy for a while there. I thought I was never going to feel totally awake again but I do:)

Thank you for your prayers.

Lots of love, Tracy

July 25, 2007 8:55 AM

We are off to clinic this morning to get an IVIG transfusion. I am very very curious to see what Katia's counts are. Mind you they have been on a very downhill slope (her WBC) for quite some time now. I will list them in a bit. I am trying to pull up the last few WBC over the past few months.

Anyway, Katia is always happy to go to clinic. Isn't that funny? She is into going to the doctor. No, she really loves her doctors and nurses and we know they love her and always have her best in mind.

I was talking to one of them the other day about how, socially, Katia is quite behind. She is more like a very little adult. I was thinking about she has never really had a "childhood conflict" with kids her own age which is probably why she doens't know what is acceptable and not. She still breaks into tears when things go wrong or she doesn't get her way. Although we are all very understanding of this, it is one of those milestones that kids go through that Katia has missed out on. Seeing her immune system has not picked up, she can't attend the Cancer Center Meetings or go to preschool and such. I am hoping the hospital can kind of pick out a group of kids in her situation also that they can mingle. Other than that, I have a few in my head that I think she would do very good around.

We all want to see Katia grow physically but are fine with the fact she will most likely stay very small. BUT, we want to see her especially grown emotionally, socially and intellectually as much as she possibly can. Katia is a remarkable little girl and she has a lot to share but life gets pretty overwhelming to her much more now than usual and I feel like she needs a good "release".

When Sharayah leaves and Tatiana gets back into school, that is going to be one of my big concentrations. I miss the fact of knowing I will be home but I am working on that. Both Sharayah and Tatiana used to love to go to the mall early in the mornings and just run around before it got busy and the stores would open. I think that would be good for Katia to do and maybe we can meet a couple of little friends there. The mall is very open and clean where I work and I watch it in the mornings when I work. The only people there are basically employees and people that exercise by walking around and doing group exercise classes.

Prayer request today? PLEASE PRAY KATIA'S WBC HAS GONE UP SOME! Other than that, we will probably need to do a bone marrow aspirate and check her bone marrow closer to see why. I am not really sure what the idea would be to do if it appears to not be making WBC on its own. I haven't even thought that far. I am still in the stages of praying:)

Lots of love, Tracy

WBC Counts

7/2 2.02
6/7 2.13
5/17 2.90
4/19 3.10
4/3 2.83
3/17 5.18
3/10 6.90
2/26 6.20
2/24 7.38
2/19 7.25
2/12 5.18
1/31 4.05
1/10 5.73
1/5 7.96

July 24, 2007 10:48 AM

This is actually an entry from me on the Message Board but I figured I would go ahead and put it here also. It is in response to a previous prayer request for our family a few days back on the board.

Thank you so much for your recent prayers. God works in mysterious ways and I think when one keeps their eye opened waiting for a response, no matter if it is what we planned on or not, we will see His response.
I am 1/2 way through some of my recent medical tests. My neurology tests are done and I follow up with him on the 31st. My OBGYN tests are 1/2 way done and I have the mammogram, MRI and ultrasound of the breasts on the 9th of August. Then I follow up about that.

I am really amazed as to well this Board is working and how many prayer requests are being posted on here. That is truly a blessing and I am sure is appreciated by everyone posting. Please pass the Board Address along.

Katia is not really looking forward to Miami, at all. She is looking forward to the drive (junk food) but that is it really. Myron and I are really praying that this isn't just a typical consult but that we leave with some answers or even a game plan.

I talked to one of Katia's doctors at length the other day and although Katia has come through so much she has a lot to face each day. Her eyes