Houston

Larry, Amanda and Haley have had a good weekend together in Houston. The girls have really enjoyed their time together and it was a special Valentine's Day for them to all share.

It is now my turn to go. During the time that I have been here, many different people have approached me with questions regarding this time in Houston. Because so many people are asking the same questions, I am going to post their questions and my answers and hopefully answer questions that some of you may have been wondering about as well.

1) Does Amanda have cancer in her lungs?

Yes, probably. Every cancer has its own way to spread and osteo sarcoma, when it travels, goes to the lungs. There are tiny "flecks", "specks", "spots" (they have been called a variety of things) in each of Amanda's lungs. They have been there a long time but thankfully they have remained stable - meaning they have never grown or changed. They are so small that they can not be biopsied. Only by removing them from the lungs can the Doctors test them and finally know for certain what they are.

2)If they are cancer, why didn't they grow?

I don't know for certain how to answer this, but there are a couple of possible reasons. 1) It could be that the chemo controlled them and has kept them from growing yet. 2) It could be that prayer kept them from growing. 3) It is possible that they are dead spots of cancer that were already destroyed by her chemo treatments. 4)There is then the (slight) chance that they are not cancer and are lesions or deposits caused by something benign.

3)Why did Dr. Anderson move the surgery up?

We need to know what these spots are. For Amanda's protection, she would have to stay on chemo until the surgery in June so that if they are live cancer spots they aren't free to grow and spread in her system. She has had so much chemo that it would be very hard on her to have that much more and then find out what the spots actually were. The best decision - no matter what the flecks are - is to get them out of her lungs as soon as possible, test them and then make knowledgeable decisions regarding her future treatment.

4)How will they remove them and will they do one lung at a time?

I don't know these answers yet. After we have met with the surgeon or talked with our doctor later this week, we should learn the surgical details. We were told to anticipate a stay of at least two weeks following the surgery. I am certain that our stay is directly effected by the way they choose to operate and the outcome. We will keep you updated as we learn all of these details.


I know this may not answer all the questions that people have, but I hope it helps. There is One who holds all the answers and already knows all about these spots and what they are, and we ask for the faith to continue trusting in His plan for our daughter.

Now, I need to get packing...