Nikki will be blogging for 24 hours on July 29th to raise money for the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation in honor of brave NB Fighters! Please
ACK! We're up to $892!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Maisie thanks you too! Let's get to $900 or better yet, $1000!!!!!!
Super Fighter, Erin! [Post #22 7:30 PM]
Erin began treatment on July 23 in 2002 with chemotherapy. The protocol called for organizing chemo into five segments of twenty-one days each. Erin's second and fifth rounds were identical, but all of the other rest had different lengths and different chemicals.
The first round was especially rough on Erin, the rest she tolerated remarkably well, attending school, dance lessons, and church activities.
After Erin finished the induction chemo process, she had a large round of tests and scans to determine how effective the chemo had been. Because the tumor had been responsive to the chemo (bone marrow cleared and tumor shrunk considerably), she was then scheduled for resection surgery. That was a twelve-hour ordeal with a two week recovery, but she came through with flying colors and recovered in time to begin the first of two stem cell rescue procedures.
In Erin's first stem cell procedure (December 2002), she received high doses of carboplatin, etoposide, and cyclophosphomide. She had a complication-free transplant and returned home on Day +11 (before Christmas). In January, she returned to the hospital for rescue number two, which consisted of total body irradiation (TBI) and Melphalan. She left the hospital on Day+12 in time for her school Valentine's party.
After stem cell rescue, Erin received six consecutive (working) days of local radiation to her original tumor site. The remainder of her treatment consisted of cis-retinoic acid (accutane) given orally at home for six cycles and a series of vaccines built from Erin's own tumor cells that we hoped would help train her body's immunity system to fight and kill any tumor cells that lingered or recurred.
Unfortunately, Erin relapsed in March of 2005. She’s back to fighting again.
Nikki’s Notes: Erin’s mom told me that Erin is enthusiastic about ALOT of things. She loves soccer and horseback riding and almost everything else. She is proud of having a lot of really good friends. I bet Erin would love to become friends with some fellow NB fighters! Please visit Erin’s site here: http://users3.ev1.net/%7Eerinbuenger . Sign her guestbook or drop her an email!
Super Fighter, Erin! [Post #22 7:30 PM]
Erin began treatment on July 23 in 2002 with chemotherapy. The protocol called for organizing chemo into five segments of twenty-one days each. Erin's second and fifth rounds were identical, but all of the other rest had different lengths and different chemicals.
The first round was especially rough on Erin, the rest she tolerated remarkably well, attending school, dance lessons, and church activities.
After Erin finished the induction chemo process, she had a large round of tests and scans to determine how effective the chemo had been. Because the tumor had been responsive to the chemo (bone marrow cleared and tumor shrunk considerably), she was then scheduled for resection surgery. That was a twelve-hour ordeal with a two week recovery, but she came through with flying colors and recovered in time to begin the first of two stem cell rescue procedures.
In Erin's first stem cell procedure (December 2002), she received high doses of carboplatin, etoposide, and cyclophosphomide. She had a complication-free transplant and returned home on Day +11 (before Christmas). In January, she returned to the hospital for rescue number two, which consisted of total body irradiation (TBI) and Melphalan. She left the hospital on Day+12 in time for her school Valentine's party.
After stem cell rescue, Erin received six consecutive (working) days of local radiation to her original tumor site. The remainder of her treatment consisted of cis-retinoic acid (accutane) given orally at home for six cycles and a series of vaccines built from Erin's own tumor cells that we hoped would help train her body's immunity system to fight and kill any tumor cells that lingered or recurred.
Unfortunately, Erin relapsed in March of 2005. She’s back to fighting again.
Nikki’s Notes: Erin’s mom told me that Erin is enthusiastic about ALOT of things. She loves soccer and horseback riding and almost everything else. She is proud of having a lot of really good friends. I bet Erin would love to become friends with some fellow NB fighters! Please visit Erin’s site here: http://users3.ev1.net/%7Eerinbuenger . Sign her guestbook or drop her an email!
posted by nikki the red at 7:31 PM
4 Comments:
Hi lady! I've been stuck at work all day where they won't let me post comments, but I'm finally home and wanted to let you know that I've sent you some emails in case you haven't been checking your email, because, well, you've been writing all day or something. I think I'll go donate some more money so I can see you in your tap dance costume. tee hee. Keep up the good work! Your puppy is just adorable!
Love,
Traci
Thanks for the lovely notes about Erin. Unlike many children with NB, Erin has enjoyed very good health during her relapse (18 months). She plays soccer on a boys team, rides horses every week, does great in school, and is involved in many, many other things. Her current chemo lets her hair grow out and she is very proud of her red waves.
Hang in there Nikki!
VB
This is a fantastic idea for a blog ... I work for a stem cell transplant program, and we see kids like this every day. Bravo!
- Jaime
we redheads have to stick together!
and yes, traci, i got your email. did you get mine?
thank you jaime! i entered your gift drawing! hehe.
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