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So we made it back home. This time there wasn't any delays, cancellations, or other snafus.

Philadelphia is an interesting city. The new is interspersed with the old without a lot of rhyme or reason. Although there seems to be a lot of commercial construction that dates to the '20's to '40's. Mix that in with a good number of houses and commercial buildings from the 1880's. And new construction starting in the '70's and it looks like Philly has had more of set of spurts of large construction efforts instead of a steady stream. Well at least in the areas we are visiting, and that's really only a 3 mile strip along Chestnut and Walnut.

So we got good news from the oncologists and ophthalmologists. On Friday, we visited the eye surgeon's office again for a retina-cam, which is a special digital camera that can take photographs of the retina. The comparison between the two was pretty dramatic in my mind. Where the original photos showed balloon like structures with crisscross blood vessels, there were two shriveled white stones, that looked a lot like coral. Apparently this is what the doctors were looking for in anticipation of success. Turns out these calcifications or "stones" are what are left of the tumors when they die. I'm assuming that like other fluid-filled areas these calcifications are what happens after some damage, like kidney stones or gal bladder stones.

The doctors said that they will remain there, and be the source of Molly's ongoing leukocoria. I suppose they don't attempt to remove them because that can cause more damage than help. It wouldn't be good to have a left-over bit in there that becomes a "floater" and causes more problems in the future. Maybe in 20 years they will have some sort of therapy. It was just 20 years ago that most kids went completely blind from retinoblastoma. Until then, it looks like Molly will at least have peripheral vision in both eyes. We'll have to see how it all comes out. I hope that she'll be able to participate in school without special help.

Only time will tell. Until then, it's been a pretty nice fall so far. I'll have to post some pictures from around the yard. Enjoy the clock at 9th & Chestnut.

Sweet Liberty

So this is my third trip to Philadelphia, and first time seeing the Liberty Bell in person. We almost missed it by like 10 minutes. Apparently when John, Dan and I were here at 6 PM on a Sunday night it wasn't so crazy that everything was closed. So it seems that like other government enterprises, national monuments in downtown Philadelphia close promptly at 5 PM also. Well we got in, and were able to walk the building (basically a hallway with Liberty Bell kitsch) and see the bell too, crack and all.

Molly had her exam-under-anesthesia (EUA) today. We got some good news that both the tumors have shrunk, and that the "blister" area surrounding them, where the tumors had begun to lift the retina away from the back of the eye, were gone. The doctor performed some laser therapy, which is a means to coalesce/condense the tumor into a neat package. She also indicated that Molly doesn't have any new tumors, and every thing looks to be progressing nicely. One thing of note is that Molly will always have some leukocoria, white-eye shine, because when the tumors die, they become calcified, and they scars they leave behind won't have the reddish appearance of a normal retina.

Personally I've gotten to experience the Philly blue-line el-train/subway. We forgot some paperwork, so after we had taken a taxi to the Wills Eye Hospital, I had to hoof it back to our room at the Ronald McDonald house. We took the train yesterday to do some sight seeing too, so the round trip wasn't too bad. I think we'll take the train again tomorrow.

Philly Again

So today we traveled to Philadelphia again. It wasn't a very early start. Our flight out was at 8:55 AM. That is our flight was at 8:55 but was canceled, and so we had to catch the next one at 9:55. That gave us a 5 minute layover in Chicago. Fortunately, the gate attendants were helpful, and the two planes were literally next to each other.

We got a hold of the Ronald McDonald house while we were in Chicago. They had a room for us, so we're able to save a bunch of money there (over the cost of a hotel in down-town Philly).

Not to be undone, Seymour (our weirdo cactus thing) had to put in his efforts too. He decided to bloom for a second time this summer. Two blooms were open this morning, with a third that had just closed, or will open tonight. There's still two more that haven't opened yet. That makes a total of 7 flowers this year. I think you can tell from the picture the blooms are pretty incredible. They only open, one night each, so Seymour puts a lot of work into each one.

Well we have our examination with the eye surgeon tomorrow. Wish us luck!

If it's not one thing, it's another!

So last week, I had to take Marcus to the doctor. He has ear infection and is on antibiotics. Then Molly got a fever yesterday. I called the doctor and took her in, they did labs and stuff and said it was a virus and to call them in the morning. So we did. Then they said to come in for iv antibiotics, I think just in case. So we are doing that this week. I tell ya, if it's not one thing, it's another! We go to Philly next week! I am anxious to go. I also don't understand how you can meet your max out of pocket, and they still charge you $.80 for antibiotics! It's a love hate relationship with the insurance company right now!

-Kalee

On the Mend!

Kalee called me at work today from the doctor's office, and said that Molly's blood tests are on the up-curve and it doesn't look like Molly will need any more platelet or red-blood-cell infusions after this last round of chemo. That's great news, and means that she's coming closer to recovery from the last treatment.

Millard Days 2009...

Marcus riding the dragon...


Marcus driving a motorcycle, just like daddy's... Kinda!


This was the first ride Marcus went on. We were standing there watching and I asked him if he wanted to ride it and he answered yes and that he wanted to ride the ostrich (the rooster). It kinda looked like an ostrich though. As we were going around he looked at me and said "This is fun!". He was so excited. He also rode the train and a purple car and I don't know what else, but he didn't want to leave. Good times!

I love these guys!

My boys! Marcus had his hair mo hawked for a minute, you can kinda tell here!


This is after Marcus's eye appointment and they dilated his eyes. They gave him some cool shades to wear home!


Here is my Molly! This was just today. We had lots of big smiles today!

Schramm Park...

We decided to go to Schramm Park today to feed the geese, but the geese wern't there. So we fed the fish a half of a bag of honey nut cheerios. They really like them. Here are some photos from our little outing.






Molly seems to be doing really well! She was a little sick on Thursday, but seems to be doing good now. She did have to get platelets again on Friday, and we go back again Tuesday to see if they are up or if she will need more or what. Let's pray all her numbers are where they are supposed to be!

Big shocker... Marcus can See!

So, no big surprise here, Marcus can see. We went to the eye doctor yesterday to have Marcus's eyes checked. They said his retinas look just fine and that at some point in his life he will need glasses, just like anyone else! No big deal. It was recommended that Marcus have his eyes checked just because Molly has the bilateral form of retinoblastoma. I have no concerns about his vision. That boy can see tiny little airplanes, way up in the sky!

Molly is doing pretty good. I think she might be a little nauseous because she got a little sick this morning. She hadn't for days, so I don't know what that was about. She has her appetite back in full force! It seems to me like she is focusing a little more on objects. I am excited to go to Philadelphia to see how the tumors are responding to the chemo. I really do think she can see more now, than before.

Molly did have to receive platelets on Tuesday. We have to go back tomorrow to see if she needs to have more or if her numbers are OK. But, I will tell you, you would never know she is sick. She is so happy and playing and eating! Thank you all for all of your thoughts and continued prayers! We are a 1/3 of the way done with chemo!