October 28, 2006

We received Samantha's MRI results from Houston this week and they are saying that they consider them to be stable. She has had 10% growth in one area but has had "significant decrease in the intensity of enhancement" (which means less active Cells). We will be repeating her MRI in about 4 weeks as we work to get her to her maximum dose of antineoplastons. They are increasing her dose more rapidly and hope to see a decrease again in enhancement but in size as well.
Samantha is still recovering from last weeks surgeries but seems to be getting a little better everyday. She is so strong she amazes us so much.
Please continue to pray for her and all the others fighting this terrible disease more specifically our little friend Colby Steigerwald. We met the Steigerwald's at St. Jude and they are very special people to us. Colby, who is only 5 years old, has had a significant increase in his tumor and needs extra prayers sent his way.
Thank you once again for all your love, support, and prayers.
With love and hope,
Audra, Kurt, Christopher, Samantha, and Jason

October 24, 2006

Samantha's MRI was done as scheduled on Friday morning. She layed still through almost 3 hours of films like a trooper.
During the days prior to the MRI she had some minor headaches, increased tiredness and some dizziness. On saturday morning she was complaining of nausea. After calling the neuro surgeon in Orlando we were soon on the road. She ended up being admitted (once again) to Arnold Palmer due to increased pressure in her brain from fluid build up. They tried to tap her shunt to relieve the pressure but were unsuccessful. She underwent surgery on Saturday afternoon. She seemed to be feeling better Saturday evening as they drained some fluid while they were doing the procedure. On Sunday morning (still in the hospital) when we tried to wake her she was unresponsive. After being rushed to cat scan, which revealed the catheter was positioned wrong and was not letting any fluid drain, it was back in the OR for Samantha. She underwent her second surgery in less than 24 hours. This time they used a shorter catheter when revising her shunt and it relieved the pressure that was building up in and around her brain. Needless to say it was a very emotional/stressful weekend for all of us. She gave us a good scare.
Thankfully we are back home and she is on the road to recovery. We started her back on her treatment this afternoon which we were hoping to be able to do. Hopefully we will see some changes in her energy and abilities now that her shunt is working again.
We have not gotten an official report from Houston with her MRI results yet but expect to have it on Friday. We will be sure to update as soon as we can.
On a happy note Samantha lost her first tooth this evening, which she has been desperately waiting for. It put a great big smile on her face.
Please keep the prayers alive.
With love,
Audra, Kurt, Christopher, Samantha, and Jason

October 15, 2006

Samantha is doing pretty well on her treatment. We have made a lot of improvement since last weekend as far as seizures and her overall energy seems much better. We continue to increase her IV dosage hoping to get to her maximum dose soon so her body can get used to it and level out some. She remains in pretty good spirits. We went to the concert last night to benefit Children with Astrocytomas and she had a good time. She even liked going up on stage and being introduced. We didn't think she would last as long as she did, so we were pleased with that. It was a nice night out for all of us.
Samanthas MRI is scheduled for this coming friday, October 20th. We are, of course, anxiously praying we will get some good news and will let you all know when we get the results. Please continue to pray that this is Samanthas answer to this horrible disease and we get some positive answers this week.
We also wanted to thank all of you for making Samanthas 7th birthday so special with all the gifts, cards, phone calls, and visits. She really enjoyed her birthday which was nice to see. We appreciate all the love you showed her and how good you made her feel. Lets hope 7 is her lucky number!!!
With love,
Audra, Kurt, Christopher, Samantha, & Jason.

October 11, 2006

Just a quick note for all our Florida supporters. This Saturday, October 14th, there will be a concert held in Port St. Lucie at 6:00 pm. This is being run by an organization called "The Teddy Fund" it is a benefit for children with Astrocytomas. It will be held at Tradition Field 525 NW Peacock Blvd. Samantha will be introduced and we will be asked to tell her story before the concert begins. If anyone is interested in a night out and enjoys music tickets are on sale now. Please call 772-871-2115 if you would like to attend. You can find out more about the show and who will be performing by going to www.TheTeddyFund.org.

October 3, 2006

We are all settling in at home once again. Samantha has started back with her homebound teacher and is back to learning. She is still having trouble with seizures which really limits what she can and can not do. She seems to be tolerating the meds okay but is excessivly thirsty and hungry from the steroids. We are hoping to start decreasing those soon as they are also disrupting her sleep which may be adding to the seizures. It seems to be a cycle we can not get away from. She has her next MRI scheduled for October 20th. Hoping and praying real hard that we see some positive signs from this new treatment although we were told it may be to early to see anything real significant but it is possible.
Samantha still has a pretty low energy level (may also be due to interrupted sleep) but she is trying to get motivated here and there. Her interests are minimal at this point but she does get bored. We would really love to see her be able to enjoy herself again, please pray for that for her. She really deserves some fun. Will update again when we have some news to report.
With love,
Audra, Kurt, Christopher, Samantha, & Jason