31 July 2007 2:43pm It's a quiet day for the Lee's. Nothing was planned for Kara at St Jude so they're going to the grocery store and are going to make some needed phone calls to insurance companies. Don't we just love dealing with them? Kara is doing well and full of energy today. Praise God for this!
Lauren & I have been waiting since 7am for a call from Dr Malik's office in Knoxville. St Jude sent a package by FedEx with everything needed to take Lauren's blood sample, but it didn't arrive today, it's still in Memphis. They told FedEx it's a medical emergency, but it must have been overlooked anyway. It looks like it won't arrive until tomorrow morning at the soonest. So we'll try again tomorrow. It would've been much simpler if they'd have done this in Memphis last week like anticipated. I don't understand the delays, but we're trusting that this is all in God's hands so I'm sure it's part of His plan too. Or maybe God is helping me to have more patience. Whatever.....Thank God for ALL things, right? He sure is taking VERY good care of us all, and we're very thankful for all His blessings!

30 July 2007 12:06pm Megan just called, her & Tony just had their blood drawn. Tony wanted to know if they would get a sticker like Kara? So Kara gave Megan her sticker and gave Tony her new doll that the administration had just given her. :)

30 July 2007 11:12am I just heard from Megan. She's happy! The cancer cells in Kara's bone morrow have gone from 100% down to 50%. This is good news since she had only 2 rounds of chemo at the time. She has had another one since then!!! The Nurse apologized about not getting Lauren's blood work done before she left. She said they decided to only get Lauren's, Megan & Tony's blood tested. If Lauren is identical, they will use hers. She said it'll be like putting Kara's own cells back into her, except they'll be cancer free. This is the best possible choice for Kara. If they aren't identical, they'll see which of the three would be a better match for Kara. Dr Ferman wasn't sure how urgent the team needs the blood, but if they need it right away, Lauren can go to the doctor in Knoxville that sent them to St. Jude and he can test Lauren and FedEx the blood to St. Jude. Kara goes back to the clinic on Thursday. They'll check her blood again, if they use her own stem cells they want to get them when her count is going back up, and the doctor wants them to tour the blood donor room. They try to keep everyone prepared. That's all I know for now. Please join us in thanking God for this good report and his comfort, love, and healing power over Kara. He is WONDERFUL!!! Remember......HOPE!!

30 July 2007 8:46am Not much has happened since the last update with Kara. We are still waiting for the results of the biopsy, they do have part of them back. On Friday the doctor woke Megan up at 7:30 in the morning asking her if she had any questions. She is slow to wake up so she didn't ask what part of the results were back, she's just going to wait till their appointment today and hopefully she'll find out everything. I'll post again today when I know what they are. They didn't get the blood samples from the rest of the family before we brought the kids home yesterday, so I guess there's no hurry on that. They are giving Kara her double dose of the G shot, so they must be still going to draw her stem cells. They'll check her in 10 days (from the start of her last chemo), to see if they're ready. That should be this Thursday. They dismissed her to the McDonald house on Saturday, they checked her blood yesterday and her counts were real good, and she has been hooked to an IV (it's only saline for fluids), all weekend. They plan to remove it today for her. She's been carrying her own IV bag around, she even takes it down the slide and on the swing set with her. She's been in a great mood all weekend and a blessing to be around. I know you're as anxious to know the results as we are, so I'll let you know as soon as I know. God Bless.

26 July 2007 8:19pm A lot has happened today, but the news we've all been waiting on.......we are still waiting on! The doctor on-call didn't have the results yet. He or her main doctor (Dr Ferman) will talk to them as soon as they find out. Dr Ferman has been talking with the transplant team and they want to see if Lauren is identical to Kara. They will be testing her tomorrow and they've decided it might be best to test the whole family too. If Lauren is identical, it would be the best option to use her stem cells for Kara's transplant. There is always a chance of cancer cells in Kara's, but Lauren's would be clean. So they want to see if anyone else in the immediate family might be compatible in case Lauren isn't. It's a simple blood test to find out. They said they'd numb Lauren's arm so the needle won't hurt her. Drawing the stem cells can be done as an out patient. It's similar to a transfusion. Only they will draw the blood from a direct line in the groin. (They put children under anesthetic when they put in the direct line). The drawing procedure takes 4 to 6 hrs. The blood is drawn from the line then filtered through a machine that spins and separates the stem cells from the blood, then the blood goes directly back into the body. They do something else to them to get them ready for the transplant, which will be after her 6th chemo treatment. They said this is the perfect time to do the draw. We'll probably know more tomorrow, and we'll be sure to bring you all up to date. The other kids had so much fun today. They walked on red carpet and the nurses cheered. They got trophies and put their hand prints on stars, and got their pictures taken. They were so excited, they made them feel real special today. You know it has to be hard on the whole family being away from home, but at least they can be together. They try to meet the needs of everyone @ St Jude. Thank God she's there... it's a wonderful place. Mike & I will be going this weekend and Kara wants us to bring some cotton candy and watermelon jolly ranchers, so Mamaw Lee came over with cotton candy and watermelon bubble gum. I better get the jolly ranchers before we see her or I won't get my big hug and kiss like she promised. Those hugs & kisses are worth a million!!! Thanks for all the cards & gifts. It seems like we always have a load of them when we go to see them, and she loves it. Megan is behind on thank you notes, but she's working on them. I told her I'm sure everyone understands how busy she is. Let's keep praying and hopefully I'll have wonderful news to tell tomorrow. God bless!

25 July 2007 9:56pm Megan said Kara had a good day. She's been stuck in the room getting her chemo, but she's doing fine. They're keeping her occupied and she's eating well. She's only gotten sick once this time. Her blood pressure was a little low today and they thought they'd have to give her some fluids, but they didn't have to after all. Please join us in thanking God for how well her little body has been accepting all the treatments. I'm amazed at how good she looks too. Tomorrow St Jude is having 'sibling star day'. From 10-2pm they have activities and lunch planned for the siblings of all the patients. I'm sure the kids will have a great time. Also, tomorrow they'll get the results from the biopsy. Please pray about this too. God has been sooo good to us. God bless all you prayer warriors!!!!!!!!!!

24 July 2007 6:16pm It was very, very late last night when they started Kara's chemo. She has been cranky today. They met with several people concerning drawing of the stem cells and her transplant. It was hard for them to remember everything that was said, and of course they have lots of questions now. On the 10th day after this round of chemo they will start checking to see if Kara has enough stem cells to draw, in the mean time she'll be getting a double dose of the G shot, so they're pretty sure she'll be ready. We'll go into the procedures of how they draw them later. They won't be doing the actual transplant until after her 6th (and final round), of intravenous chemo. They do plan on giving her chemo by mouth and some radiation after the transplant. I wasn't aware you could take chemo by mouth, but there's a lot I don't know............ really! I do know we serve a Mighty God who is able to turn this around for Kara. She's doing as well as anyone can expect right now. We've had no major problems, and she's right on the doctors schedule. There are many children who are in pain and get very sick with their treatments, but Kara is doing great. She has a lot ahead of her, let's all continue to pray that God will continue to protect her from all of this. Bless you all!

23 July 2007 3:30pm It's been a very busy day today. Kara had lab work done in the morning. Her ANC (blood count ) is 2900, YEY!!! Her platelets are 157, YEY!!! Her Hemoglobin is 12, YEY!!! So off she went to "D" clinic. They explained the plans are to harvest her stem cells as soon after this 3rd treatment as possible. Her treatment starts tonight. She's going to have 3 different mixtures of chemo this round. It will last the normal 5 days. Her counts should then begin to drop. They are going to double the dose of her G shot, and as soon as the counts start going back up is when they'll be checking her stem cell count to see if it's high enough to start harvesting her own stem cells for her upcoming transplant. After explaining this, she was off to have her biopsy. This takes a little while so the family went to eat. She was smiling when she woke up from her biopsy and gave the nurse a kiss & hug. They've adjust her anesthetic meds a little, because she had been waking up very upset and throwing things. So this is wonderful for everyone!!! They are to meet with the doctor on Thursday to discuss the results of this biopsy. Tomorrow they're going to have 3 different meetings with people from the stem cell department, they'll being going into depth explaining what the procedure entails. They talk like the main thing now is to get the harvesting done, the removal of the tumor can wait till after the 4th round of chemo. They don't seem to be concerned because the chemo is keeping the tumor from growing. Right now they've all left to get something to eat, they're waiting on a call saying a room is ready for Kara @ St Jude. Megan said the weather is beautiful today. We're very thankful to the good Lord for her progress so far. Thank you for all the comments in the guestbook (they check it several X's a day), and for all of you who are checking in and praying for Kara. We serve a Mighty God!!!

21 July 2007 7:54pm The update is good for today. Everyone is feeling fine, they've been to the craft room today learning how to make baskets. Mawmaw & Papaw Lee made it there ok, and they're going to go outside and play. They have a several play grounds, and a nice basketball court. Also a few porches with rocking chairs for us Mamaws to rock our babies in. Last week Kara let me rock her when she got tired, she rested about 10 minutes and was ready to go again. I know the last update it seemed like I asked you to pray for so many things, and I know you all have problems and needs too. I may not know what they all are, but God does, and he is mindful of all of them. I'm praying that he helps you with your problems also. I just have one more urgent prayer request. When Kara had her C scan last week, it showed the tumor hadn't shrunk, but it hadn't grown anymore either. Well, she's to have another bone morrow biopsy Monday, we'd really like to hear that the bone morrow is clear, or almost clear of any cancer cells. This may be a lot to ask for after just 2 rounds of chemo, but it would be the most wonderful news! I know she's doing better and the Lord is helping all of us. We have HOPE!!

20 July 2007 11:49am The Lee's have a free day today. They are looking at the map now & trying to decide where to go. Everyone is feeling great! I think they may go to the Children's museum in Memphis. It's one of the places that offers a discount to St Jude families. Mike & I are going to stay home this weekend, Mamaw & Papaw Lee will be making the trip this time. They need to see Butch's Mom, she's in Livingston, TN hospital with a blood clot in the heart. This is on their way to Memphis, so they plan on going on to see the kids tomorrow too. Vonda's Dad is in St Vincent's hospital in Indy, he just had his gall bladder removed. They are both very ill, so it would be wonderful if all you prayer warriors would remember them in your prayers too. It's bad enough to have Kara so sick, but they also have their parents to worry about. We can help them carry the burden, this is one of the things God expects us to do for one another. It's hard to believe that 7 weeks ago, we didn't have any major worries..........the whole world can turn upside down overnight. God's grace is sufficient and His love unconditional! He is our present help in trouble! Please continue to pray for Kara's healing, God's wisdom for the doctors, traveling mercy for all, peace & comfort for the sick parents, and strength for us all, and remember all the children at St Jude also. I pray that the Lord will bless you, and keep you safe from all harm & evil also. Thank God that He hears & answers prayers. We feel so humbled by all the love & prayers that are going up for Kara. We have HOPE.

19 July 2007 2:18pm Hi all. Kara spent the morning at St Jude, she was expecting to have lab work and a bone morrow biopsy. They did the blood work, and her plateletes are a little lower (33) than they want, they'd like to see them at 50. It isn't something that needs to be done today. If they were to go ahead with the biopsy today, it would cause bruising, and pain in her hip. So they rescheduled it for Monday. It looks like she's free for the weekend. They were going to Kroger's this afternoon for groceries. We're going to see them again Saturday and take extra clothes for the kids, Megan & Tony want them to stay with them in Memphis next week also. The plans Monday are to do more lab work, bone morrow biopsy, and start the 3rd round of chemo. After this round the surgeon wants to remove the tumor, and they are talking about removing her stem cells after this round too, so they can harvest them for her bone morrow transplant. It looks like she'll be in the hospital during all of this time, so the nurses will get to spoil her some more.... Please pray that nothing happens this weekend to interfere with the schedules, we want her to get well as quick as possible. Continue to pray for strength for Kara and family, and God's perfect will to be done. God be with you all!

18 July 2007 2:25pm Last night the Lee's went to the airport, this time they went into the terminal and watched planes take off and land. Today they didn't have any appointments scheduled anywhere and Kara is feeling good so they got up early and went to the Memphis Zoo. I talked to them about 11:30am and they were on a train ride. They've seen tigers, cheetahs & lions. They were on their way to see the lion show, then to see the polar bear exhibit. They have rode on another carousel, some kiddy rides and the boats. They were all excited and enjoying the day. Their only complaint was the heat, but Kara is wearing a hat. I hope they're taking pictures so we can share them with you all. I hope they have many more days like this ahead of them. One day at a time. We do appreciate each day more now since this sickness has come upon us. We are blessed to have a healing and miracle working God to deliver us from this cancer. No matter what we have to face in this life, God has a plan and He'll bring us out. Praise Him forever!

17 July 2007 3:40pm Good news about Kara today! They're packing up to leave the hosiptal and go back to McDonald House. No more fever, nothing grew on her culture, she can stop her 'pokies', and stop the meds to bring her phosphates up. Her count is up to 3600. They may never know what caused her fever...it doesn't matter now, she's on the mend again!!! Praise God!!! The only thing to be concerned about today was her hemoglobin was low, so they gave her a transfusion before leaving St Jude today. They meet again with the doctor on Thursday to talk about the next round of chemo. Megan looks for it to start Monday. I'm sure they'll have a few happy days together. I'm so glad they decided to keep the kids this week. They're happiest when they're all together. Thank you for all your prayers, I know this is what is making the difference on Kara's recovery. God bless you all!

16 July 2007 8:49pm It's been a very busy day for Kara & family. The results of her scan were good. The tumor hasn't grown any or spread to any lymph nodes or organs. The doctor said it takes an awful lot of chemo to get them to shrink, and he didn't expect to see it smaller after just 2 rounds. It takes a more accumulation chemo for it to shrink. This is great, but we were hoping they would say it had shrunk some. He said the chemo is working because it hasn't gotten bigger or spread. Thank the good Lord for this. Her temp. has been normal this afternoon and she's been pushing her own IV pole with her when she goes down the hall. She's only complained 3 times of her belly hurting, she's perkier and Tony said you can tell she feels better. Her blood count is up to 1100, so yesterday was her low point and now she's building back up again. Tony thinks they'll start her 3rd round the 1st of next week. He said they'd like to do her surgery to remove the tumor the 1st of August. God is wonderful and taking such good care of our little Kara, I give him all the praise!!!

15 July 2007 3:00pm Kara has been readmitted to the hospital. She began running a fever last night, today her fever is 102 and her stomache is cramping. They are giving her antibiotics, the doctor believes that she has contracted another bug. Her hemoglobin and platelets are both good. Her WBC count is down to 300 so they won't be doing surgery this week. She has had a really good week up till this point. She is being a little trooper while taking her pokies, although she cries when they give her the shot she does really good in holding her leg still while they give them to her, she only cries for about a minute and then is good again. Everyone please pray that she won't have to go back into isolation with this bug.
The other kids will be staying with Tony and Megan this week too. Tomorrow Kara is scheduled for another cat scan.

12 July 2007 6:26pm I just heard from Megan. They just got done at St Jude. Good news is her counts are dropping just as we hoped. They are at 1900, and her vitals are good, she didn't need any blood or platelets, they'd dropped, but they're still alright. Her Phosphates are low, so they want her to drink Coke, and they've given her some stuff to put in drinks three times a day to help bring this up. The doctor said it would be good for the family to come this weekend, they need to reconnect, they seem to do better when they are stimulated. We need to watch for excess bruising, bleeding gums, and fever, and have a plan in place should she need to go to the hospital. Monday she'll spend all day at St Jude. They'll do labs again, see the doctor, and they're scheduling a CAT scan on the abdominal, chest & pelvis. She'll be sedated for this. They have a surgery opening on Tuesday the 17th. He's not sure if her count will be up enough by then, but if it is, he'll try to get her scheduled on the 17th. If not, they'll try to remove the tumor after her third round of chemo. He doesn't seem to think it has to be done now. We'll see how her body is responding on Monday, he can't predict, he said they all respond differently. We're happy the counts are down, let's pray God's will be done about removing this tumor. We want to be in God's perfect will for Kara. Pray for the Dr's too, we want them to use wisdom and be guided by the Lord. On one day each month they celebrates birthdays at the McDonald house, and yesterday they had a party with presents, cake and pizza for everyone. They went to that and had a good time. Best of all, they found a shopping center that has a working carousel. They paid the money to ride it, and then they asked if Kara was a special needs child? Megan said she just has cancer....so they gave them their money back and said she could ride as long as she wanted. Well, I guess she rode the horse, lion, and I forget what else, but she sure did ride and laugh and enjoy herself. She wants to go back tonight, so I think they're planning on taking her. God bless you all!!! Your prayers are being answered!!!

11 July 2007 3:17pm Not much is going on, which can be a good thing. They slept in this morning and don't have any hospital visits to make today. Yesterday Kara checked out the craft room at the McDonald house, it was nice, I'm sure she'll spend a lot of time there. She also had a lot of energy and was playing at the playgound, Tony got wore out before she did, and asked Megan to take over so he could rest. She still seems to have a good appetite, and she eats whenever they offer her food, but only takes a couple bites and she's finished. This mixture of chemo usually upsets their stomach more than the other kind, but she has been blessed, she's had no vomiting since they've been dismissed from St Jude. Tomorrow they go to St Jude and she'll have lab work done, and they'll check her vitals, and weigh her. Then they'll go to the clinic and see the doctor and talk to him about how things are going, so I should have some news late tomorrow for everyone. Thank you for checking in, and all your prayers and support. You are all so special!

10 July 2007 3:11pm We have wonderful news!!! Yesterday Kara went for her blood work and check up. Her blood count was an unbelievable 8600 !!!!!!!!! What a wonderful God we serve!!!!!!!!! The Doctor believes this is partly because of her G shot, but I'm absolutely sure our good Lord had a big hand in this. She also didn't need any platelets or a blood transfusions. Isn't this great? She feels like playing and I could tell Megan fells so much better too. The Doctor doesn't think her count will go down as far as it did on the first treatment. I think he said this is due to the fact that she seems to be producing more cells than the first time. Her counts need to drop though, to show the treatments are killing off cells. She is to have another check up for this on Thursday of this week. They have been moved to the McDonald House. They are in room #40. Megan & Tony like it better, they have more storage room, she said she doesn't feel like she living out of suit cases. She hopes they'll be able to settle into a routine now. Thank you all for praying for Evan too. He seems to be doing better. Prayer really works.....I can't say this enough! God bless everyone...We need your prayers and love you all so much!

08 July 2007 10:26pm I know this is late, but we haven't been home long and seems we've been on the phone most of the night. All is good & so is the Lord!!!! They all had a good night sleep. You're only allowed 4 people in the Grizzly House, so Papaw Mike & I stayed @ the Grizzly, and we put Tony & Megan and the kids up in a motel. They wanted just one more night together before we brought the kids back. They enjoyed it, and told us it was real big and they had their own kitchen. That didn't impress me, but Erica thought having their own kitchen was a real treat. After a week of hospital & fast food I guess it was special. Kara had an appointment this morning to have her IV checked. They checked her body chemicals, and they were just fine, so they disconnected her IV. This was real good news. They wanted her to start the G shot today....she knew she was going to have to have one soon. She has dreaded this more than anything else. They give her the shot in the morning and get it out of the way. Today she cried a lot but it went better than the other shots have. Tomorrow they go back to the hospital for blood work. We know her counts are down, we're getting to know the signs. She's doing pretty good for a child with this type of tumor, but we see the chemo is dragging her down some, she's paler, there are dark circles around her eyes, and she's bruising real easy now. She still has a few whispers of hair here and there. Loosing the hair doesn't seem to bother her any more, she doesn't want to wear a hat now. This could be because most of the kids around her don't have any hair either. Very few seem to wear hats. She still has that sweet little smile and still loves to tease, (and be teased), and act silly. She's become pretty bossy....and we ALL jump when she starts making demands. KARA RULES!!! That's for sure! Megan is feeling a lot better now. She was probably a little stressed and run down. It was very hard on all of them when we left today, but they settled down by the time we were on the interstate. We had a good trip home, and Tony & Megan took Kara to the airport to watch the planes, she didn't get out of the car, but she really enjoyed seeing lots & lots of planes. Well, we still need plenty of prayers, especially this week, she will be very susceptible to germs. We want her to be as healthy as possible in case they decide to remove the main tumor. Mom & Dad will need prayers too. They're encouraged and looking for God's complete healing for Kara. Nothing is too hard for God! We all have "HOPE." !!!

06 July 2007 8:30pm Kara has had a good day and is cheerful, but she is very tired. She seems to have lost some of her appetite also. She looks pale and she has been throwing up once per day. The doctors have said that most patients get very sick during their second treatment of chemo, the fact that Kara has only been throwing up once per day is really good. Tonight she will be taking her last chemo and steroid treatment. The dreaded pokies will return on Monday, these are the shots that everyone dreads so much. Tomorrow Kara is expected to be dismissed and everyone will be moving into the Ronald McDonald House, they are currently staying in the Grizzly House. Kara will have an IV for the next week, Tony and Megan have been instructed on how to administer the IV in between their hospital checkups (which occur at least every other day). The other children will be coming home with Mike and Mary on Sunday. Unless there is some unforseen setback they are looking at surgery to remove the tumor in her stomach sometime between this treatment and the next one that is scheduled in 3 weeks. Please pray for Megan as she was sick this afternoon.

06 July 2007 7:44am We are headed to Memphis today. This is Kara's last day of chemo and she is doing real good. They agree that having the siblings there has kept Kara's spirits up. I'll call you tonight with another update.

04 July 2007 10:45pm Webmaster note: For some reason I didn't get this, Mary resent it today (06 July)
Hi sorry this is late tonight, but I didn't hear from Megan until we were on our way to church. Kara has had a good day and we are thanking God for this. They decided not to give her premeds before the chemo last night and, praise God, she did not have any adverse reaction. She ate 3 ears of corn. Her appetite is still good. She was only sick once today, and she's out of isolation, Yay Kara!!! She was able to go out into the hall and go to the play room. Her spirits are good. Megan asked that we pray that the chemo doesn't effect her hearing. This is a common side effect, and they're concerned about it. She also asked that we all pray for a little boy named Evan and his family, he has neuroblastoma too. This family really needs our prayers. God is so much bigger than this and we know He can heal these babies! God Bless!

03 July 2007 11:59am Good news today. Kara didn't have a reaction from the new chemo yesterday. Today they're going to give her the chemo she had before, but they are preparing her pre-meds so it'll help guard against a reaction. Her blood tests were good, she doesn't need a transfusion. Her white cells had dropped to 1300, but the nurse said this is OK. We don't have the result from the stool sample though, so she's still in isolation. She gained 1 pound while she was home and there is just 4 pounds difference between her and Lauren. Today they are all painting on sketch pads in Kara's room. Yesterday, the nurse gave them all a 'Buddy Doll', (this is the brown rag doll that has a main line on her chest, just like Kara), Kara calls her main line "her Buddy", and she named the doll 'Charlie Brown'. The nurse let them paint faces on their dolls. St Jude is all about kids and family. It's like a different world when you're there. Anything the kids want....they'll get it for them. Yet they don't seem spoiled. Even though the kids will be real sick, they still want the parents to discipline them. As hard as it is to do, we all know it's necessary. We thank God for you wonderful people! God bless!

02 July 2007 6:17pm Well they're finally in a hospital room. They had to wait a little bit to get one, but that's not unusual, since they only have around 50 inpatient rooms. Kara had blood work done, and a stool sample taken, but we don't have the results of them yet. They have her IV's started to get her ready for the chemo. This is a different mixture this time, we're praying that there isn't a reaction to this mixture. The chemo should start in about an hour from now. Tony said Kara is pretty nervous today, but having her siblings there is good for her. He said the kids are being real good. It looks like the prayer chain is growing and this is wonderful. We have so much to be thankful for!