I am awed by God's sovereignty and his work in our lives which helped us to prepare for this trial. I have had numerous nursing jobs over the years in surgery, oncology, hospice, neonatal nursing and home health care. I had knowledge of ever phase of her care which helped alleviate anxiety. I was able to advocate for her when she was having a lot of pain, I knew exactly what needed to be done. Chelsea was also forced to change her major to chemistry education because of a health issue and she was able to tutor Colleen. I also see that having a child 10 years older than Colleen was really beneficial for all of us. There were 3 of us to take turns at the hospital and we made a great team. I knew about the care Colleen needed and Chelsea was able to explain the molecular or cellular changes that occur with leukemia. Many of the physicians would ask her why she did not pursue medicine. Chelsea also chose Wayne State University which is right next door to the medical center so she was able to continue going to school and help with Colleen. We know that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Sometimes we go through life sort of blindly but we are grateful to our Savior who loves us and directs our steps.
We are thankful that Colleen was diagnosed so quickly. Most diagnoses take longer to find. Colleen developed a blister on her thigh which was really painful. She went to her pediatrician who felt it was a viral infection. When the blister was still there 2 days later we were sent to infectious disease doctor at children's. Our pediatrician called that department who had an appointment available that day. I worked in the pediatric office at the time, and getting an appointment was usually a real challenge. She saw the infectious disease doctor that day( who also had leukemia as a 14 year old and now was a 32 year old physician). She ordered blood work which showed a very low white count. We were referred to the hematologist the next day who felt that this was probably a virus. He also felt a bone marrow test could wait 2 weeks. I felt this was too long and wanted the test right away. The next day January 18th 2012, we found out she had leukemia. Treatment began that night at Children's Hospital of Michigan.
The goal of treatment is to be in remission within 4 weeks and the quicker a child responds to the chemotherapy, the better their long-term outcome. At the 3 week mark, Len told the doctor that she would be in remission because many were praying for her. She cautioned that this was way too lofty a goal. We were elated to find out that God had once again answered our prayers and she was in remission 1 week early. Tests were run to find out the cytogenetics of the leukemia. When the tests came back, they showed that she had the easiest type of acute lymphoblastic leukemia to treat and it was 90% curable. It seemed at every turn that the Lord was encouraging us and reassuring us that Colleen was going to be fine.
Colleen began having debilitating headaches a few weeks into treatment. A reaction to the methotrexate chemotherapy progressed and caused an area of the brain to die causing paralysis on the left side. I remember kneeling on the hospital floor at the foot of her stretcher sobbing and pleading for God to heal her. The paralysis lasted about 14 hours and then the movement returned. God had once again answered our prayers. She was finally well enough to go home about a week later. A few days after coming home, I came home from work for lunch and found her acting really silly and rolling on the floor. I called the doctor who instructed us to bring her to the clinic. Just as Chelsea arrived to the clinic, Colleen began having seizure like movements and it took 5 nurses to hold her down. A rapid response team or code team was called to the clinic and she was transported to the ER. We are grateful for God's timing and for the fact that this did not occur in the car when Chelsea was alone with Colleen.
The social worker called me at the clinic and told me that Colleen was not doing well. I was terrified, she would not tell me what was going on. To a nurse this means your child is on a ventilator or dying. I was relieved to find out that it was just a seizure. We found out later that the damage to the brain caused the nerve impulses to the body to be disrupted. We prayed again for God to heal her and within a day, the doctors found a medication to stop the movements. We thank God for giving our doctors the wisdom to care for Colleen since less than 2 percent of children develop the methotrexate toxicity and the head of neurology had only seen this problem in adults and only once in 35 years of medicine.
Colleen battled nausea, vomiting, headaches, and severe foot pain but through it all we felt God's never-ending love and comfort. Just before we reached maintenance, Colleen developed a blood infection. We went to the clinic and the doctor on duty was very surprised that this was Colleen's first infection. He actually congratulated our regular doctor. We thank God for keeping Colleen free from viruses and infections during this time of intense chemotherapy.
In closing, this year has been tough for Colleen and our family but we are grateful that God was able to use this trial to strengthen our faith and to allow us to demonstrate his love to others that we would not have met without having this illness.
Once again we would like to thank each and every one of you who said a prayer, who sent a meal, who cleaned our home, sent a card, who encouraged us in anyway. Your kindness is greatly appreciated and will forever be etched in our hearts. We also praise God who gave us the strength to get through this trial. Please continue to pray that the cancer will stay in remission.
Colleen is back in school with her friends, her hair is growing again and her leg pain caused by the steroids is improving and we praise God that the area of the bone that is affected should not cause any long-term damage. I will post some pictures tomorrow of Colleen and our new puppies.
