Save Jace

So here we are once again in the hosptial… We started the morning out in the Clinic at 9:00am and finally got into a room around 1:30.  Interesting turn of events from what we were told by the Dr.

We are now in the 5th Session and according to The Clinical Study that we are on.  2 Agents are dropped, 1 is added, and some of the chemo is administered on different days than before.

We are still receiving the Cisplatin now on day 1 instead of 4…  still receiving the Methotrexate (through omaya reservoir) still on day 1,2,3,4… and still receiving the Vincristine on days 1,8,and 15.  They also have now introduced an agent referred to as CCNU which is administered on day 1. Also we are now on a 42 day cycle instead of a 28 day cycle!

We were told today that we are now eligible for yet another option.  There is a specific kind of Radiation machine at MD Anderson in Houston that is called a Focal Proton Radiation Machine.  The Dr. here discussed Jace yet again with the Dr.s there and he said that Jace would probably be a candidate to receive radiation from that special machine. 

It is just something that the Dr. wanted to make us aware of.  Which we really like about him.  If something comes up or changes he never hesitates to tell us or give us a heads up!!!

We also discussed the other options we have…  and according to the Pilot Study, there were patients that only received ONLY Chemo and made it.  We decided between the two of us to wait to see what shows on the next MRI before going up to MD Anderson and having that meeting.

So many things to think about…  Do we continue with Chemo only?  Will ONLY Chemo work?  Will he need Chemo and Radiation?  Should we do Radiation now?  We are possibly gonna wait a couple more treatments which means a couple more MRI’s as well and see what may happen!  The Dr offers us options, but continues to tell us how pleased he is with all the results!!!

We know that God will lead us in  the right direction on any decision that we need to make!  He has done so thus far!  It is now 11:00pm and we are officially into 5 hours of Chemo and so far he seems to be taking things well!!!  Hasn’t gotten sick yet… Thank God…  and is still in High Spirits!  Very Active, Talktative, and Humorous… Typical Jace!!!
We continue to pray for the best and we appreciate everyone that has been praying for Little Jace!!!

God Bless,
Joshua, Jamie, and Jace

It is 3:40 in the afternoon on July 26.  Jamie just got a call from the Oncologists Office… NO SURGERY!!!  The Doctors talked it over and the contrast enhanced MRI showed the tumor  so small and still shrinking impressivley that they might not be able to find it if they were to open everything up.

And now we have learned that according to protocal, a surgery is to be done after the 4th session of Chemotherapy and that 2 agents that make up the Anthracycline are to be dropped!

So as we stand right now… The Surgery will NOT be needed.   And they are going to DROP 2 Chemo Agents that make up Anthracycline - the Doxorubicin and the Dactinomyocin.  Jace is now scheduled to go into the Hospital on Monday  July 30th to start his 5th session of chemo which will only constist of 3 agents instead of 5!!! 

We will however continue with the plan of going till he is 3!  The Oncologist has said that we are going to keep a very close eye on any activity by performing MRI’s once a month.  They will do another MRI before the next (6th) treatment to make sure that nothing pops up by dropping the 2 agents.

Great News!  We are Happy Beyond Words!  The Power of Prayer is Amazing!!!

GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERYONE!
Joshua, Jamie, and Jace

Ok, so the new plan of attack was to have an MRI done, have the Neurosurgeon look at the results, evaluate Jace, and have another Surgery to take out any mass that might be in there!

Well Today (Tuesday) we went and met with the Neurosurgeon and he had received the MRI Photos from yesterday.  He proceeds to tell us, that he is not sure about doing another surgery.  The reason being, is cause he is not sure even if he opened everything up, that he would be able to cut out what is shown on the MRI photos, cause it is SO Small!!!  We asked if he had seen last months MRI Photos to compare on and he told us… “I did and the mass has shrunk even more in comparison to last months MRI!”

He said that he will discuss the latest MRI with the Oncologist and then they will decide what the next course of action is!  So as we sit right now, we are looking at an even smaller mass than before.  If we understood correctly it is roughly the size of a Sunflower Seed (the seed, not shell)

So we sit and wait patiently to find out what will happen next!  We know that A LOT of prayers have been answered and that God has worked a Miracle through what he has done with Jace so far.  But, I received a message from a friend and he was correct.  One of the things that neither Jamie nor I have done in past messages was Praise and Thank the Doctors, Nurses, and Staff at Driscoll Childrens Hospital!!!  They all have had a Big Part in the Miracle we have been witnessing.

We Thank God everyday for what he does for Jace and Us, we also want to Thank the Doctors, Nurses, and Staff at the Hospital, and A Big Thank You to each and everyone of our Family and Friends that have been and are still praying for Jace!

Love and God Bless,
Joshua, Jamie, and Jace

We were scheduled to go in for regular round 5 chemotherapy on Monday, however the Oncologist called us and they want to do another MRI that morning instead.  He has been talking to MDAnderson and the head of the study Jace is on in Germany and they all agree with this decision.

The neurologist will look over the MRI and we have an appointment for him to see Jace Tuesday afternoon.  We will then discuss the plan to go ahead with another brain surgery to remove the rest of the tumor that is in his brain.

The Drs want to remove the mass so that the chemotherapy can focus more onthe cancer cells than shrinking the mass.  We’re not sure even sure what it looks like since last month the MRI results were so drastically wonderful.

But they do want to check.  If Jace is a candidate for surgery again, they will schedule it Tuesday and we will let everyone know.  If they dont go ahead with surgery then we will start round 5 chemo on Wednesday as scheduled.

Though we stand behind our Dr 100%, and we know that Jace will recover great from yet another brain surgery, my secret hope is that the tumor has shrunk so much that they dont need to go in there again and we just proceed as is.  Either way, we want what is best for him and do whatever they say.

I’ll let you know more later next week.
Have a great weekend.
Jamie

We went on a much need, Dr approved vacation this last week.  We spent the first couple of days at the frio river. It was nice to get away and be with friends and family, just relaxing. 

After that we went to Houston where we went to an Astros game.  Jace thought this wa the BEST part of the vacation by far.

We had a great time!!!

While we were gone there was a benefit for Jace done by Los Paisanos. They did their first annual Butterfly Run out of Ingleside. I am currently trying to get pictures from them from the benefit but once I do I will post them. They had a very successful day and raised over $4000 for Jaces fund.

We cannot thank them enough for what they did and continue to do to help us through this time. They are greatly appreciated more than they know….

Thank you Los Paisanos!!