Relapse and Roadmaps

 I hate it so much that this is a post I'm writing. Kenzi was supposed to have spine surgery on October 10th for her scoliosis, which felt so horrible and overwhelming. Now I can't imagine anything better than that. It would have been 4 weeks since the surgery, which would mean she would be healing and we would be going home soon, but instead we are starting all over with cancer treatment. 

When we went for Kenzi's spine surgery, we booked her CT (cancer) scan the same week, just to make sure. It was supposed to be something that we ticked off the list, but instead our world came crashing down again. Our oncologist and former oncology nurse met us in the hallway outside the orthopedic clinic and ushered us to an empty room where we could talk. As we walked down the hallway I knew.... They told us that Kenzi's scan showed 2 spots; one on her rib and one near her kidney. It was not what we were expecting and the next few weeks were a blur of scans, a biopsy and tears, while they confirmed our worst nightmare- Kenzi's cancer has relapsed. We were able to go home during that time and tried our best to enjoy our time there. I miss normal life. 

We got back to Vancouver yesterday and had appointments to discuss Kenzi's treatment plan going forward. She will be admitted to the hospital tomorrow (Friday) so she can have a port inserted in the OR on Saturday and they will start chemotherapy immediately after that. Her treatment will be 21 day cycles, with 3 different chemo drugs over the first 5 days. It includes 2 IV chemos and one oral chemo. After the first round, she will be able to do it in the outpatient department, which means she won't have to sleep at the hospital. We will stay in Vancouver for the first and possibly second full rounds to see how she responds to the treatment and see how bad the side effects are. After that she should be able to go back home in between treatments, which is a huge blessing. During her first battle, she had to stay in Vancouver the whole time (9 months) which was so hard on everyone. 

Please pray that the treatment is effective and the side effects are minimal. After 2 cycles of treatment, they will repeat scans to see if the treatment is effective. Radiation is planned for the 2 spots as well, we just aren't sure when that will happen, so we might know more after they scans are repeated. 

After a chaotic and stressful week, we are checking into Ronald McDonald House tomorrow, which has so many great things to support us and our kids as we deal with this all. We are so thankful to each and everyone of you for your support, encouragement and prayers during this time. I never imagined life would be so hard and it's so difficult watching our child go through so much pain and hurt, all the while having to leave our home, family, friends, church and support system. Please pray that we would continue to see God's goodness even through this, pray for complete healing for Kenzi and for peace for our whole family as we face each day. 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Psalm 46:1