Hi Readers! I'm just dropping in (we are at church camp this week) for a quick note to update you all on Abby and Jed.

Abby is doing amazing! Her long 16+ hour surgery was a success and she is doing great. Her mom said this morning Abby visited with the therapy dog and was able to use her speaking valve! She said "I love you" to her mom!! She has been able to stand up and crawl and even walk using her hands! Praise God for hearing our cries. Please continue to pray for Abby. Her chemo should begin again soon.

Jed scanned last week and he is still scanning "NED" which is "No Evidence of Disease!"

We are forever grateful for all our prayer warriors!

Got to run...29 girls and a little 4 year old boy are waiting for me back at the dorm!

http://hanwayfamily.blogspot.com/ For those who have asked, you can follow Abby's family blog here. As you can imagine, she doesn't have a whole lot of time to blog. I will keep you all updated on Abby as much as I can.

Yesterday I made it to the waiting room around noon. Abby's family was holding up well. Her mom, Katie had a rough start to the morning (can't imagine!) but she was in good spirits when I visited. I handed out Jed Foundation bags (info coming soon...so excited!!!!) and stayed a couple hours to visit at the hospital.

Her surgery began around 8:30am with anesthesia taking almost two hours to sedate her. The surgery ended around 1am!

Here are some details from yesterday during surgery.....

""""""""""Neurosurgery finished with no complications! The tumor had pushed the cavernous sinus and carotid artery out of the way and had not invaded them. It did enlarge a hole at the base of the skull by eroding it away. She lost another nerve - the one that the tumor had used as a pathway up into the skull. This was to prevent recurrence and because it was damaged as well. She ended up losing about 1/4 of her jaw along with all sensation to her cheek, lip, and tongue on the right side. They are doing the reconstruction with tissue from her belly. It will connect in to her carotid artery and jugular vein for the blood supply.She will need reconstruction using bone from her lower leg in a year to year and a half. She also lost a lot of tissue around her epiglottis, which will add to her swallowing problems for awhile and extend the need for the trach due to having to relearn how to swallow and the increased risk for aspiration. According to  the surgeons, her 5 year survival prognosis has increased greatly today.She lost the nerve to her right cheek, but we already knew it was damaged beyond repair. She also lost the nerve to her right lower lip, but they were able to preserve the nerves to her tongue.""""""""""""




While sitting with Katie yesterday, we just kept talking about how significant this day was for Abby! Praise God for His hand on her and for the amazing team of doctors at Arkansas Childrens Hospital!

In talking to Katie just a few minutes ago, Abby was already trying to "come to" and was responding to Yes and No questions! What a little fighter!!! She will be sedated for several days in ICU, then moved to a regular room on our cancer unit floor for a week or so where they will begin her chemo again, then she will be moved home in a couple weeks.

If any of you would like to send cards/gifts to Abby when she returns home, I will post her home address. I remember how wonderful it was to receive so many nice cards and toys for Jed last year.

Prov 3:8............It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones

Abby's mother wrote this and I thought it would be good for each of us to read. It's a look into the life of a child with cancer...................

Last Thursday, we made a trip to Little Rock to meet with the surgeons who will be performing Abby's tumor removal surgery on Tuesday, the 7th. The first step of surgery will be to remove the portion of the tumor that is not around the brain. There will be three ENTs working on the tumor removal and, even then, it is expected to take four to five hours. They will have to cut the skin, starting at the hairline in the middle of her forehead, then follow it all the way around the side of her face down to the center of her neck. The will then dissect out the facial nerve and fold it back along with the skin to expose the entire right side of her face. Even with keeping the facial nerve separated out, there is still the possibility of nerve damage because some of the extensions of this nerve go through the tumor. They will have to cut some of the bones of her face to get to all of the tumor and those bones will be put back into place with dissolvable plates. She will likely lose some of her jaw because of it being eroded away by the tumor or the tumor is embedded in it. She will likely lose a large part of her masseter muscle, which gives her chewing power. This is where most doctors believe the tumor originated and where the most damage is.







Next, the portion of the tumor inside her skull will be removed. The head of the neurosurgery department will be performing this portion of the surgery and we do not know how long it will take. A portion of her skull will have to be removed in order for the tumor to be removed. The parameningeal part of the tumor is relatively small - 2cmx3cm - at least compared to the rest of the tumor. Thankfully it is only pushing the brain out of the way and has not infiltrated the brain. The neurosurgeon feels that this portion of the surgery will be relatively simple. Once the tumor has been removed, the piece of bone will be put back into place.






The third and longest portion of the surgery will be reconstruction. This is expected to last about 8 hours. A free flap reconstruction will be done. Muscle will be taken from either her belly or her thigh and attached to her face to replace muscle that has been removed and to add stability to what remains. If bone is needed, it will come from the fibula. The fibula is the non-weight bearing bone of the lower leg. If parts of this bone are taken, she will be unable to play contact and intense sports because the leg will always be weaker. She will still be able to run, ride her bike, and things like that. This portion of the surgery takes so long because the arteries and veins will have to be reattached. Basically, it is like reattaching a severed finger. Her pharynx and palate will also have to be reconstructed and she will have to learn how to swallow again. She will still be able to chew, but it will be a little more difficult on her right side because the muscles won't be as strong.



After surgery, Abby will be kept sedated for several days so that she doesn't pull anything loose or detach anything in the flap. Blood flow to the flap will also be monitored hourly for the first seven days to watch for blood clots. There is about a 10% chance of clots. About 50% of the time, he is able to repair it, but the other 50% of the time, the reconstruction has to be redone. If everything goes well, she should be released in about two weeks. She will also restart chemo before she leaves the hospital
 
Sweet Abby, we love you so much! We are asking our heavenly Father to reach down and touch you in a mighty, powerful way and heal every single cell of your body. Every single cell HE created and He knows and He alone can wipe every ounce of cancer from you.
 
"Remember that I commanded you to be stong and brave. Don't be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go."~Joshua 1:9

Had to get a shot of his curls from under his cap!
He has somehow incorporated football into his tball skills! He tackles every ball that come to him!

Standing very still for his X-ray. What a head of hair! =)

It was a long day at the hospital. After we finished, Jed's Nana took us out for pizza and then we made the two hour trip home. It didn't take long for Jedidiah to crash in the back seat.