Superstar

Owen's spinal tap went well today. I believe that prayers provided guidance for Dr. McNamara and his staff as well as strength for Eric & I. Dr. McNamara and his staff were wonderful. The procedure itself lasted a matter of minutes, during which I helped to keep Owen still while I sang to him. Then he slept for over an hour in the Dr.'s office, which was good because he had to keep his head flat for at least 30 minutes. After the procedure, we went to lunch and Owen made it all the way home and in the house before he threw up in the hall stairs and just when we thought he was done he continued to get sick in the kitchen. After a quick clothes change, Owen was ready to play - he's such a superstar! Afterwards he napped for over 3 hours and woke up as his cheery self. We should have the results in about one week - we'll keep you posted.

Thank You KinderCare!

Thank you KinderCare!

Thank Ms. Laurie & Ms. Tasha!

Family photo!

Cupcakes with Owie's photo - so fun!

Love the tee-shirts!

Look the kids spelled Owen's name with their bodies - too cute!

The following excerpt from my daily e-devotional was fitting for yesterday's past dinner fundraiser. In The Prayer of Jabez devotional book, Bruce Wilkinson writes, "It doesn't matter whether you are short of money, people, energy, or time. What God invites you to do will always be greater than the resources you start with."

The pasta dinner fundraiser, organized by the teachers, staff and families at KinderCare, began with the thoughtfulness of a few teachers who took such good care of Owen. At the time they didn't have all the resources they needed, but through their tireless efforts they secured donations to ensure the success of the fundraiser. Everything for the fundraiser was donated - everything, which speaks volumes to the amount of effort of those involved. The church hall, dj, food, beverages, raffle prizes (which included the coveted Coach sunglasses) - all donated! A tremendous amount of energy and time were also donated. We sincerely thank all those who donated or were involved in any aspect of the fundraiser.

The event itself was so enjoyable. It was nice to see many of Owen's friends and other Kindercare families. Owen enjoyed being the guest of honor! His photos were on the center of each table. His picture was on the tops of cupcakes. He was the focus of lots of posters and cards! Those who organized the fundraiser made every effort to make Owen and us feel very special. We truly can't thank everyone enough. The efforts of all those involved raised just over $2700 for Owen in the event that he needs treatment, to travel for more opinions, etc. The event left me teary-eyed and forever grateful!

Boston Recommendation

We finally received the recommendation from Dr. Kieran of Boston Children's Hospital. This week we learned that a 30-person tumor board reviewed Owen's films. The tumor board is made up of oncologists, radiologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, etc. They also reviewed films of previous cases that looked similar to Owens. They feel that the tumor is either a germ cell tumor or a low grade astrocytoma. It is possible to diagnosis a germ cell tumor by sampling the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) because some germ cell tumors (not all) emit 2 types of proteins, AFP and beta-HCG. Therefore, Owen will have to have a spinal tap, which is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9am at Dr. McNamara's office. They will sedate him and we're told he will not feel any pain or remember anything.

Germ cell tumors are very rare, accounting for 2% of pediatric brain tumors. The location of the tumor is even more rare - as germ cell tumors occurring in the thalamus (which is where Owen's tumor is) account for only 5% of germ cell tumors in the brain (60% occur in the pituitary gland and 45% in the pineal). I've talked to Dr. Kieran further about germ cell tumors and have done some initial research. Dr. Kieran said the good news is that these have a very high cure rate. Owen would really be 1 in a million with this type of tumor!

Please keep Owen in your prayers during this procedure. Also, please pray for guidance for Dr. McNamara who will be performing Owen's spinal tap and the nurses that will assist. Thank you.

2 More Months

Owen's next MRI is scheduled two months from today for Friday, May 22nd at 8 a.m. at Yale. (which happens to be two days before his first birthday) We will get the results the following Tuesday. We're so hopeful that the next MRI results will be just as promising as the last. Owen is doing so well and getting very strong. This past week he's made lots of progress - rolling all over the rug, picking up his big boy cup and drinking, lifting his arms up to be picked up. He's just so much fun - even when he's cranky because he has four teeth coming in (these eye teeth will make 12 teeth!).

We thank all of those who continue to pray for Owen. One of my favorite prayers to pray over Owen at night is a Prayer to Saint Jude for Healing. The day care provider for my niece and nephew made a donation to the National Shrine of St Jude on behalf of Owen, and in turn sent us a prayer book she received from the donation. This website allows you to submit your prayer online or send your petition without even making a donation. I encourage you to visit the website and pray any of the St. Jude prayers. There are so many people who need healing - who will you pray for this week?

My friends and family were kind enough to pray for childcare for Owen on Thursdays and Fridays. I thank them because their prayers and mine were answered. I was recently offered a part-time position that is much closer to home (about 10 miles rather than 30 miles) and I will only be working Mon-Wed. I will be the one with Owen on Thursdays and Fridays. Eric & I are so excited! I will still be doing what I love, which is practicing public relations. I will be the PR & Development Coordinator for the Visiting Nurses Association of South Central Connecticut. This is an exciting opportunity that will allow me to spend more time with my family.

Fun at Fridays

Owen had fun at Fridays this past Thursday! He loved seeing all of his friends from Kindercare, especially his buddy Xavier. It was nice of so many Kindercare families to eat at Fridays for Owen's fundraiser - thank you, thank you! Another special thank you to teacher Ms. Jennifer who spearheaded this fundraising effort. The teachers from Kindercare have really gone above and beyond by organizing two events in honor of Owen. Also, thanks to my brother Jarred and his girlfriend Melissa who came from RI and returned to RI the same night. We are blessed to have such caring people in our lives. Below are some pics from the fun night.

Owen gives thank you hugs to Ms. Jennifer.

Owen's best bud from Kindercare - Xavier.

A special thanks to all of Eric's family and my parents who came to Fridays!

Be an Angel for Owen

The wonderful teachers at Kindercare wanted to do something to show their love and support for Owen. They are organizing two fundraisers for Owen. They would like the funds to be available for Owen in case he needs additional treatment or we need to travel for additional opinions. It is our hope that we will not need to use these funds but rather we will be able donate them to a non-profit organization that provides research for pediatric brain tumors.


This Thursday, March 19 if you eat at TGIFridays in either Orange or Hamden 20% of the bill will be donated to Owen. Eric, Owen, & I will be eating in Hamden so that we can visit with Owen's teachers and friends. A special thank you to all of those who plan to eat at either location on Thursday. Also, thanks to teacher Jennifer O'Mara who is leading the organization of the fundraiser! (Be sure to print out the invite from Facebook or ask for one at the restaurant)





On Saturday March 28th the teachers are hosting a Pasta Dinner at St. Peter & Paul Community Center at 305 Center Street in Meriden. Tickets are $15 per person and $25 per family. A special thank to all of the teachers who are organizing this event. I know from experience that these fundraisers take lots of planning and organization! Thank you so much to those who are working so hard to plan this event! The teachers also put together a display board of pictures of Owen - too cute!

Johns Hopkins Opinion

Today Dr. Carson and Dr. Weingart, along with the tumor review board at Johns Hopkins, provided a second opinion to Owen's most recent MRI results. Their opinion coincided with that of Yale, recommending that we have another MRI in about three months. I spoke at length with Physician Assistant Heather Long who was very easy to talk to and thoroughly answered my questions. She also said that the tumor could probably be biopsied if it needed to be... hopefully it will not need to be though, as we're hopeful that the tumor will not grow. Dr.'s Carson and Weingart did say that we were in great hands with our neurosurgeon at Yale, Dr. Duncan.

Owen's MRI results have not yet been reviewed at Boston Children's Hospital as their tumor review board meets on Thursdays and the coordinator said it could be several weeks before Owen's case is reviewed. We're hopeful that Boston with echo the opinions of Hopkins and Yale.

When we met with Dr. McNamara last Tuesday he recommended that Owen return to day care on June 1, after his next MRI. The purpose is to keep him healthy and germ free... Therefore, we're a bit challenged in trying to find child care for Owen. My grandmother has been kind enough to watch Owen three days a week and we're still looking for options on the other two days. I trust that we'll find someone to help with the other two days.

As always thank you for your continued emails and posts that remind me of the power of prayer!