Thank you again to Kindercare!

We recently received a check from TGIFridays for the fundraiser that KinderCare held at the restaurant. Although there was a great turnout, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the event raised $735, bringing the fundraising total to just over $3400 - amazing!! The dedication of the teachers, staff, and families at KinderCare made their fundraising efforts a huge success. It's truly our hope that we can donate this money to a non-profit that supports pediatric brain tumor research or something similar. We will wait several years before considering donating the funds and will pray that we're led to donate to a worthy cause. Thank you again to all those you planned the events, donated, and prayed for Owen's well-being. We're forever grateful for your kindness.

Egg-cellent Easter

Owen ready for church.

Owen playing the drums with Pepere.

Owen's Easter egg hunt.

Owen loves his new buggy!

Owen had an egg-cellent first Easter! We attended church in the morning and then celebrated Easter dinner with family. Owen received lots of fun Easter treats, including a new buggy that he loves being pushed around in... he also had a fun Passover last Thursday. The best part of the holidays is spending time with family, which we all enjoy!

Spinal Tap Results

Thursday evening we received the last of the results for Owen's spinal tap. All of his tests came back normal. Although his protein levels are normal, he may still have a germ cell tumor because, as I mentioned before, not all germ cell tumors cause the protein levels to be elevated. The good news, and as we expected, there are no cancer cells in his spinal fluid (there were no cancer cells there at the time of his surgery either). Therefore, the results are pretty inconclusive. The next test will be the MRI in about one month.

Owen did have an exciting week as he started crawling forward... it's now time to Owen-proof the house! We need to get our gates, put in the outlet covers, and get some type of locks for the kitchen cabinets. It's so fun watching him get stronger and more mobile each day. His curiosity is going to keep us on our toes!

We're in RI this weekend to celebrate Easter. Hope that each of you enjoy Easter or are enjoying Passover. Thanks for your continued prayers - you give us strength.

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.