Difficult decision - prayers please

Sorry this is a long post but I've tried to make something complicated a bit clearer! Basically, we are asking for prayer support for the following big decision in Catherine's treatment.

Tomorrow Catherine will be having her 'week 11 bone marrow test'. This test checks to see whether Catherine is still low risk and whether she is eligable for randomization. We will also be speaking to the consultant concerning a decision about randomization.

As part of the pursuit to improve treatment for leukaemia, all leukaemia treatment is part of a clinical trial. This is because no-one knows for certain how to cure leukaemia in every person with the illness.

In 1940, only 4% of children with Catherine's form of leukaemia survived. Before this clinical trial, which began in 2003, there was a 50% cure rate for children with leukaemia. Since then, specialists debate that there is now an 80%+ cure rate dependent on genetics. Without clinical trials there would be no progress.

Currently treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia involves two intensive blocks of chemotherapy. These would take place in January - February next year and April - May. However, there is the possibility that Catherine may only have one of these blocks if we enter her into a trial.

The trial that Catherine would be on seeks to identify whether children who are low risk need the existing two blocks of intense chemotherapy, or whether they would still be cured on one block of intensification.

There is a risk involved in two blocks of intensive treatment. Due to the side effects of the chemotherapy drugs during this phase, there is a slight risk of damage to the heart and a slight risk of a secondary cancer or a new type of leukaemia developing. Reducing treatment to one block of intensive therapy would reduce this risk.

There is also a risk involved in only receiving one block of therapy - the risk of relapse of the original leukaemia. Specialists are still not certain of the best overall route. However, as this trial has been going on since 2003, there are some statistics to support the ongoing continuation of this trial. In other words, it would seem that (most of the) children given one block of treatment in 2003 have not (yet) relapsed.

Going onto this part of the trial is called randomization. If we agree to the trial, Catherine will be randomly selected either to receive one or two blocks of intensification treatment.

At the moment, and following prayer, Mark and I feel that we will probably say yes to this trial. However this is a huge decision for us. It is very difficult deciding on something which may impact whether our child may relapse or not. This is about Catherine's future.

We really need prayers to make sure that God is in the randomization process - that Catherine will receive the right treatment to ensure a cure without a later relapse. If you would like to pray about this decision, please pray for guidance for us and that God will be in the randomization process.

Please also pray that tomorrow's procedure goes well, that she isn't too anxious and that she is still low risk.