Our daughter is doing well and has not had any more temperatures or signs of infection. Her blood results were good today even though her neutrophils are dropping again.
She is getting used to not being at nursery and is enjoying it a little too much - tonight when she went to bed she was pleased that she was staying home tomorrow!!
Today she has been on a spider hunting expedition, using the pump from her inflatable bed to suck up imaginary spiders around the house. They are very wonderful colours - she sucked up a few pink and green spiders today, and her imagination must be good because when there is a big spider, she looks a bit nervous and creeps up on it slowly! We have also been doing some Christmas crafts and tomorrow we will be making paper chains! Yesterday, she read her little book for the first time. It was very exciting and she was very proud.
We are conscious of the fact that her intensification block of chemotherapy starts shortly (December 18th) and we are not looking forward to it. There are some more serious potential side effects of this treatment along with a greater risk of infection. The lesser side effects, although very unpleasant, include nausea and vomiting, mucositis (inflammation of the mouth, throat and stomach leading to soreness and ulcers), inflamed oesophagus and difficulty swallowing(oesophagitis) and muscle pains. More serious but rarer problems include the development of another form of leukaemia or a secondary cancer. Also there is a risk of heart problems.
Please pray for Catherine. I don't want this time to be the calm before the storm but the medical profession have warned us that the next phase is unpleasant for Catherine. Please pray for us as we administer a number of the drugs at home, as it will be hard to give her medicines when we know they might make her feel very ill. Please pray that we will have peace at this time and know that we are firmly in God's hands.
I look at her every night grateful for the day that we have had together, knowing that the next couple of months need lots of prayer surrounding them.
This is Catherine's story: Expect Miracles
This is Catherine's blog. Catherine is now six years old and is in remission from leukaemia (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia - ALL). Leukaemia is a rare yet treatable form of cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. This blog began at the start of her treatment in August 2008. The treatment lasted until October 2010. She went into remission remarkably early and the treatment was focussed on making sure the disease never returned. Over 15000 people have prayed for Catherine during the past three years for which her parents are deeply grateful. So many people love Catherine that it was hard to update everyone, so her parents began this blog to keep everyone updated. Catherine is the daughter of two Salvation Army Officers in the UK. This blog is a place to be updated, to send wishes to the parents and basically for everyone who knows Catherine (or doesn't) to be able to find out more about her progress. Feel free to post comments, concerns and questions. All prayers for Catherine at this time continue to be warmly received by her parents and Catherine's extended family. Catherine is now receiving blood tests and will be monitored regularly until she is ten-year-old when she will be give the official 'all clear'. Her parents especially welcome readers who are experiencing a child dealing with any form of cancer. Their prayer is that this blog will help them in their journeys.
Catherine aged 3
Doing her favourite thing - eating fruit!
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More photos of Catherine when younger...
Having fun
Our family
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