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Welcome to Cassandra's Web Page. It has been created to keep people updated about our child.
On April 19, 1999, our lives were forever changed. Our then fifteen month old daughter was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma IV, which is a rare childhood cancer.
Here is our story. Cassandra, who was very regular was constipated for two days. El, being the nervous mom insisted on a trip to the pediatrician. As it turned out, there was a mass the size of a grapefruit in her abdomen. The cancer had also spread to her bone marrow. By the end of the week, a biopsy of the tumor had been done and a catheter for administering chemotherapy had been placed in her chest. What followed for the months of May through August was intensive chemotherapy and many hospital stays. In September, surgery was performed to remove the tumor. In October and November (each two and one half week hospital stays) Cassandra received high-dose chemo and subsequent stem cell rescue (similar to a bone marrow transplant but with her own cells). We came home from our last hospital stay two days before Thanksgiving 1999. Treatment for the month of December was radiation. After that she was on Accutane from February through July 2000. The accutane is supposed to clear any residual cancer cells. In July 2000, her treatment officially ended.
In late 2000, the after effects of Cassandra's treatment began to surface. In November 2000 we learned that one of the chemotherapy drugs, that was platinum based, had damaged her hearing to the point of needing hearing aids. In January 2003, her hearing once again decreased and her hearing aids were adjusted. Also, between the antibiotics she received and our inablity to take away her bottle, which was a huge source of comfort to her, she needed a lot of dental work.In April 2001, she had the dental work done and did not have her top two front teeth until her adult teeth grew in during late 2006. We have now been advised that she will need braces in the next few years.
Cassandra has dealt very well with these issues. She is currently attending and enjoying Accompset Middle School where she will be starting 7th Grade in September 2010.
Cassandra's current status is NED. That means that there is no evident disease. She has now been NED for over TEN years. She is has diagnostic blood work drawn once a year and will only have scans if symptoms warrant them. This cancer is very aggressive and often returns. As more than ten years have now passed, we are optimistic that she has beat the odds and is a testament to God's work.
Please keep Cassandra in your prayers for continued good health. We believe in the power of prayer; it is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
Journal
Thursday, July 15, 2010 6:40 PM CDT Cassandra's status continues to be NED. She completed her first year in middle school at the Accompset Middle School as a straight A student for the full year. Her brother, John IV, will be starting first grade in September 2010
She enjoys and does great in school and in general despite a hearing loss. She received brand new, state of the art hearing aids specially designed for teens from a VERY kind and generous sales manager from a hearing aid company with the help of an equally kind and generous audiologist. I am sure the new hearing aids were instrumental to her success and school this past year and we are forever thankful to all involved in her getting them.
This November will be an amazing ELEVEN years ago that we left Stony Brook Hospital after her second stem cell rescue; never to return to the hospital again. God is amazing and his healing powers are awesome.
To everyone visiting this site, I sincerely pray that you will find peace and hope in Cassandra's story. I also implore you to continue praying for the other children, who like Cassandra, have been diagnosed with this awful disease and for their families.
Blessings,
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