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Child Page 
Makenna's Story......
Hi! My name is Michelle and. I had four children at the time; Justin,10 Matthew,7 and Andre,4. They all are healthy.
I also have a cherished daughter, Makenna, 13 month's.
Our story starts with the birth of my daughter on August 6, 1999. She was healthy with no medical problems that we knew of. After being home about a month from the hospital Makenna started to vomit about fifty percent of what she took in and was very fussy and unable to sleep in her crib. It seemed when she lied down she could not sleep. She found more comfort from the swing. Upon taking her to the pediatrician she was diagnosed with acid reflux syndrome and treated with zantac. As the months went on Makenna's vomiting increased along with the fussiness and now constipation was an everyday problem.
On March 23, 2000, Makenna was 7 months old. We really started having problems. She cried in pain for one straight hour. Fighting yet anouther bout of constipation, I decided to call her pediatrician. The nurse spoke with her pediatrician and informed me to try to home remedy the situation with a suppository. Mother's Intuition told me something was wrong. I quickly called the doctor back and made an appointment. After being examined by the nurse practitioner at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Clinic, which consisted of a rectal exam, we were informed that she found what she called a "soft tissue mass." Knowing nothing, within 2 hours we were sent to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH.
The Pediatric Oncology Team promptly met us. Later that evening Makenna began a series of tests-CT scans, MRIs, Bone Scans,and numerous vials of blood. We sat watching our 13 pound bundle take so much at such a young age. I could only imagine how she felt,and that broke my heart. Soon after her tests,we were told Makenna had a tumor and it was isolated, with the exception of a pea sized spot on one of her lungs. This we don't believe is cancer because it has been there for 6 months while Makenna has been in treatment and it has never changed. On March 26th Makenna had surgery to biopsy the tumor. By Wednesday March 28th all test results were in and we were informed Makenna had a tumor the size of a tennis ball in her pelvis. The oncology team informed us Makenna's tumor was a Stage 3 Neuroblastoma, favorable histology, with intermediate risk for return. They told us the best to hope for was 4 month's of treatment, the worst was 2 years. On July 17,2000 Makenna went to Boston Children's Hospital and had 95% of her tumor removed. We were informed that the other 5% could not be removed because it had grown into Makenna's spinal column. So our best hope for Makenna's full recovery is to keep treating her with chemo with hopes that the remaining tumor will die. Our daughter has one more round of chemo to finish her protocol. It's been six months since her diagnosis. She has done very well with the exception of one central line infection, and 2 or 3 vomiting episodes. Our daughter learned how to sit up, to crawl, and is learning to walk on chemo. She is now 15 pounds, 6 ounces, and you would never know that she has cancer.
Most of all we are all surviving Makenna's battle with cancer as a family with a good positive outlook for a long life with Makenna. If any one has any questions or just needs someone who's "been there" please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail.
I know all to well the road you travel.
mbourque@comcast.net
Journal
Sunday, November 6, 2005 9:20 AM CST Hi again!
It's been a while since I have updated. I apologize we have been so busy. MaKenna will be going to the Oncologist this month so please keep her in your prayers. She is doing very well in fact she is 5 years in remission (Oct 18th) YIKES!!. I will post the outcome of her follow up visit as soon as we know the results of her tests.
Love
"The Bourque's"
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