Izzy's CT Scan came back perfect! There was no sign of the tumor that once lived in her belly, and there is no sign of any regrowth. This is something that we felt sure of in our hearts, so we weren't surprised by the news. But it sure was wonderful to hear it from the Dr. to confirm what we believed.
It appears that Izzy's OMS symptoms are completely gone. The Dr. could not spot any sign of Opsoclonus (involuntary eye movements) or Ataxia (lack of balance). She runs and plays and talks like a normal 2 year old. Who knew "normal" could mean so much.
We can lighten up now on keeping Izzy sheltered from other kids and the general public. Her immune system is stronger now and she should be able to fight off any bugs that happen to make their way into her system. We can go places together as a family now...restaurants, parks, and most importantly to us, to our church. We will still need to be careful when we know someone is sick, and we will continue to avoid places like the play area at the mall (aka "germland"), but for the most part, Izzy can have a normal social life again. It's so heart-warming to watch her play with other children again...the giggles and even the ear-piercing screeches are precious.
We are celebrating! We have a road trip planned with the little girls for later this month to drive to the Outer Banks to stay at a beach house with one of my best friends and her family. Can't wait to build sand castles and find treasures on the beach.
A few more exciting things at our home...Kaleigh is home from college now, she just finished her sophomore year with a 3.3 GPA! Charley is getting ready to leave for China for 3 1/2 weeks to complete her masters degree. Tom is such a proud daddy! I hope and pray that Hailey, Izzy and Emma follow in their big sisters' footsteps of following their dreams.
We've had the blessing of having our beautiful niece Ahnika stay with us for the past 2 weeks. She is by far the most spiritually mature 12 year old I have ever known, and it's been so great bonding with her. Ahnika has a good head on her shoulders and will make wise choices with her life in the years to come, but I'm sure that living with a 5 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old baby for 2 weeks has opened her eyes to the responsibility of having kids. Best kind of birth control available!
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| We love this little girl to pieces. |
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| Izzy and her cousin Ahnika enjoying an afternoon at Lake Michigan. |
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| Hailey & Izzy racing to the top of a "giant" dune. |
God has been so good to our family, we are in awe at how he has perfectly intertwined our lives with all of these beautiful girls. Thank you for being a part of our family, loving us, praying for us, lifting us up with encouragement. This ordeal with Izzy has been the most difficult trial that Tom and I have ever encountered.
Our baby girl is going to be OK. We have experienced a miracle. Life will never be the same.
