Samantha is doing well. Since our last update, she's had another round of chemo which went without complication. February 28 is the date of her leg surgery. Our family has been keeping busy as much as possible and that helps with some of our anxieties.
Questions still remain such as: How much more chemo? Will the lungs have to be operated on? How long will Sammy be in Boston? And so on... These are questions that we, too, wish we had answers for... There are no solid answers but here's what we know: on the 28th, the leg tumor will be removed in its entirety. At that time, the doctors will be able to analyze how necrotic it has become. The results will be a factor in determining future plan of care, i.e, how much more chemo and whether and when lung surgery will be necessary.
Leg surgery: Dr. Kevin Raskin at MGH is the surgeon. He is as enthusiastic and optimistic as they come. He wants to do everything he can for Samantha to help her succeed with the dancing career she so much desires. On the 28th, he will perform an above leg amputation. At that time, he will attempt to attach some of the tibia bone (which he will vascularize) to what will remain of the femur, so that Sammy's residual limb will have more length/power. He says that within 24 hours he will know whether the blood flow is going down to the tibia. If it doesn't, then Sammy will be left with a standard above leg amputation. We were fortunate to meet Mary from Maine, a gorgeous 14 year old above leg amputee who swims, dances, and does it all. Meeting Mary and her family has helped us all realize that when you put your mind to something, you can do anything you want.
Lots going on prior to the 28th. Boring stuff like pre-op testing but some fun things, too: the 2nd grade country dance at Bow Elementary School, the Bye Bye Left Leg Party at Dartmouth, 4 nights at Camp Sunshine in Maine, and a mini-vacation in Boston. We are also scrambling to convert our living room (formerly known as the Rabbit Room) into a "rehab room" for Sammy. Just trying to eliminate all of those stairs...
We apolgize for the delay in updating the blog. We'll try to be better!
Thanks so much for checking in.
Shari and David
7 comments:
Thanks for the update. We all sit by and can only keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. We miss seeing your beautiful faces at TBJ! We can't wait until we'll see you all every week again!
Love,
The Taranows
Thanks for the update. After seeing you and your parents get down at the 2nd Grade Country Dance, I think when you start dancing - you might consider a little line dancing!! Always in our thoughts and prayers.
The Alfanos
Sounds like you're working with a solid plan. We think of you all the time and send your family hugs and kisses. --The Moores
Rotman family,
We've been thinking of you a lot and appreciate the update. It really helps to hear what is going on in your lives. We are all hoping for good progress on getting through this intense stage and moving on to more fun things like swimming, dancing and playing with friends. Has Sammy ever seen Axis mixed ability dance troupe? It is amazing and inspiring. Their website is www.axisdance.org and I have a DVD if Sammy would like to see it. And if you ever want to talk about increasing accessibility in your home I hope we can help.
love,
Dan, Betsy, Isaiah and Samuel
Hey Sammy Its Kristen Ruggieri from CDA .. we all love you and our thoughts and prayers are with you always .. we cant wait to see your beautiful smile back at CDA .. we love you!!!!!
Thank you for the update. We are constantly thinking of you all. Your family is in our prayers. Wishing you the best of luck.
Keep smiling Sammy with that contagious smile.
Love,
The Segal - Bators
Sammy, Rebecca, Shari and David,
You amaze us with your courage and strength. We think of you with Love every day. We're looking forward to when we get to see Sammy and Rebecca every single Sunday at TBJ!
Love, Love, Love, The Petersons
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