Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:36:52 GMT <![CDATA[Katie's Story]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:36:52 GMT Okay, so not a whole lot has changed since the last update.. but wanted to let you all know everything I know, some things I say may be a redundant.. but bare with me this is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through in my life.
 
Losing my little sister is my biggest fear! I can not see life without Katie and I refuse to imagine it and I refuse to accept that!

According to the Drs. in MUSC (Charleston, SC) Theres nothing else THEY can do for Katie.. Her AFP is over 200,000 and when she was diagnosed in June it was only a little shy of 100,000.

We have (Thank you LEISA!) Found a doctor in Maryland that wants to see Katie- She is going to be going under a clinical trail study--

We have been told in advance this will not cure Katie completely..

But there is always that chance.. or at least that chance that we could bring her back to Cancer Free other than the Liver.. then she could have her liver transplant.

Without Clinical trial studies in the past, we would have not come this far-- and even though this may not cure her.. This could cure someone else in the future.. Hepatoblastoma is one of the rarest forms of children's cancer.. Katie's hepatoblastoma is even rarer-- its resilient to Chemotherapy.. Or at least the FDA approved ones..

This clinical trail will be chemotherapy that is not yet FDA approved.. but if worse comes to worse, this could cure the next kid.

We want nothing but the best, we want a cure, we want our Katie Bug to be perfect again.. and if its in God's will then it will happen.

We, along with the rest of the World have been constantly praying with and for Katie and our own strength.

With an AFP as high as hers is (over 200,000) most kids are in the bed, sick and don't want to get up.. Katie went outside today and jumped on the tramp-o-line and rode her dora 4-wheeler and swung on the swing set, and played Barbie's with Allie! Last night she got to pop fire works, she held the roman candle as it shot out ten balls of fire! She loved it! I think she popped more than anyone else! lol - Katie's attitude and spunk has gotten her through this whole thing and hopefully it will continue to do so!

I'll end this with my favorite thing..

 "I Love You Katie WIth all My heart."
"I Love you too Mink, With Two of my Hearts!"-Katie

 

 

-Kristin (MinK!)

]]> <![CDATA[01-01-09 Update]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:40:45 GMT Got a call from mom this morning, they aren't doing chemo today-- they want to have a meeting instead. Meeting was at 1pm.. By 2:30 I hadn't heard anything..So  I Called them.

Katie's cancer is once again not responding to the treatments. There is nothing else they can do for her.

They are going to do some scans and stuff on Friday to see whats going on, why its up again and how much time we have.

These doctors don't know, they don't have that power. God does.. and we need our miracle- NOW! Katie deserves a chance. She deservese LIFE!

 

Pray..Pray hard

]]> <![CDATA[12/30/08 Update :(]]> Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:26:11 GMT
Katie Fitch Benefit will be held a Faith Temple on January 3, 2009. We will be having a Spaghetti Supper and Concert to follow including

Providence Quartet
and
Faithful For.

SPAGHETTI SUPPER FROM 4:00 P.M. UNTIL 5:30 P.M.
CONCERT WILL BEGIN AT 6:00 P.M.

Spaghetti Supper and Concert will be for Love Offering.
Donations can also be accepted at
www.kaitefitch.com
or by mail to

Katie Fitch Benefit
c/o Faith Temple
5080 Sandy Flat Rd.
Taylors, S.C. 29687

For more information please contact
Tim at (864)423-6880
or by email at
faithfulfor@charter.net
 
  ]]> <![CDATA[Benefit for Jan. 3rd]]> Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:53:10 GMT allie and katie

Click Here : http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e242/Shortie630/aandk.jpg

and see our Christmas Picture!! :) SO CUTE!

BTW- Katie is doing OKay! She ate some *4 bows* Chocolate Cereal today, and drank her chocolate milk- Hey she has to eat.. whatever she wants- she can have! All that milk and chocolate ought to help fatten her back up too!! :-) More Chemo Wednesday- Just 5FU and Vincristine.. Back home with Sore legs and sore joints Wednesday night :( They will stay sore until about Tuesday- But we Can't WAIT until Christmas!!! No Chemo the week of Christmas! YAY! So she should be feeling good on Christmas eve and Christmas day for Sure! WoooHooo! On the 29th she will go stay at the Ronald McDonald house for a week and she will get the iranitican for 5 days and the 5fu and vincristine on Wednesdays :) new Scans in January- probably near the end- But thats all the news for now! TTYL

Kristin.

OH! Allie had Good results from her Dr. Appt with the brace and the scoliosis- her curve is Improved 10 Degrees IN BRACE.. So as long as she wears it like she is- and continues to- it will should off until she gets big enough to have it corrected. :) YAY!
 

 Oh Yeah!

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[Merry Christmas]]> Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:48:22 GMT Katie is Home!!!! The drs have decided that three weeks of chemo was TOO MUCH! So, she only got 5 days of Iranitican (Don't know how to spell that) and One day of 5-FU and Vincristine (Which has healed a lot of kids!!!) She will go back every Wednesday until the week of Christmas and get all three drugs and come back home!! We are so glad that she didn't have to stay gone that long! :) They were talking about surgery after Christmas, to remove the cancer in the lungs because its just in one lobe (in each lung ) they think; of course they will do more tests first.. but for now.. We got the Christmas tree up and the lights up outside- and we've gotten a book called "Elf on the Shelf" which is really neat-- the kids can't touch him or he will lose his magic.. but he moves around the house so he can tell santa how good (or bad) they have been this year. On Christams eve he goes to the North pole and tells santa all about you, then sits on his shelf inside the box (that comes with the book) and you pack him away until next year! We are all ready for the Christmas season!! I can't wait.. Thanks to Friends and Family new and old, we are no longer scared of Christmas to come around, but excited now.. because Santa is Real! He lives in all of YOU! Thank you so much for all the things you have sent; cards, words of encouragement gifts etc.. They are greatly appreciated.. I got Katie out the bed today to play with a magnetic paper dolly thing, its princesses and she had a blast and of course we had to watch Enchanted 3 times today!! lol :)

 

]]> <![CDATA[Update! 12-07-2008]]> Mon, 08 Dec 2008 02:34:10 GMT St. Baldrick's
golf tournament
Fishing Tournament

]]> <![CDATA[Three Fundraisers- In March. One for Cancer Research Two for Katie Bug!]]> Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:11:18 GMT I Have been asked to add an address where money can be donated for Katie.. we have a fund at First Federal for her


"Katie Fitch Fund"
c/o First Federal
Attn. Richard A. Harrison
2014 S. Irby Street
Florence, SC 29505

 

We also have a couple of events coming up in Columbia in March (Thanks to Scotty!!!) I will post more about them soon! (Bass fishing and Golf Tournaments)

 

If you'd like to send cards/boxes please Email me and I will send you an address, I am not going to post it, because it depeneds when you send it :) Where to send it. lol..

 

LilShortie630@aol.com

 

 

Thanks!
Kristin

]]> <![CDATA[Addresses!]]> Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:19:16 GMT --Another update.. Yeah, we finally got the results from the biopsy... I would rather not have the results than have the ones we did get.. Lets see How long I can fight the tears to type the update....
   MRI- Didn' t show anything better or worse really than the CT Scan did.. From what I hear, it was pointless...
   Chest tube is out, and her lungs are back up and pumping (it collapsed last night)..
     Biopsy Results, all three nodules they took samles of, came back...Positive.. :( For Cancer :( ...........So her Hepatoblastoma has now spread to the lungs :( ...........
     This means she is no longer a canidate for liver transplant..
    They are going to try another kind of chemo, this next one will be an outpatient procedure, she will be staying at the Ronald McDonald house in Charleston for three weeks at a time, then home a week, then back for 3... She just has to be Super close to the hospital in case of an emergency.
I just dont understand how things went from being so good... to being so bad.. its horrible really it is.. Mom asked what her survival rate is now.... hers started at 70% ....now its down to 20% because of the metasis (Spreading)...
     I have started a bank account for her today, through First Federal.. If you would like to donate money and are weary about paypal or just mailing a check you can Mail the check to any first federal to make it payable to Katie Fitch Fund or you can hand deliver it yourself to any first federal in the US... I dont know if there are that many though really... lol
      The only good news I have for you reading today is that she will be home both for Thanksgiving and For Christmas..
   Just PLEASE Keep Katie in your prayers, she really needs them.

-Hoping and praying for our miracle.

-Kristin

]]> <![CDATA[11-22-08 Update :(]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:47:27 GMT 11-18-2008 Before Surgery
Surgery went well.. They found three nodules in the left lung, so they didn't go in both sides like they were going to...they took samples of three different nodules in that lung to send off for testing..they put a chest tube in and she may have it taken out tomorrow.. She is still in good spirits- bless her little heart. She looked around the room and the Surgeon asked her who all those people were and she named everyone of us standing around and he said boy these people must love you and she said "Well Of course they do! :) " She is so cute lol.. When i left the hospital last night she was watching 'Enchanted' and drinking Chocolate milk... NOT MILK ..Chocolate milk.. don't mess up and say the wrong one either! Whewwwe! She was running a fever earlier today mom said it has been sorta on and off.. and they were supposed to read the MRI results, but I haven't heard from her yet.. Maybe soon.. If not I will update again tomorrow :)                                                                     Thanks so much for all your prayers and concerns :)

Katie got a package today in the mail. Thanks if you're reading this...I can't wait to see her when she opens it!

Kristin!

 

 

 

]]> <![CDATA[11-18-2008 Update]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:42:19 GMT Katie is out of MRI and now in O.R for the biopsy and they are going in both sides of her ribs to look at each lung. We are praying hard that they find NOTHING..

Kristin

]]> <![CDATA[Mid Day Update]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:38:17 GMT