Sarah's Diagnosis

This morning we met with medical personnel regarding the outcome of Sarah's brain biopsy. Unfortunately, the news was not good. Sarah's brain tumor is cancerous (or malignant) and is officially called an "Anaplastic Astrocytoma". The type and location (thalamus region) of this tumor are very rare, especially for a child of Sarah's age. Therefore, it has no certain cures.

Doctors have counseled us that the best treatment options (chemotherapy and radiation) present a very low probability of eliminating this tumor. Because of Sarah's age, treatment would likely start with chemotherapy followed by radiation in approximately six months. Side effects of such treatment could include learning disabilities, lower IQ, and other cognitive effects. If the tumor reoccurred after radiation treatments, then Sarah would have no chance of recovery.

Based on the characteristics of the tumor and side effects of cancer treatments, doctors also mentioned that we may consider not going through any treatment at all. This option would boil down to a decision on Sarah's quality of life. Although Sarah would only have six months to live, her quality of life would be much higher during that time.

We will be discussing these treatment options more over the coming days. As you can imagine, these decisions are extremely difficult and continue to be a matter of prayer. In the end, we know that the path chosen will be the best for Sarah.

Thank you for your continued prayers and words of support.

Sarah

We are so grateful for your prayers, fasting, love and concern for our sweet little Sarah and family. Thank you for the loving support you are giving us at this time. We have been strengthened by your emails, letters, packages and phone calls. We feel comfort from above and all around us. We know that Heavenly Father is watching over us and dearly loves our Sarah.

Baptism Day

A very special day was August 9, 2008 when Nathan was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This was a day we had planned, prepared for and looked forward to for well over a year. He wanted to share this day with his Grandparents and Cousins. Months ago we purchased tickets to fly home to Utah so that family and friends could join us to celebrate this happy, memorable day.

Happy 8th Birthday Nathan!

We celebrated Nathan's 8th birthday on Sunday, August 3rd. It's hard to believe eight years have past since his birth. What a special day it was for our family. How fortunate we are to have such a special, sweet boy in our family. Nathan enjoyed the unwrapping of gifts (Cub scout gear and manual, a Book of Mormon with his name imprinted on the front, an art kit, a tie for baptism day, and a couple of Nintendo DS games). In the evening we enjoyed a nice meal prepared by Grandma and an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. We love you Nathan!