Hunter LiveStrong: City of Hope

THE BEGINNING

January of 2007 we found a small lump on Hunters back located just under the skin, between the shoulder blades. The doctor told us it was a fatty tumor or sebaceous cyst, and it would get bigger, then smaller and go away. If it grew, or bothered him we could have it removed. June 27th it was removed in surgery and on July 3 we were back for a check up of the area and were told he had, cancer, Ewing's Sarcoma PNET (of the soft tissue surrounding the bone). A year of Chemo was started, which consisted being in the hospital every 21 days for 6 or 3 days at a time. He underwent a second surgery in October 2007 to clear the margins. On May 27th of 2008 he finished chemo and was "Cancer Free".

He was scanned and examined on regular intervals and his last clear scans were on August 19th 2009. October 28th 2009 we noticed a lump in the original tumor location. After a biopsy on October 29th, we were told the next day that the cancer has returned. The central line was put back in his chest on November 2nd and a series of tests have begun to determine the extent of the disease. Please view "posting" dated November 7, 2009 for treatment plan...

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

City of Hope

Friday the 20th Hunter began running a fever around 101. His counts are down from the chemo treatment and was tired most of the weekend. Monday November 23rd, was a visit to the clinic where antibiotics were given. He lost ten pounds over the last two weeks but, his appetite is returning. Then a trip to City of Hope to meet Dr Rosenthal, Director of the Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation team. Discussion of what to expect from the treatment, outcome, side effects, dangers, percentages and hospitalization of at least 30 days or more in a negative pressure, germ free room... They will harvest the stem cell by giving medication that will boost his stem cell production and allow the stem cells to detach from the marrow and enter the blood stream. He will be hooked to a machine, much like the one they use to separate platelets from the blood, and the stem cells will be harvested and stored for the transplant of a later date. The hope is to get them in one session but, it may take more. Then it was back to Kaiser for a much needed blood and platelet transfusion, he went in looking gray and came out much pinker and ate a good dinner.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers,

The Herricks