Hannah Update… News fit for a King!

News fit for a King

Hannah’s doctor, Dr. Celeste Hollands, came to tell us that our little girl is “Cancer Free!”  The MIBG test (where they inject her with a dye that acts as a tracer for clusters of cancer cells) has come back negative.  There were no spots that showed on the test except around the incision.  The doctors said irritation in the surgical area could make it light up, consequently it was even less than what they estimated! Dr. Hollands said that with the bone scan and the bone marrow biopsy and the MIBG test all coming back negative, she is certain that the surgery is all the treatment needed.

 

I asked her about the lymph node testing positive and about the fatty tissue on the back that she had previously missed.  She explained that with only one node testing positive (the one that was adjacent to the tumor) there is no threat especially now that the tumor has been removed.  The tissue near the back, she says, is something we need to keep an eye on but not treat.  We further learned that the gene makeup of the tumor was “non-aggressive” and more than likely would not spread, which was later confirmed by the MIBG test.  After affirming that there are only small spots to watch, she then tells us that these tissues are prone to dissipate on their own without the presence of the tumor, especially due to the non-aggressive gene.  She understood our being cautious to hear this good news, and our questions.  She explained that since they have further information they can make a much better judgment!  She commented that after talking to the oncologist, the radiologists, and other doctors, they all were pretty amazed at how well things turned out.  She went on to say that Hannah’s visit here was really “a best case scenario of events.”  Of course we know that it is because of God’s good and sovereign grace, wielded through the prayers of His saints.

 

Where do we go from here?

It looks like the next step is to go home.  We are discharged as of tomorrow!  We have one more treatment for Hannah’s salmonella poisoning (which is doing great) then we are out of here.  We will follow up with a visit to Dr. Hollands office in two weeks, then have a CT scan and urinalysis in one month.  After this, we come once a month for six months, then once a quarter, then every six months and eventually once a year for quite some time!  We went from life-threatening, to routine check-ups in almost a week.  Nonetheless, we are nothing but grateful & relieved!  However, there is an aspect to all of this that has left us wondering what is normal?  Truth be told, we will never look at my children the same again.  This has brought a completely new resolve to our family, and I thank God for it!

 

How do we say thank you?

Though we understand that all of this could change overnight, we are looking at this as a finished chapter of our lives.  This is the point when words seem to fail me.  I can’t really express how grateful we are.  Saying thank you just doesn’t

From the Children of Saraland BC

seem to convey the emotions found in our hearts.  We’ve had visits, phone calls, and e-mails from all over the world from people sharing with us how they and their churches are praying for us.  We had family members stop everything and stay with us to help.  Many churches, especially in the Mobile area, have prayed for us and helped us get the word out to pray for Hannah.  Another encouraging thing was our friends Thad Key, Kyle Claunch, and Jonathan Hill taking initiative along with Saraland Baptist Church to start the Hannah Taylor Fund!  Our hearts melted at such a thoughtful step.  Some have asked for our mailing address, its 155B Davitt St. Mobile AL 36604, for those who asked.  In addition to all the support, there was an outpouring of godly bloggers who helped by asking for prayer. 

 

• Timmy Brister, Provocations & Panting
• Alan Cross, Downshore Drift
• Don Elbourne Jr., Locusts and Wild Honey
• The Deep South Founders Crew, Deep South Regional Founders Conference
• John Mark, Sweet Tea & Theology
• Ben Robertson, Mortify Me
• C.O.L.E.’s Foundation

If I missed others please forgive me.  We have been very blessed to have so many help us along the way.  Even here at Children’s and Women’s Hospital the staff have been very kind.  We have had some great doctors who have been in constant communication with us.  They have taken the time to make sure we understand everything as it unfolds.  We were truly blessed with excellent care from Hannah’s nurses as well.  Here is a picture of some who cared for her. 

 

Heartache, pain, trust, joy!

In the end, it has been a hard and trying time for us.  We have been very encouraged by the LORD!  Through this He sent you all to us, and by Him we have kept a steady foot amidst life’s horrors and fought hard not to lose heart!

“LORD, I thank you for Your Holiness!  And I thank you for not delivering our little Hannah over to the disease of cancer!  I don’t know what Your many thousands of purposes were in all of this, but I thank you that You are first in everything.  We thank you for Your supremacy, love, compassion, sovereignty, mercy, and grace.  Thank you for caring for us so deeply.  We bless You who causes all things, by Your Decrees, because of Your Nature, and for Your Glory! Amen!”