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!”

Things I love about my little girl…

Things I love about my little girl… in no particular order!

• Her beautiful eyes
• Her little wobbly walk
• The way she takes her pacifier and turns it upside down no matter how many times you give it to her right side up
• Her laughing at tummy toots
• The way she says, “Hey Dada”
• The way she hugs me tight for a long time
• The way she gives me moose kisses
• The way her little toes curl up when she gets excited.
• The way she sleeps with her bottom in the air
• The way she squeezes her dolls tight and laughs
• How tough she is
• Her trust in me
• How God uses her to teach us and bless us
• How she brings joy to our family
• The way she keeps me up at night praying for her
• The fact that she is only 14 months old, but we can’t even imagine life without her

Psalm 127:3-5a

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD.
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them

Update on Baby Hannah…

Thank you so much!  Thank you for your prayers, calls, visits, helping us get the word out, helping us with Hannah’s fund, and everything!  You have been so good to us and we just can’t thank you enough… may the Lord bless you beyond measure for your kindness!  Please forgive me for not getting this update posted sooner! 

The last couple of days…Sunday night and Monday night were both bad nights for her (fever, stomach issues, etc).  Everyday she is getting better.  Tuesday she began to show some real signs of feeling well, i.e. playing and talking more!  Until then she just laid there with her eyes open!  It is hard to watch your little girl just lay around.  I often would let the side of the crib down and just lay my head in there with her!  She has gotten better yesterday and today.  Most of the time she wants out of the crib to be held, and I don’t blame her!  I took some photos of her just lying in the crib.  They took many tests during the last couple of days.  They took a bone marrow test and a bone scan to see if the cancer spread to her bones at all (in or on the bone).  Today we got some test results! 

The good news… Both the bone scan and the bone marrow test were negative! Praise the LORD!  If this would have come back as positive then we would have automatically been in stage 4.  This is good news!  Also, her salmonella poisoning recovery has been great!  She only lacks a few more treatments (via I.V.). However, there is bad news! 

The bad news… One of the lymph node samples came back positive.  This is bad news, but there is some good here, too.  The one that came back positive was on the same side as the tumor.  The other ones, on the other side, came back negative!  This is good.  It means that the cancer hasn’t spread that far.  But the bad news is that it has spread some.  In addition to this, it puts us in to stage 2 (the oncologist said “stage 2a,” which is low risk).  If it is going to be stage 2, then I vote 2a!  That is all we have on results, but there is pending news! 

The pending news… We’ve got a big test both on Thursday and Friday (same test given twice).  It is called a Metaiodobenzylguanidine (where do they get these terms???), “M.I.B.G.” for short!  This test is a tracer.  It is a test specifically for neuro blastoma tumors.  They inject Hannah with some dye and it acts as a tracer.  Then they give her a nuclear scan, and any cluster of cancerous cells will “light up” for the doctors to see.  This is a big test for us.  In fact, it is the final determining factor for the type of treatment plan we will execute!  Please pray for a clear, cancer free report. 

Praying for big brother… Just a note, please pray for Noah.  Things are hard for him right now.  He doesn’t know what is going on, but is certainly aware that everyone is upset and just not themselves.  Aunt Kim was helping him say his prayers the other night and she said, “Let’s pray for Hannah.”  He said, “No, I pray for mommy!  Mommy cry!”  The next day we went walking around the hospital campus.  There are these statues everywhere of different people (mostly women and children).  He walked up to this one with a mom reading a book to a little girl.  He said to us, “This is mommy and sissy.”  It was very sad.  Kelli and I both burst into tears.  Among the sweet and sad events there are the bad ones.  He is acting out and not listening very well to what we tell him to do.  I know that this is normal in cases like this but we need your prayers! 

I have many more thoughts, but I will write later!  Again thank you for your prayers!  God Bless!

The Hannah Taylor Fund

This post is by some of Yogi’s friends. Below are a couple of letters detailing the establishment of a fund at Saraland Baptist Church, where Yogi currently serves as Pastor.

Dear Friends:

As most of you know, Hannah Taylor, Yogi and Kelli Taylor’s daughter, underwent serious surgery on Friday to remove a neuroblastoma tumor from her body as well as bone marrow from both hips, and samples from the lymph nodes to see if the cancer had spread. She will be in the hospital at least ten days.

Although Yogi and Kelli have health insurance, the costs of deductibles and their part of the medical bills will be substantial (20% of the total cost). Also with this are the costs of staying at the hospital, eating out, etc. With this in mind, a fund has been set up at Saraland Baptist Church in Saraland, Alabama where Yogi is Pastor. You can contribute to the Hannah Taylor Fund and have a real part in helping Yogi and Kelli provide the best possible care for Hannah. Below is a letter from the Chairman of Deacons at Saraland Baptist Church giving details as to how this can be done. Please join us in bringing glory to God by sacrificially giving to help Yogi, Kelli and Hannah in their time of need.

Most Sincerely in Christ,

Kyle Claunch
Jonathan Hill
Thad L. Key

Dear Friends:

Saraland Baptist Church has established the Hannah Taylor Fund to allow our members as well as friends of Yogi to contribute to the expenses this unfortunate cancer surgery has caused.

Contributions may be made to Saraland Baptist Church with the “for” line of the check reading “Hannah Taylor Fund.”
Our church’s mailing address is:

Saraland Baptist Church
P.O. Box 749
Saraland, Alabama 36571

The members of our church covet your prayers for our loved ones and praise Jesus for your sympathy in our Pastor’s time of need.

Autrey D. Key
Chairman of Deacons
Saraland Baptist Church