Wednesday, March 14, 2007

At the Hospital

At the hospital, Izzy has had some good times and ...
some not so good times.

Today was a long day for her. She underwent 7 procedures, 5 of which required her to be under general anesthesia. The Doctors are more confident in the T-cell Leukemia diagnosis, but will hold off until tomorrow mid-morning when all of the results are back to make it official. Also in that mid-morning meeting we will be discussing the treatment battle plan.

If you are interested, here are the 7 procedures in a bit more detail. The first two were an EKG and Echo-cardiogram to establish a base-line for her heart during treatment. She was then put under for the next 5 procedures. Two of them were a bone scan and a CT scan to see if the cancer had spread to other parts of her body. She was then transferred to the operating room where she had her central-line (more on this in the next sentence) put in, a bone marrow biopsy in which they extracted some marrow to analyze and a spinal tap to look for cancer in the spinal and brain fluid. The purpose of the central-line is to give the medical personnel a place to easily access blood and give treatments without having to poke her in the arm every time. They do this by working through a port which is a small plastic half-circle that is just beneath Izzy's skin in the middle of her chest. The port is connected beneath the skin to a tube that has been inserted in to one of her main veins.

On another note, we have received more great reviews about the U of M pediatric cancer center from respected persons in the children's cancer field confirming our decision that this is the right place.

Thank you for all of the prayers, thoughts and efforts. We know that so many people are anxious to help. One of our friends asked if she could set up a fund for Izzy. We said yes because we want people to be able to help in any way they want. You can find more information about the fund at the following website: http://www.izzysfund.org

Hopefully tomorrow we will have a definitive diagnosis and treatment plan to post.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Costleys,
We wish you the best and are thinking and praying for you! Please call us anytime for help as we are only a block away. If you need us to watch Lauren and Ryan please let us know. We would be happy to help.
Aubrey and Sam Barrett

Unknown said...

Hi Costley family. All of our thoughts are with you during this time. You have a big support network here (not only section 4, but the entire Ross community).

Unknown said...

If there is anything you need, we would be happy to help in any way possible.

Aaron Heidel
(representing section 4)

Unknown said...

Cory and family,
Your strength is amazing. Mott's is a great hospital and you're absolutely right about the support in Ann Arbor. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Jeanine

Elsie said...

Cory and Kerri, I wish you the best! I completely understand what a difficult time you are undergoing now. I used to volunteer once a week in children's ward of one of the best hospital in China treating children's leukemia. I talked to those parents and understood their feelings. Also, one of my best friends' cousin was diagnosed T-cell leukemia 5 years ago. She is cured! Izzy is such a lovely angel and we all love her. Please take good care of yourselves as well! You will be wiped out soon if you don't get much sleep... With all the love and support from the entire Ross community, we will make it through! Yes, we can!

joey said...

Hi Peanut!
We love how you make us smile. We love you and hope you get feeling better soon! Cory & Kerry, we love you and pray for you. Your friendship and love blesses our lives...thank you. LoLo & Ryan, Izzy is so lucky to have such fun sisters, we love you both!
Love,
Joey, Tiffy and Jacob

Sara said...

Izzy -
Wow! You are being so brave! I wanted you to know that I can't wait to finger paint with you sometime really soon - it looks like so much fun! Lots of hugs!!!

Sara, Steve, Brandon, & Evan

J-Lo said...

Wow! What a day yesterday. Goiter and all, Izzy is still a beauty:) We love you.
Love tons,
Jenny and David

Carol and Tyler said...

Izzy Boozer, Remember when Mia the dog jumped on your bed and was licking your face??? She almost loves you as much as I do!!

LOVE YOU! COCO

jenn said...

Costleys,
We are praying for Izzy's speedy recovery and healing... and for strength and endurance for you all!
Love, Jenn, Ryan, Briggs & Hadley Murphy

Unknown said...

Cory and family,

My thoughts and prayers will be always with you all. Wish the lovely little angel could recover soon.

This is a hard time for you and your family.But I know you are strong enough to make it through. And besides, you have all the support from all of us!

Bo

Carol and Tyler said...

Izzy, check this one out...http://postthatpic.com/files/241/EviHairlessCat.jpg

Love you lots!

coco and tyty

Derek said...

Cory, Kerri, and Izzy - I could not believe the news when my mother informed me of Izzy's condition. I know that this staging process is full of uncertainty, and that the answers just don't seem to come fast enough. My heart goes out to you and especially to Izzy and the fight she has ahead. You have been and will remain in my prayers.

k said...

Hi Costleys,
We're also thinking and praying about your fam. Thanks for letting the ward know about everything. Good luck with all the tests! Hang in there :)
The Millecam's

An said...

Ever since Dan explained to the boys that Izzy is sick, Adam has been remembering to mention her in all of his prayers. He also reminds us if we forget. With love, Dan, Andrea, Eli, Adam & Esther Richards

Unknown said...

Hey Izzy - I think of you! I look forward to visiting you soon! And play with you! -- Elina with Lasse, Patricia and Mike

Jenn Gehring said...

Costleys,
Please know that you continue to be in our prayers. Our thoughts and hearts are with you and your beautiful little girl. Cory, we've never met her, but knowing you, I know how sweet she must be.
Love,
Jenn and Mark Gehring

Katie said...

Cori/Kerri and fam,

Thanks for putting together this blog and giving us an opportunity to feel a part of what you are experiencing. We've had you in our thoughts often over the last few days. Just wanted to let you know that you have one more family here who is thinking about you and praying for you. And of course, if there is anything we can do to help, we would be happy to.

Ryan, Katie, and Marissa