We're Going To Disney World!!

We've heard back from Make a Wish and we get to go to Disney World in March!! This was our first choice of dates. Hopefully Gracie will be cancer free by then and this will be a celebratory wish trip. The girls are all super excited, our son (being only 15 months) seems rather indifferent.

As Gracie's counts are so good today she got to come to church for the first hour. Usually James and I take turns taking the 2 oldest girls. It gets really lonely not being a complete family at church, so on the odd day when we can all go together it's a really wonderful experience. 

The more sober news from this week is that we've been trying to figure out how well Gracie is able to see out of her right eye. It seems the vision has definitely deteriorated since she began treatments. A few days ago I didn't think it was really functioning at all any more. I now don't think that's the case, but I still think it's more impaired now than it was 3 months ago before she started treatments. My concern is that if the vision is already toast in her right eye why are we going to put her through the pain of having another subtenon injection. We have a lot to discuss with both Dr. O here and Dr. P in Houston. I want to talk to both of her ophthalmologists before we make any decisions, but because it's been a holiday week I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone. Really a lot depends on what is seen in her EUA on Thursday morning. But if there is no change again this Thursday we think we'll consider enucleation (removal of the eye) rather than putting her through another subtenon injection. It's just so painful. She will continue to get 3 more months of systemic  chemotherapy regardless of what our decision is. We don't want to do radiation as it increases her odds of developing further cancers. She's already got a 50% chance of getting cancer again, we don't want to make it a sure thing. 

We love our little girl. I can't imagine loving her more than I do, yet at the same time I know that God does. He won't make her go through anything that isn't in her best interest. I know he's capable of performing any miracle, regardless of how big or little it is. He can do anything. He can take this cancer away from her, if that's what is best for Gracie. It's hard sometimes to keep an eternal perspective, but in it there is peace. God has a plan and someday this will all make sense, and we'll be grateful that God knows the end from the beginning and helps us through our shortsightedness. 

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Stephanie