Date: Thursday November 13, 2003

Today Gia underwent a lung scan to make sure the cancer has not spread. She is currently home playing and watching Dora! She is so brave to be able to deal with all this!

Date: Thursday November 20, 2003

Wonderful news: There does not appear to be any spread of tumor to the lungs! There are no significant changes in airways related to CF , which is at least some more good news at this juncture. Still waiting for the treatment plan to be outlined.

Date: Sunday November 23, 2003

We have been provided some insight into the treatment plan. The first step will be to conduct an MRI to verify that the lesion does not go through the liver. If it does not, surgery will be performed to remove it, followed by chemo. If it does go through the liver, chemo will begin immediately. We do not have a timeframe for the MRI or surgery.

Date: Tuesday November 25, 2003

We met the oncologist today. Gia is tentatively scheduled for surgery on Tuesday.  We are still waiting for MRI to confirm that the tumor is resectable.  If the tumor is not resectable, a surgical biopsy will be done. 

Date: Thursday November 27, 2003

Happy Thanksgiving! Many people have asked us if we were celebrating Thanksgiving. The answer is an astounding YES! We have so many things to be thankful for. We are most grateful for having Gia as a part of our life and treasure each day that we have with her. We are also blessed with supportive friends and family.   Some of our friends we have never met in person, yet they are with us every step of the way.  Thank you!

Date: Monday December 01, 2003

Bad News, the surgeon called to let us know the results of the MRI that was completed on Friday. The lesion extends through both lobes of the liver. Because of this, the surgery scheduled for Wednesday (originally scheduled for Tuesday) will be an open biopsy instead of resection. This also means that chemotherapy will be required immediately. Hopefully the chemo will destroy the remaining lesion. Most likely she will need additional surgery following the chemo.

Date: Wednesday December 03, 2003

Gia had her open liver biopsy this morning. They removed a piece of the lesion for further testing. The surgery also confirmed multiple lesion. They also installed a central line for the chemo therapy. She is awake, but she is a little grumpy. We will find out more about her treatment plan later today.

Date: Thursday December 04, 2003

Gia is doing well. She is still in the hospital recovering from Wednesday's surgery. We are awaiting the biopsy results to determine the specific plan for chemotherapy. At this point it feels like all we do is wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait, etc.

Date: Friday December 05, 2003

We are still awaiting the biopsy results, but now we are waiting at home!! Gia is not quite herself, but she is getting better everyday. The plan right now is to start chemo next week (once the biopsy results are obtained.

Date: Thursday December 11, 2003

Gia is feeling well after last Wednesday's surgery. She runs up and down stairs without a problem. She has also started doing her Dora dance again! Standard hepatoblastoma chemo will start on Monday, December 15. A series of three drugs will run over a thirty-six hour period in the hospital. There will probably be about three weeks before the second round of chemo begins. Please pray that Gia tolerates the chemo well as you never quite know what to expect.

Date: Monday December 15, 2003

Gia started her chemotherapy today. We also discussed the plan as well as alternative treatments currently available. We will be doing chemo for the next 3 days, followed by single doses on Christmas eve and New Years eve. We will repeat this cycle one more time, followed by more tests. After the test we will determine the appropriate next steps.

Date: Wednesday December 17, 2003

Gia came home this evening! She handled her first round of standard hepatoblastoma chemo very well. She received Cisplatin late Monday evening. This must be followed by 24 hours of hydration and input/output monitoring. She received doses of 5-FU and Vincristine today. She is starting to see the benefit of her central line, Mr. Wiggles! Her blood counts will be monitored closely while she is home. She has started a lot of oral meds to prevent infection. Due to the CF, she is at high risk for infections and may need to return to the hospital at any time.

Date: Wednesday December 24, 2003

Merry Christmas to all! Gia went to the Oncology clinic at duPont this morning for a dose of Vincristine. Her numbers/blood labs all look good. They even had a couple of Christmas presents for her. At this point, she has experienced few side effects other than jaw pain. We are all thrilled to be celebrating the holiday at home. Many thanks for all of your beautiful cards, pictures, wishes, prayers and surprises!

Date: Wednesday December 31, 2003

Happy New Year! Gia went to the oncology clinic for her third shot of Vincristine (VCR) today. Her numbers are looking good and she has enough energy to run up the stairs two at a time! Although Gia's hair is quickly falling out, she is still smiling! Gia's next round of chemo starts on Monday, January 5.