Prayers for Savannah

Thank you Hondo, you are a sweetheart. I really appreciate all of the prayers for little Savannah.

Here is the latest updates:


<LI class="entry first-entry">Sunday, April 11, 2010 9:33 PM, CDT
Savannah was not as cranky today and we thought she was feeling better. This afternoon her fever went up to 102 so Andrea telephoned the physician on call at 3:00 .m. and was told to bring her to the ER. One positive note is that oncology patients don't sit around in the ER waiting room. Savannah was immediately taken to a room. They did blood work and a nasal swab. Fortunately, Savannah had a male nurse and she always cooperates with the male nurses!

The doctors started her on fluids and IV antibiotics. She was admitted to Texas Children's and got into a room about 8:45. We are very thankful that she is on the oncology floor. It's our home away from home and they know her there.

We are so thankful for the wonderful, totally coordinated care the doctors and staff give Savannah. I've never seen anything like it. We are truly blessed to be in such a high caliber, caring environment.

Savannah is in Room 918 and Wayne and Andrea are with her now. Remember that you can send her cards by logging on to the Texas Children's website. Be sure to include her room number in the message.

We are truly thankful to God above and to all our prayer warriors for the progress Savannah has made in her battle against this cancer. Please continue to lift her up and share her story with others.

God bless you!

B.G.

<LI class=entry>Saturday, April 10, 2010 3:14 PM, CDT
Savannah is not feeling well today. She is running a low grade fever and has laid around more than anything else today. When she is not running and playing that is a sure sign she is not feeling well!

Savannah got platelets at clinic yesterday. Her surgery was originally scheduled for Wednesday. Then it was moved to Monday. But her neutrophil count was 50 yesterday and it has to be 500 for surgery. There is no way it would rise to 500 by Monday. Now surgery is scheduled for Friday. She only has to go to clinic once next week, on Wednesday. They will check her blood counts. She will also get a hearing test.
Savannah was very cranky last night. She got sick about 5 p.m. Later she was sitting at the table and said, “B.G., my legs hurt.” Her head felt hot. Mama checked her temperature and it was 100.8o. We have to call the emergency number when her temperature reaches 101o. And then they tell us to bring her to the ER and she gets admitted. But her temperature didn’t reach that point last night. Savannah is home, hopefully, until Friday.
Focus on the blessings in life. Is your glass half full or half empty? I count the green lights I sail through, not the red ones that stop me. When I’m driving down the highway, I look at the flowers blooming not the weeds growing, and admire how beautiful they are. When I’m trying to pull out of a business into traffic, I am thankful for the person who let’s me pull in in front of them. When I have to cross three lanes of traffic on Loop 610 in Houston, I thank God for the people who let me do it, and, funny thing, I haven’t missed my exit yet! When I overhear two friends talking about how abusive their parents were, I thank God for my Mom and Dad who weren’t abusive at all but took us to church every Sunday and loved us and provided for us. I thank God that I have such a strong relationship with all my sisters. How many families do you know with brothers and sisters who don't even speak to each other? Life is too short for that.
Next time someone asks me how I’m doing, I’m not going to say that I’m tired and stressed out. I’m not going to mention my aches and pains. Instead, I think I‘ll say, “My back is feeling really great today!” Of course, then, the person will probably ask me if my back had been hurt and I’ll say, “No, and I’m thankful for that!” Can you imagine if people told us what felt good instead of listing their aches and pains?
Once when I was principal at Southside Elementary in Angleton, I was driving home after an evening PTO function. This truck pulled up beside me and the driver was waving and honking. I thought, “Who is this crazy person?” Then I recognized him as one of the parents at Southside. I rolled my window down and he told me that one of the lights on my car wasn’t working. He chased me all the way from the south side of town to the north side of town to tell me that. That was a really caring thing to do. So now I try to do the same for other drivers. At first they think I’m crazy but once I tell them that a light is out on their car, they always thank me.
Today let’s all do random acts of kindness. Make the world, or your part of it, a more pleasant place.

Please continue to pray for our little Savannah. We are asking God for a successful surgery and for her to be completely cured of this cancer. Psalms 91 says to call on Him and He will answer! God bless you and your family.

B.G.

<LI class="entry first-entry">Friday, April 16, 2010 8:19 AM, CDT
Savannah threw up without warning and the stuffed dog, Lucky, the runt from 101 Dalmations, took the brunt of it. Savannah was very worried about him. We thought there was no hope, but took Lucky home, put him in the sink and scrubbed him. Then we put him through many air dry cycles in the dryer. Lucky came out as good as new!

B.G. took him to Savannah yesterday. She squealed with delight when she saw him and hugged him and laughed. We are so thankful that Lucky made it through his disaster!

Savannah's labs showed that she was clear of infection yesterday. If her labs this morning are clear, then she will have a pic line put in this morning between 10 and 12. She can have nothing to eat or drink until that is done.

Savannah has lost weight this week. If you know Savannah, then you know she has no extra meat on her bones. She will start taking the appetite stimulant again. Last time she took it, it really brought her appetite back. We want her to eat like a horse like she used to!

Dr. Sweeny from the ENT team came by to talk to Mom about possibly putting tubes in Savannah's ears. Savannah promptly told him to go home! He was all for that! She also told him to go to his house, not to her big new house!

Savannah, Daddy, Mama and B.G. went to the playroom. Savannah painted Winnie the Pooh solid pink! Daddy drew her a house and she painted it solid pink, too!

Savannah and Daddy had a tea party in the morning. In the afternoon Savannah and B.G. had a koolaid tea party with her new tiny tea set while we watched The Princess and the Frog.

We continue to pray for Savannah to be completely healed of this cancer. God bless all of Savannah's prayer warriors for sticking with us on this long journey.

B.G.

<LI class=entry>Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:59 AM, CDT
Savannah really enjoyed her prizes from Aunt Sherry and family. She immediately put on the gown and slippers. She turned Daddy into a frog with her magic wand. She really liked having her very own makeup instead of having to share B.G.'s. We had a tea party with the tiny tea set. B.G. was running back and forth filling up the tea pitcher because it was so tiny. Savannah filled up each little tea cup and set it on the saucer. We had the tea party on top of a bed liner so it didn't matter how much water she spilled!

Savannah, Mama, Daddy and B.G. went to the play room. We all got to paint! Savannah also played with the toys. Then she rode a little motorcycle back to the room.

Savannah's nurse practitioner Erica came by to visit with us. Savannah's white count is still zero, which means she is very subtle to infection. Savannah's surgery is now scheduled for Wednesday, April 21st. After the last biopsy, we were very excited that the cancer was down from 90% to 5% in her bone marrow. Erica told us that, according to the treatment plan, it should have been 0%. This was not good news. The prognosis to start with was a 15%-20% chance of survival.

When Dr. Nucturn does the surgery, they will also do another bone marrow biopsy. If the cancer is still not clear, then the oncology team will meet to decide what to do next. Erica said that would be called Induction Failure. Induction is the first phase of treatment.

Please continue to pray for our baby's complete healing. Also, ask your prayer partners to pray. We may be knocked down right now, but we will dust ourselves off, get back up, and keeping praying and believing.

From Psalm 91: I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday....Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling, for he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone..."Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."

God bless you all.

B.G.

Friday, April 16, 2010 5:34 PM, CDT

I want to receive Journal update notification e-mails.

Savannah had a PICC (peripheral inserted central catheter) line put in today. They had to wait until they had 48 hours of labs with no infection so she didn't go down for the procedure until 2:00 p.m. It was a difficult day since she couldn't eat or drink. How do you explain that to a 3 year old? Savannah kept asking for food and we kept having to tell her, "Not right now," and it was really hard because she would cry. But then she moved on, over and over again.

B.G. and Hank went to the hospital today. B.G. brought Savannah's watercolors. She and Hank painted pictures together. Hank's flowers and sun were actually quite good!

The procedure today was supposed to take about 45 minutes (starting at 2:00) but Savannah didn't get back to the room until about 4:15 p.m. She didn't want to wake up after the anesthesia today. The nurse finally wiped her face with a cold, wet cloth to get her to wake up.

When Savannah got back to her room, she was chowing down on chicken nuggets and French fries. She is now taking the appetite stimulant again. We are hoping that it works the magic it did last time and she starts eating better. Savannah is skinny anyway (like Daddy Wayne) and we'd like to see her gain a little weight before the big procedure on Wednesday.

Andrea said Savannah was very woozy from the anesthesia. Once she really wakes up, we know she will be glad to have the IV out of her leg. Mama Andrea told her the PICC line in her arm was her new central line. Savannah understands that.

Dr. Mo from the oncology team came by today. Savannah told him to leave her alone! He told us that they had hoped to let us go home for a few days before surgery on Wednesday. However, her white count is still zero so we'll be staying put. She is very susceptible to infection right now. He did say that other markers indicated that the ANC (white count) should be starting to rise. If it doesn't rise like it should, there are shots (GSF) they can give Savannah to stimulate that.

The caregivers are very tired right now and a little discouraged. When Erica, the nurse practitioner told us the prognosis is 15%-20% survival, it really made us stop and think. We have been so busy managing one day at a time, one tree at a time, that we forgot to stand back and look at the big picture, the initial treatment plan, the milestones we needed to meet, at the forest. Dr. Russell told us they see about 20 cases of neuroblastoma a year. At that rate, maybe one child a year survives!

Nonetheless, we have not given up hope and continue to pray for Savannah's complete healing. We hope that you and your prayer partners will continue to join us in our prayers. God bless you all!

B.G.

Thank you, Jay. Of course your prayers count and are most appreciated. I love everyone here so much. Years back when I joined this awesome group, I was at a VERY low point in my life and it was here that I found refuge and comfort. So it was only natural for me to share this child's story with my friends here because I know and can feel the power of your prayers. I have added another update on Savannah. By the way, the woman writing the journal is Savannah's maternal grandmother. You can feel her love and concern for her precious baby. This woman is amazing.


Much love,

Cindy



Sunday, April 18, 2010 7:35 AM, CDT
Savannah got "tanked up" yesterday! She received a unit of blood because her hemoglobin was low. We could really tell the difference in how she felt. We did laps around and around and around the halls. She was in the little red car and we pushed it "very fast" and one of us had to push her IV pole very fast to keep up! She had on a crown and her princess earrings from Aunt Sherry and looked very cute. Everyone commented on the princess as she zoomed by!

The appetite stimulant seems to be working. Savannah ate all day long. She painted some paint by number pictures (she painted right over the numbers in whatever color she wanted!)and watched movies. The puppy movie (101 Dalmations and the new Tinkerbell movie are her current favorites.

Thank you to Lisa, Ava, Mel, Tanya and Jo for your encouraging words. The caregivers are doing better. We hit a speed bump but we are moving on.

Dr. Mo came by yesterday and said Savannah's ANC (white count) is still zero. It needs to be 500 for survery. He said we may not be able to proceed with the surgery on Wednesday if it doesn't rise quickly. Pray with all your might that her ANC is where it needs to be so she can have her surgery.

We continue to claim total healing for Savannah. God has special plans for her life. Whatever they are, we suspect she will be bossing people around!

God bless you for your faithfulness in praying for Savannah and staying with us during this long battle!

B.G.

Friday, April 23, 2010 6:13 AM, CDT

Savannah said for the first time that she was sick. We took her to see the train display in the building across the street. She usually loves it, but after about three minutes she said she wanted to go back to her room.

Wayne has been there for 11 days and nights straight, leaving only to go to class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He looked tired yesterday. B.G. sent him home for the day. B.G. and Savannah got to play together for a good, long time! Of course, Daddy Wayne was back after class to spend the night with his baby again.

Savannah’s neutrophil count is still at zero today. The doctors are puzzled and we know something is not right. Tomorrow, about mid-morning, we hope, they will do the bone marrow aspiration from her hips. We will probably know by Tuesday or Wednesday if she still has cancer in her bone marrow. They are also going to do viral cultures to see if she has a viral infection in her bone marrow. The results of that will take a little longer.

For the fourth day in a row, Savannah got the GCSF shot, which is supposed to make her neutrophil count rise quickly. She screams and cries before the shot. Today, B.G. cradled her in her arms and Mama held her legs while one nurse held her arms and one nurse gave her the shot in her thigh. She now has two pink band-aids on one thigh and a pink and a green band-aid on the other thigh. Words can never explain how hard it is to have to put her through all this. We just keep telling ourselves, that as soon as the shot is done, she is okay. She moves on.

This morning we went to the playroom. Savannah played with lots of toys. Then she wanted to go to the Ronald McDonald Family Room. She wanted some popcorn, so B.G. popped some for her. B.G. asked her if she wanted to go back to the room to eat it, but she wanted to “sit at the table” to eat it. B.G. asked if she could have some popcorn, too, but Savannah said, “No!”

Then we went back to the room and painted with watercolors. We worked on some of the “homework” Aunt Kathy brought. Aunt Kathy is an elementary school principal and snagged a big stack of worksheets from Pre-K. Savannah and B.G. took turns being the teacher and we called out letters and painted them as we went. Savannah knows all her letters and can count from 1 to 20!

We watched Dora, the Explorer, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 101 Dalmatians. But, don’t try to tell Savannah those are Dalmatians! Those are puppies, not Dalmatians! We played keep away with the ball and suddenly Savannah stopped and said, “B.G., I love you to the most!” and hugged my neck! It doesn’t get any better than that!

When Mama came, we went to the playroom again and Savannah got to cut pictures out of magazines and glue them onto construction paper. She was mostly interested in cutting, not gluing.


Savannah is a smart little girl and knows who the boss is. Mama can get her to eat and drink and mind better than anyone else. She knows Mama means business! Mama is always calm and reassuring. She and Savannah love each other so much.

B.G. was going through her Bible, looking for verses about healing. It soon became apparent to me that you can’t just pull out verses on one subject. The message of the Bible is intertwined with spiritual health and well-being, with being and doing what God wants, and seeking His will in all things. It reminded me of the guy who was seeking guidance from the Lord so he opened his Bible randomly and put his finger on a verse. It said that Judas went and hung himself. The guy thought, that can’t be right. He closed his Bible, opened it randomly and put his finger on another verse. It said, “Go thou and do likewise.”

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

What a glorious blessed day we had yesterday! Savannah's absolute neutrophil count was 350! From zero to 350! They took her for the bone marrow biopsy at 2:30. Another long day with no food or drink but we managed just fine.

Dr. Mo came and gave us the report himself. He looked at the biopsy and his preliminary assessment is that the bone marrow is not packed with cancer like it was initially. He thinks her bone marrow is just tired and recovering slowly. Dr. Mo was grinning from ear to ear! There may still be some cancer in the bone marrow but he thinks, if there is, it's just a trace.

Because her count came up, we got to come home! It was absolutely glorious, "Thank you, Lord", good news! I wish you could have seen and heard Savannah when she found out she was coming home! Her face lit up and she shrieked, "I get to go home! I get to go home!"

You never saw people pack a room as fast as we did! When we pulled in the driveway, Savannah saw Hank waiting for us. She shrieked, "There's Hank! Hank! Hank!" She gave Beevo kisses, rode her tricycle, greeted all her toys and had a great time! Then she said, "I'm tired" and wanted to go to bed. She was so happy to be in her own bed.

It was so wonderful this morning to be laying in bed and to hear her yell, "B.G. Where are you? I wake up!"

Mama has to give Savannah the GCSF shots at home on Saturday and Sunday. Savannah has a clinic appointment Monday morning to check her counts. Surgery is tentatively scheduled for Friday.

We are praising God for His faithfulness and love and for carrying us through this journey. We are all tired. Now that we are home, it's okay to be tired and to try to rest up.

God bless you for hanging with us and for continuing to lift Savannah up in prayer.

B.G.

Thursday, April 29, 2010 11:30 AM, CDT




Glory to God in the Highest! The bone marrow biopsy showed
0% cancer!!!!

Her neutrophil count is at the top of normal range!

Surgery starts at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. We are claiming in prayer that the surgeon won't even be able to find the tumor because Savannah has been healed!

I will post updates throughout the day tomorrow!

God bless Savannah's prayer warrriors!

B.G.

Hello Friends,

Here is some more of that good news!


Friday, April 30, 2010 2:25 PM, CDT
Savannah's surgery is OVER in record time!

Dr. Kim said Savannah's tumor reacted to the chemo the best of any in the operations he's done on children with Stage IV neuroblastoma. He anticipated 6-8 hours for the surgery but was done in just over 4 hours. The longest part of the surgery is usually cleaning up the tentacles from the tumor. There just wasn't much to clean up in Savannah's case. Blood loss was minor. She will be in ICU at least one night or maybe two.

God continues to answer the prayers of the faithful. Thank you for your prayers and support.

More details later but wanted to get the word out.

Andrea, Wayne and B.G.

Saturday, May 1, 2010 10:23 AM, CDT
Savannah was not a happy camper after surgery. She had an NG tube in her nose, an IV, a catheter and all kinds of monitors hooked up to her. She tried to take the tube out of her nose so they put these padded restraints on her little arms so she can't bend them. She said the doctor gave her a shot, referring to the IV in her hand. She said the doctor was "very gentle". Then she said, "No, no, doctor!" She told her Mama, "I can't go home right now." Mama told her, "Soon."

Savannah has an entire team managing her pain. They upped the medication dose and she nodded off, but not before saying, "B.G., go away!"

Wayne spent the night with her, of course, and slept sitting up in a chair. The nurse told him he could go stay at the Ronald McDonald House but Wayne refused to leave her.

A few days ago, B.G. and Savannah were outside and B.G. was talking to Savannah about God. She told Savannah, "God made Savannah. God made Mama. God made Daddy. God made the trees, the flowers and the grass." B.G. could tell by her face that Savannah was thinking about that. B.G. asked her, "Who made Savannah?" Savannah replied, "God made Savannah!" Then she went on, "And God made the barbecue pit and the tricycle!"

Right now Savannah seems very comfortable. She is very passive and relaxed and watching cartoons on TV. Her vital signs are good. She is running a low grade fever but that is to be expected after what her body has been through.

The adults are exhausted and elated. We praise God for all His many blessings. Words cannot express what all your prayers and support mean to us.

B.G.

Please help Savannah with your prayers. She needs them more than ever. Below is the latest update written by her dear grandmother.
Thanks so much, Cindy

Tuesday, July 20, 2010 2:02 PM, CDT
Again we are requesting extra prayers for Savannah. Her temperature at 5:30 this morning was 105.3. The doctors just had her moved to PICU. They feel like she need the intensive care PICU provides.
Monday, July 19, 2010 5:36 PM, CDT
Savannah's fever ranged between 102 and 104 all day. This afternoon she was very agitated and shaking and so very hot. She also tried and tried to vomit but there iwas nothing in her stomach. Mama asked for something for the nausea and the nurse gaver her a choice of medications. Mama wisely chose the one with anti-nausea and anti-anxiety medicine in it.
Then Savannah's fever hit 105.3. They don't usually give Motrin with Tylenol because the Motrin skews the blood work, but this time they did. Her fever right now is 103.9. She is more comfortable than she was earlier. We never thought we'd rejoice over a fever of 103.9!
Changing her diaper is agony for her. Someone has to hold her hand while the other changes her. Her bottom is blister burned and red. Her stomach is burned and red. Her back is red and peeling.
Our good friend and neuroblastoma survivor parent Tracy has told us that this stage is absolutely horrible. We were looking at the calendar they gave us and realized that we wre only into day 3 of 35 days and our hearts sank. But, Tracy said it will get better in 10-14 days when Savannah's counts start to come up. Tracy, you do know, because you've been there, what a comfort this was to us. God bless you for your comforting words. There is a light at the end of this very dark tunnel. In the meantime Savannah is miserable and it just breaks our hearts.
Aunt Kathy and Aunt Brenda came to the hospital today to give Mama and B.G. some help while Daddy was gone to school. Aunt Kathy brought more bottles for Savannah. Savannah hasn't had a bottle in years but she asked for chocolate milk in the real bottle Kathy brought. She took one sip and asked Mama for water. Mama put water in the bottle and she actually drank about an ounce! Yes, she's too old to have a bottle but we are rejoicing that she got the inside of her mouth wet!
Please continue to lift up our baby in your prayers. God bless Savannah's prayer warriors!
Monday, July 19, 2010 8:00 AM, CDT
Asking for special, special prayers for Savannah today. She has a fever of 104.8 this morning.
B.G.

Thursday, July 22, 2010 5:39 PM, CDT
Things are looking up for Savannah! My how things can change in 4 hours because so many prayers are being sent to our heavenly Father!

Savannah is back on the eighth floor (bone marrow transplant unit). After her temperature spiked that one time, it has consistently been below 101. The ultrasound of her chest showed that she has a very small pocket of fluid in the lining of her left lung. The doctor cancelled the chest x-ray scheduled for 5:00. They will continue to monitor her lungs but it is not urgent.

On top of this, Mama spoke to Savannah's primary oncologist today and got the best news. Dr. R. told Mama that she disagrees with the radiologist's reading of the CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. She doesn't think those areas on the spine and pelvis are metastisis. Dr. R. thinks they are areas where the bone is healing. She said some of the other tests Savannah had previously backed her up. This means that Savannah is healing as we prayed that she would.

My how things can change in just 4 hours! We know that God, our Heavenly Father, is hearing the thousands of prayers being prayed to Him for Savannah and He is answering them!

Savannah is still very sick but she is so much better! She appears almost nonresponsive. However, she lets us know she is aware of what is going on around her. In the ICU there were two doctors just outside the glass door of Savannah's room going over her chart. Without seeming to open her eyes, Savannah raised her arm and pointed at the door. Mama leaned over her and asked her what she was pointing at. Savannah whispered, in a barely audible tone, "I'm telling the doctors to go away!" Later a respiraory therapist came in to give her a breathing treatment. She explained to Savannah what she was going to do and, without missing a beat, Savannah gave the woman a "You're dismissed" wave with her hand and politely said, "No, thank you!" Savannah is sleeping and resting so much because her body is fighting to heal and needs all its energy to do so.

Savannah can receive e-cards via the Texas Children's Hospital website. Volunteers print them out and deliver them to the room. She is in Room 846 in the West Tower.

Words cannot express our gratitude for your many, many prayers. God bless Savannah's prayer warriors.

B.G

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 5:55 PM, CDT
Savannah's test results show
NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE!
WE PRAISE THE LORD AND WE THANK HIM FOR ALL OF SAVANNAH'S PRAYER WARRIORS!

Her treatment regimen is not done, however. Texas Children's Hospital has offered Savannah a spot in a National Cancer Institute clinical trial. She will receive immune system stimulation therapy over the next six months beginning with admission to the hospital on October 3. Each admission will last 4-5 days. Then she will be out for 14-18 days. We will do this cycle 7 times.

The therapy she will receive is "brutal". It hurts so bad, the doctors dope them up with painkillers before they start it and it's okay of they sleep the whole time while in the hospital. There are all kinds of possible side affects. She will take Accutane two weeks on, two weeks off throughout the six month period. It has a lot of possible side effects but has proven very effective with this cancer.

Why are her parents willing to put her through this? Neuroblastoma is a particularly nasty cancer with a 15-20% five year survival rate. It has a high incidence of recurrence. The study Savannah is being enrolled in so far has shown a 20% greater two year survival rate. If we don't do it and the cancer comes back, how could we live with ourselves?

Our one and only Savannah has blessed our lives and the lives of others over and over again. It was not an easy decision for her parents to make. After listening to Dr. R. tell us what all the treatment entails, it would be easy, so easy, to just walk away and go on with our lives. However, we have to do everything humanly possible to save her life.

The greatest gift for us has been your prayers and support. Savannah's adult caregivers are tired and numb. Nonetheless, we rejoice in the Lord and feel blessed in many, many ways. We "praise Him in this storm" and know that He is with us every step of the way.

Savannah's Daddy has gone back to work. Mama is taking care of Savannah. We don't know how long we will be able to do this. We are trusting in the Lord to provide for their needs.

Sunday, Pastor Tim's sermon was tailor-made for us. The title was, "Why We Hope." The part that really stuck with us was

(Herod) had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also...The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers....Acts 12:2-3, 6 (NIV)

He was sleeping??? Yes, because he knew God would take care of him. Last night, B.G. and Hank slept peacefully knowing that Savannah's tests would show that she had no evidence of disease.

We cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support through Savannah's long journey. God bless Savannah's prayer warriors!
B.G.


Sign My Guestbook

<LI class=entry>Sunday, September 19, 2010 5:23 PM, CDT
Savannah had a great time at the B.I.G. Love Cancer Care Services fundraiser in Angleton Saturday. She ran a little bit during the 5K. Due to rain, the kids' dash was held inside. They had the 2-3 year olds run first. Savannah is four but Cousin Bryson is 2 so she held his hand and seemed intent on helping him run. They ran about halfway and apparently Bryson was running too slow so she let go of him and took off. He started crying. We think it hurt his feelings! Then they lined up the 4-5 year olds. Savannah that the first dash was great fun so she lined up and ran again!

We are very humbled that Savannah was recognized at the event and given a HUGE giftbag. They gave her a Tinkerbell outfit, Tinkerbell makeup, a Tinkerbell music box and a Tinkerbell tea set. She immediately wanted to put on the outfit. She came back out and danced for everyone.

For more information about B.I.G. Love and how you can help go to www.biglovecancercare.org. This organization does a wonderful job blessing and taking care of families and children with cancer at Texas Children's Hospital and at a hospital in Arkansas. They have been such a blessing to us!

Savannah is feeling very well and eating well. We are believing in faith for a good report on Tuesday from her oncologist.

God bless you for your prayers and support.
B.G.

I want to thank everyone for their continued prayers. This little angel needs as many as she can get.

Cindy