Belle’s Chemo Treatment
Since my
last post…..Belle received her single dose of Vinblastine last Friday. The process went very well and she seemed to
be in a better mood for the most part that day.
I can certainly tell she does not enjoy Fridays…which I totally get! We decided not to give her any of her
anti-nausea medication this time to see how she managed after the chemo. Overall I would say she did great! No nausea, sickness, or apparent side-effects. So far no significant side effects or
apparent hair loss from the chemo…they did indicate some thinning is likely but
nothing as of yet!
We have
started on the cannabis oils…..administering them daily and increasing incrementally
each day to get the recommended dosage.
She seems to be taking to the concept of taking daily drops of this mediation
very well. I told her that she has to
keep in her mouth without washing it down with water for 10 seconds. So she sits there and counts to 10 every time
I give her the drops and then take a drink of the water. It’s actually very cute to watch!
(Belle with her "Bag of Fun" donation from Children's Hospital)
We went to
Cohen Medical Center on Tuesday to get her an official red card…..just trying to
follow the law and make sure we are doing everything correctly. That was quite an experience and there was a
wide array of people there for what I could tell was for many different
reasons. I can tell you that Belle was
the youngest patient in there by 25 years!
We met with two doctors per state law (minors are required to be cleared
by 2 MD’s), first was a cosmetic surgeon and the other was a well-versed clinician
(Dr. Cohen himself), I would say he was in his mid-80s. It was a very pleasant experience as Dr.
Cohen said that he has seen this regiment of THC and BCD oils work and work
well for brain gliomas. He even
commented on a various clinical papers that he read from University of Colorado
Hospital from the 80’s that substantiated the validity of THC and CBD oils
killing cancer! Works for me….one more testament
to this regiment working! We immediately
left there to get the tinctures (THC extract) so that we could begin that process
ASAP! This aspect of her medication
regiment obviously gives us a little concern since we are giving our child THC
but rest assured the first drop she took went well and there were no visual
signs of the THC being in her system so just like the CBD oil we will slowly
begin to administer more over the next week or so to get her to the advised
dosage! If you had told me a year ago
today that we would be in the situation with Sarah being diagnosed with breast
cancer, my sweet Belle being diagnosed with a brain tumor and us beginning to administer
medicinal marijuana to my 7 year old for treatment…..I would laughed and said
no freaking way!
Isabelle has
also be selected to participate in an official clinical trial/study sponsored
by Children’s Hospital to monitor and follow children using cannabis oils to treat
cancer. She is 1 of 150 kids in the
nation currently participating in this study.
Tells me there is something there and some founding information that
shows that this actually WORKS!
Apparently the grant is fairly big so bravo to Children’s for starting
this process to potentially give other families in the future hope that they
rightfully deserve. I wish the study
included administering or providing the actual cannabis oil and THC extract but
due to state regulations they cannot use grant/state funds for that purpose so buying
this is all on us! So the donations that
are coming are so helpful because this will not be cheap but it’s obviously well
worth it!
I can tell
you at no point did any doctor or oncologist recommend this as a treatment option….sad
but true! Given no official stamp of
approval by the FDA or government will prevent a licensed clinician from saying
so! That’s my opinion…So in that regard
I want to thank Jianna Wright from the bottom of my heart for taking the time
to share a simple article about a 18 month child whose brain tumor was completed
cured by utilizing cannabis oil and THC to eliminate a stage IV glioblastoma! Without that article I would have never even
thought of this for Belle….obviously time will tell if this is effective but I can’t
say enough about how much I appreciate Jianna for sharing that with us so we
can begin this journey with Belle. As
you can probably tell we are so optimistic and have so much hope that this will
aid in the process and kill that tumor and heal my Belle.
Other than
that PT is coming along so well that Belle is even starting to run a little and
things are almost back to normal, she still struggles with going down stairs a
little bit as you can see she has to check herself sometimes and you can see on
rare occasions she may stumble a little bit….but I can tell you that the physical
therapist are amazed by her progress from where she shortly after she had
surgery. She a trooper and just continues
to improve every day.
I did want
to share a special moment I had with Belle last night that made me see how truly
strong my daughter is! So Belle very
rarely cries about this and is quick to just say I don’t want to talk about
it! That’s her way of dealing with
cancer…fine by me baby girl…you don’t want to talk about it now…no big deal, I’m
right here if and when you do! So I was just
sitting at the dinner table with Belle before bedtime eating a bowl of cereal
and helping her with her math homework.
I was thinking about how normal it felt!
I started to think how appreciative I am for so many of you out there
helping out in so many different ways and putting my family first in your lives
and looking out for our best interests and I was just overcome by that love
& support that everyone is providing….I started to cry and Belle always
gets a little concerned when Sarah or I cry….she seems to know that we are
crying because of her struggle and that she’s fighting cancer. She stood up and said “Are you crying
daddy? What’s wrong?” I said “nothing is wrong baby, I’m just so
happy that there are so many people out there that love YOU and are supporting
YOU!”……..her respond was so priceless…she put both her little hands on my
cheeks and looked me straight in the eye and said “Don’t worry daddy….I’m going
to beat cancer!”……that kiddo melts my heart!
She is so amazing! I can’t say
enough about the fight and will in that little girl….something to truly
admire! Fight Belle Fight…Stay Strong! She definitely keeps us going….
Things are
moving along and just taking one day at a time.
We try and not look to far ahead.
We do have Sarah’s final reconstructive surgery on the January 29th
so that will be good for her to close that chapter of her life and forge
ahead! I like to think that the McAllister’s
are badasses at kicking cancers ass! It’s
not something that we asked for but we will go through this journey with God
carrying us along the way!
My cousin
Carrie sent us a nice card along with some biblical verses that she said has
helped her through difficult times. I
wanted to share two with you that seemed to touch home:
Isaiah 41:10
– “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”
Psalms
103:2-4 – Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives
all your sins and heals your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and
crowns you with love and compassion.
Life isn’t
always a walk in the park…..there will be times of tragedy and heartache but
there will also be joyous moments and times of celebration! Enjoy life my friends and be thankful for the
all you have…I know I am and I appreciate so much of what life offers!
Until next
time….thank you as always for all the support and love…continue to say those
prayers fgor Belle and her healing so God hears us! Without all of you out
there helping us this journey would be much more difficult to navigate!
Remember to
mark your calendars for the fundraiser at BBCF on February 27th and
help support Belle! I will post the flier
again as we near the fundraiser date!
Thank you,
Mac
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