Chemo Begins!

Chemo Begins

So everything went well this last week and Isabelle started to acclimate to her power port.  She was still walking around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame through Friday as she was so hesitant to move that area of her upper body….bless her little heart!  She was still very concerned about the “numbing cream” that would have to be placed at the port site but she finally mustered the courage to let mom put on the numbing crème prior to going for chemo.  She is so brave and so amazing!  So we got to Children’s Hospital South Campus at about 9am ready to start this process and put this chemo session in the books!  One less chemo session that she has to go through and one closer to being done!  When we got there all of the infusion rooms were occupied except for one….that’s crazy that many kiddos are fighting cancer and the will to survive!  It’s sad and it makes your heart ache that these kids have to go through this at such a young age!  Well we settled in for a long day and figured it would take about 4-5 hours to complete blood/lab work, flushing the lines, giving fluids, and administering both of the chemo agents.  Belle kept herself busy with her math books, Princess Diaries 2, and going to the bathroom 5 or 6 times.  She was a little moody but I completely get it….I can imagine a million other places to be that that point in time!  Overall she handled it very well and she didn’t feel the poke for the port at all!  We ended up finishing up and heading home around 2pm.  We got her home and prepared for a lax weekend.  Nick and Brooke Kelsey brought us dinner which was wonderful and the kids hung out and watched Minions.  You could tell that Isabelle wasn’t 100% but she was hanging tough.  I think that things really started to hit her on Saturday afternoon into Sunday night.  She was really tired yesterday and she fell asleep at 6pm.  We hoped that she would be inclined to go to school today but the lack of eating and a mild headaches really didn’t position well for her to go to school all day long.  We will try again tomorrow!  We figured that these two chemo day Fridays would be like this following treatment…..a little harder to bounce back!  We hope that next weekend is much better for her only having to get the Vinblastine. 

She also went back to school on Thursday of last week for a the day so she as super pumped about that and being able to se her friends...enough said there!

I did want to let everyone know that the GoFundMe account is going great and we are strongly considering cannabis oil to aid Belle in her battle against her brain cancer.  A dear friend shared an amazing story (http://www.naturalnews.com/046994_cannabis_cancerous_tumors_miracle_baby.html) in which a child's brain tumor was completely healed and eliminated by utilizing cannabis oil with concentrated CBD and low THC ingredients.  We live in a state that has these alternative treatments available so we will explore this option to compliment her chemotherapy treatment.  The cost from what we have been told can range from $800-$1000 per month so we feel that is well worth the try.  There are a lot of articles out there that share the same claims that these properties in the cannabis oil “Charlotte’s Web” has the capacity to significantly reduce most side effects from chemo and kill cancer cells more specifically those in gliomas (brain tumors).  So needless to say the generous donations by so many will help us cover our $3500 fiscal year deductible (July-June) which we will have to cover again starting gain in July since her treatment will carry through December and a 12-month supply of the cannabis oil treatment.  We are very optimistic about Belle beating this cancer and never looking back.  If we get great results heck we may just have to add Sarah to the treatment….can’t hurt!  I guess we will just have a bunch of cannabis oil peeps in the McAllister household! LOL….I guess we have to consider all options rather than just focusing on synthetic toxins which can have long-lasting side effects.


Other than that Belle is doing pretty good overall and we are hoping that she starts feeling a lot better soon!  We understand this is par for the course when getting chemo and we will do everything we can to make her feel as good as she can!

I was also able to get her to go out of the house to go to Red Robin....yum!  She so funny and you can see her grandma "TuTu" photo bombing in the back!  She finally said on Thursday that it was time to get out of the house for a little bit!

I did want to share the information about the fundraiser that is taking place for Isabelle and the whole McAllister’s on Saturday, February 27^th at Backcountry CrossFit!  Now I know not everyone out there reading this blog is a CrossFitter or some crazy fit muscle head but that’s ok….we would love to see everyone out there and come join in supporting Isabelle as there will also be a Pot Luck following the WOD’s.  It’s going to be a great day and great opportunity to show your love and support for Belle and that she has a ton of people cheering her on to beat this cancer!  I do want to personally thank a couple of special people for making this happen…..First a huge and special thank you to Ashley & Steve Hartle (owners of BCCF) for allowing this event to take place at their wonderful CF box and just being so thoughtful and caring during our time of need….I also want to thank Nick & Brooke Kelsey for their help in organizing this event, I have had the privilege of Nick being one a my oldest and dear friend since I was 16 years old….his friendship and support means so much to me…..he is a lifelong friend and his friendship means the world to me…(that’s enough of the mushy gooey stuff for my “bromance” as my wife refers to it J)…..and of course Brooke, she’s amazing and Sarah and I are so grateful for her kindness and support.  I also want to thank Jenn Baker for helping create the fundraiser flier…she did an awesome job and she’s also a great cook (the Baker's rock)!  Not sure what her being a great cook has anything to do with it but I did want to compliment her on her cooking skills!  But seriously I want to thank these people for taking time out of their busy days to make the McAllister a priority….its means a lot!

All the support we are receiving from all over the place means a lot and it helps us get through the day!  I recently found out from a former dental resident of mine that is volunteering her time in Madagascar to help those in need and she informed me that there are prayer circles from Madagascar for Isabelle…I’m truly amazed about all of this and how much my little is loved and supported from all over the place.  I have had many friends tell me that there are prayer groups all parts of the country that are praying for Belle….God’s presence is real and whatever his plan is…we are trusting in him!

Thank you as always for all the love, support, and prayers….God bless all of you!  We will continue to fight this battle and support Belle and just take one day at a time!  We will keep you posted about updates, further chemo, treatments, the cannabis oil and the BCCF fundraiser.  Of course as always if anyone out there has additional information about the benefits of cannabis oil relative to killing cancer please do share…knowledge is power!

Thank you so very,

Mac