Never stop fighting!

(Family that fights together...stays together!)

“Never Stop Fighting”

One year ago our world was rocked….everything got turned upside down yet again!  We as a family had to embrace the fact that Belle had a brain tumor and that we had a long journey ahead of us!  There was so much uncertainty and so many unanswered questions.  After going through the 10 month cancer fight with Sarah and just trying to get her through her cancer battle…..I couldn’t even begin to fathom how the hell we were going to make it through Belle’s cancer battle as well.  I was so mad and angry…..I couldn’t understand for the life of me why the hell we were going through this yet again so quickly after Sarah's diagnosis.  It’s like going 15 rounds with Mike Tyson and then having to fight him again the very next day!  The last two years has been tough to say the least….we have had many low points that have brought us to our breaking point and wanting to just give up but in the same breath we have had some amazing moments of joy and happiness!  Quite an emotional rollercoaster…..ups and downs!  We have learned a lot about ourselves and the strength of our family over the last wo years.  What can I say I guess God build us to last!  I can’t say enough about the resilience of my family….Sarah, Isabelle and Michael have been truly amazing……their strength, fortitude and grit is something to admire.  Isabelle has so much fight in her and her ability to stay happy through all of this has been so great to see!  I know that this has been a tough year for her and she has had to bear the brunt of the cancer fight.  Certainly its hard as a parent to see your child go through this battle but I can’t even being 8 years old and having to go through this….she’s just a kid!  She’s tough as nails but sweet as sugar!  I can’t say enough about Michael as well…..he has had to watch his mom fight breast cancer and his sister fight brain cancer…I’m sure it weighs on him if he is going to get cancer too.  Through all of this he has done well…he even got on honor roll this semester at school and he’s kicking ass in wrestling!  I couldn’t be prouder as a father!  Through all of this we have definitely grown as a family and become closer! 

(Sarah and Belle at her last chemo)

So since the last update a lot has happened and we have good news!  We always cherish the opportunities to celebrate good news when it comes our way.  Isabelle finished her last chemo treatment on 11/23, she was able to finish up the last round of chemo with the vinblastine only.  The carboplatin was too much for her to take for the last round.  Her body just said enough…she did great to get as far as she could until her body said no more.  It was nice to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving without having to worry about chemo.  Finishing chemo is always “bitter sweet” because you no longer have the stress of going through chemo but then you have the concern of what’s next without the chemo keeping cancer at bay.  The oncology teams called a “Leap of Faith”…. trust me its totally the case!  You pray and hope that everything is working correctly and that the body will take over from here and keep killing the cancer.  This is a difficult time to manage emotionally…constantly watching her to make sure nothing else is popping up.  It can easily drive someone crazy!  She has done well since finishing her chemo treatment.  She did have a couple situations arise when we had to get her ANC checked just to make sure she wasn’t neutropenic.  She was dealing with a little bug which did cause for some concern with an elevated temperature but everything is good and well now!  

She had her full body and brain MRI on December 15th which she handled very well.  She was in that MRI machine for an hour and a half….that’s along time to lay in that machine.  But she’s so strong and did great….certainly lorazepam and the movie “Life of Pets” helped but even with that it can be hard to go through those scans awake so way to go Belle!  We did have to wait to get the results until the 16th but Sarah and I have learned this process very well.  If they let us go or there is no neuro-oncologist on the phone with the MRI radiologist tech, then most often things are looking good.  For those of you that have not had the pleasure (haha joking of course) of having sit in one of these rooms with your child, it’s so stressful just waiting and hoping that there is nothing popping up on the MRI that would cause for concern.  I don’t think I will ever get used to watching my loved ones go through these scans…but I muster all my strength and do my best to support Belle.  Her strength helps me so much….funny that she’s the one actually helping me!  I know it’s not easy on Sarah either sitting in the reception area waiting for us to come out.  I think there has been some emotional damage done from the first MRI when we learned that Belle had the tumor….it’s kind of messed us up to be honest!  So I’m sure you want the news from the MRI….drumroll please….(I hope some of you reading this are really doing the drumroll)....Things look great!  The enhancement reduction looks even better than the last MRI, the oncologist cannot say with 100% accuracy if the enhancement is residual fluid or activity of the tumor but everything is pointing in the right direction.  I don’t know what to say….I’m completely overjoyed with happiness for Belle.  She’s not completely out the woods yet because we do have MRI’s every 3 months just to keep an eye on things but we will chalk this up as a huge victory!  We will celebrate this day and Belle…what a rockstar she is!  I would say her treatment has been a success.  I still struggle to let my guard down…even in this moment, I’m still cautiously optimistic…I hope that I can begin to let that go over time.   I don’t think that me being on a constant alert will ever go away 100% but I have come to understand that this is my “new normal”…my new reality if you may!   

(Image above 12/17/15) 

 (Image above 12/15/16)

I used to wish all the time that this had never happened to us and part of me still feels that way!  I remember our life before cancer entered like bull in a china cabinet…..just causing havoc and turmoil at every chance.  But now I realize that this happened to us for some crazy reason….I know that God didn't give Sarah and Belle cancer so that we would appreciate life more and to purposefully change our path but things just happen sometimes.  Life is hard…it has challenges and difficulties….but there are also so many beautiful things to cherish and appreciate it!  I can say whole heartedly that these last two years have helped me just live better and appreciate each and every day more.  I can’t say enough about how much I love my wife and my children!

Isabelle has had such a great support system over the past year from all the friends and family that have helped us navigate this battle as well many people at her school.  I want to really thank those special teachers and administrative staff that made this last year as easy as possible and allowed her to have normal life at school.  She loves going to school and seeing her friends!  It has been very reassuring knowing that she is in such good hands when she is at school.  The school held some wonderful events for her prior to her last chemo treatment.  The school posted words of encouragement on their electronic display board, the principal Mrs. Milley brought her up during a school-wide celebration to congratulate Belle on getting through this difficult year and her wonderful teacher Mrs. Messmer threw her an amazing celebration party!  We are just so fortunate to have some many people helping us along the way!  I guess it’s pretty darn easy to love Belle so I totally get it!

(Isabelle at her party)

(Group huge from her classmates)

(Belle with her teacher Mrs. Messmer)

Other than that we are still forging ahead….we know that the fight is never completely over!  We will stick with eating well, using cannabis oil and essential oils routinely!  The McAllisters will continue to fight and do our best to keep kicking cancers ass!  We will celebrate this Christmas for so many reasons....most importantly Jesus and the precious time with our loved ones.  I encourage each of you to do the very same...time is the most precious gift...so celebrate it with those you love and care for!  This is a special Christmas having come so far in a year!  I truly hope and pray that 2017 is a great year filled with joy and happiness...I think we are due! 

Merry Christmas to everyone!  Thank you so much for all the support and love over the last year....keep those prayers coming and supporting my family....it means the world to us!

GoFundMe Link: https://www.gofundme.com/mcallister-family-medical-fund

Love the McAllisters

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall no perish but have eternal life"

Keep on fighting the good fight!

Keep on fighting the good fight!

It’s been about 3 months since the last update….people often ask how things are going and how Belle is doing.  That’s always a loaded question because physically she is doing really well and she is a normal 7 year old.  Seriously you would never think this child has a brain tumor that has the potential to threaten her life!  It has the potential to be that serious.  This is the same child that laughs and plays all the time.  She dances when her favorite song comes on the television during a Disney show…..she starts singing when a good song comes on the radio.  Even last week at her “Fun Run” at school she ran/walked 5 miles….she’s amazing!  So in that regard she’s doing great!  It’s always difficult to say how things are going inside of her….you know…how the tumor is responding to the chemo and cannabis oils? It’s always a hard question to answer because the scans only come every 3 months….so there is a bit of waiting game!  A game that overwhelms your thoughts constantly and ability to maintain normalcy in life.  To be honest…it’s always on my mind…CANCER!!!  It’s my new normal…but we are adjusting to this new way of life…slowly but surely!

So we had our most recent scan yesterday which always brings stress and anxiety leading up to the scan and waiting to hear the results…..they call it “scanxiety”…let me explain scanxiety to those of you who have not had the pleasure to experience this situation.  The stress and concerns usually starts about 7-10 days out from the scan.  Begins with some anticipation as you want to hear the results to see if things are working but then you start to worry what if they aren’t….DO I REALLY WANT TO KNOW THE RESULTS!?!?!  You bounce back and forth between these thoughts continuously leading up to the scan.  You find yourself sometimes in a daze and just not completely present in the moment.  These feelings and concerns overwhelm you at times which leads to being irritable, frustrated, pissy and just not a pleasure to be around sometimes.  You try and control it and not snap at people or things taking place around you but sometimes it just boils over.  I think as we endure more scans I have gotten better at controlling these emotional responses…..I’m human and not perfect.  Honestly…..it’s very scary and hard to go through…that’s probably the easiest way to describe it!  So if I’m ever an ass to anyone as scans near please forgive me and understand it’s not intentional….it’s just the scanxiety and it’s wonderful contribution on our lives!  I know were not alone as these scans approach and there are many of you out there praying and thinking of us during these difficult times….so thank you so much for helping us pull through this!!  It means the world to our family.

SO TO THE RESULTS…….GREAT NEWS PEOPLE!!!  The tumor is still stable (no new growth) and even appears to be smaller (in my professional) opinion….most importantly along with the tumor being stable is that the enhancement of the tumor is much less….things are working…the oncologist is very happy with the results and likes the progression of things.  He explained that we have 3 more cycles to go and then we are done with chemo…the last 3 cycles can also be the most difficult as the ANC (immune system) counts just don’t bounce back as quickly as they would like which causes chemo to be postponed until they do. So we will just have to see how this next 3 months goes….I can tell you that Belle continues to amaze the staff at Children’s on how well she is doing and that week after week she just continues to fight and do well…her counts continue to bounce back!  She certainly has her times when she isn’t feeling well after chemo but that’s to be expected.  God’s hand is at work here so please keep praying….don’t stop please…..KEEP THOSE PRAYERS COMING!

The rest of the family is doing well and hanging tough as can be.  Michael and Isabelle are back in school and enjoying be back with their friends.  Michael is now in middle school and transitioning nicely everything considered.  Michael has also be through a lot having to see his mom and sister go through cancer, I’m sure it has been difficult on him as well.  He is strong kid and has had a great attitude through all of this.  Isabelle goes to school as much as possible other than the big chemo days, she even goes to school on the days when she only has her small chemo.  The only days she misses is on the big chemo days when she is just too tired to go and comes home to rest like today! I'm so proud of her and her strength!  Having things as normal as possible is important.

I did want to let everyone know that the CBD oils appear to be working, it’s hard to ever say with absolute certainty but I truly believe that it is having a positive effect on her treatment.  The donations that we have received are going a long way in paying for these treatments along with her medical bills.  The cannabis oil isn’t cheap and it cost us about $900 a month to cover those costs so rest assured that those donations that we received at the beginning of her diagnosis is helping us tremendously.  We will continue these CBD oils well after her treatment to ensure that we are keeping her cancer free.  I just want to thank everyone again for all those donations….Sarah and I greatly appreciate it!  More than words can ever express!  It allows us to just focus on Belle and get her well!

Moving forward we will continue the fight and hope that the remaining chemo treatments go well and the tumor continues to go away.  We know that our journey is not over but we are making our way through this process.  Way to go Belle!  We are so blessed that Belle is doing well and that things are going in the right direction…..there are no guarantees when battling cancer!  It’s important to celebrate the successes big and small when they come along.  Praise the Lord!

I did want to share a passage that I read the other day that my friend Jamie posted on FB…it really touched home!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.”  Philippians 4:6

Thank you again to everyone….for the continued prayers, the times when you check in us and see how things are going….for the love that you share for our family!  We couldn’t do it without all of you out there!

Before I go I did want to show the progression of her images to show everyone how things are progressing.  Focus on the white circle object in the middle of her brain...that is tumor!

December 2015 (At Diagnosis)

June 2016 MRI (6 Months into Chemo)

September 2016 MRI (9 Months into Chemo)

So as you can see from the progression of the scans things are improving and heading in the right direction.

Thank you again for reading the blog and following along with Belle's journey....keep those prayers coming for Belle as we still have a journey ahead of us!

GoFundMe Link: https://www.gofundme.com/mcallister-family-medical-fund

Mac, Sarah, Michael and our Belle

Isabelle's Second MRI Results!!

MRI Update 6/25/16

It’s been awhile since we have provided any updates on Belle simply because we have just been staying the course and have not had much new information to share.  Since our last Blog update we have had the opportunity to finally take our first family vacation in more than 2 years.  We did have a couple snafu’s in process of going on vacation but nothing that the McAllisters couldn’t handle.  We were so fortunate to travel to Watercolor, Florida….absolute paradise by the way.  The plan was to leave early morning on Monday May 16^th and stay for 10 days.  Sunday before planning to leave Belle woke up with what appeared to be pinkeye so we headed over to urgent care to get some drops to take of the eye infection.  When we arrived they took her temperature and informed me that she had a temp of 102.3…..oh great!!  I had no idea…I simply thought she had a local infection but there was much more going on.  She was coming off her last chemo of her 5^th cycle and normally there are no complications but of course we weren’t that lucky!  We rushed over to Children’s Hospital south to figure out what was going on and see what her counts were at.  In the game of chemo….a temp over 101 and a ANC count lower than 500 typically means a guaranteed stay in the hospital for 2 day…..so needless to say that is the direction I thought things were going.  We got her counts back after they accessed her port and they were at 480.  Of course Sarah and started wondering if this vacation was going to happen at all….She was not very happy!!  First thing first…get Belle better!  We spent about 8 hours at Children’s where they gave her antibiotics and an immune booster shot (similar to Neulasta).  They said we need to see her in the morning and check her counts….sorry to say but you cannot go on that airplane in the morning!  We did get a little lucky that they didn’t admit her to the hospital for a mandatory 2 days of antibiotics and other medications.  Yeah that sucked to hear….I told Sarah that “no matter what Michael, her and my mother will be on that plane tomorrow to Florida, you guys deserve this trip!!!”….Belle and I will be there as soon as we can get down there!  Well off to Florida they went and Isabelle and I headed to Children’s hospital Monday morning to see where her count were at…..great news they jumped to 980.  They said we are getting you on a plane to Florida no matter what it takes.  The staff at Children’s Hospital is truly amazing!  Belle got one more round of IV antibiotics and another immune booster shot!  I told Belle that we would be heading to Florida the next morning 1 day later than planned.  Everything ended up working out other than the additional cost by United Airlines to change flights so that was disappointing.  In hindsight…things happen for a reason and God is watching over us!  Had we gone to Florida and her infection/temperature presented itself down there……well that would been a lot more difficult to deal with given our location and having to deal with staff and facilities that we are not familiar with.  I’m sure she would have been in great hands in Florida had that situation had taken place but it was nice to be here at home and working to get her well here in Colorado.

Florida was so much fun….beach, pools, great food, and relaxation…..we had 10 days to just enjoy life and not constantly think about fighting cancer!!  I miss the days before we started this journey with Sarah and now Belle….days when our biggest concerns were petty in comparison.  I wish and pray that those days come back again for us when we do not have to consistently concern ourselves with cancer.  It’s very draining emotionally and physically….all we can do is do our best to navigate each day…appreciate the time that we have with another and not miss the good moments that life gives us!  There is certainly something to be learned and appreciated as we go through these challenging times….

So overall Florida was great and the time we got to spend with each other will always be memorable!

We have not had any setbacks since her minor hospitalization leading up to Florida.  She had her big chemo session for 7^th chemo cycle yesterday 6/24/16…..Michael’s 11^th birthday!  Happy birthday big guy!  We also had her first MRI since March….I can tell you that going into these MRI’s whether it’s with Sarah or Isabelle…its very nerve racking…hard to explain because you have emotions of optimism and concern all at once!  We had her MRI first before chemo….the MRI takes about 45 minutes or so…and then up to chemo for about 4-5 hours….yesterday was a long day!  We got the MRI results back and they informed us that the tumor has not grown but it has not shrunk….what does that mean some of you may ask?  Sarah and I were very much looking to see it shrink as anyone would.  We were disappointed to say the least….I think when you see this tumor in the MRI images and your hope and wish is to see it start to go away…in our mind that means positive progress.  Well I guess in the world of fighting cancer…shrinkage/stabilization are one in the same!  The oncologist would have liked to see some shrinkage but was happy to see that it was still stable and no growth was taking place.  I was even walking down the infusion area hallway and one of the main nurses came up to me and said congrats!!  I was a little confused at the time because my mind was still stuck on this concept that we need to see shrinkage to support that things are working.  Honestly I would have to say that Sarah and I struggled yesterday with the MRI results…we wanted to see shrinkage…so much wanted to see that the tumor was starting to go away!!  It took some time and reflection for us to realize that stabilizing the tumor and no new growth is a blessing and that we should be grateful that it’s not growing!  So after some tears and frustration yesterday…..we determined that yesterday was a GREAT day and stabilizing the tumor is great new  We will continue to fight for Belle and she will continue to fight as well!  We will take what the Lord grants us and pray that he gives us the strength to get through each day!  I pray that he will bare our burdens and comfort us when we need him the most!  The nest MRI will be in 3 months…..no changes to her chemo regiment at this time!  No need to take more aggressive steps!

Sarah and I have discussed making some changes to our nutritional dietary habits as a family since those brain tumors just love glucose.  So our next step is to approach Children’s Hospital next week to see if they can provide us with nutritional support for a more Ketogenic diet for ALL of us not just Belle.  This is a team effort and we can’t expect just Belle to make these sacrifices!  We are also planning on modifying her CBD/THC oil regiment…from further research it has come to my attention that other people/children fighting cancer and eliminated cancer with the aid of cannabis oils were taking 5-6 times more than Belle is currently taking…..so needless to say we aren’t giving her enough!  As it is with chemo and other medications they say “hit it hard and hit it fast” so I think we need to take the same approach with this alternative options that we are using in addition to the chemo.  If anyone has any insight to dosing regiments that would be great….we are certainly in uncharted territory here!  We are going to push it to the max over the next 3 months both in our dietary habits and oils to see if we can get that shrinkage that Sarah and I are so desperately wanting!

Other than that I will be taking Michael and his buddies to the Rockies game to celebrate his birthday…no need to let cancer stand in our way of celebrating his special day or enjoying LIFE!  Belle is doing great….truly she is doing so well……physically and mentally she is completely “normal”….well as normal as any other little 7 year old princess can be! HaHa

Until next time…thank you to everyone out there continuing to support and pray for us…those that are always keeping us positive and staying the course!  We appreciate each and every one of you!

GoFundMe Link: https://www.gofundme.com/mcallister-family-medical-fund

God Bless,

Mac and Family

Keep Fighting the Good Fight!

“McAllister Girls” are still kicking cancers ass!

Sorry for the time gap on the blog postings…..it has been about a month or so since my last post!  I took some time off from blogging!  But I felt it was time to get back at it and let everyone know how Isabelle and Sarah are doing.  Isabelle is doing great and managing her chemo with flying colors!  That little brave girl of mine very rarely ever complains…..she’s such a trooper!  The worst part of her chemo sessions is that she is scared of the needle and accessing her “power port”….which I totally understand…who wants needle stuck in their chest every week???  Ummm no one! Yet she musters all her strength and courage and still goes in there almost every Friday with a good attitude and smile on her face!  I can tell you that she is as normal as any other 7 year old which a true blessing and praise the Lord!  She only has a small residual issue from the surgery….mostly balance issues when she is trying to stand on one foot or walk on a line toe-to-heal.  They said that can take a long time to resolve and may never completely come back to normal but she’s perfect in my eyes!  Her next MRI is June 24^th and I’m very optimistic for the results.  I truly believe that the CBD/THC oil along with the chemo is doing their job to kill the cancer.  She is acclimating to the regiment of taking the oils morning, afternoon, and night!  We are pushing them to the most that she can tolerate and not seeing any side-effects….everything is very encouraging! 

Life is starting to feel somewhat normal….I guess as normal as things can be given our last year!  I think Sarah and I consistently have cancer on the brain but it seems to be getting more manageable and we just learn to acclimate!  It’s a little difficult to explain the emotional and mental strain that cancer brings into your life and trying to find some sense of normalcy afterwards.  I don’t think life will ever be the same again as It was before Sarah was diagnosed with her breast cancer and then learning of Isabelle’s diagnosis.  I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!  I think we just do our best to take one day at a time and be grateful for each day that we are healthy and well!  We smile more and more each day……and cry when life gets pushes us to our limits!  Life certainly has its up’s and downs!

Update on Sarah: we went to the University of Utah recently for Sarah to get her full body MRI.  Good news is that everything came back clear and she is cancer free…now this full body MRI technology is not 100% as its can’t see everything to smallest cell but it’s the best we have and they gave us good news so we will take what we can get.  We had the chance to meet a great doctor by the name of Dr. Joshua Schiffman and he was truly amazing doctor.  I can’t say enough about his compassion and drive to eliminate cancer.  He is pretty freaking awesome!!  Here some tidbits from our 2 hour conversation with Dr. Schiffman.  He is currently doing research on elephants and their TP53 genes…..what is a TP53 gene some of you may ask?  The TP53 is the cancer suppressor gene that helps correct mutated cell growth….essentially it helps ensure that we don’t get cancer!  So 99.9% of humans have 2 fully functioning TP53 genes but sometimes the genes still get the coding incorrect and then the cancer begins to grow….so here is the interesting part and how he thinks elephants are the answer to all of our cancers problems!!  Elephants are very large and live to be in there 70’s or 80’s yet they very rarely if ever ever ever get cancer….which doesn’t follow logic given how large they are and how long they live that given the number of times cells are replicated that at some point there should be a mutation and cancer SHOULD develop but it doesn’t…..the answer you ask!?!?  Elephants have 40 TP53 cancer suppressor genes….how cool is that!!  His plan which is in full effect…….he is working with a geneticist in Israel to utilize the elephant TP53 gene along with nanotechnology to eliminate cancer! BOOM……Honestly it just give me goosebumps to think about this stuff and that people are working so hard to ride the human race of cancer concerns!  I’m so encouraged by this effort with the elephant research, the Sean Parker Institute, Biden’s” Moonshot” initiative to eliminate cancer…..its all good stuff!  I’m banking on the elephants…..go to the basis of the problem and correct the TP53 issue!  Either way meeting with Dr. Schiffman was great and he gives me a lot of hope as he believes that the first human trials will be in 2-3 years! 

If you want to learn more about Dr. Schiffman and his research and to possible donate to his efforts please check out these articles (spread the word as I’m sure we all know someone dealing with cancer in one way or another):

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/elephants-rarely-develop-cancer-could-hint-at-future-breakthroughs/

http://healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/research/labs/schiffman/

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/science/why-elephants-get-less-cancer.html?_r=0

Other than that we are just forging ahead and staying the course!  Life is good and we are looking forward to the day that all of the McAllister’s are cancer-free!  We will keep fighting the good fight and kicking cancer’s ass!  Until next time folks….keep praying for us and keep Belle in your thoughts and prayers!

God Bless,

Mac

Drumroll....MRI results are in!

Start of cycle #3

  

This has been a very good week for the McAllister Family and we couldn't be more happy with things!  Belle started her 3rd cycle of chemo today and she seems to be getting accustom to the routine.  She has been dealing with a stubborn cough over the last three weeks that she can't seem to kick but I think almost every kid in Colorado has been sick over the past month.  Hopefully she is able to get over this cold soon!  Chemo went well today and we will just hang out for the weekend and hope that there are no fevers that will have us back at Children's Hospital.  Fingers crossed!

She also had her first MRI yesterday since her diagnosis in December so this week has been filled with both anticipation and nervous concerns if the treatment is working.....well we have found out that the tumor is stabilized and it appears to have shrunken a little bit.  Most importantly the contrast effects on the image is less prominent then the original so her oncologist Dr. Foreman is very excited about these results and is exactly what he would like to see.  Everything is moving in the correct path and the tumor is responding like a low grade tumor.  He also indicated that her ventricles have returned to their normal size!  She has been on chemo for about 2 months and only her full strength of CBDs/THC regiment for about 3-4 weeks so this news is promising!  Here are the pictures from December and also from yesterday.

(December image of enlarged ventricles)

(March ventricles at normal size)

(December image contrast of tumor)

(March image of tumor...smaller and significantly less contrast showing in the tumor)

So we have a lot to celebrate and Belle is doing well....I told her she is just crushing cancer!

We also had a wonderful time at the fundraiser on Saturday at Backcountry CrossFit.  It was so amazing to see so many people come out and support our family!  It was a very emotional day filled with laughter, smiles, tears, celebration and of course sweat.....lots and lots of people working their butts off in the name of fighting cancer!  Steve called the WOD "Fight Gone Mac".....so very cool!  I couldn't have asked for a better day and turnout.....I'm still in shock how many people came to the event on Saturday....by my estimate at least 300 people came throughout the day!  I showed up at about 6:45 ready to start the day.  The WOD consisted of teams of four....20 minute WOD of rowing, box step ups, burpees, and ab mat situps!  I was dead set on participating in all 4 WODs....I couldn't let everyone have all the fun all day long!  The last WOD at 10am was the most packed with people....I think there was at least 90 people working out all at the same time.....I was taken back by how cool this was and how many people are supporting us and love us!  I stopped half way through the WOD and just took a moment to take it all in...I stopped my best bud Nick and said to him "Look at this man...look how amazing this is....all these people out here for Belle!" I get goose bumps thinking about it!  The pot luck was great and the food/beer was so good!  It was great see everyone.....family, old and new friends, people from high school that I have not seen in 20 years, met people from other CF boxes that heard about the fundraiser and came out to give support....I can't say thank you enough to everyone that came out!  I also want to say thank you so much to Steve and Ashley Hartle of BCCF for hosting the fundraiser and bringing together so many people to help with cost of her medical bills and medicine.  It was such a special day and I will never forget it....again thank you to everyone that came to support the event, donated and made it such an amazing day!

We will be starting to document her CBD/THC regiment this month for the study she is in through Children's Hospital.  Hopefully our efforts can someday help other families in the future and give them the promise of what CBD/THC oils can do to fight cancer!  It's a lot of documentation but whatever it takes to do our part!  She is tolerating the oils very well so they say at Realm of Caring we can increase the dose as it will continue to aid in the process so we will see how that goes.  We are going to just keep fighting here!

That's about all for now and we are grateful for everyone helping us in so many different ways!  Thank you for all the love and support!

GoFundMe Link: https://www.gofundme.com/mcallister-family-medical-fund

God bless,

Mac





CrossFit Fundraiser Time!

CrossFit Fundraiser at BCCF

No new big new news about Belle, things are going well with Chemo and the cannabis oils!  She has been fighting a small virus since the beginning of this cycle, she now just has a small cough but hopefully she will be over that soon!  All is well in our world otherwise!  I have her Daddy Daugther Dance on Friday which is Cowboy/Cowgirl themed so we will be "Boot Scootin Boogin" all night long...yee haw...I'm way out of my realm here with the cowboy theme!  HAHA....its for the girl so whatever she want0s dad is happy to oblige!

She is in good spirits and looking forward to this weekends Fundraiser at Backcountry CrossFit.  There will be awesome of raffle items available from just to mention a few Progenex, CorePower Yoga, Wine Basket, car detail and lots lots lots more!  All donations made at the event will get a raffle ticket to be entered in the drawings!  After the WOD there will be a pot luck so please bring an appetizer, side dish or beverages to share.  Breckenridge Brewery has kindly donated a keg for the event!  DJ Frank Peluso will also be deejaying the event and providing some awesome beats during the workout and the pot luck so please be prepared to shake your booties and get in a good workout!

I just want to thank so many people for making this event happen!  We are so blessed and fortunate to have the love and support of so many people!  We are looking forward to seeing everyone come out on Saturday and support Belle!  Please be aware that you do not need a full team of 4 to participate, they will put people together to make things work out so please do not fret if you do not have a team of four!  I don't have a team so I will need to join someone for the WODs, I plan on participating in all 4 WODs....if Belle and Sarah can kick cancer's ass the least I can do is do all 4 WODs...

A Special Thank You!
 

Ashley and Steve Hartle (BCCF owners)

Nick and Brooke Kelsey
All the coaches at BCCF for making this a successful showing by continuing to remind everyone of the event at each WOD over the past month (Dalton, Jim, Josh, Luke, Sara, and Randy)
Jennifer Baker
Ben & Shannon Hall
DJ Frank Peluso
Breckenridge Brewery (Megan Christensen)
CorePower Yoga (Whitney Gustafson)
Rome's Sausage (Chris Johnson)
DoTerra (Audra Robinson

Progenex (Justin Ratliff/Matt)

Nate and Christin Bogg

Brad and Jianna Wright

Craig and Amy Bowman

Debra Bowman

McDonald Automotive

Chic Couture (Jen Burgess)

Kevin Montoya

R/x Sports Recovery

Silpada (Jennifer McPherson)

Young Living (Jianna Wright)

Green Spa Massage (Lynsey Baker)

Origami Owl (Suzanne Petronovich)

Red Bird

Eating Primal (Matt)

Robbie Wright Photography

 

I may have forgotten some people or companies here as the list continues to grow and I did want to push this blog update out prior to the event so if I did forget someone please do forgive me!  We are sooooooo excited for this event and it's going to be amazing!  Well signing off for now and look forward to see everyone on Saturday!

 

I did want to share some very inspirational quotes with everyone real quick that touched home with me....

 

"Do not pray for an easy life....but rather pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." Bruce Lee (reads oddly true for our current situation)

 

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us." Charles Bukowski (I like that a lot!)

 

God Bless,

 

Mac

 

 

 

Keep on Moving

 

Things have been moving right along since Belle’s last chemo treatment.  We were able to get back up to the mountains for some skiing during the recent blizzard, last time we went was the weekend before we found out about her brain tumor.  Belle was concerned that she would get headaches but I reassured her that would not be the case…Michael, Isabelle and I had a great day of skiing up in Breck.  The drive home was as enjoyable as it took us 5 hours to get home!  So needless to say the kids hated the drive part of the two day trip but they both loved the skiing.  Can’t wait to get back to there soon! 

Sarah did not join us that weekend since she completed her last reconstructive surgery and also corrected a small hernia that she had on Jan. 29th.  So mom got to stay home and rest that weekend.  It’s good to know that Sarah is done with her process and it’s amazing that it’s been about 1 year since her diagnosis.  Time certainly does fly!  She did great with her surgery and is already back in OTF ready to get back into shape! 

Belle has been managing really well with the smaller chemo days (2^nd and 3^rd Fridays of the regiment).  It’s the 1^st Friday of the cycle when she is getting the double dose that seems to knock her down and make her very tired and feeling icky.  This past Friday was a big chemo day (1^st of this next cycle) so we were cautiously optimistic about what he weekend would be like plus we had the Broncos playing in the Super Bowl so we wanted everyone to be able to enjoy that game with us!  Fortunately we were able to have a SB party at our house just in case she was tired and wanted to rest!  May I just break for a moment and say how freaking awesome that game was and how great it is to have the Broncos be Super Bowl Champions again!  Anyways back to Belle….she did well Friday night but by mid-day on Saturday she was presenting with a slight fever about 100.6 which when on chemo is something to be concerned about.  Essentially a temp of 100 to 100.9 two times in hour requires blood draws to make sure the counts are ok.  By about 3:30 on Saturday the temp was up around 101.3 sooooo yeah time to go to the hospital!  Belle and I ventured over to Children’s south and they took great care of her and did a great job accessing her port…that’s always a concern!  Long story short we spent about 2 hours there and the CBC came back with her counts “normal”…..well normal for someone taking chemo.  So they said she probably just has a small virus and just to watch her to make sure she doesn’t take a turn for the worse.  So that was our first post chemo hospital visit…and hopefully our last! 

She started to feel a little better by the time Sunday rolled around and was ecstatic to see her friends.  She was able to get back to school on Tuesday.  She also had her last PT session and they said he is doing great…only a couple small things to work on otherwise they want to see her in a month to check on her progress.  One more thing checked off our list of things to overcome…..Way to go Belle! 

The CBD oils and THC tinctures are going well and she is at the recommended daily dose!  It took some time to get there and to figure out how to manage the THC dosage throughout the day such that she does not experience any psychotropic effects.  Funny story….after giving her night dose a little earlier than we normally do before bed…she ate her entire bowl of butter noodles from Noodles & Company, a granola bar, fruit chews, some cheese blocks and more than likely a couple other things…..point being her appetite certainly isn’t gone!  HAHA….I can say that the only time that she really isn’t in the mood to eat is about the 3 days following the 1^st chemo cycle.  Otherwise she’s always hungry!  Many people ask if we think the oils are working……truth being it’s hard to say in regards to the tumor….is she doing well…YES! So in that regard I think it’s helping with the side effects of the chemo and making her feel better.  We will know after her next MRI beginning of March if it’s doing its job……I’m very optimistic and encouraged that we will get good news!  Too many people in the field of study and articles out there point to how successful this oil treatment can be for gliomas…..so yeah I think it’s working and doing what it needs to!  If you saw her and didn’t know anything about her condition you would never guess she has a brain tumor!  I can tell you that we have been flying through the oils so the generous donations from so many people out there are helping us tremendously with those current costs and the costs that will forever be with us!  Realm of Caring that helps with treatment doses and guidance for patients will be advising a maintenance dose of CBD’s most likely for the duration of her life.  So this will be a lifelong comment to giving Belle CBD oils…most likely we will be able to stop the THC once the tumor is completely gone!  That’s my thinking at least.  We are currently using Charlotte’s Web (The Stanley Bros out of Boulder) and The Remedy (out of Fort Collins)….best to go with local grown and high quality!  Way to go Colorado…. 

Things are good and we are just continuing to take one day at a time….we understand that we have a long road ahead of us but we know that we are taking all the necessary steps and precautions to get Belle healthy again!  She will just like her mother will kick cancer’s ass!  We are looking forward to the fundraising event at BCCF which should be a great time so I still want to encourage all of you reading this to please come out and support belle and give her a high-five and give some words of encouragement!  I don’t think I will be able to get her there by the 7 am WOD time but we will get her there as early in the morning as possible!  Her is the flyer again just as a reminder. 

 

The meal training is going well and we greatly look forward to that on those “chemo Fridays”….so thank you to Brooke Kelsey, Sarah Gates, and Jen Baker for providing us with such great meals so far!  The support continues to flow in from so many different areas which is so amazing and helpful!  We would not have the strength we do without each and every one of you out there helping us along the way.  I do want to take a minute and personally thank my cousin Tracie for helping us around the house and allowing us to just focus on Belle on those Fridays.  I also want to thank everyone that has taken time to bring by a special gift for Belle….those great gift baskets, blankets, stuffed animals, toys, coloring books, dolls, etc…..there are too many to name but I wanted to at least recognize all of you and how much that means to us and Belle!  The kid has definitely been spoiled lately!!!  I have trying to stay on top of all my GoFundMe “thank you” but I have fallen a little behind recently….I know I will get to all of them in time!  But those donation dollars go along way with her medical care in the cost of copays, medications (oils not covered by insurance or the use of a HSA card), imaging costs, etc!  We know that this year will be full of expenses and there will be more to coming as the years go on!  Just know that those donations are going to help us in a tremendous way!  So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and generosity!  Belle is a fighter and she will continue fight every day!  Amen…. 

Thank you, 

Mac 

God Bless!

2nd chemo session done!

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 29^th 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 27^th and help support Belle!  I will post the flier again as we near the fundraiser date!

Thank you,

Mac