Third Time's a Charm

On Monday I got my third dose of Chemo and it all went smoothly. My counts were good and I did not complain too much with all the poking and prodding they had to do. I really hate when Dr. Gardner has to measure my tumor from the outside. But the good news is that it is getting harder for her to measure because the tumor is getting softer and less defined.
TTFN! I luv you!

PS -- I added a picture of me with my Mom, Dad, and brothers Garrett and Nic. We took this pic the same day Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Len came over. Can you tell that I LUV my pink plaid dress and wear it as much as I can?
Love to you all! Amelya

Visit from La Wildlife and Fisheries

Hi again everyone!!

I got a visit from my Uncle Len and Aunt Liz on Sunday. They brought me a special gift. Uncle Len and his friends at the Louisiana Wildlife Association have decided to give me a check for my care in my fight against cancer. My uncle is a Captain in the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and came all dressed up in his uniform to give me a check from the association. I was kinda scared to see him in his uniform and had to get used to seeing him dressed that way, hopefully the bad guys feel that same way when they see him too.

Blood Donations

Want to help?

You can help me by going and giving blood.
I am going to need more blood and blood product transfusions while I strive to beat my cancer.

I am B+, which means I can only receive blood products from certain people. So, if you can, go give blood at your local blood center. Just say it is a Blood Replacement for Amelya Holland at Children's Hospital in New Orleans, LA.

The blood center will test your blood to see if you are a match for me. If you are a match for me then the blood bank will compile a list so my doctors know all of the available donors for me. For more information on giving blood and blood products, see the link on the left.

Please go in and donate either blood or platelets. And, please, even if you are not a match for me, you may be a match for another person like me, who desperately needs blood.

Home again

Well we are home again, yeah!! In the past couple of days I have been through many and tests and procedures to make me feel better. On Monday I recieved a hemogloban transfusion because my counts were down. In order for me to get the transfusion I have to get fluids and a mix of Benedryl and Tylenol. This combo makes me really cranky and I was very unhappy about all the people fussing over me in order to prepare me for the transfusion. The transfusion takes three hours to complete and I fussed for the first two hours until I was so exhausted that I fell asleep.
On Tuesday my platelet count was low and so I needed to get a platelet transfusion. My mummie could not understand why my counts dropped the way they did but the doctors told her that this was just how it happens. The Chemotherapy attacks my fastest growing cells going from the fastest to the next and so on. Once its brings one down it goes to the next so that is why my counts dropped like they did. My platelet transfer went much smoother and I was asleep only 30 minutes into it. Later on I got my second dose of Chemo. I got an ultrasound to check the function of my kidneys and my bladder. I really hate being held down but after I let everybody know that, I calm down and watch what is going on and even try to help.
On Wednesday I had an upset stomach and could not keep my breakfast down so the doctors gave me some medicine that calmed my stomach down and made me sleepy. The big thing that happened to me today is that I began to notice my hair falling out. I hate how I keep getting it into my mouth but mummie helps me get it out and even brushes my hair to help catch it before it can fall on my face. At rounds my doctor, Dr. Gardner, told me that going off the measurements from my first ultrasound at Children's Hospital and the one I had this morning there was a 30% difference in size. Dr. Gardner said that they would know for sure by tomorrow. The doctors are concerned about my thumb, (I smashed it in a door at home two months ago), that has still not began to heal even though I have been on antibiotics for two weeks so she ordered a x-ray and began a much stronger antibiotic to try to help my thumb heal.
On Thursday, my counts were still up so I did not need anymore transfusions for now. The doctors told me that my bone was not infected so I could go home for the weekend!! Also Dr. Gardner came by and told that the exact number of shrinkage of my tumor was 33% and she was so happy and suprised. Well I now have lost another pound so now I have lost 4 pounds since this has all started a month ago and Dr. Gardner wants me to try to eat as much as I can while I am at home so I do not lose anymore weight. The problem is that the Chemo has changed my taste buds and now I do not like anything that I used to so I do not want to eat. Mummie and dada have tried to give me all kinds of different kinds of food but the only thing I have eaten was a Strawberry All Fruit bar. I put it in a cup because it is soo big and then I eat it as it melts. This makes the nurses happy because at least I am eating something. I got to go home and I was so happy to see Ya-Ya (Garrett) and Bubee (Nic) and I gave them big hugs and kisses.
I have discovered that I like cheese still so I ate cheese and juice for dinner. My mummie was so happy to see me eat that she let me have a treat of Robin Eggs after I finished.

Amelya Gets a Haircut

Hi Everybody!

On Saturday, Valentine's Day, mom and grandma took me to get my first haircut. The people at Children's Hospital said it would be a good idea if I got my hair cut shorter so I could get use to that.

I went to Camellia House in Hammond and Ms. Leanne cut my hair. As you can see in my picture she really did a good job. They cut several inches off my hair. Grandma loves my new haircut and so does everyone else. What do you think?

I really did not feel too good that day, and the ladies at the hair salon tried to cheer me up. The owner brought me chocolate covered strawberries. When I got home I ate two of them -- considering that I have not been too hungry lately, that is a lot for me. You know what else they did for me? They told mom that my haircut was free and that if I needed to get my hair cut again, just come back and it will be free. Mom and grandma were pretty surprised and grateful about that.

Sunday I was really not feeling good at all and I had a fever of 100.5 which meant I had to go back to Children's Hospital. They admitted me again, and that is where I am now (Monday, 2/16). They are not sure why I was running a fever, but they gave me antibiotics and said my blood count was low. They are going to give me a blood transfusion today. I have not run any fever since 4am this morning, so maybe I will get my next dose of Chemo tomorrow. Hopefully I will get to go home soon after that. I really do feel much better now, back to my old self.

The doctors said I will have to get Chemo for 39 weeks. So every week I will go to the clinic and get my Chemo. Every third week I will have to stay at the hospital for a couple of days so they can run tests and see how much the tumor is shrinking.

My great grandmother started a prayer email and everyday I was in the hospital she sent scriptures to family and friends to read and pray for me.

Bye Everybody and Love to you,
Amelya

Amelya's Story

Hi-
My name is Amelya and I am two years old. Two weeks ago today the doctors at Children's Hospital told my mom and dad that I had a tumor and it was cancer. This blog is to tell all my family and friends about my story. The picture you see of me here is last Thanksgiving. I was hamming it up for grandma so she could take my picture.

The last two weeks have been very busy, and sometimes frightening. The next day after I was admitted to Children's Hospital, they did a biopsy of my tumor. They also in the following days, did all kinds of tests and took all kinds of pictures. Of course I did not like it one bit and the minute a nurse or doctor walked into the room I would get scared and run for mom or dad. Lots of times I am hurting and it took a while before the doctors found the right medicine to make me feel better.

The fun things that I got to do while at Children's Hospital: everyday someone would come to my room and bring me a new toy. My Uncle Mark brought me a great big teddy we decided to call Pinky. He slept with me every night. Aunt Michelle surprised me and decorated my room with banners and window stickers while I was getting a test done. The ladies at the hospital would also come to my room and bring me toys and books to play with. One day a Mardi Gras parade came to my room. They marched down the hallway, threw beads and played horns and drums.

I also got to go to the play room where I painted, glittered, played bingo, and played with the kitchen set. I really liked it very much and busied myself shopping, putting groceries away, cooking and cleaning. While I was in the play room, I met other kids who became my friends. One boy, Joshua, would come and visit me in my room until he got to go home. One day while at the play room I painted a picture with daddy. My favorite color is purple. Next favorite is pink and then blue. Aunt Linda, grandma says I did my first study in color with that painting.

On Wednesday, this girl named Amanda came to Children's Hospital and did a concert. She is 18 years old and played the fiddle. She played cajun music (which pawpaw especially enjoyed) and talked about how she started playing music. Mom, dad, brothers Garrett and Nic, along with grandma and pawpaw went to the concert with me.

Just so you can see us all together, this is a picture is of me and my two brothers. The oldest is Garrett, and then Nic. This picture was from Thanksgiving Day also. As you can see Garrett likes to ham it up for the camera too. Nic just wanted to hurry so he could go do something else.

On Thursday, February 5th, the doctors told mom, dad, grandma and pawpaw that I had Rhabdomyosarcoma. It is a soft tissue tumor that is very fast growing. Mom and dad think that I have only had this for about two months based on changes in my behavior. It has already grown so big that it fills my pelvic area. The good news is that it is not in my bone marrow, so all we have to deal with is the tumor. The form of Rhabdomyosarcoma I have is very treatable. It occurs most often in children ages 1-5. The doctors plan to use chemotherapy and radiation later on. They may consider removing the tumor later when it gets smaller, but they said that they think that they can get rid of it using chemotherapy and radiation.

I got my first dose of chemo on Sunday (2/8) early in the morning. I had to stay in the hospital a few more days before they decided I could go home. I finally got to go home on Wednesday. It was great to be home again.