One month ago today…..Isaac had his first Cross Country meet. I had to work that night and couldn’t go. He had worked so hard for this privilege, I cried because I couldn’t be there Trav and I decided that I should take Dezirae to the doctor becuse her knee had been hurting for  a while.

Dez and I headed off to the pediatrician for their walk in hours.

As a peds nurse…..my first fear of every fever and/or pain is that it is cancer. The morning of the 20th though, I felt silly even taking Dezirae to the doctor because I was sure it was nothing(or I had completely convinced myself of that).

We waited and waited to be called back. When we saw the doctor she immediately knew that this wasn’t growing pains. She was puzzled but knew what tests to order!

We stopped at a local frozen custard place to get a free cone that Dez got at the dentist! She was thrilled. She kept telling me all the positives about the day. Spending time with mommy, eating a cone, Company 7 drive thru……I can’t remember all the positives…wish I could!

Tests completed on a Saturday and no expectations of results until Monday. We came home from having an X-ray and  musculoskeletal ultrasound and started working at our new house. Just me, 6 kiddos and the countertop guy. My phone rang and the devastating news of bone cancer was delivered.

I ran to a closet, sobbed, hyperventilated three times….I am the nurse that holds other parents when their child is diagnosed. I know nothing about how to be the parent of a child with cancer!!

My mom was accross the road and got there first, then Travis…..that day our counter top guy, Bill, became family. We pulled it together for the kids.

We numbly packed bags for the hospital….told Dez that the doctors needed to do more tests to figure out what was wrong with her leg.

ED was waiting for us! Friends came to sit with us, our family pitched in and took care of the other kids. Sunday Dezirae had an MRI of her leg and a CT of her chest.

The chest CT showed 2 spots in her right lung. These spots may be cancer or benign. If they haven’t disappeared after the first 10 weeks of chemo she will have them removed. At that time we will find out if they are cancer or not.

Monday was a bone biopsy from the tumor. The results came in Thursday and confirmed Osteosarcoma. Dezirae had almost no pain from the biopsy, but wasn’t allowed to use her leg for three weeks!

Tuesday she had a bone scan and she does not have cancer in any other bones!! We praised God! Later that day, we were able to come home!!

During this time we were loved, prayed for, supported in every way and every need was met! “Family” finished our house and would move us in a week later…..hours of selfless time given to help us!

I can not describe the feeling it gave us, to be taken care of in this way! To have every need met when you don’t even know your needs. To be prayed for by thousands when you aren’t sure how to pray……”Lord help me”…..my prayer for days!