Thursday, June 9, 2016

Some Great News

     Thank you all for your continued support and inquiries into how our little Hazelnut is doing. I am happy to report, she continues to thrive!  She is growing like a weed and just recently completed Preschool!  I truly cannot believe that she will be in Kindergarten this fall.  To think, she started her journey when she was just two years old; boy has she come far and has God blessed our family.  We also recently had an incredible conversation with Hazel's oncologist.  Something I have continued to wonder about is how long Hazel has actually been NED (No Evidence of Disease). She received her first set of clear scans in April of 2014, but then we had about a year and a half of scans where they were concerned about a suspicious spot on her kidney.  Then, after monitoring it, and noticing no change, they once again declared her NED in December 2015.  So my question has remained, "Has Hazel been cancer free this whole time, or only since this past December?".  Well, her doctor finally put my mind at rest because she informed me that it is her opinion the Hazel has been NED since that first scan in April 2014!  This means that our daughter, Stage 3 High-Risk Neuroblastoma fighter, who almost lost her life from treatment, who could not walk or talk for months, and had one of the most difficult treatment regimens, is now more than 2 YEARS NED!!!!!  The doctor also said how optimistic she is for Hazel prognosis and just stopped short of saying that she has no concerns for her!  
At her Pre-K Graduation



     On top of Hazel's great news, we also have some amazing news with our fundraising efforts. For the past 7 months we have been working on an event that we plan to host in September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month benefiting The St. Baldrick's Foundation.  Through some amazing divine intervention, and hard work, we are proud to announce that we will now be co-hosting an official  St. Baldrick's event!  It is called the "Ever After Ball", because every child deserves a happily ever after. Below is a copy of our Save The Date.  We also have two opportunities to donate toward our event: EVENT SPONSORSHIPS and AUCTION ITEMS.  If you, or anyone you know would be interested in attending, becoming a sponsor, or donating items for our auctions, please email me at hopewithhazel@gmail.com.  Also, check my fundraising and awareness site Hope With Hazel, for more updates!