Telling your 10 year old she has CANCER

Well Lilly wakes up like a champion. she is hungray and she is sad and scared when she finds out she has a broviac.."Mom,I have cancer??". "Yes Lilly but they have lots of medicine that will get rid of the tumor and get you out of pain,you will use crutches to walk and we will get rid of this bad tumor". "But Mommy I thought you said it could be a GOOD tumor?"..Oh Lilly how i wish it was!!
"So Lilly .. there is a MCDONALDS in the hospital.. You want some?".. of course she said yes... that is her favorite food!!

Bone Biopsy at CHOP,Philadelphia

Lilly has her bone biopsy at CHOP in Philadelphia. Everyone here is wonderful. I mean amazing. Everything is meticulously clean.Lilly is taken in right on time. She is given a pre medication which makes her funny and loopy. I ask if I can go in the surgery room with her . They dress me in sterile garb and I hold Lillys hand all the way. The give her a mask with funny gas and she falls asleep.. I leave to go wait with Brian.. Ann arrives shortly after.. About an hour later Dr. Dormans comes for us... we go into a private room and he gives us the news... Lilly has what they think is EWINGS SARCOMA.. a rare bone cancer in her left femur .She now has a broviac catheter in her chest. my beautiful little petite daughters world is about to change forever. The one good thing is Dr. Dorman says.. I can save her leg,we can cure this .Its called limb slavage surgery. they shrink the tumor with chemotherapy and then take out the tumor and replace it with a titanium rod.. she will walk,she will play,she will run... Sports .. most likely not.. but right now we just want to see Lilly and save her life..

The Journey begins..........

I don't know anyone that is not petrified to enter a world of chemotherapy and surgery on a quest to cure thier sickness.. Imagine if you were just told that this is your childs only choice for a cure???
WE begin with an xray that definately showed a mass on a femur,1 day later an MRI at Jersey Shore Hospital ,2 Hours later meeting with an oncologist and radiologist and being told "your daughter has a tumor,she needs an immediate bone biopsy...here are the choices of surgeons.. there are only three we recommend",so of course we choose Dr. Dormans at Childrens Hospital in Philidelphia.
So after a sedated MRI my girlfriend Ann and I put my daughter in the car in the pouring rain for an 1 1/2 hour ride to Philidelphia..
Lilly has not been even on an antibiotic since she was 3... now to the TOP childrens bone surgeon in the country.
We meet with Dr.Dormans after a short wait. We also meet his nurse practitioner Ray.He is kind with pretty blue eyes...so is Dr. Dormans. I know we are in great hands here but I am scared out of my mind. I remain very calm through the process because I don't want to scare Lilly . I am grateful Ann is with me for she is a doctor herself.
At this time Dr. Dormans says it could be a rare but GOOD tumor(non cancerous) but it also could be cancer . He tells us it is still inside the bone.. so that is good .. and it appears not to be very large.. about 10cm..which is 4 inches.. Sounds large to me Lilly is only 4'4"...We are now scheduled to have a bone biopsy in 2 days.. If it is benign...thaey will treat it one way.. If it is cancer Lilly will wake up with a broviac catheter in her chest to give chemotherapy and avoid needles.. Lilly is petrified of needles..
She keep sasking what it is ?? We tell her its a tumor but it may be a good kind.. I think she concentrated on that fact the whole ride home.... Biopsy scheduled for May 7th..