Christal Rae Reynolds is the 8 year old daughter of Chris Kirkman and Todd Reynolds.
 

November 2002 - Christal had been having some headaches infrequently for a couple of months at bedtime.  Just 3 weeks before diagnosis, she got a cold (or what we thought was a cold).  She was really sleepy, and had the headaches, and now started to get dry heaves when she had them, or vomit.  In addition to some small balance issues we started to notice, she developed a tremor in her right arm.   When  she was seen in the doctor’s office originally, her doctor was concerned. Two days after her visit she was having a MRI. Friday, 11/22/02 our lives changed forever when we found out she had a brain tumor. Three months after the death of Chris’ father this was quite a blow. The family sort of assembled that night as little Christal started her long journey. The resection was scheduled for 11/25 with Dr. Gerald Tuite at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL. We were very confident with him as he came highly recommended.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Christal had her first surgery, around 4 hours. We were all so thankful to hear the news that the tumor that was removed that night was benign! She came through the surgery well, spent two days in ICU.  This just isn’t a place you want to see your 4 year old child be.  During the night she had a “night terror” of sorts and at 2:30am it took Mom, Dad and the nurse all to keep Christal from trying to rip the red light (pulse ox) off her finger, that would have taken her Aertial line with it.  She was screaming, “Red Light!!!!!” at the top of her lungs.  She got through it, and the next day it was back up to the floor.  The final pathology came back, pilocytic astrocytoma, with no further treatment necessary. All that was GREAT, but Christal had some issues she would have to deal with. She had a significant amount of loss of strength to her right side (the same side as where the tremors were). Christal’s trunk was very weak, and she didn’t start sitting up in bed until 5-7 days post-op. The pressure in her head made it uncomfortable and strange to sit in the upright position. She also couldn’t walk by herself. She was pretty “hospital shy” at that point, and wouldn’t talk to anyone that seemed medical at all. She relied on Mom for most everything. Much like having a baby again.  She spent Thanksgiving in the hospital, but was surrounded by family… this would be the first and only time that all of her Grandparents would all be in the same place at the same time, DeRosa, Reynolds, and Kirkman Grandparents.  And a couple Aunts and Uncles too.  She got a little overwhelmed with all the attention and wouldn’t really talk to anyone. 

Unfortunately, Christal's recovery was slow. The following day after surgery a follow-up MRI reviled a hemotoma, or blood clot in the area where the tumor was. They were watching everything and said it would likely take a couple weeks for it to go down. Her IVC (drain) that was coming out of the top of her head was starting to leak spinal fluid out right at the site of the incision. The clot was likely holding things from flowing, and caused things to back up and find someplace where it could leak out.  They opted to put stitches in her head right there bedside on two different occasions. Giving her some medicine to make her groggy, and numbing the area. 

December 9, 2002 - Two weeks after the first surgery they felt the clot needed to come out, so she was back to surgery. This surgery didn’t last as long as the first, and her ICU stay following surgery only lasted 1 day rather than two. Chris never left the hospital staying with Christal 24/7, Lois (Grandma), Drew (Step-Dad) and Todd (Daddy) also were there everyday!! (Along with all the other family and friends that came to visit.) Additionally, Christal needed PT and OT (physical and occupational therapy) for her weaknesses. Coming out of this surgery Christal had a couple more deficits. There were some slowed motor skills (speech, that went away quite quickly) and her left eye was now crossing. In addition to a new IVC and a new site that ALSO started leaking. Inside her head everything still wasn’t working exactly right or she wouldn’t be leaking out. She seemed to bounce back a little faster than the first time as far as sitting and movements. We also pushed her to do more at a faster rate than the first time.  This started with getting her dressed for the day, rather than staying in a hospital gown all the time, and more trips to the play area.

December 17, 2002 - She was going to need something to help her drain off this fluid, hydrocephalus.  We opted for a third ventriculostomy, rather than a shunt. This would open up an area in her brain for it to flow within itself. There were risks of malfunction and infection with a shunt, so this seemed the way to go.  It took them about an hour, and came right back up to the floor… no ICU stay was necessary. Which seemed amazing.  It was hard to believe that within hours of this surgery she was sitting up in bed talking and acting like herself! Two days post-op from this surgery we talked to Dr. Carey about the eye that is crossing. She orders a referral for Christal to the optomotrist, Dr. Hess.  He advises patch therapy for her. We put a patch on her good eye 24/7 for a week, and then 4-6 hours everyday for 2 months. Just after this visit to his office we know we’re getting discharged! Not exactly to home, but rather to an in house Rehab facility.

December 17, 2002 - We leave All Children’s Hospital and have a transport team take us to the “no owies” Hospital, as Christal called it. 

There are pieces of ‘her story’ that can’t be measured by the above paragraphs like the countless times she was asked to take ‘icky’ medicines, including the 4 times Mom had to give her sedation meds by mouth.  (Twice the sedation worked and twice it didn’t.) Things she had to go through that she may or may not remember… like the 12+ IV’s that Mommy took out, because Mommy took time to use the remove and get the tape off rather than pulling it off…. Suppositories… a mid-line IV put in without sedation, and some things even Mommy has forgotten by now.  It was all pretty horrible to watch your child go through this, but thankfully, we had a lot of support and prayers to go with it. 

Being at Healthsouth Rehab was to hopefully give Christal a better chance at walking on her own faster. Since we were only there for PT and OT, we told Christal all she would be doing is “playing” there. We arrived on a Thurs PM, so our first day of therapy would be the following day. We started with the full day, three 30 min sessions… PT/OT and speech. The following day she was scheduled with 1 hour of therapy, nothing for Sunday or the following Wed as it was Christmas. I could check her out for visitation but nothing overnight. It was around 4:15pm that day I started asking questions and made the call that we needed to be home. It was time. Not that this place wasn’t good, this was the ONLY in-patient facility for pediatrics anywhere around. So by 5pm we’re packing up to go home for the first time in almost a month. In essence, by the time we get home many things are the same… except the month we’ve lost.

Finally, 28 days after checking into All Children's Hospital, Chris and Christal got to actually come home. Still a little wobbly. The after effects entailed still the weaknesses that got better on a daily basis. Her spirit was still intact, she was the same silly, beautiful girl she was when she left.  Perfect timing… we got out just in time for a great Christmas, and within a week of work with Mom at home, Christal is walking by herself!  What a miracle!  Christal didn’t like to be without Mommy for anything including sleeping, since she had been right next to her side for over a month. SO, Mommy slept on the floor next to her bed for 2 weeks after we got home. If Mommy wasn’t there she would wake up crying. To all accounts she was a different kid. Much more whiney and way more dependant.

January 21, 2003 - Almost a month after the big home coming (the day her brand new bedroom furniture was going to be delivered) Christal fell and cut her eye, a gash that would require stitches. So, back to All Children's Hospital for the stitches.  Just to be sure nothing was off with her reservoir they did a head CT. Then came the bad news, that they saw something on the scan. A MRI would tell all for sure, so we scheduled that for 2 days later. 1/24/03 we find out there in fact IS more tumor there. It seemed unlikely for this to have grown back so fast. Most likely this is something that was missed, possibly in an area that wasn’t looked at because of the massive amount of swelling to the ventricles. Regardless, we know it needs to come out.

So, Just after Super Bowl (go BUCS!) Christal went in for yet another surgery. Dr. Tuite was scheduled to go out of town soon, so he cleared his schedule to do this before he left. This surgery was also long, the scar tissue made it take just as long to get to the tumor as it did to do the resection. Christal recovered beautifully. Sitting up in ICU all by herself within hours of getting there… and being silly with ice chips.  She would say, “cheep!” like a little birdie wanting food, when she was ready for more ice chips.  WOW what a difference. We were back up to floor only 1 day later.  Unfortunately, the lab report came back that this tumor had different tissue. It was sent to South Carolina for a second opinion. We were kept at the hospital during this time. It seemed like forever but after the first couple days of thinking about this by Monday I was talking to one of the Physicians Assistants saying things like, “They don’t hold you at the hospital for no reason. I know this isn’t good.” I had told several people of what my feelings were. Feb. 3 our worst fears were confirmed, it was malignant (or cancer). Diagnosis, anaplastic infratentorial ependymoma.

At this point, we started researching anything and everything on the internet about ependymoma. In our area, even though you’d think Tampa, FL is a metropolis, they were only able to offer us conventional radiation therapy. This therapy would hit more normal brain tissue and would have many more side effects. We knew from our research that the best protocols that were getting the best prognosis was with conformal radiation. After several phone calls and talking to multiple people, we decided to approach St. Jude Children’s. When faced with a bad cancer (not that any kind is a good) you go to where the best are. Ten days later, and a wait that seemed like forever, we got the word that we were accepted to St. Jude! Breathing a slight sigh of relief that we were going to be cared for in the best way. We couldn’t possibly know what was in store for us. Ignorance is bliss I suppose. Within 2 days Christal’s acceptance to St. Jude, we start the drive up to Memphis, TN with our trunk packed ready to be away from home for 8 weeks.

Eight weeks is a long time for any family. Drew and Chris just had celebrated their one year wedding anniversary in between Christal’s hospital stays. Hard first year of marriage! Drew is one amazing man for sure.

February 16, 2003 - Chris, Christal and Grandma arrive at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. This hospital and research center has one of the finest and most renowned facilities for Christal in the world!! You can tell almost from the moment you arrive this is one amazing place. On the other hand very overwhelming. Christal spent the first week going through countless tests and appointments. On Day 4, Christal had another MRI, imaging as the first step before her radiation therapy. Unfortunately, this scan shows there is yet another tumor growth in the same ventricle but on the other side from where they were working. Christal has to go through yet another surgery before she can begin the 6 1/2 weeks of Radiation Treatment she needs. She was already scheduled to have surgery to put in a  Hickman or central line, so we did that first. 

February 25, 2003 - She undergoes her 6th surgery, the 3rd one for resection of tumor. Enter Dr. Sanford another wonderful surgeon, one that we have a great feeling about almost immediately. This will lengthen our stay in Memphis by a little bit knowing they can’t start the treatments until 10 days post-op. The planning for radiation will need to start over from the beginning with another MRI (post surgical) and then the simulations. Her central line has been a big help as there isn’t a need for an IV with this line in. Christal recovers with flying colors from this surgery much to the surprise of all the medical staff. 

March/April 2003 - The treatments are going well.  Christal started getting nauseated and throwing up a bit around the end of week 3.  She started acting lethargic again and they order a head CT.  It revealed that she had increased cranial pressure and they would have to relieve the hydrocephalus (or fluid build up), or the effects could be fatal.  Due to the additional surgeries and now radiation, things just aren’t flowing like they should. 

April 1, 2003 - She had a shunt put in making that her 7^th surgery.  This was a very fast hospital stay because at this point, we can’t miss radiation treatments.  Monday we were in Dr. Sanford’s office, checked in that evening to the hospital.  Tuesday was the operation, Wednesday morning we were out and back at St. Jude getting her treatment.  Christal also started losing hair around week 3 very gradually.  By the end of Week 4 all the hair from the middle of her head and down to the neckline, is gone. 

Within 10 days of the shunt placement, she is becoming increasingly symptomatic that it’s not working… headache-y again.  She goes in the hospital Friday PM and they tap her shunt on Saturday morning.  She’s good to go for the time being, but within 3 days again is having headaches everyday.  Easter Sunday is the worst day yet, she’s pretty lethargic.  So the next day when we get to the hospital for treatment they order another CT.  It reveals yet again the shunt isn’t working probably.  It’s basically like your sink getting clogged.  They tap her shunt for the 2^nd time, just 10 days after the first time.  After this tap they schedule her for surgery the following Monday April 28.  We got to the hospital at 5:30am for surgery.  Since she has absolutely NO symptoms (and hasn’t for days) at the time the surgery is suppose to take place, they hold off and cancel the surgery.  No surgery #8, WOO HOO!  The happy report though is just after this  SHE’S DONE WITH RADIATION TREATMENT!  A very happy day in the life of a St. Jude patient…. EOT… or end of treatment.   Happy and sad day all at the same time.  We certainly have developed a support system and family here.  There is a massive sense of survival guilt, as we will be going home leaving so many others to complete their treatments.  Some that will be there many more months, and others that we know won’t make it.  In some sense, we’ve had it “easy” by not having to do any chemotherapy treatments. 

May 6, 2003 - We start the very long process of packing the car and our lives that we had moved to Memphis. In addition to saying final good-byes to the many families, patients, doctors, nurses and countless others.  Coming home was welcomed and yet very strange all at the same time.  Incorporating yourself into your OWN life after being gone for 2 ½ months, is pretty unusual. 

June 17, 2003 - Back to St. Jude for our first of many follow-ups.  We had the gamut of appointments, eye doc, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and of course our MRI to check for any tumor.  Results are in and we’re ALL CLEAR!  NO REGROWTH!  Praise GOD!  Oddly, I wasn’t really nervous for this one as I just knew there was nothing there. 

July 2003 - We got to go on Christal’s Make-A-Wish trip to Hawaii.  To say it was the trip of a lifetime is true!  She got to do everything she wanted to do including parasailing, a submarine ride, seeing dolphins, climbing Diamond Head Crater, a helicopter ride, the aquarium AND the zoo, and of COURSE a luau!  What a blast she had.  Before and after the trip we have 2 CTs as her balance has been increasingly worse and her left eye is crossing in again.  Her CTs are clear and so are her ears… so we’re assuming this balance stuff is because of her eye crossing again. 

August 2003 - Christal started Kindergarten at Lakeland Christian School!  WOW!  It’s such a blessing that she’s ABLE to start kindergarten after everything we’ve been through… but Christal just takes all that in stride.  P.E. should be an interesting hurdle, but she’s keeping up with all her activities and LOVES it!

September 2003 - Mommy goes back to work part-time and Christal starts PT/OT 3 times a week at Tampa General.  Sept follow-up all clear!! 

January 2004 - 9 month follow-up all clear!  Christal also has surgery #8 with her Strabismus (eye muscle) surgery.  It is a HUGE success, but we know she’ll need another surgery to  complete the correction in 4-6 months. Mommy wasn’t really ready for the post-surgical blood in the eyes.  But oddly, no pain for Christal at all… so to her, everything is status quo.  Just have the do the drops in the eyes for a week and that’s it .

April 2004 - We have a bit of a scare with possible recurrence.  A PET scan, doesn’t show anything conclusive (as to if we have tumor) and Lumbar Puncture has negative results for cancer cells.  A few days after returning home we find out we’re pregnant!  What a joy, Christal is going to be a big sister!

June 2004 - We’re back just 6 weeks after our one year follow-up to find that the area they were watching, was in FACT tumor.  This was almost worse than hearing “your child has cancer” for the first time.  We get ready to move back to Memphis.  Christal will have to prepare for surgery #9.  This will be the scariest one to date.  There is the possibility of multiple deficits happening to her with this surgery.  We know she is in VERY capable hands with Dr. Robert Sanford.  We have the meeting with him prior to the surgery and he informs us of all the terrible things that can happen to Christal during the surgery.  All very scary stuff from not being able to swallow and needing a trach, to death.  The length of this resection will be long because of all the scar tissue from prior surgeries.  He performs the surgery in much less time than he originally thought, the tumor was in a much easier location than what they thought, and he was able to get it all.  Much to their surprise!  She spent the night in the ICU still on the ventilator just as a precaution.  It was hard to see her with the tube coming out of her mouth.  Not really knowing or understanding what was going on.  She kept trying to bite the tube too, but she was soooo good.  It’s at a moment like this when you REALLY see the strength of your child.  They took her off the vent the next morning, and did a swallow study to see how that was going.  It was advised that she be on a thickener for a little while for her liquids.  It was strange for awhile, everytime she had to drink something we’d have to put this clear gel in there to make it thicker.  It looked nasty, but didn’t change the taste.  We proceeded with the simulation for the 2^nd round of Radiation therapy.  The first time she did the simulation (SIM), she was only 4 years old, and they didn’t feel that she would be able to stay still for the length of time (several hours) that she would need to during the MRIs for radiation.  Now that she was older, and given her being so agreeable with everything, Dr. Kun really wanted her to try and do the SIM without sedation.  Let me just say, I am SOOOO proud of her.  It was slow, and it was HOURS that she had to lay on her face in the mask… and be taped down at the same time.  There was a week for the planning of the RT before she would start, so we were given the go ahead to leave for a few days.  While we were gone I got a call from Dr. Kun.  There was an area of “concern”.  Dr. Sanford didn’t think it was anything, the radiologist didn’t think it was anything, but Dr. Kun couldn’t be CERTAIN, and didn’t want to proceed with the RT if she wasn’t clean of tumor.  We needed to be sure, and we trust Dr. Kun with Christal’s life.  When we got back to Memphis, they went ahead with trying to do a biopsy, and surgery #10.  (At this point, all the brain surgeries were done at LeBonheur Children’s in Memphis, TN.)  Unfortunately, after being sedated and they were setting up for the biopsy using a halo, the equipment they had didn’t fit her so they woke her up and we’d have to come back on Monday for an open-biopsy. 

Surgery #11, here I am by myself and pregnant, living in Memphis with Christal.  This was suppose to be just a simple routine biopsy, right?  Well, nothing at this point seems to be going our way.  Dr. Sanford walks into the room after the surgery was complete with almost a smirk on his face.  He sits down on the corner of the bed and says to me, “Well… Dr. Kun is a very smart man…”  I knew exactly what he was talking about without him even saying a word… there was tumor there, I just knew it.  He then said, that there in fact WAS tumor there, and he resected it all.  What an unbelievable stroke of luck!  HA, not luck.  Dr. Kun was put in our path for all the right reasons.  God had his hand in all this too, because… if the procedure had been successful the Fri before they might not have seen this particular area… and we would have proceeded with RT.  This way, with the procedure being an open surgery (meaning that actually went into the brain like they had done all the other surgeries) they would never have found this.  So we were incredibly blessed by all this.  There was only one problem… while in ICU, Christal’s speech was a little bit slurred.  I knew she had been on her face for awhile in the surgery, and she was just the tiniest bit swollen, I just thought it was that.  After a couple of hours, she still couldn’t get her lips to close around the straw to take a sip of water.  That was when the voice behind me said, “She can’t close her lips,” it was Dr. Kun making an 8pm visit to his “special patient”.  He and I talked about it, and then after further consulting with Dr. Sanford a couple days later it was determined that the 7^th cranial nerve had been aggravated which was causing the facial muscles not to work, the forehead muscles, the eyes closing, the cheeks, the lips… no facial expression.  She was no longer able to smile.  Needless to say,  everyone kept saying it would probably come back.  Soon after getting out of the hospital, they did another swallow study that determined she no longer needed to have the thickener in her liquids.  At this point, given everything going on, this was a victory of sorts for her.  Because of the surgery and the time that had lapsed, she had to redo her simulation for radiation.  Right after doing this, in the recovery from surgery… the day we go into the clinic to have her stitches removed there is a pinhole leak of CSF from the incision site.  This indicates that Christal will need another surgery (#12) to repair her shunt.  After getting out of the hospital it is discovered that this didn’t fix the problem, so Christal has another surgery to externalize the shunt to make sure it’s working (#13), and after we’re sure it’s working right… Dr. Sanford wants to replace the entire shunt again and internalize it surgery #14.  She then starts radiation therapy for the 2^nd time.  We know the chances her cancer will come back are much higher now. 

September 2004 – Right before Christal and Mom leave to drive home-home from Memphis, Christal has another eye surgery (#15).  And then they’re FL bound. 

November 2004 – CLEAN SCAN! 

December 9, 2004 – the birth of baby sister, Kylie Hope Kirkman!!

January 2005 – 4 month follow-up post radiation… she is also scheduled for another eye surgery for a muscle transposition on the right eye (surgery #16).  She has her MRI and we don’t get the news we’re hoping for.  We find out that Christal has a 2^nd recurrence, there is a small tumor between the ventricles.  This is outside of the bed where the original tumor had been.  This was like a crushing blow, as life was going along so nicely.  We didn’t know there were any options, but there were.  At this point, we extended what was to be a 4 day stay to 2 weeks.  She has surgery #17  to have a port placed.  This will be so she doesn’t have to have sticks all the time for IVs.  Christal starts with the E Clinic, and goes into a Phase I trial of Lapatinib.  This was an oral chemo that she would take, technically called classified as an inhibitor.  We came back once a month to get the pills, Christal, Kylie, Mommy and Grandma… March and then for scans again in April.  She had never taken pills before and THESE pills were HUGE.  She learned to take them like a TROUPER! 

April 2005 – We find out that the chemo isn’t working, her tumor is progressing… and now there is a 2^nd tumor in the ventricle. 

May 2005 – Christal goes into another Phase I trial of Cloretazine.  We make the very difficult decision to move the entire family back to Memphis again.  Mommy, Drewie, Christal and 5 month old, Kylie.  This will be a 12 week timeframe until the next scan.  Christal does SO WELL, that we’re just sure her tumors must be responding to the treatment. 

August 2005 – Scan time… we find out that the chemo is actually working on ONE of the tumors and it reduced the size almost by half.  The 2^nd tumor has continued to progress.  They look at this as a “fail” and she is taken off the drug.  We make the decision to try one more Phase I trial.  It’s only 6 weeks, so we go ahead and do it. 

October 2005 – Scan time again… we find out that this chemo isn’t working either.  Nothing seems to want to stop these tumors.  We make the decision to stop active therapy and go home to enjoy the holidays. 

We go home and get Christal back in school.  It’s really hard for her because she has missed so much, she ends up with Special Programs helping her.  She enjoys being with her friends though. 

November 2005 – We meet a new neurosurgeon in FL to follow Christal, Dr. Eric Trumble, in Orlando.  She has another MRI, just 4 weeks from the last one.  Christal is having increased problems with her balance, the MRI comfirms that her tumors are progressing, and they’re growing FAST.  We know we have to do something or we’ll lose Christal. 

December 2005 – We decide to do a procedure called Gamma Knife, radiation directly into the tumors.  The effects can take 3-6 months to work.  We find out in the pre-MRI for the planning of the procedure that her tumors have grown even MORE, which is very scary.  The comment her doctor made about this was that, “Christal is amazingly functional with the size tumors that she has.”  The weeks that follow the procedure, she’s just out of it.  It has nothing to do with the procedure, but rather… the tumors.  We put her on a dose pack of steroids and this helps her a TON!  We have a 2 week honeymoon with her feeling good… then she starts to feel and look horrible again.  No energy… sleeping all the time. 

January 2006 – It’s at this time that we know we have to do something else, out of the box.  We make contact with a doctor that practices Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  We take Christal to California to meet and be treated by, Dr. Chang Xin.  Our meeting is a delight and hopeful, and start her on the herbal tea.  Two days after getting home, we’re scheduled to go back to St. Jude for a follow-up scan.  The scan confirms that her tumors are STILL growing.  The only thing they suggest to us is for support, and a recommendation for Hospice for Christal.  We are told to go home and enjoy what time we have with her.  We go ahead and a week later, admit her as a patient of Hospice.  We figure, we know we don’t need it now… but it’s support, so lets take it.  It’s at this point Christal is sleeping most of the time.  I go ahead and take her to the ER at FL Hospital.  Dr. Trumble meets us and taps her shunt (tries to take fluid off).  It is determined that her shunt is malfunctioning and she will need surgery #18 to repair it.

She is a different KID in the time following this surgery.  Two hours after getting out of surgery, she is sitting up in bed asking for the doctor to let her go home… which she does the next day.  WHAT A TROUPER!  This lil girl is our HERO! 

March 2006 -  She has her first STABLE SCAN IN MORE THAN A YEAR!  Hallelujah and praise the LORD!  We don’t know if it’s the Gamma Knife finally reacting or the tea… but we don’t CARE, we’re just thankful!  God is ever present in Christal’s life.  She has already out lived what they said she would.  We feel blessed to have such a great quality for Christal, even though she hasn’t walked by herself since November of 2005.

May 2006 -  Christal gets a blood infection and lands herself back in the hospital one sick little girl!  While we’re there it is determined that her shunt really isn’t working well either and another shunt revision is ordered.  After being on anti-biotics for a week… Christal heads back to surgery (#19).  We got out of the hospital 8 days after getting there.  Christal had a harder than usual time with this hospital stay.  She turned 8 years old while in the hospital, and then felt so horrible she thought she was going to die.  This was very scary for all of us.  We found out after a week of being on the antibiotics that one of the side effects was depression, and she was DEFINITELY depressed.  She was barely talking to anyone.  Just about the day after being off the drug, she was a different kid.  Clingy to Mommy (like she had been in previous hospital releases), but over all much better after getting off the drugs.  She has a MRI while in the hospital that confirms we still have STABLE TUMORS! 

June/July 2006 – Christal has a GREAT summer, and gets stronger and stronger every WEEK.  We know she is so great that we are completely unprepared for the results of her July scans.  Two of her tumors are progressing again, the 3^rd is stable… and now there is another, a 4^th tumor.  No one understand how this can be???  How she could be doing better than she has been in 6 months, and have tumors that are progressing.   So, we go back to our faith in the Lord that He already has things under control. 

August 2006 – Christal just started school on Aug 7, she’s in the 2^nd Grade. 

We wish thanks to the medical staff of the four facilities we’ve had the opportunity to visit…. All Children’s Hospital in Tampa, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, in Memphis, TN, and Florida Hospital in Orlando, FL… we THANK you.  The wonderful medical staff we met at St. Jude ARE the best in the WORLD! Special thanks to friends in the Heralds of Harmony and the Toast of Tampa, our extended family in the Barbershop community, and The Tampa Electric staff.  Only by grace from God that we ended up where we are. 

Our incredible families… Grandmas, Grandpas… Aunts, Uncles, cousins… Daddy and Drewie. All the people who have donated their time and money to help us, including all the people that put together the Indiana and FL benefits for Christal back in 2003.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Fore the Children and the Princess Foundation… your support has meant so much.  Thanks also to the unbelievable support we got at Ronald McDonald House and the Target House while living in Memphis.  To all our St. Jude brothers and sisters... you are amazing.  These families have become our family. 

Last but not least, all of you that are or have prayed for Christal... that might just be the greatest gift any of you can give to us. We are honored that you would say a prayer and give special thanks for our well being. We know this journey is not over, but we too thank God for the grace to have gotten us this far. We know His hand is all over this little girl named, Christal, that is so precious.  We are blessed beyond belief to be here.  We are thankful for the journey.