April 2005

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Kaitlyn has been diagnosed with Wilms' Tumor again. This is very rare that she should relapse with the same type of cancer this long after treatment (5 years) and also in the location of the tumor (lower pelvis). Kaitlyn started the first round of chemotherapy Easter weekend. Funny how things work out in life - her first treatment in 1998 began on Christmas Day.

Dr. Cairney, our Oncologist, is optimistic that Kaitlyn will be able to conquer this awful disease again. It will entail some different forms of treatment, including a bone marrow transplant, which will be done in Toronto at Sick Kids.

She will be receiving 6 rounds of a 5 day chemo cycle (4 days of chemo and 1 day of hydration). All the rounds will need to be completed as an inpatient. Sometime in April we will take Kaitlyn to Sick Kids in Toronto to harvest some of her stem cells. She is able to be her own donor for a bone marrow transplant because Wilms Tumor does not enter the bloodstream. The stem cells will be frozen, waiting for her to return after her 6 rounds of chemo. Not sure when this will be as you can never predict how cancer treatment will go. There are bound to be delays due to her counts not being high enough. One of the most important blood counts that we have to watch closely is her neutrophil count. When this dips below 1 (which it will more than likely do with each treatment) she will be very susceptible to infection. Infection usually means delay in treatment. Infection means more stays in the hospital. Infection is something we really need to avoid.

The bone marrow transplant will take place in Toronto (a 2-hour drive) where she receives high doses of chemotherapy to completely wipe out her bone marrow and any cancer cells. She will then be reinjected with her own marrow and we wait for her stem cells to start giving her some blood counts. This takes anywhere from 4-8 weeks in Toronto. Once back in London, Kaitlyn will receive radiation to her pelvis area - not sure yet how many treatments. So that's Kaitlyn's journey as she enters life as a 10 year old. Dr. Cairney assured us that prognosis looks very favourable.

Kaitlyn's Favourite Colour is blue. She enjoys her family cats, Smokie and Sweetie and her rabbits, Kicker and Scratcher. She just shines when they sneak her dog, Buster into the hospital to see her. (You can tell that in her picture!) She also enjoys swimming in the family pool and playing with her friends. Her favourite author is Robert Munsch.