An update...


As most of you know, on April 10th our daughter Kelsie, had surgery to remove an egg sized tumor from the left occipital lobe of her brain. The surgery was successful and Dr. Rozelle was able to remove the entire tumor intact. Kelsie had surgery on a Friday, and was able to return home on Monday. For the past two weeks she as been home recovering beautifully. She is no longer suffering from headaches, vision loss or stomach issues. All huge praises!

After surgery, Kelsie’s tumor was sent to pathology to be studied. Last week her report came back showing that her tumor was malignant. The tumor was labeled a grade four glioblastoma with rhabdoid features. Gliobastomas are typically found in adults not children. The rhabdoid features of her tumor make it extremely rare. There are only twenty-five reported cases of this type of tumor in children.

The treatment plan for now includes six weeks of radiation followed by some form of chemotherapy. They must eradicate all the cancer cells so that there will be no new growth or spreading of tumors. The tumor board handling Kelsie’s case is comprised of some of the greatest minds in their field.  These doctors are in somewhat uncharted waters when it comes to Kelsie’s case. Thankfully though we know that when all of their knowledge and ability is exhausted, God is there with His unlimited supply.

We are fully confident in knowing that God has gone before us already on this journey. He has placed the right people in the right places, and whether they realize it or not He is working in and through them to bless our family. So many of you have asked us what you can do to help. We’ve decided on a few things you can all do.

 First of all, stay positive. Gods word tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “Take every thought captive.” Don’t let Satan get a foothold in your life by filling your mind with negativity. We are overcomers by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. He conquered, death, hell, and the grave. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) Second, you can pray like you’ve never prayed before. For some this might mean you have to start out by surrendering your life to the Lord. For others it might mean renewing your walk with the Lord through a prayer of repentance. Whatever the case, we ask that you throw off anything that might be hindering your prayer life so that you can go before the Lord in prayer for Kelsie.

We are a family that believes in praying specifically, so we have a few prayer requests to share with you all.

Please petition God first and foremost for Kelsie’s complete healing. Pray that there will be no new cells found and that there will be no spreading.  Pray that this course of treatment will be successful in killing all of the cancer cells the first time around and that no new cells will form. Pray that the treatment will cause no side effects (permanent or temporary). Pray for Dr. Freidman and his team, for Dr. Fiveash and his team. Pray for each other. Pray that God will use our family to His glory, use us to touch the lives of everyone we encounter.
Above all, we pray that God will use this to change lives and save souls.

As of today, Kelsie is scheduled to start treatment on May 14.

We are so thankful to each and everyone of you for the overwhelming show of love and support that you’ve given us. We will never be able to thank you enough.

We are doing the best we can to keep everyone updated. We realize how much you love Kelsie and are all anxious to hear how she’s doing. While we may not be able to answer every text or phone call, please know that they are such a huge encouragement to us. I will do my best to keep you all updated via this blog. Please feel free to share it.


And now, if you’ll allow me, I’m going to be a mama and brag on our sweet Kelsie just a little bit. For those of you that may not know Kelsie I just wanted to give you a glimpse into the kind of heart she has. You can follow the links below to two other posts that I wrote about her few years ago. This was her heart to help children through World Vision.

http://lifeofeucharisteo.blogspot.com/2012/02/childs-heart.html
http://lifeofeucharisteo.blogspot.com/2012/02/big-finish.html


In God's Strength,
Tracey

Comments

  1. JacqueMay 1, 2015 at 9:23 AM

    Thank you, Tracey, for the update and for being specific in the ways we can pray for Kelsie. It means so much to be able to keep up with her progress. I am so grateful that you are a child of the King and I know that many will be directed to Him through this journey. Your entire family are like lighthouses showing everyone the way to our Father - what a testimony you all are!! Thank you for the lives you live and for the inspiration you are to so many of us. You are loved by so many people and all of you are being lifted to Him daily. Love you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Selman'sMay 1, 2015 at 11:16 AM

    Thanks Tracy for the update. We are one family in Jesus Christ when one hurts we all hurt. I thank God for your christian family and the strong faith you share.We have and will continue to have Kelsie and the family in our prayers. We serve an awesome GOD. Love and Prayers!! The Selman's

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