Anna's Diagnosis and treatment

Anna has been diagnosed with PNet (Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor) . It is a type of childhood cancer. She has a tumor that is located on the left side of her neck. It extends from the top of her spine, down the side of her neck down towards her collar bone. Although it is a fairly large tumor it is localized to that area. It is pressing on some of the nerves that control her left arm, therefore they have opted not to attempt to surgically remove the mass first. She started her first round of Chemo Thursday and will complete that round tonight (Saturday, October 22, 2005). If everything goes well tonight we can go home tomorrow. We will continue to visit Children's Hospital in Birmingham every three weeks for the next year for Anna to receive Chemotherapy. After the first twelve to fifteen weeks of her treatment, her surgery team will re-evaluate the tumor and see if they can remove it at that time. We will still continue her chemo treatments every three weeks even if it is removed. They want to make sure they take care of any other stray cancer cells she may have. She has done fantastic throughout this entire ordeal. We want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers, and support. We will keep you updated as things progress.