Princess or Professional Wrestler?

Originally Posted Jun 24, 2009 4:41pm

Great news...Amelia's Day 14 bone marrow showed that her blasts (leukemia cells) are down to 1%. This is a very positive outcome and bodes well for her future treatments. This shows that her body is responding very well to the chemotherapy, and that achieving remission by Day 29 is very realistic indeed.

Recipe of the Week - Lemony Cannellini Bean Dip

Amelia and I developed this variation of hummus as a way to include more protein and fiber in our diets. It is wonderful as a sandwich spread (topped with grilled vegetables), or as a dip with fresh veggies and pita chips.

Garlic has natural antibacterial properties, and the beans and generous amount of olive oil contain healthy fats - all important for an infection-vulnerable child who is losing weight from chemo. Enjoy!

Friday

Originally Posted Jun 12, 2009 6:41am

Good Morning Everyone -

Amelia is expected to be taken in for marrow aspiration and spinal chemo between 10 am and noon. We're hoping for earlier, since she can't have anything to eat or drink beforehand, and might get a bit cranky! Because it is the weekend, the results won't be in until Monday. I will let you know as soon as we know!

Thanks and Good News

Originally Posted Jun 10, 2009 7:36pm

First of all, I must express our gratitude to you all. I always knew that Amelia was loved by many, but the outpouring of support from friends old and new is absolutely staggering. Truly, words cannot express what this means to our family and Amelia's healing process. Thank you all!

On to the great news (wishing I had some Monty Pythonesque animations for this announcement)...

Gifts For Stephen King

Originally Posted Jun 8, 2009 6:28am

Though I have talked to many of you about Amelia's ALL and what it means to her, I want to post a short explanation lest the health oracle medMD (and jebus forbid, wikipedia) give the wrong reading:

Recap

As our friends and families know, I have maintained a CarePage blog as a way to communicate to so many about Amelia's health. Her page has saved me hours on the phone (time is indeed precious these days) and has been invaluable in that regard. In order to get you, dear readers, up to speed on our lives over the past few months, I've chosen to repost some of my CarePage entries in the coming days. Following is one of my first posts, shortly after D (diagnosis) - Day:

Rainy Day Pumpkin-Granola Muffins

Early in treatment (and sometimes beyond), kids often experience digestive problems. These muffins are high in fiber and low in sugar to improve the functionality of little tummies. Sweet foods can have a metallic taste as a result of chemotherapy drugs, so the mellow flavor of the pumpkin may be just enough, and the recipe allows for lots of help from the kids.

Amelia and I invented these muffins on one of the many rainy June days upon our return home from the hospital.

Cancer Mise En Place

In the June bug dusk between the close of my penultimate semester of culinary school and the naissance of the rainiest summer in Maine’s recent history, my 5-year old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. Suddenly, life became alarmingly different – I quit my summer chef job, we were hospitalized to begin Amelia’s intense chemotherapy regimen, the counter-surfing puppy’s obedience classes were cancelled (and yet to be rescheduled-more to come on that story), and my family’s diet of Farmer’s Market victuals and Slow Food fare transformed to bland hospital chow and expensive organic convenience foods.