Translate This Page To: Spanish German French Italian Portuguese Norwegian Brought to you From FreeTranslation.com Hanna G. Guest Book       Photos UPDATE: 8-16-04 Well, we are home. I know I can't run from what has happened, but I just thought I needed to get away for a little while. Things still do not seem real to me. God is giving all of us the grace to find a way to get through this. I know it will get harder in the days ahead. I know Hanna is in Heaven and has no more fear or pain, but we are going to miss her so very much. She is such a joy and blessing to us. She loved us all so much and would want us to remember her happy times here with us. Thank you to everyone who has left messages in the guestbook. I love reading them. They are so thoughtful, caring, and uplifting. I wish that I could say I have read them all, but I am still working on that. There are so many, and I haven't been able to get on the computer much lately. But, that is all about to change. I'm about to have more time on my hands than I know what to do with, so I'm looking so forward to reading each and every one. Please keep them coming. I'm not ready to stop using this website. It has helped me to be able to share Hanna's story with others. I just feel that there is still more to be shared. She touched so many lives, and it so evident by visiting this site. I know I'm not writing my thoughts very clearly, but I felt I needed to update. I hope it has not been too confusing. I will update again in a day or two. Until then, I wanted to share with you what I wrote for Hanna's funeral. Our pastor shared it with those who were able to attend. I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who loved, prayed for, and has supported Hanna, me, and our family through all of this. I am so very grateful to have such a wonderful group of family and friends. I also want to thank our Heavenly Father for choosing me to be Hanna’s mother. It is such an honor to have been able to share my life with her. Hanna’s life not only brought me joy, love, and laughter, but helped teach me the meaning of true faith. I may not understand why things like this happen, but I must trust in God and know that He has the perfect plan. None of this is a mistake. Hanna is right where she is supposed to be. She will never suffer again, and we will be together again. In three and a half years, Hanna has touched more lives and turned more eyes toward the Lord than many people do in 50 or 60 years. She has given us so many gifts in her short life. We all have wonderful memories that will help carry us through. She has taught me about love and compassion in a way that I would have never known otherwise. She has brought so many of my dearest friends into my life that I would have never had the opportunity to meet if it had not been for Hanna. In so many ways, Hanna’s life was perfect. She came to earth, taught us things that will change our lives forever, and then went to be with Jesus before she ever had to experience wrongdoing or hurting anyone. She was kept innocent. I ask all of you here to keep Hanna’s memory alive by thinking of her and talking about her. Never be afraid to say her name or celebrate her and her life. Hanna we will always love you and miss you. You will always live in our hearts forever. You are my princess and I can’t wait to see you again. UPDATE: 8-12-04 This past couple of weeks have been very hard. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and left messages. I have seen how many there are. It is unbelievable. I can't wait to sit down and read each one. That has always helped me get through this. Right now, things are very hectic and I have so many things I have to get done today, but I promise to come back and update this better. I will let you know what has been going on. For now, remember-This is not a mistake and God loves Hanna so much. She is no longer suffering and is so very happy. We will miss her more than words could ever express, but we will see her again. Please keep your messages coming. You have no idea what they have meant to me. UPDATE: 8-9-04 David asked that I let you know that Hanna passed away earlier this morning - she was peaceful and pain free. Our hearts are heavy and broken for David, Tammy and the kids but at ease for Hanna - she is with Jesus now and healed of this disease. Hanna's Funeral Arrangements - Visitation: Tuesday, August 10th 6-8 PM Brantley Funeral Home 6875 Cockrum Street Olive Branch, MS 38654 Funeral: Wednesday, August 11th 2:00 PM Colonial Hills Church 7701 Highway 51 North Southaven, MS 38671 Flowers may be sent to the funeral home. Financial donations should be addressed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Please mark "In Honor of Hanna Gibson" on the memo line. Your gift will help fight this disease and a plaque will be placed on a memory wall in Hanna's honor. Mail your gift to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ATTN: Dr. Amar Gajjar Mail Stop 260 332 N. Lauderdale Street Memphis, TN 38104 Please continue to sign Hanna's guestbook and support her family through this difficult time. Tom. Last Night's Post: Sunday night, August 8, 2004 Tammy asked that I update you this evening. First, she and David are grateful for the incredible support that many of you are showing them. They are overwhelmed by your kindness. Since the last update, Hanna has not been doing very well. Many of her family and close friends are with her right now, loving on her and keeping her comfortable. They are monitoring Hanna's pain and are giving pain medicines as needed (very regularly at this time). Tammy and David are tired, but remaining strong and focused for Hanna and the entire family. I want to encourage you to sign a note for Hanna and her family after you read this update... remind them that they are covered in prayer, love and support. Recently, Eli (our 3 yr. old son) explained Hanna's tumor to me. He said it makes her sick and walk funny sometimes. He said that it's OK because he loves her and Jesus does too. No tumor can take that away. Indeed, no tumor can. Hanna, Tammy, David, Jason, Emily and Andrew - we love you guys. Tom and Jennifer Bowen (Ben and Eli's Mommy and Daddy) UPDATE: 8-04-04 So much has happened the past few days. I'm so sorry I haven't had a chance to update. I promise I've been trying, but it's been very crazy around here lately. Anyway, I will start with Sunday morning. Sunday morning began normally. The Bowen's came by and Hanna and Eli played together in Hanna's little pool. She had a lot of fun. But, after her nap, she started complaining of pain. We gave her Tylenol and Motrin, but nothing seemed to help. The pain kept getting worse. The hospice nurse came by to help, and by the time we were finally able to get some morphine ordered she had settled down. Monday morning we took her to the hospital for a CT scan to make sure there was not fluid causing even more pressure. This is when we found out that the tumor had been bleeding. That is most likely the reason for the pain. She slept all day Monday. She was only awake for about 3-4 hours all day Monday. Needless to say, we were extremely worried. However, yesterday she seemed as well as she was Sunday morning. She only took about an hour nap, and she played in the floor most of the day. I think it would be safe to say that the bleeding has stopped. It's too early to tell how today will go. She slept okay last night, but she's really having a hard time with congestion. At this point, we need LOTS of prayer. Of course, we need to pray for a miracle for Hanna. That is what we all want more than anything. But, we also need to pray that she will be pain free in whatever she must go through. It was heartbreaking to see her in so much pain and not be able to do anything for her. We do have stronger medication ready so that we will be able to better handle it next time. If we can help it at all, she will not go through that again. Let's just pray that it doesn't happen anymore. Thank you so much for all of the prayers that are being lifted up for not only Hanna, but the rest of us as well. I know that at times like these, other people's prayers are so important in helping us get through it. Most of the time lately, I feel like my own prayers have become more cries of desperation than real prayers. But, I know God hears them all. I just want to thank everyone for helping. UPDATE: 8-2-04 Today was a pretty good day overall. She spent the morning with some friends who came to visit. Ms. Tina and Morgan brought doughnuts, which is one of her favorites. Then we went to visit Aunt Char and her gang. Hanna got to play in the water a little. She is really enjoying that this summer. Then, Ben and Eli got to come over this evening. We always enjoy seeing them. So, it has been a pretty eventful day. She has felt good for the most part. She has her moments everyday, but we deal with those as they come. I know all of the things that are happening to Hanna must be very confusing and frustrating for her. I know I have asked for prayer for her emotional well being. Thank you for that. Keep praying for that, but she seems to be okay. She doesn't ask too many questions. She did, though, ask me yesterday while she was in the tub why she was so wobbly. I reminded her of the boo boo in her head, and she told me to spank that boo boo. That was so sweet and innocent, but also sad. If only I could spank it and make it go away. Thank you to everyone who continually checks up on us, signs our guestbook, and prays for Hanna. We are so grateful for you all. UPDATE: 7-31-04 Well, this afternoon has ended up better than the morning. Hanna slept until 9:00. That is just NOT something Hanna does. She is usually up by 7:00, maybe 7:30 at the latest. So needless to say, I was very concerned. I kept checking on her and she seemed fine. When she finally did wake up, she threw up. That is not normal for her either. She doesn't usually have any trouble with that. However, by about 11:00, she seemed to be feeling okay. Other than that, things seem to be about the same. She isn't wanting to drink much, so that's something else that's bothersome. She's always liked drinking a lot. Ben (www.bens-story.com) had his MRI yesterday and got stable results. Good, but we want better. He will probably be starting radiation in about a month. Please visit their website if you get the chance. They are truly wonderful people, and have been such a blessing to us. We love them. UPDATE: 7-28-04 Hanna seems to be feeling a little better. We found out Sunday that she has a urinary tract infection, so she began antibiotics for that. Also, the congestion seems to be getting better as well. She's had two pretty good days in a row. As far as the other symptoms, things have gotten somewhat worse over the past week. For example, she can no longer use the walker and is even having trouble sitting up. These issues are due to balance, not strength. However, the past two or three days haven't really brought any new symptoms, so that is good news. The hospice nurse came by Monday. That went well. She mainly just looked at her and chatted for a few minutes. I guess it's all part of the getting acquainted process. She will be back on Friday. She seems really nice. I'm sure Hanna will like her once she gets to know her. Thank you to everyone who has been leaving guestbook entries. I love reading them. It is so amazing to me how many people check on her regularly that do not even know us other than through this website. From the guestbook, I found out that some soldiers in Afghanistan held a prayer circle just for Hanna. That is awesome. There are so many people that say they start their day by checking on her or praying for her. Others say that learning about Hanna has helped them hug their own children a little tighter or not take things for granted as often. But more often, people just say that they pray for her regularly. Knowing how many people that Hanna's life has touched and knowing how many people pray for her is not only a blessing, but it helps to ease the pain in its own way. It helps me to focus on the higher purpose-that everything works together for the glory of God. With that being said, it still breaks my heart that all of this is happening to my baby. She is so sweet and so precious and I would do anything in the world to take this away. UPDATE: 7-26-04 Thursday morning Hanna did not feel well at all. She was on the couch not wanting to sit up or even talk. When I began taking her temp, it was only about 99, but by 11:00 it was up to 100.9 so we had to carry her to the hospital. By this time, it was 101.7, so they put her on fluids, IV antibiotics, and oxygen to see if that would help her breathing. She actually liked the oxygen and I think it made her feel better. Anyway, they took blood and urine cultures, but we still haven't heard anything yet. She is feeling somewhat better. Her temp is staying right around 99. She is still not herself, but that could be related to a number of things. I just want her to be happy and feel like playing. As you know, we were already considering hospice. Thursday morning was an example of how it would be helpful to her. So, we signed up with them yesterday. That was not an easy (emotionally) process. I know that we are not giving up, and I know that God can still perform a miracle. She is still even on chemo, but having hospice is such a scary thing. They only came to sign paperwork. They will begin regular visits next week. I'm really hoping this will be a positive experience. I just seemed to get the feeling that they do not hold very much hope. But, maybe I'm wrong. Well, Hanna just came in from outside, so I guess I better go see her. She is really a mommy's girl these days. UPDATE: 7-23-04 I know I was supposed to post last night about what happened at the hospital, but I just didn't have it in me by the time we got home. Apparently, there is just no way to know if the breathing trouble is a result of the congestion or the tumor. This is something we will just have to keep praying about. They said that with the new chemo she is on, it would take two cycles (28 days each) to know whether or not it is working. But, at this point, she seems to be getting progressively worse. She feels that it is time for us to begin considering Hospice. Now, that does not mean that we would be giving up or even stopping treatment. She would continue on with her chemo at home, and could even change chemo treatments later if needed. She could even come off Hospice very easily if things begin to turn around. But, for now, she doesn't feel well and is doing things that make us very concerned. With Hospice, a nurse would be available at all times to come to our house instead of having to take her to the hospital every time we got nervous about something. She could also have oxygen at home for times we felt she was having trouble breathing. It seems to make sense to do this, it is just a very hard decision to make for your little girl. Please continue to pray for us all right now. UPDATE: 7-21-04 I know I said we would see our regular doctor on Monday, but I was wrong. On Sunday, Hanna's breathing seemed to be worse. We called back to the hospital and spoke to a different doctor. He told us to bring her back so we could do a chest x-ray just to make sure her lungs were clear. Well, they were fine. Good and bad, I think. Good that she doesn't have pneumonia, but bad because it's scary to think that it might be the tumor. Anyway, I called Monday morning and spoke with our nurse practitioner. She didn't seem overly concerned either, and told us we could come in if we wanted, but that we would see Dr. Fouladi on Wednesday. So, since she didn't seem worse, we decided to wait until Wednesday. At this point, I feel like either no one really knows what's causing this, or that it's so bad only our doctor can tell us. I know it sounds crazy, because it could just truly be a cold, I guess. It's just so very scary with everything else going on, too. We did go by the hospital this morning, only to see the physical therapist. She had a walker on hand that just happened to fit Hanna perfectly. She really seems to like it so far. I think it will take a little getting used to, but she used it to walk all the way to the cafeteria. She even asked for it later in the day. Will post again tomorrow after we see the doctor. UPDATE: 7-19-04 We are home! We actually came home last night, which was a day early. We had a great time. Hanna did so many fun things and had such a good time, but she was starting to become very tired, so rather than stay one more day and wear her out too much, we decided to come back. I can't tell you how glad we are that we were able to take her back to Disney World. We have so many happy memories there that will never be forgotten. Thank you to everyone who helped make this trip absolutely wonderful. She got to meet all her favorite characters again, which is her favorite part. (It was sad, though, when she told them that she couldn't walk right.) We had several meals with many of the characters. We even had breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle. We didn't even get to do that on her Make-A-Wish trip. She loved the fireworks and parades. And, we were able to ride the Pooh ride about 50 times. She really did have a great time. I will do my best to post pictures from Disney, the beach, and the party very soon. It should be much easier now that I have a digital camera, thanks to the Bowen family (www.bens-story.com), they have been wonderful to us. Ben has also been having some difficulties lately, so visit them for encouragement if you can. They are such nice people, and have been such a blessing to our family. As far as Hanna's symptoms are concerned, things are no better. We hoped the steroids would help correct some of the problems, but that is not happening. Her dosage has even been increased, but things still seem to be slowly getting worse. She cannot walk at all now without falling hard and fast. I am going to see about getting her a walker since this is bothering her greatly. Those of you who know her personally know how independent she is. She is also having some trouble with incontinence. This is also very troubling to her since big girls don't pee pee in their big girl panties. These things are very upsetting to watch happen to her, but the thing that is scaring me the most is her breathing. It's just not right. We went to the hospital this morning and her oxygen was only at 90%. That seems bad to me, but the doctor did not seem concerned. However, this is not her regular doctor. We will see them Monday. Hopefully we'll get answers then. Now that we are home for good, I will update more regularly. Maybe they can go back to shorter entries:) Thank you again to everyone who helped make this past week (birthday party, Disney, etc.) absolutely wonderful. We love you all!! UPDATE: 7-12-04 Hanna's birthday party was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible. I just have to say I have some of the best friends anyone could ever dream of having, and that is the absolute truth. As many of you already know, there were pony rides, a petting zoo, a huge slide, face painting, balloon designs, snow cones, cotton candy, and the most beatiful birthday cakes you could imagine. There was a huge crowd of family and friends. Thank you to everyone who attended. Hanna loved it! Even in bed, as she was falling asleep, she said, "Mommy, I love my birthday party." I'm so glad she was able to enjoy this day. On another note, her counts were great at 1400, so we are now very excited about tomorrow since we will be able to go to Disney World. Again, thank you to everyone who helped us with that. We will be able to go and enjoy every minute of it thanks to so many wonderful people. I wish I had some beautiful, magical words that could express my feelings to everyone who has been so kind and generous and thoughtful to us through all of this. I just hope you all know how much we love you. I don't know how we would be able to make it through such difficult times without the support group we have. I better go before I start crying. We love you!! UPDATE: 7-9-04 We are home. As you may already know, we cut the beach trip with David's family a little short to come home to begin a new chemotherapy. We didn't get home until about 1:00 Wednesday morning and spent all day yesterday at the hospital. So, I am just now getting a chance to update. Since Friday, Hanna's symptoms have gotten much worse. She cannot move the right side of her face at all. Her right eye is completely crossed in and her left eye only seems to look to the left, so to see something she has to turn her head to the side as if she is looking out the corner of them. She is not blinking her right eye at all, so we have to constantly put ointment in it so it will not dry. This is something she hates to do. As far as walking, she has the strength to do it, but her balance is so bad she needs help to take many steps. She tries to play, but everything is such a struggle for her. She seems as if she has no energy. She is just not herself. It breaks my heart to see her like this, but then again, I don't want to take my eyes off of her. Her counts are still at 900 so she could not start the new chemo AND with all the new symptoms, she needs to begin steroids which will disqualify her for that protocol. So, they began a different drug, VP-16. We need lots of prayers for this drug to stabilize the tumor. She will also begin taking Protocel, maybe today. If anyone has any experience with Protocel that you would like to share, please e-mail me as soon as possible. I cannot believe how caring so many people have been to us during all of this. Some of my friends knew that I wanted to take Hanna back to Disney World because she loved it so much, and now it seems that that trip is being completely taken of by friends and family, as well as some people we have never even met. The Bowen family (www.bens-story.com), who updated the site while we were out of town, have been amazing. I can't believe how they have helped pull all of this together. I can't thank them enough. They have been such a blessing to our family. I hate the circumstances that brought us together, but I am so thankful for their friendship. Also, we are getting very excited about her "birthday party." Many of you know Pepper. I honestly don't know how I would get through all of this without her. When I said party, she jumped right on that. Let's just say there will be a mini carnival for her. She will be having her very own HannaFest. For now, we have to pray very hard, not only for the chemo to work, but also for her counts to stay up, at least until next week. If they drop too soon, we may not get to take her to Disney World. That would be such a disappointment. She has been through so much. We so badly want to do this for her. I'm sorry this was so long. I just had a lot to say today. Please keep Hanna in your prayers, for the chemo, her counts, and her emotional well being. And know that as hard as all of this is and as horrible as it seems, that God loves her. As much as I want to yell and scream and cry and make it go away, I do trust Him, and I know that He is in control. I also know that He hears our prayers, so keep please continue to pray for her. Again, Thank You to everyone for everything. We have been so blessed by the kindness we have been shown. I wish I knew how to thank everyone personally. Also, thank you for all of the guestbook entries. They are amazing! UPDATE: 7-4-04 Tammy has asked us to update you while they enjoy a few days away as a family at the beach. She just checked in and said Hanna was GREAT for the long car trip. Hanna continues to experience some disturbing symptoms - now her right eye is turning in and she is having a hard time with her balance. She continues to have some weakness on the right side of her face and hearing loss in her right ear. Currently, Tammy and David are exploring options for Hanna. Last weeks difficult MRI results have left them with very few choices. Let's rally around them and pray for wisdom and strength. Jennifer and I can not adequately express our gratefulness for this family. When our son, Ben, was diagnosed with brain cancer in March, Tammy stepped up to our side - a complete stranger reaching out to us. We will not forget out first day at St. Jude when Tammy and Hanna showed up to greet us and show us around. I am sure that many of you have similar stories to share... a kind demonstration of how this family impacts so many. They really need our support at this time, so I encourage each of you to check back often and sign their Guestbook. To David, Tammy, Hanna and family - we all stand with you! Hanna is expected to begin a new chemotherapy next week... more to come. Another update will be posted soon. Tom and Jennifer Bowen UPDATE:7-2-04 I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted, but we have had three very long days. This is not easy news to write, but the MRI was not what we had hoped for. The tumor is growing rapidly. Surgery is not an option and she has already had her lifetime maximum dose of radiation. The only option at this point is experimental chemo. We will begin that as soon as her counts reach 1000, hopefully tomorrow. I can't believe how fast things are happening. In just a few short days she has begun to really show some changes. She is still having trouble with her right side, her eye, ear, etc. She can't even smile all the way across anymore. She is having trouble walking steadily. All of this is just breaking my heart. It is so hard to watch these things happen to her. Please pray for her, not only for her healing (which we know can still happen), but also for her to stay happy. I'm so afraid she is going to begin knowing something is not right and become scared or worried. Also, this is extremely important, pray for her to be pain free. I do not know what changes she may face, but whatever happens, I want her to be comfortable and peaceful. Remember, right now this is just another "bump in the road." Nothing is too big for God to take care of. He knows His plans for her. We don't have to understand, but we do have to trust Him. This battle is not over! Keep praying and believing. Love, Tammy UPDATE: 6-27-04 We went to the hospital this morning to have her platelets checked. They were only 26 so she had to have a transfusion, but again, she was wonderful during it. Her ANC was 2900 on Wednesday, which we were very excited about, but they have now dropped to 700. She is supposed to begin chemo on Tuesday, but that is not high enough to do so. Hopefully they will come back up soon. Speaking of Tuesday, remember to keep Hanna in your prayers for this day. She will have her MRI around 2:00 and we are VERY concerned about this. As you know, she has been having trouble with the right side of her face, mainly closing her right eye. Today I also realized she is having trouble hearing out of her right ear. When she was on the phone, she could not hear what was being said to her using her right ear. She has also wet her pants 3 times today, something that is very unlike her. It was obvious that this caught her completely by surprise. I don't think she even felt it coming until it was too late. This is also very disturbing. She is still feeling great and playing happily. I am afraid, however, that she may be starting to realize something is not quite right. When she couldn't hear on the phone, she looked at me with a distressed look on her face and said "Oh, no." She pointed to her right eye and said that eye hurts and now she can't hear out of this ear. She just knew something was wrong. This breaks my heart. For the past two and a half years, she has always thought she was perfectly fine. I can't bear to see things happen to her that will upset her. Thank you to everyone who has been continually praying for Hanna. I know you will keep doing so. We just need to pray that there is some other explanation for all of these things going on with her (scar tissue, radiation effects, etc.) and that her MRI will show good results. Please, also pray for Hanna's happiness. She is such a happy child. I don't want any of this to affect that. UPDATE: 6-24-04 Well, we went to the hospital. Nothing knew concerning her face or the MRI. It's still scheduled for the 29th. However, they did say if something became available before that they would get us in. Her ANC was great at 2900, but her hemoglobin and platelets were both low. She had to have a blood transfusion today. We decided to leave the hospital at lunch and come back for the blood so that David could be there. Being hooked up to the IV in the medicine room for 3 hours is very difficult, and she does better with him. But I have to say that she did remarkably well. She did not even fuss about it. She is such a sweet girl. Hopefully her platelets will come back up before Friday, but if not she will get a platelets transfusion at that time. The Bowens (www.bens-story.com)got the results back from Ben's MRI today. It is stable at this point. Of course, we were hoping for smaller, but we will take stable. He and his family still need our prayers also. I want to thank everyone once again for the guestbook entries. I cannot express how much they mean to me. Having a child with cancer is so hard even when things seem to be going great, but when something happens to resurface all of the fears it can sometimes become overwhelming. Knowing how many people are praying for her (many that we have never even met) is so comforting. I also know that there are many others who visit her site and are praying for her, but may not be signing our guestbook. I would like to encourage you to do so, even if it's just to say hello. This is something that I will keep forever and can save to show her how so many people cared for her during this time. She loves having them read to her even now, but it will be so much more meaningful when she is older and can really understand all of this. UPDATE: 6-23-04 We did get some good news today. The MRI has been moved up to June 29. I don't know what is going on with Hanna, but not knowing is very difficult. Of course, we are praying this is not tumor related, but I just prefer to know sooner rather than later. She seems exactly the same. Things haven't gotten any worse. She is as happy as ever. She finally got to play with her cousin, Abby, who is here from Korea. We are scheduled to leave for Gulf Shores with David's family (Abby included) next Saturday. So, please pray that the MRI results will go well and nothing will interfere with the trip she is so looking forward to. UPDATE: 6-22-04 We went back to the hospital today. It was an unexpected visit. I didn't even know we had that appointment until they called sometime last night. I was actually glad because I was going to call early this morning anyway. Over the weekend, I began noticing that she is not even blinking her right eye. I also wanted to see if they could do her MRI sooner than the week of the July 12. I have no promises, but they said they would try. I just don't think I'll be able to wait that long without going crazy. She seems fine otherwise. She is laughing and playing as normally as always. Please keep our friends, the Bowen family (www.bens-story.com) in your prayers also. He is having his MRI tomorrow at 1:30. No matter how well things seem to be going, these are ALWAYS scary. He, as well as his parents, need our prayers right now. UPDATE: 6-17-04 I am SO sorry about no update in a week. I have been very busy, but there is really no good excuse. Anyway, Hanna did not have to have a blood transfusion last week. We went back today, and her counts all still look good. Praise God. She is doing so much better this round with her counts. Last month they would not come up. There is an issue that needs our prayers. Hanna's face muscles do not seem to be moving quite right. Sometimes when she smiles or talks, she only moves one side. At first, I thought she was just being silly, but as it goes on, I'm starting to worry. Also, if you clap in her face or come at her with something, she only blinks her left eye. I spoke to the doctor about this, and she has decided to move up her next MRI a little. She wants to wait until she completes her next round of chemo and we are back from the beach. I don't have a date yet, but sometime the week of July 12. I will post it as soon as they let me know. For now, Hanna is very excited about her cousin Abby coming to visit from Korea. UPDATE: 6-10-04 We went to the hospital this morning. Hanna's ANC was 2400. That's better than it's been in a very long time, so that's good news. Her platelets were fine at 380, but her hemoglobin was only 8.3, so we will go back Friday to see if she'll need a blood transfusion. UPDATE: 6-8-04 Sorry I haven't updated in a few days. Hanna did very well with her chemo. She continued eating and didn't even complain of a tummy ache like she usually does. It went well, but I'm glad it's another round that's over. I want her to have it, but hate giving it to her. We will go back to the hospital Wednesday to see how her counts are doing. On a happier note, Hanna was in a horse show last night and absolutely loved every minute of it. I will put some pictures in the photo album as soon as I get them back. She was a real cowgirl complete with hat, boots, and shirt thanks to our dear friends Karen Reeves and her parents Richard and Menita Neal. We love them. Hanna was led in by our friend Karen Cates. She is the Director of Heart's Desire Therapeutic Riding Center where Hanna takes hippotherapy when her counts will allow it. Hippotherapy is basically physical therapy on horseback. Thank you for continuing to leave us messages in the guestbook. We really do enjoy them. ADDED: 6-2-04 Hanna is 3 years old. Condition:Anaplastic Astrocytoma (Brain tumor) Hanna was diagnosed with a brain tumor in Jan. 2002. She had surgery to remove the tumor and began chemotherapy. The chemo was supposed to last for 18 months, but the tumor returned after only 8 months while still on chemo. She had a second surgery, but this time it had grown too close to the brain stem so some had to be left behind. She immediately began 6 weeks of radiation. She finished that in Jan. 2003. Her tumor remained stable for a year, but in Feb. 2004 her MRI showed regrowth. She is now taking Temozolomide, an oral chemo. The MRI in May showed that the area of activity was actually smaller than before. Her next MRI will be July 21. Tammy CURRENT UPDATE: Tuesday, June 1, 2004 3:52 PM CDT FINALLY! We will start Hanna's third round of chemo tonight, only 2 1/2 weeks late. Oh well, better late than never. I know it's kind of strange to be happy about giving your child chemo, but it's all perspective, I guess. It's a lot better than tumor. Thank you to everyone praying for this. We are so grateful for all of you. I know that this is a bad situation for us, but I also know that it could be so much worse. I also know how fortunate we are in so many ways. We are blessed with such a great family and so many friends. We do not take that for granted. I am sorry to see all of the families at the hospital who have to be separated so they can save their child's life. There are so many mothers who are here alone with their child, either because their family is too large to live at Target House or because one parent has to stay home to work. I can't imagine what they must go through. The cancer itself is bad enough, but then having to do this all by yourself with your friends and family miles away. I wish there was something I could do for these families. Please keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers as well. When I can figure out how, I will try to get links to some other sites for anyone who like to visit them.