Category: Olivia

Joseph is recovering from his cardiac catheterization. The procedure went well and the results are going to be sent to Sick Kids in Toronto and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Next week Joseph will have an MRI lymphangiogram the results of which will also be sent to Sick Kids and CHOP. The information from these procedures will hopefully be used to build a treatment plan that will allow Joseph to stop leaking fluid into his abdomen.

Olivia’s chemo treatment was pushed from yesterday (April 4) to next Friday (April 11), to give her time to recover. She and the children are all recovering well from the flu.

Please pray that Joseph’s procedure goes well, that he recovers and that information gained will allow the medical team to successfully treat Joseph and that Olivia continues to respond well to her cancer treatment.

Olivia’s Second Round of Chemo – March 14

On March 14 Olivia went through her second round of chemotherapy. She has found chemo this round to be a little more tiring than the first. We were blessed to have this round’s GCSF injection covered as well. GCSF is a medication that causes the body to produce more white blood cells preventing Olivia’s immune system from being as weak as it would normally be from the chemotherapy. The picture below is from March 15 when Olivia received another cancer drug that specifically targets her type of breast cancer.

Joseph’s Surgery – March 15

It has been a busy week. Joseph went in for surgery to have a PD catheter inserted into his abdomen. The surgery was successful and during the surgery they were able to drain a significant amount of fluid from Joseph’s abdomen. The drainage allowed Joseph to be more comfortable and improved his overall condition.

Along with the surgery Joseph has moved back into the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU). Joseph has continued to drain fluid since the surgery and has lost the puffiness he had before. He is more awake and looks around.

House Move – March 20

We have moved houses from an Airbnb to Amy’s House which is accommodations for people undergoing cancer treatment and have had to travel more than 150 kms. The house was built in the 1940s and has skeleton key doors and original hardwood. The kids are settling in well and are enjoying the new set of toys that come with the house. You can follow the link for more information on Amy’s House.

We want to thank everyone for their continued prayer and support.

Prayer Request for Surgery for Joseph

Joseph is still struggling with fluid retention, he has become quite swollen (edematous), Joseph’s doctors want to insert a catheter into his abdomen so they can begin dialysis with the hope of removing the fluid that is building up in his body. Please pray that the surgery would be successful, the area around the catheter will heal well and that the dialysis will be effective at removing the excess fluid.

Prayer Request for Olivia’s Second Round of Chemotherapy

Olivia begins her second round of chemotherapy today with immunotherapy on Saturday. She has responded well to treatment, her tumour has shrunk dramatically and the side effects have been manageable please pray that the treatment is effective and that Olivia continues to experience mild symptoms from the chemotherapy.

Please pray for Joseph, Olivia and her family. Joseph is in the middle of his heart surgery which started at 730 am this morning.  

Olivia found out yesterday that she has invasive ductal carcinoma. She figures that she will quickly be given the care that she needs starting in Edmonton.  She had a CT scan this morning. She is asking for prayers for strength and peace.