I know that someone out there is looking at this blog. Even if it's a small showing.
I have a friend from High School and she is amazing. Her name is Eve. She was one of the bravest people I knew in High School. She did not care about the superficial things that anyone thought of her or anyone else. She was fiercely independent, firm and totally herself. Yet she exuded kindness, compassion and she was totally open to all that anyone had to bring her or say. She played soccer on the team that I managed and she was so brave that she played hockey for the first time in her senior year with me.
She graduated from college, dabbled in the working world for a bit and then answered a call to go to Medical School. She is currently in her final year. While she was on break for Thanksgiving and headed back home to Massachusetts, she suffered a seizure and was rushed to the ER. Her shoulder was dislocated in the seizure. They discovered that she had a brain tumor. She was sent to an outstanding hospital in Boston and they removed it last week. She has been recovering well at home being cared for by her family. A lot of stuff is now understandably up in the air. She is waiting on results from pathology to determine what is next in her life.
Eve Post-Op... Fearless
God LOVES this girl. She could have very easily been in a foreign country for her fellowships, away from family and awesome medical care. Instead, she was at home, surrounded by family and friends and in a location that had the best medical care possible... perhaps in the world for her condition. Her surgery went flawlessly and she is doing amazing. She has been showered in love and generous gifts of food and amusement from her friends and family.
She is upbeat about what has happened and finding sheer joy in the time she has with family. She has no fear, only seeing how fortunate she is. Amazing huh? She is not despairing about her condition or uncertainty. She is simply proceeding forward with the same braveness, silliness and boldness that makes her so respected by all those who work with her and love her.
Well, she has a series of doctors appointments next week that will determine the future for her. Literally. I am asking that you join me in a novena to St. Luke, Jesus' Apostle and patron saint of doctors for healing for my friend Eve and that she is able to continue on to her residency in Psychiatry and God's Blessings fall on her.
We are starting tonight and going to Wednesday the 5th of December. Please join me.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Oh Most Holy Saint Luke you are a model of truth and patience! Most charming and saintly Physician, you were animated by the heavenly Spirit of love. In faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus, you also showed his divinity and his genuine compassion for all human beings. Inspire our physicians with your professionalism and with the divine compassion for their patients. Enable them to cure the ills of both body and spirit that afflict so many in our day.
Dear St. Luke, I love you with all my heart. Inflame my heart with an ardent love of God and worship of the Trinity.
Please intercede for me and help me in this necessity (mention your petition) for the sake of Our Dear Lady's Tears and in honor of Christ Crucified.
We thank you for your intercession and Pray that we may always seek to do God's Will, to seek the truth in all things and to act humbly in accordance with God's Will all the days of our lives.
St. Luke, devoted to the Mother of God and Saint for Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Pray for us!
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
God Bless you all. :)
*****UPDATE 11/30/2012
Eve went to the Doctor today and her tumor was assessed as a Anaplastic astrocytoma WHO grade III.
She stated that the initial plan is 6 weeks radiation and pill chemo with the possibility of Clinical Trials.
Her next Doctor's appointment is Wednesday 5 December, the last day of this Novena where they will get a lot more detailed information.
Eve and her Lucky Cat
******NEW UPDATE 12/3/2012
Eve got some preliminary results from her pathology. Given that she is a super smart medical student, I will post what she said...
Good News Everyone! Part of my pathology report came back today as IDH1+ which is spectacular news that I had been hoping for!
The science: "[...] IDH1 may be an independent prognostic factor, [...] it to be associated with an improved outcome in patients with anaplastic gliomas. [It is associated with...] a significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival compared with comparable tumors without an IDH mutation."
I really have to wait until Wednesday before treatment will get a little more concrete as far as when I start Chemo/Rads. It sounds like I will be getting some form of treatment for around a year, which though not ideal, I'm pretty excited that they're using the word "years" :)
The science: "[...] IDH1 may be an independent prognostic factor, [...] it to be associated with an improved outcome in patients with anaplastic gliomas. [It is associated with...] a significantly prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival compared with comparable tumors without an IDH mutation."
I really have to wait until Wednesday before treatment will get a little more concrete as far as when I start Chemo/Rads. It sounds like I will be getting some form of treatment for around a year, which though not ideal, I'm pretty excited that they're using the word "years" :)
Eve and an amazing Neuron
SO... GOD IS GOOD! You are amazing for praying for her. Keep it UP. Wednesday is the end of the Novena... please, please, please keep praying and beleive that God is so loving and amazing and that He will heal His daughter COMPLETELY.***********
**********UPDATE 12/5/2012
Today is the final day of the Novena and Eve got some decent news.
Update time! So today was a really good day to get the ball rolling and I am feeling very confident and positive. Dr. Reardon and his team at Dana Farber were incredibly understanding, articulate, thorough and confident in their treatment plan for me and my specific lesion.
So what I am looking at (for those of you who are medically minded and curious) is (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) starting a 6 week regimen of daily pill Chemo (Temodar 140, which I already have in hand) and Monday- Friday 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy followed by a few weeks of a break and then transitioning to a higher chemo dose (2-2.5x) 1 out of every 4 weeks for a little over a year. Overall the side effects are going to be fatigue and being grumpy (which for any of you who have known me growing up, I have battled all of my life haha).
There is going to be long term follow-up of course and the data on my particular lesion is really poorly defined. It is possible down the line that I could need another Neurosurgery but I don't see the use in worrying about that now.
There is still a lot of genetic information I am waiting on finding out but none of it would be anything that would effect the treatment regimen, it's more for my curiosity and desire to understand as much of this as possible.
♥ Thank you to everyone for your continued support, optimism and love. It really means the world to me ♥
Keep Eve in your thoughts and prayers. I have left a Green Scapular with her to allow Our Lady to interceed for her healing. I have been saying the Green Scapular prayer daily for her. If you desire, please say the Green Scapular prayer daily for Eve's healing in mind, body, soul and spirit.
"Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and in the hour of our death."
Recovering from Cancer is a beast, but it's no match for our Lord and our Blessed Mother. Between her sheer determination and your prayers, Eve will have this on lockdown.
Bless you for joining me in this Novena. I will be sure to ask you for more.... because God is SO good, but we just need to ask. *************
So what I am looking at (for those of you who are medically minded and curious) is (hopefully in 1-2 weeks) starting a 6 week regimen of daily pill Chemo (Temodar 140, which I already have in hand) and Monday- Friday 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy followed by a few weeks of a break and then transitioning to a higher chemo dose (2-2.5x) 1 out of every 4 weeks for a little over a year. Overall the side effects are going to be fatigue and being grumpy (which for any of you who have known me growing up, I have battled all of my life haha).
There is going to be long term follow-up of course and the data on my particular lesion is really poorly defined. It is possible down the line that I could need another Neurosurgery but I don't see the use in worrying about that now.
There is still a lot of genetic information I am waiting on finding out but none of it would be anything that would effect the treatment regimen, it's more for my curiosity and desire to understand as much of this as possible.
♥ Thank you to everyone for your continued support, optimism and love. It really means the world to me ♥
Keep Eve in your thoughts and prayers. I have left a Green Scapular with her to allow Our Lady to interceed for her healing. I have been saying the Green Scapular prayer daily for her. If you desire, please say the Green Scapular prayer daily for Eve's healing in mind, body, soul and spirit.
"Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and in the hour of our death."
Recovering from Cancer is a beast, but it's no match for our Lord and our Blessed Mother. Between her sheer determination and your prayers, Eve will have this on lockdown.
Bless you for joining me in this Novena. I will be sure to ask you for more.... because God is SO good, but we just need to ask. *************
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