Lia's Weekly Chemo Update

Lia just finished her 8th chemo treatment yesterday. Her blood values are fluctuating a lot now. Her ANC level dropped again to 1173. Hemoglobin came back low again, too at 8.4 and the Potassium/Plasma was a bit too high at 5.1 - the potassium level getting too high can cause Lia's heart rate to increase too much.



Lia is very pale now, and even the nurses noticed. We hope these treatments are worth the illness it is causing. Around the 11th week of treatment, we will know if the tumor has shrunk at all, after her next MRI. Here are a few pictures of her blood work and chemo drugs being introduced into the chemo port.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET THE BENEFIT BOWL-A-THON ON OCT 25th!



















MORE INFO and PRINTABLE FLIERS HERE:

http://www.liawarrensfordfund.weebly.com (take the FUNDRAISERS link)


Lia Warrensford is a beautiful 10 month old baby girl who was diagnosed with Optic Pathway Glioma, a rare childhood brain cancer.


ONLY 5% OF CANCER PATIENTS HAVE THIS TYPE OF BRAIN CANCER. THIS TUMOR IS INOPERABLE.


Lia has had a chemotherapy port implanted into her side at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida and she has begun chemotherapy to attempt to shrink this tumor, which is about the size of a small chicken egg.

This tumor will NOT go away as a result of chemo treatment. And the doctors are worried she may not even survive the Chemotherapy.


Lia will battle this tumor for the duration of her life.


Price: $20 per person or $40 for family


Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009 Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm


Location: Airport Lanes, 190 E Airport Blvd, Sanford, FL32773-5404


Contact: Connie Nance
Phone: 407-792-9505
Email: cbug914@gmail.com


THANKS TO AIRPORT LANES!

Visit http://liawarrensford.weebly.com to donate securely online!

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LIA'S CHEMO UPDATE: Is a blood tranfusion in the near future?

Lia had her chemo treatment on Wednesday, and has been a little under the weather this week.

Her hemoglobin came back at 8.3 and that was not good news. At 8 or less, Lia will have to have a blood transfusion. So we are hoping that next week Lia's hemoglobin result stays the same or improves.

She is trying to be her normal "smiley" self, but she looks very tired, one eye is dropping a bit (that's muscle and nerve weakness from the chemo drugs), and she is just very lethargic today.

The doctor says we should expect her side effects to really become more apparent now that Lia is well into her treatments.

We still have about 8 weeks until we get a new MRI to see if this first round of chemo has caused the tumor to shrink at all.

Lia's head measurement was once a gain larger...that is not a good sign.

Let's hope that the next few weeks of chemo are very productive in reducing the tumor's size.

Don't forget that there is a benefit Bowl-A-Thon for Lia on October 25th!

Scroll down through this blog for details, or check the FUNDRAISERS link here: http://liawarrensfordfund.weebly.com

You can even download and distribute fliers to help us publicize the Bowl-A-Thon!

THANK you for all your kind words, cards, and donations.

COUPLE STEALING BABY LIA'S DONATIONS!

We just found out that a younger couple in the Orange City are has been STEALING the money out of Baby Lia's donation jar at both Dale's Ales and the Oyster Bar!

This disgusting, thieving, pair of low-lives hit the donation cans 2-3 times already, in less than a week and a half.

HOW does anyone justify STEALING from a sick baby?

SO MANY people have been so kind to help Baby Lia and to have them slapped in the face by this pair of troglodytes is just maddening! Good people donated hard earned money for BABY LIA, not for this pair to go drinking or buy more drugs! And from the description of these bums, I have NO DOUBT about their character.

SO, I am going to vet my frustrations here, and I certainly hope you will all forgive me!


To the people that are bereft of all honor, ethics, and dignity:

Any similarity between you and a human is purely coincidental.

As an outsider, what do you think of the human race?

Brains aren't everything, and in your case they are nothing.

Your origins are so low, you'd have to limbo under your family tree.

You have about as much class as a lawn flamingo.

If your conscience could be surgically removed, it would be a minor operation.

You must come from the shallow end of the gene pool.


OK! I am feeling slightly better now......thanks for letting me vent!

BOWL-A-THON FUNDRASIER!

Sunday October 25, 2009

Lia Warrensford is a beautiful 10 month old baby girl who was diagnosed with Optic Pathway Glioma, a rare childhood brain cancer. ONLY 5% OF CANCER PATIENTS HAVE THIS TYPE OF BRAIN CANCER. THIS TUMOR IS INOPERABLE. Lia has had a chemotherapy port implanted into her side at Arnold Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida and she has begun chemotherapy to attempt to shrink this tumor, which is about the size of a small chicken egg. This tumor will NOT go away as a result of chemo treatment. And the doctors are worried she may not even survive the Chemotherapy. Lia will battle this tumor for the duration of her life.

Price: $20 per person or $40 for family

Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009 Time: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Location: Airport Lanes, 190 E Airport Blvd, Sanford, FL 32773-5404

Contact: Connie Nance Phone: 407-792-9505 Email: cbug914@gmail.com

THANKS TO AIRPORT LANES!

Visit http://liawarrensford.weebly.com to donate securely online!

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, & NEW FUNDRASIER

Good news is that Lia's ANC level went back up to 1444! YIPPEEEE! This is the level that the doctor uses to determine Lia's ability to fight off infection. The higher the better!

Lia can re-start the Carboplatin drug therapy in addition to the Vincristine drug therapy next week IF the ANC level stays at 1000 for above!

Bad news is that the hemoglobin count dropped down to 8.6 and the platelet count dropped a lot to 272,000. If the hemoglobin drops to below 8, Lia will have to begin blood transfusions. If the platelet count drops to 80,000 or below we will see a lot more bruising on the baby and if it drops to 20,000 or below Lia will have to have a platelet transfusion.

Values for Children on Chemotherapy
Blood counts of children being treated for cancer fluctuate wildly. White blood cell counts can go down to zero or be above normal. Red cell counts decrease periodically during treatment, necessitating transfusions of packed red cells. Platelet levels also can decrease, requiring platelet transfusions. Absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) are closely watched as they give the physician an idea of the child's ability to fight infection. ANCs vary from zero to in the thousands.

Oncologists consider all of the blood values to get the total picture of the child's reaction to illness, chemotherapy, radiation, or infection. Trends are more important than any single value. For instance, if the values were 5.0, 4.7, 4.9, then the second result (4.7) was insignificant. If, on the other hand, the values were 5.0, 4.7, and 4.0, then the trend would indicate a decrease in the cell line.

Hemoglobin (Hgb) Red cells contain hemoglobin, the molecules that carry oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. Measuring hemoglobin gives an exact picture of the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. Children may have low hemoglobin levels at diagnosis and during the intensive parts of treatment. This is because both cancer and chemotherapy decrease the bone marrow's ability to produce new red cells. Signs and symptoms of anemia — pallor, shortness of breath, fatigue — may appear if the hemoglobin gets very low.

Platelet Count Platelets are necessary to repair the body, and stop bleeding through the formation of clots. Because platelets are produced by the bone marrow, platelet counts decrease when a child is on chemotherapy. Signs of lowering platelet counts are small vessel bleeding such as bruises, gum bleeding, or nose bleeding. Platelet transfusions may be given when the count is very low or when there is bleeding. Platelets are counted by passing a blood sample through an electronic device.

Approximately one third of all platelets spend a great deal of time in the spleen. Any splenic dysfunction such as enlargement may cause the counts to drop precipitously. If the spleen is removed, platelet counts may skyrocket. This transient thrombocytosis (elevated platelet count) usually goes away within a month.


NEW FUNDRAISER!

Lia Warrensford Foundation Bowl a Thon:

Host: Connie Nance
Type: Causes - Fundraiser
Network: Global
Price: $20 per person or $40 for family
Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Airport Lanes
Street: Airport Boulevard
City/Town: Sanford, FL
Phone: 4077929505
Email: cbug914@gmail.com

AIRPORT LANES
190 East Airport Blvd
Sanford, FL 32773
407-324-2129

LINK: See Facebook Cause : Lia Warrensford Foundation Bowl a Thon

http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?oid=130726832374&view=all#/event.php?eid=130726832374

Thank you, Connie Nance, for your kindness, dedication, and heart of gold for helping us raise funds to support Baby Lia's expenses during this stressful time!

Lia's 5th Chemo Visit

Lia had 5th chemo treatment on the 2nd. We are really seeing the effects coming into play now. Lia's ANC Dropped over 500 points in one week! She had an ANC of 1148 on August 26th and today only 594!

About the ANC: If the white blood counts are too low, the child is neutropenic. Neutropenic means that the immune system is depressed, that the child is immunocompromised and unable to fight off infections. It is measured by the ANC, absolute neutrophil count:

• ANC = the percentage of neutrophils (segs and bands added together, these are the neutrophils that fight infection) multiplied by the total WBC

If the ANC is >1000, the patient can live a relatively normal life. If it is 500-1000, he is entering the danger zone. If it is <500,>AGC (absolute granulocyte count).

The drug Carboplatin is the one that is likely to blame for this drop. It is very potent. For three weeks Lia will have a break from this drug, and she will only take the Vincristine. The doctor says it is possible that Lia's ANC count will recover on it's own after a short break from the Carboplatin. We are hoping this is the case. Otherwise, Lia will have to have a blood transfusion to boost her blood count.

In addition, if the blood count doesn't come up, the Carboplatin will have to be broken into multiple, smaller doses instead of one large dose. This means the family will have to make the 114 mile trip to Arnold Palmer Hospital 2-3 times per week instead of just once per week.

Lia is lethargic and weak. She can barely even hold onto us when we pick her up since the last treatment. She cries a lot now, and we are seeing changes in her habits and personality. She still lights up with smiles, but not the big grins we are used too.... it is so hard on her, and there is so little we can do for her to make her feel better.