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Victoria Newsome 
IntroMessage, 6741 Lake Park Road
Lake Park, Georgia 31636
(229)245-9297
On January 7th, 2004 we heard words we will never forget, "I have some bad news, Victoria has a brain tumor". Victoria was diagnosed with disseminated medulloblastoma (cancerous tumors in the brain & spine) on January 8th at Egleston. She underwent emergency life saving surgery on January 9th to have a temporary drain placed in her brain. Since then, she has had surgery to partially remove the tumor in her brain. She had a shunt placed on the right side of her head to control hydrocephalus. (Her shunt was removed after a staph infection in April of 2004. She was able to leave the shunt out.) She also has a port. During the first part of treatment, Victoria had 33 treatments of radiation with 5 doses of chemotherapy (vincristine). She began chemo again on April 9, 2004 and her protocol was to receive eight 6 week cycles of Cisplatin, CCNU, and Vincristine. On October 1, 2004, her protocol was changed to Cytoxan and Etoposide due to damage in her kidneys. December 1, 2004, after 2 great kidney test within normal limits her protocol was switched back to the original protocol of Cisplatin, CCNU, & Vincristine (but at half the dosage). After another good kidney test in February 2005, her chemo was increased to 100%. She finished the 8th cycle of Cisplatin, CCNU, and Vincrisitne at the end of June 2005. So far, Victoria has received red blood eleven times and platelets sixteen times.
Victoria was unable to stand alone or walk for 11 months. She has learned to crawl, walk with her walker and finally on October 30, 2004, to stand alone. She can now walk alone and she has even learned to ride her bike with training wheels, tie her shoes and do push ups! After 29 weeks, she finally ended her battle to come off of the steroids which have caused extreme muscle weakness. She works hard everyday to regain her strength and is moving in a positive direction. The MRI in June 2005 showed the tumors in her brain to still be GONE and it showed no change in the small spot still in her spine since the scan in March 2005. The scan did show a NEW spot at the very bottom of her spine. After 3 spinal taps negative for tumor cells, a positive PET scan and another MRI which showed growth in the spot in question, Victoria has been diagnosed as relapsed with recurrent disseminated medulloblastoma.
Since January of 2004, Victoria has overcome bacterial meningitis twice. She has had 3 CSF leaks and a total of 7 surgeries (two were emergency life saving surgeries). She is having a hard time getting her skin to grow back together because of the radiation and steroids. She has overcome metabolic acidiosis. She has received lithotripsy three times to break up kidney stones in both kidneys. She has two curves in her spine but is not receiving treatments yet for scoliosis. She has overcome C-diff and an ear infection. She is now struggling with atelectasis in the lower part of her left lung. Now we are praying and searching for something, anything to help as there is no cure available. She is being homeschooled this year and is in 1st grade.
After standard therapy Victoria took two cycles of Temozolomide but it didn't work for her. She participated in a research study with St. Jude Children's Hospital using Cloretazine. It didn't work either. She tried a course of etoposide and accutane. Victoria went to "live with Jesus" as she said on November 6, 2005.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
This very special prayer was sent to Victoria last year. We said it every night. She wanted to share it.
Victoria's Healing Prayer:
Father, I thank you that Victoria is healed according to your word that says by the stripes of Jesus she is healed and by the stripes of Jesus, she was healed. I apply the blood of Jesus over Victoria right now and claim that she is healed, and that she shall live and not die and declare the works of the Lord. Now I take the authority you have given me, Father, and the name of Jesus and I use it against the enemy. Satan, I rebuke you and the cancer in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I curse that cancer at the very roots and command it to dry up and leave her body in the name of Jesus. I curse all sickness, all disease, all cancer, all fear, and death at the very roots and command it to leave her now! I thank you, Father, that it is done according to your word in Isaiah 55:11 that promises your word will not return to you void, but it shall accomplish that which you please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto you sent it. And I know, Father, that it pleases you for Victoria to receive her healing and live and not die. Thank you, Father. Now send your ministering angels to her to minister your wonderful healing power and bring the manifestation of it in Victoria's life. Amen. Thank you, God, for Victoria's healing. Satan you are a defeated foe. You are cursed at the very roots and you have to leave her body. Thank you Lord, it is done.
Our Sweet, Precious Angel
Victoria was many things to many different people. She was a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a niece, a cousin, a neighbor, a friend. She was a model, an actress, a singer, a dancer, an artist, a student, and a patient. If you asked her, she was a Cub Scout. Or “scub scout” as she would say when she was 4. Victoria was a ray of sunshine. She was that special sparkle that lights up a room full of people. Victoria was a “girlie girl” that loved to put on dresses but then go dig in the dirt. She never met a stranger. She was always happy. She had the most wonderful attitude and always wanted to please. She loved to share with her brothers and sister. She was always thinking of them. She was a very strong little girl. Victoria never complained. She loved her family deeply. She was the best medicine taker and was quick to tell you she was the best hugger “because that’s what Uncle Jim says”.
She was proud of her accomplishments. She was proud she lost 2 teeth at the same time on the way home from Grandma’s house and the tooth fairy would be coming. She was proud she got to be a flower girl. She was proud when she was a witch for Halloween, a nice witch she insisted. She was proud when she learned to swim and when she learned to ride her bike. She was proud when she learned to skip a bar on the monkey bars at school and when she learned to read sight words. She was proud to be the line leader in kindergarten and Mrs. Pumpkin in the class play. She was proud she was chosen to go to modeling convention. Especially when she won first place in the Spokesmodel category. She was proud she was chosen to audition for sit coms in California and commercials and print ads in Miami. She was proud when she learned to tap her toes in dance class. She was proud she was a cheerleader for Travis. Later she was proud when she learned to do everything all over again: crawl, stand, walk, swim, write, eat, drink, dress herself, ride a bike....so many things.
Victoria loved the color purple. She loved flowers. She loved broccoli and cheese. She liked Mary-Kate and Ashley movies. She liked to hear them sing when they were little. She liked to watch SpongeBob and The Fairly Odd Parents. She thought Timmy Turner was funny. She also liked to watch Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, and Hello Kitty. She liked to go to the beach and dig in the sand and look for seashells. She liked to go to the races with her daddy and “her kids”. She loved to color with markers on plain white paper. She wanted to be an artist when she grew up. She loved to listen to music and sing. Her favorites were Rhett Akins, Dr. Jean (who sang silly kid songs), and Mercy Me which she listened to every night while she slept. She loved Jesus. She said many times that Jesus was taking care of her.
She was our sweet, precious angel.
We will miss her more than she will ever know.
She will live forever in our hearts.
For info on The Victoria LeeAnne Newsome Foundation, Inc. visit www.victoryforvictoria.org.
Journal
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Last night we buried our cat Socks. He was almost 14 years old! We think he got into a fight with a racoon, maybe Saturday night. There have been alot of racoons around the pond lately.
When we came home from the races Saturday night we couldn't find him. Then we didn't see him all day Sunday either. As Jesse Lee & I left Monday morning we didn't see him like we always do. Every morning Jesse Lee looks for the cat and tells him goodbye, but he wasn't around Monday morning. Then on the way home yesterday, Ronnie called me & said that he & Travis had found the cat dead. Poor thing.
Socks was a long time friend of the kids. We got him when Victoria was just a baby. Ronnie was 2 & Travis was 4. He was an outside cat because me, Travis & Victoria were allergic to him. Sometimes the kids would sneak him in if it was raining or cold. I could always tell when he was in the house. My eyes itched immediately. Sometimes I let them get away with sneaking him in. He was a good cat. He didn't mess with the furniture or use the bathroom in the house. He just sat in one place and waited to be let back out when the weather was all clear.
With living in the woods, I always thought maybe a creature would get him. He's had many encounters with snakes, possums, racoons, dogs, other cats, foxes, etc. I always wondered when he died if we would know. We didn't want him to be lost in the woods and us never know what happened. At least we know, I guess.
We buried him close to the back deck in between 2 trees. Travis & Ronnie dug the hole & Jesse Lee help by throwing handfuls of dirt back in. It was sad.
Socks will be missed. I hope he has found Victoria. I know she she would be happy to see him. Maybe she won't be allergic to him in Heaven.
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: HEAVEN
Links: http://caringbridge.org/ga/rettmcleod A precious little boy also from Valdosta recently disgnosed with neuroblastoma.
http://caringbridge.org/ga/lauren Lauren is Victoria's friend. We met her at the hospital. She is from Savannah and also has medulloblastoma.
http://caringbridge.org/pa/ashleybyer A beautiful little girl diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in Feburary 2004.
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