Life without a central line is GREAT!  Jolene keeps patting her chest and giving us the "well... are you gonna stop me?" look.  Her fun little personality continues to blossom and she is developing quite a little nursery of babies that she tends to daily (in the same tender way that toddlers handle baby kittens) haha!

Several people have commented or emailed that it is so great that Jolene is cured, so I thought I would post about it...  We praise God that Jolene's eyes are stable and that the cancer was found before it invaded her eye orbits or brain.  We praise God for St. Jude's treatment and all of the people affiliated with it.  We praise God that so many people have been moved to pray for Jolene.  Like all children and blessings, she is a gift from God (James 1:17). 

Nonetheless, unless there are stem cell advances or other gene therapy developments, the reality is that Jolene will likely never be "cured" in the typical sense of cancer.  Her current tumors are DEAD (woohoo!), and we will just enjoy each day as it comes.  The reality of bilateral rb is that there is a genetic malfunction in the tumor suppressor gene, which also means a 40% chance of developing other primary cancers in her lifetime (the St. Jude website has some great material for anyone wanting to learn more).  However, if we can continue to stay on top of the retinal tumors and get her to around age five, the vision she has at that point will likely be preserved.  Only 42 months left to go!!  And, honestly, who is not at risk of developing cancer or some other horrific disease in their lifetime??  If someone thinks they are immune, they might should think again... 

Casey made the Starkville All Star team again, so summer baseball season is in full swing.  Jadee is attending a MSU softball camp and will be attending a few horse shows.  Both finished a rather hectic school year on the A-B honor roll.  Kyle continues to do well with his kidney transplant.  Can I get an AMEN??  How far we have come...

Have a wonderful week,
Julie