Hello all,

Thank you for visiting Christine's site.  This first entry will be from her Dad, Eric.  Christine is happily married to our son in law Donald Morse and the mother of our 3 year old granddaughter Allison.  My wife, Jennifer, will be doing updates along with Christine when she is up to it.  I'm going to tell you what I know at the moment, but we don't know a whole bunch right now, and what we do know isn't easy to take.

In early June, Christine left our house to rejoin her husband, who had been away at work for around 6 months.  She had seen a dentist before leaving and had some issues with her mouth but nothing that appeared to be more than an infection.  When she got settled into her new place, right around the first of July, she was able to see an oral surgeon.  From the time she left, to this time, a tumor had developed and rapidly taken over her left lower jaw/mandible.  The jaw bone deterioration resulted in extraction of two molars – because they were no longer seated in the bone. 

My first thoughts in all of this was to move her back here and have her go to Moffitt, but her insurance sees this as dental work and the oral surgeon where she is at is fighting for her to get this all taken care of.  It would also separate her from her husband, and they have already been apart too long.  We have been assured that the team in Vanderbilt is among the best in the South East and we are very pleased that her Oral Surgeon has already worked with many Fanconi’s Anemia (FA) patients – a big plus as this reduces mortality issues for us.

On the 3rd of July, we (mom and dad) received the news that it was cancer.  It was late in the evening so we left the next morning - it was a full day’s drive or we would have been there sooner.  We were also met by our long-term friends Joe and Barbara Acree, their daughter Bethany and her son Levi.  In addition we were joined by John and Dianne Ploetz and their little guy TJ.  Many, many thanks to you guys for your love and support!

Over the course of the next week, we found out the cancer was Squamous Cell and what had appeared to have sealed up and begun to heal was actually a tumor coming in over her teeth.  It has since grown over the top of her teeth and she can no longer close her mouth without biting down on flesh.  The doctors have discerned that it is not one, but two tumors.  One under her tongue and either in the nerve or putting pressure on it, and the other dislodging her teeth from her jaw on the lower left side.

Her appointment is now not until the 3rd of August, almost 2 and a half weeks away but that is how long the doctors needed to assemble the team and get the logistics worked out.  We are not really comfortable with how long we have to wait given how fast the situation is developing but are hoping and praying that it is not too long.