5/30/05 - Hannah has been doing very well this week. She has been able to get out of her room a few hours a day and go for walks outside. Hannah also was given a six hour pass on Sunday were she was able to spend the day with her family. Hannah's blood levels have been rising steadily. She is to start a FOURTH round of chemotherapy this week as she waits for the bone marrow transplant. KEEP SMILING HANNAH!! YOU ARE A TRUE FIGHTER & AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL!!!

OUR PRAYERS HAAVE BEEN ANSWERED!!!!!!

5/26/05 - OUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!!!!!!!! Karen and Stephen got the GREATEST wedding anniversary gift today when the transplant team came in and told them that they have a bone marrow MATCH for Hannah!!! The match is a 9/10 but the team has NO CONCERN for the missing 1 criteria. The process will now begin to contact the donor and harvest the cells for Hannah's transplant. The process will take approximately 5-6 weeks until they will be ready for the transplant. In the meantime Hannah will more than likely receive ONE MORE round of chemotherapy once her levels peak before the transplant. Hannah remains in hospital on IV antibiotics for approximately another 2 weeks. Hopefully she will be doing well after that and can spend some time at home before her BIG DAY!!! CONGRATULATIONS HANNAH AND THANK YOU TO THE DONOR WHOM WE DO NOT KNOW BUT WE WILL ALWAYS BE GREATFUL TO YOU FOR GIVING HANNAH A FIGHTING CHANCE!!!! WE LOVE YOU HANNAH and wish you all the best for the weeks to come. Your bravery and strength is ADMIRED by us all.

5/24/05 - Hannah has had a very EVENTFUL WEEK! On Thursday she had some minor surgery. She had been treated by an ear, nose and throat specialist who determined that hannah had some fluid in her ears and a possible fungal infection in her sinuses. So she went to the operating room to have her sinuses flushed out and scraped for cultures. She also had the fluid in her ears drained and tubes put in. She had to receive plateletes before and after her surgery due to some extra bleeding which is now under control. Hannah was also diagnosed with pneumonia in the lower left quadrant of her lungs. She is still being treated with all the antibiotics but has been FEVER FREE since Thursday night. HOORAY!!! The sore on Hannah's mouth has also gotten better. So far all the cultures that have come back have been NEGATIVE. They are still waiting on a few. Hannah also had to receive some immunizations over the weekend as a case of measles was diagnosed on her floor. Unfortunately Hannah had a reaction to one of the needles and had some swelling in her leg. She has been monitored closely and is doing well now. Hannah remains in good spirits she has been allowed out of her room once a day in the stroller under a protective cover to take a walk outside or downstairs in the hospital. THIS IS SO GREAT!!! Hannah is slowly being allowed more exposure to other people while in the hospital as Grandpa is now allowed to visit one day a week. Hopefully this will continue and Hannah will soon be allowed outside visitors again or better yet, maybe Hannah will be HOME AGAIN SOON!!

5/16/05 - Hannah remains in the hospital as they continue to try to keep her fever under control and determine the cause. Hannah has had several tests this week including swabs, CT scan, ultrasound and blood. So far all tests have come back negative. Hannah is being treated with different types of antibiotics in case of any viral, bacterial or fungal infections. Hannah does have a few sores on her mouth which are also being investigated. Doctors feel it may be some type of herpes which is very common in her situation. Hannah remains in GOOD SPIRITS. She gets up to play, eats well and continues to SMILE. Hannah is a strong girl and continues to fight her way through any obstacle that is put before her. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU HANNAH!!

5/12/05 - Yesterday Hannah had allergy testing at the hospital due to a past reaction to penicillin. When Hannah gets her bone marrow transplant the preferred antibiotic is Penicillin because is has the least side effects. When Hannah was young she had a reaction to penicillin and therefore was thought to be allergic to it but further testing has proved negative, therefore Hannah WILL BE able to receive penicillin when needed. YEAH!! On a SAD note, Hannah developed a FEVER late last night at home and had to be READMITTED to the hospital early this morning. No news yet as to the cause of the fever but Hannah is now on antibiotics and will remain in hospital for AT LEAST the next 48 hours for blood work and cultures. Hopefully things clear up FAST and Hannah and Karen will be back home soon. WE'RE THINKING OF YOU HANNAH!!

5/11/05 - Hannah had a GREAT weekend at home. She was able to be with her mom and sister on MOTHER'S DAY. What an amazing GIFT for Karen. Hannah went to the clinic yesterday for blood work. Her counts remain low due to the affects of the chemotherapy so Hannah did require a blood transfusion of platelets and hemoglobin. That lasted approximately 5 hours at the clinic. Hannah did VERY WELL during the transfusion and was able to come back home again early yesterday evening. Hannah will remain at home until her next clinic appointment on Friday. KEEP ON FIGHTING HANNAH!!!!

5/7/05 - Hannah completed her final dose of chemotherapy late last night. She really did well during this round. She did not aquire any further side effects from the medication. A nice SHORT stay at the hospital and Hannah is HOME AGAIN!!! Hannah was released this morning and does not go back to the clinic until Tuesday morning for blood work. WAY TO GO HANNAH!!! Mom (Karen) could not have asked for a better Mother's Day gift for tomorrow than spending the day at home with BOTH of her girls. No further news yet on the POTENTIAL donors, looks like it could be another 2 -4 weeks before we know anything definite. Hannah will have a nurse visit her daily while at home to monitor her. Hannah, may you continue to thrive while at home and enjoy the time with your family.

5/2/05 - Today Hannah went back into hospital for a THIRD round of Chemotherapy. It will be a 5 day course which will end late Friday night. If all goes well and Hannah's blood counts remain good after the treatment she MAY be able to come back home again sometime on the weekend. Hannah did EXTREMELY well at home this week. Upon returning to hospital today all her blood counts remained GOOD. Hannah did not require any blood transfusions. Her weight also remained the same so she did not LOSE any while at home. We have some VERY PRELIMINARY BUT EXTREMELY EXCITING NEWS!!! Karen & Stephen were told by the doctor today that they MAY HAVE 2 POTENTIAL BONE MARROW DONORS & 1 POTENTIAL STEM CELL DONOR. This is in the VERY EARLY STAGES but the news was so ENCOURAGING it just had to be shared. THESE MATCHES HAVE NOT YET BEEN CONFIRMED nor has the process begun for the transplant. BUT, this is a GREAT SIGN that our prayers are being heard. Let's continue to pray and that ONE of these AMAZING people can give Hannah what she need to BEAT THIS DISEASE!!!! Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to be on the Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Eventhough you may not be helping Hannah you may have the potential to save another precious LIFE, that in itself is a great gift.