11/23/05 - GREAT NEWS!!!!!!! Hannah's routine visit to the hospital today weighed her in at 14.5kg (32lbs). Hannah has started to gain weight and has grown a few centimetres since being home. Hannah's appetite has been improving and she is becoming more active. Each day is a step forward. WAY TO GO HANNAH!!! KEEP ON DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!!

11/23/05 - Hannah received another SPECIAL opportunity this week. It has been over 10 months since Hannah has been into a store. With Hannah's immune system remaining fragile and her high risk of developing infections from large groups it limits her ability to do anything where there are large groups of people . Thanks to the kind people at a local Mississauga Wallmart store, informed of Hannah's situation they agreed to give her 1 hour in the store after closing to look around. Hannah thoroughly enjoyed herself and with Mommy & Grandma's help purchased a Christmas dress for herself and Emily as well as a few new toys. It was great to have her doing something FUN and being able to SMILE like a 3 year old in a TOY STORE should. It's going to be a VERY MERRRY CHRISTMAS for Hannah and her WHOLE FAMILY!!!

11/9/05 - Hannah got an EXTREMELY EXCITING and UNIQUE opportunity on Saturday to be a spectator at a Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey practice. Due to her low immune system and her high risk for infection it is not reccomended that Hannah be around large groups of people. Therefore she was offered the chance to watch the hockey practice, since unable to attend a game. Hannah enjoyed the practice with Mommy, Daddy, Emily, Grandma & Grandpa. Her most memorable moment was when her favourite player Tie Domi gave her a personilzed photo of himself. It will be a day that holds many special memories. Thank you to all the Toronto Maple Leaf players and the organization for making it possible.

10/24/05 - Hannah has been progressing well over the past month. She is becoming more active & has been eating good at times. BEST OF ALL this week Hannah's hospital visits have gone from 3 times a week to ONLY ONE DAY A WEEK for blood work. She no longer needs the IV medication she was receiving at the outpatient clinic 3 times a week. She has also been cutting down on her other medications. Hannah is still receiving tube feedings through the night to increase her calorie intake. She has been maintaining her weight but not gaining any yet. Hannah has been getting back into her schedule and is adjusting well to being at home. KEEP IT UP HANNAH!!

9/14/05 - Hannah has spent a FULL WEEK at home. She has been adjusting to being back at home & trying to fit back into her daily schedule. Hannah has been doing well overall. She has had some tough nights, which will be expected during the transition. Hannah has been enjoying spending her days & nights with Emily, Mommy & Daddy ALL TOGETHER! Hannah's appetite has been fluctuating, some days fair, others poor. Hannah does receive the tube feedings through the night for approximately 10 hours and an hour or two during the day. She attends the outpatient clinic every Monday, Wednesday & Friday for her IV medication & blood work and still receives visits from a nurse twice a day for more IV antibiotics. Hannah's progress is improving daily. She is gaining back her strength slowly. Being home has been the BEST MEDICINE she could ever have!!!

9/7/05 - HANNAH IS HOME!!!!!! AFTER 7 LONG MONTHS HANNAH HAS COME HOME FOR GOOD!!!! Hannah was discharged yesterday from Sick Kids hospital. She has been REUNITED with her family: MOMMY, DADDY, & EMILY. Hannah has spent her first night at home in a LONG TIME. Emily has also returned home after living at Grandma's. The SISTERS have been INSEPERABLE! Hannah is EXTREMELY HAPPY to be home again. She is already picking up the role of PROTECTIVE BIG SISTER, always looking out for Emily. Hannah did develop an infection prior to leaving the hospital but is treated at home twice a day with IV antibiotics given by a nurse. Hannah receives a visit from the nurse at 9am & 9pm everyday to give her IV antibiotics, change all her dressings and monitor her feeds. Hannah is on the feeding pump for 10 hours at night (while she sleeps) and about 2 hours during the day (during quiet time). Hannah has been eating quite well since she has been home. The feeds will be adjusted as her appetite continues to improve. Hannah is attending the out patient clinic on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for a different IV antibiotic. This one cannot be given at home because it contains blood products. This is only for a few hours three times a week until she is cleared of the infection. Once cleared Hannah will only have to attend the clinic one day a week for blood work. Hannah is to start physiotherapy at home tomorrow. There will be a physiotherapist that comes to the house to do exercises with her to help her gain the strength back in her legs. YOU DID IT HANNAH!!! WELCOME HOME!!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!!

8/25/05 - HANNAH'S RESULTS ARE IN.....THE BONE MARROW HAS TAKEN!!!!!!!! WE JUST RECEIVED THE MOST INCREDIBLE NEWS!!! Hannah's blood test taken 4 weeks ago has CONFIRMED what we all have been praying for. Hannah has MORE THAN 90% DONOR CELLS. This means that the donor bone marrow has taken over and Hannah's body is accepting it. The only thing holding Hannah back from returning home is her G-Tube. Once she is able to tolerate the feeds she will be discharged from the hospital. That will be within the next 2 weeks. HANNAH, YOUR LONG & EMOTIONAL BATTLE IS OVER!!! YOUR UNWAVERYING STRENGTH & COURAGE has seen you through this difficult time. With the support of your mommy, daddy, and the rest of your family you have WON!! We can't wait to see you home again.

8/23/05 - Hannah has COMPLETED her surgery today with NO COMPLICATIONS. She now has her G-tube (feeding tube into her stomach) in place. Liquids will be gradually introduced to her via the G-Tube until she is able to tolerate larger amounts. She will have the tube in until she is eating enough on her own. Hannah returned from surgery with a NG tube also in place, it's a tube that goes through her nose and into her stomach. It will be in temporarily (12-24 hours) until the G-Tube is ready to use. Hannah had some trouble adjusting to it and was quite upset with the tube irritating her nose. She has already tried to pull it out. It is VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. HANG IN THERE HANNAH!!! YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!! JUST A FEW MORE STEPS AND YOU'LL BE HOME!!!

8/18/05 - HANNAH'S PROGRESS HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS THIS PAST WEEK. Hannah now attends physiotherapy 3 times a week for one hour in the hospital gym. She is even starting to walk again ON HER OWN. Hannah is full of life & enjoys her days doing crafts and watching tv. Hannah's energy level has been increasing daily. Although we will not know the results of last weeks blood test for another 2-3 weeks Hannah's progress has everyone LEANING TOWARDS the HOPE that Hannah HAS taken to the donor bone marrow. The exact percentages will not be known until the results come back. Hannah's blood counts have all been rising and have exceeded the "DANGER ZONE". The only drawback is that Hannah has not been eating well and the fear that she may loose too much weight if sent home has brought the doctors to the decision of inserting a G-Tube (feeding tube) into Hannah's stomach. She will have her surgery on Tuesday, August 23. This tube will allow Hannah to be given a meal supplement above anything she eats or drinks orally and will ensure that she does not loose any weight. The tube will also be used to give Hannah her oral medication that she has trouble taking. This will help Hannah to gain some extra strength and will speed her recovery process. Hannah will be tube fed a few times a day (schedule yet to be determined). If stable Hannah will go home with the G-Tube and it will remain in TEMPORARILY until she is eating well. (Maybe up to 6 months). THE GREAT NEWS IS HANNAH MAY BE ABLE TO GO HOME AS EARLY AS 3 DAYS AFTER SURGERY. If Hannah continues to progress the way she has been it looks like Hannah will be REUNITED with her family in the next 2 weeks. It has been a LONG, LONG 6 1/2 MONTHS. But it's ALMOST OVER!!!!!!!!!!! WAY TO GO HANNAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8/8/05 - Hannah had a ROUGH night and an OFF day today. She was complaining of a lot of pain due to a bad skin rash. Her skin breakdown is all the side effects from the chemotherapy, very RAW in places, especially her lips & bum. Hannah had a CAT scan today to determine if the sinus infection she had was improving. IF so, she will be taken off her antifungal medication. Hannah ate small amounts today but threw up a few times. She had her physiotherapy today for about 1/2 an hour. It consited of playing on the mat and doing some small excercises. She is also encouraged to try walking BUT requires A LOT of support. Her muscles have become very weak from being BEDRIDDEN for so long. Hannah has had a slightly high blood pressure, a side effect of the antirejection medication. She is taking meds to control that. She is also taking some medication to help with her loose bowel movements & vomitting. Hannah has not required ANY blood transfusions since last MONDAY, HOORAY!! Her hemoglobin and white blood cells remain stable BUT for some reason her poly's have dropped from 0.65 to 0.44 today. Her poly's had to remain above 0.5 for three days in order for her to go into the stepdown room, which they did yesterday. That allowed an extra bed to be brought into the room so mommy or daddy could sleep in the room with her. Unfortunately, if her poly's REMAIN LOW or DROP at all Hannah MAY have to return to her ISOLATION room. TOMORROW IS A VERY IMPORTANT DAY!! Hannah is having her SPECIAL BLOOD TEST which will determine the percentage of DONOR bone marrow. Anything above 90% donor & below 10% Hannah is GREAT (or close to that). Unfortunately, it takes 4WEEKS TO GET THE RESULTS. We can only pray that the numbers come out the way we expect. LET'S HOPE TOMORROW IS A BETTER DAY!

8/6/05 -SORRY FOR THE DELAY!!!! Hannah has been doing AMAZING the past week. She has started eating small amounts of food and KEEPING IT DOWN! She spends the majority of her day awake and is BUSY doing activities. She is keeping mommy and daddy on their toes. Hannah remains in her isolation room BUT NOT FOR MUCH LONGER. Her blood counts have been rising SLOWLY but have now reached the MAGIC number. If they stay consistent for the next 2 days she could get out of the isolation room and into the step down room (one step closer to going home). HANNAH HAS MADE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS!! She has started her PHYSIOTHERAPY. She is able to get up out of her bed and walk a few steps on her own. Pretty good since she has spend an ENTIRE MONTH in bed. She also does some exercises kicking and throwing a ball on a floor mat. By next week Hannah should be ready to have her LONG AWAITED blood test. This will determine if the bone marrow transplant was successful and the bone marrow in her body is 100% the donors or if there is any of her own remaining. WAY TO GO HANNAH!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!

7/18/05 - Hannah has been IMPROVING SLIGHTLY each day. Her pain is now under control with the morphine drip. She has not needed any increase. The sores in her mouth are starting to heal and she is able to eat the odd cracker and drinks small sips of water. Hannah has been sitting up more, talking more and has had longer wake periods watching TV. The swelling (water retention) in her face has decreased & her skin now has some colour. Hannah is bathed daily & her clothes & bedding also changed daily. Hannah has lost MOST of her hair from her last dose of chemotherapy. She has a few scattered strands left. Hannah's blood work has been about the same, no increases yet. She did receive a transfusion of plateletes yesterday and hemoglobin today. Hannah had her FIRST outside family contact since her bone marrow transplant on July 6th (other than mom & dad). Grandpa was able to visit on Friday & spend the day with Hannah (an exception made by the hospital). Karen & Stephen were able to go & spend a few hours with their other daughter Emily for her 1st birthday. Hannah enjoyed the time with Grandpa & even had a few SMILES & LAUGHS! Hopefully it won't be much longer till we can all see her and give her a GREAT BIG HUG & KISS!!!!

7/11/05 - Hannah is feeling SLIGHTY better today. She has thrown up less BUT her temperature has been ELEVATED all day. She has been receiving tylenol every few hours which brings her fever down for a short while, then it starts to rise again. It was going as high as 39.8 celcius. Her morphine drip was increased today due to the pain in her mouth, throat & stomach. She was crying +++ because of pain. She still has no interest in eating ANY food and drank about a 1/2 glass of water all day. BUT the good news is Hannah's weight remains the same at 13.3kg (29lbs 4oz) so the TPN is effective and there is NO CONCERN there. Hannah was sitting up in bed for short periods of time today playing barbies. She also had a bath & a hair wash, which she DID NOT enjoy. Hannah is having slight hair loss all over. She is up and talking during the day and only napped 1-2 hours today. Hopefully she will have a great night sleep tonight. There are still no results yet from the blood cultures taken yesterday. Because having a fever is VERY NORMAL no futher testing will be done unless the fever continues for more than 4 days. Right now it's taking things ONE DAY AT A TIME and hoping that each day is BETTER THAN THE ONE BEFORE.

7/10/05 - It has been 4 DAYS since Hannah's bone marrow transplant. Things have been going much as expected. Hannah has been sleeping on & off all day due to the morphine & gravol that she is getting. Hannah is on a morphine drip so it dispenses a small amout every hour to keep her pain under control. Hannah's sores that were in her throat have now travelled into her mouth. The doctors say they could go as far down as her esophagus and the top of her stomach. These are all NORMAL SIDE EFFECTS from the chemotherapy but have ELIMINATED Hannah's appetite. She remains on the TPN (nutritional supplement) but has not eaten any food since Tuesday. The combination of sores & extra mucous in her throat causes Hannnah to vomit +++, mostly blood & mucous. She is vomitting as much as 5 times a day & through the night. The doctors & nurses say that this is all VERY NORMAL for a child in Hannah's position BUT it is still very upsetting for Hannah. Hannah has been receiving blood transfusions (platelets) every other day. She spends all of her day in bed watching tv on & off between naps. She hasn't had much energy to do anything else. The medications keep her very DOPEY & DROWSY. This could go on anywhere from 1-3 weeks. Hannah's most recent blood work results for her White Blood Cells (WBC) is less than 0.1 which is GREAT. This means that the last dose of CHEMOTHERPAY was EFFECTIVE. Hannah did spike a FEVER today so she had to have blood drawn from both her lines & get a poke in her arm. She is already on 2 different antibiotics so until the cultures come back, NO CHANGES will be made. Hannah did have a POSITIVE & UPLIFTING part of her day today. Thanks to SICK KIDS hospital they have supplied Hannah with a VIDEO PHONE & one has been set up at Grandma's house where Hannah's sister Emily lives. Since Hannah is not allowed ANY visitors she is able to stay in contact with her sister (who will be 1 year old on Friday) and see her on the video phone whenever she wants. Hannah was able to use the phone this morning & had a GREAT time blowing kisses to Emily on the phone. Since her transplant, Hannah has been in a special ISOLATION room that only has the one bed & a chair. Parents are NOT ALLOWED to sleep while in the room. Karen & Stephen have been staying at a nearby hotel & rotating days & nights so that ONE of them is ALWAYS with Hannah. This will continue as long as Hannah is in this room. So far it has worked out well. Karen has been doing days at he hospital & sleeping at the hotel at nights and Steve has been doing nights at the hospital & sleeping at the hotel during the day. Hannah has been receiving the BEST OF CARE since being at Sick Kids. All the staff have been EXTREMELY ACCOMODATING & HELPFUL. Hannah is VERY LUCKY to have so many WONDERFUL people in her CORNER. Let's hope & pray that things start to get EASIER for her.

TRANSPLANT DAY

7/6/05 - HANNAH HAS COMPLETED HER BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. Hannah's transfusion began about 12pm today and finished about 5pm. Hannah did REMARKABLY WELL!! She had NO ADVERSE REACTIONS OR SIDE EFFECTS. She did have a slightly low heartrate throughout the procedure due to all of her premeds but that corrected itself. Hannah has been given some demerol for the pain in her throat. She does have some sores which are a result of the chemotherapy. This has been affecting her appetite. But Hannah has been restarted on the TPN (nutritonal supplement) and has had good results with an increase in weight to 13.3kg (just over 29lbs). Hannah will most likely be put onto a morphine drip tomorrow to control any pain from side effects. She has no activity restrictions but is put on a LOW BACTRIAL DIET to reduce the chance of developing any infections due to ill prepared food. These next few days will be CRUTIAL to Hannah's recovery as she has a VERY HIGH chance of developing infections. Hannah has special precautions that are in place while in the isolation room. She can only take in toys/items that are washable, but NO STUFFED ANIMALS. Her laundry must be done in a very specific way to prevent any contamination. Hannah slept through the majority of the bone marrow transplant. She did receive a lot of premeds that kept her drowsy. She became fully awake about 8 o'clock this evening and is up talking. She has not had anything to eat yet but has had some sips to drink. NOW IS THE WAITING GAME. It will take approximately 1 - 3 weeks to know if the bone marrow has taken. Hannah will be closely monitored for infections and have routine blood work. In total Hannah received 381cc (ml) of fresh bone marrow. All we know about the donor is that it is OUTSIDE OF CANADA. The bone marrow was extracted from the donor this morning. MANY, MANY THANKS AGAIN, to this wonderful angel who has selflessly given of themself to provide Hannah with a fighting chance of beating this disease!! MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH LIFE'S RICHEST BLESSINGS! For Hannah, MAY GOD WATCH OVER YOU AND KEEP YOU PROTECTED IN HIS LOVING ARMS! And for each of you who keep updated on Hannah's conditon and keep her in your prayers, THANK YOU.

7/5/05 - TOMORROW IS HANNAH'S BIG DAY!!! We all are praying for you Hannah and hope that tomorrow goes well. Hannah has had a very EXHAUSTING WEEK!! She had a tough round of chemotherapy that has completely wiped out all of her own bone marrow and her immune system. Hannah had some adverse side effects from the chemo. Her heart rate and blood pressure were EXTREMELY HIGH at times and caused some concern. She also had not eaten for a few days and was vomitting & feverish. BUT ALL IS NOW WELL. Hannah finished her last dose of chemo late last night and today had a day of rest in preparation for tomorrows bone marrow transplant. Tomorrow morning Hannah will be moved to an isolation room where she will be monitored very closely. Tomorrow morning the bone marrow will be extracted from the donor (wherever in the world that is) and flown to Pearson International Airport. It will then be transported by ambulance or air ambulance depending on the timing to Sick Kids. Bone marrow only has a short life span once extracted and must get to Hannah A.S.A.P. Shortly after noon Hannah should be ready for the transplant. The fresh bone marrow will infuse into Hannah's body via her central line. The whole process could take up to several hours. During this time Hannah will be very closely monitored. Once the transfusion has taken place Hannah will have blood work done several times a day & may require multiple blood transfusions daily over the course of her recovery. She will be living SOLEY on donor blood as she will not be producing any of her own. It may take several days before they are able to determine whether the transplant was successful. Hannah will then have a bone marrow biopsy done to determine if the cells of the new bone marrow have taken or if any of the bad cells remain. HANNAH, WE LOVE YOU AND ONLY WISH THE BEST FOR YOU. You have been so brave & strong throughout all these months and tomorrow will be the FIRST DAY OF YOUR RECOVERY. It may be a long and exhausting time for you. And at times very scary. But remember that there are SO MANY people from all over the world praying for you and your safe recovery. Keep smiling and we will all smile with you. GOOD LUCK TOMORROW & GOD BLESS YOU!!

6/30/05 - Hannah has settled well into her new room in the transplant wing. She moved there on Sunday and started her 1st chemo drug monday night. She has the 1st drug for 4 days, the 2nd drug for 2 days and the 3rd drug for 1 day. Then she has 1 day of rest before the transplant. THE TRANSPLANT DATE HAS BEEN MOVED TO JULY 6TH!!!! ONE DAY EARLIER THAN EXPECTED. THE SOONER THE BETTER!!! Hannah continues to keep up her spirits. She has started on TPN, it is a nutritional supplement given to help increase her weight. Since being admitted to hospital 5 months ago she has not gained any weight but has grown in height. The nutritional supplement is being given in hopes of adding some fat to her body. As of yesterday her weight is 12.3kg (27lbs) and her height 99cm. Hannah has been doing well so far with this 5th round of chemo. She hasn't had any adverse reactions or side effects. As the days get closer for the bone marrow transplant our prayers go out to Hannah and her family that this will soon be over and Hannah will be back at home where she belongs. KEEP FIGHTING HANNAH!!! THE ROAD TO RECOVERY IS GETTING CLOSER!!!

6/22/05 - AAAAMMMMAZING NEWS!!!!! HANNAH'S TRANSPLANT DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR JULY 7TH!!!!! Thanks to a TRUE ANGEL, the bone marrow donor for Hannah has cleared their schedule and preparation for transplant is underway. Hannah is to be moved to the bone marrow transplant wing of Sick Kids Hospital on Saturday to begin her LONG AWAITED RECOVERY PROCESS. It will all begin with an intense chemotherapy round (#5) to completely wipe out all of Hannah's bone marrow. She will NOT be having the spleenectomy as first thought. They will go straight to the transplant. Then on July 7th, THE TRANSPLANT will take place. We can never thank this amazing person enough, for giving Hannah this chance at life. We can only hope that if a miracle is needed for them in their life, that God will send them an angel as well. OUR ETERNAL GRATITUDE AND LOVE TO YOU, WHOEVER AND WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!!

6/17/05 - Stephen & Karen met with the surgeon today who will be doing Hannah's spleenectomy. It will probably be in the next couple of weeks unless the transplant date gets set before that, then it will be done just prior to the transplant. Hannah is still receiving daily blood transfusions. Yesterday she had to receive platelets twice because her levels were so low. In the past 5 MONTHS that Hannah has been in hospital she has received a total of 74 BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS!! ISN'T THAT INCREDIBLE!! THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO DONATE BLOOD REGULARLY!! It is needed by so many and so easy for us to give. Hannah has sure been using her share. Hannah is doing a bit better today. Her pain in her ear has been decreasing and she is receiving morphine less frequent. There is still small amount of fluid and blood draining from her ear but that is also decreasing as her platelet counts rise. WE LOVE YOU HANNAH AND CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR YOU!!!

6/14/05 - Hannah remains in hospital. She has been receiving regular day passes up to yesterday when she spiked a fever. She is now back on antibiotics. Hannah also has an ear infection and had some discoloured fluid draining from her ear yesterday. She has had culture swabs taken and the results are still pending. There has not been any word yet as to when or if Hannah will be having a spleenectomy. Hannah had been receving daily blood transfusions because her levels had not been staying up. Hannah continues to keep in good spirits. She has proven OVER AND OVER AGAIN that nothing can keep her down and any obstacle set before her she can conquer. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE IF YOU PUT YOUR TRUST IN GOD HANNAH!!!

6/3/05 - Hannah was full of LIFE and EXCITEMENT last night as she was able to attend the DORA THE EXPLORER LIVE SHOW at the Hummingbird Centre with Mommy, Aunty Mel and cousins Alexandra and Abigail. It was a great treat for all of us to have Hannah come out on a short pass just for the show. To see her smile and interact was WELL worth it!!! Thanks to all the GREAT staff at Sick Kids for allowing Hannah this time to BE A KID!!! And thanks to Aunty Mel, Alexandra and Abigail for showing Hannah a GREAT TIME!!! We hope this brings many SMILES and HAPPY MEMORIES for you!! YOU DESERVE IT!!!! Hannah has 2 days left of her FOURTH round of chemotherapy. Hopefully she can get home for a SHORT while before the bone marrow transplant. She has a long road ahead with the transplant and recovery but she has proven herself to be a very STRONG and BRAVE girl. We know she will come through this with FLYING COLOURS!!

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.

4/29/05 - It has been confirmed that Hannah will be going to Sick Kids on Monday for a THIRD round of chemotherapy. No news yet about the bone marrow match. Hannah has been THRIVING at home this week. She is eating and sleeping AMAZINGLY. Hannah will enjoy the rest of her weekend at home before returning to the hospital Monday. It is unsure yet how long this course of chemo will be. GOOD LUCK HANNAH!!! WE ARE ALL PRAYING FOR YOU!!!

4/28/05 - Hannah has an agency nurse visit her once a day when she is at home to monitor her condition. She had a great night last night at home. She is enjoying playing with all her own toys and helping mom with her sister Emily. It looks like Monday when Hannah goes back for blood work she MAY be readmitted for another round of chemotherapy. Because no bone marrow match has been found YET and Hannah's levels are rising RAPIDLY she will need another round of chemo to give more time for the match to be made. Hannah has the whole weekend at home to ENJOY herself and does not have to worry about any of that until Monday. She is HAPPY to live day by day and is THANKFUL for anytime she has at home with her WHOLE FAMILY!!!

4/27/05 - Hannah attended her first outpatient clinic appointment this morning. Her blood counts were GREAT with both her hemoglobin and platelets in the 90's. Hannah had no fever. HOORAY!!!! She does have a slight cough but that may be due to allergies. Therefore with Hannah's AMAZING checkup she is back at home until Monday's appointment. WAY TO GO HANNAH!!!!

HANNAH IS HOME

4/24/05 - HANNAH IS HOME!!!! After 11 LONG WEEKS in the hospital Hannah is FINALLY HOME!!! Hannah was discharged from the hospital this afternoon. Her blood counts have been stable and rising well on their own. She has had no blood transfusions in the past week and no fever. Hannah will attend the outpatient clinic at Sick Kids every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for blood work. If she remains stable she will be able to stay at home until a bone marrow match is found. If a match is not found within the next 3 to 4 weeks and Hannah begins to deteriorate she will have to go in for another round of chemo. BUT UNTIL THEN, Hannah will enjoy her time at home with her mom, dad and sister Emily. Something she has waited for and FOUGHT for. Being with her WHOLE family TOGETHER AGAIN!! Hannah has NO RESTRICTIONS while at home. In order to keep Hannah at home as LONG AS POSSIBLE it has been advised that Hannah not have any contact with ANYONE that has had a fever, cough, flu-like symptoms, etc. in the past 10 DAYS. This is only to PROTECT HER since at the moment her immune system is compromised and she is VERY SUSCEPTIBLE to infections. We wish Hannah all the BEST and PRAY that once HER MATCH is found she has a SPEEDY RECOVERY. WE LOVE YOU HANNAH!!!!!

4/21/05 - Another step FORWARD and two more steps BACK!!!! Hannah begins to make progress and another roadblock is set in front of her. After a great weekend of passes Hannah was to be released on Tuesday morning following an ultrasound. Unfortunately Hannah developed a fever AGAIN early Tuesday morning and that means she is back on antibiotics for 7 days and must remain FEVER FREE for 48hrs. The GOOD NEWS is Hannah has not had a fever since but has had low blood counts and has needed a few blood transfusions also her magnesium has been low and she has been taking oral meds for that. The results from the ultrasound showed that Hannah's spleen was now 13cm. That is a 1.5cm decrease since her last ultrasound. They also checked her pelvic area because of the small lump found above her rectum. The results showed no obstruction in her bowels. (BOTH GOOD NEWS). The doctors ARE NOT concerned about the small pebble size lump and are not alarmed that it could be some type of tumor. They feel that Hannah may have just strained herself because of her constipation and have a small hemmorhoid or just pulled a muscle. Hannah has been receiving morphine because she is not able to sit flat on her bum due to pain. Hannah is remaining in hospital for monitoring. No news yet as to when she'll be released. Hannah STILL REMAINS in isolation and is not allowed any outside visitors. The hospital has made an exception to allow Grandma 2 visits per week to give Karen some relief as well as 2 -2hour visits per week for Emily to spend time with her big sister. These visits have been great for Hannah's spirits. When she sees Emily come to the door she gets SO EXCITED and gives Emily the BIGGEST HUGS!! It also gives Karen the opportunity to spend time with BOTH of her girls together since Emily has been living with Grandma and Grandpa for the past 10 weeks. The visits with Emily have been very important for Hannah socially as well as emotionally. We are still waiiting on a bone marrow match. No news yet. Hannah has completed both of her chemo rounds so getting the bone marrow transplant is the next step and very crucial now. Continue to pray that a match is found VERY SOON!!

4/18/05 - Hannah had an AMAZING WEEKEND!! On Saturday and Sunday Hannah was allowed home on a 6 HOUR PASS. She spent the time at home playing with her toys. It was GREAT to be in FAMILIAR surroundings. Hannah enjoyed the time most of all with her LITTLE SISTER EMILY. Hannah had a few visits from family and friends that she had not been able to see in almost 10 weeks. The most EXCITING VISITOR being her NEW COUSIN A.J. now 6 weeks old, seeing and holding him for the first time (As well as Uncle Tony & Aunty Jen). Hannah did receive platelets yesterday before leaving on her pass and today at the hospital. She is to have an ultrasound tomorrow morning to determine if there has been any more growth to her spleen as well as to investigate a small lump above her rectum. Hoping and praying for GOOD NEWS. If all is well and Hannah's chemistry is stable she MAY be released from the hospital some time tomorrow.

4/13/05 - Well, where to begin. Hannah went this morning to the clinic for blood work. Her platelet count was 17 therefore she received a blood transfusion in the clinic. She was to come back home after that but during the transfusion she developed a fever which is an automatic readmit for IV antibiotics. So Hannah's EXTREMELY short visit home is over for the time being. She will remain on anitibiotics and if fever-free for the next 48 hours and her chemistry is stable she MAY be able to return home again. Otherwise, she could be in hospital for up to 10 days on antibiotics. Hannah did get the opportunity to go home last night and play a bit with her toys and sleep in her OWN BED, things she has been waiting to do for a long time. Those few hours at home was all she had since her and Karen had to leave home at 6:30am this morning to get to Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto. Eventhough Hannah did not get to spend the day at her house she was very excited for the time she got to spend with her sister Emily whom she MISSED SO MUCH!!! Hannah is back in her same room at Sick Kid's and back into isolation. Those few moments of sunshine and few hours spent with her family will have to carry her through the next part of her journey. We can only hope that this minor set back doesn't discourage her. KEEP SMILING HANNAH AND KEEP YOUR SPIRITS UP! YOU'LL BE HOME AGAIN SOON!!!

WE'VE GOT SOME EXCITING NEWS!!!!

4/12/05 - WE'VE GOT SOME EXCITING NEWS!!!! HOORAY!!! Hannah came home tonight on a temporary pass. It has been 9 LONG WEEKS since Hannah was admitted to the hospital. She finished her second round of chemo on Friday and has had some ups and downs. This week her blood levels have remained low as a result of the chemotherapy and she has been receiving blood transfusions about every other day. Hannah was taken off her IV last night and then monitored for any changes in her blood levels. She did well overnight and therefore has been allowed to COME HOME FINALLY!!! She does have to go back to the out patient clinic first thing tomorrow morning for blood tests. She will then get a blood transfusion (if needed) at the clinic and come back home again for another day. This will continue on a day to day basis as long as she remains stable. If at anytime Hannah develops a fever or is not well she will be readmitted to the hospital. But for the time being we are SO HAPPY and GRATEFUL for the opportunity to see her again after so long, even if it's just for a few days. Hannah was EXTREMELY excited to see her 9 month old sister Emily after almost 4 weeks of isolation. Her sister was just as excited to see her, showing off how she has learned to crawl EVERYWHERE in the house. Hannah was in great spirits tonight playing with her sister and cousins, Grandma & Grandpa, Aunts and Uncle. Hannah was most excited about going home and sleeping in her OWN bed!!! Hannah has had a long, challenging past few months BUT IS A FIGHTER and is GOING STRONG!!!! She still has a long road ahead but with her strength, determination and courage she will come out SHINING. No luck yet on the bone marrow match but we are hoping for some GOOD NEWS SOON! Hannah remains fragile and a bit unsteady but has gained 2lbs in the past few weeks WAY TO GO! (THE HOSPITAL FOOD MUST BE GOOD!) Hannah enjoyed being outside today. She could not believe all the snow was gone and how warm it was. She has not been outside since the winter time and has not seen the sun shining in 9 weeks. It was great to see her SMILE!

4/5/05 - Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday night and for those who gave donations. "Hope for Hannah" was a great success. Seeing all of you just shows how much Hannah is loved and how much support Karen, Steve and there families have. Thank you for your continued prayers. Hannah started her second round of chemo last night. Her blood levels were starting to rise on their own but the past couple days they began to drop again so the doctors decided not to wait any longer. Hannah has had a long recovery process since her first round of chemo more than a month ago. After these 5 days of chemo treatment it is possible that once her levels stabilize again she will need to have a spleenectomy (have her spleen removed) since it has grown 2-3" bigger than its normal size. In J.M.M.L. the cells tend to hide themselves in the spleen and therefore it becomes enlarged. No luck yet on the bone marrow donor. The Canadian bank has been searched but NO matches were found. They will now be searching worldwide. We continue to pray that a match is found soon. After Hannah's first dose of chemo last night her potassium level went way up and therefore she was put on a heart monitor. She was having blood drawn every few hours. As the day went on her potassium level steadily dropped but continues to be closely monitored. Hannah has not been able to leave her bed today being that she is connected to the monitor. She has had a pretty rough day and has been extremely moody & cranky (who can blame her). She has had a great appetite and has gained almost a full pound this week. Hannah still remains in isolation and it has been over 3 weeks since she has been allowed outside visitors. There is no news yet as to when the visiting will be open again. The hospital has made an exception and is allowing Grandma to go in one day a week to give mommy a much deserved break and allow her to spend time with Emily. Staff are concerned that without any other family contact (other than Karen and Stephen) Hannah may become more withdrawn. Unfortunately, Infectious Control are the ones that decide whether or not the situation is under control and with so many new cases of VRE on many different floors in the hospital it does not look like any visitors will be allowed anytime soon. This round of chemotherapy for Hannah will end on Friday.

Happy Birthday Hannah

3/28/05 - Happy 3rd Birthday Hannah!! Well Hannah has had a very busy week. Early last week she had a CT scan to determine why she was developing a fever. She then had a bone marrow test to try to determine why her blood level counts have not been rising on their own. The first test brought about more questions and a second bone marrow test was done the next day. The doctors were trying to determine if the J.M.M.L. had somehow mutated into another form of leukemia (A.M.L.), which has not yet been ruled out, but would be much harder to treat. The preliminary results of the cultures showed that 30% of Hannah's bone marrow was defective. 15% of that were J.M.M.L. cells and the other 15% was still unsure and needed further growing. A few days later half of those cells were determined to be J.M.M.L. The last portion of the culture was still growing for further examination. No results yet. Hannah's spleen had also enlarged further. The good news is that since early last week Hannah has not had a fever and has not required any blood transfusions for almost a week. During all this Hannah's blood counts have been slowly rising on their own and are starting to stabilize. Her platelets in the 70's, her hemoglobin in the 90's and her white blood cells >1.5 . Hannah will be starting her next round of chemo within a day or two. It has been 2 weeks now and Hannah remains in isolation and is still not alllowed ANY visitors. BUT today being Hannah's 3rd birthday the hospital made an exception for 2 hours ONLY and allowed Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Ken and Aunty Mel to throw her a little party in her room (Dora being the theme of course). A few of Hannah's nurses and care team were able to join in. Hannah took a bit to absorb all the attention but by the end of the party was full of life and laughter. It was great to see her smile. It lit up the room. Hannah really needed the interaction with family and thrived on the positive energy. Although she has lost weight in the past few weeks Hannah enjoyed her homecooked birthday lunch. Near the end of the party Hannah was up walking around on her own with her IV pole, kicking and throwing the ball with excitement. It was a great time for all.

3/23/05 - We got some very upsetting news this morning. Emily (Hannah's 8 months old sister) had been tested as a possible bone marrow doner for Hannah a few weeks ago and the test has come back negative. She had a 25% chance of being a match. As disapointing as this is Hannah is now registered on the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. Thank you to everyone for your prayers. Let's continue to pray that a match is found very soon.

3/21/05 - Still no news about Emily's test results. The waiting is terrible. We are still praying for a miracle. Hannah just got back from a CT scan this evening. She has been having a fever the past few days. The doctors think there might be a fungal infection in her sinus, ears or chest. She is scheduled to have her bone marrow test tomorrow to try and determine why her blood counts have not been rising. Tommorow is day 21 since the first round of chemo and she should be starting the second round, but that will not take place until they have some more answers. She is also having a GFI (kidney function test) to determine if her kidneys are functioning normally. This is a standard test done before and after chemo treatment. Hannah remains in good spirits, she was up walking around her room. She is eating and drinking well. She did start on a new antibiotic on Friday night that gave her some adverse reactions. She had the shakes and a fever. Those symptoms have slowly disappeared. She has been afebrile (fever free) since 8am yesterday morning. YEAH! Karen (mommy) had her first night at home with Emily (8 months) in 6 LONG WEEKS! Grandma was able to spend the night with Hannah to give Karen a MUCH NEEDED break. Hannah and grandma had a great time playing playdough and painting pictures. Hannah's hair has slowly been thining out but not very noticeably yet, so Grandma has been buying her different hats which she has enjoyed trying on. Hannah remains in isolation unable to have visitors (other than mommy & daddy & grandma when relieving mommy). We're hoping that will be lifted very soon. Hannah needs to see us as much as we need to see her. Emily is especially missing her big sister .

3/18/05 - Hannah remains in isolation due to this VRE. There have been a couple other cases in the hospital therefore Hannah is not allowed ANY visitors. Hannah had an ultrasound today. The doctors are trying to determine why her blood counts have not yet started to rise as they should. It is a possibility that they are collecting in her spleen. She continues to have platelet transfusions every 24 hours and whole blood every 3 days. The doctors have decided that if her levels do not start to rise by Tuesday they will do a test on her bone marrow and then decide if they need to remove her spleen. It looks like Hannah will be in isolation for the next while. It is unsure how long she will not be allowed visitors. Hannah has been moved to a new room. It is a larger room with 2 beds (one for her and one for Mommy). She also has lots of room to play and walk around. We are still waiting for the results to see if Emily is a match to be Hannah's bone marrow donor. Let's all keep praying that her little sister will be her little miracle.

Hannah's First Round

3/16/05 - Hannah has been feeling very good the past few days. She is eating and drinking well. She is also walking around on her own. She had been in bed for so long and her legs were sore and getting tired easily, but now is enjoying longer walks around the hospital. Hannah remains to have a low platelet count (6), low hemoglobin (60's) and low white blood cells (>0.5) as a result of her chemotherapy and is getting blood transfusions almost daily. Her counts have not been rising as fast as expected. She is scheduled to start her second round of chemo in about a week, but we'll have to see how things are then. Unfortunately, yesterday Hannah developed a bacterial infection known as VRE. She has been having several loose bowel movements a day since Sunday and her stool has tested positive. VRE is Vancomycin-Resisitant Enterococcus, which means it does not respond to the Vancomycin antibiotic which is usually used to treat this type of infection.Therefore universal precautions are now in place and Hannah is in isolation in her room. She is not allowed to leave her room at anytime (pretty frustrating). She is not allowed any visitors (except mom and dad) who must were gowns and gloves when in contact with her. Although this bacteria is not a danger to a healthy person, it can be extremely dangerous to the young, the old and those who have a low immune system like Hannah. So healthy people can be a carrier and pass it on. This isolation will be in place until Hannah is cleared of this which could take up to several weeks. Hannah also spiked a fever yesterday and had to be restarted on IV antibiotics. They have yet to determine the cause of the fever. Karen and Stephen are meeting with the head of oncology today to determine a plan for Hannah's treatment. Thank you all for your continued support and well wishes. Hannah does have access to the internet at the hospital and loves having her emails and guestbook entries read to her.
2 weeks ago I had a central line put in. It has a port that hangs out and all my chemotherapy medication, blood transfusions, antibiotics and blood tests get given or taken through it. I don't need to get pricked by anymore needles because everything goes through the port.
I am keeping my mom busy all day. I go for long walks in the stroller around the hospital, play and do crafts in the playroom. I am able to do short walks on my own but I get tired easily. I am eating well and sleep well when I choose to. I spend time watching movies and playing my leapster. I miss all of you especially my little sister Emily. I get short visits with her when Grandma brings her to the hospital. Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers.We are still awaiting the news of Emily's test results to see if she is a match for the bone marrow transplant. We may have the results by Friday, lets all pray that they are good.
Mommy and I had the hairdresser come over and give us both a short haircut. Mommy felt if my hair was short it would be less traumatic if it started to fall out as a result of the chemo. I was able to save my braid.

Hannah start's her battle

3/14/05 - Hannah is still in hospital at Sick Kids in Toronto. She has completed her first round of chemotherapy. The doctors are very happy with the results. Her blood counts, mainly her platelets have been very low and she has been requiring platelet transfusions everyday. Once the platelets are stable she may be able to come home for a few days before her next round of chemo.