Dorothy's Cancer Treatment Campaign

Dorothy is an amazing little girl who has completely changed my life since the moment she entered it. There is something incredibly special about this little girl, and most people who meet her agree. She inspires me daily and reminds me to cherish every moment. 
     In case you're not familiar with her story, here is some background info about how our journey began on July 13, 2014.       Sunday- blood showed up in her urine, then a visit to the ER, an ultrasound (a 9cm mass was detected on her left kidney ), in less than 1/2 hour we were in an Ambulance for a 100 mile ride to a different Hospital in Santa Barbara. She was admitted immediately.     Monday- another ultrasound and CAT scan which showed the mass was a tumor in her left kidney, as well as her IVC and right atrium of her heart.  
     Tuesday- a PET Scan was performed to look for cancer anywhere else in this little Angels body. No cancer was seen elsewhere. The first breath we took for nearly 2 days.
     Wednesday- was surgery for a biopsy of the tumor in order to determine which cancer type is growing inside her. A picc line was also placed in her arm for chemo treatments. 
     Thursday- more testing and cultures were done as Dorothy's fever issue was addressed. Waiting on biopsy results.        
     Friday- Dorothy's cancer is identified as Stage 3 - Cancerous Wilms' Tumor(nephroblastoma) and resides in her Left Kidney, IVC, and 2/3 of the Right Atrium of her heart. Chemotherapy began Friday and will continue for at least 28 weeks. 
    After completing four rounds of chemo, a CAT scan Was done in preparation for surgery and revealed that the tumor was still present in her IVC and our plan changed. We would be having surgery at a different hospital that would be better equipped to handle the procedure and complications that came after. After finishing surgery and 10 days in the PICU with several scares involving low blood pressure and the reformation of a blood clot in her IVC, we were finally able to go home. After returning home, we immediately began radiation a few days later.      She had seven consecutive days of radiation including flank radiation and radiation of her IVC and heart. After completing radiation, she had an additional five rounds of chemo.                 Thankfully she just had her last chemo treatment on January 20. However we will continue to use daily blood thinners and get regular ultrasounds to check on the blood clot that is still there. We will have our end of treatment scan in a few weeks and we will be praying to hear the words NED (no evidence of disease)!       Purpose of this Campaign- Dorothy still has a long road ahead and we are asking for your healing thoughts, prayers and that you donate whatever you can to contribute to her medical costs and the long road to recovery. After having to leave my job in order to care for Dorothy full time, we have suffered loss of income and it has been increasingly difficult to pay our rent and monthly bills.  We are so incredibly grateful for your support and kind words. It means the world to our family! We promise to keep you all up-to-date about our precious daughter Dorothy❤️