Plan

Kara and Matt met with Dr. Lynch yesterday, and the plan is for Kara to receive her usual chemotherapy this week, and have scans next week. Kara will meet with Dr. Lynch the following week to go over the scan results and the next phase of treatment.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara can receive her chemotherapy this week.
- Please pray for good scan results.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara' s body, permanently.

Thank you.

Meeting with Dr. Lynch

Kara has an appointment with Dr. Lynch tomorrow to discuss what the next phase of her treatment plan will be. Kara was able to receive her full chemotherapy last week, and so that was great news. We anticipate that Kara may have some more scans this week.

Kara continues to tolerate the chemotherapy pretty well, but she is feeling more fatigued from it.

Matt has a conference to attend in San Antonio this weekend, so Kara and the kids will spend the weekend at the farm. Hopefully the weather will be warm, and Kara can enjoy some time out on the porch or playing with the kids.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Dr. Lynch has an encouraging plan.
- Please pray for good test/scan results.
- Please pray for increased energy for Kara.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Update

Kara was able to receive her full chemotherapy regimen on Friday. She and Matt and the kids enjoyed the long weekend, and on Monday, Kara and Matt went to Emma and Luke's parent-teacher conferences (Emma and Luke both got good reports!).

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for Kara's bloodcounts, and that she can continue with chemotherapy this week.
- Please pray for good results on Kara's upcoming PET scans.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is one of Kara's favorite holidays, and she and the kids have been making Valentine's art projects and goodies in anticipation of the big day. They were baking Valentine's cookies this afternoon. We're so thankful that she has the energy to do all the fun stuff she likes to do with the kids.

Kara will have bloodwork done tomorrow, and we're hoping that her counts will be high enough to continue with a third week of full chemo in a row on Friday.

Kara and Matt enjoyed their little break in Waco, though it was pretty cold for Kara! Luke had a big time at the farm, and Emma came up to Austin -- John, Carrie, and I took her to Pedernales Falls State Park, and she had a blast rock climbing, exploring, and seeing her first rattlesnake (it was actually all of our first time to see a rattlesnake!).

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara can have full chemo this week.
- Please pray that Kara's upcoming scans are good.
- Please pray that the cancer is eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Visit with Doctor Lynch

Kara met with Dr. Lynch earlier this week, and Dr. Lynch was pleased with how she is doing. She had a bone density scan to check on whether the chemotherapy has leached some calcium out of her bones. Kara was able to have her chemotherapy today (woohoo!), and she and Matt are headed to Waco for the cancer survivors' conference. Hopefully they will have an enjoyable and informative time. Kara says that she's supposed to participate in a ropes course tomorrow morning, so she may be in for a workout!

The plan is for Kara to receive a few more rounds of chemo, and then to have more scans done to check on the status of the tumors. This will probably happen in March -- we will let you know more precisely when as we know.

Praises:
- Thank you God for Dr. Lynch's encouraging report.
- Thank you God that Kara has been able to continue with her chemotherapy this week.
- Thank you God that Kara has been feeling "good" lately, and able to do more of the things she wants to do.
- Thank you God for the continued support and prayers of Kara's family and friends, including those who have never met Kara, but have heard of her prayer needs and have been praying for her.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara can continue her next few rounds of chemotherapy uninterrupted.
- Please pray for good scan results on the upcoming scans.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you. Thank you all, again, for your unflagging support of Kara and her family. We have reached the second anniversary of Kara's diagnosis, and this page has had over 24,000 hits -- that's about 1,000 hits a month! It is so reassuring and comforting for us to know that there are many people caring and praying for Kara. We are thankful for your continued presence in Kara's life during this long, challenging road to healing.

Update

Kara was able to have chemotherapy on Friday. Hopefully she will have her fourth round this week, and then she will have more scans run to check on the status of things.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara's bloodcounts remain high enough to continue with chemo this week.
- Please pray for good results on the upcoming tests.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

White Counts Still Down

Kara's white counts are still too far down to receive chemotherapy at this time. Please pray that her counts rise, and she can have her chemotherapy at the end of the week and, as always, for the permanent eradication of the cancer from Kara's body. Thank you.

White Counts Down

Kara's white blood cell counts are down, and she cannot have her chemotherapy this week. Please pray that her bloodcounts rise, so she can continue with her treatment quickly.

Thank you.

Kara, Luke, and Emma

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Luke took the car off the top of his cake... and discovered it had icing on it!

Happy Birthday, Luke!

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Kara and Matt and the Kids

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Emma and Kara are looking at the camera... while the boys are looking at their toys!

Kara, Luke, and Cake

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Originally uploaded by jeanjean78.

Kara and Luke and his "Cars" cake (Kara was wearing Emma's play "dress-up" fur to keep warm).

Update

Luke had his third birthday party at the farm last weekend, and had a great turnout of friends from Houston and Austin. He and Emma and their friends had a fun time running around the farm. Kara had planned a great party, and she, Mom, and Matt's Mom pulled it all together so that Luke had a very memorable time. I was under the weather and didn't get many photos, but I'll see what I have (hopefully some good ones!), and post them tonight.

Kara continues to have more energy, and hasn't picked up any bugs so she is feeling pretty good. She will continue with her chemotherapy this week, and seems to be tolerating that well. I am not sure when her next scans are, but I will let you know as I do.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara continues to tolerate the chemotherapy well.
- Please pray for insurance company approval of the Avastin.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Luke's Birthday

Kara, Matt and the kids will be coming to the farm this weekend to celebrate Luke's third birthday. The weather here in Texas has been uncharacteristically wintery, but we're hoping for a thaw so we can enjoy running around outside.

Kara received her chemotherapy this week, and seems to have tolerated it well so far. Matt's mom is in town, and they have been busy doing little projects around the house.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara continues to tolerate the chemotherapy well.
- Please pray for insurance company approval of the Avastin.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Meeting with Dr. Lynch

Kara and Matt had their appointment with Dr. Lynch today to go over the scan results and the course of Kara's treatment. She will continue to receive the Avastin once a week, and will also be given a low dose of a new drug in the Tamoxifin family once a week. Kara has not had this drug before, and it could cause some mild side effects like nausea and hair loss. Kara will see Dr. Lynch again in four weeks.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray that Kara tolerates this new chemotherapy well, and has minimal side effects.
- Please pray for energy for Kara, and that she avoids picking up colds and bugs.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from her body, permanently.

Thank you.

Scan Results

Kara's PET Scan revealed that the tumors she had previously were either the same size or reduced in size. She has two new, small tumors on her liver. The Avastin can take a couple of months to be fully effective, so these results aren't unexpected, and we're glad to know that the existing tumors have been kept at bay by the Avastin. Kara will meet with Dr. Lynch next week to go over the results fully and find out the new plan.

Praises:
- Thank you God that Kara's older tumors seem to be responding to the Avastin.
- Thank you God for the skilled health care providers that have been tailoring her treatment.
- Thank you God that Kara's been feeling better and has had more energy recently, and she's been able to participate in her children's activities.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for an encouraging plan from Dr. Lynch.
- Please pray for insurance company approval of Avastin.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you.

Happy New Year!

Kara and the family enjoyed a very merry Christmas together. Emma received a children's digital camera, and took about 500 photos on Christmas Day! Luke got a lot of "Cars"-related toys that he lvoed. They spent a couple of days at the farm, and enjoyed it as usual -- Emma enjoys exploring the property, and Luke loves to run around in the Gator and play with his cars.

Kara has another series of scans on Wednesday, January 3rd. Please keep her in your prayers for good results, that the tumors have shrunk, and no new ones have formed.

Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for good test results.
- Please pray for insurance company approval of Avastin.
- Please pray that the cancer be eradicated from Kara's body, permanently.

Thank you for another year of prayers and support, and we hope that 2007 will be a very good year for our family and all of our friends.

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Originally uploaded by jeanjean78.

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Originally uploaded by jeanjean78.