Updated 3/3/10
Megan continues to enjoy school, dance, and being a happy kid! Thanks to the doctors, nurses, the drugs that the researchers came up, and most importantly, donors and shavees like you!! Your generosity helped her to get the best treatment and fast recovery.
Health wise she is doing great. Just a few bumps here and there but nothing to be worried about. This is where your money is helping researchers to find a cure that is more effective and doesn't leave side effects. One of Megan's side effects from Chemo treatments is underactive Thyroids which she has to take one pill every morning. When we were in treatment, a day of playing outside is hard to come by. Megan was mostly in isolation because of weak immune or getting chemo in the hospital or fighting a fever.
Megan is now in 1st grade and she LOVES school. She is reading at level 2.8 and starting to master 2 digits subtraction. I have to pull her out of school for doctor's appointments so much that she hasn't get a "perfect attendance" yet. She is trying hard to get an award this third trimester :) Last week she had a bad cold but refused to stay at home.
Megan is also a cast member of the Placer Theatre Ballet for almost one year now(http://www.placertheatreballet.org/index.htm). She will be one of the 12 Hours at the upcoming Cinderella play in May. She played as one of the Seahorses at last year's Alice in Wonderland and an Angel in the Nutcracker. You can purchase tickets for the Cinderella play at the link above.
Megan's follow up scans are yearly now instead of 4-6 months and she is old enough to laid still that doesn't require anesthesia every time she has a PET scan. This is a big relief for me as a mom. I hate to see her waking up all nauseous plus hungry from fasting for 8+ hours for the scan.
Please continue to pray for our children that are suffering from childhood cancer and may God help them to recover fast. God bless everyone.
-Jenny
Updated 3/30/08:
The Never Ending Forheads shaved their heads yesterday!!
See their pictures here:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AYuWjZy1btmIn
Updated 3/27/08:
Itâ??s been almost 1 year and a half after Chemo. Megan is doing VERY WELL. She gets scanned and follow up appointments every 4-6 months.
She is currently going to Pre School, taking Ballet/Tap, and art class with Kidzart. She is one of the smartest kid in class! (according to her teachers â?? and yes, I brag about my child a little too ï??) She is very good at math, well, surprise, surprise, asian kids are naturally good at math ï??. She is really good with her writing skill already, and she is learning to read books for beginner readers. Learning to read is probably her least favorite thing to do but she loves to listen to Princess stories every night!
Shown in picture is Megan with her best friend Dominic and Jayden taken in February 2008 at Sutter Memorial.
Dominic was Meganâ??s first roommate at the hospital and they were best friends ever since. Dom is adventurous, smart, and loves to play with Megan. Dom is relapsed with Leukemia and is actively seeking for a bone marrow donor. A local News channel did a little clip on him. Anyone reading this story, please get on the donor list, you do save lives!
Watch Dominicâ??s story here: http://www.kcra.com/health/15636253/detail.html
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Megan is very smart, girly, but a bit shy. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkinâ??s last year. Luckily, the enlarged lymph node was visible and we were able to detect it early. It originated right below her ear and speeded to her lower neck. Her treatment consisted of 4 cycles of chemo, each cycle is 21 days. She wrapped up with 2 consolidation phases (lighter doses of chemo). Thanks to the advanced treatment, she
did not have to get radiation treatment. If she had radiation, her neck will not grow when she grows up.
It was the hardest year of our lives. I am so grateful that she is in-remission
and getting back to a normal live. I would like to thank everyone (doctor, researchers, donors, shavees, parents, volunteers, and everyone involved) to find such advanced
treatment and to give our kids a second chance to live.
I came from Viet Nam, and I've seen so many kids with cancer that
could not make it. Partly because their parents don't have money to
get them treated, or they just don't have the medication to treat them.
I'm so blessed to raise my daughter in America and to have such big hearts
to form foundations like this and donating money to find cure for our child.
Thanks again and God bless!