Happy Holidays!

Christmas was a great day for all of us. We spent Christmas Eve with Grandma Thompson and family and then headed to Clarkston to spend Christmas day with Grammy and Opa. The ride to Clarkston took a little longer than usual due to extremely icy roads. But we arrived safe and sound and in time to get to bed before Santa arrived. We concluded our Christmas holiday with a Christmas party at Grandma and Grandpa Betz's.

One of Greta's favorite gifts was a play hair dryer that actually blew cool air. Greta dried her head and then came around and dried every ones hair. Gavin got his prized polar express electric train that he'd been hoping for.

We got a call on Friday from the nurse that Greta's head CT was further reviewed and determined that the thickening of her sinuses was Sinusitis. So she started another antibiotic to clear up that today. This means that her testing for Monday will be pushed back until Tuesday. We don't know if this will push back her anticipated stem cell transplant at all.

Greta's test on Tuesday will be all day in clinic and will involve giving her small doses of the chemo that she will get in preparation for the transplant. Her blood will be drawn at various intervals to get a baseline for how she reacts/responds to this chemo drug.

It's been great having this time at home together, especially since Greta is able to go out and is feeling well right now. But we are very anxious to begin the next part of her treatment.

We again appreciate all the prayers. We hope everyone had as wonderful a holiday as we did and have a safe and happy 2009!

With love,
The Betz Family

Scans are Clean!

We got the news we've been waiting for. Greta's scans from yesterday of her chest, abdomen, head and sinus are clean. There is still no sign of any tumors in her body. We are so thrilled. We still waiting to hear on her ECHO, but the technician told us at first glance there wasn't anything that she saw that was concerning. It's a very good day!

Greta counts are up and she is ready to enjoy her Christmas holiday break. Hopefully we will have little to report until after then. Thanks once again for keeping Greta in your prayers, we hope you'll continue to do so, as well as all of the kids that aren't as lucky to be home for Christmas.

With Love,
A Very Happy Betz Family.

We're Back Home

Greta's counts took a big jump this morning and we were clear to go home this morning. We're back Wednesday and Thursday for tests required for her transplant and then probably one more time between Christmas and New Years for counts. Hopefully we'll avoid any more hospitalizations between now and her scheduled transplant. Everyone is once again healthy and we hope to keep it that way!

Thanks again for those prayers and positive thoughts!
Love,
The Betz Family

Still Waiting...

Greta's still in the hospital, she's been fever free since Friday morning, just waiting for that white blood cell count to go up so we can take her home. Gavin was much better by Friday afternoon, but Dad got it late Friday night while staying with Greta at the hospital. Fortunately I was able to avoid making it 4 for 4. Thankfully it was a quick illness for everyone.

Hope to be going home tomorrow some time. Then she'll be back in on Wednesday morning for a CT Scan and ECHO to make sure her little body is ready for the high dose chemo. She'll also have a Foley catheter inserted so we can collect her urine for a 24 hour test. Fortunately Greta will be sedated for all of this.

We're hoping that the next three weeks will be a little quieter at home. We're looking forward to spending the holidays with family and friends. Thank you once again for all your prayers. We're wishing you and yours a happy holidays!

Love,
The Betz Family

Back to the Hospital

Last night Greta developed a fever and started vomiting so back to the ER we went. Must be something going around because big brother Gavin got hit with it last night too. He was at our neighbors while we were getting Greta to the ER. Sorry Tuoris!

So we're split up today, I'm at home with Gavin and Daddy is at the hospital with Greta. Her counts are very low so she'll have to stay put until they rebound. This could be a 4-5 day stay. We're just glad this happened now and not over Christmas.

Please keep postive thoughts for a quick trip back home!

Thanks,
Kristi

30 weeks down.

We're back home again after Greta's 14th round of chemo. When the doctors said she would need 30 weeks of chemo treatments it seemed like a lifetime. It actually in some ways went by very quickly. She did pretty well with her last round, although her last night she spiked a fever and threw up a couple times. The doctors felt this was probably due to her blood transfusion she had received a few hours earlier. The fever went away quickly and seh was back to her happy self she was able to go home Saturday night as planned.


We're now lucky enough to be home until after the new year. She'll be going in for scans and various tests over the next few weeks, but if she stays in good health and fever free, we'll be staying home for the next month. After the 1st of the year she'll begin her high dose chemo and then her stem cell transplant, which will mark the beginning of her 100 days of isolation.

The 100 days is the amount of time we'll need to be extra vigilant over her care. She'll be susceptible to infections and viruses and all sorts of things during this time. We'll have to limit visitors and Greta won't be able to go to restaurants during this time. Yes, that means no McDonald fries for her until April. But once those 100 days (or less) are over and if she is in good health, she'll get her broviac removed and she'll be able to return to all normal activity. Now that will be something to celebrate!


Thanks again for your continued support these past 30 weeks. We pray that the next 15 go as well!


Love,

The Betz Family

Back to Business

We enjoyed our extended time at home, but now it's time to get back to business. Greta is starting her 14th round of chemo tonight and we should be admitted until Saturday evening. This will be her last round before her high dose chemo and stem cell rescue at the end of the month.

We'll get another nice break between this round and the stem cell rescue which will likely occur after Christmas. During that time we will be in for various testing to make sure Greta is healthy enough for the transplant. We are very nervous about this upcoming part of Greta's treatment. We ask that you keep the prayers coming to protect Greta during the high dose chemo and to ease our minds as we enter into this new phase of treatment.

Many thanks and we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.
The Betz Family

Happy Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at home this year with some of our family. Greta is feeling great right now so she was a happy little girl all weekend. We are so thankful for this long stretch of time at home as a family. We have one more day at home and then we return to the hospital on Tuesday for her last round of chemo before her stem cell transplant next month.

Thankfully there is little to report right now. It's a slow blog month for us, which is good news, the less excitement the better. We hope all of our friends and family had a nice holiday and also have lots to give thanks for too.

With love,
The Betz Family

Bald is Beautiful!

We're getting used to Greta smooth little head. It's hard to keep your hands off of it!

We took Greta on an unscheduled visit to the clinic on Friday as she was sleeping a lot and very cranky. They gave her another blood transfusion and she was much happier. We celebrated her birthday on Saturday with a small family party. She did a great job opening her presents and even blew out her candle on her cake. She was certainly the life of the party.

She went back to the clinic (scheduled) on Tuesday to get her counts and she is headed back up. The staff came in and sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her a present while we were there too. We're back again on Friday to make sure she doesn't need any platelets or blood transfusions before the weekend. Then Kristi, Gavin and Greta are headed to Clarkston to spend the weekend with Grammy and Opa.

Should hopefully be a much needed quiet week for us. We're certainly looking forward to Thanksgiving as we have a lot to give thanks for this year!

Love,
The Betz Family

Birthday Gift!

We got a great birthday gift yesterday from the doctors and staff at the hospital. According to our standard 2 week scheduling we were to be hospitalized over Thanksgiving and her stem cell transplant occurring over Christmas. But the doctors agreed to put off the last round one week which would delay the transplant a week (which we were assured would be okay for Greta) and would allow us all to be home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas! I was doing a little dancing at that news! Although we are a little cautious at getting too excited as you never know what fever or illness will do to change that schedule. But for now we have a lot of hope that we will get to spend the holidays together with the whole family. That also means we have almost 3 weeks at home.

We are counting our blessings!
Love
The Betz Family

Short and Sweet, just like Greta!

Greta's 13th round of chemo was a quick one, for once she hydrated quickly and we were able to start by 8pm last night. It's only an hour injection so she was done before bed time. However, she has to have some antibiotics before discharge but we should be home sometime later this afternoon. We don't mind these quick visits so much.

We should be home for two weeks now until her last regular chemo treatment with a few clinic visits in between. Monday will mark Greta's 2nd birthday. 6 months ago weren't sure we'd see this day. It is certainly something to celebrate and we are praising God that we will get to!

With Love,
The Betz Family

Time at Home

We were released early Wednesday morning and were able to get home in time to enjoy the great weather. Greta is feeling wonderful and had a great time playing hopscotch with our neighbor friends Emma and Alli. She went back to clinic on Friday and her counts were back up so we had a quick visit. We are scheduled to go back to the hospital on Tuesday for her next chemo admission. It's only a one day stay so we should be home again Wednesday.

Thanks so much for all the concern you expressed this week and for the continued prayers.

Love
The Betz Family

Another Fever...

...put Greta back in the hospital today. She was doing great this morning, but she spiked a 101.2 fever around noon. So in we go. Her counts are still way down so she'll be admitted until they go back up. As long as her fever is back down we should be okay to go home in a few days. Most likely this will push back her next chemo admission to early next week.

We'll keep you posted!

Love,
The Betz Family

Happy Halloween!

We spent most of Friday at the hospital, Greta needed both blood and platelets when we went in for labs so we were there for about 8 hours. But we were able to get home in time to get dressed up for trick or treating. Fortunately it was warm enough that Greta was able to go along with Gavin and her cousin Aidan. After watching them for several houses, Greta decided she needed to give it a go. We'll post some pictures soon!

We're back to the hospital for her next chemo on Friday and should be out by Saturday afternoon. As always, Greta is doing great and is happy to be home and playing with Gavin.

Thanks again for all your prayers!

Love,
The Betz Family

Going Home Day

Greta is almost done with her 12th round of chemo. She'll have one more today, then we have to wait for her last antibiotic and then we'll be heading home late tonight. Once again, she's doing great with it, eating and sleeping well and lots of playing. She's even gotten used to being confined to her room.

Greta did start losing her hair last week. We started noticing that her eyelashes were getting quite sparse until there weren't any, and her eyebrows soon followed. She has a little bit of hair around the back of her head, but the top has mostly fallen out. We're surprised that after dropping a drug she started losing it after holding onto it for the past 25 weeks. She fortunately has a pretty cute head!

We've decided that we will go through with the high dose chemo with stem cell transplant following her last regular chemo treatment. Doctors say we could be here as long as a month for the whole process. We're hopeful that she'll continue to respond and recover as she has so far so that we'll be home quicker. We're allowed only a couple predetermined visitors during that time so to limit her exposure to infection. Unfortunately, Gavin will not be able to see his little sister during that time. I think that will be hard on all of us. We've become accustomed to having family time together in the evenings at the hospital.

Again, we are grateful for all the help we have received and all the prayers. We couldn't get through this difficult time without you.

Love,
The Betz Family

Still Waiting for the Decision...

Randy discussed Greta's treatment with her Oncologist on Tuesday and it looks as though we'll be doing the stem cell transplant in about 8 weeks. For those of you counting, that would put us in the hospital most likely during Christmas. Although not ideal, we know it would be just one Christmas and we could get Greta all better by early 2009.

The transplant doctor would first need to evaluate Greta's health to make sure she is a good candidate for transplant. We're not sure yet what that entails, but based on her health so far, we don't anticipate it will be a problem. We'll meet with the transplant doctor this coming Thursday when we bring Greta in for her next chemo admission.

Once again she is doing great, up and running and playing. Greta is spending the weekend in Clarkston at Grammy and Opa's house with Mommy, Gavin, Aunt Kari and cousin Aidan. Daddy is spending a weekend home alone so he's probably enjoying his peace and quiet!

Our hearts go out to the family of Jose who lost his valiant 10 year battle with cancer this week. We are so saddened to hear of their loss. He is such a happy spirit, he was always smiling and listening to music when we passed by his room. Our prayers are for his family and friends this week.

With love,
The Betz Family

In and Out

Greta's 11th round of chemo was a quick one. Only 24 hours to get hydrated and administer the two drugs. One drug is being dropped just in case radiation is needed. Greta also needed a blood transfusion I believe this was her 10th or 11th one so far.

We met with Greta's doctor Thursday and discussed some possible steps to take for the rest of Greta's care. There is still a possibility of radiation although her doctors and her parents are hoping to avoid that as it comes along with certain spinal growth retardation as well as a likelihood of lung or heart damage. It seems that stem cell transplant is our most favorable option. The Tumor Board at DeVos was to discuss Greta's case today and make their recommendation, unfortunately we had not heard the outcome of that meeting before leaving the hospital today.


All we know for now is that Greta will be getting 3 more rounds of chemo which would put us right around Thanksgiving for completion.


Please continue to keep us and the doctors in your prayers as we have a difficult decision to make in the next coming months.


Thank you,
The Betz Family

Weekend at Home

This weekend was terrific - for the first time in a long time, none of our plans revolved around trips to the hospital, it was all about the fun!

Greta and her family enjoyed a great fall weekend, dinner at home on Friday, and a trip to Klackle's Orchard on Saturday morning. Then Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a night on the town with several friends and neighbors, with naps all around on Sunday.

I've posted some of the pics from the weekend - enjoy!

Love,
Kari

Our Miracle Girl!

We are so excited to share the news of Greta's biopsy results! All 5 areas came back negative for cancer cells. The 5 areas were all dead cell tissue, all that remains from her tumor. This is wonderful news. This means that Greta will most likely be spared of having to be treated with radiation, which could have had damaging effects on other organs in her body.

Her doctors will take a look at the results and make the determination of how to proceed with Greta's care. The issue now is how to make sure she stays cancer free. The most likely option could be stem cell transplant. This is a high dose chemotherapy that kills off all of her blood stem cells contained in her bone marrow and then the stem cells that were collected and frozen earlier in Greta's treatment will be transplanted back. This would require a minimum 3 week hospitalization, which sounds daunting, but as long as it reduces the likelihood of the cancer returning, we are all for it.

Right now we are home and Greta's next chemotherapy is scheduled for a week from Thursday so she can recover from her surgery. We are thrilled to have a week off from clinic and shots and hopefully, barring any other fevers, hospitalizations.

All we can say is thank you, thank you, thank you. Thanks for all the prayers, we know they are heard loud and strong. Thank you for sharing Greta's story with others so that the prayer chain is far reaching.

Love,
A Happy Betz Family.

Scope Complete, Greta's Resting.

Greta's scope and biopsy went very well today. She was in surgery for about 1 1/2 hours and the surgeon removed tissue from 5 areas in her chest. He said that by initial appearance that these could be all dead cells, but the pathology results will tell us what we are dealing with exactly. We expect results in about 2 days.

Otherwise, she came through pretty well, she has a chest tube in again, which was expected. They hope to remove that in a day or two. No word yet on when to expect her next chemo treatment. It's wait and see for now.

All in all everything went as well as we could hope today. For that we are very thankful.

Love,
The Betz Family

You Can't Keep a Good Girl Down.

We got the green light to come home today. Greta's counts went back up this morning and by 10:00 am she was back to the happy little girl we are so used to. It was as if someone flipped the switch. She had been laying down on the bed one minute and the next she sat right up climbed out and started playing with her toys and smiling for the nurses.

However, we did get some bad news. One of the screens they had done on Greta's stool came back positive for VRE which is a bacteria that is pretty harmless in healthy people. In fact it's possible to have it and never know it. However, the fact that Greta tested positive for it, means that she now must be in isolation when we are at the hospital to prevent other patients from being exposed to it. This means all visitors and hospital personnel will wear gowns and gloves when dealing with Greta and she no longer can take walks around the halls. When we go into clinic, she won't be allowed to play in the outpatient playroom with the other kids, she'll be put in a room immediately upon arrival and will stay there until we are finished.

We are terribly disappointed as Greta's favorite part of clinic is playing and walking around the halls, laughing and flirting with the staff. It will be difficult to keep her from wanting to go for walks and ride her IV pole when we are in for her chemo admissions. I guess we'll deal with that when the time comes.

For now we are just happy to have her back home again and to be able to enjoy this beautiful weather that we are having. We go back in on Monday when Greta will get her scan (if her counts remain up) and then will likely be admitted for her 11th round of chemo.

Please continue to keep Greta in your prayers as well as the other children at the hospital. We meet so many amazing kids and families that are also in need of prayers.

With love,
The Betz Family

One More Day?

While Greta's fever is gone and most of her cultures have come back and so far all are negative, the doctors want her to stay at the hospital until her white blood cell count rebounds. So now we think we'll be home Thursday morning, but only time will tell.

She is still sleeping most of the time, and when she isn't she usually is complaining about her next impending bowel movement. She did get up out of bed last night and played with some of her toys for an hour, so that was encouraging to see.

Please keep your fingers crossed that we are released tomorrow and hopefully we'll be able to enjoy this late summer-like weather while it lasts!

Love,
The Betz Family

A Little Under the Weather

As many of you know, there is a bug going around and we think Greta probably got it. She developed another fever Sunday afternoon and by 6:30 she spiked to 101.3 which means an automatic trip to the ER and an all expense paid, two night trip to Devos Children's Hospital. We got to the ER at 7:30 and quickly learned that Sundays are the busiest ER night as it was almost 1:00 am before Greta and I made it up to a room for the night.

Usually Greta is up and playing, but today she is spending the day laying in bed with her blankie and sleeping off and on. She still has a low grade fever and is receiving antibiotics in case she has any infections. We aren't used to seeing her so down and out, but we are enjoying the extra snuggle time we are getting today.

If everything comes back okay and there are no signs of infection, we should be back home by Wednesday at the latest. Our next trip back is scheduled for next Monday when Greta will have her video scope surgery and then be admitted for her 11th round of chemo.

Thank you for your continued prayers,
Kristi

Slight Change of Plans

Greta's MRI went okay yesterday, however due to the anesthia and lying flat on her back for a couple hours there was a situation where a small portion of her lung collapsed (which is pretty common). The only problem with this is that when she was recovering and the lung was inflating, she developed a fever, which is also pretty common. The unfortunate part is because there may be other reasons for the fever, Greta has to stay an extra day while cultures are taken and antibiotics are administered.

Greta's MRI results came back today and as hoped they were negetive, there wasn't any apparent extra tissue. This is great because with previous CT scans the large portion of the tumor was gone but there was area that was thickened. The thickening is now gone. Per the doctors the scan results were the best we could have hoped or prayed for. The next step is to do a scope with a video camera to take a look for abnormal looking areas around her chest. This will take place sometime in the next couple weeks before her next round of chemo.

We are extremely pleased with this news and are hopeful that this will mean no need for radiation. Although it may also mean extended chemo treatments past the initial 30 weeks so we may not be done by Greta's birthday and Thanksgiving as we had targeted.

The prayers are working and we are so thankful for the miracle that we have received. Thank you all!

Love the Betz Family

Snuggling with Daddy

We're back in for Greta's 10th round of chemo. As I write this she is snuggling on Daddy's lap with her blankie and baby close by. Greta has been doing well on her treatment once again, although she's a little more low key this morning. Who can blame her though, she's been without food or liquids since midnight so that she can be sedated for her MRI later today.



The MRI should hopefully show whether there is still any tumor tissue still in her chest and if there is, a scope will be scheduled in a couple weeks to biopsy the tissue and see if it is still Ewings Sarcoma. This won't mean that her cancer is back but that there is still tissue leftover from the tumor. This will allow the doctors to determine whether or not Greta will need radiation or to continue with maintenance chemo.



Greta's hemoglobin level went down already during this round so she'll be getting another transfusion before we leave the hospital. This will be her 9th blood transfusion in all. We appreciate anyone who has donated blood. I myself had it done the first time ever this summer and although I was a little nervous, it turned out to be pretty easy and painless.



I know we fill you in a lot on Greta's status and her strength, but we've also had a lot of questions about how Randy and I are holding up. We are doing pretty well considering. It's not much fun to split our family up while we are in for treatment. But the time we are all home together is cherished so much more.



Thanks again for your continued prayers and support. We are all grateful for them all.



Love,

Kristi

Clothes for a Cause

Kristi had a great idea for a cute logo T-shirt for kids (and grown-ups!) who have fought cancer and won - so I turned her idea into an opportunity to help support Helen DeVos Children's Hospital:

http://www.cafepress.com/GretaGirl

Check it out!

Back to a Routine

Greta will go back to DeVos this weekend for her next round of chemotherapy. She's doing pretty great, and surprisingly has suffered few side effects from her treatments. She hasn't lost any of her hair, which has always been pretty sparse, so the photos probably look like she has. She hasn't really lost any weight - but she hasn't gained much, either - essentially, her size is as if she took a time-out from the growth spurt that most 1-3 year olds go through; we're all looking forward to getting through the course of treatment and watching her flourish and catch up!

She does some of the same things Gavin did at her age - standing with her back against the living room wall, waiting for one of us to say "GO!", and then take off running from there, through the length of the first floor, into the kitchen. She loves Kraft Singles - "cheese" is one of her best words, and not because she's so used to having her picture taken. Though - she gets a lot of that, too!

Big brother Gavin is fully into his school routine now - he didn't quite make it on the bus that first morning, but with Mom's help he did manage to get off at his stop later that day - not without Mom getting on, herself, to look for him! The neighborhood 'big kids' are looking out for him, now - we certainly wouldn't want him to accidentally get chauffeured through all of Caledonia!

Mom and Dad have found some help to look after G-Girl during the day and are trying to get more time in at their respective jobs. It looks like this is to be the way things are until about Thanksgiving time - and Greta's 2nd birthday - what a gift - no more chemo! :)

Thank you, Anonymous, for your comment - it's easy for me to forget that people are curious about how she's doing on a day-to-day basis. I got to spend the evening with Kristi, Randy, Gavin and Greta this past Monday, and I'm happy to report that everyone is doing very well.

Happy Thursday!
Kari

Checking off one more treatment....

We are back home again after our Labor Day weekend hospitalization for chemo. Greta once again did a great job putting up with being stuck inside for 3 days. This time, however, her red cell counts and her platelets both dropped before we left, so the doctors decided to give Greta a blood transfusion to give her a boost and save us from spending all day there this Friday.

With her platelets being low, we have to keep her from falls and tumbles to reduce her bruising and bleeding as her blood doesn't clot as well right now. That's quite hard to do with a toddler who seems to enjoy wrestling her brother! She's actually pinned him a few times!

This morning Greta, Dad and Mom got to send Gavin off on his first bus ride to his first day of school. He is starting Young 5's today, and gets to ride the bus all by himself. That includes a transfer at another school. Yes, Mom is a little nervous that he'll make it there okay, we considered trailing him in the car!

We're excited to tell everyone that we've found someone to care for Greta during the day a few days a week, so Mom and Dad can get back to a bit of a normal work routine. We're hoping to only need some help just to get through her remaining treatments (just about up to Thanksgiving), because we think that once her immunity is no longer compromised by the chemo, she'll be able to join her pals at her usual daycare on a regular basis.

Hope all of you got the new school year off to a smooth start at your homes!
Team Betz

Round 9 and Counting...

We're back in the hospital this weekend for Greta's 9th treatment of chemo. Can you believe it? Nine rounds and she is still able to get her counts back up to keep up the every two week schedule. The doctors and nurses had warned us that she would never be able to maintain this aggressive schedule, but once again Greta has amazed them with her strength.

It looks like it's a great Labor Day weekend, and we intend to be home Monday morning first thing so we can enjoy the day at home with our family.

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and notes of support. Thank you Kari for your help getting the word out there and posting the pictures of Greta on the blog. I love the pictures of her with Grammy sharing a laugh, it brings a smile to my face every time I see it!

With love,
The Betz Family

Enjoying Time at Home

We're back home again after the 8th round of chemo. We're past the half way point for the plan for 30 weeks of treatment, so we're excited about that, although it still sounds like a long time yet! We were back in for clinic and labs on Friday, and, as we anticipated, Greta needed another blood transfusion, so it turned into a full day at the hospital. That's okay with us, though, as it meant a happy and healthy girl for the weekend.

The whole family was able to spend the weekend at Grammy and Opa's house in Clarkston. It was our first trip back since Easter. Even so, Greta didn't seem to have forgotten anything and walked straight in the house and got right into playing with the toys.

Mom and Dad were able to attend a family wedding (congrats to Matt and Cindy!) and Gavin and Greta were well taken care of by our family friends. They enjoyed playing with all the toys, enjoying the swing and a stroller ride. Thanks again, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Mike!

It's a lot easier to imagine these next several weeks of treatments and hospital stays, knowing that Greta's out of the woods for now. While not the most fun thing we do together, it's a lot less stressful now that we know it's worked, and that makes all the difference.

Hope you and yours are well, thanks for your messages!

The Betzes

PET Scan Results

Negative for cancer!

We're reeling a little from the results of Greta's PET scan. Doctors tell us that the scan shows no indication of cancer in her little body! It is likely that they will continue with chemotherapy, to finish the course she's on, and once that's complete, possibly do exploratory surgery to take tissue biopsies for further testing; but the incredible PET scan results tell them there is no immediate need to radiate or operate.

Can you believe it?! So many have asked for a miracle on our behalf, and here it is! We're quietly celebrating here; Greta commemorated the moment by having a nap on the floor of her hospital room, Mommy and Daddy did a low-key but joyful end-zone dance - and the rest of us are pinching ourselves.

We're thrilled! Thank you, everyone, for your prayers! What an awesome day!!!

Greta and family should probably be home Sunday or Monday, they can't wait to enjoy sharing this great news with friends & family!!!

Love to all,
(A VERY RELIEVED) Kari :)

When Life Gives You Lemons...

...Greta's line was removed today and her new one inserted on the other side of her chest. She was in surgery for an hour and things went great. She slept it off for a couple hours and is now enjoying a much awaited meal and play time with Daddy.

We're taking advantage of this moved-up surgery date (this is the "making lemonade" part) to move chemo up a day, which means we're home a day or two earlier next week than planned.

We're still waiting on PET scan results but should hear by tomorrow.

K & R

Rolling with the Punches

While attempting to flush her Broviac line last night (part of the daily routine), Kristi and Randy detemined that one of the leads must be blocked, so they went to the hospital clinic this morning to have the doctors there work on clearing the line.

While the line got cleared, it also sprung another leak, so a quick trip to the clinic turned into admission day, as Greta will now need to recieve 24 hours of antibiotics. The doctors don't feel the line is worth repairing for a third time, and have decided to remove it tomorrow. Her new Broviac line was scheduled to be put in this Friday, however they are now hoping to be able to put in a new one tomorrow, when the old one is removed. Greta should be starting her 8th round of chemo once the new line is inserted, so it looks like she'll be at DeVos through sometime Monday or Tuesday.

Yesterday's PET scan in Ann Arbor went well, and we are anxiously awaiting the results, which we hope to have by the end of this week.

“Life is what happens to you
while you're busy making other plans” - John Lennon

Help Wanted!

Now that Greta is settling into a routine of treatments and hospital stays, Mom is ready to get back to work a little bit more. Greta's current sitter is doing a great job, but she'll soon be going back to school. If anyone knows someone who is looking for part-time work as a daytime caregiver, Kristi and Randy would like to hear from them! Greta needs someone with a flexible work schedule, who can be available 1-3 days a week, 8:00-4:30. If you are interested or know someone who is, please use the link at right to send a personal email to the Betz family for more information.

Yesterday, Greta went in for labs as usual, and, as has become fairly usual, received another blood & platelet transfusion. It was a mostly uneventful day, Greta napped at the hospital during her transfusion and returned home in the late afternoon for some playtime. She's been her usual cuddly, silly self - always so sweet!

Greta has an appointment at UM Hospital in Ann Arbor this coming Tuesday for the awaited PET scan. Mom and Dad will make a quick trip with their girl there and back, no overnight stay required this time! Her next chemo session will likely be the 15th, after her surgery to replace and relocate her Broviac.

It occurred to us, recently, that if anyone has made donations to any of the various charities that we've suggested, we have no way of knowing about it - and you may not know that we don't know about it. If you have made a donation, thank you so much! We apologize that we haven't sent personal "thank you"s; if we had a way to know about the donations, we most certainly would!

Thank you for your time, your generosity, your blood, your letters and cards, your notes, your prayers, and most of all, your love.

XXOO
Greta's Family

2 Weeks Off!

Or, at least we hope!

Greta came home with her parents early last night, with plenty of time to play with the neighbors and her family. She seems to be feeling pretty well, but we think she must have a pretty low opinion of hospital food, as evidenced by the way she devoured a home-cooked grilled cheese sandwich!

Right now it seems Greta will have the next two weeks off from chemo, though still reporting for labs as usual. During her break, she'll visit UM Hospital for her PET scan, and then prior to her next chemo session, she'll be having surgery to replace and reposition her Broviac. Of course, if you're an avid reader of this blog, you know how things can change unexpectedly, we promise to keep you posted.

She'll get to go to the Upham family reunion in Crystal today, so the rest of us will enjoy running interference between her and the lake :) But don't worry - we're more than glad to do it!

Love to all, have a fantastic weekend! Hug your kids!
XOXO
Kari

Oh-Boy! What a day!

All is well and Greta is sleeping soundly right now. But the day was much different this morning at 6:30. She had completed 2 of the 3 Chemo drugs and was in the process of completing her 3rd when her broviac became clogged after 3 hours of infusion. A flush was attempted to unclog the line but a leak occurred at a previously repaired site. This caused some commotion as you can expect. The broviac has been repaired, but 1 of the 2 lines remains clogged and we can't begin trying to unclog the line or resume chemo until the glue has cured. The glue needs 12 hours to cure so that means we are delayed until 9:00 pm tonight.

In the meantime she has a new IV (in her finger sucking hand) and she is not happy about that! To make the day even better we decided that we will try a new IV drug that will allow us to eliminate one of her oral medications. This sounded good in theory, that is until she threw up all over Mommy's shorts. Thanks goodness this medicine is now complete and she won't need anymore for a month. The doctors told us they can time it better next time, and she shouldn't get sick.

This is our day so far and it's only noon! We hope the rest of the day goes better.

As far as that stubborn broviac: The plan is to have it replaced prior to her next round of treatment. That means yet another surgery, but it should mean an easier trip to the hospital next time and easier flushes at home for Mommy and Daddy.

Thanks for all the prayers!

The Betz Family

Chemo, Continued

Greta's back at DeVos Children's Hospital for more chemotherapy, she went in for clinic this morning and is receiving a transfusion before they get started with the 3-day course later tonight. If all goes as usual, she should be coming home Friday evening.

Kristi and Randy will take Greta to Ann Arbor (UM Hospital has the PET scan equipment) sometime soon, to try and get that specialized scan, so they won't have to travel to Cincinnati again to have that done.

Her doctors and parents are still weighing their options as to next steps. Thanks, everyone, for continued prayers.

Love,
Kari

Adventures in Ohio

The trip down was uneventful, the night was long...poor Greta's not used to sleeping in a 'pack-n-play', so she kept herself (and us!) awake for most of the night.

Meeting with the doctors was informative and a bit daunting; we've heard so much good news as regards her response to the treatment that we weren't necessarily on guard for the realities of what lies ahead.

Cincinnati has recommended that Greta continue to receive chemotherapy for probably another 15-16 weeks. While the tumor is minimal in size at this point, there could be cancerous cells located here and there- only surgery or radiation, or some other new treatment, can/may eliminate it completely. Therefore, we're advised that Greta should continue to receive chemo to keep reducing the tumor and continue to eliminate cancerous cells. If we continue chemotherapy we will have the option of using a lower dose radiation which not only will kill the remaining cancerous cells but it will also minimize its damage effects to healthy cells. It is critical to knock this thing out the first time, because if it comes back it will be much more difficult to treat. That is why we must do all we can to get rid of the cancerous cells, even if it means using risky treatment.

We have an appointment next week to return to Cincinnati for a P.E.T. scan, one that might give the doctors a better idea as to the point of origin (DeVos does not have the particular piece of equipment to perform this scan).

Please continue to pray for us all; we have some difficult decisions to make for Greta, knowing your love is behind us is a terrific comfort that we most sincerely appreciate.

Love,
The Betz Family

So Good to be Home

Little Ms. Greta Betz was discharged yesterday evening after receiving her 6th round of chemotherapy. She seemed a little tired when I saw her, but I think any of us would be (especially her Mom and Dad!), after spending another 5 nights in the hospital!

Over the course of her stay, Randy & Kristi had opportunities to speak with her doctors about what lies ahead.

The official notes from her CT and bone scans declare that Greta is in remission, which we're told means that tests indicate there are no signs of a tumor in her body at this time. While that's incredibly great news, and certainly better results than I think any of us could have anticipated after only 12 weeks of treatment, we're trying to keep our excitement in check. The very nature of Ewing's Sarcomas mandates that there will be a second phase of her treatment, that it cannot be beaten by chemotherapy, alone. Greta will need another kind of treatment; whether it be surgery, radiation, some combination of both, or otherwise.

Once her parents have had a chance to meet with the doctors in Cincinnati, and then meet again with her team of specialists here, some tough decisions will need to be made to plot a course for the second phase of Greta's care and continuing recovery.

Greta is so lucky to have such wonderful support from her family, friends and community. Her parents and her brother are strong and able; and bolstered by all of your continued prayers and friendship, they're looking forward to celebrating the success of Greta and her doctors when she gets a clean bill of health. We're all thrilled at the good news we've received so far, yet anxious to learn what to expect next.

Love,
Kari

It's a Beautiful Day!

What a wonderful day! Greta's doctors have given us the "thumbs up": as hoped, her tumor has further reduced, and her bone scan has come back clean again!

We had a slight change of plans yesterday, during Greta's scans her broviac sprung a leak which the doctors were able to repair quickly. However that means an automatic stay in the hospital and 24 hours of antibiotics. So she's staying in the hospital through the rest of this week. The upside is that her 6th round of chemotherapy which was scheduled to begin Thursday has moved up by one day to start today. This morning Greta was giggling, blowing kisses and flirting with the hospital staff, while enjoying Cheerios, bacon, and some cuddles with Mommy & Daddy. What a little star!

Kristi and Randy anticipate that they'll probably be home by Sunday evening, so the Betzes will be able to catch a few nights under their own roof before heading to Cincinnati. The timing for their trip has worked out really well in relation to her treatments, and going there with "fresh" scan results will be a big help to the doctors in Ohio.

It's a beautiful day! Our thanks from Greta and her family to all of you who have been sending your prayers and notes of support, and who have so dilligently kept up with her progress. Hearing from all of you has strengthened our faith and given us so much comfort; we can't find words to let you know how grateful we are. Please continue to pray for her, for her doctors, and for her loved ones - obviously, it's working!

Did I mention what a great day it is?

Love,
Kari

Big Tests

Important Scans are today - Need all the prayers we can get!
XXOO

Scans up next

Greta had her clinic day on Friday and her counts are all back up again, so she is bouncing back from this round very well, and no transfusions were required. Now we are eagerly looking forward to her CT and Bone scans which will take place on Tuesday. The results of these scans will determine when she'll next have chemo, or possibly even surgery. Needless to say, our anxiety level is high - but so are our hopes!

Because her condition is so rare, we decided that we should seek another opinion from the specialists at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have an appointment on the 23rd of this month to meet with doctors there for a second opinion on Greta's course of treatment. Although we are thrilled with the success we have seen throughout Greta's treatment thus far at DeVos Children's Hospital, and have every confidence in her physicians here, we feel we should make every effort to be as informed as possible as to what our options are for the second phase of Greta's healing. The wonderful staff at DeVos have been very supportive of our desire to hear what suggestions the doctors in Cincinnati have to offer.

We ask that you please continue to pray for Greta's healing and for guidance for her parents and her doctors in making good decisions in her best interest.

Thank you!
The Betz Family

and Back Down Again.

We were at clinic again yesterday and Greta's counts were, as expected, back down. She didn't require any transfusions so we were able to get her back home pretty quickly. Greta is scheduled for her CT and Bone Scans on Tuesday the 15th so hopefully we'll be able to find out if there has been any progress within a week or so. This will delay her next round of chemo a day or two however.

Greta is still doing extremely well and you would never know how sick she is by looking at her. We are all very grateful for that. Gavin returned home on Sunday and although he was only gone for 6 days, I'm sure he grew a couple inches. Greta is very happy to have her big brother back to play with!

Happy 4th of July!

We broke out of the hospital around 11:30 am today and got back home in time for a quick lunch and then nap time. Greta is doing great and her counts are holding steady. We are back for clinic on Tuesday and if all goes as planned back for the next round of Chemo on the 15th.

We're just finishing week 10 of Greta's treatment and in some ways the time has flown by and in some ways it seems like we've been doing this forever. Another CT Scan and Bone Scan are being planned sometime in the next 2 weeks, so we are anxiously waiting for that to be scheduled so we can see if any progress has occurred during the past 3 rounds of chemo.

We wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July.

The Betz Family

Sleep Over Party

Greta got to have a sleep over with both Mom and Dad last night as the power was out at our house. So Randy opted to sleep with the girls in the air conditioned hospital rather than the hot and humid house. After sleeping in a recliner all night long, I'm not sure whether Randy feels he made a good decision or not.

Greta's fifth round of chemo is going smoothly. Once again, she has been playful and happy through the treatments. Her only problem is she is so active that she tends to get her IV lines twisted and we and the nurses spend most of the day untwisting her and/or the lines, which she does NOT enjoy.

If all continues to go as planed, she should be finished sometime early tomorrow morning and home by noon. Thanks again for keeping our family in your prayers!

Love,
The Betz Family

You Just Never Know....

...what we thought was just a regular clinic day ended up being admission day. Greta's counts were back up where they were needed so she was admitted to receive her fifth round of chemo today. Her hemoglobin level was even lower so she'll also be receiving a transfusion tonight as well. This round is just a three day cycle so we should be home by Friday for Fourth of July. In the meantime Greta has already been making her rounds on the hospital floor, flashing her smile and saying hi to all her friends.

Big brother Gavin was lucky enough to get to go with Grammy and Opa to the cottage today so we will be able to both spend time with Greta at the hospital and Gavin will get to enjoy being at the lake with his cousin Aidan. Happy Canada Day to all our friends at the cottage!

We have about four more weeks of treatment before Greta will get another scan and she'll also have a scope and biopsy done on the tumor around that time so that the doctors will have a better idea of what kind of progress we have had. We are keeping our fingers crossed and lots of prayers are being made that we'll get good news then.

The Betz Family

Clinic Day

Greta had her lab work today which told us, as we expected, her counts have bottomed out again. Although we were surprised that her hemoglobin level was pretty low since she'd been so active and happy lately. Still we decided to hold off on a transfusion and see how things look on Tuesday. So now we're back to clinic on Tuesday and if counts are back up by then, chemo on Wednesday.

Yesterday, Greta had her first day with her new babysitter and I was able to get in a few hours back at work for the first time in 8 weeks. It was a nice break, but I missed Greta like crazy (and was a little worried too). She's been my little shadow at home all day every day that it was a little sad to leave her. But she did great and played with her new friend and all went well for both of us.

Thank you for the continued thoughts, prayers, cards, words of encouragement. They help more than we can say.

Love,
Kristi

Four Down

Greta finished her fourth round with flying colors. She had no poor reactions to the chemo treatment and ate, slept and played well for the five days at the hospital. Her counts were already down before her treatment was over this round, so we are expecting a little longer recovery time. Her doctors are still planning to treat her aggressively and the next round is scheduled for July 2nd.

As of right now, no further tests are scheduled although we've been told that they will probably perform another scan on Greta after this or her next treatment. For now, we are planning on enjoying our play time at home and praying for her continued healing.

The Betz Family

Holding Steady

Greta's enjoying her stay at L'Hotel DeVos, this afternoon she's just starting the 3rd of 5 medications that she'll be receiving during this 4th round of chemo. She's tired, it's hard to relax and nap when you're not in your own bed. She's enjoying riding her IV pole around the hallways whenever someone's available to push her! We'll try and get a picture of that and post it here soon.

Greta's really got the routine down:

Step 1: She greets everyone with a cheerful, flirty "Hi!" when they come in, then
Step 2: Extends her arm for the blood-pressure cuff. Once that's done,
Step 3: She raises her index finger for the pulse-ox check, then
Step 4: Lifts her arm and points to her tiny armpit for the thermometer.

She entertains everyone, her smiles are infectious!

Her appetite is fine and she's in good humor for the most part, Kristi and Randy and other family members continue to rotate so she's always got someone with her, and Gavin gets to come and visit in the afternoons.

Still looking forward to (hopefully) getting her home Sunday evening.

Have a great weekend, friends. See you soon!

And on to Round Four...

We're back today for the fourth round of Greta's chemo treatments. She was admitted this afternoon and should start chemo later tonight. This is another five day round so if all goes well we hope to be home by Sunday night.

Greta is in good spirits and still lots of smiling and laughing even though we suspect by now she knows when we're heading to the hospital. Many of the kids here "ride" their IV poles around the hall. Greta decided she would give it a try today and she seemed to really enjoy having Daddy push her around while we waited for our room.

Randy, Gavin and I are all hanging in there. Gavin had a wonderful birthday party and has gotten a lot of play time with friends, neighbors and grandparents. Randy has gotten to start his golf league and softball league the last few weeks and we have found someone to watch Greta a couple days a week while we are home so I can get back to work for a few days here and there.

Our "normal" has changed quite a bit, but we are getting into the routine and hopefully we'll get Greta healed quickly and this will all be a memory some day!

Take me Home!

Greta got an "early dismissal" tonight, coming home Saturday evening instead of her anticipated Sunday discharge. Hooray!

Big brother Gavin had a fantastic day with a small group of his friends at a local gymnasium to celebrate his coming birthday. He spent a lot of his day trying to understand that he's not 5 just yet...one of the pitfalls of an early birthday party!

Ho-Ho and Grandma Betz spent some quality time at the hospital with Greta, so that the rest of the Betzes could party like rock stars. Greta's appetite is much improved and she's getting her fight back after having her transfusion.

Doctors are still somewhat perplexed about what to do next. Still need lots of prayers for guidance and good decision-making, so please keep them coming!

Much love,
Kari

Minor Setback

Greta was feverish and a little too listless yesterday for comfort, so Randy and Kristi took her to visit the ER at about 3:30pm. Once there, doctors started her on antibiotics, and did a lot of testing to rule out possible infection. All of the lab results have come back clean so far, and her fever is down now. By yesterday evening she was more comfortable and settled into a room, probably to stay until sometime Sunday.

She's receiving a transfusion this afternoon, she needs to get her counts back up to where she can handle her next round of chemo. It looks like doctors will likely push her next treatment, which was supposed to be this coming Monday, back a little to Wendesday. This is only a small delay, and very common for kids receiving chemo - considering all of the great news we've been blessed to have these past several weeks, small setbacks like this are to be expected. Greta continues to be a standout little patient!

To those of you who we are planning to see tomorrow; our plans are still "on", and seeing you is something we're all very much looking forward to.

Thank you, once again, for all of the prayers and messages of support!

Greta's Family

Quick Trip to the Clinic

Greta was back at the hospital this morning for her lab work checked. Thankfully it wasn't necessary for her to get a transfusion today so we are back home already. As expected her white blood count is low so we'll be keeping her at the house for the rest of the week. We're back at clinic on Friday again for another check.

Otherwise, Greta is still upbeat and has the energy of any other 18 month old. We're so thankful for that! Big brother Gavin had her belly laughing last night, jumping out at her from around corners in our house.

We all appreciate all the offers to help with everything, as soon as we can come up with anything else we need, we'll be sure to ask!

Thanks
The Betz Family

Fun Days at Home

We're enjoying our time at home this week, in between the rain storms, we've been able to spend a lot of time this past weekend outside playing. Greta is a hard girl to keep down! She is definitely our dare devil child, she is a going concern which keeps us on our toes at all times. This weekend she climbed up the slide on the play set all by herself and then attempted to climb down via the rock wall.

We go back to clinic tomorrow morning and we expect that her counts will be down. Hopefully there won't be any need for any transfusions this week, but we'll find out tomorrow for sure. Otherwise we're going to get to enjoy the rest of the week and weekend at home.

We would like to again thank everyone for the prayers and generosity the past 6 weeks. Thanks also to our neighbors for keeping our grass trimmed!

The Betz Family

They're Home Again

Hello Friends,

Greta is back home again, she was discharged yesterday after completing her third round of chemotherapy. Kristi tells me that she's doing really well, and as I spoke with her Mommy she was in the background, happily babbling as she played with a ball.

We don't have the ultrasound results yet, the test was done yesterday before Greta left the hospital, and as soon as results are available we'll be sure and post another update.

Now we're back to "wait and see" mode, back to the clinic on Tuesday for labs, and then back in for 5 days on June 16 for another round of chemo. No CT scan has yet been scheduled at this time.

Please keep up the prayers and happy thoughts; we're so terribly grateful for everyone's support and friendship!

Love,
Kari

Ever tried to keep an 18 month old down?

This stay has proved to be a little more challenging now that Greta is motoring again. As any of you that have had a toddler know, staying in one place for any amount of time is not an option. And being attached to an IV pole is proving to be difficult for both Greta and Mom and Dad.

Greta's chemo started about 4 am Tuesday morning, so we'll be staying at the hospital until Thursday. There is a small amount of blood in her urine, so the doctors have decided to perform an ultra sound Thursday to make sure her bladder is functioning okay. Otherwise Greta is reacting well to the chemo again, her appetite is good and her mood is amazing considering everything she's been through.

Again thanks for all the prayers and support!

Ding Ding - Round 3

We are back at the hospital for Round 3 and Greta is ready. This time the stay will be 3 days and the chemotherpy will be the same as the one used for the first treatment. We are hoping to get similar results as we did after the first time. Speaking of results, the CT scan results are in and there was more shrinkage. The tumor shrunk from a thickness of 15mm to a thickness of 10mm. Again the doctors are very happy with the progress and have actually referred to her as their little "miracle" child. We are so thankful for all the prayers and are looking forward to going home after this round of treatment.

The Betz Family

A Little Longer Wait...

I know many have asked about Greta's CT Scan results from Wednesday. We probably won't hear anything until Monday now. After the incident at the hospital on Thursday we figure there was a lot going on and we could wait to inquire on Monday when we return for round 3. As of Friday the Oncology floor that Greta regularly visits was still closed for repairs. Hopefully by Monday they will be up and running again.

We too are anxiously awaiting the CT Scan results, we are hopeful that they show more improvement. In the mean time we are enjoying lots of play time with Greta. Her walking has greatly improved and she is acting more like herself every day. It is such a joy to see her doing so well.

Rest Assured!

None of us were at the hospital today. Greta and her family are fine. Our prayers go out to those who were injured, as well as their loved ones, and to all who were at the hospital during the incident.
For those who are not local (who haven't heard), there was a helicopter crash on the roof at Spectrum Hospital (where Greta has been treated these past several weeks). You can read the story by clicking here.

Our Little Fighter

Greta's stem cell collection today was successful. They were able to collect almost 2-3 times what they had hoped, so she'll definitely be set if a transplant is needed in the future. Fortunately they were also able to fit her in for her CT Scan today saving us another trip to the hospital tomorrow. The good news now is we have the next 4 days straight at home.

Just like when Greta was sedated in the ICU, she was fighting the sedation today. After 3 rounds of anesthesia, Greta was still sitting up and fighting to stay awake (and exercising her lungs real well). And now 6 hours later she is still fighting the effects, her poor little eyes are so heavy, but she continues to fight to stay awake. We are taking that as a good sign that she'll be this feisty in her fight against cancer too!

Long Days at the Hospital

Tuesday Greta was back at the hospital for lab work and an ultra sound. Her white blood cell count was high enough that we are scheduled to come back Wednesday for a stem cell collection. Her stem cells are being collected now while she's healthy in the event that she'll need a transplant in the future. That meant for Greta another blood and platelet transfusion on Tuesday, so we spent most of the day there with a not so happy little girl.

Wednesday's procedures will be done under sedation, so she'll have a more relaxing day. I can't say the same for Mom and Dad!

Quick Update

We're having a great weekend with the family. It's so nice to be home, although we have appointments at the hospital almost every other day. Today Greta had to go in to have her platelets checked and as expected they were very low and required a transfusion. The platelets help the blood to clot and prevent her from having nose bleeds and bruising. We're back in again Tuesday to check labs again and Thursday for a CT scan to check the progress of the tumor. Next Monday we'll check back in to start her 3rd round of chemo.

Yesterday the weather was finally warm enough that Greta was able to check out the new play set. She enjoyed climbing up the slide with Grandma Betz's help and sliding down on her belly. We have a toddler swing, but it wasn't long before Greta was insisting on sitting on the big kid swing.

Thank you again all the prayers. It means a lot to our family.

Love the Betz Family.

Holiday Weekend

Greta continues to amaze us; we have seen so many smiles and heard loud, silly laughter this weekend!

Randy and Kristi are constantly watching her for signs of fever or other discomfort - a real feat when they suspect she's probably teething at the same time! Her numbers continue to come is as hoped and expected, but the treatment definitely takes a toll on her little body. Today she needed to stay at the hospital for most of the morning to receive a platelet transfusion. She had a nice nap while she was there, and between that and the transfusion itself, we had a content little lady to play with and adore this evening.

Gavin has enjoyed playing outside with his friends; we're really grateful that this is going on during the summer when he and his buddies can be outside - the playset has gotten quite a lot of mileage already!

Greta's still eating and drinking pretty well, hasn't lost her hair, and doesn't yet seem to have nausea or any other of the side effects we've been bracing for. She's only a little cranky now and then, and a lot more clingy with Mom and Dad, but most of that we think is probably due to frustration at not being able play the way she'd like to. She's walking a little bit more, but only a few steps at a time, and that's probably hard for her to take, too.

We continue to thank God for her pleasant nature, her terrific response to the treatment, and the comfort we receive daily from so many well-wishers. It's truly been a blessing to share this long Holiday weekend with her, to hear her gorgeous laughter and enjoy her squinty, excited little grins!

Love to all,
Kari

Smiling from Ear to Ear

My son, Aidan, and I were lucky enough to get some visiting in with Greta last night...alright, I got face time, and Aidan stayed out of the house, playing with Gavin - no need to risk bringing "my little petri dish" inside!

Greta, I am thrilled to report, is laughing, clapping, playing, smiling, and eating as though there's not a thing to be concerned about. It's hard to believe that she's as sick as she is, because she's just so sweet and happy!

Just wanted to let everyone know that our prayers are being heard; the Betzes are doing great, and Greta is truly amazing.

Love to all,
Kari

Home Again!

How sweet it is. Greta has completed her second round of chemo and she once again amazed the doctors with her strength. Before we left she was blowing kisses and giving "fives" to the doctors and nurses.

Now we are looking forward to the warm weather and a holiday weekend at home. We will definitely need to be extra careful though with her at home right after the chemo. She will be at her weakest at home, rather than at the hospital like last time. Yikes! That means lots of hand washing and well placed sneezes into elbows. That could be a tough one for Gavin. We will have plenty of hand sanitizer around the house for him and others.

Her next round of chemo is scheduled for June 2nd, with clinic visits twice a week to check her counts. So that means we should have a nice two weeks of all of us at home.

A lot of you have asked what you can do to help us out. Mostly we are asking for the continued prayers, but also we think that a great gift to honor Greta would be that of blood donation. Greta has already received three transfusions which wouldn't have been possible without the generosity of others. You can find your local donation site by visiting the American Red Cross.

Thank you!
The Betz Family

Our Little Trooper

Greta is handling this 2nd round of chemo like a champ. She doesn't seem be feeling sick and in fact is eating great and treating all the hospital staff to her smiles and giggles. Greta loves to sit on the chair just inside her room and watch the people walk by and wave to them.

Greta will get another treatment tomorrow morning and if she responds as well as she has all week, we'll be bringing her home Tuesday. Unlike the last round, she'll be at home when her counts bottom out so we'll have to be extra careful that she avoids getting sick.

We are starting to get into an area of Greta's treatment where there are a lot of questions regarding the next steps. We ask for your continued prayers for Greta and the doctors that are treating her.

Thank you,
Randy, Kristi, Gavin and Greta

Back For More...

It was so wonderful to have Greta at home for the last few days. On Wednesday Greta and Mommy took a walk to pick Gavin up at daycare. Then the following day Greta and Gavin took a trip to see Grandma and Grandpa Betz at the campground. There Gavin and Greta were able to play on the playset and Greta got a few rides down the slides with Grandma.

We returned to the hospital Friday for the next round of chemo. Greta will be getting 2 hours of chemo per day for the next 5 days, then she should be able to return home until the next treatment.

Grammy and Opa bought Greta a play mat for her 18 month birthday so she can spend some time playing on the floor while she's hospitalized. It can be quite challenging to keep a toddler entertained all day when she's hooked up to an IV! Not to mention her 4 year old brother!

So Happy Together

Cyndi Higgons took some beautiful photos of Greta and her family while she's been home this week - stay tuned for a slideshow! Greta continues to feel better each day, trying to work out how to crawl and walk again, after being bedridden for 2 weeks. Mommy says she's smiling and giggling more every day!

Thanks for the continued prayers, keep 'em coming, please!

And the results are.......

Yesterday Greta had another CT Scan to determine the progress of her treatment. We are thrilled to inform everyone that the treatment is going well, her tumor has lost 70% of its mass. So to say the treatment is going well is an understatement. The doctors are happy with the progress. We will pray that her next round of treatment goes as well.

Tonight will be the first night in 16 days all 4 members of the Betz family will sleep under the same roof. We were able to bring Greta home this afternoon and we were welcomed home with a sign over our front door reading "Welcome Home Greta Girl" and balloons on the mailbox courtesy of our wonderful neighbors. After a few minutes of snuggling with Daddy on the couch Greta fell fast asleep, safe and sound and happy. Gavin welcomed home his sister with a kiss as she slept, then was happy to run outside and ride his bike.

We closed our wonderful day with an ice cream social at our neighbors (in honor of Gavin's friend, Emma's 5th Birthday) both Greta and Gavin happily sleeping in their own beds and a quiet evening for Mom and Dad together for the first time in over 2 weeks.

There hopefully won't be much to report on in the next few days. Greta will return to the hospital Friday for her next treatment which will run for 5 days, then if all goes well, back home next Wednesday for a few days.

Thanks again for the continued support over the last 2 weeks, we are extremely grateful.

With love,
Randy, Kristi, Gavin and Greta

Sweet Home Caledonia!

Tomorrow Greta gets to go home! She rebounded so well from her Chemo treatments the last couple days that the doctors have decided that she can come home Tuesday until her next Chemo treatment this Friday. We're so excited (and a little bit nervous), it will be so nice to have all of us sleeping under the same roof for the next few nights. We know Gavin is excited to show Greta their new swing set.

Today Greta's central line was removed (from her groin) and the Broviac line was inserted under her clavicle which allows her to get her IV meds and allows for blood draws. We spent part of the day training how to care for her Broviac line while we are at home. She was also able to have her CT Scan today and we are anxiously awaiting the results tomorrow.

It's been a great couple of days and we're looking forward to some "normal" days at home this week. Thanks again for all the prayers! They are working!

Randy and Kristi

Free at Last (from the IV pole!)

New favorite food: Otis Spunkmeyer's Blueberry Muffins
New favorite Health & Beauty Item: Hand Sanitizer

Greta got temporarily disconnected from her IV today for long enough to make a trip down to see the play room! It was truly a milestone, it's the first time she's been free of any type of IV pole or monitoring equipment since she arrived at the hospital 2 weeks ago today. What a joy it was to see her little smirk, her precious dimples again! She played catch with Mommy (ok, she played 'let's see how many times I can drop this ball and Mommy will still pick it up and give it to me?'), and she took a couple of tentative steps while holding on to Daddy's hands.

After a ride in a wagon, touring the hallways of her temporary home, she'll probably sleep pretty well tonight. It's Daddy's night to stay at the hospital, and Mommy's night to enjoy a good night's sleep in her own bed.

Happy Mothers' Day, everyone - it was another good day!

Love, Kari

Greta's Giggling Again!

Greta gave her Mom (and Dad) an early Mothers' Day gift today when we finally got to hear her precious laughter. Daddy juggled oranges, much to Greta's delight, and that earned him a laugh, so it was a good day.

Greta spent the morning playing at her new 'home' with big brother Gavin, Mommy and Daddy. Gavin thinks Greta has it made - toys and games and puzzles abound on the 7th floor, so getting Gavin to leave the hospital will be Mom and Dad's next challenge!

Caledonia had a carnival this weekend, so Kristi and Randy were able to take Gavin and cousin Aidan out for a fun afternoon, while Grandma Betz, Ho-Ho (Grandpa Betz), Opa (Grandpa Upham) and Grammy Upham spent some quality time with the little patient. Greta had a long, peaceful and much-needed nap on Grandma Betz' lap - so Grandma Betz got her Mothers' Day gift early, too! Smiles and giggles are a rare commodity, but when they make an appearance, they light up our lives.

Greta is much stronger today, sitting up in her crib, holding her cup, eating muffins and eggs, and showing her feisty spirit - as she becomes more alert and strong, she's getting a bit more frustrated at not being able to be as active as she'd like. We take this as a good sign of her improving health, and we're anxiously awaiting the results of her next CT scan.

I feel a bit like a broken record (or do we say scratched CD now?), so let me try this:

For all of your kindnesses; your emails, letters, cards, flowers, gifts, and most especially your prayers, from Greta and all of us who cherish her - Thank you! Gracias! Merci! Danke! Grazie! Shoukran! Dank u! Obrigado!

Love,
Kari

Getting Used to the New Digs!

Greta had a quiet day, resting in her new room and meeting her new nurses on the 7th floor. Her doctors anticipate her white blood cell count to improve over the weekend and she is scheduled for a CT Scan on Sunday to see how well the chemo is working.

Greta is eating and drinking well, lots of wet diapers. She especially likes applesauce and crackers, sounds a lot like her brother's diet. Should be a busy weekend for her, we hope to have a lot of good news to report on on Sunday.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support. We have been humbled by the response we have received since Greta's diagnosis.

Love,
The Betz Family

Moving - Must Sell!!

Loft - Downtown Grand Rapids, located on the 8th floor of the building. Tremendous view to the west, fully furnished, must share bath.

Greta has moved from PICU, yipee! She is now located on the seventh floor, room 7259. She is handling the move very well and is showing signs of becoming more active/less tired. Her blood count is still low as expected but she is drinking on her own and has made her first room service order. Soft food please! Also her breathing is getting better each day. Thanks for all the support!!!!

The Betz Family

Unsung Heroes

We've written a lot so far about how grateful we are for the many prayers and messages of support that have been sent on behalf of little Greta. I'm certain our prayers are being heard (and answered), but we know that a lot of credit and thanks is owed to the fantastic doctors, nurses and other staff at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital.

Each person we've been priviledged to meet at HDCH has been so kind, helpful and encouraging. We know Greta is receiving world-class medical care, and we're so fortunate to have her in a place that is obviously well-prepared to treat her.

Thank you for your skill, your dedication to your work, and your compassion!
Greta's Family

Better Safe than Sorry

Greta had another good, restful night in PICU. Over the last several days, she's been carefully monitored for fever, and constantly been treated for it, but last night for the first time she maintained her own normal temperature (it's the little things that are becoming big things!).

Greta is still having some difficulty breathing, so her doctors agree that she should probably stay in the PICU for now. She's off her sedatives, and when I spoke to Kristi moments ago, Greta was busy watching Baby Einstein DVDs (something she hasn't really been able to watch before, because she has to share TV time with Big Brother Gavin!). Kristi says she's doing well.

Visitors are still very much encouraged, as long as you'll be satisfied seeing her parents for now!

Thanks, as always, for your continued prayers and messages of love and support.

Kari

2nd Time - Is the Charm

Today Greta once again decided she was done with her ventilator. And, fortunately for her, the doctors agreed. At 12:30 pm today she had enough of that tube up her nose and took it out. She is doing very well without the ventilator and resting very comfortably with her dolly in her mommy's arms.

She continues to improve daily, although today her white blood count dropped very low, but this is expected. We will need to be extremely careful now because she doesn't have much of a defense against infection. For this reason, we will need to limit visitors seeing Greta. Her parents, on the other hand, welcome all - we just may need to talk outside of her room. With any luck she will move out of the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) tomorrow. This is huge. Tune in tomorrow to see.

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes.

Randy and Kristi

Go Greta!

Greta continues to show good indicators for wearing down the tumor(s), and her lung capacity is steadily improving. Things have been quiet again today, which is exactly what we want right now.

Greta's arms and hands are "free" now, which has everyone watching her like a hawk (see Kristi's previous note about Greta removing her own breathing tube!). Days are long and quiet in her room as her little body works so hard to get well, but we all agree we can do without any excitement for a while. Kristi and Randy are still trading off each night; I'm sure that will go on for as long as Greta remains in intensive care. Gavin is doing really well, but he misses his sister! He is enjoying his evenings with Mom and Dad.

1 Week Down, Many to Go

It's been a quiet day for us, Greta has been resting and listening to some nice lullaby music while her family and friends visited throughout the day. She got a nice bath, and we've been taking turns holding her little hand when she opens her eyes and reaches out for us from time to time.

Gavin spent his day playing with his Daddy, and he LOVES the new playset - thanks, again, to Randy and Kristi's terrific neighbors for the gifts of their time and workmanship!

Thanks for all of the kind words and continued prayers.

Kari

Thank you!

We would like to thank our neighbors for setting up Gavin and Greta's play set yesterday. Gavin was so excited when we came home last night, his exact words were "Oh my goodness!". We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends.

Greta is resting today and she is still responding well to the chemo. She also is showing her spunk to the medical team as she decided to take herself off her ventilator Friday night. She held her own for about 10 hours, but was still having trouble breathing, so she was put back on Saturday morning and seems much more comfortable now.

Thanks again for all the support, we can't tell you how much it means to us!

Randy and Kristi

A Quiet Day (That's Good News!)

I don't dare miss updating for more than 24 hours, now that so many are watching and reading and wondering and praying, but there isn't a lot of news to share (no news = good news!).

We continue to get reports that Greta's various test results are showing positive indications that the meds are working. The numbers that should be up are up, and xrays continue to show improvement (more open spaces) in her lung.

Continue to send good thoughts and prayers, please, as we watch...wait...and hope!

More Wonderful News!

The good news keeps coming!

The oncologists met with Randy and Kristi this afternoon to share the (FABULOUS) results of various tests.

1) All indications are that the medications are successfully shrinking the tumor(s)!

2) The scan showed some visible air pockets in her lung in an area that was previously collapsed!

3) We got confirmation that all testing for cancer cells in Greta's bone marrow have come back 100% negative!

This is all THRILLING news!

Our prayers are working! Please don't stop!

All our love and gratefulness,

Greta's Family

Visiting Greta Girl

Hello Friends,

Randy and Kristi have asked me to let you know some details about visiting them at the hospital. They really enjoy having visitors, it sure helps to break up the time they spend waiting to hear some good news.

As Greta's treatment progresses, her fragile immune system will become more and more susceptible to germs. When you visit the hospital, there is a possiblity that you may not be allowed to visit Greta personally, but you can certainly have a visit with her parents; there is a family waiting room where they can meet with you.

If you decide to visit, please be sure that you are in good health, with no colds or other symptoms of illness. If you do bring children, they will have to remain in the family waiting room (with an adult, of course) and will not be allowed to see Greta. There are a few toys and computer games to keep them entertained while you visit.

Evenings are a busy visiting time, for obvious reasons. Evening visits are terrific, we just want you to be aware that if you do visit at that time, there may be others visiting then, too. Visiting hours are 9am - 9pm.

Thanks for all of the hugs and happy thoughts!

Started Chemo - Watching & Waiting (and Praying)

Greta was able to get started on chemotherapy Wednesday evening, the doctors started 2 of the 3 drugs that they planned to use, waiting on some improvement of a particular indicator before starting the third drug (wanted to make sure that her kidneys were working well before they put more strain on her body). They were able to go ahead with that yesterday morning. YAY!

Kristi and Randy have been able to alternate nights at home so Gavin gets some Mom and Dad time each evening, but of course they’re rushing back to the hospital first thing to be with Greta (and each other).

Greta’s still sleeping peacefully, letting the meds do their job. We’re all anxious to see her smiles again, we’re told that she will probably remain sedated and on her ventilator through sometime Saturday. We can’t wait to hear her giggles!

Randy and Kristi sure appreciate your thoughtful notes of encouragement, and of course we're all comforted knowing how many are praying for Greta's safekeeping, comfort and healing.

Hugs to all,
Kari

Bone Marrow Results - Hooray!

More good news!

Greta's bone marrow test came back clean - this is fantastic news. Thanks, again, for all of the prayers and hope and encouragement.

Chemotherapy was started at 3pm today - the next 48 hours are critical, in terms of how her body will respond to the medications. Will update again when there's news.

Kari

Bring It On!

Greta has what's called Ewing's Sarcoma, or PNET, a cancer that usually affects bone tissue, but in Greta's case is presenting somewhat differently. It's highly unusual for someone Greta's age to have it; the chances are 0.3 in 1,000,000 children.

Greta had been wheezing a little, and running a fever, when Kristi took her to see an Urgent Care doctor this past Saturday. Greta was treated for an ear infection and Kristi was told that the wheezing was most likely due to the congestion/cold that was causing the ear infection. On the following evening, Randy and Kristi decided that they needed to take Greta to urgent care; she once had upper respiratory infection as an infant, and her parents were concerned that she might have it again, or worse, pneumonia.

At the urgent care center, they directed Randy and Kristi to take Greta to the hospital ER, as chest Xrays came back unclear, and doctors were concerned she may have swallowed and aspirated something. There was a mass either in or around her left lung, but no one could say what it was.

Further Xrays and a CT scan confirmed that there was, in fact, a mass of some kind. Doctors at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital decided that the first order of business was to perform exploratoy surgery, hoping to drain any fluid that was hampering Greta's breathing, and get a better look at the affected tissue. Surgery was planned for the following afternoon.

The surgeon who performed the exploratory procedures on Monday said that he was certain that it is cancer, though not what type or how advanced or aggressive it was. He did say that he thought he could see multiple tumors, which is why he said he can't simply fix it with surgery, and he said his best guess was that she would need, at the very least, chemotherapy.

Yesterday we learned that it is localized in the pleural space (the space between her lungs and her chest wall), which is great news (it hasn't spread throughout other areas of her body), so the last thing to check is whether or not it is present in her bones and/or marrow. We got more great news this morning; little Greta's bone scan came back clean - that leaves one more test, her bone marrow draw, which she'll be having this morning.

Chemotherapy will start this afternoon, and then results from subsequent testing will determine the next steps. We're anxious to get this fight started, but we know it's going to be a long battle. We're told to expect that the chemotherapy will probably take about 6 months. We say "Bring it on"!

It means a lot to Kristi & Randy, Gavin, Greta and the rest of our entire family, to know that your thoughts are with us, thank you all so very much for your kind words of encouragement.

I hope that this blog will serve to keep friends and loved ones informed of Greta's progress (and this way, I won't be jamming up everyone's email inboxes).

As I learn more about Greta's condition, I will post updates. I hope to be able to post good news everyday!

Love to all,
Kari