Day 98...

and still cancer free! Greta's scans came back and there is still no signs of the tumor returning. We are so relieved! We finally have day 100 within reach.

I had a chance to reflect on Sunday, which was the day that a year ago we took Greta into the ER. It's hard to believe that it's already been a whole year since that awful day. We're so blessed that we caught it in time and so so very thankful that Greta is so strong and such a fighter. We are grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for Greta this past year. They are amazing, special people to fight cancer and support all these kids day and night. Thank you doesn't quite seem nearly enough.

Again we are so grateful to all of our friends and family and all the support and prayers for the last year. I wish I had the words to express how incredibly blessed we feel and how thankful we are for each and every one of you.

Thank you!
The Betz Family

Day 97, 3 To Go!

Today was Greta's CT Scans and all went well, we're hoping to hear back on the results either later today or tomorrow. She also went to clinic today, our last as a transplant patient. Everything looked great for her and we got the okay to plan our trip to Great Wolf Lodge. It's a surprise for Gavin and I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out where we're gong.

On Thursday, aka Day 100, we go back in to have Greta's line removed and then we're back in next week to visit with Greta's oncologist and find out what the plans are for the rest of Greta's treatment.

It's a very exciting week for us. Greta is off all her meds for the first time in a year. She'll be able to take a bath next week without flipping her line over her shoulder before climbing in. No more dressing changes for her Broviac. No more worry about the line getting clogged. We are so thankful and blessed!

Love,
The Betz Family

Counting down the last 10 days!

Today is day 89! We can't believe we are almost to the finish line. Greta is doing very well. She had clinics on Wednesday and all was great. We have next week off from clinics, a whole week without making a trip to the hospital! She'll have her scan on the 27th and then her line removed on the 30th, which is also day 100.

Her hair is starting to come in nicely. Looks like its coming in a little darker than before she started chemo. She's so used to wearing her winter hat, that we're having a hard time convincing her she can go outside with a baseball cap instead. She is very cute playing outside in the 60+ degree weather wearing a t-shirt and pink winter hat.

As we approach the one year anniversary, we are so thankful for all the blessings we have received this past year. It's been an amazing year and we are so thankful that Greta is going to be able to enjoy being a little girl this summer!

Day 80!

Greta had another clinic visit Wednesday and again she is doing great. She'll be back next Wednesday for her monthly IV medication and another lab check and then we're off until the 27th when she'll have a CT Scan and if all is well her Broviac removed. We're so excited to have that finally gone. We could have had it removed next week, but leaving it in for her CT scan will save her from having to get poked for her IV. After the last week in April, Greta's care will be transitioned back to her Oncologist and hopefully we'll learn what the next steps (if any) are.

We're off tomorrow to spend Easter with my family in Clarkston. It's Greta's first trip away from home since Christmas. We're all excited to get out of the house for the weekend. And some of us are very excited about a visit from the Easter Bunny.

We're only 3 weeks away from her 100 day anniversary. 3 weeks doesn't seem all that far off now! Once Greta has her line removed and healed, we are taking both Gavin and Greta to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate her being able to swim and to reward Gavin for being such a good big brother these past 12 months.

Happy Easter!
Love,
The Betz Family

Day 70

We're only 1 month away from that magic day 100. Which will also mark about 1 year since Greta's diagnosis. It's still amazing to me that it's been a whole year already!

Greta had another clinic visit yesterday and as we have come to expect, everything is going fantastic. We met with her doctor and he told us it was time to start thinking about taking her line out. That's something we are trying to make a decision about as we don't want to put Greta through any more pokes than necessary, but with one side being clogged it would ease any worry that it become infected.

As always, Greta is amazing us. She is so bright. She has figured out how to operate my Nintendo DS (as seen in the pictures) and knows exactly how to set up the games. And she also lets you know when she does and especially when she does not want your help! She also is getting very good with her speaking and catches us by surprise when she says a whole sentence when we're still expecting one word answers. This is definitely a fun time for us.

We have another clinic visit next week and then we start going every other week. Later this month she'll have another CT scan, which will be sure to cause her father some worries.

Thanks for all your continued support and interest in little Greta's journey. We surely feel the love.

The Betz Family

Hi from Aunt Kari

Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I contributed anything to Greta's blog, so I thought I'd jump on here this evening and just do a quick update. Greta had her clinics today and her red blood cell count went up again, and all her indicators are still headed the right way - once again, no transfusions, no other action needed. In short - awesome, as usual :)

Aidan and I spent some time at the Betz home this weekend and enjoyed watching all three kids play together outside, it looks like a lot of our summer might be spent watching them roll golf balls down the slide! It is pretty cool to start seeing a little peach fuzz on Greta's little noggin, and the beginnings of new eyelashes coming in. She is very energetic and active most of the time, and you probably never met any child who goes to bed easier than this little girl. When she's ready, she's READY. Blankie? Check! Baby? Check! Night-night? Check! See y'all in about 12 hours!

Grammy and Opa were in Florida for the past week, so we're looking forward to seeing them in "3 sleeps". I would bet that Mommy and Daddy have big basketball plans for the weekend ;)

Love to all - thanks for the notes and prayers!
Kari
XO

Smooth Sailing

Greta had another clinic visit today to have her labs checked and to receive an IV medication she gets monthly. All her counts are still holding steady, her red blood count dropped slightly, but still not low enough that she needed a transfusion. She's off her appetite stimulant and so now we're down to only two oral medications. Physically, Greta is doing amazingly well, even with the low red blood cell count she is still active. She loves the warm weather and she usually heads straight for the play set in the back yard. Her attitude is also amazing (with the occasional two year old struggles with wanting to be independent)!

We've posted a picture of our family friend Mike who shaved his head this past weekend for St. Baldricks, an event to raise funds for children's cancer research. Thanks Mike for sacrificing your hair and for helping raise awareness!