Welcome Friends!
Rheagen  R.  ^i^
Birthdate - February 18th , 2005

Main Diagnosis -  Wilms Tumor

THEME: Boy Angels






Biography

On May 26Th, 2009 Rheagen started experiencing strange symptoms, we took him to the emergency room at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital in Tacoma where doctors found a large tumor in his right kidney.  He was emidiatly admitted for emergency biopsy and removal of the kidney containing the tumor.  doctors were able to remove the malignancy with no problems, after 18 weeks of chemo therapy he was deemed cancer free!  to celebrate both his birthday and the end of chemo we invited all out friends and family over to join our excitement over cake and ice cream.

On march 5th 2010 doctors found a mass in the soft tissue that once surrounded his kidney during a routine ultrasound.  the malignancy had already spread through out his abdomen and is now effecting the lymphnodes of his lungs, and the blood vessels in both his liver and remaining kidney. this time doctors cannot operate due to the advanced stage of this tumor.

Now we fight! the next 8 months will be spent in the hospital "kicking cancer booty with chemo attacks". On March 16th he started the long road to fight cancer, again. Each treatment had to be administered inpatient for 5 days and nights at the inpatient pediatric ward of Seattle cancer care alliance to receive IV therapy and chemotherapy, because of the strength of the drugs he wasn’t able to return home between treatments. In May, the 12th week of chemo he was scanned chemo had done its job, the tumor had responded to treatment. He had responded very well and went in to have the shrunken tumor removed on June 26th. To treat the lungs and tissue that couldn’t be reached through surgery he was treated with full body/lung radiation. 5 days a week for 6 weeks he had to go in and be put under anesthesia so he could remain still for the treatment. Because of the chemo’s effect on his appetite and the inability to eat before anesthesia he started losing weight rapidly. A feeding tube was placed through his nose to maintain a healthy weight. He only needed to have 4 blood transfusions throughout the 30 week protocol but did have to be kept on immune therapy the entire time. Rheagen finished chemo in mid-September 2010 and the 2 of us were able to return home to daddy and his brothers soon after treatment was completed. Rheagen started kindergarten and loves school, to be able to live without the confines of a hospital and join other children his age is a dream come true for his father and i. unfortunately that dream come true didn’t last long. In early December Rheagen started showing signs of relapse once again; an ultra sound confirmed our suspicions and Rheagen was diagnosed yet again. An operation was performed in January to access the relapse, a portion of his right lung was excised and a biopsy confirmed the tumors are in fact Wilms tumor. Because his lungs have already been treated with full radiation they cannot irradiate a second time, he is now considered terminal. Rheagen still lives each day to the fullest and helps everyone around him to do the same.
When you sign up to stitch for Love Quilts you will get a confirmation of your sign up.  If your pattern is a duplicate you will be asked to pick another pattern. 
We encourage you to join the LoveQuiltsUSA Yahoo group to check the pattern listing for duplications yourself before you sign up. 
The lists of patterns already being stitched are posted on the database.  LoveQuiltsUSA is an open group so you can sign up easily and view the patterns right away.  Please follow this link to sign into the Love Quilts Yahoo Group...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveQuiltsUSA/

Once there click on the link "database" on the right to view the children and their patterns.  Once you find a pattern  that you want to stitch and have confirmed it is not already being stitched  you may return to the sign up form, fill it in and submit it.  If you have any questions about the yahoo group please email Cyberfogie@aol.com, Vicki, for further instructions (yahoo groups email only!)  Thanks!