Welcome Friends!
Sage B.
Main Diagnosis -    Stage 2 Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma in Spinal Cord

THEME:  EMS Babies






Biography

For the first 10 months Sage was a
perfect baby.  She rarely cried, and was seemingly very content.  Sage began
walking holding your hands at 9 1/2 months old.  1 week before she turned 10
months old she suddenly refused to stand on her feet.  If you tried to force
Sage onto her feet she would cry out in pain.  1 week after these symptoms
started, on 7/9/10, Sage had an MRI and we were told the unconceivable news of
this long mass running from T2 to T12 interwined with her spinal cord.  A biopsy
on 7/10/10 revealed it was a Stage 2 Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma, and due to the size
Sage most likely was born with this heinous tumor.

  A 70 week (18 month) chemotherapy protocol began on 7/19/10.  The plan went
smoothly until a month later when another MRI was done on 8/23/10.  This MRI was
ordered due to Sage suddenly regressed even further to not being able to crawl
and was extremely irritable.  The MRI found a blood clot in her spinal cord
along with massive inflammation widening her cord.  An immediate decompressive
laminectomy surgery was performed following the MRI.  During the surgery the
neurosurgeons were unable to open Sage's cord due to the massive inflammation
for fear they would be unable to close it back up.  So, unfortunately we were
left with the only option to not remove the clot, and instead wait months for it
to dissolve on its own.  2 weeks later (1 week before her 1st birthday) Sage
came home regressed further.  She had regressed to the point of being unable to
sit up on her own, was on large amounts of steroids to control the inflammation,
and on 3 different adult dose blood pressure
medicines scheduled throughout the day and night for every approximate 2 hours.

  Over the first month Sage was home she was put on anxiety medicine, morphine,
and a nerve pain medicine.  A month later Sage was able to sit up.  A month
after that she was able to crawl.  Sage's constant pain slowly resolved as the
blood clot dissolved and approximately 4 months after the blood clot was found
in Sage's cord we were finally able to totally stop giving her the morphine.

  Sage has continued to receive her chemotherapy and has daily physical therapy. 
As of today, she is down to only 4 scheduled blood pressure doses a day, is
still on the nerve medicine, and has reached a very low dose on the steroid.  We
just received braces custom sized for her feet and ankles, and are currently
working on her standing/walking with the assistance of these braces.

  It has been a difficult 8 months, but we feel like we are well on our way to
helping our little girl beat this.  We have been advised she will never be tumor
free, but her treatments can help to make her cancer free, and that is our goal! 
With the constant pain behind her, Sage has been able to be happy, smile, laugh
and explore as you would expect a child to do.  Her constant and continual
smiles we now receive just melt all of our hearts.  Sage doesn't realize at her
young age this battle she faces, but she has learned to be so strong and is
unknowingly fighting with unmistakable strength.

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!
All Squares were donated by OTB