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Powered by LifeTypeWednesday's many tests all went well. The MRI showed shrinkage of the tumor, especially around the ear canal (less so in the cheek/salivary gland.) The hearing test confirmed Grace's attestation that her right ear is significantly improved. Her eyes are still perfect. Her heart is also good, no changes.
So we praise and thank God for these results. And continue to pray for the tumor to shrink to nothing and for no side effects from the selumetinib. She occasionally has diarrhea, but one half dose of Imodium every couple of weeks is enough to keep it at bay. The nutritionist also gave us a list of binding foods that had more in it than the classic banana that Grace is kind of tired of. (:
She also got another stuffed unicorn, which she insisted on naming Candy Corn just like the first one!
They stopped by David's House after all the appointments and played at the playground a while.
Jon just put this comment on a recent post, but I don't think most people get notified of comments, so I'm posting it here:
She's getting an echocardiogram right now [July 9, 2025, 8:42am] , and then an MRI, regular oncology checkup, opthamology and audiology.
We don't expect too much interesting, though we'll see what audiology says.
I don't remember if it has been posted here yet [nope] but Grace told us that God has healed her ear and she no longer needs her hearing aid, so she hasn't worn it for over a week [two weeks] and I've only heard her ask for someone to repeat themselves a few times so I'm hopeful that her tumor is shrinking (which is faster than expected). I'm curious to see what the hearing test says and whether they'll want her to wear it even if it is getting better - there is some brain training that is good to make sure it is used to using both ears.
Today is Day +500 and we have much to rejoice over!
We are so thankful for Grace's good marrow results, so thankful to reach this milestone.
I feel so much lighter now, and the smaller things that bothered me last week don't seem so bad anymore.
Here are some recent pictures and quotes from our Amazing Grapey Grace Victoria:
Someone was talking about tax, and Grace thought they said tictacs, so I said it was spelled T-A-X, and she replied, "E-A-O-B: tictacs!"
Me: "Why do you have to ask a question about everything I do?"
Grace: "'Cause my voice has lotsa questions!"
When we all had sore throats: "Why Daddy not reading, mom? Daddy's voice is itchy, too?"
Grace's first time painting pottery.
Little pigtails; we think she looks like Boo from Monsters, Inc.
Hiking
She called the Rubik's cube "cuber-solve."
Jeremiah wasn't careful when he sneezed, and Grace said indignantly, "Don't bless you on me!"
She cut her own bangs; "Now they're not in my eyes anymore!"
The test is done and we are back home. Nothing too eventful to report. Our regular physican's assistant did the biopsy, so got to talk to him a little bit, and he is going to research one question that we aren't sure about regarding what 97% chimerism test means.
He did say false positives on a JAK3 test are possible, though very low probability. He agreed that a clerical error would be ideal, but he didn't think that was too likely either.
I said that I've been assuming a positive JAK3 test is a pre-cursor to the chimerism test dropping to a "mixed chimerism", and he is always very careful with his words, and said that it isn't a harbinger or a pre-cursor, but it is a pre-disposition.
We will find out all of the results in a week or so.
The day of prayer and fasting for Grace has been scheduled for this Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
Please observe this in the way that seems best to you. Jon and Grace will be at the Hillsboro Methodist Church (16 Henniker Street, Hillsboro, NH 03244) from 11AM - 6PM.
Pray for complete healing, continued remission, 100% tumor shrinkage, peace, and whatever God puts on your heart. And Thursday is Grace's repeat bone marrow aspirate.
The scriptures that we are clinging to and praying through:
"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9
"It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23
Jon was reading through Grace's test results and saw that the most recent bone marrow report mentioned the JAK3 mutation. He contacted her doctors because we thought that one was gone following the transplant.
Dartmouth doctors can't see her Boston results to compare 
so they contacted the head transplant doctor there. She said that seemed odd given the good chimerism results, but she wants another aspirate as soon as possible to make sure. So that is scheduled for June 12. We aren't clear as to why no one noticed that before. We think the Dartmouth doctors thought it was expected, and I guess the Boston doctors didn't see the results? It does make us wonder if we need to be paying more attention - we try to read all of the medical records, but don't always read through everything, and sometimes it gets pretty technical.
On Thursday, Grace got her hearing aid! They did a whole hearing test so they could program the device to her exact needs. The inner ear test shows that she hears fine on that end. So the aid amplifies the sound so it can reach the inner ear.
She noticed new sounds right away, and she played around with her voice in the car ride home. She still asks us to repeat ourselves, but a lot less than when she doesn't have the aid in.
Our week has been somewhat full, with a few extra church services, including Maundy Thursday with handbells, which I didn't find out until the end of the service that it wasn't recorded, and I meant to record it during rehearsal, but I forgot. But, it went well, despite Jeremiah being sick, but fortunately, Faith's part was pretty easy, so she was able to take over his bells as well as her own (so, I think that means she had more than an octave of the highest bells).
We also had a combined service with the Methodist Church and Smith Church today. They had a "tables of the cross" type setup to explore after the service, and Nathaniel in particular stayed for quite a while.
We had our appointment with the NF1/oncology doctor yesterday. It turns out the neurofibroma is even bigger than we thought. In addition to what we already knew, which is that it goes from her external ear where we can see into her middle ear, it also extends down under her ear into her parotid gland which is a salivary gland in the cheek. This is a plexiform neurofibroma, which is something that has actually been there since birth. And it has grown over time. (There are other neurofibromas that can come later possibly, but they are not the plexiforms.) This plexiform right now is benign, but it could potentially become malignant at some point. An initial screening has indicated that this one is one step towards becoming malignant, but they are still unsure of how many steps the body takes to get there.
Grace will be going on a medicine which is designed to shrink the tumor, and it may prevent some other kind of tumors. This medicine can have some unpleasant and even dangerous side effects, including diarrhea and rashes, vision impairment and heart issues. So Grace will be going in monthly and then every 3 months to check on all those functions. Right now, the plan is for her to take this medicine for 2 years, and then reevaluate, based on new research and her body's response to the drug.
One fascinating thing that I learned yesterday is that the longer hair on her right side that we have noticed since she was very young is related to this neurofibroma. The doctor said that because of extra vascular activity on that side it is not surprising that it would cause faster hair growth. When I heard that, I went back to my list of Grace's symptoms that we made before her NF1 JMML diagnosis while we were trying to figure out what was going on with her. I noted that she also would get redness on her right cheek when she ate sometimes. We thought at the time it was an allergic reaction, but it is likely due to the extra vascular activity. (It still happens sometimes.)
Please pray:
That Grace will be able to swallow the capsule (twice a day!)
That she will not have any serious side effects. We would also appreciate if she didn't have any other side effects. It's been really nice the last few months to not have to deal with diarrhea.
That the medicine will do its job, which is to shrink the tumor. I forgot to ask if her hearing loss is permanent or if it could come back with tumor shrinkage.
Some of you may be wondering ( I hear you Grandma!) why could they not see this in the imaging. The reason stated is that the plexiform neurofibromas are a soft and spongy tissue, and is easy to not notice them, and/or think that they are something else. The ENT even said that it's made of the same kind of tissue that your outer ear is made of anyway, so then it's really hard to distinguish.
I guess that's it for now. Here's a collage of pictures that Grace took of Hope in the grocery store:
One year ago today, our older kids got to see a total solar eclipse, and Grace came home! These annual milestones are flying by this year, and we are thankful.
Grace's NF1/oncology doctor called Jon with biopsy results on Friday. It is the opposite of what we were hoping. Both biopsies indicate plexiform neurofibroma and it's really one big tumor that connects from the outside where we can see to the inside behind the eardrum. Surgery in this delicate area is not advised. We will have a meeting with the doctors Wednesday to discuss treatment. Some good news is that Jon has talked with other NF1 parents whose kids have done well on the medicine.
That news was a blow, but I am doing better after attending a prayer meeting on Friday and church on Sunday. I am holding onto the hope that God is still working and will heal her one way or another and in his timing.
Both Jon and I are going to the meeting tomorrow, so we can be clear on the options, side effects, pros, cons, etc.
Here is Grace with some presents from ladies at church:
And helping Daddy with his project:
As far as we know, the surgery went well. He took two biopsies, one in front of the eardrum and one behind. There was not much fluid, so he did not put in a tube. We will get results in several days. The bone marrow aspirate also apparently went well, and that also takes about a week to get all the results back.
The cotton ball they put in her ear got soaked through, though it was not supposed to come out until tomorrow. But Jon put in a new one and there seems to be no more bleeding.
As Jon mentioned, Grace is having ear surgery tomorrow to explore what's going on, get a biopsy, and maybe get a tube in. The oncology/NF1 doctor also managed to schedule her bone marrow aspirate for the same day so Grace will not have to be sedated twice in a few weeks.
Prayers for all that accompanies sedation (including fasting, Jon's conversation with the anesthesiologist, and emergence) are appreciated. And that they will find exactly what they need to, that everything will be clear. And that her marrow will still be all Faith's!
When she bites into a clementine, it gets a face!
She is in a phase where she loves making dough. She has requested it nearly every day the last week.
An ENT, a radiologist and an oncologist walk into a bar...
Oh, maybe not, but they at least had a discussion about Grace while looking over the MRI and CT scan together and the conclusion is that it isn't a plexiform fibroma at all! Which is what Heather has had the faith to pray for all along! She has had a number of positive signs from God this week and so she is greatly encouraged. The lunar eclipse was pretty neat to watch, and she was also blessed with a meteor just after as she was going to bed.
I haven't talked to the oncologist/NF1 specialist who was the one to diagnose it in the first place to hear why she changed her mind, but collectively, they don't think what is going is consistent with an NF1 fibroma, so they are looking for another cause.
Grace now has surgery scheduled for next Thursday, the 27th, to check out the potential fluid behind her ear (last time I talked to the ENT, he was thinking it might not be fluid, but some spongy tissue), possibly install a tube in her ear drum to let the fluid out, if it is there but getting blocked from going down her eustachian tube, and do a biopsy to grab near the potential NF1 fibroma to see what it is.
She will be sedated for the procedure. They haven't scheduled the time yet, but it will likely be at 6:30AM or so.