When I was working at the daycare, one month I had a new baby start by the name of Allison. She was 6 weeks old and so tiny and delicate. She had my heart from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Her mom and I became fast friends, and it wasn't long before I was hanging out with the family, which includes Steven, the dad, and Sarah, the older sister.
Over the years, she's had some health problems, from surgery on her hand, to two sets of tubes in her ears, and a few bouts with pneumonia. This past Thursday, her mom Alicia took her to the doctor because the medicine she was put on 2 months ago for a bad cough wasn't working. The Nurse Practitioner said she had pneumonia and sent them to the ER for x-rays. Before they made it home, they were called back for a CAT scan. Turns out, Allison has a very large tumor in her left lung area. They sent them to Schumpert's in Shreveport to have more tests run, and she has to go back Monday to have the tumor removed. We won't know until Wednesday if it's cancerous or not.
The surgery is very invasive. They will cut her from right under her left breast, around the left side, and to her back around the same area as the front. It could take anywhere from 3 hours to 7 hours, we don't know. It's roughly the size of a baseball, which is enormous in her tiny 3 year old chest. She will be in ICU for the first couple of days, and when the test results come back, they will let us know the next course of treatment, whether it's chemo or radiation, or (we hope) nothing.
Two nerves of her heart are involved and the tumor is also growing near her spinal cord as well. It doesn't look good right now.
Anyone reading this please keep this family in your prayers. The surgery is scheduled to start around 8:30 Monday morning. I'm going over there on Tuesday to check on her.
