The News

Peyton had her EUA yesterday and was an absolute trooper.  Dr. Varenhorst confirmed that the tumor is much smaller in size since we began this ordeal in September.  The retina has not reattached yet due to the fluid that is still built up in her eye from the tumor.  Both Dr. Shields and Dr. Varenhorst do not seem optimistic that the retina will reattached, but we are praying for the miracle. 

Peyton is in good spirits, as always.  She is ready for Christmas and very excited about the present she made for Rich and I in preschool. 

Thank you again for all your prayers.  We would like to ask for continued prayers for Peyton because we have seen the miracle of God's work on her tumor, and we are hoping for the same miracle with her sight.

In His Love,

Angie, Rich and Peyton

Follow up on Final Chemo Treatment

Tomorrow is another big day for Peyton.  She will have another examination under anesthesia to track the progress on her eye.  We were told in November that the tumor is completely dead, but she will continue to have this exam on a regular basis to make sure there is no chance the cancer will reoccur.  We are lucky that we have a specialist, Dr. Varenhorst, in Wichita, and he is able to do this portion of the follow up.  So, no trip to Philly this month.  YEAH!!!

We would like to ask everyone for continued prayers for Peyton tomorrow while under anesthesia and that her retina is still reattaching so that her sight returns.

We have been truly blessed by all the support we have received from family, friends and friends of friends.  We could not have made it through all of this without your vigilant prayers. 

Merry Christmas to all,

Angie, Rich and Peyton

Back to School!

Peyton has returned to school this week and is sooo excited about it!  School is the one thing that seems "normal" to her right now.  When I dropped her off on Monday, she was mobbed by a group of 3 and 4 year olds and all of the staff.  It was so uplifting that it actually brought tears to my eyes. 

Peyton will have more blood work done on Friday just to make sure her counts are staying at a safe level.  Then, nothing else going on until her examination under anesthesia on the 21st (in Wichita).  After that, hopefully all is well until her next examination in Philadelphia on Feb. 16. 

We are still praying hard that Peyton's retina will re-attach itself.  We REALLY want our little girl to have sight in both eyes! 

Thank you all again for the continued support.  Hope you all have a fantastic holiday!

Richard Adams

So far so Good

So far Peyton seems to be doing fairly well.  She is finally eating like normal again and her upset tummy stuff seems to be over.  Peyton still has no sight in her left eye, but hopefully her retina is re-attaching as we speak.  We see her Pediatric Oncologist in Wichita tomorrow and we will be doing some blood work to see if it is safe for her to return to preschool.  Peyton REALLY wants to go back to school, and her friends REALLY miss her.  As for the near future, Peyton has an examination under anethesia(EUA) in Wichita on the 21st of this month and we main gain some more knowledge about possible sight at that time.  We return to Philadelphia on Feb 16th for another EUA with Dr. Shields.  We are anxious to get some kind of idea as to what the possibilites are of her retina re-attaching.  There is a surgery that can be done to reattach retinas, but Peyton could NOT have this procedure for at least two years.  (The doctors say it is not wise to open up her eye just in case there were cancer seeds that are undetectable-they could spread to the rest of her body.)  However, we are staying positive and praying hard that her retina will heal on its own.  If it doesn't, well...we still have our little girl that we love so much, and that's what's most important!  Peyton is tough as nails and smarter than any child I've ever seen at this age.  If anyone can survive this, she sure can. 

Thanks to all of you!

Rich

Glad to be Back!

We were greeted at the airport today by Grandpa Gillaspie and two surprise visitors, Marlin and Jan Penner.  Peyton was excited to see that Marlin and Jan had brought her a very special flower arrangement and some other goodies.  As most of you probably know, Peyton LOVES flowers.  It was very nice to be welcomed home this way, and share this special day with some special people.  We cannot explain how happy we are to be home with our little girl.. 

Now, we will have some blood work done here to check her white blood cell counts and we will also see the specialist in Wichita in 6 weeks for an extensive exam.  No more Philadelphia for at least 3 more months.  Thank you to all those who are following our story and to those who have supported us throughout all of this.  We could not do this without all of you!

Please continue to pray that Peyton does gain some sight in the near future.  But for now, we are just happy to say the tumor is completely dead.

God Bless!

Rich     

Updates from Philly

Peyton had her finally chemo today and everything went very well.  She was in recovery for 6 hours again today and handled it like a little trooper.  She has slept most of the day.  Below is a picture of her in recovery with a foam halo ring one of nurses gave to her.

We also found out that we do not have to come back to Philly for 3 Months because her follow up appointment can be done at home with Dr. Varenhorst in six weeks.

Dr. Shields believes that she can detect light and some movement in her left eye which is a blessing but, we continue to hope and pray that Peyton's retina reattaches and some (or all)  of her vision is restored.

Tomorrow, we have another lazy day.  We will let Peyton have sometime to recuperate and then fly home on Sunday. 

I will post some more pictures of her experience in Philly when we return home.

Many thanks for your prayers.

With love,

                                                                    Ang, Rich and Peyton 

P.S.  There is a comment box below each post if you would like to leave Peyton a message.  You are able to post comments without having a google account.

A WOOHOO from Philly

Peyton had her examination under anesthesia today.  We got some Excellent news.  The tumor in her eye is completely dead and it looks like all of the seeds are dead.  Her retina seems to be flatting, but has not reattached and the fluid in the eye is decreasing. We are praying, now that the tumor is dead, the retina will begin to shown signs of healing and reattaching. 

As a precautionary measure, Peyton will have the third round of Chemo on Friday.  Dr. Shields just wants to make sure to give the tumor an extra punch. 

We continue to ask for you prayers for Peyton during her chemo session on Friday and continued prayers that her vision is restored. 

With love,

Ang, Rich,  and Peyton


Here are a few pictures of Peyton we can thought you all may enjoy.  As you can see, she has an absolutely amazing spirit and life is always a party with her.


Raking Leave



 





Peyton fishing with her Daddy!

 



Halloween 2010 - Thumbelina







Halloween 2010 - Butterfly

 

Update

Peyton's white blood cell count came back even lower.  The doctors would like another count before we head to Philly.  So on Monday she gets poked once more.  The doctors are rush ordering the results so we should know by Monday afternoon.

Peyton has been in great spirits and health which is a positive.  She is a little upset that school and other outings have been taken away from her until the blood counts start to rise. 

She has been a great helper getting all things ready for the trip.  Mom had a clutter breakdown yesterday at least two rooms are clutter free for now.  As for today, there will be packing and playtime. 

Thank you for your continuing prayers for safe travel and Peyton's health and vision.  We will keep you updated as time permits from Philly.

With love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

The Good and The Bad

We got Peyton's blood work back and the white blood cell count is low.  She will have to get another test done on Thursday, and we are praying for the counts to increase.

We also went to see Dr. Varenhorst.  His first response was "That is just beautiful."  He believes that the fluid in her eye is decreasing and the tumor is beginning to crumble.  He was also able to see all her eye structure.  Before the tumor was so large that you could not see much.

We are heading back to Philly for the third round.  She will have another examination under anesthesia with Dr. Shields and hopefully a final round of chemo.

Thanks again for all of your support and prayers.

With love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

Home Sweet Home.....Again!

Peyton is doing pretty well today.  She is not eating like normal yet, but she is eating a little.  Her eye is swollen like last time, but nothing out of the ordinary.  She is tired of eye cremes and eye drops, so getting her to do her medicine is becoming quite the chore. 

Peyton was very happy to see Grandpa at the airport, and just as happy to see Bashful (Our Dog) at home.  Mom and Dad are just happy to have arrived home safely with their daughter! 

Round three is set for the later half of November.  Hopefully, this will be the last treatment.  There would be one or two more trips back to Philadelphia, but at least it would be the end of the chemo.  Thank you all for the well wishes, and please continue to keep little Peyton in your prayers!

With Love,

The Adams Family 

Good Day

Well, we went on the walk Peyton so desperately wanted.   We decided the best place to walk around would be the University of Pennsylvania.  Peyton learned that the squirrels here are fearless.  She was within touching distance when Rich said "Honey, you may not want to touch the squirrels.  It might bite."  Peyton decided it was a good idea not to see if the squirrel would eat her fingers. 

She spent the afternoon making cards for Grandma and me.  I think she has finally drifted off to sleep for a late afternoon nap.

We are headed home tomorrow bright and early.

much love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

2nd Chemo Treatment

Peyton's Chemo treatment went well again yesterday.  The doctors had no problem accessing the ophthalmic artery and Peyton was an absolute champ in recovery.

She is up and active today for now at least.  She wants to head out for a walk soon.  So out the door we head.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Much love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

Great News from Philly

Peyton had her examination under anesthesia today.  Dr. Shields determined that the tumor shrank in size by 70% and was 90% dead.  The sub retinal seeds were also mostly dead.  None of the negative side effects of the chemo were found in Peyton's eye.  From all accounts, the treatment is successful.

Peyton will have her second round of Chemo on Friday.  We are praying for the easy access to the femoral artery, the ophthalmic artery, and Peyton has a smooth recovery.

Thank for all your prayers!

Much love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

Gearing up to head out

It has been a busy weekend getting ready for the trip to Philly.  We leave on Tuesday and Peyton's appointments start on Wednesday.  We are praying that Dr. Shields likes the progress of the chemo treatments.  She will have another round of chemo on Friday.

Thanks to all our friends and family for the wave of prayers you have sent over Peyton. 

We will keep you posted from Philly.

Much love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

I Gotta Feeling

I Gotta Feeling tonight's gonna be a good night.  This is one of Peyton's favorite songs (sung by the Backyardigans), and we have been singing it all afternoon.

We received great news from Dr. Varenhorst this afternoon.  Peyton's tumor has shown significant shrinkage.  He was only able to eyeball the tumor size, but thinks she has made wonderful progress.

Thank you for all your prayers.  I just ask that you continue to pray that the tumor keeps shrinking and that Peyton will have her sight in the left eye restored.

GOD is Great!!!

With love,

Ang, Rich and Peyton

The coming weeks

We got good news.  Peyton's blood counts are holding steady through the first chemo treatment.  Now all the big stuff is coming. 

Tomorrow, Peyton goes to Dr. Varenhorst, the retinal specialist, to check the process of the treatment.  On Wednesday, she will have her MRI to make sure the cancer is only in the eye. 

The following Tuesday (October 19th), we head back to Philadelphia to do the whole process over again.  The examination under anesthesia is on Wednesday followed by the second round of Chemo on Friday.

On a happier note Peyton was able to go on her class field trip to C - Arrow Stables.  She got to ride a pony named Tater Tot, which is one of her nicknames.  She also got to pet numerous farm animals and pick out yet another pumpkin.

We will keep you all posted as time permits.

I would also like to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this time.  I never knew until now how true "it takes a village" was.  We are truly blessed to have such great people in our lives.

With love,

Ang

Update on Peyton's left eye

Today is the last day we have to use the eye creme and eye drops!  Peyton will be happy about this!  Of course, I'm sure we will have to use them again after her second treatment on the 22nd.  Peyton's eye is looking pretty decent now.  It still has a little swelling, but has opened up a lot more.  Also, I have noticed today that the white/yellow color in her pupil has seemed to shrink.  It was covering 3/4 of her pupil at one time and is now covering less than half.  Hopefully this is a fact and not just me trying to be positive!  Also, Peyton gets some blood work done today.  We need her cell counts to be good so she can continue to go to school for a few more days.  School is her sanctuary and has really helped her through some of this.  Pray for good cell counts!

Thank you everyone!

Richard 

Peyton's first day back at school

Peyton went back to school yesterday and she absolutely loved it.  I have not seen her this happy since we began her treatments!  We even hung out at the church for a while after school, because apparently Peyton did not get enough time with Brody and Samantha during class.  It was so nice to see our daughter happy again.  I am so grateful that we have our church/preschool family.  Thanks to everyone who is helping to make this journey a little easier on us.  We truly appreciate all of you!

Richard Adams 

Peyton's next appointments

Peyton will be seeing her pediatrician on the 7th to have some blood work done.  On the 11th, she will see a specialist here in town.  Then, she will be scheduled for a full body MRI just to make sure nothing else is going on in the rest of her body.  Following all of this will be another trip to PA, where Peyton will have a EUA on the 20th and her second round of chemo on the 22nd.  God bless our little girl!

Recovery Process

Today was a decent day overall.  Peyton still has some swelling in her eye and sometimes complains of it hurting.  Her medications seem to help some, and we have been trying to ice it down.  She is starting to get used to wearing her glasses, but this seems like it could become quite the process.  Grandma and Grandpa came over to spend some time with her today, and she was very happy to see them!  No word yet from Wills Eye Institute on her next appointments.

Mom and Dad went back to work today and it was extremely hard for both of us.  Neither of us want to leave her for any length of time at all.

Also, we have set up a fund at Cessna Employees Credit Union in Wichita, KS, under the name of Peyton Adams.  Thank you all for your continued support!

Home Sweet Home

We finally made it home!  Peyton's left eye is swollen and red, but she seems to be dealing with it rather well.  It is quite the adventure applying the eye drops and creme.  Peyton's leg also has a big bruise from the cathedar. Overall, she is recovering slowly, but we do see some good signs.  Peyton is a tough kid and she will beat this horrible disease!

Also, Thanks again to all those who continue to support us.  Angie's parents were with us every step of the way and we couldn't have done this without them.  Rich's parents/family joined us in Philadelphia for a few days and also provided some much needed support.  We have sooo many wonderful friends and we are blessed to know all of you.

*** I would also like to share two uplifting things that occurred in Philadelphia that we all thought were kind of neat.

#1- Peyton received an autographed photo from the boxer, Smokin Joe Frazier.  He is praying for Peyton as well, and wrote some kind wishes on Peyton's autographed photo.

#2- Peyton's name was announced over the intercom on one of our flights.  She was announced as a very special passenger, and she got to sit in the cockpit after we landed.  The pilots thought she was hilarious.  

Day/Evening After Treatment

Peyton is having a rough day.  Her eye and stomach have both been bothering her today.  We applied some creme and drops to her eye, and she seems to be a little more comfortable.  However, she is having trouble keeping anything down.  We have spoken to the doctor, and may have to take her to the E.R. tonight so she does not become completely dehydrated.  Keep your fingers crossed that we can get her comfortable and avoid another trip to the hosptial.

The outpour of support from all of our family and friends has been amazing.  During these tough times, you find out who your true friends really are.  We have many more friends than we even thought and we are so happy to be involved with each and every one of you.  Your prayers and support have really helped us and we would really appreciate it if you could keep them coming.  I know we've asked alot of you guys, but we need all the emotional and spiritual support we can get.


With love,

The Adams Family

Update after treatment

Peyton had a pretty good day yesterday and even felt like taking a trip to the zoo. She had a great time, but came back very tired.  Late last night she began vomitting and kept saying the her tummy hurt.  Finally, this morning she was able to keep down some Sprite and is still sleeping yet today.

We are hopeful that we will be heading tomorrrow.

Thanks again for your prayers!

Ang

Intra Arterial Chemo Treatment

Peyton had her first round of Intra Arterial Chemotherapy today.  The procedure went very well.  The doctor was able to find the femoral artery immediately and shortly after we received the news that they found the proper artery in the eye on the first try. 

Once in recovery Peyton was her normal happy self most of the day and didn't not have a hard time laying still for the 6 hours.  We are back in the Ronald McDonald House tonight, and she has been asleep most of the evening. We will know more about the success of the treatment in two weeks.

We are still in need of prayers that the veins in her eye will return to the normal pressure, that the chemo treatment is successful in reducing the tumor, and that Peyton recovers with some vision. 

Thanks for prayers.

Ang

Treatment

Today, Peyton had her examination under anesthesia.  Dr. Shields was optimistic about the finding.  The veins in the eye still seem to be relatively healthy and the tumor is isolated to the eyeball only.  After reviewing the findings with Dr. Shields, we had two options for treatment for Peyton's retinoblastoma, 1) remove the eye or 2) Arterial Chemotherapy.  We have opted to start Chemo.  That option will give her a chance of saving the eye and possibly some vision. 
Peyton will get her first round of Chemo tomorrow at Jefferson Neuroscience Hospital.  This is basically an out patient procedure and she will be released tomorrow evening.  We should know quickly whether the tumor is responding to the Chemo.

Peyton is holding up as best as she can.  This is very tough on her but she is trying very hard to be the happy go lucky girl we all know and love.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support.

Ang

Wills Eye Institute

We were seen today by Dr. Carol Shields at Wills Eye Institute.  Peyton has been diagnosed with Group E retinoblastoma on the International classification.  We are going back to Wills Eye Institute tomorrow for an examination under anesthesia.  We will be making decisions about treatment tomorrow.

Peyton has been an absolute trooper through this whole experience.  She did not need the any instruments to hold her eye open this morning.  We have been truly amazed by her attitude and willingness to please the doctors.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Angela

Philadelphia

We finally made it to Philly.  We are heading to Wills Eye Institute tomorrow for the initial check up.  It sounds like it might be quite a process (6 to 8 hours).  We will update tomorrow sometime hopefully.  Thank you all for your prayer and support.

Ang

Heading Out

We are on our way to Philadelphia to visit a specialist at Wills Eye Institute.  We will keep you posted on the progress.