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This page is deicated to Melanie and her fight. We will post all past updates on this page. |
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05/08/2007 Melanie's counts were up on Sunday, so we flew to NYC to start, what we hope will be, her final cycle!! We are leaving again this upcoming Sunday for the last round. Then a few weeks after that, scans. If her scans are what we are hoping and praying for them to be, she will begin radiation soon afterwards!! She actually had a fun day at Sloan on Monday. They had a professional photographer there taking pictures of mothers with their kids for Mothers Day. So while she was getting chemo, we had our picture taken together. Then they had some professional make up artists come in and teach the teens how to apply make up. She had a great time doing that. She also got some great make up for free. NARS, MAC, Bobbie Brown, etc.. They taught the girls how to fill in their eye brows and make what little eye lashes they have left to appear fuller. You should have seen their faces when they were done !! The girls loved it. It was nice for Melanie to actually interact w/ girls her age, going through what she is. Usually she is too tired when we are there to do any of the teen projects. Lets face it, girls will do anything for a free make over !! She went to school today for the afternoon, and is planning on going all day tomorrow. I think she is getting excited about nearing the end of this !! We haven't met with the Make A Wish people yet, hopefully this week. She has some big ideas. |
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5/1/2007 As I posted on Sunday, Melanie left w/ Jim to go to NYC to start treatment on Monday. She went in to first thing for bloodwork, and her counts were not up enough for her to start chemo. They had her stay overnight, confident they would be up by the following morning. She went back in this morning (Tuesday) and they still were not up. She flew home this afternoon. They are replacing one of her meds, thinking that was what was suppressing her counts. I will be bringing her in for local counts on Thursday morning, if they are up, her and I will be flying out Thursday night. If not, then Sunday night. Melanie is so frustrated.... A few things I wanted to mention...Dr. Robert Dracker has been so amazing. He is always on call for Melanie. He came in on a Sunday just to do her blood work for her (I don't think he ever stops working!) He always, always takes care of us. He has been her guardian angel..speaking of.... We got some sad news. Sue Mahar, Melanie and Olivia's nurse practitioner, has left Summerwood Pediatrics for another job. She told us just a few weeks ago. The thing that amazed me,..she told us this job was offered to her around the time Melanie was first diagnosed. She turned it down, because she didn't feel she could leave Melanie. The job came back around again. She knew then, as we do, that Melanie was going to be okay. Only then did she feel confident enough to take the job. She held off telling Melanie because Melanie wasn't feeling well. I can't even begin to explain what a sad thing this is for us. Not only has Sue been there through every sickness, every boo boo for both of my girls, she held us up when we couldn't stand. She gave us so much. She was right there in the beginning, she came out to hug Melanie every time she went in for blood work. She came to her benefit. She checked her website in the middle of the night. She cried with us during the sadness, she celebrated every bit of good news. She showed up at the airport (at 4 a.m. I might add) when we made that first trip, just to hug Melanie and tell her not to be afraid. Sue is part of our family and will be sorely missed. And although we won't be sharing our sick visits/well visits with her anymore, she will always be part of our lives. Thank you Sue, for all your strength, your love and your kind heart. We couldn't have gone through this difficult journey without you. 04/29/2007 Sorry I haven't updated in a while, things have been hectic. We have had a little setback. Melanie was supposed to fly out last Sunday night to begin the first round in what we hope will be her final cycle of chemotherapy on the following day. However, we went in to see Dr. Dracker to get blood work done before we left, and her platelets were not up enough for her to begin treatment. We scheduled another appointment on Tuesday, for more blood work. On Tuesday, her platelets were up, so we booked a flight out on Thursday night to begin treatment on Friday. I took her in for bloodwork on Thursday morning, so we could make sure her white blood count was high enough for her to attend school that afternoon. (Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 6:30 that evening) Unfortunately, not only were her white counts not high enough for school, but her platelets had fallen again, too low for her to begin treatment. Also she needed a transfusion. She went to Upstate immediately for that, and was home by 9:00 that night. We cancelled our flight, yet again. She went for more blood work on Saturday and her platelets are way up this time, so she is leaving tonight to begin treatment tomorrow. Needless to say, she is very frustrated. She wants to be at the end. She hates the chemotherapy, even though she understands she needs it. She also misses her normal life...her friends and school, so very much. She wants to get back to where she was. Although life will never be the same for her, she wants to be as normal as possible. On a good note, her hair is growing back, and she is really happy about that. She looks so cute. She is so beautiful. Also, we are going to be getting a visit from Melanie's wish grantors from Make A Wish soon, hopefully this week. Holly and Brian.. and Melanie can't wait to meet them! And she is beginning her last cycle tomorrow !! Keep praying, please, keep praying !! Today, I will be going to a benefit for a young woman named Sarah Delaney. She is a 22 year old from Liverpool who is also fighting the battle against Hodgkins Lymphoma. Melanie wanted to go so badly, but her white counts are too low, and we cant risk infection. So I am going for her to give Sarah Melanie's hope and prayers. If anyone is looking for something to do today...its at Liverpool High School, today, Sunday, April 29th from 2 until 6 P.M. I actually emailed her mother when I saw her flier,to tell her Melanie's story. Her mother emailed me back and said not only was she already aware of Melanie's story, but her and Sarah were actually at Melanie's benefit at St. Rose !! We just didn't get a chance to meet them. I am looking forward to meeting Sarah today. Along with your prayers for Melanie, please say a prayer for Sarah, and all the others who have to fight this disease! Thank you to all our friends and family. Over and over again... 4/11/2007 Just got back from Florida today. Started out good. We got to Florida, Melanie was in good spirits. For the first few days, she was able to shop, sit by the pool and actually went swimming !! (She cannot sit in the sun, just under an umbrella and has to be lubed up w/ sun block all the time..SPF 50!!..the chemo will make her burn) But it was good for her to be out, to feel the sun on her face. We went out to dinner a few times. She ate lots of shrimp!! Then over the weekend, her counts dropped. She was tired, had a stomach ache, and some joint pain. We went to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers on Monday (we knew ahead of time we had to do this to check her counts) and she was low. The doctors and nurses were so nice there. But she was still able to walk down to the ocean and sit on the beach and read. We just ate in our condo the rest of vacation. Our balcony overlooked the ocean, so it was still nice. We made the best of it. She saw some dolphins that came really close to the shore (Olivia is convinced they came just to say hi to her and Mellie) and there was an alligator parked at the lagoon at our condo. The Easter bunny made an appearance in Sanibel, and she got a few nice treats. All in all, she had a nice vacation. Things are just different now, and we just adapt. Thats what you do, you adapt. Next year we will go and have a totally different vacation. Yet, still be thankful for this one. It makes you appreciate things more. She has to go get her counts done tomorrow. On Monday, hopefully school, and on Tuesday, Dr. Dracker wants her to do an interview w/ Channel 3 on the importance of blood transfusions. Will let everyone know on that. Happy belated Easter to all. |
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2-8-07 Melanie was able to go to the game last Saturday !! We had some friends over for the superbowl on Sunday. She was pretty tired though. By Monday, she was exhausted. She left for NYC w/ her dad on Wednesday morning. She was really upset about going. Its so hard for her. She just wants to stay home, but she knows she has to go to get better. She is really getting tired of being sick. She is tired of being tired. She went to Memorial Sloane with her dad yesterday. She gets a quick "push" of chemo while she is there. She also sees Dr. Trippet so she can check her weight and talk about her week. Then her and her dad go back to the Ronald. She is wiped out, so they go to bed early. On Thursday, she had to go back to the hospital to check in with Dr. Trippett. Her counts are low, so she cant do much. She can't go out in large crowds when her counts are low. Her and Jim are just hanging out at the Ronald and watching movies. Tomorrow she has to go see Dr. Trippett in the morning and then she will be home !! She will probably be stuck home all weekend because of her low counts. We will get them checked locally on Monday. We don't have to go back to NYC until February 19th. Big week. She will be getting her scans done. Either way, we are halfway there !! She is so brave. So very, very brave. Anyway, people always ask us exactly what Melanie goes through, so Melanie decided to have me post on her website a little of what she goes through while we are in NYC.. 1-31-07 Tuesday night, we arrive in NYC at Kennedy airport. Usually Uncle Jerry picks us up, but he is fishing in Florida (much deserved vacation, but we miss his friendly face) and go straight to the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan. There are people from all over the world here, Germany, Italy, Mexico, California, New Jersey, Syracuse !! The Ronald is like a hotel. There are 85 units. They have two twin beds, and a pull out sofa. There is a bathroom in each, and a t.v. You can rent DVD's. There is always something going on here. They try to make your stay enjoyable, under tough circumstances.There is a huge dining hall on the second floor and three kitchens. We have one shelf in the fridge, freezer and a small pantry cupboard. Tonight is a good night for Melanie. She is tired, but knows she will be wiped out over the next few days, so we go to Finnigans for burgers. Then to the grocery store for plastic silverware and whatever else we may need over the next few days, then home to bed !! Wednesday- we get up early. I have to put a numbing creme on Melanie's port. We walk to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center today. Its only five blocks and Melanie feels okay this morning. If Melanie is not feeling well, we can either take the shuttle from the Ronald, cab, or I can push her in a wheelchair (which I did last time, and it was kind of funny..later..for us to think about..) When we first get here, we have to see Dr. Trippett (Melanie's doctor) and Lauren (Dr. Trippett's nurse) Melanie needs to have her weight checked, a general exam, Lauren checks our meds, we talk about our week. Dr. Trippett thinks because Melanie had such a hard week last week that we may need to stay longer next week so she can keep an eye on Melanie. We also went over the scheduled appointments for February's scans. Then we leave her office to go down the hall to the "bed area". This is an area where they have little individual rooms w/ beds and two chairs. Melanie has her chemotherapy here. We come see our nurse (who is usually Jen or Carleen..we love them both..they are soooo nice) Today we have Carleen. Carleen has accessed Melanie's port. She drew blood, and we have discovered, again, that Melanie needs a blood transfusion. She will get that while we are here. We are usually here until 6 p.m. at night. Sometimes 7 p.m. We got here at 8 a.m. Long day. She will get her chemo, and fluids. When we leave, they give her a backpack that contains anti nausea medicine and fluids. The medicine inside the backpack is attached to her ports. She has to carry this backpack where ever she goes. It will dispense the medicine to her overnight, until we get back here tomorrow morning, then they can unhook her backpack and hook her back up to her I.V. This is to make her feel better. It is lunchtime. She does not want hospital food. So I am running out to Subway to get her a sub. She is starting to get really tired. The chemo wipes her out. By tonight she will be exhausted. When we leave we will go right back to the Ronald and she will get right into bed. 2-1-07 Melanie did wake up for American Idol. When that was over, she was a little chatty and then went to sleep. She was up most of the night though, because of the fluids and anti nausea in her backpack, she had to go to the bathroom frequently. There is a lot of fluid in her little body. I woke her this morning at 7. I immediately noticed she looked better. Her cheeks are nice and pink. She was able to walk to the hospital this morning. (Its only 5 blocks). She had a great breakfast. She just seems better. The blood transfusion seems to have really picked her up. We went directly to the bed area. Our nurse (Kris, this morning, Carleen comes in later) unhooked Melanie's backpack and hooked her up to an IV. More fluids. Dr. Trippett came in with Lauren to check on her. She thinks Melanie looks so much better. We talked about Make A Wish. Also, about coming in next week.She called her dad. She misses him, and her dogs, her friends, she wants to go home. She will only receive one chemotherapy today, but a lot of fluids, as well as the anti nausea medicine. Hopefully, we will be out by 5 p.m. today. I am cautiously optimistic she will do better this cycle. Last cycle, she was so nauseas. She never ceases to amaze me. She inspires my heart. 2-2-07 We were out by 4:30 yesterday !! It was actually light out when we left. Melanie was able to walk back to Ronald. She seems to be doing much better than last time. Hopefully, she will stay that way. We got back to our room and she went right to bed. I went to our favorite pizza place around the corner and got her some spaghetti. After she ate, she wasn't feeling well, so I had to give her some additional anti nausea medicine. We watched some t.v. and went to bed at ten. She was up all night again going to the bathroom, because of all the fluids she is getting from her backpack. I woke her up at 7:30 a.m. She was a little grumpy. Her little body has just gotten so much chemotherapy. By Friday, she is always wiped out. She was able to walk though, which is always a good sign. We arrived at the hospital by 8:15 a.m. We are getting used to being here, but when you first come here, it is a bit of a shock. To see all these children. Some are so sick. Others are running around, laughing. All their bald little heads. They are beautiful. Just like Dr. Trippett told us, you notice their eyes, their smiles. Then you see the new families. You can tell who they are. It breaks your heart. You remember... We go right to the bed area. Carleen comes in and unhooks her backpack (Melanie is glad to be rid of it, finally !!) and hooks her up to the IV. She will only receive one chemotherapy. We need to wait until her anti nausea is finished. We should be out by noon. Jen comes in to say hi ! Then Maura (another of Dr. Trippett's nurses) comes in to check in on Melanie. Dr. Trippett should be in soon. When we leave here, we will walk back to Ronald. It is a time crunch. I forgot to bring linens this time, so I will have to hurry and wash what we used before we go. I have to pack up and clean the room before our driver comes to get us to take us to the airport. Melanie is usually just exhausted by now. She wants to stay w/ her dad tonight, and is hoping to go to the Syracuse game w/ me tomorrow. She needs to rest. We can't wait to get home. I miss Livvie and Chris , she misses her dad and her puppy dogs. We just want to get home. She has been through a lot. Each cycle gets more tiring, but she is so strong willed. Next week will be hard on her. It is always hard when she has to come right back here. She just wants to be home. |
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1.10.2007 1.24.2007 1.21.2007 1.18.2007 Melanie has hit a bit of a rough patch. She has been experiencing some of the side effects from her chemo. She has been in bed for much of the past week, not feeling well at all. Her counts are low this weekend. Hopefully, she will be up and around next week. She is the bravest person I know. She misses everyone so much, especially when she is sick and isolated. She needs those prayers, and that extra love that everyone is so great at sending her way !! She just went to NYC this past Tuesday w/ her dad and came home on Wednesday. She is home until January 30th. This will be the start of her 4th cycle. At the end of this cycle, we will go back to NYC (the week of Feb 18) for new PET scans. This will determine the next three months of therapy. 1.2.2007 She was home for Christmas, and had a great one !! Her favorite gifts were a Tiffany ring and bracelet and a new Coach purse. She also got a lot of clothes, lotions, normal twelve year old things. She received some really thoughtful gifts from family and friends too!! She loves how much thought everyone puts into what they send her, whether its a gift of a card. Everyone makes her feel so special. Our time in NYC right before Christmas was actually fun. She received some really nice gifts from Santa at Memorial Sloan, and some more gifts back at the Ronald McDonald House. She also met Gavin DeGraw and got her picture taken w/ him. Her Uncle Gerry took her to see the tree at Rockefeller. She loved it !! Christmas morning, we had a yummy surprise. Dr. Dracker sent breakfast over to us. It was delicious, and so very thoughtful. Melanie felt very special. Thank you so much Dr. Dracker. He is always thinking of her. New Years was very quiet here. Melanie's counts were low, so she has been stuck home the last week. Today, they went back up again, so we will be getting her out to see friends as much as we can. She will also be busy getting caught up on school work !! She is doing pretty well. We did notice the effects of the chemo were more pronounced this time. She was really tired and her bones just ache. He doctor adjusted her medicine and hopefully she will start feeling better. Next week is a BIG week for us. We are leaving for NYC on Monday, January 8th. She will be having scans done on Tuesday. This will tell us how her body is responding to her chemotherapy. Please keep her in your prayers. We did get some good news. Her doctor is having a special plate made for her to protect her mediport on her chest. She is going to start going to practice with the Bishop Grimes basketball team. She is so excited !! This will be a huge boost for her. I am still working on getting our thank yous together. I am so sorry for how long its taken me, there are so so many people to thank. The emotional support is so inspiring. Please keep your messages to Melanie coming. She loves getting them. She misses everyone so very much. Happy New Year to all. We are praying for a healthy, happy new year for everyone. 11.20.2006 11.18.2006 A website was created to help draw support for Melanie Burke and her family. Tumors were found in her head and neck. The specific type of cancer is not known at this time but arrangements were made with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC to begin treatment immediately. |
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