All Is Well

Megan just got out of her Dr. appointment and the Dr's are saying everything looks great!!! At the last appointment they saw a grey area that was not there last time, and they wanted to see her in 6 weeks. They suspected it was scar tissue from the radiation treatments, but wanted to keep an eye on her. Today they told her they are going to move her back to appointments every 3 months. Once she gets 2 or 3 of those behind her then she can go to 4 months. Her spirits are high and she is doing well. She has more energy now, but the girls keep her on her toes and running. Thanks for all your prayers, keep them coming.

Prayer & Support

Megan has another MRI Scheduled for September 8th, and a review of the results on the 9th. She is a little tired these days. The kids are a lot to handle, and she gets tired very easy. Marion & Hannah try to pitch in when they can, and the kids like to spend time with Nani, but she is not there on most days. Marion has been working at the office doing daily work, so Megan has been on her own. If anyone feels moved to take the kids for a couple of hours please feel free to call her. Please pray for strength, and for a good outcome of her next MRI.

Joyful Hearts!!!

Megan had a check up MRI a few weeks ago and the Dr. saw a new spot, and they are not quite sure what it is. It could have been there in the past, and they just missed it. It could also be scar tissue from the radiation treatments. The spot is in a different area than where her tumor was, but is in an area that received radiation. We are pretty sure it is just scar tissue, but we will be watching things close. The Dr told Megan to go home and relax and not to worry about it. He wants to see her in 8 weeks and they will look at again to see if there is any change.

On a fun note!!! Megan was told by her Radiation Dr. that she would most likely not get any hair back after radiation. Megan told her she was wrong, and that God was going to make sure it grew back. When Megan went in for her weekly treatment, and saw the Dr., she would tell Megan to be ready not to have hair. Megan would tell her, she is not receiving the words she is speaking over her. Megan told the Dr. when her hair grew back, she was going to come back, and show her what God did. When Megan went back to show her, she was blown away. She kept looking at it, and telling Megan she was so surprised she had hair coming back in. Not only is it coming back, there is an area that is coming in slower and a little thinner then the rest of her hair. The area that is coming in slower and shorter is in the shape of a heart. We all feel that this is a sign from God showing Megan how much He loves her and that he is in control.

All is Well

Hey everyone..Marion here..I've had a lot of requests to update the blog a little more often..since Paul stays so busy, I thought I'd try to help him out! Just wanted to let everyone know that yesterday went well..and we were very relieved when we left the hospital! The doctor reassured Megan this had NOTHING to do with her tumor..and she needed to stop thinking about that for now..and just get on with living!! They did some blood work, and concluded that Megan is probably anemic! She needs to go to a regular doctor..for more blood work, and then possibly medication to treat it..or we thought we'd just start eating a lot more steak and spinach!! Megan says only if Paul is grilling! The doctor also thought that Megan had caught the virus that her girls have had, which caused her to run a low-grade fever for 3 days..and robbed her of all her energy! (the girls, and THEIR energy, are also a big reason for her fatigue!!...I know they can wear me out!!) But again, he reassured her this was not related to her tumor, or the radiation, which was great news for her.. and I think she felt way better when we left just knowing that! She even had a bit of an appetite, so I took her out for lunch! Thanks to everyone for their prayers, it means so much to us to know she is being lifted up to her Father by so many! I'll try to keep y'all updated a little more often, you know I like to chat!

Megan Needs Prayer

Megan and Marion are at MD Anderson this morning. Megan has been experiencing fatigue, in a big way. She is finding it very hard to do just little tasks around the house. She did so well with the radiation, and did not get tired. She had very few side effects. They told us that she would get very tired about 3 weeks after the radiation treatments. It has been much longer then that, but we are praying this is normal, and that is all it is. Please help me by praying she gets her energy back and that all is fine!!

NO CHEMO!!!

Megan had another MRI this week. Marion took her in on Tuesday then went back for more of the Cognitive Testing on Wednesday, and to meet with Megan's Dr's for a review of the MRI. They continue to do the Cognitive Testing and will monitor her scores. It seems that if there is something wrong it will show up in loss of memory and lack of function with her motor skills first. This will give them an indication something may be wrong and to jump into high gear. Megan did great, but was a little concerned because Marion and Megan stayed at Marcia's Tuesday night. They were up late, then had to get up early and be back at the hospital. She thought she may have scored a little lower just because she was tired. The MRI showed NO CHANGE!!! Yahooo!!! I didn't get to go so I did not get as much detail as I wanted, but bottom line is she did great. Radiation put the skids on things and we are believing for a total healing!!! The cavity where the tumor was had blood in it right after the surgery. Yesterday the results showed that the body had absorbed all the blood, and the cavity is now filled with spinal fluid. She has another MRI scheduled for 2 months down the road, and the testing will start all over. Dr. Lang took a look at the MRI and told Megan, "she is doing great!!" He is a great guy and gave Megan a hard time about her hair loss. She has a great relationship with Dr. Lang and likes him. Dr. Pudavalli said, "things look great, and its time for her to live again." He told Megan, "we have removed the tumor, treated the tumor, and now its time for her to go home, and be a mother to her children, and wife to her husband, and not worry about this thing any more. See you in two months!!" Thank God for His mighty hand, and for the Dr's he used to help Megan through this!! Thank all of you for praying. Please continue to pray for a total healing, and that her MRI in June looks even better.

Ring The Bell

Megan rang out last Friday to signify her last day of treatment. The bell is rung by all who finish radiation at MD Anderson in Richmond. On the bell there is an inscription that reads:

Ring This Bell
Three Times Well
It's Toll To Clearly Say

My Treatments Done
This Course is Run
And, I Am On My Way!!

It was met with huge fan fair, with about 20 of Megan's closest friends and family in the waiting area. When Megan went in for her treatment, there were about 6 of us in the room. When she came out they were calling for crowd control. She is truly done, and on her way!! She did not feel many side effects during the treatment but since has been experiencing some fatigue and nausea. We need to continue to pray for her total healing and strength.

This Storm Is Just A Walk In The Rain

This week Megan and I had a great trip to her treatment. We meet with the Dr. on Tuesdays, so I get to find out all the details. The Dr. and all the nurses said Megan is doing VERY VERY WELL!!! They all used very two or three times when they said how she was doing, and none of them heard the other. She has had NO! symptoms, other then the loss of a little hair. Her brother Jared said "Welcome to my world". Hair will grow back!!! Well for Megan anyway...sorry Jared... you can blame the Roberts side for that hair thing. We are very excited to hear the good news, and see that she is doing so well. She has experienced none of the side effects of getting sick and tired, weak, cranky.....wait....maybe that last one. She is the Megan we all know and love. She received a quilt from Aunt June with all of the names of people who have been on the blog writing to Megan. She took the names and embroidered them into the quilt. The quilt is a beautiful patch work and says "Megan we are pray for you" and all of your names are on it. Aunt June also sent a pen so people she meets on her journey can write on it. Lola is a friend that was going through the treatments at the same time as Megan. Lola writes " Think of this storm as only a walk in the rain". I love walking through the rain with my Megan!! This is the last week of her treatments. She will then have an MRI about every 8 weeks to keep an eye on things. They have a big bell in the waiting area that the people get to ring when they are done with there treatments. Megan rings the bell on Friday at about 11am. If you would like to be there you can call Marion and get info
(832-607-6937). Please keep praying for her. The prayers are working. She is doing VERY VERY WELL!!!

They Have The Same Hair or Lack Of

This week was uneventful for grandpa. Nani watched the kids, and Grandma Elaine and I took Megan to her treatment. They met with the Dr. and all seems to be on track. Megan has started to lose some hair on the left side of her head. The Dr. said some of it might not come back, but we are not receiving that. We are praying it comes back the same if not thicker and curly. Megan is starting to feel a little bit of the fatigue that they say she would feel. We are praying for her to have strength, and keep her strong attitude. She met with Dr. Pudivalie yesterday. He ran the standard tests and said Megan looks great!!! He checked to see if there was any pressure behind her eyes, there was none. Her next MRI is on March 31st. They don't expect to see much change, but we are expecting the tumor to be gone. Lets keep praying for a total healing.

Better Look At Megan's Mask

All Is Well

Megan and I spent some time with the Dr. during her visit on Tuesday. The Dr. thought I was Megan's husband. This tells me two things. That I am still looking very young for my age. I told the Dr. when she was surprised that I was her father, "I am just very young looking and extremely handsome". She agreed!!! The second thing that it tells me is that the Dr. thinks Megan has some pretty low standards for men (sorry Felix). Oh well win some you lose some. Because I didn't have the girls with me this week, (Thanks Nani) I was able to push my way into all sorts of places. The young lady that helps Megan with her treatments was very surprised to see me walking in the back halls of the hospital like I owned the place. She was nice, but really did wonder who I thought I was just walking around the treatment center. After a little glad handing, and some Stork charm, she allowed me to go into the treatment vault. I am not sure that is what they call it, but that is a great name for it. Megan & I were taken down a long hall way into a room. They lay her on a table and fix a soft plastic fish net mask to her face, and then bolt it to a table. They then take a laser and align the radiation machine. They pressed a button and told me, "we need to leave now". As I continue to ask questions they cup their hands under my armpit and are pushing me back down the long hall. When I look up, I realize why they seem to be in such a hurry. The door at the end of the hallway is about a foot thick, and it's closing!! Once out of the room, I asked if I can stay and watch from the camera room. They politely, but firmly tell me NO!! "You must go back to the waiting area". A little more of the old Stork charm only produced another, but more stern NO!! "Now go so we can get our work done". I have a picture attached that shows the lasers used to aligning the machine as Megan is bolted to the table. It's not the best picture so I am working on getting a better photo. Please continue to pray for Megan, as the end of this week will mark the 1/2 way point of her treatment. The visit with the Dr. was fun. She asked Megan all kinds of questions, which Megan replied NO!! to most of them. Very few side effects if any have shown up. She has started to experience a little thinning of the hair, but that is about it. Please keep praying because it is working. I would also like you to pray for Brian O'Neill, and his wife Angie. They are friends through the blog & friends of my family. Brian is fighting a tumor also. You can visit his blog at aboneill.blogspot.com. Please do so and send his blog to all and anyone you know who will pray for him. We would like to have people all over the world pray for his total recovery.

Should Not See Any Side Effects

This was Megan's first full week of treatments. The Dr. she met with on Tuesday said they don't expect to see much in the way of side effects from the radiation. Megan is young and has lots of energy. She is starting to feel a little bit of a burn on her scalp. She has been instructed to keep her head covered at all times when she is out side. They have also given her some cream to keep the scalp moist and help with the burn. She has not felt much in the way of fatigue, and the Dr.s don't expect her to. I think she looks great in a dew rag. The biker chick look does her well. Please continue to pray for Megan. I think I over heard the two little ones plotting to do grandpa harm next Tuesday. I am not sure because I can't understand a word they say. We are expecting God to do some great things. Please ask anyone you know to pray for her also.

Don't Let Her Fool You

Treatment Has Begun

Megan started radiation treatment on Monday. Marion took her and the girls for round one of the 6 weeks. She was told that Monday (the first day) would be the longest day due to getting everything set up. They were there for about 45 minutes. The process only takes 5 minutes, so she can get in and out in a short period of time. The reason it took a little longer on Monday is due to the initial set up process. They made more markings on the mask, and reviewed the plan as to how they are going to zap the rest of the tumor. The report on the latest MRI was that there was NO CHANGE!!! in the growth of the tumor. This is great news!! The treatment is a series of 5 different angles that the tumor is hit from. Megan is positioned on a table which moves. In addition to the table moving, the machine also moves to get just the right spot and angle of radiation beam to kill the remaining tumor cells. The radiation will tend to burn the scalp, so she is instructed to keep her head covered at all times, when she is out side. TUESDAY!!! Grandpa volunteered to take Megan to the hospital on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are my days off. Marion has agreed to watch the girls while I take Megan. We were informed that Tuesdays would be the day that Megan gets to meet with the Dr. He wants to meet to make sure all is going according to plan. This is great news because I like lots of detail, and there is nothing better than getting the information first hand. This Tuesday the wheels seemed to fall off the wagon. Marion had a Dr.s appointment so grandpa had to take the girls, and watch them in the VERY small waiting area. I figured what the heck, Megan will be in and out in 15 minutes, how much can go wrong in 15 minutes. Well all I can say is, more than you can ever imagine!!!! Not only was I not suppose to have teh girls, but I had them for over an hour. What went wrong? I thought the first day would be the longest. How did this happen?? Watching little girls is like trying to herd cats. A boy you can turn lose and not have to much to worry about. Girls are very needy, they need snacks & toys & bottles & diapers changed, and they love to bother other people in the waiting area. They fight like cats and dogs and can even get there fingers caught in doors when your not looking. They ran around that hospital like a bunch of wild Indians. They scream at each other, and its just lots of noise coming out. You really can't desifer much of what they are saying. They even had one old man circling his wagons. At least that's the look he had on his face. He finally got up, and walked out of the waiting room. If any of you would like to venture out and help with taking Megan to her treatments or watching the wild Indians please call Marion. I have retired at this point.

Just A Little Bit Punky

Just A Little Punk

Sorry it's been so long for an update... Megan has been sick for the past 3 days, but woke yesterday with NO fever!! Glory to God... I was going to post a picture of her new hair cut, but before I could get a good picture of her she cut it again. Seems the whole punk rock thing was just not her style. She went for the Demi Moore look and shaved it. I took this picture of her last night with my phone so its not the best, but I think she looks pretty cute with no makeup and no hair. The hospital called her yesterday with more great news. They have a program to help people with finances. The insurance will only cover a % of the bills plus they have a pretty sizable deductible. The deductible will be for 2008 and again in 2009 since the treatment was started in 08 so they have to pay the deductible twice. Megan and Felix filled out the paperwork for assistance. They worked closely with a lady in the business office that helped them with a huge packet of paperwork. When she called she was laughing and told Megan she has NEVER had anyone fill out the packet correctly. She said she has to call everyone and ask for more information. Except for Megan, she completed it correctly the first time and was approved to have all her bills covered for 2008 and 2009. They will not have to pay anything except for the emergency room at Oak Bend and the ambulance... God is so good.. Now if you are still feeling generous, you can make those non tax deductible donations. Just make your check payable to Paul Stork and send them on. God is great and keeps working on every aspect of this whole thing...Keep praying for Megan, she starts on Monday with her treatment. Thanks for all the support and prayers.

It's Been A Busy Week

Megan has had one busy week. After the speech testing, she had to do the cognitive testing. She had the same test done before she had the surgery. They do all kinds of memorization, puzzles, and recall type tests. They set aside 3 hours for the test, but she finished in about 1.5 hours. One of the areas she felt she didn't do as well in was memorizing a series of numbers. They recite 10-12 numbers slowly, and then ask you to repeat them back in the same order. Some areas she did better and faster then before the surgery, but over all, she did VERY well. They will also use the information to measure her results against those with like tumors, in the same area, to determine if there are any similarity's. She also underwent a radiation simulation. This is where they prepare you for your treatments. They made a mold of her face and head out of a rubbery/plastic substance. The mold will serve two purposes. One, it will hold her head still during the treatment, secondly it will server as a target point. They will make markings on the mold so they will hit the same spot repeatedly. Treatment is scheduled to start on February 2nd, and will last for 6 weeks. She will go in to a satellite hospital that MD Anderson has in Richmond, just 25 minutes from the house. The process with take about 30 minutes, 5 days a week. The plan is to be able to do the treatment in the late afternoon. That way Jonathan can pick her up and take her while Marion stays with the girls. If they do not let us do the treatment in the late afternoons, Marion & Megan will have to load the girls, and take them in with them. Thank God it is only 6 weeks. After her treatment she will be monitored every 2-3 weeks to see if the tumor has stopped it's growth. We continue to pray that God just removes it. Megan has cut her hair, but I don't have any pictures just yet to show you. I have yet to see it myself, but Stevie & Brian Benoit at Emanuel, blessed her with the new dew. Brian headed up the project, and is a pretty groovy cat. I am told she had to throw back to an 80's rocker look, where the hair is long on one side, but short on the other. I can't think of anyone better than Brian to design the cut. Megan told me on Tuesday that her hair is getting long enough to hide the scar. She was getting some pretty ugly stairs from older people, and some accepting nods from the younger crowd. She figured it was time for a cut. Picture to follow. Please continue to pray for her total healing, and pass this site onto all you know will pray. Our goal is to have people all over the world praying for her total healing.

Megan Passes!!! NO SPEECH THERAPY!!!

Megan and I spent most of the day at MD Anderson undergoing tests. We met with the speech therapy Dr. What they look for is Megan's ability to carry on a conversation. Megan has a VERY slight deficit in word recall, but if she can substitute a word, and carry on a conversation, they are OK with that. For example, if she can use brush instead of comb or pony instead of horse, that is fine. What the brain does from a very young age is establish pathways to words and word recall. When they remove a portion of the brain, it will disrupt a portion of some of the pathways. It is like going in, and turning all the files upside down. The word is still there, but it is not in the same place as it once was. She needs to find it, and develop a new pathway, to where the word is. They recommend that when she is with family and close friends that she stops, finds the word, and repeat it a few times, then carrys on the conversation. So if you are talking to her, and she can't find a word, stops and finds it, repeats it, then you are a close friend. If she talks with you, and you do not notice her searching for words, then you are not a friend.(LOL) What they where looking for in the testing today, is her ability to see an object, describe an object, say what it is used for, and what are some like items. All this is what the brain does in a millisecond. When the brain is disrupted, and the pathways are scrambled, Megan needs to establish a new pathway, and it takes a little longer to see things, as they are. Today she looked at a dart. She said it was an arrow, then stared at it, and thought for a second, and said dart. In another case she saw a rhinoceros and said hippopotamus then stared at it for a second and corrected her self. She looked at the Dr. and asked, who draws this stuff??? We all had a big laugh!!! This is what happens when she is reestablishing a new pathway. It all ended well, and she will not have to do any speech therapy. Praise God!! Please pray for her healing, and send this to anyone you know will pray for her. Our goal is to have people all over the world praying for a total healing. We love you all!!

Time Is Flying

Megan is scheduled to go in for some testing, blood work & a briefing on Speech Therapy on January 20th. I don't think she will need any Speech Therapy, but the testing will tell us that. They have canceled her MRI that was scheduled for this week. She just had one a couple of weeks ago, and everything looked great. They will do more of the Cognitive Testing to make sure she is progressing as expected with her motor skills, and word recall. She will then see Dr. Puduvalli and review the plan and schedule for radiation treatments. She will do the treatments once a day Monday through Friday for 6 weeks. Great Grandma Elaine is coming in to sit with Megan and keep her company for a couple of weeks toward the end of her treatment. We are all looking forward to her visit. Please continue to pray for Megan. We are expecting her to go through her treatment with no side effects. Please send this site to anyone you know will pray. Our goal is to have people all over the world praying for our Megan.

Rest Easy!!!!

Well I had dinner with Megan, Felix, and the girls last night. Marion prepared a wonderful dinner, and we all ate together. Megan is learning to rest, even when she does not feel tired. She says it is very hard to watch her mother do her house work when she feels good, but she is starting to understand that the healing process needs her to just rest, even if she feels like she can do the work it is better for her to rest. When the radiation starts she will need her strength. Isabel is walking all over the house now. She can get into anything, and I do mean fast. I think she is going to be a track star. She will squeal with delight at everyone she passes. Her older sister likes to pass real close. She seems to fall about every other time Alexandra brushes by her. Megan's hair is growing and she looks stronger every day. Keep praying for continued healing.

Resting Well But Not Enough

Megan is doing much better. I think she would rest more, but she is tired of being penned up in the house. She feels great, but does get tired easily. I don't think she would ever admit that, however that is what I see. Felix and Janie (grandma & grandpa Martinez) take the girls on the weekends and that is a big help. They are wonderful people, and the girls LOVE to go with them. This gives both Megan & Marion rest, not to mention Felix. We are waiting to hear when Megan's radiation treatments will start. Please continue to pray for her and for her total healing.

Home Again Home Again!!!

Megan was released yesterday afternoon and is home with her family once again!! YAHOOOO!!! Megan's fever spiked on Saturday night at about 10pm, and they drew blood. That was the last time she had a fever. Dr. Lang was not real sure as to what was causing the fever. My take on what he was saying is that they drew the blood on the tail end of all this going on, and it could be a number of things. What they do know it that she does not have an infection. She feels pretty good, and is happy to be home with the girls and Felix. Marion has her best friend home with her again, and I hope they will just enjoy the time they have together. Please pray for her continued healing!!

Still Unsure Of What Happened

Well!!!! Megan is still in the hospital, but doing fine. She didn't run a fever yesterday or last night. Dr. Lang was in this morning and he said, in not so many words, they really don't know what it was that was causing the fever. His guess is that it was a reaction to one of her medications. Dr. Lang still has her on her anti seizure medication, but has substituted another brand. They started testing on the tail end of her being sick, and it could be a number of things that could have caused her to run a temperature. Infectious disease people checked and found nothing. Lang will leave no stone unturned. He will do an MRI today,and if all checks out to be OK then she will go home tomorrow. She is in good spirits, but does miss the girls. Thanks go out to Donna and Brandy!! They showed up this weekend and cleaned the house and put up all the Christmas decorations. UNBELIEVABLE!!! We were working on moving the date for radiation up so Megan would not have to wait until the end of January. I am thinking that with all that has transpired, we should leave it as is, so she can regain her strength. Please continue to pray for her. We need to pray for a normal MRI, and no infection on the brain. Please pass this on to all you know who will pray!!

No Clots

We are beginning to narrow this thing down. The ultra sound showed that her legs are free of blood clots. Megan has been on an anti seizure medication called Dylantin (sp?)They think that is what has caused the splotches on her chest,arms & face. Now that they have taken her off of the stuff, the splotches are gone. One of the other side effects that will occur in some cases, is what is called Dylantin fever. They feel this is what Megan is experiencing. Megan has been off of the seizure medication since last Wednesday, but it is just going to take some time for it to flush from her system. They want to rule out everything, so last night they waited until her fever peaked again. At about 10:30 it hit 102.6 and they drew blood. It seems when the fever is high the cultures will show more of what is going on. After they took the blood and urine samples, they worked on reducing the fever. She had a pretty good night. We feel they are just waiting to confirm that it is the Dylantin fever, and they will release her to come home. We hope that will be tomorrow. Please continue to pray for her and her total healing.

Back At MD Anderson

Megan was admitted last night back into MD Anderson. She has been running a fever for the past week, and we can't seem to get it under raps. The Dr. was in this morning and they are going to do an ultra sound on her legs. There is a chance she might have blood clots and that could cause the fever. I am glad she is there, and under the best of care. Please continue to pray for total healing.