Here we go.. AGAIN!

There is so much to write about, I hope I can find the words.  Our world has been turned upside down... AGAIN!  The last 5 days have been the longest and hardest days of our lives, but we know things are about to get a lot worse before they get better.  For those of you who don't know, our sweet Cami has relapsed.  Gosh, it's hard to write that awful word.  Things off-treatment were going smoothly, she made it through all of her 1st grade year event free and was doing so well, but just when we started to get comfortable in normal life again... BAM we were hit with a ton of bricks!

For about 2 weeks Cami had been complaining of pains mainly in her hips.  They were waking her up at night and keeping her from wanting to play.  Wednesday, July 31st, the pain in her hips became unbearable and she had a low-grade fever to top it off, so Thursday morning at 3am we took her to the E.R.  After a long wait, an x-ray and lots of blood work the ER docs let us know that her X-ray looked great but her labs came back a little concerning.

waiting in the ER

They sent us up to see the oncologists as soon as clinic was open.  When we got up there, the Doctors assured us that her blood looked like she had an infection or a virus and that we shouldn't worry about relapse.  We relaxed a little, but we still needed to get down to the bottom of her extreme hip pain, so they sent the infectious disease Doc's in to check her out.  They ordered a TON of blood to be drawn and tested for every virus and illness under the sun.  They also ordered an MRI of her hip to check for a bone infection.  We had a long, full day at the hospital and didn't leave until around 7PM that night.

She was a champ in the MRI and held perfectly still!

The next day Dr. Verma (Cami's main oncologist) called me to give me results.  She said the infection/virus labs were negative and that her MRI showed signs of bone damage (AVN from her steroids), and that her bone marrow was regenerating and that was concerning.  She wanted do a bone marrow aspirate so we could know for sure what was going on, but they couldn't fit us in until WEDNESDAY!  The next 5 days were probably the longest 5 days of our lives!  We googled EVERY explanation and prayed that there would be a simple answer.  When Wednesday finally came around, Cami was starting to feel a little better and her fever had gone down, so we were hopeful.

Waiting to go back to the "sleepy Doctors"

Bone Marrow Aspirate time

After Cami's bone marrow aspirate, Dr. Verma came in to deliver the results.  That Cami's cancer is back and she will need a bone marrow transplant.  My world instantly started spinning and I felt sick, I don't remember anything else she said after that.  Last time they told us her diagnosis we had the luxury of ignorance.  This time we know.  We know way too much and it is terrifying.  

They let us go home for the night to be together as a family before we checked in for the long stay.  Cami requested Boondocks, so we gathered the troops and took Cami out for a night of fun.  I am so grateful we had that night to be together and try to wrap our brains around it all.

Boondocks with her awesome cousins

It all started early Thursday morning, Cami went in for surgery to have her central line (broviac) placed then we were admitted to the cancer unit.  That day was overwhelming and exhausting.  Cami went through surgery, a back poke with chemo, an EKG, an EEG, another MRI, she started the dreaded steroids and 3 different chemotherapy's.. all in the first day!  We were blown away by Cami's attitude through the entire thing!  She was so brave and strong and just all around amazing, oh I love her so!

Cami preformed surgery on her dog 'Spot' to place a broviac just like the one she got.  

I took a picture so you can see what is now in her chest.

Cami has a long road ahead of her.  She will be hospitalized for about 5 weeks for this first round of chemo, and possibly another round after that.  Then she will need radiation and a bone marrow transplant which means ALOT of time in the hospital.  It makes the treatments she had the first time around seem like a cake walk!  This is going to be a long, hard battle, but we know that our Cami can do this!  I wish with everything in me that we didn't have to fight for Cami's life once again.  I hate cancer and what it has taken from our family, but we are trying to see the good in this.  We are trying to remember that Cami has touched so many people and will continue to inspire and uplift.  Even though the chemo is already starting to take over and is starting to make her feel really sick, she still has that bright, beautiful smile.

All smiles while she is getting her chemo-

The chemo is starting to take it's toll and little Cam gets quite sleepy-

Until her counts bottom out, 

we are allowed to take walks late at night while the hospital is empty.

We got lucky the other night and the helicopter took off as we were out watching the sunset.  

It made Cami so happy!

We are still completely overwhelmed and in shock by all of this.  We are still trying to soak it all in.  The one thing getting us through it all is the amazing amount of love we have coming our way.  We have felt your prayers and they are carrying us through.  Thank you to everyone who has brought meals, gifts, left words of encouragement and prayed their hearts out for us!  We would be lost without you.  Love you all!