Just updating in Just in Case

Thanks for the sweet notes on the last few entries. I did ask again about sending a message to my student, but was told that there could be no communication between us and her. No one has requested records for her, but maybe after the holidays they will. She’s had a troubled life, and I found out she has been removed once before, for about a year, and then returned. I don’t know if that will happen here. The secretary will sometimes talk to me about things she won’t with the other two, so maybe when I go up over the holidays I’ll catch her up there and get some more details. At this point I can only pray that she’s in a good place.
I don’t remember what information I had on my former co-workers grandson, but he’s been diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. They did a scan to detect exactly where the cancer cells were and they found them in the top right area of his skull, in the left orbital bone above his eye, in his spine, and in one hip. The initial tumor in is stomach is growing. The one on/close to his spine they are worried about as well. They’ve said the gene he has is a fast replicating one and they gave them a 50/50 chance. When directly asked if the treatments were worth it, the doctors said it was far too soon to make the call. They assured the family they would let them know if it ever reached a point that it wasn’t worth continuing the painful treatments. Then they told them that they weren’t shooting for a birthday or Christmas, but for graduation. St. Jude’s is a pretty amazing place. The community has really rallied around them. The news has done a couple of stories about them. (About an hour away from the tiny town.) And both the small town they teach in and the town he grew up in (where I taught) have really rallied to help. There’s been all sorts of fund raisers going on - softball tournaments, 5K runs, bake sales, they shirts are on their 2nd run, there’s bracelets and key chains that have been made - everyone is really pulling together to help.

Last updated November 23, 2014