More good news for Maylene!

Jenn has heard from the Oncologist, and the cancer is a stage 1-C. This means that it's in the beginning stages and caught early, but that some activity is still happening in one of the overies.

Maylene will start her chemo on Friday, August 31, 2012. She will be in and out of the hospital for treatment for three days followed by a couple days off, then back again for her next treatment.  This will continue for the next three months.

Next week May will be going to Boston to meet with Dr. Frazier from Dana Farber for her second opinion.

Please continue to keep Maylene and  Jenn in your thoughts and prayers as Maylene begins this treatment.

Thank you for all the love and support.  We will continue to keep you updated throughout her treatment.

Exciting News

Jenn received a call from the surgeon and the PETscan shows that cancer has not spread!!! Now they are just waiting for the results from Maylene's MRI, which should be any day, to determine the stage of the cancer. We are hoping that it was caught early and is stage 1 or 2.

Please continue to keep Maylene in your thoughts and prayers.

Tests, Trips and a Bakesale

After a long week, Maylene is finally done with tests (at least until she heads out to Boston). Now Jenn & May have to wait to get the results back from the tests to see what stage of cancer Maylene has. They are also waiting for the referral from her pediatrician and approval from the insurance company to go to Dana Farber for her second opinion. Hopefully all of that will be taken care of and her appointment will be scheduled this week.

Since July 29, May & Jenn have been stuck in the apartment, going to doctors appointments or having/recovering from surgery, so Phil (my fiance) and I thought it would be nice to take Maylene & Jenn to NYC for the day on Saturday, August 25.

We all had such a great time! We went to the Top of the Rock so we could see all of NYC skyline, Time Square, M&M World, Lego Land, Rockafeller Plaza & The MET. We had an interesting journey on the way home, but all and all it was a great time. It was nice to see Jenn and Maylene laugh and enjoy some of thier time before the chemo treatment begins.

On Sunday, a couple of Maylene's classmates, Hannah Lebowitz and Hannah Ackerman held a bakesale for Maylene. The turn out was amazing. The bakesale raised $1,500.

Awesome job girls! That bake sale was such a wonderful idea. Thank you both so much for all of your hard work & making the bake sale happen. That money will help the family out tremendously!!

--
Jenna

Updates on Maylene

On Monday, August 20, Maylene went in for minor surgery to have the port, which will be used for chemo, implanted into her chest. Everything went well and she was home that evening. 

On Wednesday, August 22, Maylene had breathing and hearing tests to serve as the baseline before Chemo starts since the drugs can affect her breathing and hearing.

Today, Thursday, August 23, Maylene will be going in for a PETscan, which will determine if and where there are any actively dividing (cancer) cells in her body.

Finally, Friday, August 24, Maylene will go in for an MRI so they can see in HD if there are any masses/tumors forming anywhere else in the body. 

After all of these tests, the Oncologist will be able to find out what stage the cancer is at.

Next week, Maylene will be going to Dana Farber in Boston to meet with another team of Oncologists. She will also be starting the tests with the chemo, which means giving her a little bit of each drug used in the chemo to see how her body will react to it. At that appointment, they will also find out where she will be receiving her treatment, either Baystate or Boston. We are all hoping it will be Baystate because it's closer, but there is a huge possibility that it will be in Boston.

That is all for now, the next update will be sometime next week.

Thank you everyone for the continued support!!

Only a few short weeks ago, Maylene was just a normal 15 year old girl. She loves her little brother, has a passion for art and loves to read. Maylene should be starting her sophomore year of high school, but she will not be returning to school right now.  Maylene has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of ovarian cancer.

Maylene is a fighter. She will undergo Chemotherapy and surgery in order overcome the cancer.  She knows that it won't be easy, and that she will lose her hair, but the strong woman that she is, May will fight through.  However, she needs your help. Cancer treatments are expensive, and insurance only covers so much. 

Imagine if this was your daughter fighting for her life. Please consider how you can support Maylene. No donation is too small.