Thursday, May 8th, 2008
The Story...One Year Later
Well, here it is, May 8, 2008. Ten years ago, I stood in a delivery room when my sister, single mother of my nephew Cody (six days shy of six years old), gave birth to her second child, Miss Cali JoAnn Howard, who was 8 lbs. 13 oz. of pure joy! And she has proven that over and over again since that day, whether it's just being herself...
...or being one of the many characters she's portrayed over the years - in this photo, she is one of the Power Puff Girls, who OBVIOUSLY fights crime with her fearless friend, SpongeBob SquarePants. HA!
Where Cali comes up with much of her dialogue to this day, amazes us all, and that girl is a talker. A chatter, of sorts. And she doesn't care if you've never met--conversations with complete strangers are to be had, friendships to be formed. Cali rarely stopped moving either...
...unless it was a pre-recital picture for her "official" photographer each year, Uncle Billy, or as HumzOoers might know him, Pastafarian. They have a special relationship, those two...
...she was happy to be his muse, always smiling...
...always dancing. We thought Cali would dance forever. Then, one day, a diagnosis came from a biopsy that would change all of our lives, especially Cali's life. She had cancer. Ewing's Sarcoma was found in/on/around her right tibia, just below the knee. St. Jude wasted no time with our precious girl, and on May 8, 2007, her ninth birthday, she began her first bag of chemotherapy in Peoria...
...and over the summer of 2007, treatments continued. They had horrifying side effects: nausea, vomitting, mouth sores, esophageal burning, consitpation, colon spasms, nerve pain, searing acid reflux, weight loss, dehydration, and so much more. The family didn't know how much Cali could endure, or her mom, Val, for that matter, but by the end of June, they had gotten into a routine and all was going OK. Then, tragedy struck, again...
PLEASE NOTE: Some photos beyond this point may be slightly disturbing to some.
On July 1, 2007, Cali's 15-year-old brother, Cody, was struck by an SUV while riding his bike with friends and was taken by ambulance to Pekin Hospital to be triaged, and then was airlifted to OSF St. Francis Trauma Center in Peoria, where he was diagnosed with a massive head injury. His skull had been crushed both above his eyes (the forehead - frontal lobe) and in the back of his head, which was shattered like a vase into many different pieces. Neurosurgeons surgically placed drainage tubes into his head to relieve the pressure. It didn't work. So they removed his forehead and placed him in a drug-induced coma for seven days, giving him a 10% chance of survival. After that, they began to wake him up slowly - his first words were bathroom related (such a boy) - and recovery began...
...of course, Cali focused all of her attention onto her brother at that point. She put a note on her Caring Bridge site that said all prayers for her should be redirected to her brother, whose life hung in the balance. Thirty-nine days later, prayers were answered when Cody was released from the hospital with a helmet to protect his brain since the bones of his forehead were on ice at OSF...
...and shortly after Labor Day 2007, he underwent another surgery to replace his forehead. Once his physical body was mended, it was time to work on what was lost through occupational therapy and psychiatric counseling, this all on top of Cali's chemotherapy treatments, which had been continued throughout Cody's hospitalization and surgeries. Thank goodness that the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate is located at Children's Hospital of Illinois at OSF St. Francis where all of Cody's treatment, surgeries, therapies and neurosurgeons were also housed. This kept my sister from having too far to travel between children, though not for long because surgeons at St. Jude Memphis were ready for the next phase of Cali's cancer treatment: surgical prosthetic implant. This was scheduled for the end of September, and it meant that Cody's father and stepmother would be taking over his care until Val and Cali returned to Central Illinois from Tennessee. So, off to Orlando Cody flew for tentatively three weeks, and the following day, his mother and sister flew to Memphis for two days of pre-op testing, then the actual surgery on 9/21/07...
...a very tired and sore little lady returned from the operating room, and her spirits were low. It was only a sign of challenges to come, and a very long road ahead of her; however, there was one very bright spot throughout this ordeal: she kept her leg...
...the only difference now was the inside. She had a prosthetic tibia and knee joint. [PHOTO WARNING]
Here is the leg without the brace:
UPPER
LOWER
Surgeons had to remove the tibia, knee joint, muscle and tissue to be sure they were removing all of the cancer, and afterward, pathology noted 100% negative for cancerous cells in all reports! That's better than the 80% we had hoped for with Cali Jo, but this news didn't mean a slow down in recovery for her - it was a battle of wills within herself, with angry spats, arguments between her and mom...her and nurses...her and therapists...and many, many, many tears. Many outbursts of, "It's not fair!" "Why did this happen to me?!" "God hates me!" "Maybe I should just die." But at the end of each, she pressed on...
...and the nurses, technicians, therapists, and all other staff at St. Jude encouraged her each step of the way, creating a bond with this child like no one else had. And finally, the leg was cast...
Over the next few months, Val and Cali flew back and forth from Peoria to Memphis, for appointments, not only with surgeons and oncologists, but with psychotherapists, as well. The majority of the time, Cali seemed to be doing very well, considering her own situation coupled with that of her brother, who showed signs of distress toward years end with lack of inhibition and action/consequence brain activity.
That aside, her progress in physical therapy impressed everyone at St. Jude; Cali didn't seem to let much get in the way of her recovery, and she was standing unaided wiithin six weeks...
...that said, by Thanksgiving Day, mom (Val) "checked out." Literally. She woke up that morning and decided not to come out of her bedroom, locking herself inside and calling Grandma (our mother) to her rescue, allowed herself an entire day to meditate and grieve on her own, something she had not done since her family's ordeal began seven months prior.
Respecting her privacy, family and friends let her be, and by the next day, she was doing better, so everyone descended upon her from far and wide; Val's home was filled with the smells of Thanksgiving foods and the sounds of laughter and love. We celebrated faith and hope with her and let her, Cody and Cali know that they were not alone! Soon, Christmas was upon us...
...we celebrated BIG, and 2007 came to a close. The entire family put on a positive face for the new year, especially Cali Jo. She was thriving in physical therapy and her chemo treatments were not taking such a demanding toll on her body, but there was still the emotional side of things. This is where the weeks between treatments and her friends came into her life. They took turns attending Rivermen games at the Peoria Civic Center...
...spending the night at Cali's house on weekends...
...attending concerts, like The Jonas Brothers...
...or even going to St. Jude charity events, like Eureka College's "Up All Night" fundraiser...
...anything possible to keep her mind off of the next chemo treatment.
One extra-special friend was Cali's new beau, Jacob; Cali never thought any boy would ever look twice at her, considering her situation, being pale, thin and hairless. But we'd never met anyone like Jake. He professed his adoration for Cali, as well as his admiration for her strength. He sent cards and flowers and visited her in the hospital during treatments, bringing her gifts each time...
...he was and still is a very bright spot in Cali's life, and his parents should be proud of the man they are raising!
Finally, almost one year to the day after Cali's diagnosis, they headed to Memphis for a consultation with Dr. Neel, Cali's surgeon. He decided that despite a skin issue that she needed to see a dermatologist for, her leg looked good...
...physical therapy was going well, her spirits were fine and she'd had enough chemotherapy--the week of April 21, 2008, would be her last! Cali was thrilled, to say the least; Val was very happy, too, though apprehensive, and we all know why. Chemo was killing all cells--good and bad--and without it, that wouldn't happen, so would the cancer come back? Lexi (pictured above w/Cali) will undergo her third bout with Wilms Tumer since her second year of life, so Val knows all to well that it could happen.
Of course, Cali still faces many, many post-treatment tests, like CT scans, MRIs, PET Scans and of course the removal of her Hickman line that's in her chest, the latter happening on June 2nd. Being the young girl Cali is, it's this she looks forward to most of all because it will allow her to take a regular bath or shower and to swim again, which is something she hasn't done in over a year!
Everyone around Val helps her maintain a positive outlook and keep the faith; Cali, too. Cody continues to improve each day, though proves to be a trying teenager much of the time, and that has nothing to do with his brain injury! They take one day at a time in life now, embracing whatever comes their way and letting the little things go, especially Cali JoAnn. Lucky for her, my niece understands (believes) that everyone is sent to earth for a special reason and says that although we don't know why she was chosen to endure the trials and tribulations associated with cancer, the past year has made it clearer and clearer to her. She believes that she was sent here by angels and walks with God, as well as those who have passed on before us, and she'll tell you that. She'll also mention that she is here to support the friends she has met through St. Jude Peoria and Memphis because it's one of her special gifts. Cali also feels that her cancer has brought people together, mended relationships and began lifelong friendships.
Yes, Cali JoAnn is special; we've known this from birth when she had the uncanny ability to look directly at the person speaking to her, as if she'd known them forever, though she couldn't even see their face through newborn eyes. This was very apparent to my father, who witnessed it first, just moments after they had put her under the heat lights when she was born...as he spoke to her, she turned her head to look at him, stopped crying to get quiet and listen to his voice. Cali still does this with her Grandfather, but this time it's from Heaven and her heart.
Yes, Cali is unique. She is special. She is joy. And I wish her a very happy 10th birthday today, Thursday, May 8, 2008.
If you would like to send her birthday wishes, you can sign her Guestbook on her Caring Bridge site at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calihoward
The Story...One Year Later
Well, here it is, May 8, 2008. Ten years ago, I stood in a delivery room when my sister, single mother of my nephew Cody (six days shy of six years old), gave birth to her second child, Miss Cali JoAnn Howard, who was 8 lbs. 13 oz. of pure joy! And she has proven that over and over again since that day, whether it's just being herself...
...or being one of the many characters she's portrayed over the years - in this photo, she is one of the Power Puff Girls, who OBVIOUSLY fights crime with her fearless friend, SpongeBob SquarePants. HA!
Where Cali comes up with much of her dialogue to this day, amazes us all, and that girl is a talker. A chatter, of sorts. And she doesn't care if you've never met--conversations with complete strangers are to be had, friendships to be formed. Cali rarely stopped moving either...
...unless it was a pre-recital picture for her "official" photographer each year, Uncle Billy, or as HumzOoers might know him, Pastafarian. They have a special relationship, those two...
...she was happy to be his muse, always smiling...
...always dancing. We thought Cali would dance forever. Then, one day, a diagnosis came from a biopsy that would change all of our lives, especially Cali's life. She had cancer. Ewing's Sarcoma was found in/on/around her right tibia, just below the knee. St. Jude wasted no time with our precious girl, and on May 8, 2007, her ninth birthday, she began her first bag of chemotherapy in Peoria...
...and over the summer of 2007, treatments continued. They had horrifying side effects: nausea, vomitting, mouth sores, esophageal burning, consitpation, colon spasms, nerve pain, searing acid reflux, weight loss, dehydration, and so much more. The family didn't know how much Cali could endure, or her mom, Val, for that matter, but by the end of June, they had gotten into a routine and all was going OK. Then, tragedy struck, again...
PLEASE NOTE: Some photos beyond this point may be slightly disturbing to some.
On July 1, 2007, Cali's 15-year-old brother, Cody, was struck by an SUV while riding his bike with friends and was taken by ambulance to Pekin Hospital to be triaged, and then was airlifted to OSF St. Francis Trauma Center in Peoria, where he was diagnosed with a massive head injury. His skull had been crushed both above his eyes (the forehead - frontal lobe) and in the back of his head, which was shattered like a vase into many different pieces. Neurosurgeons surgically placed drainage tubes into his head to relieve the pressure. It didn't work. So they removed his forehead and placed him in a drug-induced coma for seven days, giving him a 10% chance of survival. After that, they began to wake him up slowly - his first words were bathroom related (such a boy) - and recovery began...
...of course, Cali focused all of her attention onto her brother at that point. She put a note on her Caring Bridge site that said all prayers for her should be redirected to her brother, whose life hung in the balance. Thirty-nine days later, prayers were answered when Cody was released from the hospital with a helmet to protect his brain since the bones of his forehead were on ice at OSF...
...and shortly after Labor Day 2007, he underwent another surgery to replace his forehead. Once his physical body was mended, it was time to work on what was lost through occupational therapy and psychiatric counseling, this all on top of Cali's chemotherapy treatments, which had been continued throughout Cody's hospitalization and surgeries. Thank goodness that the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate is located at Children's Hospital of Illinois at OSF St. Francis where all of Cody's treatment, surgeries, therapies and neurosurgeons were also housed. This kept my sister from having too far to travel between children, though not for long because surgeons at St. Jude Memphis were ready for the next phase of Cali's cancer treatment: surgical prosthetic implant. This was scheduled for the end of September, and it meant that Cody's father and stepmother would be taking over his care until Val and Cali returned to Central Illinois from Tennessee. So, off to Orlando Cody flew for tentatively three weeks, and the following day, his mother and sister flew to Memphis for two days of pre-op testing, then the actual surgery on 9/21/07...
...a very tired and sore little lady returned from the operating room, and her spirits were low. It was only a sign of challenges to come, and a very long road ahead of her; however, there was one very bright spot throughout this ordeal: she kept her leg...
...the only difference now was the inside. She had a prosthetic tibia and knee joint. [PHOTO WARNING]
Here is the leg without the brace:
UPPER
LOWER
Surgeons had to remove the tibia, knee joint, muscle and tissue to be sure they were removing all of the cancer, and afterward, pathology noted 100% negative for cancerous cells in all reports! That's better than the 80% we had hoped for with Cali Jo, but this news didn't mean a slow down in recovery for her - it was a battle of wills within herself, with angry spats, arguments between her and mom...her and nurses...her and therapists...and many, many, many tears. Many outbursts of, "It's not fair!" "Why did this happen to me?!" "God hates me!" "Maybe I should just die." But at the end of each, she pressed on...
...and the nurses, technicians, therapists, and all other staff at St. Jude encouraged her each step of the way, creating a bond with this child like no one else had. And finally, the leg was cast...
Over the next few months, Val and Cali flew back and forth from Peoria to Memphis, for appointments, not only with surgeons and oncologists, but with psychotherapists, as well. The majority of the time, Cali seemed to be doing very well, considering her own situation coupled with that of her brother, who showed signs of distress toward years end with lack of inhibition and action/consequence brain activity.
That aside, her progress in physical therapy impressed everyone at St. Jude; Cali didn't seem to let much get in the way of her recovery, and she was standing unaided wiithin six weeks...
...that said, by Thanksgiving Day, mom (Val) "checked out." Literally. She woke up that morning and decided not to come out of her bedroom, locking herself inside and calling Grandma (our mother) to her rescue, allowed herself an entire day to meditate and grieve on her own, something she had not done since her family's ordeal began seven months prior.
Respecting her privacy, family and friends let her be, and by the next day, she was doing better, so everyone descended upon her from far and wide; Val's home was filled with the smells of Thanksgiving foods and the sounds of laughter and love. We celebrated faith and hope with her and let her, Cody and Cali know that they were not alone! Soon, Christmas was upon us...
...we celebrated BIG, and 2007 came to a close. The entire family put on a positive face for the new year, especially Cali Jo. She was thriving in physical therapy and her chemo treatments were not taking such a demanding toll on her body, but there was still the emotional side of things. This is where the weeks between treatments and her friends came into her life. They took turns attending Rivermen games at the Peoria Civic Center...
...spending the night at Cali's house on weekends...
...attending concerts, like The Jonas Brothers...
...or even going to St. Jude charity events, like Eureka College's "Up All Night" fundraiser...
...anything possible to keep her mind off of the next chemo treatment.
One extra-special friend was Cali's new beau, Jacob; Cali never thought any boy would ever look twice at her, considering her situation, being pale, thin and hairless. But we'd never met anyone like Jake. He professed his adoration for Cali, as well as his admiration for her strength. He sent cards and flowers and visited her in the hospital during treatments, bringing her gifts each time...
...he was and still is a very bright spot in Cali's life, and his parents should be proud of the man they are raising!
Finally, almost one year to the day after Cali's diagnosis, they headed to Memphis for a consultation with Dr. Neel, Cali's surgeon. He decided that despite a skin issue that she needed to see a dermatologist for, her leg looked good...
...physical therapy was going well, her spirits were fine and she'd had enough chemotherapy--the week of April 21, 2008, would be her last! Cali was thrilled, to say the least; Val was very happy, too, though apprehensive, and we all know why. Chemo was killing all cells--good and bad--and without it, that wouldn't happen, so would the cancer come back? Lexi (pictured above w/Cali) will undergo her third bout with Wilms Tumer since her second year of life, so Val knows all to well that it could happen.
Of course, Cali still faces many, many post-treatment tests, like CT scans, MRIs, PET Scans and of course the removal of her Hickman line that's in her chest, the latter happening on June 2nd. Being the young girl Cali is, it's this she looks forward to most of all because it will allow her to take a regular bath or shower and to swim again, which is something she hasn't done in over a year!
Everyone around Val helps her maintain a positive outlook and keep the faith; Cali, too. Cody continues to improve each day, though proves to be a trying teenager much of the time, and that has nothing to do with his brain injury! They take one day at a time in life now, embracing whatever comes their way and letting the little things go, especially Cali JoAnn. Lucky for her, my niece understands (believes) that everyone is sent to earth for a special reason and says that although we don't know why she was chosen to endure the trials and tribulations associated with cancer, the past year has made it clearer and clearer to her. She believes that she was sent here by angels and walks with God, as well as those who have passed on before us, and she'll tell you that. She'll also mention that she is here to support the friends she has met through St. Jude Peoria and Memphis because it's one of her special gifts. Cali also feels that her cancer has brought people together, mended relationships and began lifelong friendships.
Yes, Cali JoAnn is special; we've known this from birth when she had the uncanny ability to look directly at the person speaking to her, as if she'd known them forever, though she couldn't even see their face through newborn eyes. This was very apparent to my father, who witnessed it first, just moments after they had put her under the heat lights when she was born...as he spoke to her, she turned her head to look at him, stopped crying to get quiet and listen to his voice. Cali still does this with her Grandfather, but this time it's from Heaven and her heart.
Yes, Cali is unique. She is special. She is joy. And I wish her a very happy 10th birthday today, Thursday, May 8, 2008.
If you would like to send her birthday wishes, you can sign her Guestbook on her Caring Bridge site at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/calihoward
4 Comments
BrOwN EyeD GirL Thursday, May 8, 2008
Ericka P & Co. ♥ Thursday, May 8, 2008
! Thursday, May 8, 2008
LGrant Thursday, May 8, 2008
1) Angi, you have an amazing family! I fought back the tears while reading this blog because it is a true testament to the endurance of the human spirit.....and I want you to know that you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers!
BrOwN EyeD GirL Thursday, May 8, 20082) May God bless your family and many birthday wishes to Cali. I will read this blog to my son tonight as it is truly inspirational. Thank you so much for sharing :)
Ericka P & Co. ♥ Thursday, May 8, 20083) Whew, Angi, I couldn't hold back the tears! What a story. Having gone through cancer and chemotherapy, I can well appreciate and understand the stress, the fear, the pain, the struggle. God bless Cali and her family. What an inspiration they are for the rest of us!! I hope things just continue to get better and better for them.
! Thursday, May 8, 20084) Happy Birthday, Cali. Sounds like #9 was a tough year but you are a strong and beautiful person. I hope 10-100 will be as extraordinary as you sound from this great blog.
LGrant Thursday, May 8, 2008Leave a Comment
