About Me

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Bakersfield, CA, United States
Hans was a busy, happy, sweet and fearless three year old when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. He fought his disease like a "gladiator" for nearly 6 years. Hans was an animal lover to his core. He was 'guarded' at home by his three cats, Black, Orange and Cotton. He also had his Golden Retriever, Honey, to keep him company. Hans enjoyed swimming, biking, gardening, grilling (he had his very own grill!), horseback riding, playing video games, building Legos, and flipping between Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet. Hans loved all members of his family and he was a loyal friend. He had to go through a lot of treatment in his life. But Hans powered through it. His attitude was let's get this done! His motivation was always to get back home, to his family, pets, favorite foods and pool.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Fabulous News

Hello!
We just got back from TCH and our meeting with Hans' Oncologist, Dr. Heidi Russell, and Hans' surgeon, Dr. Jed Nechturn. the great news is that the Bone Marrow sample was FREE OF TUMOR! I'm so excited about this - I can hardly believe it! Originally there were "clumps of tumor" present in the bone marrow samples. Now they are free. This means that Hans' body is responding well to his treatment protocol. This also means we can go ahead with the Bone Marrow Transplant.

However, first, we will go in for a second surgery. A very small, pancake-shaped piece of tumor was still present on the latest CT scan between the aorta and the right kidney. This isn't new tumor, it was missed during the initial surgery. It will be another day-long surgery, but Dr. Nuchtern really thinks he can get it and we trust him a lot. Going into bone marrow transplant with a clean slate is key to a good long-term outcome for Hans. The good thing is that Hans is much healthier now than he was going into the last surgery, so he shouldn't have as difficult of recovery. Should be about a week of recovery before going into transplant.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeehaw! Such great news!
Thinking about you, Hansy...
Love,
Megan

Anonymous said...

What wonderful news!
We are all so glad that Hans is such a strong little guy and works so hard to take all the steps he has to- to"Get all those boo boos out of there!"
and Lara, Kevin and Elle, I know Hans knows how he can count on all of you every second to help him through. It's the definition of love!

G'ma Stephanie

Anonymous said...

G R E A T !!! La - I'm so glad to hear the happiness in your voice - you have to be the strongest....it's just what girls do! Give that little boy a hug from me and tell him it's from all of us in Seattle. Love, pl

alanaransley said...

I am so glad to hear your news! I've been thinking about you constantly, and hoping that things had gone well at the doctor yesterday.

Alana

Kim Tyler said...

What a wonderful piece of news to start the day! We are very happy and encouraged, and following each step with so much love and hope. Wish we could be there to help, but know that the good wishes are coming in from all across the country! Kim

Anonymous said...

What happy news!! Will prays for Hans EVERY night and we are soooo excited to hear he is doing well. Will wants him in school with him next year!
Love,
The Jordan Family
(Will from Little Saints)

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear the encouraging news. Little Hans is quite a trooper as are the rest of you. Love and prayers.......

Doug,Amy, Nolan and Clay

K said...

We are continuing to pray for Hans and your whole family. What wonderful news!