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Update on Wayra - 1/19/10

Okay, so through all the emails, the going online to decipher the terminology and going online to translate medical terms....this is what we've gathered so far:

Wayra was going to get a bone marrow test of some kind today, but it was a no-go (i think because they didn't have enough to do the test). So, they are going to take another sample and do the test tomorrow morning. Then, tomorrow afternoon she will go to another hospital where they will do a Scintigraphy. This is defined as such: the production of two-dimensional images of the distribution of radioactivity in tissues after the internal administration of a radiopharmaceutical imaging agent.

The "test" on the tumor itself came back with this: the tumor is 11x9.5x9.5 cm. It (seemingly) is attached to the spine (?) and heading towards the umbilical region. THe left Kidney is displaced (moved?), but all other organs seem to be in the normal range. The results came back with a diagnosis of "Neuroblastoma". It is defined as such: It develops from the tissues that form the sympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system that controls body functions, such as heart rate and blood pressure, digestion, and levels of certain hormones). Neuroblastoma most commonly begins in the abdomen in the tissues of the adrenal gland, but it may also occur in other areas. It can spread to the lymph nodes, liver, bones, and bone marrow. The cause of the tumor is unknown. Neuroblastoma is most commonly diagnosed in children before age 5. The disorder occurs in approximately 1 out of 100,000 children and is slightly more common in boys

After treatment children under the age of 2 have a 70-90% chance of survival, while children over the age of 3 have a 30% chance. This, of course, is dependant on what stage the child is in. From the sound of things she is in a Stage 3, possibly.

My mother has forwarded information from St.Jude's hospital to my aunt Lucy to forward to Wayra's parents. I am hoping Wayra's doctor sees this as an opportunity and will contact St. Jude's doctors for a referral. If the doctor refers her to St. Jude and the St. Jude doctors accept her, they will bring her to the States for treatment and, God willing, a cure.

It is hard to say anything with 100% certainty of course. Being here and they being in Argentina makes things much more difficult for us. I know there are a lot of people praying for her and her family, so I am keeping faith in that.

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