"I wish none of
this had happened."
"So do all
who live to see such times, but it is not for us to decide.
All that is for
you to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you." ~ JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings
January
23, 2003: The Battle Begins Again.
July
21, 2003: Hunter's battle ends in the Ultimate Cure Click
here to go right to the most recent update.
Simply scroll ahead to read Hunter's full story.
The sun smiled down and warmed the
chilly March day Hunter Atkinson entered the world. His bright and happy personality
brightened every room and many lives, and his personal light has never dimmed.
At
the tender age of five, my dear friend learned what it is to be a fighter.
Diagnosed with Wilm's
tumor, Hunter battled the monster four times. He remained victorious over
it for
thirty-two months between his
third and fourth relapses, almost allowing he and his family to live without
holding their breath every day. Now it has returned with a vengeance just
six months
after his fourth victory.
Hunter is a very healthy kid. Well, except for the cancer, that is. He has been
a success in the agility, conformation, and junior handling rings. He has
not only Showmanship wins to his credit, but Winners and Best of Breed wins
in the conformation ring as well.
Words
just can't convey the wonderful energy that fills whatever room Hunter occupies.
He draws people to him of every age, gender, faith. His outlook always remains
positive, and even in his darkest and most painful hours, he comforts those
around him.
On
February 14, 2002, we got the word. After 32 months in remission, the battle begins again. With the medical
community's arsenal nearly exhausted, our prayers are needed more than ever.
Easter
2002
The kids at the Salt City Cluster with buddy James (and Simon!)
The
Fourth Fight
May
23, 2002: After 4 weeks of radiation and three months of chemotherapy,
Hunter's tumors have been labeled "resistant to treatment" and continue
to grow despite the barrage of poisons being aimed at them. Hunter's doctors
had him admitted before beginning radiation to do a week-long stem cell harvest,
just in case. Thank goodness they did.
On
June 25th,
Hunter underwent surgery to resect his chest wall and remove the tumor growing
there. The doctors also removed a couple of small spots that had not shown
up on the scans. When the pathology report came in, it revealed that the tumor
was not only still living, but had changed in histology. We all wait with
dread as July 15 approaches - the date that Hunter goes into the hospital
for his second stem cell transplant.
In this procedure, he will receive lethal doses of chemotherapy to kill off
his bone marrow, and hopefully all tumors both visible and microscopic. He
will then receive his own stem cells in an attempt to "rescue" him.
He will be isolated from the world for the 6-10 weeks or more that it takes
his body to regain its strength and ability to fight disease. With your prayers,
Hunter's strength, and more than a bit of luck, he will win the battle again.
7-24-02:
On July 15th, Hunter entered the hospital for what they are calling his "summer
vacation in Hell." The first week he received lethal doses of chemotherapy,
and then after one day of rest they began the "rescue" phase of
the transplant by returning his harvested stem cells to him. Though the drugs
have had him very ill so far, by this weekend his body should be reaching
a critical stage, where he will fight infection and high fevers, seizures,
bone pain, organ failure, and skin breakdown.
The long uphill battle has begun in earnest.
The phone in Hunter's room has been turned off because of his pain level and
noise intolerance. The mouth and throat sores have begun, but so far the fevers
are not as bad as the last time. Perhaps this is because of the reiki that
Hunter and his mom and dear friend and advisor Kim have been doing in an attempt
to save him from the "cure". Anyone needing to speak to Betsy can
leave a message at the 7H nurse's station. If she is able to get away for
a moment to eat, she may be able to return the call.
7-31-02:
I had the opportunity to visit Hunter two days ago.
Despite the tubes and machines beeping everywhere, and Hunter's constant pain,
he was able to peek at me and give me a smile and a thumbs up. Though
much of the struggle still lies ahead, I was relieved
to see that Hunter still retains some of his summer color, and looks every
bit the fighter he has been throughout his life. His pain now under better
control, he is able to tolerate noise enough to enjoy the occasional movie.
Mouth sores keep communication to a minimum, but his inner energy says it
all.
8-1-02:
It seems that the slippery downward slope is shorter than we expected! Although
still plagued by horrible mouth sores and fighting some complications requiring
heavy duty antibiotics, Hunter's strength is slowly returning. This morning
he has a white cell count of 3, and with the return of white cells comes healing.
His doctors are so optimistic that they are discussing sending him home on
IV's early next week! This all hinges on his continued good progress and their
ability to wean him from his heavy duty pain medications.
8-7-02: Hunter is HOME!!!! Today
he dragged all his paraphernalia home from the hospital, and will receive
the balance of his antibiotic treatment there. In time we will learn whether
or not the transplant has had the desired effect, but in the mean time we
are all rejoicing in the fact that he is not only home, but earlier than expected!
Now both he and his mom can relax and get some much-needed rest, and Hunter
can begin to return to the popular kid he has always been among his friends.
8-24-02: Hunter - complete with his portable IV pack for feedings
- joined us the weekend following his release from the hospital for our club's
ASCA show on August 9-11. Though he wasn't able to show his dog Smudge, he
did find the strength to be a kid. We all shuddered and tried not to watch
as he became all boy, engaging in one-kid wheelchair races down the hill and
into the
side of the barn. Though it was expected that he would need to have another
transfusion after leaving the hospital, not only did his blood counts not
plummet - they rose!
I
visited with Hunter and his family this past week - he's doing fabulously!
Mariah has just returned from Camp Good Days, and Hunter - his pic line now
removed - has been a huge help to his mother, who required emergency knee
surgery on Wednesday. His dear friend and source of strength, Tyler, is never
far away and grateful to have Hunter home. We now sit and wait, and pray that
his 3-month scans show that his cancer is once again in remission, and remains
there until a cure is found.
10-17-02:
Hunter and his family awaited the results of his three-month scans with great
anxiety to learn whether or not the transplant was a success. The results
are in - scans of his chest and abdomen are CLEAR!!! Hunter is in REMISSION!!!!!!!!!>
8/11/02:
Hunter and Smudge, together again.
Sister
Mariah showed Smudge for Hunter
8/20/02:
Hunter and his buddy Elliot stick out their tongues at the camera.
Click to enlarge!
December
1, 2002 - Hunter and Sunny in the Junior Showmanship ring.
Hard to believe this kid has been sick!
Hunter and I, December 1, 2002
Hunter
and pal Renee St.Jacques, 1/18/03
With
sister Mariah
And
Again We Wage War . . . The Fifth Fight
Hunter's greatest ambition is to some day attend Cornell University's College
of Veterinary Medicine. His bright and curious
mind has grasped every aspect of the treatments he's endured, and these have
left him with more questions and ideas than ever. Three-month scans were approaching
rapidly when Hunter and I took a wonderful personal tour of these facilities
and one of Cornell's fistulated cows last week, thanks entirely to the kindness
and generosity of Dr. Debbie Cherney, Ph.D.. Hunter was enthusiastic, but
tired and quiet, and my heart sank. Yesterday the news came in: significant
and rapidly growing tumors in Hunter's left lung.
The
medical community had warned of the grave prospects ahead not if but
when the tumors returned, and little has changed in the six months
since his second stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy simply destroys Hunter's
body, not his cancer. In anticipation of normal lab results to measure his
kidney, liver and cardiac function, Hunter's doctor entered him in a Phase
I study of the gene therapy drug G3139
in a last attempt to break through his resistant tumors.
"The
target of G3139 -- the BCL2 gene -- is a proto-oncogene involved in the
inhibition of apoptosis (programmed cell death) of cancerous cells and is
believed to be important in a number of solid tumor and hematological malignancies
including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, malignant melanoma, breast, colorectal,
ovarian and prostate cancers.
The
protein produced by the BCL2 gene has two known critical functions in the
progression of cancer -- it makes cancer cells immortal, creating a survival
advantage of malignant over normal cells, and it confers resistance to radiation
and chemotherapy, rendering these treatments ineffective in late-stage cancers.
High
levels of the BCL2 protein are associated with a poor clinical prognosis
for certain cancer patents. G3139 is designed to inactivate the RNA that
produces the BCL2 protein product, thereby preventing cellular production
of the protein."
-
BUSINESS WIRE
With
this new weapon in hand, we prepare to wage war once again. Though it has never
been used in children or to treat Wilm's tumor, the drug appears to be tolerated
well, and we should know within a month if he will respond to the combination
of G3139 and chemotherapy. Hunter enters the hospital on January 29, 2003, to
begin a seven-day infusion of G3139 and the chemotheraputic drugs Doxirubicin
and Cytoxin. Please keep him in your prayers.
2-3-03: Hunter has returned to familiar territory. He entered University Hospital
on January 28 to have a port inserted into his chest for treatment, and was
scheduled to begin treatment the next day. Because of difficulties getting
the port in (that's one badly scarred little chest!) they delayed the commencement
of treatment by a day. It is now five days into a seven-day treatment cycle,
and thus far he's handling the treatments well. I have the opportunity to
chat with him nearly daily, and last night he had me in stitches, recalling
with glee his new knowledge of rumen fluid and its aroma in fast food restaurants,
and acting every bit the goofy adolescent he is.
One
of our club members phoned the hospital before Hunter's admission to get his
address for cards and wishes. Even the telephone operator was familiar
with Hunter, and sad to see him return once again. Though he will be home
shortly for a couple of weeks, with luck he will return every 21 days for
another cycle of treatment - check back here to find out where he is.
2-8-03: I'm told by a nurse on 7H that Betsy and Hunter hit the elevator on Thursday
night as the needle was leaving Hunter's arm after the last blood draw! Hunter
had a grand old time for most of his stay in the hospital this time, entertaining
himself by torturing the nurses and staff with daily pranks (I'm told they
got him back before he left!) until the chemo caught up with him on Tuesday.
They arrived home late Thursday night, and then returned to the hospital on
Friday for more bloodwork and a check on Hunter's fever, which remains constant
at 102-104* from the chemo. Though he feels absolutely rotten, Hunter remains
upbeat and cheerful, and entertains hopes of returning to school on Monday!
Now it's a 2-week waiting game until new scans indicate whether or not the
treatment seems to be working.
Please
keep not only Hunter, but Betsy and Mariah in your thoughts as well. It is
heart wrenching to take your child to the hospital happy and healthy and to
bring him home so very ill.
2-13-03: Well, school was out of the question this week as Hunter struggled to maintain
blood counts that would prevent the need for a transfusion. Though it was
expected, it was unfortunate that as the week passed his counts dropped and
today he went in for blood. Though his energy is very low, his spirits remain
good, and the wait is down to just one more week before we get results of
the first round of treatment.
2-17-03: Hunter was admitted to 7-H on Saturday morning at 2am when he spiked yet another
fever. He has cultured positive for strep, and although they had his fever
down by Saturday, yesterday it started back up. By the time I left him last
night it was hovering around 104* on IV antibiotics and tylenol. He was VERY
depressed on Saturday, but Betsy brought his buddy Tyler in yesterday and
he stayed all day so that Hunter could have someone to be a kid with. While
I was there, he was joking and goofing around, feigning delirium and telling
me just what a "hot dude" he was. His platelet and white cell counts
are pretty much nonexistent. Despite his fever, he is very pale because he
doesn't have enough red cells to be flushed. Tomorrow is D-day - they repeat
the scans and decide whether or not to continue.
2-20-03:
Wow, what a difference a couple of days makes! Two days ago Hunter was battling
fevers topping out at over 106* from a combination of Strep G in his throat
and alpha Strep systemically. Scans were done a day early to see if the treatment
showed any promise, knowing that if it didn't, he could be given the Neupagen
that would help him battle the infection. The scans showed no new tumor growth
- hopefully a positive sign this early in treatment - and very fortunately,
the right combination of antibiotics was found not a moment too soon.
I
visited with Hunter tonight, and it's hard to believe that the kid was that
sick! He was harassing us all endlessly, enjoyed a "guys" night
with his favorite buddy, and nailed his mom but good with spitballs! He also
shared with us some poetry he'd written earlier in the day. The first was
inspired by an assigned topic:
The
hair on my head
His or her head
Brothers' or sisters' hair
Aunts' or uncles' hair
Friends' or enemies' hair
Or even they with no hair
There can be no thorough judgment
Of what lies on the head
But what lies in the heart.
Sometimes
your highest destination
Can only be reached
With your own wings,
And other times
It takes 100 hands
To build an airplane
Photos
from February 20, 2003
Looking pretty good for a sick kid!
My little bud
>
Hunter and his mom, Betsy
Hunter
(center) with best buddy Tyler (left) and sister Mariah (right)
Never doubt the curative value of humor!
Gary Magi, one of Hunter's top supporters and best buds, has gone out of his
way to visit with Hunter every single day! He has also shaved his head
with Hunter every time Hunter has lost his hair.
What
Cancer Can't Do
Cancer is so limited.
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot invade the soul.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the spirit.
~Author
unknown~
3-2-03: Hunter returned home from the hospital on February 21, dragging along an IV
pole and thrice-daily antibiotic treatments. While he has enjoyed being home
again, his blood counts have failed to rebound, and transfusions have been necessary
to keep him at nearly safe levels. The current concern is whether or not his
counts will return to a level that will enable him to remain on the study, and
later this week scans will be taken to reevaluate the status of things. In the
mean time, all treatments have been paused until Hunter's blood counts rebound.
3-9-03:
Ten days from Hunter's thirteenth birthday, the Atkinsons are in a holding
pattern. Hunter has been removed from the G3139 study because his bone marrow
is simply too tired to handle the strain of chemotherapy, and there are
no conventional treatment options remaining. His blood counts are rising
slowly but are a long way from being able to endure more treatment, and
it is suspected that the tumors are growing once again. Hunter has asked
to return to a more holistic approach, at least for the time being, and
is on a variety of anticancer herbal treatments as well as reiki. His spirits
are probably lower now than they ever have been, but a "guy" weekend
with his buddies and a visit from Jules (of the acoustic duo Jules
& Dami, above) have lifted them a good deal.
The Ithaca, NY duo have generously offered to donate a portion of all proceeds
from select performances, CDs and photos to Hunter to help assist with his
expenses! THANKS GUYS!!!
3-20-03: Hunter's thirteenth birthday has come and gone now. Today's blood tests show
that his counts have risen to a point where they can consider finding a new
clinical trial for him to attempt, though what and when that will be is still
undetermined. Scans revealed that, as suspected, the tumors are still growing.
Hunter would ideally like to try an alternative natural therapy, so the search
is on to find one among the thousands that sounds promising. Unfortunately,
these are very expensive and not covered by insurance. Please hope and pray
that we can locate a solution!
March
19, 2003 - Hunter's 13th birthday
Hunter with
Betsy and Mariah
March
27, 2003 - Salt City Cluster
Hunter
with his boy Kodak.
4-2-03: Wonderful news today on a couple of fronts! First, Hunter had a wonderful weekend in Syracuse showing his dog Kodak. While they didn't take the points, Hunter was once again able to participate for the love of the sport, and was surrounded by many near and dear to him.
Second, yesterday we learned that Hunter has been accepted into an open study at NIH in Maryland, and they leave next week for the first round of treatment! This study is for a new class of anti-cancer drugs that works by binding with proteins called tubulins in the cancer cells and preventing them from dividing and proliferating. Every crossable body part is crossed at this end!
4-9-03: Hunter
and family left for Bethesda, MD early on April 7th. A recheck of his status
showed no significant tumor growth since his last scans in March, and he
started the new treatment today. So far, so good! Thankfully, NIH is splendidly
set up to handle families of ill children. The three of them plus their
fabulous Grammy are all staying in the Children's Inn where they have pleasant
accommodations and other families and support staff to interact with. For
those wishing to send their wishes, the address is:
Hunter
Atkinson-D6
The Children's Inn
7 West Drive
Bethesda ,Md. 20892
4-21-03:
Well,
the family returned from Maryland on Wednesday! The treatment has so far
proven rather mild and quite tolerable, though a fever - another case of
strep - sent Hunter to the hospital on Friday night. He was home (fever
and all) by Saturday, and we all enjoyed a wonderful Easter dinner on Sunday.
Just before Hunter left for Maryland, a song in his honor was recorded and
has been made available for all: Hunter's
Song
5-3-03: Hunter,
Betsy and Mariah made another trip to Maryland this past week for reevaluation
and an additional round of treatment. The news was not what we'd hoped for,
but at the same time, was not as bad as it could have been. Hunter went
in with the conviction that his tumor would be gone, but what was discovered
was that there are multiple tumors which have had a small amount of growth
(less than 10% in the past three weeks). The additional tumors were not
new to the doctors, but were to Hunter and his family, and this combination
of news has delivered a devastating blow to all of them, but especially
to Hunter, who has put great faith in his body's ability to heal itself.
While the doctors there consider this to be "stable" disease,
he will remain on the treatment only as long as the growth doesn't exceed
16% from their baseline (last month). So, thinking positively, let us hope
for less than 6% growth in this round, no growth in the next round, and
then a regression of the tumors in the rounds beyond that!
In
the mean time, Hunter is generally feeling physically well, attending school,
playing with his buddies... please keep him in your thoughts now as always.
Dear
Friends,
We are in Maryland as I write this. We have devastating news. Scans show
that Hunters tumors are growing rapidly. A large mass has been detected
behind his heart. This is most likely the reason behind his increasing chest
pain. Hunter has been taken off the study. With no options available at
this time, we will head home with a heavy heart. Please no phone calls.(e-mails
are fine)...I can't put voice to this pain just yet.
~Betsy
6-1-03: For those of you who are wondering, I felt an update was in order, but what
to say? Hunter is home and enjoying life, playing with his buddies, tormenting
his sister, and just generally being himself. He is starting to have some
of the first effects of his rapidly-growing cancer (outside of the effects
of chemo) as the tumor behind his heart presses on a nerve in his chest, causing
severe shoulder pain. His hair is growing in again, straight and as red as
ever!
6-4-03: X-rays earlier this week showed no huge changes in the short time since the
last check of Hunter's tumors. Hunter has opted against a highly experimental
chemotheraputic drug, but has thrown himself with full force back into his
raw organic diet, continues with reiki, and the herbal supplements from his
homeopath in Florida (Dr. Morrison). He has a wonderfully positive attitude
about his prospects on this path, and has had little or no pain for most of
this past week! He is actually very healthy and happy, and enjoying simply
being a teenage boy.
6-14-03: Scans yesterday revealed that the current approach to Hunter's treatment is
not providing the miracle we'd prayed for. Hunter is far from giving up, however,
and begins a new off-study, pre-trial chemotherapy drug on Monday. Keep your
fingers crossed!
7-7-03: Updates lately have been very hard to post, though I know many of you are
anxiously awaiting news. We had hoped that the next update would bear positive
news, but the experimental treatment has not been effective, and the cancer
continues to spread at an alarming rate. With tumors filling his chest, abdomen,
and into his throat, Hunter has not got the strength for activity other than
travel from room to room, and paralysis of his vocal cords on one side makes
it very difficult for him to swallow and speak. Though the entire family appreciates
and is shocked and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and wishes they are
receiving, the constant stream of visitors, phone calls, and the turmoil of
life has them all exhausted, so please be patient if your messages are long
in being returned. 7-10-03: I had the joy of visiting with Hunter this evening, a visit I wanted to last
forever. He has so very much to say, and so little energy to say it with. He
shared with me his "Cure" book, a composition book in which he has
organized ideas for cancer research. His last idea, #9, he dictated to Pastor
Wendell: "The ultimate cure - Heaven".
He
asked if I had updated this site, what I'd told you all. I told him, and he
has some tremendous messages for all of you. Tomorrow I will see about having
him dictate them to me, but to paraphrase in the mean time, Hunter says to
keep faith strong, as he still does. He still has hope and believes in miracles,
and wants everyone else to do the same. As for him, he knows what his probable
path is, how his end will likely arrive, and though angry and frustrated,
he is not afraid. Don't be sad for him, and have faith in God.
7-16-03: Hunter has reached a point where his days are filled with peaceful repose...he
was still faking seizures on Friday to get reactions (a TOTALLY typical Hunter
thing to do!), singing how he was too sexy for his boxers, and
Saturday he asked his pastor for prayers for peace in his passing - not for
himself but for those he leaves behind. He sat up then and gave hugs all around,
made sure his mom and sister would be OK, told us all how blessed he was,
and then shut his eyes and went back to sleep. He sleeps deeply now, except
for brief moments of communication. He is on a morphine pump, and is at home
on his couch surrounded by the people he loves. His parents have not left
his side in a week for fear of missing his last breaths. Yesterday he sat
up a bit and said heard his grandma calling him, and Betsy told him to go
and give her a big hug. Hunter's spirit so loves life that it is hard for
him to go.
Hunter
did have the opportunity on Friday to videotape an incredible message to the
world, and as soon as I am able, I will post this. To all of
you - he has asked for your continued prayers for his passing and his family's
well-being.
7-18-03: Hunter remains largely unchanged over the past couple of days. We think that
he is still waiting for his miracle, and not giving up until the very last.
I am very grateful that he was able to record his message to the world last
Friday while he still had a moment of strength - it is difficult to hear because
of his inability to breathe and the paralysis of his vocal cords, but could
be made out with careful concentration. He was heavily medicated for pain
and having difficulty staying awake as he lay on the couch, and the morphine
was causing him to itch badly, but his message was very important to him:
Hunter
hasn't responded to my voice or touch since last Saturday, but despite this
I give him a hello/goodbye and a kiss every time I come and go, and sit with
him if the seat beside him is empty. We had to leave to meet up with the "angel"
(THANK YOU BRIAN!!!) who volunteered to edit Hunter's video message this morning.
I went in, ran my fingers through his tight, soft red curls, gave him a kiss
on the forehead and told him "I love you Rocketman."
"I love you too," came his barely audible reply.
"I know, man...I know."
Those
four words were so totally unexpected, and more precious to me than all the
hours-long chats we've had late at night in recent years. I never expected
I'd hear him utter another word to me, and though I suspected that he was
taking at least something in from the world around him, his confirmation of
this made my heart ache with both pain and joy.
About
an hour ago I received word that Hunter has had a couple of small seizures
tonight.
Update
(7-21-03): Hunter's
faith that God would heal him was so incredibly strong... this morning at
9:15am his faith was realized when Hunter received his "Ultimate Cure"
and returned home. His passing was so peaceful and he was surrounded by his
family in his home. Hunter's incredible spirit simply loved life too much
to leave without a fight, and his body - so strong despite the poisons with
which he fought his foe - was never frail and had reserves we never imagined.
Hunter's
life will be celebrated on Friday at Eastern Hills Bible Church in Manlius,
NY, with calling hours on Thursday at Tate's in Cazenovia (flowers should
be sent here). He brought together an immense network of strangers simply
through the light of his life, and many of you remain strangers to us still.
We hope that you will take this opportunity to share him with us again. He
requests that the formal attire for this party is bright colors and tie-dye.
Watch this site for times.
Hunter's
wish was to be cremated and his ashes sent off in a rocket (pyrotechnics fan
that he was!), and this wish will be honored in celebration of his spirit.
In addition, this site will shortly be converted to a place where his spirit
can be shared and renewed through photos, anecdotes, etc. Ther are so many
AWESOME Hunter stories out there that I expect to see this site filled in
no time (someone had better share stories such as the infamous "Bite
Me" x-ray!). These can be emailed to me at IthacaArcher@aol.com.
We'd love to know how all of you came to know Hunter - because we know there
are some wild stories of "coincidences" running around - how he's
impacted your life, etc.
"Life
is eternal and love is immortal; And death is only a horizon, And a horizon
is nothing save the limit of our sight".
So
many of us feel helpless in the face of this monster. Wilm's
tumor is one of the most under-researched childhood cancers because it
is considered one of the most curable. Of the 5-6% of childhood cancers which
are Wilm's, the 5 year survival rate is over 92% at the moment. What they
fail to note is that once Wilm's recurs, the odds for a true cure plummet.
The fact is, a successful stem cell transplant will buy time - hopefully until
there are better treatment options available - but is not likely to be a cure.
What you can do to help Hunter and all of the other children fighting Wilm's
now and in the future is to raise awareness of the disease in hopes of boosting
funding for research. Perhaps the next time his scans show a shadow, your
impact will be felt in a successful, lifesaving cure.
Karen
& Bill White of Naperville, IL have been raising money for unfavorable
tumor research in memory of their daughter, Paige. Paige lost her battle to
Wilm's Tumor on December 22, 2001. Paige was diagnosed with unfavorable tumors
(which means she had deformed cancer cells within the cancerous tumor). If
you are interested in donating to the study, please forward your donation
including Paige White's name (so that the funds may be allocated appropriately)
to:
National
Wilms Tumor Study Group
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Avenue N.
P.O. Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109
In
the mean time, please
take a moment to keep Hunter and his mother and sister in your prayers, and
send them your positive thoughts and energies. You can visit the website outlining
his entire battle at "We
Love Hunter," and can find contact information for updates and assistance
at "Friends of Hunter".
Please take a moment to sign Hunter's guest book or drop him an encouraging
e-mail.
We
would like to extend an enormous thank youto Joni
Johnson and Kelly Bonilla, who raised money during Hunter's fourth
fight through auctions and raffles within the Australian Shepherd community, and to "Take the
Lead" - an organization dedicated to provide direct services, support
and care for all qualified participants in the sport of dogs who suffer from
the devastating realities of life-threatening or terminal illnesses. These folks - and all of you who have contributed to make them possible -
have helped to keep a roof over the Atkinson's heads
and their utilities on.
May
23, 2002: After 4 weeks of radiation and three months of chemotherapy,
Hunter's tumors have been labeled "resistant to treatment" and continue
to grow despite the barrage of poisons being aimed at them. Hunter's doctors
had him admitted before beginning radiation to do a week-long stem cell harvest,
just in case. Thank goodness they did.
2-17-03: Hunter was admitted to 7-H on Saturday morning at 2am when he spiked yet another
fever. He has cultured positive for strep, and although they had his fever
down by Saturday, yesterday it started back up. By the time I left him last
night it was hovering around 104* on IV antibiotics and tylenol. He was VERY
depressed on Saturday, but Betsy brought his buddy Tyler in yesterday and
he stayed all day so that Hunter could have someone to be a kid with. While
I was there, he was joking and goofing around, feigning delirium and telling
me just what a "hot dude" he was. His platelet and white cell counts
are pretty much nonexistent. Despite his fever, he is very pale because he
doesn't have enough red cells to be flushed. Tomorrow is D-day - they repeat
the scans and decide whether or not to continue. 
