Stubborn Tumor Grows

We took Drew in yesterday for a follow up eye exam at the University of Minnesota, Children's. Heidi and I knew something was wrong when it took Dr. Christiansen and hour to complete the exam when it normally takes 30 minutes. While the news could have been worse, we found out that the tumor that they hit with the laser in January grew. The tumor still is small but apparently didn't react the way we wanted it to. Dr. Christiansen decided to hit it again with the laser however he turned up the heat by 50% and the intensity by 300%. Our hope is this will result in the tumor shrinking, however, if it does not we will need to increase the laser treatment next month. Our next step would be to freeze the tumor, and there are risks associated with this type of treatment. Dr. Christianson indicated this is a sign that he is still young and at risk for new tumors. He indicated he still thinks the risks of Drew ending up blind are low at this point. The good news is this tumor will not affect his vision. In addition, there were no other new tumors.

We ask that everyone continue to keep Drew in their prayers. He is a tough kid, but could use the extra prayers. He hasn't missed a beat, he is very active and you would never know he still has cancer. He will keep fighting, and we will keep fighting for him!