Aleigha's story... and another picture :)

Like I said, my blog is going to cover Aleigha over the next several days. I won't put ALL of her photos we took on here, but I will put them all in a gallery and link to it when they are all done. I will, however, be putting up a few at a time here as I get through them. I realized this afternoon as I was pulling them off of my camera card that this is going to take awhile! I got a LOT of pictures!
I'm going to paste the story that Aleigha's parents emailed me here today along with another picture and a link to her caring bridge site. Please take some time to read through some of it. Aleigha has overcome a lot. She's such a strong little girl, but she could still use everyone's prayers:)
The next time I post I'll add more than one picture at a time and I'll tell you more about meeting with her myself.
Anyway, enough rambling from me... Here's Aleigha's story from her parents. Her newest picture will be at the end:)


www.caringbridge.org/visit/aleighasweet


"I may have cancer BUT cancer DOES NOT have ME!"
11/5/07- We are once again in the battle to save my daughter the cancer is back



7/23/02 is when our journey with Aleigha began.. She was born at Parkview Whitley 4 weeks early. She had an abnormal heart beat and she did not pass the hearing test. As soon as the heart dr could get us in we were there the same with the ENT.. The heart dr did a dopler on her heart and the PDA had closed on its own (god answered our prayers) the ENT went in and removed some wax covering her ear drum and she could hear(another answered prayer) at 8 months old (3/03) Aleigha contracted Invasive Group A Strep.. and was life~line to Saint Vincents Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis after dancing in the light for 4.5 weeks god answered yet another prayer Aleigha came back and was a normal child, she only had 5% chance of making it BUT she DID..

After all that Aleigha was a normal little girl, except for knowing she was a princess.. After almost losing her our entire family and friends ALWAYS treated her as though she really was one.

On Aug. 11 she told her dad and I that she needed to see her lung dr. her chest hurt, so we called him, we also called his wife who is her ped. they right away sent us to Parkview to make sure she didnt have phemomia.. she had been coughing but a child with asthma coughs alot and that is what we all thought it was the week before.
Tom took her right up to Parkview where our lives changed forever! The CT scan showed it wasnt what the Drs had thought at all it was worse, much worse, it was a mass about the size of a baseball sitting on her lung. Once again her wonderful drs had to send her out to get the proper treatment.. the Lutheran Childens Critical Care Unit came to Parkview and took Aleigha down to Riley Childrens Hospital.. where we waited 24 hrs for another CT scan. The scan showed the tumor had grown and now took up 2/3 of the chest compressing every organ down and to the left. The bioposy showed it was Rabdomyoscarmo.. we agreed to have it sent off to make sure, it was nothing more, Later that same night 8/15/06 Aleigha was sent to ICU to be intabated, it seems that her 2 treatments of radiation, and hr 1 dose of chemo shurnk the tumor enough to let it slip and go over her tracha. Aleigha had already told Dr. Pradhan "I am a supergirl princess with the power of pink so I dont need your stupid medications." so our power besides prayer became PINK!

On 8/18/06 we were informed that her tumor was actually PleuroPulmonary Blastoma ( a rare childhood lung cancer) we were shocked our next plan of action help find a cure and to cure Aleigha. Aleigha was put on 11 different medication to keep her asleep and she fought them off, her nurses never left for the day NOT tired, after several rounds of chemo Aleigha was allowed to wake up.. the first thing she wanted was a potty chair, (9/28/06)

We were able to do surgery to remove 98-99% of her tumor, she has so far had 31 rounds of radiation and 6 courses of chemo.
and still we know she will make it with the positive prayers ( we do know god hears them shes proof) and her POWER of PINK.

Please take time to read our journals life aint always beautiful but its a beautiful ride!! and sign her guestbook she love its!


PET SCAN-8/9/07 100% cancer free still!!! Spots improving on spine.. Spot on lung no change!! Praise God!

PET SCAN-5/1/07 100% CLEAR!! PRAISE God and Pink Power
Currently Aleigha is in remission with (PPB)PleuroPulmonary Blastoma We know that with the positive power of prayer and Power of Pink she will WIN forever! Please join us on our journey