Update on Arthur

Here's some uplifting news about sweet baby Arthur. He was home for two wonderful days. he played with his older sister Aurora, and rode in the red wagon to the Community Plate to see everyone at his mommy's work. He played ball, he even did a little climbing on the climber in the backyard. He also played with a giant teddy bear his Great Auntie Nancy gave to him. He said several times "Arthur's happy."Everyone was so happy to see his spirits up.

He is now up at Doernbecher's having his third round of chemo. The Doctor is still trying to figure out why he is not able to process his food when he is off chemo. For those of you who don't know Arthur has been eating about 2 tablespoons of food a day, which is a very small portion. The Doctor's tried a feeding tube, but so far with little success. The Doctor was thinking about the possibility of Arthur having an allergic reaction to something in his feeding mixture. We are all hoping and praying that Arthur will start eating and build up his strength.

Please keep Arthur in your heart and in your prayers.
Thank you so much,
The Blankenship Family

How you can Help

You can donate by going to http://http//www.onpointcu.com and make contributions to the Blankenship Family Fund.

Thank you for your generosity, prayers, and love,
The Blankenships

More Information on Ewing Sarcoma

Ewing's Sarcoma is a very rare form of bone cancer that strikes children and adolescents. Actually, it is a group of four different types of cancer, known collectively as the Ewing's Family of Tumors (EFT). About 250 cases are diagnosed every year in the U.S. The good news is that two-thirds of patients are long-term survivors of the disease. Although it can occur at a younger age, most Ewing's sarcoma cases are found in children aged 10 to 20. Caucasian children, particularly boys, are much more likely to have EFT than any other racial or ethnic group.

Ewing's sarcomas are caused by chromosome changes that occur after birth. In a process known as translocation, chromosomes 11 and 22 "swap" small pieces of each other, resulting in an abnormal gene that can be detected with DNA testing. However, it's not known why this translocation takes place. There are no identifiable risk factors that increase a child's susceptibility to Ewing's sarcomas, and it's not passed along from parent to child like some inherited childhood cancers. In fact, it's extremely rare for it to happen more than once in the same family.

Ewing's bone sarcoma accounts for about 85% of all cases. It's usually found in the long bones in the arm or leg, although it sometimes occurs in the pelvis or ribcage

Info from http://www.mdanderson.org/

What are the symptoms of Ewing sarcoma?

The symptoms of Ewing sarcoma depend on the bone in which the cancer develops. Symptoms include:

• Pain at the site of the mass, with soft tissue swelling around the mass.
• In cases of metastatic disease (where the cancer has spread), patients may have general symptoms such as anorexia, fever, malaise, fatigue and weight loss.
• Other symptoms will be related to the specific location of the sarcoma.

What are the prognostic factors in Ewing sarcoma?

The extent of the disease is the most important factor in determining how the disease will progress. Other factors that influence the prognosis include:

• Primary site (where the cancer began)
• The presence of metastasis (spreading to other areas)
• Size of the tumor
• Age
• Leukocyte count
• Sedimentation rate
• Serum LDH levels

Info from http://www.curesearch.org/

To view a FAQ about Ewing Sarcomo please visit this website, by clicking on this link;
http://www.cancerindex.org/ccw/faq/ewings.htm

Baby Arthur

This is a brief description of what Arthur and his family are facing.
Arthur was diagnosed in May of 2011 with a very rare and aggressive
bone cancer called Ewing Sarcoma. It is so rare it is estimated that in the US only 200 babies a year will have it. His chemotherapy started at
Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, in Portland, Oregon in May of 2011 and
requires around-the-clock parental supervision and care. It has been
stated that because of the aggressiveness of this cancer the Doctor
ordered for Arthur, an 18-month-old child, the same amount of
chemotherapy that would be used on a teenager. His chemotherapy will
last 6 to 9 months and a long recovery awaits him after that. The
family at the present time is working on fundraisers, and accepting
donations in order to aid the family with medical and family costs
during and after Arthur’s chemotherapy treatments and for as long as
he is medically fragile and requires such care.
Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and financial contributions,
The Blankenship Family