Day 4

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the fast today. I know that the entire Walton family is grateful for the outpouring of love and support.

Tomorrow at 3:30 pm there will be a consult with the doctors. They should have enough of the test results back and are planning on establishing a treatment plan. We plan to update the blog as soon as we have information from that meeting.

I know that Natalee enjoyed her weekend and being home with her family and watching movies. She was able to read the blog and really enjoyed the comments posted. Once we know what the treatment plan is, we'll update the blog on a daily basis as to whether Natalee is up for visitors or not. She definitely misses her friends!

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow in the afternoon, and we'll update the blog sometime that evening.

Day 2 - Weekend Furlough Granted

The docs did decide to set Natalee free for the weekend, so after the PET scan (right about now) they will head up to Emanuel to check out and then will go and enjoy the weather. They are excited to have a nice quiet weekend with their family. They continue to express their gratitude for all the love and support, plus Natalee is excited to read the comments posted on her blog. Thank you all very much!

By the way, Janna (who is home from her freshman year of college) is looking for a summer job to help pay for her schooling, so if anyone knows of any openings, please let us know. I'm going to add my two cents and say that she is a delightful, talented young woman who I would offer a job to in a heartbeat - too bad she wasn't here during tax season :-).

Day 2

Good news! Natalee had her heart ultrasound this morning, and they said her heart looks good. There wasn't a great deal of concern about it, but we are happy to celebrate the positives. Still no news yet as to the results of the bone scan and biopsy, but the doctors did say that they are still checking to see if they "got enough" [tissue] from the biopsy and should know that shortly.

Natalee did beat everyone at Rack-O today and it was her first time playing the game! Clearly her competitive spirit hasn't been dulled. I also heard that she is not happy about having her 5th grade picture posted on the blog and really wants her 6th grade picture up instead. I don't have it, so if anyone can email it to be that would be great!

This afternoon they are heading over to Providence Portland for the PET scan and are hoping to take a little "extra time" before heading back to Emanuel. There is hope that she might be allowed a short sabbatical from the hospital on Saturday, but no word for sure yet. Will keep you updated...

Day 1

This isn't the first day of Natalee's illness, but its the first day of the blog, and we decided that the best way to keep everyone updated and keep the phone from ringing off the hook was to make as much information available as possible. Plus, we know how easy it is for information to get confused or distorted.

Last week Natalee started experiencing some severe (but inconsistent) stomach pain. After visiting her primay care physician and undergoing the first of many diagnostic tests, she was found to have a large tumor in her stomach. At that point the doctor referred her to Legacy Emanuel Hospital for further testing and review.

Since she has been admitted, Natalee has undergone multiple biopsies, ultrasounds, CT scans, x-rays and all sorts of blood work. A full body bone scan was completed this afternoon. Tomorrow morning she is scheduled for a heart ultrasound and then she will undergo a PET scan in the afternoon at Providence Portland.

Natalee's team of doctors, led by Dr. Janice Olson, have determined that Natalee does in fact have cancer, however, they do not yet know what type, or what stage the cancer has progressed to.

What we do know is this:

• The tumor is large and has displaced Natalee's left kidney
• They have found "spots" in her kidney & lung
• The tentative treatment plan currently calls for the use of chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and other cancers to make them easier to remove
• The doctors are being very cautious before making any kind of specific diagnosis; it could take up to a week before they have all the data necessary

Natalee is being incredibly brave, but she is frightened and tired of being poked and prodded (and who wouldn't be in the same situation). This is all very overwhelming and difficult for the family to process, especially as they wait for a diagnosis and a treatment plan.

Sherri has asked me to act as an liasion and I will update this blog as soon as I receive new information. She would like me to convey her gratitude for all the support and love and prayers.