Sarah T. - Quilt Finished in 2009
Born: April 20, 1995
Illness: Ewings Sarcoma, Ewings Relapse
A Thank You From Sarah's Family!
May 29, 2009
Sarah loves the quilt. We have shown it off to everyone that has come over and they are just amazed at the wonderful work your quilters do. So much love in each square.
I’m am sending you pictures too. She was being a stinker when I was trying to take them. She didn't want to smile, as she hates showing her braces, but I got her anyway! :) ha ha I think her smile shows her personality!! CRAZY!!!
Thank you again for all your thoughtfulness and to all your quilter ladies as well. You are all a true blessing!
Sarah and family
Sarah's quilt was made by stitchers from the online group CSA. Thanks ladies!
Sarah T.'s Story
Written by Sarah T.'s mom Sheri in March 2009
Sarah was a healthy,loving, bubbly little baby. She was growing up doing all the things little girls do, babies, barbies, bike riding, and friends. Sarah was active in sports, doing soccer, softball, girlscouts, and sleep overs. From August 2005 to about November 2005 she had been complaining about pain in her left tibia. I had had her to the Doctor several times, but it was just brushed off as growing pains or a strain from her sports.
In November 2005, the girls and I moved to a new town due to the divorce of their father and I. In January 2006, she came home from school and her leg was completely swollen. I took her to a new Doctor, and they immediately did bloodwork and xrays. A few days later, they called to say they saw something and wanted an MRI done. So we had that done, and on January 19th 2006, I got the worst phone call of my life. The Doctor was calling to say that they got the results, and they feel she has cancer. I needed to get her to Children's Memorial in Chicago immediately.
So our journey started January 19th 2006. She was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in her left Tibia right below the knee. We spent 9 weeks at CMH due to Sarah having spontaneous Pneumothorax (collapsed lung) in the right lung. It took 3 surgeries to get the lung to finally stay up. On March 23, 2006, we finally came home. On May 2,2006 Sarah underwent surgery to her left tibia to removed the 4" tumor. That part of the bone was replaced with a donor bone and plating to hold it in place. She underwent several surgeries throughout 2006 and 2007 to try to get the bones to knit together.
In January 2008, we FINALLY were getting some knitting of the donor bone and her tibia, when both my daughters were in a near fatal car accident with their dad. I received a phone call to tell me that both my daughters were being air lifted to hospitals here in Rockford and I needed to get to them. My youngest had a bilateral pelvic fracture and a portion of her forehead was cut in a hook shape all the way down, exposing her skull. She spent 3 days in the Peds unit and then home to rest. Sarah..well..she had a nicked spleen with internal bleeding, a bruised pancreas, bruised intestines, a broken LEFT ankle, and damage to all the plating and donor bone in her leg. She was in PICU FOR 4 days and then Peds floor for 3days. Donna made a full recovery from her injuries, though she struggles with the sounds of the sirens from emergency vehicles, and helicopters. Sarah recovered internally, but the damage to her leg was mental anguish.
Almost 2 years to the day, Sarah went back into surgery to repair the damage to her leg. They removed all the damaged bone and hardware, replaced it with new and also removed part of her Fibula from her right leg and attached it to the donor bone in her left, to try to create a living bone fast. Between June 2008 to Oct 2008, she had numerous surgeries to repair issues with her skin and not healing. We basically say she was like a leaking hose, you fix one spot and another would come open. At the end of October, Sarah was diagnosed with VRE Osteomylitis (form of MRSA infection) in her leg. She was put on a very STRONG antibiotic in hopes that this could hold it at bay while we tried to get union in the bones. She was allowed to start walking on the leg (which she hadn't done in 2yrs) to try to create the reaction faster.
On a routine follow-up at CMH on December 8, 2008 for her oncology, she was diagnosed as having RELAPSED with Ewings Sarcoma in the lungs. We were devastated. We had come so far, after so much and now we were faced with this. So we went back to our Doctor and they rexrays Sarah's leg so we could determine the next step, since learning of the relapse. To our dismay.....Sarah FINALLY had union of the bones. But it was too late. Since we were faced with the infection and having to start chemo again, we were left with no choice but to amputate her leg. We had to rid her of the infection so she could be clear to start chemo to fight the cancer. But the choice between life or limb was not a hard one... just a sad one.
On December 17, 2008, Sarah's leg was amputated. She returned to starting chemo January 2009. At this current time, she is doing chemo 5 days a week every 3 weeks, and attending Physical Therapy 3 days a week to learn to walk with her prosthesis.
It has been a very long journey these last 3 years. Full of so much stressful times, ups and downs... but yet moments of happiness. We continue our fight everyday against this beast, as every moment with Sarah counts. And like all that join in our fight, we live for today, as tomorrow is uncertain.
