Leighton update 11/2/08

Several of you have been getting e-mail updates, but many of you may not have heard about Leighton....I don't know exactly where to start for those of you who know nothing. Long story short: She's been sick with a cough and hard time breathing for 3 weeks now and we just thought it was viral, treating her with steriods and albuterol....this past friday she was worse and so I brought her in to the dr. again....he did a chest x-ray and it was clear, but was thinking that there might be a foreign body in her lungs or traechea or something....was going to send me to a pulmonologist on monday. Friday night she was much worse and Saturday morning around 6 we took her into the ER b/c of how labored her breathing was. They got her stable and a transport team came down and drove us by ambulance up to the All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. Since we've been here they've done two catscans and a battery of tests...poor thing has been poked and prodded....and is very miserable. They found a "mass" (i hate that word) in her neck....surrounding the trachea. Basically it's pushing the trachea to the side which accounts for why it's hard for her to catch her breath. A pediatric surgeon came in this morning and said that he is going to consult with the hemotologist (blood and cancer dr.) and the ent and figure out the best was to proceed, but more than likely they'll be doing a biopsy (at the earliest tuesday) on the mass to find out for certain what it is. Please pray for us...for Leighton who, as I said earlier, is miserable. For Tom and I...who are tired, scared, and overwhelmed....for the kids who's worlds are upside down without their sister at home and without one or both of us at home, too. For the details of what this week is going to look like and for me to take things one day at a time in the midst of always planning for the worst. Pray also for our friends, Briton and Susan and their baby boy Jonah....he fractured his skull while they were out of town this weekend....I think he is doing okay, but pray for their family as they make their way back to St. Louis and that Jonah would heal quickly! Thank you and I will try my hardest to put updates here at least once a day if not twice.