Cycle 13 Complete / Clip in 4 the Cure

Caroline was discharged from Vanderbilt on Saturday and is now home resting.  Other than the "normal" nausea and belly pain, the week was relatively uneventful.  She will get daily Leukine shots for the next week to help bring up her neutrophils (immune system).  We're hoping she recovers well at home, and is able to enjoy the next two weeks of "track out break" from school.

This coming Saturday (3/25), Caroline will be speaking as an ambassador for the hospital at the "Clip !n 4 the Cure" event, which raises funds for cancer research to find cures.  If you’d like to support the event by participating or donating to the cause, click here for the link.  

Thank you for the continued prayers - they mean so much.

All the best,
The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong
#ftgf

Peace out, Cycle 13!

Here is a promo video Caroline made for the VUMC social media crew to promote Clip In 4 the Cure!

Cycle 13 on 3/13

Caroline made her blood count requirements today for inpatient admission of Cycle 13 (of 17) for chemotherapy/immunotherapy treatment for her relapsed Neuroblastoma.  She is in good spirits...especially with the fun room decorations ☘️ for St. Patrick’s Day, thanks to the help of Michelle P.!

Please pray for a relatively uneventful week of side effects; we hope to be discharged on Saturday.

The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong

#ftgf

Unplanned Hospital Stay

Unfortunately, after just a couple days home from Cycle 12, Caroline went to the ER with intense stomach pain and was admitted back into Vanderbilt.  A CT scan showed inflamed intestines and bowels, so she was admitted inpatient while we waited on results from all the lab work.  It was determined to be a nasty bacterial infection called C. Diff, ironically commonly acquired in a hospital setting.  C. Diff is very dangerous for someone who is immunocompromised, so they don’t mess around with diagnosis, admission and treatment.  The symptoms hit her quickly - extreme belly pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Once we knew the cause, a targeted antibiotic was started asap, as well as IV fluids for the entire stay.  By Friday, she seemed to have turned a corner, and was able to go home on Saturday, after being there for 5 days.

Caroline will continue on the antibiotic for this rest of the week, and is back to eating and drinking normally again.  We're hoping THIS week we can really catch a much needed break, and get her back to school and some routine.  It's been a very tough week for all four of us.

Thank you, as always, for the continued support and prayers.

The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong

#ftgf

Cycle 12 and Life Update

Today, Caroline completed Cycle 12 (of 17) of her chemo/anti-body treatment for relapsed Neuroblastoma.  It was a relatively "uneventful" cycle with "just" the expected side effects: fever, nausea, diarrhea, etc.  She is now home resting and recovering, and we're hopeful she feels well enough to go back to school this upcoming week.

Caroline has been busy this past month enjoying fun activities and time with friends and family.  She started guitar lessons, got a visit from Aunt Joanna and Mr. Ryan, watched her first Junior Hockey game with the Accardo family, learned to ice skate, attended a Predators home game, brought Hank to school, and visited Andrew on his first day at work!  We are so happy that she can take part in some "regular kid" stuff to help distract her from this very long and taxing treatment process.  

As always, we are very grateful for the staff at Vanderbilt for taking such great care of us!!!

Thank you for the continued support and prayers,

The Lantz Family

#carolinestrong

#ftgf

Cycle 11 - Complete

Caroline was discharged today after completing Cycle 11 of inpatient treatment for relapsed Neuroblastoma.  It was a great week of positive scan results, as well as an uneventful round of chemotherapy and antibody therapies.  Besides nausea, Caroline had no other serious side affects, and she ate very well all week long.  She’s feeling pretty good this evening, and is settling in back home.

We're hopeful she can get a few good weeks of school and fun in before having to return to Vanderbilt for Cycle 12 mid-February.

Thank you for all the prayers, Uber Eats meal cards and the other well wishes that were delivered to her hospital room this week.  We appreciate every single one of you!

The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong

#ftgf

Scan Results - Cycle 11 Admission

Caroline had 2 scans to follow-up on her December readings that where inconclusive due to RSV inflammation in her midsection.

Todays scan results:

CT scan:  No new findings to suggest recurrent or metastatic disease.

PET Scan:  No evidence of malignancy.

We are obviously thrilled that Caroline is still beating this disease (again), and it gives us all a little bit of energy and hope as we continue onward with this long and exhausting treatment plan.

Assuming her counts are ok, Caroline will be admitted tomorrow (Wednesday) for Cycle 11 (of 17) of chemotherapy and antibody.  The next 6 days will be rough, but we are just glad that she can continue with her treatment.

Thank you so much to our Vanderbilt medical team, family, friends, and the entire community of prayer warriors - we're beyond grateful for the love and support!

The Lantz Family
#carolinestrong

#ftgf

Delayed Cycle 11 and Christmas Magic

Caroline didn't make counts this week to be admitted for Cycle 11.  She has scans on January 17th, so we're going to give her body a rest until those are complete, and try again for Cycle 11 inpatient admission the following day (1/18/23).  After 10 cycles, and in the middle of cold and flu season, her body is really struggling to recover between cycles.  We'll update the blog when we have scan results and an update for admission.

In other news, our prayers for Christmas magic were answered!  After a very horrible Cycle 10, Caroline was in rough shape physically and mentally...but on December 20th, Tractor Supply Co. granted her wish - a shopping spree for un-adoptable dogs!  It was truly an incredible day.  The generosity of Tractor Supply Co. was beyond words...giving Caroline a $3,000 shopping spree at the South Franklin store, as well as $1,000 to the Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue (the animal sanctuary Caroline selected to receive the toys from the shopping spree) and Angel Heart Farm (the equine therapy foundation that coordinated the wish).   Click here to see the full news story with video...

Unfortunately, Caroline's hair started falling out again.  After a week of hair all over the place, she made the decision to shave her head again today.  She's the bravest girl we know!

Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful start to the New Year,

The Lantz Family

#carolinestrong

#ftgf

PS - For those asking, here is the link to get #carolinestrong apparel.  Thank you for the continued support!