Nicole's Party

March 2008

We were lucky enough to be invited to Immies friend Nicole's Birthday, Immie and Nicole became friends last year while in PMH together, with a little help from me and Cath (her mum).

She is now a beautiful four year old with amazing parents who have turned into being amazing friends to all of us. To every cloud there is a silver lining, and this has been one for us - new friends - from a challenging situation.

Look out here comes Nicole

King of the castle

Nicole enjoying her party food

The Girls

Happy Easter Everyone

Anyone who has come to see our beautiful girl may find this blog in a little bit of disordered and a little out of wack, please excuse it's an art work in process...please return often as I am constantly trying to blog as often as possible...xx

Kindy activity - easter bunny - herself

At Nana and Pops- Kody doing his East savenger hunt.

23rd of March 2008
Looking looking...
Pop, Jas, Nana and Immie
Tayah and Kods
Looking more looking
The lil kids with their Easter treasures
counting them all
Decorating Easter bikies
Jacinta and Me
Colin, Brian, Jacinta and Jas

A year since diagnosed....

Letter we sent to family -

These are a few of Immie’s favourite things…

On the 23rd of February 2008,
It has been a year since Imogen was diagnosed with the horrible beast.

To celebrate her year anniversary of being able to kick its butt, looking the healthiest she ever has, and add a more cheerful note to a horrible date that will always be etched in our minds, we are have a morning full of Immie’s favourite things.

We will be heading to the beach mid morning, 9.30 am on the 24th of February, Sunday, for a swim at the beach and morning tea. Then to Hillary’s Boat Harbour to enjoy another of Imogen’s favourites – ice cream.
Come help us celebrate amazing Imogen’s journey in only 12 months.

P.S If you are unable to attend don’t feel sad as we will be having a big tea party especially for Imogen in July to celebrate the official day of when her treatment finished and she was declared no evidence of disease…more info will be available in time

Immie on the way to the beach Nana, Pop, Immie and Jas
Immie, Kods, Tayah and Rhylee
Immie and Rhylee
Col, Dad, Nigel and Jody

Jason and his baby, Immie
Mum and Dad
Fiona and Kody
Immies cake
Waiting to eat the cake

Blowing out the candles

All of Us

Could not decide between these two gorgeous pics of our girl so here they are, Imogen enjoying one of her favourite things...ice cream

Beautiful smiles

The first week of Battle

First Day of Chemo

Hanging out with the IV Pole - Monday 7th of April 2008
Cheeky Grins
Where is everyone?
Barbie looking natural

Email sent - 7th of April 2008

Hi all
1 down 29 chemo sessions to go!!

Immie went to daycare the morning and me uni. First afternoon of chemo, arrived at 12.30pm for a chemo session that was said to last two hours. Got home at 8.00pm tonight, ooooo...it was a long afternoon, Immie was not hydrated enough, though it was never ever going to be two hours, (miscommunication, not unusual unfortunately). So after 3 1/2 hours of hydrate, 1 hour of chemo, 2 1/2 hours of more hydration and another drug to stop the chemo effecting her bowel, we were done. Immie has the crappy added bonus of having to be isolated throughout her whole treatment as she contracted a bug in the middle of last year for the hospital when her Immune system was stuffed. (as most of you know)This bug can only be passed on to other immune suppressed kids (so the whole ward), and makes her resistant to many IV antibiotics. There is unfortunately no way of being certain it is ever gone, so she has to isolated forever while in hospital on 3b. Our beautiful, amazing and incredibly inspiration girl, takes all this in her stride, she spend the 7 1/2 hours - riding around in the tiny room on her IV pole (with wheels), playing barbies, gluing, play dough play, laughing out the door at the nurses, jumping on her hospital bed, reading books, playing with the nurses and staff, and talking my ear off. This was all while being either connected to hydration or chemo - kids are amazing, Take a leaf from her day enjoy every day Thanks for the thoughts,

Love to all

the Holmes Gang

Last Day off chemo for the week

Mobile pictures - Immie and Gilly our OT

close up,

Immie being Immie

In the underpass at PMH on Friday the 11th of April 2008

Immie with Boots!!

Hi everyone

Well what a week, I would have to say I have one of the most incredible and amazing kids in the world (though all kids who have to endure sickness are super incredible!!). Imogen this week has been pretty much how she has been for us since going into remission last July, easy going, out going, very cute, loving, super friendly and FULL OF LIFE!!. The only really tough day for Immie this week was Tuesday, I honestly think she was finally realizing that she had to go through all this crap again, she spent most of the afternoon sleeping and when we got home she spent alot of the night wanting someone just to hold her...ooo and she also chucked up over her brand new Dora the explorer slippers (whoops).

By the next day, Wednesday she back to self, and bouncing around the room. Wednesday chemo was supported by my amazing mum aka granma, it went all well, (and they also got to spend the morning together at the park and doing painting). They got home about 6.30pm. Thursday, it was not Immie but me, that was a little emotional fragile, one of the onocolgists gave me a hug and the transplant/ mega therapy/ stem cell nurse came to speak with me, and any one else looking sideways at me was enough to set me off. That was until my fabulous sister came in to see us, she had just arrived from Kal and her and Immie have a amazing bond.

Friday the last day of chemo - I went to uni, and Immie to kindy, Arrived at the hospital with Livi (my sister) at 12.30pm, and I arrived later, there was unfortunately a delay in the chemo starting, so even though the incredible kindy teachers did a great job at hydrating her, we still arrived home at 6.45pm. Though Friday afternoon at the hospital would have been Immies finest afternoon, she had a ball chatting to everyone, giving all the nurses hugs, spending time with Gilly the OT, and hanging about with her new Boots balloon.

Home last night and Immie had the most settled sleep she had had all week, today we will have the home nurse come out and give her a needle to help her neutrophilis come up quick again.

She has been very very brave girl this very long long week,

Thanks for all the support, thoughts and prayers

Lots of love and hugs

The Holmes Gang xxx

Immies New Battle

Waiting for Bone Scan - 28th of March 2008

Immie first bike ride on her big bike - 30th of March 2008

Immie and Dad - 30th of March 2008

Immie and Kody on the way to the Make a wish fundraiser - 31st of March 2008
Immie and Mummy 2nd Of April 2008
Us Hanging at Kindy Gym - 3rd of April 2008
Penny & Immie - best buddies
Immie and Kods - 3rd of April 2008

Posted 3rd of April 2008

Hi all

I know this will be one of the hardest emails we will have to send and for you to recieve, and that some of you already know this devasting news,Yesterday the 2nd of April 2008, we were told news that no one with cancer either in treatment or remission wants to hear,Our perfect, cheeky daughter Imogen has relapsed to the dreaded breast, she now has another battle ahead to beat again the tumor (4cm) and it has now travelled to her left leg bone.

Three weeks ago Jason took Immie in for her routine ultrasound, the following week my mum took her in for her routine check up, were instead of taking 5 mins, she was asked to call me or Jas, to come immediately to hospital, while not knowing herself what was going on.Mum rang Jason, and he arrived first to be greeted with the news that it could be an infection or the worst a relapse, as her urine markers were elevated and her gland seen in the ultrasound were enlarged.

That afternoon, we were pushed through for a emergency ultrasound, and then this was followed by a bone scan and a MIBG scan last week (which were a bloody nightmare - as she would not sedate, and the drugs she was given made her go crazy).We had to wait patiently for any results till Wednesday this week as that was our allocated cancer day (argh!!), we arrived and told the worst news, Immies treatment plan for now consists of 6 cycles of 5 day chemo (same drugs as she recieved in the first two cycles of her first treatment) in out patients for 2 hours per day, this chemo will not make her as sick, she will lose her hair again, though she will need several blood transfusion as expected.She will have this chemo every three weeks or how long it takes for her bloods to return to the normal (required ) amount.

After that she may required another operation to remove the tumor in her belly, and then she will be having Mega therapy using her own stem cells collected right at the beginning. This will make her very sick, and she will required hospital stay for up to 2 months, depending on how she handles it all.

I will continue on a uni, and the hospital has been fantastic at letting this happen, Immie will continue to go to school and Kindy gym (when she is up to it). Kody will battle on with having his sister kick cancers butt again and soar in Year 4. Jason will continue on with the business buliding it from strength to strength.

We will not allow this beast to rule, to crush out lifes and spirits again, not giving it any more then required of our lifes or dreams.

This battle begins tommorow, Immie will have her broviac re installed tommorow at 2.15pm, (stay over night for antibotics, then home Saturday afternoon) and chemo will begin Monday for five days. Please give us all the positive prayers, vibes and thoughts you can find, as we will need to it to help Immie and all of us to get back up and battle again,

Lots of Love and Hugs Jason, Fiona , Kody and Immie Holmes