Emma had an MRI scan towards the end of January. We were given the preliminary results of the scan the following week while in the Pediatric Oncology unit at Victoria General, subject to a review by the team at Children's Hospital in Vancouver.

We are sad to say that the MRI showed up a mixed bag of news. There is no increase in tumours visible in Emma's brain, and may be even a slight reduction in the upper part of her spine, something we did not expect to hear. However, this encouraging news was negated by the information that there is an increased presence of tumour at the very base of her spine. This news is obviously very discouraging.

Prior to the MRI, Emma's bloodwork showed that her platelets had once again dropped below the minimum required to continue her current chemotherapy cycle (it was immediately stopped). Emma’s current chemo regime has been reduced in concentration and volume the last three cycles, and the last cycle was curtailed only 12 days into the 21 day cycle. Her team were of the view that we should be considering a different chemo regime, a view that has been brought to sharp focus with the news of the MRI results.

Emma was informed of the change in her situation on Monday. She was obviously very upset at the news, and did not go to school on Tuesday to give her more time to process her thoughts. She is a trooper, but this news is hitting her hard.

We have a small number of options available to us, and we will be discussing them with Emma over the coming days and weeks. This may also have an impact on her mental and emotional state, so please be warned!

Thank you for your time and continued support.