Updated 12/3/03

Below is a letter from Tanya Rauenhorst (ServiceMaster) updating their current situation. There are plans in the works for a donation fund and information will be posted here when available.

Tickets can be purchased at:
the Elks Club, West Valley Vision Center, and Play It Again Sports

If you are interested in making donations please contact Barb Keys at bkeys@acsalaska.net.
Thank you very much for your support!!
And a big thank you to Alaska Distributors for donating the wine!

12-8-06
Good afternoon,
I'm sure everyone has heard about my niece Kayla - Tanya's daughter. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at Thanksgiving and will be in Seattle for about a year. With T being in Seattle for the long haul their family will be facing a financial challenge. So Barb Keys has set up a *_donation account at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union under "Kayla
Rauenhorst_*". Any thing you can give will be used wisely and help
support Kayla in this fight. If you would like to follow how she is doing log onto:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaylarauenhorst

Password: Fairbanks

to see how she is doing. Please pass this on accordingly. Thank you!
Respectfully,
Jen aka AuntJenny

PS We hope (Heather H is working on it) to do a fund raiser after the new year!

I just went to Sams and bought a digital photo frame with 128MB of internal memory. My task for you all (that were on T's email so forward as needed) is to send me pictures. This can hold up to 2,000 pictures so send me what you have. Pictures of friends, school, family, animals, Fairbanks, vacations, sports - what ever you have. Then I will download onto this 'frame' and send it down to Seattle for Kayla (sure hope T or Mike can work it). The frame is compatible with most digital camera JPEG images and motion files....so if you need to stop by the house we can download right off your camera with a USB cord that would be great!
Or if you want to stop by and see this new cool 'frame' you can do that as well! Thanks- Jen fnjlt@uaf.edu

PS For those of you that may not know me I'm Kayla's Aunt - T's sister!
I would like this 'full' by the end of next week so I can get it sent off....

12-1-06

Hello to all of you,

I want to start by saying thank you to every one. In such a hard time in our families life you have all in some way made a difference. For thoes of you who are not sure what I am talking about I will give you a update.

First on the 27th of November Kayla, Mike and I made a trip to Childrens hospital in Seattle. On the 29th of November Kayla was diagnosed with a form of Bone cancer called osteosarcoma after a biopsy. It is a childhood cancer and although the average age of occurance is 16, it does affect children of all ages as young as 2. It happens when children are in a growth spurt and cells are dividing very rapidly. In Kaylas case, it is as they have labled, is "normal" for this type of sarcoma. Treatment is also something that is the same for all children.

Next Wed. or Thursday Kayla will start cemotherapy. Each "round" of chemo will take 5 weeks and the pattern will be the same. All of her chemo will be done as an inpatient so she will be watched very carefully. Week 1 will be 3 days in the hospital followed by the rest of that week off along with the next 2 weeks. I know this sounds good having the "time off" however this is when she will feel the worst. After the 2 weeks off she will come back to the hospital and weeks 4 and 5 are the same. 4 to 5 days in the hospital with 2 or 3 days home. We then jump right back into week one. We have 2 rounds of this before the surgical procedure to remove the tumor happens and they put the prosthetic in. After 2 weeks to recover from surgery we jump right back into 4 more "rounds" of the chemo. The rounds after surgery will be the same as before surgery. If every thing goes with no infections or the need to transfuse (which is not the norm) the entire process takes 30 weeks. They are telling us to plan on being here for 10-12 months. A long time but we are in the best possible place we could be. The team of docs that are working with her to say the least are amazing. Both Mike and I are very happy with the care so far and have no doubt that we are in the right place.

This is kind of every thing in the nut shell. We, or Mike is in the process of getting a web page set up thru the hospital, where we will be able to post pictures and notes and you all will be able to send messages. As soon as we have this in place I will get the address out. We would love to hear from you and will try to keep you posted as often as possible.

Kayla has been a trooper, and although scared is being amazing. They strength and determination she is showing is better than I have some days. I am not sure where it comes from but I am glad it is there. I don't think it has all "sunk in", or if she is aware of what lies ahead, so we are taking one day at a time. Please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as we have quite a road ahead of us. It may be a long one but one we are sure will end well.

Until next time,

Tanya