Montana's Hope

Sorry for the long delay between posts.  Montana had scans on November 12, 2009 and they were clean!!!!!!!!!  God is Good.  Our next round of scans which will include the normal CT Scans and also a Bone Scan will be May 13, 2010.  He is such a normal little boy that it is hard to believe that he has fought so hard over the years just to survive.  It amazes us.  He amazes us.  I am so proud of him.  He is doing real well in Pre-K and is learning how to trace his name and he can identify the letters in his name.  He is just progressing leaps and bounds.  The only real outward sign of his cancer is his teeth.  In the cancer world, we call them chemo teeth.  His teeth are deteriorating so fast that we will probably have to intervene before he would naturally loose his teeth.  That's okay, if that's all we deal with at this point, I am good!  We love him so much and would do anything for him.  He is such a sweet little boy.  I will try to update more often.  Love everyone for their prayers and keep them coming to keep him in remission.  Love Mike and Nancy. 

Okay, here is the news - we have clean scans!!!!!!!!!  Montana is 42 lbs and about 42 inces tall.  He didn't cooperate with the hearing tests, so those are inclusive at this point and will try again at a later date.  Eye test was fine, even though he didn't want to cooperate with them either.  Then they dilated his eyes which burns, so that was enough.  He told me "no more Mom" "take me home".  So we were done.  We will have scans again in November along with lung function test and echo.  I will keep you updated.  He is a growing boy and is all boy.  Anyone that has met Montana knows when I say he is all boy, he is all boy!  Thank you for the support and prayers.

Just an update to let everyone know that Montana's scan are May 12, 2009.  He will also have to have hearing and eye exams that same day.  Needless to say it will be a long day, but it is all worth it.  Pray for clean scans!  Montana is growing like a weed and loves to play outside on his Gator.  He drives that thing around the yard for hours at a time.  He also loves his swing set he got last year for his Birthday.  I cannot believe that he will be 4 in August!  Amazing!  God is good!  We are very proud to be Montana's parents.  He has such an imagination too.  He goes behind the yard barn building in the back yard and buys Mommie chicken nuggets through the imagiatary McDonalds.  Ha - Ha.  Until next time, we appreciate all of the continued prayers.  Love the Fishers.

Hello to everyone.  Montana is an amazing child.  His scans in November were perfect.  We are now on a 6 month scan schedule which for mom is very hard to handle!  I am grateful we can go to 6 months, but it is very scary for me~  Anyway, Christmas was a blast since he is at the age that he literally rips the presents open and is so very excited.  He is 40 lbs and 40 inches tall.  He is wearing size 5/6 toddler shirts and 4 toddler pants.  His shoe size is 11~  He has big feet like his parents.  Looking back over the last 3 years, I have to say just how much we are blessed to be Montana's parents and so very grateful and blessed that he is in remission.  He had a very tough battle which he fought with such strength.   Unfortunately his Aunt Cheryl passed away from cancer on December 20, 2008 at the age of 52.  Aunt Cheryl and Montana had a special bond and he was with her when she passed.  Although he didn't understand what exactly was going on and he thought she was sleeping, he was there. 

To that end, I thank you very much for the support over the last couple of years and we really appreicate the prayers you all have said on our behalf.  Please continue to pray for Montana and by the grace of God he will remain in remission forever!!!!!!!  His next scans are in May of 2009 and will include hearing and eye check ups.  Happy New Year

Happy Birthday Montana!  Montana is 3 years old today.  This is his second birthday in remission!  

Montana's progress information can be found on the home page right after any new updated information is obtained.  Mike and Nancy will be posting in their own words the information from Riley Hospital, Montana's Doctors & Nurses (extended family) which is relayed on the site.  Once the information is three-four weeks old the information they have posted will then be moved to the progress page.  This is the historical page that all updates are kept on.  If you would like to review this information is left for that purpose.  Montana's Hope will also be completing a log book for Mike & Nancy that they will be given to keep.  This will include all the website pages, guest book postings, photo's, etc.  If you have specific questions regarding Montana's progress please email us at montnashope@hotmail.com and as always, thank you for taking the time to visit, thank you for your prayers and support.  Please continue to pray as Montana is a miracle!  

Montana's Hope

Montana's Hope Link:  http://www.freewebs.com/montanshope

Scans are clean!  Praise God!  He was such a trooper.  Montana weighs about the same 39-40 lbs and is about 40 inches tall.  We are now potty trained too~  The only test results we are waiting to get back is a urine test.  There is a urine test that has to be sent off and it takes about a week to get the results back.  This test shows pre mature neuroblastoma cells before it forms any tumors.  Pretty remarkable if you ask me.  We should have them back this week sometime.  I will keep you posted.  Lots of love....

The next round of scan are scheduled for July 24, 2008 which will include an echo cardiogram, ekg and regular scans of the orbits (head), pelvic and belly.  Keep the prayers coming!  He is an amazing little boy!  We are almost potty trained.  He is doing pretty good.  He eats good, plays hard and is a joy.  We are proud to be his parents! 

Please check out our new link "CALENDAR" for upcoming scans, etc.

SCANS ARE CLEAN!  Yeah!  We will go back in July and have an echo done of his heart and ct scans.  He is 39 1/2 inches tall and 39 1/2 pounds!  Weird huh?  He wears a size 11 shoe, 5t - 6t shirt and a 4t pants.  He is a handful.  He loves to be outside and doing something.  He helped daddy till the garden Sunday and helped mom mow the grass until we broke the belt.  He loves to smell flowers, specifically my lialics, but also to run them over with the mower, easter flowers.  He rides his "gator" all over the yard and he really steers very well around objects.  All for now, he is wonderful.  Continue to pray for us and others.  The Fishers.

Just an update, Montana is doing well and enjoying the few days of good weather.  He loves to be outside!  Imagine that!  He is getting real excited about being able to be outdoors more often.  Mushroom hunting is coming up and I am sure he will have a blast!  Daddy was cleaning off the garden this week and he was trying very hard to help us out.  He is such a little man.  He is amazing and we are blessed to have him in our lives.  I cannot imagine life without him.  He has such a personality.  He continues to grow like a weed.  I just bought him new shoes and they were size 11!  For 2 1/2 I think that's pretty big!  Thanks again to all that have prayed for Montana and our family and for everyone that continues to pray.  It is never over and all prayers are needed and welcomed.  God bless. 

Finally able to update everyone on Montana's scans which were Thursday, January 31, 2008.  The scans were perfect.  We couldn't have asked for better scans.  Dr. Fallon was totally impressed.  We also received additional good news.  After his radiation, surgery, chemo and the whole nine yards, it is a given that his left kidney would not work or if it did very little.  During the CT scan, they give Montana contrast to make everything show up better and apparently the left kidney "suck up" the contrast which means only one thing:  the kidney is working!  We don't know how much but it has to be working for it to draw the contrast through it.  Praise God!  He also passed his hearing test which is important because the chemo that he had is known for causing hearing loss and doing damage to the ears.  It was an amazing day.  A long day, but well worth it!  We go back in 3 months to do it again!  He weighed in at 42.9 lbs which is good since he has grown a lot taller and especially since he is off the bottle which now he won't even think of drinking any milk!  He is in a size 10 shoe, 4t pants and a 5 or 6t shirt.  He is growing so much and his vocabulary is expanding too!  Thank you everyone for your prayers and keep them coming!  Love always, Mike, Nancy and Montana

Hello all, we had scans on the 18 and the final results have came in.  They are clear!  Praise God!  The remains of the tumor on his head has almost completely healed over and we may not have to have scans on his head anymore just his belly, chest and pelvic.  He is doing well and weighs in at 42.9 lbs.  He is a brusier!  It is hard to imagine that he only weighed 19 lbs in December and we were struggling to get him to eat.  Now, he doesn't stop eating.  He is a wonderful little boy and I wish all the people who have prayed for him could actually meet him.  We will eventually get all of the pictures on line and update them but we have had little time to get it done.  Thanks to everyone who has visited his site.  You will never know how much it means to me that so many people care about our son.  Also, we go back to Riley's in January for his next set of scans and some specialized blood tests that will reveal how close to normal his immune system is.  Once they know then we will be able to start his shots again and get caught up.  Kisses and hugs to all.  Love the Fisher family.

Montana is scheduled for his next round of scans for October 18, 2007.  He is growing like a weed and we are working on potty training.  Somedays are good others are challenging!  He is very stubborn!  Ha-Ha.  He needs a haircut, but neither of us can cut it yet!  Will keep you all informed.  Love us.

Happy Birthday Montana!  Montana is 2 years old today at 8:28 a.m.  He is such a blessing and we are very proud to be Montana's parents.  We had his birthday party Sunday and we bought him his first bike!  It is a Tonka bike and he was so excited.  He was so excited that he wanted to put the bike in bed with him that night.  Dad drew the line and allowed him to have it at the end of the bed but not in bed~  He is a trip!  It is hard to believe that last year this time we just finished with 6 round of chemo.  He has been through a lot in is short life and I pray everyday that he never has to go through any of that again.  This is his first birthday in remission and I pray that all of his future birthdays are the same!  Love you Montana.

Montana has his 2nd birthday coming up on the 28th.  We are going to have a party on Sunday for him.  He is growing like a weed and he is talking more than ever.  This will be his first birthday in remission and it means a whole lot to Mom and Dad.  This is a very special birthday.  If everyone remembers, last year we only had a 30% chance he would live, now we are going to celebrate his 2nd birthday.  What an accomplishment for such a little guy!  He is growing up so fast right before our eyes.  Mom is having a hard time with that!  Will keep you updated. 

Scans were completed on Thursday, July 12, 2007, and they were all good!  Clean!  We are good for another 3 months and hopefully an uneventful time.   Montana weighs between 36 and 37 pounds and is growing like a weed.  I think he is going to be tall like his parents.  He loves to be outside and he has now experienced fishing.  He absolutely loved it!  That is all we have heard is "fish" "fish".  Dad bought him a cane pole and he is dangerous with it!  We all duck when he pulls it out of the water.  It is the funniest thing you have ever seen!  Will keep everyone updated.  Love us...

Montana attended the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Posey County-North Posey and received the 2007 Jr. Courage Award.  It was a very excited day for him.  He walked the "survivor's lap" around the track several times, even though the was carried for parts of it.  1/4 mile is a bunch for a little guy like him.  He also received a purple survivor's shirt and a survivor's metal.  He had fun with his family and friends and as Montana's parents we thank everyone for their efforts.  No one will ever know unless you were there just what he went through and just how sick he was.  Between the chemo, radiation, transplant and just being sick from all of the side effects of the treatment, he has been to hell and back.  He truly deserved the courage award.  He is such a trooper just as I have said all through this.  He was so strong and brave.  Aunt Cheryl was even at the events.  I think Montana and Aunt Cheryl have a special bond together.  We will give an update after scans.  Love .....

Hello everyone!  We are scheduled to return to Riley's on July 11, 2007 and be there two days for MIBG scan and normal CT scans.  The MIBG is a very important scan.  This is the one that he will get an injection the day before with a chemical from NASA in California and it is designed to attach itself to any neuroblastoma cells.  Of course we are praying that there still isn't any in his body at all.  We have had two of these scans that have been "clean" so keep the prayers coming that this horrific disease stays away from him forever.  Love always.  

Yesterday we had an appt with Dr. Fallon and he indicated that we are in complete remission, done with all medicines and are scheduled to do scans every 3 months for the next 2 years.  He also indicated that we should try to live a “normal” life.  I asked him to define normal and he couldn’t.  The stress of not knowing if the cancer is coming back or something else is growing is enormous.  Every single day Mike and I think about whether something is coming back or something new is growing.  This will never be “over” but for now we are trying to enjoy everyday and spend more time at home since the Riley trips are reduced greatly.  Our next scans are going to be in July which will include regular cat scans and also the important MIBG scan which is the scan that use the injection from NASA which attaches itself to any neuroblastoma cells.  It is very important to see if there are any cells still in his body.  Our first MIBG scan lit up like a Christmas tree but the last two have been negative for any cells before and after transplant.  We have every reason to believe that this scan will also be negative.  We appreciate all prayers and support that family, friends and people we didn’t even know and pray that they keep coming.  We should be able to resume his baby shots by the end of the year.  Rule of thumb is a year after transplant which was in October.  This appt was a very positive report and we are grateful to God that we have been blessed with this little miracle.  Actually, he isn’t little anymore making up for lost time indeed.  He weighs in at 34.4 pounds and is over 33 inches tall.  Remember in December he only weighed 19 pounds.  I will continue to keep you updated on his progress.  He loves to be outside and loves to go for rides with Daddy on the 4 wheeler, lawn mower or just in the truck.  He is a handful and is a delight to be around.  His attitude is always smiling through even after going through everything he has.  This has been a very hard road and a road I hope to never travel again.  The emotional toll that it has taken on us is huge and will never be forgotten.  Love always…..

Montana spiked a fever Friday, February 2, and we were once again on our way to Riley's.  Was seen in ER and received antibiotics and blood work was done.  Arrived home about 2 a.m. and was wakened by the phone at about 8:30 from Riley's and was told he had a positive culture and to get back right away.  Arrived back in ER and was admitted after doing more blood work and antibiotics.  It was determined that his line was infected and it was removed Sunday afternoon.  We stayed on antibiotics until Monday morning and was discharged.  Now he is doing well and we can have a bath in a few days!  No more line, no more dressing changes which he hated and no more being careful of his line.  It's great!  We are scheduled to be back in Indy for scans mid March.  Love all....

Hello to everyone~~Montana is doing well.  We are scheduled for surgery Feb 8 to remove his line.  Finally, Montana Man will get a bath.  Will keep everyone posted on his progress.

Yesterday was a big day; we had ct scans, hearing tests, echo and ekg.  All were normal!  No sign of any returning cancer.  Go back in 5 weeks and they will schedule to remove his line.  Will have scans again the end of March or beginning of April. 

Montana is doing well, actually getting some hair, eye lashes and eye brows!!!!  We are scheduled to go up for ct scans, blood work, ekg & echo and a hearing test for post transplant.  His central line is clotted off on one side so we may have to have surgery to remove the line.  They may try to dissolve the clot, but since we are at the end of treatment we may be able to get rid of it.  It will just depend on how many blood draws he will have to have.  If its still going to be a lot, then we will unclot it, if not many once a month or so, then we may remove it.  We are a little nervous about scans but are hopefully nothing is growing back.  We will have to have scans every 3 months for the first year.  Keep him in your prayers and we will overcome this too!  Thank you to everyone for everything.  Mike, Nancy & Montana.

We are scheduled to return to Indy Thursday, September 28, 2006 (his 13 month birthday) for a final exam and to sign consent forms for the transplant.  Friday, September 29, 2006, chemo begins (4 days; 24 hours a day).  This is the long haul with expected stay being 30-45 days. 

We got home Monday night about 7:30 or so and Montana is doing wonderful!  You can't even tell he has had a major surgery.  We just received a phone call from Riley's Hospital and the pathology report on the tumor is in:  THE TUMOR WAS TOTALLY DEAD!!  Unbelieveable!  Now that the report is in everyone can breath a sigh of relief.  Although this report was excellant, it doesn't change the plan.  We still have a lot in front of us.  Chemo in about 2-3 weeks, scans, stem cell transplant and radiation.  If all goes well with the scans, radiation may only be on the kidney and not the head which is what we want.  The side effects of radiation on the head is quite severe so if we can avoid the potential complications of that it would be excellant.  We all know that he is a strong little boy and is a figher.  We appreciate all of your prayers and thoughts.  Mike & Nancy

• 8/12/2006 Montana is in a lot of pain. Still in the recovery process.  We will keep you posted as often as possible. With Love Mike, Nancy, & Montana

• 8/11/2006 @ 445PM    Montana made it out of surgery.  They did replace the central line and also REMOVED ALL OF HIS TUMOR!!! We will try to keep you all posted as much as possible.  Please know that we appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.  Keep them coming!!

        Love    Mike, Nancy & Montana

Mom just received the call from Riley and the Bone Marrow is NEGATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!   Montana is still doing great and this is an answer to prayer. 

Home just in time for Memorial Day!  Great news the tumor has shrunk 50%! Thank GOD!  Working on getting all the new pictures from the last week posted.  Sorry for the delay in the updates.  Montana is doing great!  Pictures should be done later today or tomorrow.  Thanks for visiting! ~Crystal

Mom is reporting that aill if going as planned. GUESS WHAT!  The tumor on his kidney is half the size if was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you GOD! Mom did say that they will not know the results to the Bone Marrow until tomorrow.  Chemo has not started yet but I will be sure to update as they come along!

Mike & Nancy are hopeful that they will be discharged later on today or possibly Saturday.  But the trip home will not last long as they are scheduled to be back at Riley on Monday morning at 8:30am.  Montana's counts are just right for stem cell harvest so this will be done on Monday and the stay could be any where from 2-4 days long. Stem cells will be harvested from Montana since they are good and then frozen for later use.  Lets all pray for 2 because they are scheduled for Chemo at Riley on the 25th of this month.  Mom & Dad are still wanting to let everyone know that they appreciate all of the thoughts, prayers, guest book entries, please keep them coming as they truly need them right now.  The web site will be updated later this afternoon to let everyone know if they are coming home tonight or on Saturday. 

Montana had a rough night.  They have restructured the morphine intake and are still trying to get his counts up.  Hopefully they will make a turn around soon.  Nancy still sounds very tired.  Please keep praying for the family they are needing it right now more than ever.

Montana is back on the road to Riley this morning.  It seems that he did not sleep well last night and he cannot keep anything down.  This is probably the precursor to the fever that they were planning for.  Yesterday Montana's white count was 400 when it should be at 10,000.00. They cannot give him Tylenol for the GCFS injections that he is getting because it will mask the possible fever that they have been waiting for.  When they did call Riley this morning Nancy was allowed to go ahead and give him a little since it seemed that he was uncomfortable.  So they have to pack up and hit the road head to Riley and go straight in.  More updates as they come in. 

Sorry for the delay in the updates!  Mom (Nancy) was waiting for the result's of Montana's blood work. Montana's white cells are extremely low but hemoglobin was 9.5 so that's better.   The nurse said be very cautious because he doesn't have any thing to fight anything with!  They are 95% certain that he will be getting a fever.  Mom & Dad are watching him closely now and will continue to do so over the weekend.  If the fever happens then the family will have to receive antibiotic's here in Evansville and then return immediately to Riley for Stem Cell therapy.  Then following this they will receive the chemo.  Mom shared the newest set of pictures that were taken on the last visit to Riley the weekend of April 30th.  You can view the photo's by checking out the photo gallery #2 on the menu.  Thank you to all who have visited.  I hope that you all will keep coming back for updates, pictures, and posting your comments and feedback.  They are greatly appreciated!  Crystal

Getting ready to settle in is the last update that we are getting from Mom on the little man's progress.  Hopefully in the AM after getting a stem cell booster they will be on the road home.  Chemo for this round is over.  Another one bite's the dust!  Montana had spaghetti, garlic bread, and a nice soda for dinner.  What ever Daddy is eating is what he is wanting.  Imagine that!  Keep sending all the messages in the guest book they are appreciated.  More updates when they come in.