Arrival

Tuesday Iva, Antonio, and Mimi all arrived in Houston. Zoran and I waited anxiously and 2 hours after their plan landed, we caught our first glimpse of them. Ahhh, joy!




Zoran shaved his head in support of Iva. He has had such little hair these days, I didn't notice straight away.

Finally, we brought our Iva home.




Wednesday we spent the entire day and evening at MD Anderson. We met with Dr. Ludwig.
Iva had blood work and scans of her pelvis and chest. Dr. Ludwig told us that if she has metastasis (growth of the cancer in other places), then her chance of survival is 5%. 5%! We were all shocked. We knew it wasn't good, these spots she might have, but 5%? He said they would try to discuss her case at the sarcoma board today (Thursday) and he would call us after at around 5. (Again with the 5s!) So all day we are trying not to despair. I did a terrible job of it. I was a mess today, really. Luckily, I was at work. But Iva, she was the bravest of us all. It was as if she didn't hear, or more perhaps, that she didn't believe, I don't know which. He had given us his cell number in case we didn't hear from him by 5:30, we were to call him. So it was decided that it was my job to call him. He explains they didn't get to discuss her case today, they had too many cases. But he reviews her scans with me on the phone and says her pelvis looks much better than he expected it to. What does that mean? Well with the pre-surgical scans from February, which showed such a large tumor he was expecting much worse. She may or may not have some residual disease in the pelvis. He wasn't sure if it was just surgical changes (the radiologist hadn't read the films yet). But the other news was that these spots they told her she had in Vienna after her last scan there earlier this month were gone except for the one on the right lung that has been there all along (at least since February). He said it has grown to 1 cm in size, about double of what it was in February. He called it a growth. So in the end we decided it was good news. And now she sleeps.

We love you dear, sweet Iva!

Travel

We reserved the tickets yesterday for Iva, Antonio, and Mimi to come on this Tuesday. Mimi and Antonio will be flying coach, but Iva would be unable to tolerate the cramped discomfort that coach class brings. So we have ordered her a business class ticket, which gives her one of the comfy chairs that recline and have foot rests. All that luxury comes at a steep price--her ticket alone is over $4,000! So in total, it is costing us over $7,500 to fly the three of them from Vienna to Houston. We are not quite sure where the money is going to come from, but we have faith that the blessings we have received thus far will continue.

Today is full of house cleaning and rearranging. How to fit three more adults into our home? is the question of the day. And the second question is: how to get things as clean as possible for someone who has no immune system? Especially given that we have 2 kids and a dog.

Thanks again to all of you for your prayers, your kind words, your offers of support, and your donations. You are all truly amazing. We are constantly humbled by the outpouring of support that has been offered to us.

Pixie Dust

The following is an email Zoran sent me today. It was titled, "received a check from a stranger yesterday":

It was $100 check, with a fairy on the face of it and a quote,

"It's amazing what a little pixie dust can do."

Now $100 is not some astounding amount, but it reminded me of our mission in this fund raising quest: so to paraphrase,

"It's amazing what a little pixie dust from a lot of people can do"

Amen.

Perma-smile Day

So this morning we woke up to the best two words possible, "Done deal." (Big exhale.)

So it appears the visas have been approved, but they are not in their hands just yet. The American consulate will be mailing the passports back to them. Of course, being Americans, they wouldn't break procedure and let them come pick the passports up in person.

But it is still the best news we could have gotten.

$25k

So we just paid $25,000 to MD Anderson for Iva's initial evaluation. The amazing part is that more than 1/2 that money was donated by our friends and friends of friends. Some of it from complete strangers.

Iva met with her oncologist in Vienna today. He said they were going to wait another couple of weeks to start her chemo anyway, so there is no harm in coming to the US for this evaluation. I can't help wondering why they would be waiting if she has these spots on her lungs. But again, since it is a pink elephant, no one is saying anything about it, and I don't have the courage to ask. She goes in tomorrow for her visa appointment. She has all documents we could conceive of sending. Now I am going back to holding my breath (and praying). Please feel free to join me.

Appointment

We received notice today that Iva has her appointment with MD Anderson for next Tuesday, the 28th. We really feel that this is her only chance. So thank God, they have approved her for an appointment. And thank God for all of you who have donated so much just so this can happen.

Thursday Iva and Antonio go into the US Consulate in Vienna and apply for their visas.
I am officially holding my breath until I hear they have been approved.

(Big inhale . . .)

Fund raising

Some friends of ours, who also happen to be crazy good photographers, have offered up some of their photos for sale. All proceeds are going to support Iva's cause.

Please visit the gallery here.

Big thanks to Matt and Dayna. We've got mad love for you guys!

Urgency

So today we stowed the kids away with some friends and then went to work on Iva's visa issue. It's a daunting task, and anyone who has ever tried to navigate the murky waters of that bureaucratic mess, you know how stressful it can be. They never tell you exactly what they want. I mean they tell you bring your passport, the completed application forms, etc. but then there are all these other unwritten things one needs to bring to prove this, that, and the other thing, but there is no prescribed set of things. Rather it is a combination of talisman that one takes with them to give the State Dept official the right kind of feeling about you. So we are gathering all these things and hoping it comes together in a harmonious blend, creating the right aesthetic.

And so the urgency is setting in. There are these spots on Iva's lungs, and her doctors don't seem too terribly concerned about them. They are the proverbial pink elephant that no one is talking about. The doctors go about their usual lackadaisical approach, waiting and watching. They have known about these spots now for 10 days. And yet they do nothing. She doesn't even meet with her doctor until this Wednesday. On that day he will allegedly be telling her what his brilliant plan is now.

And it is exactly this lackadaisical approach that is making us crazy. And why we are convinced that Iva's very life hinges on her coming to Houston to get treatment. There is no waiting around with a cancer that continues to grow during chemo. There are no extended holidays, as her doctor suggested to her it would be ok for her to take. WTF?

She is walking around the apartment now with crutches. Eating. Sitting. Staying awake all day. She is now strong enough to go into the Consulate and get a visa. So that is exactly what we are asking her to do this week. And if all stars align in our favor, she will be here by the end of this coming week.

Her evaluation at MD Anderson will cost $25,000--all of which is out of pocket. Then they will tell us what the treatment plan and cost will be. (We have been told it will start around $250,000. Again all out of pocket.)

You know that saying, "It is only money"? Well, that's crap. It isn't just money. It is life saving treatment. It is time we are buying, and hopefully a ton of it!

A step closer

Another day closer!

Today was more eating--pasta, polichinki, samri, watermelon. No vomiting. And best of all, walking! With crutches, but walking still. Our Iva is one step closer to being here.

This picture was the last time we saw her "walking." It was in February when we visited her. Then in March more chemo, and no walking since. This is all so good. MD Anderson will make her an appointment now and hopefully next week she will have a visa.

We are continually overwhelmed with gratitude for the support we have received during these last few weeks. Thanks to all of you, this is really going to happen. She will be here, in America, getting treated at the best cancer center in the world.

A good day

Iva was able to get up today for the first time in days. She went out in her wheelchair with her boyfriend, Antonio. She was awake all day. She ate sarmi sent by an aunt in Serbia.

All of these little insignificant details. People eat every day. People go out of their homes every day. None of this is particularly miraculous, unless you know that for the last several weeks Iva has been bedridden. Knocked down by a huge emergency surgery in February, during which they removed everything touching the tumor--part of her colon, her rectum, her bladder, part of her abdominal muscles, an artery in her leg, part of her pubic bone, some ligaments, etc. She fought back, walking for short distances with the aid of crutches. Then the onslaught of chemo knocked her out again. She couldn't stand. She couldn't sit up for more than a 1/2 hour. She was unable to eat. To breathe deeply. Most people execute these activities day in and day out without realizing they are so very extraordinary. None of this is easy or ordinary now.

We started our fundraising a couple of days ago, and just through the few phone calls we have made, we have already raised nearly $4k. Only $26k to go before the end of next week! If you haven't visited our website, please take time now to do so:

www.saveiva.org

Iva's continued recovery and chances of surviving this tragic disease are dependent upon the therapy she is getting in Vienna. She needs medicine, and unfortunately, her medicine costs a lot.