On February 20, 2011 My Dad found a rather strange hard bump on Margaret's arm. He sent her upstairs to me to check it out and I had to agree with him, it was out of the ordinary on her. She was very adamant that it did not hurt and that she did not know that it was there...I knew she was not being truthful. Later that night on our way to the David Garrett concert (a Christmas present from her Daddy), I asked her again over dinner. It was there alone that she told me she had found it some time ago in the shower, and that it does hurt her but not all the time. I asked her why she would not tell me about it and she said what any scared 8 year old would say she didn't want to have to go to the doctor or get a shot. She had a routine follow up for a sinus infection the very next day and so I showed it to her pediatrician. He in turn sent us that very day for x-rays and within a few short hours we had the results. The result was that the x-rays were unclear, but that there was a mass. This mass was called a tumor. We were then referred to the top pediatric orthopedic doctor at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. We were told that it could take a month to get in to see him, but his office called and asked if we could be there two days later. We jumped at the appointment. It was their speed at getting her in that really sent the alarm bells going off for us. As her parents we began searching for any information about what could possibly be going on inside our precious daugther's body. We were asked to bring any family heath history with us that pertained to her, anything at all even if we thought it was something insignificant. We of course tried to contact her biological father but of course we never hear directly from him, only from his new wife. So we contacted his mother for information. After seeing the orthopedic doctor we were asked to have an MRI done on her arm. We waited three long days for our insurance to OK the test and then we got the call to schedule the appointment. Margaret went through the MRI and she did amazingly well, with no sedation needed. I was so relieved that they let me stay right by her side while she was in the tube for over an hour. They only had to re-do one picture due to movement, which was probably due to me making her laugh! My bad! :) Then we had to wait again for her orthopedic appointment to learn the results of her MRI. It was driving me crazy not knowing what was happening with our baby girl. She has had to be very careful of her arm and has been out of PE for weeks. Every time she bumps her arm she is in so much pain. The day finally came for her appointment to learn the results. It also happened to be the very same day my husband was going in for some much needed back surgery. I felt torn but I knew he would be OK. I prayed that God would take care of the details of the morning and allow me to be with both of them as soon as I could. God is amazing and there was a delay with Billy's surgery time so I was able to be with him before and after the surgery. At Magy's appointment we learned that the lead pediatric orthopedic doctor and the radiologist could not make heads or tails of what they were seeing. This was heartbreaking to hear, because I knew that we were not going to get a definitive answer that day. The doctor looked me in the eye and uttered words I did not want to hear Orthopedic Oncologist and biopsy. As soon as I heard the word oncologist my stomach flipped and my heart sank. Upon leaving the hospital that day Margaret asked me if what she had was bad. I asked her why she would ask and she said that since the doctor didn't know what it was then it must be something bad. I paused for a moment and decided that honesty is always best, and so I sat down with her in the lobby and explained to her what was happening. I told her that we did not know yet what was in her arm and that until then the doctors just want her to be careful. I explained that she was being seen by some of the best doctors in the city and that we will just have to wait and see what they find out. I asked her if she was scared and she said a little but I can pray about it. Since seeing the Orthopedic doctor she has been out of gym class and trying to be careful with her arm. She has been into the nurses office at school several times to get an icepack and medicine for the pain. She is such a trooper! The school nurse commented to me that Margaret seems to have a strong faith in God. Margaret is still doing all the things she loves to do including playing her violin. When I look at my daughter and think about all that this bump in her bone could be and what it could mean for her it scares me. I daily have to remind myself that God is in control of this whole thing. He is moving in our lives and in some many lives through this bump. We have been so blessed by many people including strangers who have been praying and sending us cards. Someone even made Margaret a prayer blanket that their church prayed over, and they also included a pillow and card for her. God is working in our lives and bringing healing. Billy's surgery went well and he is recovering. The doctor is hopeful that with time he will soon be able to live with significantly less pain and be able to function better. God brings about such difficult things in our lives, but we have learned that the only way to get through them is by relying on the strength of our Maker. He is molding and shaping us. It is not always easy to hang onto our faith during hard times. We stumble and panic on occasion, but God is still there faithfully carrying us through. We know that this time is no different. We have nothing to fear because God is with us.
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