Anticipating 6 month follow up MRI!

HAPPY EASTER!!! We had a wonderful Easter. We went to church this morning and then to Cracker Barrell for brunch. After we ate, neither Maddy or Mimi made it home before they fell asleep in the car. So we all came home and took a 2 hour nap and then woke up and fixed dinner. Our good friend Charles came over for dinner and my mother-in-law. It was very nice. We have discovered Maddy's pure love for ham, man she eats it up!!

Well, we were scheduled for 3/13 for our 6 month follow up MRI, but we postponed it due to Madelyn was sick w/a cold an ear infection and we weren't comfortable putting her under sedation when she was congested and wheezy. So we are scheduled for 4/3 at 12:30. We are preparing ourselves for it again. Emotionally, it truly takes me about 2 weeks to prepare myself for the sedation and anticipating the results. We did have our checkup last week and they said everything feels fine. Exams are much harder now, Madelyn does not like anything about them. She screams when the touch her w/a blood pressure cuff, thermometer or even their hands to examine her. We don't go as often as we used to so, she just doesn't like it anymore...I really can't blame her. She's been through enough exams and hospital visits to last a lifetime of a normal child.

My brother and Liz came down last week for a visit. Madelyn can say very clearly, Liz & Ronnie now. It was a great visit! We went to parks and the St. Pat's Day parade downtown. It was a WONDERFUL. We are possibly going to NY in May. We have tried to keep it to a maximum of 2 months between visits.

Mom is doing ok. We are all still trying to cope w/the loss of my father. Sometimes it doesn't seem real and other times it seems too real! We will be ok, time will make it easier I hope.

I have posted some new pictures on the slideshow so, please be sure to check them out.

Well, we will post the results of the MRI as soon as we get them. Let's pray for clean scans and great results!

Happy Easter,
The Bell's

What a fun day!

Well, we went to Playhouse Disney Live today. I wasn't sure how Madelyn would do sitting in an auditorium for 1.5 hours...but SHE LOVED IT! She really got into dancing to the music and got so excited she squealed when Mickey and Minnie came out, and really shrieked when Pooh and Tigger came out. It was so much fun. Mom and I took her and then we went to the park and played for a little while. She has the sniffles and a cough so we are battling that right now. Rick just got over a flu/cold thing that made him sleep about 36 hours straight. I am trying to avoid it, but kinda hard when you are surrounded by sickness! Everything is going good. My brother and Liz are coming down on 3/12. We are really excited to see them. Liz and I are going to run the St. Patricks Day 5k race on 3/15. Rick, my mom, Ronnie and Madelyn are going to watch us then we are going to the parade, it is going to be fun.

We are all still adjusting to life without my dad, but overall I think we are going to be okay. We found a grief support group that meets once a month, so Rick, my mom and I are going to go to that. The next meeting is Tuesday, 3/4. I am looking forward to talking to other people who feel like I do and to see how they have dealt with the pain of losing a loved one.

Madelyn's been doing great. She cut 2 more teeth on the bottom next to her two front teeth. She is trying to cut 2 more bottom molars. It really would be so much better if they just all came in at one time. But can you imagine the horror...go to bed at night and wake up w/a full mouth of chompers!!! Yikes! Her VMA/HVA levels were normal this month. We are scheduled for her MRI on 3/13 at 12:30. I really wish we could have gotten in early in the morning, but they were booked for the whole month except the day we have to register her for school. YEP THATS RIGHT FOLKS SHE IS GOING TO SCHOOL. We are signing her up for private school/day care 3 days a week. We are really excited, well I am. Rick is having a hard time with it. But I just keep thinking about how much fun she will have w/the other kids. She LOVES going to the nursery at church, so I really think she is going to do well with it. We will update when we get the results of the MRI. We have an appt. w/our Oncologists on 3/18 to go over the MRI, but no way am I going to be able to wait 5 whole days for the results...so hopefully we can update sooner than that.

Thanks for the continued prayers and thoughts for our family. We appreciate them so much!

With love,
The Bells

It's been too long...

Well it has been a long time since our last post, but we have been getting back to "normalcy" whatever that may be:o) We got through the funeral. It was a beautiful service and Rick did a wonderful job putting together a picture disc set to music. A lot of friends and family came down from NY. It is terrible the circumstances, but we got to see a lot of people we hadn't seen in awhile. My brother and Great Aunt Mary from PA stayed until 1/16 to help us clean out my mom and dad's house. We got my mom's stuff in storage and she is now living with us. We are so glad she is staying with us. It is good for us to all pull together to get through this time. Madelyn loves having her "Mimi" around all the time, and so do the rest of us!

Rick finished his last class and has 2 more to finish before he graduates w/his BSBA. He is going to clep or dantes them so he should be done pretty quickly. My best friend for the past 20+ yrs got engaged over Christmas, we are so excited. She is getting married in Oct. so we are busy planning the wedding.

Kaitlyn is going to the prom w/her boyfriend Keegan. Madelyn and I are meeting her and Kelli(Kaitlyn's mom) in Florence tomorrow to shop for a prom dress, hard to believe how fast she is growing up.

Madelyn has cut two top molars. Pediatrican was surprised and asked her "Madelyn, why are you cutting your teeth out of order?" I should have looked at her and told her that Little Miss Madelyn marches to the beat of her own drum, she definitely does not follow the "norm"! She can count to ten, has been able to for about 2 months now, knows A, B and C. We have been working on colors...she knows red, blue, white and purple. When she doesn't feel like working on them everything is purple! She got a potty chair for Christmas and was doing so well with it. She would only have maybe 2 accidents in her pull up a day. Then we threw a monkey wrench in our progress by going to PA for 5 days for Aunt Jessie's funeral and then coming home to lots of people in and out for my dad's funeral. Now she really has no interest in it at all. She just likes to have her pants pulled down, sit on the potty for about 10 seconds and then takes off running through the house and lauging naked!

Everything else has been going really good. Her VMA/HVA levels were normal last month. We go back on 2/20 for a ck up at the clinic and they will do her levels again. Then we will schedule her MRI for March. That will be 6 months post treatment...can you believe it? It seems like yesterday, but also seems like a lifetime ago with everything that has happened.

We want to thank everyone for the cards, phone calls, prayers and support while we were/are dealing with the death of my father, it has beenl so wonderful. We are truly lucky to have each and every one of you in our lives and we just wanted to say thank you!

With love,
The Bells

Update on the Services for Ronald Chrestler

I am posting this preliminary information here so that family and friends can plan accordingly to attend the services of Sheila's father, Ronald Chrestler. Note the word preliminary. This is the information we have now and some specifics are not set, but this should get everyone the information required to make decisions about travel, lodging, etc. As information becoms available, we will update the site as often as possible as it is difficult to contact everyone by phone.

1. The services are tentatively planned for Saturday January 12, 2008. No time has been chosen yet as some of the particulars of the service have ot been decided. The services will be held at:

Powers Funeral Home
832 Ridgeway Road
Lugoff, SC 29078
http://www.powersfuneralhome.net/
Click here for a map

2. We have negotiated a special hotel rate for those of you who will be traveling from out of town. The hotel information is:

Quality Inn and Suites (3 miles off I-20 exit 92)
850 US HWY 1 South
Lugoff, SC, US, 29078
Phone: (803) 438-9441
Fax: (803) 438-5784
Click Here for Map

To get the rate of $49 for any length of stay between 1/10/2008 and 1/13/2008 please call the hotel directly and mention that you are using the group "Chrestler Group"rate.

3. Memorial Fund

The family has established the Ronald Chrestler Memorial Fund and asks that in lieu of flowers to send a monetary contribution for the family for immediate needs that are the result of this tragic event. Make checks payable to:

Ronald Chrestler Memorial Fund

If you are not attending and still wish to give, please mail your check to

Ronald Chrestler Memorial Fund
c/o Patricia Chrestler
88 Choctaw Circle
Elgin, SC 29045

Again, thank you for proactively checking this blog to keep up with this situation and keeping our family in your prayers. We will publish more specific information as it becomes available.

With love and thanks,
The Bell and Chrestler Families

Not such a happy start to 2008!

First, let me start by telling you all that we got Madelyn's VMA/HVA results on Friday and everything is still normal, we are scheduled for a check up at the clinic on 1/27.

Now let me tell you another one of the hardest posts I've had to type. My family and I while here in Pennsylvania for my Great Aunt Jessie's funeral received word yesterday that my father has died. It was completely unexpected and we are trying to cope. We are heading back to SC tomorrow to begin planning another funeral, I feel this one will be much tougher. Aunt Jessie was a 95 year old woman who led a full, happy life, while my Dad was 51 and did not.

We do not have any of the logistics of the funeral planned out yet, but hopefully when we do, Rick can post if for you all.

Please keep my family in your prayers through this most difficult time.

Thank you,
Sheila

Happy New Year!

Wanted to quickly post and tell ya'll we are all doing fine. My great aunt passed away last week, so Maddy, my mom and I are leaving this am for Pennsylvania for the funeral.

Maddy is doing very well. She has been a sick w/a cold, but other than that she is great. Growing and CLIMBING on everything. We had her ears pierced last week and she looks adorable.

Nana bought her a potty chair for Christmas. We have been experimenting with it. She has gone stinky in it 3 times in the last 3 days. I know...TMI, but I am so proud of her. We are still waiting on her VMA/HVA results from Thursday, but when we get them, we will post it.

Anyway, we love you all and wish a happy, healthy 2008 for everyone.

Love The Bells

Ck out this link

Thanks to the update from James Runde's site, I found out that CNN had a little blip on Neuroblastoma yesterday. Neuroblastoma finally got some airtime! I wonder if Dr. Cheung, who was one of James doctors was one that any of our doctors talked to. I know that a few different times our surgeon and our Oncologists have called Memorial Sloan Kettering for advise.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2007/12/09/snow.cookies.for.kids.cancer.cnn

Heres an idea, instead of making Christmas cookies this year buy them and help out a great cause:

http://www.cookiesforkidscancer.org/Pages/Page.aspx

Love,
The Bell's