Although we are still waiting for some outstanding test results, we have most of the information that we need, and it’s not information that we wanted. 

The tumor that was removed from Dottie’s nose was actually a brain tumor. The type of brain tumor where the cells tend to migrate. That is why there is currently a 2cm tumor in Dottie’s brain behind her eye that appears to be spreading down into her sinuses, and why part of that same tumor had been growing outside of her nose. The cells migrated and grew quickly. It’s difficult to say how and where it will continue to grow. 

The usual treatment options for this type of tumor are chemotherapy and radiation. Radiation is out of the question. Our oncologist said it would be “criminal.” Chemotherapy, honestly, is not much better. Dottie is only 2 months old, and with her preexisting conditions, the risks for her far outweigh any possible benefits. We cannot watch our Dottie girl go through the tortures of chemotherapy that most grown adults can barely handle, in the hopes that it will kill only the cancer cells and not our girl in the process. Her quality of life would be poor, her time would be spent mostly in the hospital, and the damage from the chemo on the healthy parts of her body would be irreversible. That is not what we want for her. And in the end, the likelihood of the cancer returning is almost certain. We may consider a palliative chemotherapy option that she can take at home that could potentially slow down the progression of the cancer and provide relief from some symptoms, but we are waiting on the outstanding test results to make that decision. 

So…

We have decided that we will keep our Dottie girl at home for as long as we possibly can. We will love her and cherish every single second of time that we have with her. We are not giving up on her. Dottie girl has shown us from day one that she is a fighter and she is capable of so much more than was thought possible. But we are recognizing that this cancer is God calling her home. We do not know the timeline and we do not fully know what we will be facing, but we are going to do it as a family, and not separated by hospital walls. We are going to give Charlie as much time as possible with his baby sister, to cuddle and play and experience the happiness that being a big brother brings him. We are going to go on adventures and make memories and take pictures and live life with our girl for as long as we are able. And whenever God decides that it’s time, I pray for a merciful miracle … for no pain or discomfort, and for the second face that my Dottie girl sees after Jesus to be my Granny’s, because ultimately, it would seem, that our Dottie girl was always intended to be Granny’s baby.