Miracles Do Happen!

I am going to share a story with all of you who have opened up your hearts to Caitlyn and our family. I finally feel at peace as her Mother. Even after getting the results of the tumor on Monday although I was overjoyed with happiness to hear it was benign…I still did not feel at peace. Part of me was still worried about the piece of tumor remaining and what that might mean for Caitlyn, part of me just still dealing with 5 months of emotion finally coming out, part of me overwhelmed by recovery. I can’t explain it I just still could not feel at ease.

I called one of the wonderful nurses in the ICU the next day to give our thanks and set up a time to drop some treats. She asked how Caitlyn was doing? I gave her a great report and she said well I have to tell you I am so happy because after 72 hours of what is considered to be normal brain swelling and surgery recovery were not improving. Caitlyn’s symptoms and struggle were no longer considered to be normal anymore. We felt such sorrow for your family that there would most likely be permanent damage. I knew that I said to the nurse, I could feel that after day 5 things were not looking good. However, I always stayed thankful that her heart was beating and she was with us! In that moment I knew that her miraculous turn around was a true miracle.

Her nurse then asked what the results of Caitlyn’s tumor were. I said benign and she started to cry. I was crying too, but was really touched by her tears. She then shared with me that prayers were defiantly answered. She said I also could not tell you that we were so sad because the neuro team had shared their disappointment with the nurses that Caitlyns tumor had every sign of cancer and very suspicious tissues. They felt such heartache for Caitlyn because they were pretty sure what road our family was headed down. That is why they moved us from the ICU to the cancer floor to prepare for the next step that next week. Instinctively as her mother I knew that. I am such a positive thinker but I had a bad feeling. With that being said…Miracles do happen. With so much prayer and positive thinking from sooooo many people 24 hours a day, situations can change. I am such a believer in the power of prayer and positive thinking. Never give up hope.

We of course are so overjoyed and thankful for Caitlyn’s recovery. Every day Caitlyn seems more and more back to her old self again. Yes, we will still have a road ahead with speech therapy, reading and writing, MRI's, and more but again that really is nothing compared to where we were 2 weeks ago or even 1 week ago for that matter. She continues to fight, and recover. Her strength amazes all of us and the way she expresses herself I am grateful for. I asked her if her head feels any different now? She said, “Yes Mama that pressure and that clicking time bomb in my head is deactivated.” For years that felt normal to her but now she realizes that wow my brain really feels better. Thank GOD! She will continue to get through this and what ever we have to do in the future we will conquer as well.

Thank you all for holding us up through this journey. We are so touched and grateful for all the wonderful human beings in our lives! BELIEVE and BE HOPEFUL because Miracles do happen!!!!


Love you all,
The Neely Family xo

HAPPY NEWS

Pathology Results

We are so thankful and relieved that the tumor is benign. AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! That was the first bit of positive news we had heard since July. For today we just want to feel happy and  for a moment just breath. The worst for now is over the tumor is not cancer and they got most of it out.  So lets celebrate those huge victories. Caitlyn will continue to conquer each day of healing ahead and I am so greatful that she gets a break. She was so strong today as they took out 37 stiches.  GO CAITLYN! Thank you all for your prayers today.

Love,

Steph

Little sister Kayla is sitting next to me and this is what she wants to say: "We are so glad that our Caitlyn is here! I love my sissy soooooo much, and I missed snuggling with her while she was away." xo, Kayla

THANKSGIVING MIRACLE

THANKKSGIVING MIRACLE

We are so blessed and beyond delighted to be HOME for Thanksgiving. This is a true miracle that was not expected. Caitlyn is such a fighter, and so strong that she has made an incredible turn around in the last 24 hours. I stayed up praying the entire night before, and our prayers were more than answered. She is medically stable and there is no better place for her to continue her healing than home with her loved ones, her own bed, and surrounded by all of the positive things that will help her continue to find strength, speech, and her memory. When her Dr. came in to check on her he was blown away by her overnight progress, and he asked her “Caitlyn, do you want to go home for Thanksgiving?” Caitlyn and I looked at each other, squeezed each other tight and cried our eyes out. I said baby theses are tears of joy, and she said I know Mama “happy” tears. All the Dr.’s and nurses were cheering to, and so proud of her for her fighting determination to conquer this battle. It was the biggest smile I had seen on her face in a long time.

We still have a long road ahead and this fight is not over yet but we need this time to rest, and regroup as a family. We need newly gained strength before we go down the next path. The last week was horrifying and much to personal to share but even in the worst moments no matter how awful or scary it all felt we/I always stayed strong, hopeful, thankful, and positive. She is with us today, her heart is beating, and we can kiss and hug her a 100 times a day. That is a true blessing!

We could not have made it through this last week with out all of your prayers and support. Everyday we are touched by your love. Prayer, and positive energy is so powerful and trust me we felt it! So today just know that we are so THANKFUL for all of you, and each other. Make sure you tell your loved ones today how much you appreciate them, and never stop being thankful and greatful for all things your life!

We love you all,

Stephanie, Matt, Caitlyn, Kayla, and Brayden Neely xoxo

P.S A very special thank you to Mikkel who walked every step of this path with our family, and did an amazing job of keeping you all informed. I would not leave Caitlyn’s side and we were all too emotional to talk about it so we love you Mikkel for being so strong and amazing!

Pathology Test Results Postponed

Because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday we will not know the results of the Pathology test until Monday.

The doctor did inform Stephanie that the most recent CAT Scan does show that there is still some of the tumor remaining. The reason the doctor decided to leave this part is because it would have taken Caitlyn's vision from her left eye. Until we find out the results of the Pathology test, we will not know the next step towards Caitlyn's recovery.

Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Love,

Mikkel

Prayer of Thanks

This obviously is a scary time for the Granik\Neely family. There are still many unanswered questions we face in this difficult journey. Many people have asked how is our family able to be so strong? The answer to that is all of you! Not only friends and family, but this community and beyond has embraced our family with cards, prayers, meals, fundraisers and countless acts of kindness.

Thank you with all our heart!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones and know that you are all in our prayer of thanks each day.

Jeanette Granik

Update From Stephanie

I spoke to Stephanie this morning and she has asked that I share the following with you.

No one could have prepared her for how difficult Caitlyn's recovery would be after the surgery. The tumor was located at a place in the brain where memory and speech are affected. Caitlyn has been struggling with these functions this past week and it has been very emotional for them to watch. Stephanie will need to re-teach Caitlyn how to do most everything.

As the doctor has been saying all along, we just have to take it one hour and one day at a time. As this week has progressed, there have been positive baby steps in Caitlyn's recovery process. She has been moved out of ICU, she has taken several steps on her own, she is eating well and her speech has improved. Prayers are needed to help Caitlyn find her words and be receptive to learning tasks that are now new to her.

We have a lot to be thankful for today and how far Caitlyn has come in her recovery process. Caitlyn and her family still have a long journey ahead of them and will continue to need our prayers, love and support. Tomorrow we will learn the results of the pathology test from the tumor. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.

Also, thank you for your generous donations to ROTR for Steph and the family. She might need more in the future but at this time she has a good balance on the account to get them through this week. I would encourage anyone who is interested in helping the family to make a donation on this blog.

Stephanie and her family are so grateful to each and every one of you. I know that we are all anxious to reach out to the family but we need to continue to allow them to focus on Caitlyn and send our well wishes by using this blog.

Love,
Mikkel

Posting A Comment

I have heard from many of you the difficulty of posting a comment on this site. I wanted to take the time to give some detailed steps to be able to do so.

1. Go to the site and click on "sign in" in the upper right hand corner.
a. If you have a Google account (ie: gmail), enter in your information. Once you post your comment, click the drop down arrow next to Comment As and select Google account.
b. If you do not have a Google account, click on Create Blog.
1. Enter in an EXISTING email address (ie: yahoo, hotmail, etc.) it does not have to be a Google email address.
2. Create a password, and follow the rest of the instructions.
3. The next page asks you to name your blog. However if you are just planning on using this account to post comments, select "skip this and create a blog later".
4. This brings you to your "dashboard".
5. Add Caitlyn's blog at the bottom.

Now when you go to the blog, sign in and post your comment as Google Account.

Please, please post comments for Caitlyn and the family. I know that Steph was able to read a few of them and it helped bring a smile to her day.

Thank you,

Mikkel

Update

Steph and her family are very thankful for every one's love and support over these past few days. The road to recovery is going to be a long one. The family is working on that right now. I know everyone is very anxious to see them but they need this time alone with Caitlyn right now. They are not ready for visitors. The family has been overwhelmed with phone calls and they are asking that everyone look to this site for information as they understandably cannot respond to everyone. As much as we are all very happy that the surgery is behind Caitlyn, she is still in critical care and needs this time to heal with her family.

Thank you for your understanding.

Mikkel

Post Surgery Update

Caitlyn had a pretty good night. She got some good sleep and so did Steph. Caitlyn is in a lot of pain today because the Anesthesia and other pain medicine from her surgery is wearing off. So they are keeping her comfortable. When Matt walked in the room this morning Cailyn smiled and said "Hi daddy"! The doctor keeps telling them that we have to take this minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day. Steph is feeling good about Caitlyn's responses and understands that we will not have all the answers right away. The doctor has ordered an MRI for later afternoon which will provide more information. Tonight her and Matt are going to get a chance to go have dinner together while Steph's parents sit with Caitlyn.

Steph has been receiving an enormous amount of phone calls and text messages. She appreciates all of them and is overwhelmed with every one's love. However, she has asked that we give her and her family some space right now to focus on Caitlyn. Her request is that everyone uses this blog to send messages to her right now. Over the next few days and weeks, when she has time, she will be looking here for love and support from everyone and will enjoy reading the comments. If you have questions, please post them here or feel free to send me an email.

Also, many of us want to know how to help so I asked her. Right now the best way to help would be to have "good" food delivered to them. The hospital food is not that great and since they are only getting to eat sometimes one meal a day, it would be nice to have a good one! There are several restaurants close but it is hard for them to leave the hospital. I have found online a company called Restaurants on the Run http://www.rotr.com that will deliver food to them. If you are interested in this, please contact me for more information.

Again, thank you for your care and concern.

Love, Mikkel

Surgery Complete

I just spoke with Steph and Caitlyn's surgery is behind her.

Steph briefly got to see Caitlyn after her surgery was complete and now has to wait a half an hour until she is transferred to ICU. Caitlyn is still coming out of Anesthesia and was not awake yet. The doctor said the surgery went well and he feels that he got all of the tumor out. He did say that Caitlyn lost a lot of blood for her age and had to have a blood transfusion. We will not know the results of the tumor for a week.

I just want to reiterate on behalf of Stephanie, Matt and their families how much your prayers and support have helped them get through today. Please keep them coming. I will update everyone once I know more.

Love, Mikkel

A Message From Steph

To all of our friends and family,

We again want to thank you for all of your continued support. As Tuesday nears we are trying to remain as strong as possible, and keeping busy to distract ourselves from the biggest scare of our lives. Because we will be so busy and very stressed next week at the Loma Linda ICU we will not be leaving Caitlyn's bedside which means not picking the phone as well. My best friend Mikkel will be updating all of you through Caitlyn's blog. This seems to be the easiest way to share updates regarding her journey which I know with my entire heart and soul, she will conquer! She is a strong little girl, and we are a family that never gives up on hope or positive energy. We/Caitlyn love you all so much, and please pass on this info regarding this blog because I do not have every one's email.

Live, laugh, love and hope,

Stephanie, Matt, Caitlyn, Kayla, and Brayden Neely xo

P.S. Caitlyn received the honor of Super Student. Here is a picture of Steph and Caitlyn the day of.

Caitlyn's Classic Club family

Thank you so much to Brady Wilson (Golf pro) and Greg Rubino (GM) and the entire Classic Club staff for adopting Caitlyn and our family. Brady you have been so amazing, and welcoming, and we are beyond grateful for all of the positive support you have sent our way. Caitlyn loved driving the Golf cart, and is still talking about her special day yesterday. Greg she is determined to win you at pool once she gets better. Brady, Caitlyn is also determined to conquer the 12th hole! I just know she can conquer anything!Life is all about creating memories, and cherishing each moment. We are grateful for the moments you have created with our family. Although the days prior to her surgery are very difficult, its is fun and laughter like yesterday that keep us all going. Every time we drive by the kids say, "There is our Classic Club family!" It really is an awesome experience for all 3 of them to have. Brayden is only 2 but will never forget the big tractors! We look forward to seeing you all again soon.

All of our Love,

The Neely Bunch xo

Surgery Scheduled -- Prayers Needed

I just spoke with Steph and she informed me that Caitlyn has brain surgery scheduled for November 17th at Loma Linda ICU to remove the tumor. They met with the doctor today to review her MRI from Monday. The good news is that the tumor has not grown. The blood has subsided and he wants to perform surgery right away. The location of the tumor is in a very critical place and this surgery is considered very high risk. The actual surgery itself with take 6 hours. Caitlyn will be at Loma Linda for 2 weeks and after 1 week of healing the doctor will know if the tumor is cancerous or not.

On top of all this, they are in the process of moving into a new home today. After much contemplation, they have made a hard decision to take on a larger home for a more conducive healing environment for Caitlyn. They were previously living in a 500 sf apartment with only two bedrooms. It would not have been a quiet suitable place for Caitlyn to recover.

I know that all of us just want to show our love and support and help them in anyway we can. They need prayers for a successful surgery. Please add them to your prayer lists at church and keep them in your daily thoughts and prayers. Since they are going to be away from work caring for Caitlyn they are going to need additional help with their day to day expenses. I know many of you have contributed to help this family in one way or another over the past few months and Stephanie has expressed her deep appreciation. This unimaginable journey has just begun and they have a long road ahead of them.

Love, Mikkel

P.S. Please keep in mind that the ICU does not allow flowers or balloons, so in lieu of those items any gift cards (groceries, gas, restaurants, etc.) would be appreciated.

A Visit With The Neely's

My husband Nathan, my daughter Natalie and I had the pleasure of visiting with The Neely's while on a trip to the desert. We arrived at their home just after Red Robin had stopped by with a wonderful meal, a giant card and even The Red Robin himself (not sure if he has a name)! The family was overjoyed with the thoughtful gesture.

It was great to see all of them. Caitlyn instantly wanted to hold Natalie and feed her dinner. Such the little mommy! Kayla spent most of the time inspecting the toy bins to make sure that there were not any small pieces that could hurt Natalie! Brayden was happy to share his cars with her. These acts only showed me the kind hearted and caring spirit instilled in them from their amazing parents.

Stephanie & Matt both expressed how thankful they are for all of the support and love they are receiving from family and friends. The road ahead is unknown and they will continue to need us all.

Steph has asked that I keep this blog updated as we proceed down the path of Caitlyn's healing. Please share any stories or words of encouragement for their family. I know that Caitlyn has logged on to this site to see all of the comments for her!! SO keep them coming.

Caitlyn has her next MRI on Monday, November 2nd. Please say a prayer as you know how scary these tests are for her. After I hear from Steph, I will post an update to let you know how it went.

Love, Mikkel Pearce

Thank you

There are truly not words to describe how thankful, moved, and beyond touched we are by all the love and support.  I am normally not someone who is at a loss for words but at this moment Matt and I are speechless.  Everytime we read the messages we cry, and feel overwhelmed with such emotion, and gratitude. The positive messages, and your giving kind spirits are what keep our heads up, and help to keep us strong for our family. Every day is a gift.  Sweat the small stuff, and cherish the ones you love.  Even in this time of hardship and sorrow, no matter how ugly life may feel  we make sure to wake up smiling because positve thoughts, love, and hope are what truly makes the world go around.

All of our love,

Stephanie, Matt, Cailtyn, Kayla, and Brayden Neely-xoxo

Caitlyn's MRI

Dear friends and family,
This is one of those situations that a mother can not put into words. We all want nothing more then for our children to be healthy and happy.  Happy Caitlyn always has been, healthy well not for the last 2 months. I know they say God does not give us more than we cant handle but this will never be fair in any way. My husband and I say every moment let this be one of us but not our sweet Cailtyn. Caitlyn is that type of child that just touches your heart.  She is loving, and kind, a worrier like her mama, and the BEST BIG sister that her siblings could ever ask for her. Just yesterday she came home to share with Matt and I that she donated a book to her teacher for the class.  She bought the book with her recylce money that she made on Wednesday after her MRI.  1 month of recycling made her $10.51 and she was so proud.  Caitlyn said, "1 book for me and 1 book for my 4th grade class, sharing is caring Mom!" At 10, she really is an old beautiful soul.
The most important gift are your prayers, and positive thoughts.  We need a true miracle right now. As hard as things are we still have to wait another 6 weeks.  Due to  where the vein burst in her brain 2 months back there is still alot of blood surrounding the area.  The location of her brain in which the tumor is located is a very critical place to preform surgery. I cant go into the details any more than that because I am still trying to wrap my own mind around it all. This whole situation is beyond scary, confusing, and although we have to stay strong for her, and we will.  Right now I/we are still feeling every emotion possible. Today was just heart wrentching trying to explain to a 10 year old child what a tumor is.  Her looking at us with big tears in her eyes, asking us "Will I ever talk again after surgery?" For the last 2 moths she has been such  good sport, a strong, and brave girl, a true survivor but all she wanted today was to be told that she could ride her bike again, and be a normal playful 10 year old girl. Unfourtantley that was not the news we recieved. We are a very strong family, and we will get through this I know. My hope remains strong.
We thank you all for your love, and support.  Words can not express the gratitude we feel. 

All of our love,
The Granik-Neely family

P.S,  Heidi Melton and Katie Avilla: A special thanks to you ladies for putting this very special website together for our sweet Caitlyn.  I am speechless, and I love you very much!