Happy Birthday Tom

Looks like this post did not go live last week...sorry if anyone somehow sees this twice!

Busy weekend!!  Tom turned 13 on Saturday 5/21....now we have 2 teenagers in the house.....eeekkkkk!!!!

Lisa premiered in her first fashion show. It was held at Hillsdale Furniture in Bloomfiled Hills and was a charity event to raise money for her Kids Kicking Cancer group.  She was the absolute prima donna!! When we first arrived she clung to me and played the shy act, wouldn't talk or look around at anyone.  When it was time to do rehearsal she was in a panic and clinging to me.   The models were lined up and ready to practice.  They were waiting on one woman...Tika...a model who does shows in Detroit, New York and Chicago.  Tika was supposed to be Lisa's escort.  Because she was late, they were switching up who was going to escort Lisa.  The commotion got Lisa's attention and she started coming out of her shell.  Just as the first model stepped on the runway, Tika appeared.  She dropped her bags, stepped into place in line. I put Lisa's hand in Tika's and told Tika "just take her".  Lisa did her practice run with no problems.

When practice was done, all the girls went to have makeup and hair done.  As all the 6ft long leg ladies headed off to various tents that had been set up in the storeroom, the little girls were escorted to their tent to have their hair and makeup done.  Lisa grabbed some chips on the way and once she started munching, she started having more fun.  Her hair took no time at all to do;) and she was a pro at sitting to have makeup done.  Her main goal was to get into the dress she had picked out the day before and was allowed to keep if she did the fashion show.  Once her makeup was done, she put on her new dress, leggings, shoes and headband and a diva emerged.  I have no idea where she learned this, but she skipped back to the professional camera man and started striking model poses.  Once pictures were done, she carefully ate more snacks as we waited for all the girls to get ready.  Lisa was happy and excited.  As the countdown to showtime began, she got more and more animated and was dancing around to the music.  The start time got pushed back 1/2 hour because the girls weren't ready.  It got pushed back a second time 15 minutes because all but one model was lined up and ready to go.  Tika.  Lisa,  the young diva, stomped her foot, rolled her eyes and said "Tika's late again?!  Come on!  Everyone is waiting!"  I found this quite  humorous.  Seemed like they paired up the two diva's in the show!!
 
Things went off very well.  Lisa was amazing!  Once Tika appeared in the line, Lisa shooed me away and told me to go up front and take pictures.  I was so proud of how well Lisa handled that stage.  Apparently she does not know what "nervous" means.   That girl walked the runway and looked awesome.

Once the show was done, the little diva appeared, said she was ready to go home NOW and refused to take any group photos or pics.   As we walked into the showroom to find Aunt Sam and cousin Jacob, Lisa spied the vibrating recliners and jumped into one, put her feet up and started relaxing.  I used this opportunity to go grab food. Lisa ate a few chicken fingers, got her second wind, and proceeded to check out the other food offerings and color at a table.  Many people came by to tell her she did a great job.  For each of them, she would look up from her coloring, flash a big smile and say thank you.

Don't know where she learned all this, apparently she's a natural! (more pics and videos to come!)

Keep up the praying!  We had another set of scans done and her body is still responding to the chemo drugs and shrinking some of the cancer.  This is the best we can hope for and it buys us time.  They had Lisa scheduled to do a new study that involves being injected with the Seneca Valley Virus which most likely will have no side effect accept for flu symptoms but the belief  that the virus makes the neuroblastoma cells die.  We've asked them to hold off until after school gets out because Lisa should not be in public places.  They do not believe the virus would be harmful to "healthy" people, but I don't think they want to chance a Seneca Valley outbreak in Canton, MI if we expose her to the masses at the fundraiser.

So, for now, life is good.  Lisa is happy, smiling and full of energy.  She is excited about her beat cancer party ---- BLAST.  All of you readers leave us a blog comment or FB like to let Lisa know you are excited too and keep spreading the word.