Friday, December 12, 2008

I Wish You Enough


This was sent to me from my cousin, Tina…I love it “more than enough” to share on Trey’s blog spot with all our friends and family. I wish you all “enough” this Holiday Season


I Wish You Enough

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.

Monday, December 8, 2008

The final update from MN.


Hello,

Well two weeks to the day and I am just getting around to writing about our final day at the University of Minnesota and our “wrap up” meeting with Dr. Whitley. So sorry to leave ya’ll “hangin…

Friday with Dr. Whitley was so good for Mike and I. After hearing a bit of bad news the day before, to hear all the weeks good news from the doctors lips was just what we needed to put the week in perspective.

The x-rays of Trey’s brain was shown to us and explained in laymen’s terms that Trey’s white matter is normal. The computer technology from the MRI was amazing to say the least! Dr. Whitley could turn, flip, dissect, and move through the middle of Trey’s brain to show us every single inch of it in all ways possible.

Dr. Whitely also reiterated what Dr. Schwender from the Twin Cities Spine Center had said about Trey’s neck and upper spine, as he too was pleased that the movement within his two top vertebrae was limited.

Our goal this week was to initiate a number of studies aimed at defining Trey’s condition and planning an optimal treatment plan for his future. This included (in the doctors words):

1. Psychometric evaluation, Dr. Shapiro; normal development
2. Liver biopsy to assess for storage material, results pending
3. Multipule urine studies to assess for glycosaminoglycans, oligosaccharides, sulfated oligosaccharides and sulfatide levels. Initial study showed elevated urine GAG. Other studies to characterize various analytes are still pending.
4. Mutation analysis of the SUMF1 gene to asses for multiple sulfatase deficiency; currently “pending” in my laboratory.
5. Lumbar spinal tap to assess for increase intracranial pressure: Normal pressure found.
6. Skin biopsy to be grown for cultured fibroblasts, that will be sent to the laboratory of Dr. Jerry Thompson, University of Alabama , metabolic laboratory fro studies of several sulfatase enzyme levels.
7. Plasma and white cell enzymes to be sent to the laboratory of Dr. George Hoganson, University of Illinois, Chicago, for assessment of plasma sulfatase enzymes.
8. continue Naglazyme therapy intravenously this Wednesday per Trey’s regular, weekly, schedule.
9. HLA typing of patient and first-degree relatives.



Dr. Whitley’s assessment was as follows:

1. Continue Naglazyme enzyme replacement therapy. Perhaps this could be moved closer to home, especially if Trey has not shown any adverse reactions.
2. Discontinue “pre-meds” because Trey has not had any infusion reactions, and received a Naglazyme infusion without any ill effects while here, I think these medications are not required.
3. Monthly urine GAG levels sent just prior to an infusion.
4. Return to University of Minnesota in 3-4 months when all test results become available.

Our meeting with Dr. Whitley lasted a few hours and was everything we had hoped for, a “findings” session along with a “question and answer” session and finally a future plan was put in place. Mike and I believe that we are on our way to finding some concrete answers and couldn’t be happier with our new found “angel” ~ an early Christmas present to say the least.

After our meeting with the doctor we drove to my Grandma’s to spend the weekend with her, my aunt, my cousin and of course, Drake and Broc. We had a great time with my family and the boys up North. I have to say that we were all pretty disappointed that although snow did fall, it didn’t “stick”. I heard from my Aunt today that they just finally got 2” this past Friday.

Since we returned home we’ve got a bit of good and a bit of not so good news.

The not so good news is that I was right (Mom always knows best), Trey is not growing. The test results from Dr. Pulgreen, endocrinologist, came back and he is not producing GH (growth hormone). We have an appointment with an endocrinologist here in Arizona the first week of January. From here we will have a GH Stimulation test” run on Trey to see if he is GH deficient.

The good news is preliminary results are suggesting that there is no "sulfatides" in Trey’s urine. This is very, very good and points us away from metachromatic leukodystrophy-like problems being an issue.

We are not expecting anything further for a few weeks and both hoping and praying a very, Merry Christmas present!

Happy Holidays,

The Lanes

p.s pictures of MN. attached (that is Dr. Whitley holding Trey on his lap)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Day 4 MN {luck ran out}

Hello guys,

Well our luck ran out today. As nervous as Mike and I were about the “inner findings” of Trey we were most afraid of what we would hear today when the orthopedic doctor looked at his neck and spine.

Fist let me add to yesterday’s saga…Trey made it through the night with out a peep but…it took him half of the day to pee and when he could physically no longer hold it…it must have “burned” because the look of agony on his face made him afraid to go the rest of the day…he’s “all good” now but I was a bit afraid that we were going to regress in potty training because he would become afraid to us the toilet, have an upset stomach for who knows how long, and maybe even have to deal with a UTI (yes, boys get those too). Like always, Trey came through and preformed with flying colors and just in time to send his urine to the lab for today’s fed ex pickup.

Also, not once today did we hear Trey complain about being sore or even mad about the huge bandages still taped on three different places on his little body. I thought for sure when we drove up to the hospital, for the fourth time that he would “freak out” at the sight of it because of what he endured yesterday but, nope, NOTHING! He walked along as happy as could be and turned heads with every corner we turned, every elevator we rode and every floor we visited. We hear how adorable he is where ever he goes, he brings happiness to so many people that he encounters Y I wish I would have taken pictures with all the co-eds that came up to Trey this week to say hi to him and tell us how cute he is…it would have made him smile one day

Our first appointment with Dr. Shapiro (Neuro psych) was very positive. Trey is mentally “normal” as we suspected and scored above normal as far as his memory is concerned which impressed Dr. Shapiro immensely (I was waiting to hear that from her ~ any bit of good news keeps me going). Treys results regarding his brain function along will the blood and urine results are a good indicator as to which MPS disorder Trey may have. Nothing is “straight forward” as we are finding out and there are extreme ranges of each of the MPS disorders but having normal cognitive skills help them eliminate which enzymes he may be lacking. Dr. Shapiro would like us to remain very aware of Trey’s learning abilities as they could regress should he have an MPS disorder, including MSD that “usually” affects the brain.



Next was, Dr. Polgreen (endocrinology). She had ordered more blood to be drawn from Trey today to test his level of growth hormone to see how active it is in his body. We should be getting a call from her in about a week to let us know the results of this blood draw. If the initial test show that Trey’s body is not producing GH, than a four hour test would be advised. In this test, over a four hour period they would introduce adrenaline to his body to see how much GH he produces in the pituitary gland. We had decided that the next time we follow up with Dr. Whitley here in MN we would also be sure to meet with Dr. Polgreen.

And finally, on to Dr. Schwender with the Twin Cities Spine Center . I just knew that Trey’s kyphosis (curvature of his lower back) had progressed for the worse but to what degree I wasn’t sure. I had been praying that I was just being too “clinical” with him at that maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked to me. I was right, it was bad and according to the doctor very bad. Trey’s curve went from a 20 degree curvature in July, 2007 to a 62 degree curvature today. I was so heartbroken to see the life size x-ray’s of his little torso all lit up and hanging in the room…the images of my babies deformity was as big as life. We were told to repeat the x-rays in 4 months and if the curve becomes greater than 70 degrees, surgery is recommended. Mike had felt that after this spine appointment what ever wind was left in his sails of hope was let out. Of course Trey had no idea what we were being told and the surgeries that he may have to endure but to keep the pain on our faces from him was excruciating…he is very aware of my expressions and kept staring at me, thank God he never asked why I was so sad.

After this news, Dr. Schwender wanted to take more x-rays of Trey’s spine only this time of his atlas and axis (C1 and C2 vertebra) with Trey looking up and looking down. The doctor was looking for range of motion in these two vertebra. The C1 and C2 are not supposed to move around. We have been told so much troubling news about this area of Trey’s spine in the last two months that all we could do was hold our breath at the result of these findings. To our surprise, the x-rays showed a slight amount of motion but nothing to act upon at this time, only to keep close watch of.

Dr. Schwender took full spin x-ray’s which also showed him Trey’s hip’s. He told us that eventually (as soon as 5 years old) Trey would have to have hip surgery to ease the hip dysplasia that was evident in these full body x-rays. This too we will keep a close eye on and will be looked at in the full spine x-rays that we will have taken again in March of ‘09.


Tomorrow we have one final meeting while we are here and that will be to wrap up this week with Dr. Whitley. From there we are on our way up North to see our two big guys and spend a day with our family before we head home on Sunday.


I don’t know what to say or feel, all I do know is that every doctor we met this week told us to keep doing what we are doing and to let Trey be a normal, active little boy~we shall follow the doctors orders


Humbled by your love and support,

Mike, Cami, Drake, Broc and Trey

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Day 3 in MN {he is my HERO!}

Once again all of our prayers have been answered and are working Trey did an amazing job today, he is my HERO!



We arrived at 9:15am and left at 7:30pm…such a long, long day for such a little guy. Because of the surgeries planned for today, Trey wasn’t able to eat anything after 4am or drink anything after 9:40 am, I was so worried that he would start crying for food or water. We waited in the pre-op area until 1:15pm and he only asked twice for water but left it at, “no” and was the perfect patient. I was so thankful for his sweet disposition because many other children would have been throwing a fit by now.



I was able to “suit up” and be with him as he was put under anesthesia …again he was so calm and sweet. He was very inquisitive as to what all the people were up to but never expressed fear, only a bit of discomfort as the mask was held over his face. I kissed him, said a prayer in his ear and left with a peaceful feeling knowing he was in great hands and having a “good feeling” about why we were doing what we were to our precious baby.



At 3:20 pm we were told that Trey’s spinal tap was complete and that he didn’t have pressure on his brain meaning he did not have a hydro cell…Thank you God! The amount of relief we felt was indescribable…our prayers answered and another item checked off our list. Dr. Whitley spent so much time with us before the surgeries and explained that other than results from the spinal tap and the MRI of the head/brain and neck (which we will receive tomorrow) all other tests and results would bring us answers within the next month.



At 5:30 pm we were walked back to the recovery room by Dr. Whitley, to Trey who was lying in bed so lovable and still a bit non respondent. Little bandages were stuck all over his body from the incisions made from the surgeries that he underwent today. He was not happy with the fact that the catheter was still in place as he was coming to, do you blame him? I saw Mike’s face cringe as they pulled it out, he couldn’t even watch. Trey was given a cherry Popsicle before we arrived and had done very well with “keeping it down”. After he was put in my arms (which at that time I melted and was filled with intense love for my youngest child), he immediately asked for cookies (remember he hadn’t eaten one thing all day). He polished off a bag of chocolate chip and nutter butter cookies as well as some batman fruit snacks. As soon as we were discharged he wanted to “cash in” on the promise we had made to him before his “nap” that we would go for ice cream…I didn’t think #1 he would remember or #2 he’d still be hungry for it. He had an Oreo cookie shake as well as helping me with my waffle cone…too funny! But wait it’s not over, when we got to the hotel room he ate two cups of vanilla pudding…I will hold my breath to see how well he makes it through the night.



Right before he fell a sleep he needed to go to the bath room but just as we were told because of the catheter, it would burn. He said it hurt to pee and didn’t go a drop. I was so sad for him and worried that he would be afraid to try again. Right now he’s sleeping like an angel and I just thank God for the success we had today and the test’s that were completed. We just know that these long days are all well spent and will bring us so many answers, the answers we have been looking for for months now.



Did I tell you all how amazing Dr. Whitley is? He is so not doing this for the paycheck, he genuinely cares about Trey and our family, as his actions prove it daily.



Tomorrow morning Trey will again give a urine sample as well as blood to send off to two more lab’s for testing. At 9am we will meet with a leading authority, neuro psychologist in the field of MPS related disorders for a feedback session from Trey’s Monday testing. At 10am Dr. Whitley pulled some strings to allow us to be able to meet with another “big wig” in the field, this time related to growth troubles in MPS patients. And finally at 1pm we will meet with the spine center to fully evaluate Trey’s kyphosis (most likely having x-rays taken at this time of his spine).



We called Drake and Broc at their Great Grandma’s tonight, they too had just come home from getting some ice cream. Both of the boys sounded so happy. We didn’t go into detail about Trey’s day but let each of them talk to him as they both sounded concerned and wanted to say hi. Trey was as happy as could be to hear his brother’s voices on the other end of my cell phone and refused to give it back to me when I asked-haha. We are very blessed to be able to have family here to watch them as we are going through all of this at the University but in the same breath miss them after a day at the hospital is threw!



Mike and I are so thankful for the doctors here and their expertise in the field of MPS disorders along with the Willis family for strongly (almost insisting) that we go see Dr. Whitley here in Minnesota ! It’s so amazing how all the events that happened in the order that they did to bring us to this place in our journey We feel so much stronger not feeling the uncertainty we have since Trey’s diagnosis, knowing that Trey’s care is now in the hands of some of the best in the field. Also having these doctors have a face with the name and the condition, puts my heart at ease that no matter what comes our way, together, with these doctors, we can handle the next step.



With hugs,

The Lanes~Mike, Cami, Drake, Broc and Trey

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Now on to Day 2 in MN

Hi guys,


Some thing’s to add to last night’s update (now that I’ve gotten a bit of rest).

Forgot to tell you that Mike had asked Dr. Whitley what he thought when he first say Trey, letting him know that we are “holding onto strings”. Dr. Whitley said (quote) that he was very excited when he first saw Trey in the hall and that he looked like a healthy, happy little boy. My first thought was, this is great news (treat the patient not the symptoms). Mike felt like he had been drowning is a sea of despair and that Dr. Whitley just threw him a life jacket (something to hold to).


The neuro physiologist we are about to meet is the leading expert in MPS related disorders and how they affect the brain. Again, we are in good hands. To add to this and to confirm it again today, we feel so much more “normal” here. People have actually heard of MPS VI, we don’t have to explain from the beginning to every different specialist we see about Trey and his disorder. Not only do they know about MPS conditions, they are leading experts in the field. We are definitely in the right place



Dr. Whitley has only seen 3 MSD patients; Trey would only be his 4th. This doctor is however, extremely well versed on this and every other MPS disorder. He knows precisely how to describe each of them and the scientific details of each.

To add to Drake’s “queasiness” from giving blood yesterday, he wasn’t sure and thought that he may have to give more due to the fact that the phlebotomist that drew his blood used a different colored vial than the rest of ours. It was for one of the tests they are performing on all four of us. He was so worried that he may have to get re-pricked to fill the correct colored vial. Luckily for all of us, everything was going to work out fine. Dr. Whitley stayed downstairs with us during this procedure and was able to confirm that this would be okay because it was him, personally that would be running the test from that particular vial.


We felt like we were give the royal treatment all day yesterday having “the man” himself walk us around and introduce our family to all involved with Trey’s health. Every single person was gracious to meet us and gave us a warm welcome (all commented on how nice the weather was where we were from –haha).



After a long day for all of us, we decided to treat the boys to a few hours at the Mall of America ~ particularly, Nickelodeon Universe. Because we had arrived so late, it was “happy hours” there. We were able to purchase wrist bands for unlimited rides at a fraction of the price. We practically felt like we were the only ones there = no waiting in lines! All three of the boys had a great time and justifiably deserved it. Did I tell you in yesterday’s email that during our long meeting with Dr. Whitley Drake and Broc entertained themselves in the room next door and were absolutely perfect, while Trey took a cat nap in the room with Mike and I? We didn’t hear a peep out of any them the entire time! They really did “earn” Nick Universe They can’t wait to tell everyone the big, scary rides they went on all by themselves and that I was way too afraid to put one foot on.

Now on to Day 2 in MN



Mike, Drake and Broc drove Trey and I to the hospital for Treys infusion this morning. Trey and I had already reached our room, looked out the window and right below our window was Mike and I boys getting into the car. Trey knocked on the window from above, Drake heard us and they all waived at each other for the longest time. It was so cute how much the Drake and Broc care for Trey and how much Trey loves his big brothers. After the long and sweet goodbye, Mike drove the boys to the city of Hinkley where they met Auntie. Hinkley is half way to Granny’s house where the boys will stay until we pick them up after the week’s appointment’s are over. They all had breakfast together (Aunties’ Mike was with her too) then Mike turned around to drive back another 2 hours to the University to pick up Trey and I from the infusion.



About the infusion, the room was an actual room with a door, a restroom and even a shower – just like a recovery room after labor. The privacy was immeasurable! Dr. Whitley wanted to give Trey his infusion without any of his premeds (Tylenol and Benadryl). I can’t tell you how happy I was to hear this. You all know I am the type of mom that doesn’t first reach for the medicine bottle when the boys are sick. I hated to give the baby these medications week after week and worried so much about the long term side effects they would have on his liver. Trey was again the “perfect patient” and didn’t have a single adverse reaction ie; elevated temperature, rash, sweats. I hope we can relay this to the AZ doctors and make this part of his orders at St. Joes (IF we are even to continue the Naglazyme infusion’s). The nurses didn’t hook Trey up to any monitors they only took his vitals through out the infusion and visually checked him for any possible adverse reactions. In Arizona Mike and I worry every single time Trey’s “pulse sock” alarm’s. Most of the time the monitor goes off it’s nothing to worry about but it’s just the thought of the “what if” every time. I didn’t feel that once today. My “at ease” feelings obviously transcended to Trey too – even with out the Benadryl, he slept like a baby for more than two hours during today’s infusion. The nurses also showed us to the “kitchen” where we were able to help ourselves to drinks, crackers and toast. We always feel so uncomfortable asking the nurses at St. Joes to get us water, that this in it self was a very nice amenity, as random as it sounds.



Trey was a big boy and gave a nice adequate urine sample first thing this morning, before his infusion then gave quite a bit of blood to run a series of tests on after his infusion. We gave him lots of orange juice just in case but of course, “true to Trey”…he was just fine.



After the babies infusion with perfect timing Mike arrived in our room. I was so happy he got to visually inspect the differences and meet the nice nursing staff. We love our nursing staff in Az but the expertise, familiarity with MPS and the amenities here are incomparable. Mike said is was like going from the NCAA to the NFL J The ladies kept talking about yesterdays visit and their meeting with our three boys and how cute they were. Trey was able to pick from a huge box of toys as we left for the day.



The rest of the day we walked around the campus then drove back to the hotel to have a nice relaxing night. Having dinner without Drake and Broc felt so incomplete~ I miss them already

Dr. Whitely called into Trey’s infusion room to talk over tomorrow’s schedule with me. As usual, he went over every procedure in detail, why he felt each was necessary, gave me the option of not having any one of them done, explained the risks of each and followed up with reiterating the expertise of all doctors involved in Trey’s care tomorrow. He gave me as long as it took and again asked that I call if I had any additional questions or if Mike wanted to go over any of this with him, since he wasn’t there. I am so impressed with this man’s professionalism and bed side manners and do I have to even say his knowledge in this field?!

Please keep our precious little man in your prayers tomorrow as he has a big day planned.



So here is tomorrow’s schedule;



Give urine first thing tomorrow morning, put on ice and bring to appointment



Arrive at main hospital at 10am



First they will put Trey under general anesthesia with a breathing tube down his throat into his lungs. Trey will be completely out and on a ventilator for about 3 hours.



Trey will have a Fibroblast (deep layers of skin - 1/8” diameter hole taken from his shoulder). Because they dig so deep, this will take about a week to heal.

Next a liver biopsy. Yes, he had one of these done at about 20 days old. We will get the results of Trey’s original liver biopsy from Dr. Notrika sent to Dr. Whitley to use to compare differences.

Then a MRI which will take pictures of Trey’s 1). head (brain), 2). neck to see if the structures around his spinal cord are compressing the neck 3). Abdomen to calculate the volume of the liver and spleen

And Finally a Spinal tap to measure the pressure in Trey’s brain. Dr. Whitley will perform this procedure. He will take a 1 ½” long needle in the center of Trey’s back between two bone’s and into the sack of fluid that encases the spinal cord to take a specimen of the fluid (a CSF) What Dr. Whitley is checking that Trey does not have a hydro cell. Finding a hydro cell would be very scary news .



We are so concerned about holding strong through the results of these tests but know we are in the best of best hands, trust these doctors and realize that this is the reason we are here… to get answers.

Love,,

Cami

p.s. the pictures will come when we return home and I can down load them to our computer…you know me I’ve take tons

DAY 1 MN

AMAZING…that’s the one word that comes to mind when I think of Dr. Whitley! I’m so extremely tired but I want to write to ya’ll before I forget the details of today (or at least an outline…I might be better at remembering the details when I’m not so tired).



Our first appointment was at 9am. It was a neuro-psych meeting that started out with a lot of questions that began with “in the beginning…”so, describe your pregnancy”… on to a million question’s about Trey specifically. From there they took Trey and I in a separate room for at least 1 ½ hours. They tested him with stacking solid colored blocks then on to puzzles (starting with two pieces and adding up to four) but they turned them face down and not necessarily facing the correct way, then on to blocks that had different patterns on them in which Trey had to copy the pattern the doctor made with her set of blocks. They asked him questions like, “what color is the grass?”, what do you cut paper with?”, after that they showed him pictures and asked him the names of each, then showed him a set of four pictures and asked him, “which one do you eat?” For example, with only one being a hamburger and the rest being other objects. And finally they had wooden boxes with a different color felt glued to the front of each of them with tops that open. Every one had an object in them except the white one. The doctor started with two (one with an object and the empty white one). She took the object (horse) out of the red box, showed it to Trey than mixed around the white and red boxes, gave Trey the horse and asked him “where does it go?” She was not allowed to say the name of the object or the color on the front of the box. She then added all the way up to ten different colored boxes because Trey kept getting them right. She said that this test was just invented (by a doctor here in MN) and had only been used 9 times (Trey being the 10th) and that no child had got past four boxes but Trey’ memory scored him 100% on all ten J Mike and I had told her in the beginning when asked a lot of questions about Trey specifically that he had a great memory but wasn’t very verbal. I can’t wait until Thursday to meet with the doctor (she will be in our Thurs. feedback meeting) that invented this new memory test to see her reaction to Treys’ mastering her new test! He didn’t do well on the direct questions of “what color is grass?” but did great on everything else...we told you so. I wanted so very badly to help him but practically had to sit with tape over my mouth during every test – you all know how hard that was for me – haha!



From the Neuro-psych testing we went to have lunch. We stayed on campus and ate at the “Big 10” restaurant which was about two blocks away. It was snowing and we were freezing (except Mike and Broc, they loved it!!!).



We rushed back and meet with Dr. Whitley. He was such a gentle man who was so thorough and patient with all of our questions. He gave us two possibilities, leaning towards one much more than the other. One being MPS VI (let’s figure out why he’s not responding) or the other (which he believes is our case) is again the MSD. MSD (multiple sulfatase deficiency) is a disorder in itself that would mean that Trey could be deficient in up to 15 different enzymes. One of the enzymes is in fact the same that is missing in MPS VI which is why at first look they figured this is his diagnoses (and had no reason to look beyond this) but since he isn’t responding to the MPS VI treatment, we needed to pursue this further. Even though “text book” states that he would be deficient in 15 different enzymes, it doesn’t necessarily mean he is. Normally a patient with MSD would have a lot of “white matter’ in the brain and not function as well as Trey. The scary part is that he could regress at 10 or 12 or even 16 year old (no patient is the same) and although he may not mentally decline, he would loose control of his limbs (muscle control). *Please remember how tired I am, in case I’m not making myself clear~ at least I had this much, plus Mike can help explain it further (he, as well as all the boys are sleeping right now). Dr. Whitley wrote on the chalk board lot’s of scientific stuff (molecules, charts, etc.) but took his time to make sure we understood. Mike asked a lot a great questions and he can expand on this meeting. I cried a lot and am so scared but will save the heartache for the actual diagnosis (which by the way won’t come for three to four weeks later). The boys were in the room next to us playing their Nintendo ds and watching a movie…they were so good! Again, there’s so much more but we’ll leave it at this for now.



From there, Trey had a EKG and an Echocardiogram and was meet by the doctor who read these tests. She said that Trey’s heart was absolutely PERFECT!!! She said that the majority of the people she see’s doesn’t have this positive of test results. Dr. Whitley waited for us and said that this was great news. He also said that most MPS VI patients have some sort of heart problems (maybe another reason he’s leaning towards MSD).



Dr. Whitley then walked and waited with us down stairs to have Drake, Broc, Mike and I give blood for both bone marrow match and carrier testing. Drake lost his color in his cheeks and seemed a bit nauseous (remind me to expand on this). Broc and Mike did great (and me too). Broc wanted to know if the lady who took his blood was a vampire? Trey watched us all and was so inquisitive as to what we were doing. He was very adamant about his brothers getting a band aid for their boo-boo’s. This baby is so compassionate towards others!



Dr. Whitley then walked us over to another building to show us where Trey’s infusion would be tomorrow, introduced us to the head nurse and to the pharmacist…can you guys believe this VIP treatment? Drake was given some OJ and crackers (and Broc and Trey too – for being equal) since he still wasn’t feeling so great (poor baby…I truly didn’t think he would react this way). I have to say that even more than the boys seeing Trey’s infusion at St. Joes, being picked themselves along with me talking to them about Trey going through this sort of thing every week of his life made them so much more “in touch” with what their baby brother goes through…I think they will be more “understanding” from here on out.



And finally Dr. Whitely walked us to the parking garage tunnel and made sure we understood how to get from there to the infusion tomorrow. He shook the boys hands as well as Mike and I’s and told us he would see us tomorrow at Trey’s infusion (really, they do this???) Oh yeah, he then gave us a number to reach him at in case of an emergency…CRAZY, we know! We are so impressed with this man. Mike has more to tell as they got to talk a bit alone.



We have to be at infusion at 8am. Mike will drop Trey and I off then drive to Hinkley , MN with Drake and Broc to meet Auntie and drop off the boys to her. It sounds like we don’t have anything planned for Friday so we are hoping that we can drive up to Granny’s on Thursday night (if we’re not too tired or something else doesn’t come up in the meantime) to meet up with the boys, stay there until Saturday night, drive back to this hotel and leave from here (much easier on Trey’s back to not have to do so much traveling in the car seat in one day) to our flight Sunday morning.



I’m about to pass out at this computer…zzzzzzzzzzzz



More later…



Xoxox, Cami

Friday, November 14, 2008

Carebear Preschool's fundraiser



Hi everyone,

I have so much updating to do on the blog but have yet to find the time… go figure I really want to share all the stories of all the people who have come forward after reading the articles about Trey in the newspaper and all the fundraisers that have taken place as the result of. I will update as soon as we return home from MN. (fingers crossed and heavy prayers that we will find some answers there…we leave this Sunday).

The following flyer is another fundraiser that has been brought to our attention…again, complete strangers wanting to help Y If this is something that you may want to participate in (or know someone who may) OR you think you may be able to donate a basket to for the raffle, please call Ms. Mary at the number below. THANK YOU!

Hugs and Kisses,

The Lanes
p.s. of course I have to add a “cutie-patutie” picture of our little Treybo


CAREBEAR PRESCHOOL FRIENDS



We’re hosting a “merchant fair” on



December 6th along with breakfast and pictures with



Santa from 8:30-11:30 at our Fulton ranch site.



Anyone wanting to participate is welcome to set up a



table outside to sell your merchandise. Examples



would be, Pampered Chef, jewelry, Crafts, Baked



Goods, Skin Care Products, Services, Books,



Scrapbooking, etc, the possibilities are endless!



This year we are asking that you donate a basket to



o ur raffle. The proceeds from the raffle will be given to



The Trey Lane Family. Michael Trey Lane is a 3 year



Old boy who was recently diagnosed with MPS VI, an



extremely rare and life threatening genetic disorder. The



Proceeds raised will go to Trey’s Treasures trust fund



Which will be used for Trey’s medical expenses and



Support research for a cure. Check out their blog at



www.ourtreystreasures.blogspot.com.



If you are interested, please see Ms. Mary (480)

219-9049 at the fall’s or Ms. Tamela (480)

802-0058 at Fulton .

Thank you.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Great times ahead


Hi Cami:

I know now why writers have to be inspired.

God has a plan. he is working behind the scenes in your life right now,today. No matter what you may be facing, no matter what trials you may be going through. God has a plan to turn things around in your favor. He is orchestrating the right people to come across your path. He is orchestrating the right opportunities to open up to you. You may not always see it in the natural, but look with eyes of faith today.

Keep standing. Keep believing. Keep hoping. Keep following your heart.

Studies prove that during a hurricane, a palm tree will simply stretch and not break from the strong wind. It's bent and pushed over,and all the while it's root system is actually being strengthened and given new opportunities for growth.that is the same way we are built to be.There will be difficult times in our lives, things that would come against us trying to steal our joy, peace and victory. Because we have strong roots we are able to bounce right back. the storms will come. The winds will blow. But no weapon that is formed against you will endure.

Your strength and courage to fight inspires us all. **

I am so glad that your family enjoyed a vacation. Even with stress that pales in comparison to yours a small change of scenery always brings us back to the realization that our true blessings are right in front of us..our family.

Thanks for the pictures!

Hugs & Kisses to you always***XOXOOXOX

Melody

PS- This is a letter received by Cami. Encouraging words and thoughts help the Lane family so much right now. Please feel free to leave them a message or comment below.
Thanks Alexis

Where to begin


Hi everyone,

Where to begin? First I’d like to explain why we went to MN. without a confirmed appointment with the doctors there. If there was ever a time that I felt close to a “breakdown” that week was it. Between waiting for the phone to ring and the boys being overly anxious to go on the airplane…I thought I was going to loose it.

For us, that one phone call meant a chain of events taking place; a phone call to Biomarin, to St. Joes, to the geneticist, to the airline, to the rental car, to the hotel, to Mike’s work, to my family in MN, our friend watching the dog’s, to Trey’s preschool, the boys football coach, etc. What had happened is that every day I waited for the call and played telephone tag with the doctors scheduler in MN, the airline seat availability became more and more full – being a flight attendant, of course we were going “stand by”…is there another option? I got so worried that we were going to miss the appointment due to the fact that we wouldn’t be able to make it on a flight that I had decided (with the help of my mom) that we were going to purchase the tickets for the five of us and sit in the hotel room to await the phone call. At least this way the boys would be happy to be on their way and we would be 1,700 miles closer to Dr. Whitley when the call came.

Well as we all now know, the call never came…but everything happens for a reason. Mike and I haven’t felt that “normal” as a family since Trey’s diagnosis. We drove up to my Grandma’s home at the lake and spent the week there as carefree as we could be…all circumstances aside. Also, for the first time since Trey started his infusion, I didn’t worry that he was missing one (heck, it wasn’t working anyway). I truly felt like I had been given a mental break from the stress and worries of “life” while we were at the lake. The boys had the time of their life…give any boy a lake, a fishing pole and acres upon acres of woods to explore and you’ve got a recipe for “fun”! Yes, Mike included! Are you kidding, he probably had the best time (and so badly needed it)! We all got to spend precious moments with my 88 year old Grandmother who just two weeks earlier was checked into a hospital where my mom and aunt weren’t sure she would ever come home from. So you see…everything happens for a reason. God knew exactly what he was doing when he sent us to MN…we just didn’t know the reason until after we experienced it.

As a side note, the staff in MN knew I worked with the airlines and didn’t realize that I had bought tickets for the family and truly felt bad that we had spent the money. The doctor even offered to write a note to the airline explaining Trey’s spine condition if we wanted to turn around and come home. Also, if this wasn’t final confirmation that buying tickets was actually a “good thing”, my mom was trying to fly standby out on the same flight home as us but all of the airlines were completely booked full, causing her to spend 2 ½ days in Minneapolis before buying a one way ticket home to Phoenix! We never would have gotten home; trying to fly standby with a family of five…again, everything happens for a reason. As stressful as it was, and a close to a brain aneurism as I thought I was before we left, all that seemed to mean nothing as soon as I saw the smiles on Drake, Broc and Trey’s face when we told them to pack their bags…God’s plan was perfect


Less than a month later and we are headed back, only this time with a week’s full of appointments and hopefully answers that await us. We will leave Sunday, November 16th and return Sunday, November 23rd. This is what we have scheduled thus far per Dr. Whitley;

We are working on the final schedule for Trey's visit the week of November 17th. This is a partial and approximate itinerary. A more specific and detailed schedule will be sent in a few days as the appointment times and other consultations are finalized.

Monday, Nov. 17:

Morning: Neuropsych Assessment (Dr. Zeigler)

Afternoon: Cardiology (Dr. Braunlin)

Genetics (Dr. Whitley; either 1:00 or 2:30 PM)

Tuesday, Nov. 18:

TBA – possible infusion

Wednesday, Nov. 19

Sedation/Anesthesia: Needle biopsy of the liver. (This is a thee key test.)

MRI (head) and volumetrics (liver, spleen)

Thursday, Nov. 20
Spine Orthopedics (1:00 PM, Dr. James Schwender)



As you can imagine we are excited to get some answers yet at the same time so afraid what they will be. I have had so many sleepless nights since all of this began that to finally know from the “best of the best” what we are dealing with is what is needed to go forward. I thought when all this began that I would need some sort of anti depressants but I am proud to say that after a few ½ tablets of sleeping pills following those first heart wrenching nights, I have only needed my family, friends and most importantly my faith in God to get me through. I am trying to “Let Go, Let God” to trust that he will direct our path

Thank you to our family and friends who go through these trials with us and feel the hurt just as deep and we do. For those who try to understand our worries and pain, thank you! The sadness and unknown could take over our every thought if we let it. I have tried to live for today as the joy of the blessing given to us are right in front of our face Drake, Broc, Trey… and to miss the happy times would be missing out on so many wonderful memories that the boys are making and that Mike and I are the blessed recipients of. Yes, we are sad, worried, scared, stressed and yet we are also hopeful, faithful and BELIEVE that we are in good hands.



Love beyond measure,

The Lanes~



When the frosts are in the valley,

And the mountaintops are gray,

And the choicest blooms are blighted,

And the blossoms die away,

A loving Father whispers,

“This all comes from my hand”;

Blessed are you if you trust

When you cannot understand.


p.s. the attached pictures are from 1)Halloween 2)”Takedown” fundraiser – Trey is being held by “Wolf” from the American Gladiators 3-5)MN. 6) Trey’s other Halloween costume this year, he wore two…because he can


Saturday, October 25, 2008

They are like movie stars to me...

Hi all,

Double click on the link below…this excites me to no end! It is so interesting how they are just about to open a trial on GHT (just what I was talking about for Trey) although it looks like you have to be at least 5 years old. Also take note of where this is all taking place…The UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA!!! I am so anxious to meet all these specialists for Trey, they are like movie stars to me

Love,

Cami

Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 10:25 PM
To: Mike & Cami
Subject: Re: UPDATE #8

Hi Cami,

I searched on line and found the following site:

CLICK HERE


Sherri

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

THIS JUST IN>>>




Hello everyone,

THIS JUST IN>>> regarding Trey’s blood and Urine test’s. Mike and I aren’t too sure how to react just yet until we get all parties involved recommendations but so far so good…the prayers are working

At 4:30 am Minnesota time, we receive this email.

Cami,

I reviewed the material you sent, and am looking forward to seeing you and Trey as soon as Dr. Jerry Thompson has completed his studies. It would be important to be sure that he has ruled-out Hunter syndrome and multiple sulfatase deficiency, and that we are certain that Trey has Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome. I have no reason to doubt that this is true; however, since these studies have been started, let's be sure that the complete diagnostic studies have been completed before you travel to Minnesota . Once we have those studies, I would like to set up a week-long series of tests and consultations to resolve these issues. This would include consultations with my colleagues in Neurology, Neurosurgery, and other areas. I believe we have more experience with MPS conditions than any other location in the world, and can help sort out the unclear issues. After the initial out-patient tests, we would plan a series of tests under sedation/general anesthesia on Wednesday or Thursday. Let's get the results from Dr. Thompson, and then move forward quickly.

And to my surprise, this was received at 9:30 am Arizona time.

Trey’s geneticist wrote…

Cami:

I just spoke with Jerry Thompson at U of Alabama. Trey's findings remain consistent with MPS VI and not consistent with any other known MPS. Enzyme and urine testing for MPS II was negative. The urine pattern was not consistent with MPS III or IV.

The next piece we need is the GAG levels from Biomarin, which I will call on now.

I then forwarded this on the doctor in MN. to see what his take regarding our next visit to MN. will be now that we have the test results from Dr. Jerry Thompson. Since the forward, I have yet to hear back. As usual we will keep you posted.

Attached are photos of the boys from MN – they are so lucky to have their great grandmother living in MN about 4 hours from the hospital. The memories they made with her at her home on the lake are irreplaceable.


Thank you all for asking…we are taking it day by day.

God Bless,

The Lanes~Mike, Cami, Drake, Broc and Trey

Monday, October 20, 2008

SILPADA PARTY FUNDRAISER



THIS PAST WEEKEND MY SISTER-IN LAW, MIKE’S SISTER, AUNTIE CATHY, AND THE BEST AUNT IN THE WORLD WITH THE UNTIRING HELP OF OUR BROTHER IN LAW, BRYAN AKA TREY’S FAVORITE PERSON, HELD A SILPADA JEWERLY FUNDRAISER. THIS EVENT WAS SUCH A WORK OF “HEART” AND WAS PUT TOGETHER BEAUTIFULLY! TREY WAS MY SATURDAY NIGHT DATE FOR THE PARTY. THE LADIES FELL IN LOVE WITH MY LITTLE BLONDE HAIRED BLUE EYED ANGEL…GO FIGURE J HE WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE HIS AUNTIE AND UNCLE AND HAD A BLAST BEING THE CENTER OF ATTENTION AND EATING SWEETS AND TREATS UNTIL HIS LITTLE HEART WAS CONTENT. WE LOVE YOU TWO DEARLY AND CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING ELSE YOU DO ON TOP OF THIS FUNDRAISER…AS IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH ALREADY.
WE ALL LOVE YOU MUCHO MUCH!!!!
CAMI AND THE BOYS

The invite read:

You are invited to the greatest fundraiser of the year!!

The Silpada Party Fundraiser will benefit Michael Trey Lane . Trey is a 3-year old little boy who was recently diagnosed with MSP VI, an extremely rare and life threatening genetic disorder. The proceeds raised at the fund raiser will go to Trey’s Treasures trust fund which will be used for Trey’s medical expenses and to support research for a cure.

In addition to Silpada’s high-quality .925 sterling silver and gemstone jewelry display, Hors d’oeuvres and cocktails will be served in addition to prize raffles and a 50/50 drawing. This will be a FUN event and . . . you will be taking care of Trey! He is absolutely adorable. We hope that he will be able to make an appearance at the fund raiser.

Mini Pumpkins for a Mega Cause



Upon returning home for Minnesota , this email was passed on to us from the editor at the news paper with the subject line reading: Something I thought you should know about. The sale took place on the Sunday we returned home so we thought we had missed it. To our surprise, the sale was so successful, the mom’s group decided to sell the pumpkins the following weekend. Mike the kids and I showed up at the church this past Sunday to personally thank these generous ladies. What a wonderful gesture we were so honored to be recipients of. A huge THANK YOU to Phyllis, Anne and the rest of the mom’s group of Risen Savior.

The article read: The mom's group at Risen Savior Lutheran Church is sponsoring a pumpkin sale to raise money for a Chandler toddler Sunday. All money raised in the sale, dubbed "Mini Pumpkin for Mega Cause," will be donated to 3-year-old Trey Lane 's medical fund. Trey has a rare genetic disorder called mucopolysaccharidosis VI, or MPS VI, that makes it difficult for his body to rebuild bone and tissue. Though mothers in the church group do not know the Lane family, they felt called to help after reading a recent Republic story about Trey's condition. The group plans to charge $3 a pumpkin and will accept additional contributions.

Monday, September 29, 2008

THE BOXING GLOVES ARE ON


As the email’s come rolling in like kisses from a puppy, my heart is filled with love. Each one has given me more and more strength to continue this fight. Yes, this sucks but today and tomorrow and the next day I will keep fighting this fight until I know what we are dealing with and how to fight it…my babies life is an extension of my own, when he hurts so do I, every parent knows the pain to some extent. I will do all that is in my power to do the best by him and not stop until I get the answers I’m looking for. Thank you for the encouragement!



Thank you more than those two words can express!

Cami

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The unknown is what is the hardest



Where to start?

This past week has been a bit tough on me as my thoughts race into the “what if” arena by the minute.

After seven months of trying to get Trey’s MRI read, it finally happened this past Wednesday. The neurosurgeon stated that from reading Trey’s MRI the situation looked very troubling. Trey’s C1 vertebra (atlas) shows that it is much smaller than it should be. Because of it’s small size, it has slid inside the base of his skull (foramen magnum). The doctor explained that the C1 and C2 should be stacked one on top of another but instead Trey’s has been forced forward and that his fear is that Trey’s spinal cord is being pinched. We were told that this situation could be very dangerous in relation to movement in Trey’s arms, legs and breathing. We were advised to repeat Trey’s MRI along with performing a CT Scan. So much disturbing news was being delivered to us as the doctor read Trey’s scan. Upon finishing reading the scan, the doctor asked Mike and I if Trey walk’s? ”Does he walk? HE RUNS” we stated in unison. He then asked if Trey has a grip? “A grip as strong as a gorilla”, Mike said. Mike also mentioned that Trey was potty trained. The doctor looked up for the scan and I quote said, “He’s doing very well, I would hate to treat a scan rather that a boy”. So, as scary as the scan itself read, Trey is proving them wrong. Only now I am now so afraid of the “one wrong move”. Once again we will have to wait for results from yet another test.

Speaking about waiting for results…after seven months into Trey’s infusion we are informed that Trey is not responding to the Naglazyme infusion (Enzyme Replacement Therapy). Trey’s beginning urinary GAG level taken February 19th was 264 and four months into infusion, June 26th, were reported at 300.9! As you are all well aware, I have been asking for these before and after results religiously. After an email to Trey’s geneticist stating that this wait was “ridiculous” and requesting for the phone number to the lab, a phone call came this past Friday from the doctor himself.

De ja vou…troubling news. Only this time we were being told that not only was Trey’s body not responding to the medicine, that to the best of their knowledge it has never taken this long for a patient’s GAG level to drop...noticeably! We were informed by the drug company, Biomarin that after receiving the ERT the results are almost immediate in every patient they’ve had. SEVEN months and how many thousands of dollars later we are NOW being told that the once a week, seven hour day infusion’s aren’t working! I’m so confused at how (because we’ve learned first hand, more than once!) the blood can become contaminated within hours of being taken but can take three months to produce results from??? I am becoming a “pit bull with lip stick” for the sake of my son’s survival!

Now the fun begins. Does Trey have MPS VI only or was the diagnosis incorrect or incomplete? Is the medicine being denatured (mixed wrong) causing it to break down, therefore not being effective? Is it being administered correctly? Was the blood once again mishandled, contaminated, or stored incorrectly for all those months? These are all the questions the professionals are now looking into. In the meantime, Mike and I get to play the waiting game. The unknown is what is the hardest, and again, the “what if’s” break my heart.

At this weeks infusion we will be redrawing blood and recollecting urine from Trey to repeat for GAG levels and relook at urine for pattern of excretion. The next day our family will be headed to MN to see a specialist in the field of Lysosomal Storage Disorders. We are so excited about this appointment and at the same time very anxious about what we will hear this time. It is our hope that while we are in MN, Drake and Broc will be tested to see if they could be a possible match for Trey in the event that a bone marrow transplant would be an option.

Please continue to pray for our baby as our journey continues…

Love,

Cami Mike, Drake, Broc and Trey

p.s. attached is a picture of the anatomy of the spine and two pictures from Trey’s first day of preschool

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The best of news!


Hello,

As a follow up to Mike’s update and to thank all of you whom so willingly helped put such an incredible fundraiser together for us and Trey, I had a bit of my own to be thankful for that I would like everyone to know about (for those of you who weren’t there and didn’t witness firsthand).

As most of you have seen or read, not only did Dan and Robert host an exceptional fundraiser, they also got Trey and MPS a multitude of media attention. Since the articles and news reports ran we have been inundated with people calling the reporters, Trey’s bank, emailing us personally and on the blog spot wanting to help. One of those such people was a lady who read the Arizona Republic article then went to Trey’s blog spot and posted a comment about her son who has MPS VI and who lives’ right here in Tempe, ARIZONA! I have to be honest and tell you all that I thought it was a hoax and was up all night in tears in the thought that “what if, just what if, this is true?” How could our geneticist, the MPS VI specialist and the MPS Society not have known about this family only 10 miles away? Another reason I thought this may not be a vial comment was because the lady who left the post didn’t leave a return address. I posted a comment to “The Willis family” letting them know I had a million questions for them and could they leave a forwarding address. God answered my prayers! The very next morning an email address was left, contact was made and Mrs. Kaylene Willis had written me a two page email with many pictures attached of her beautiful family, of them, one that included her 20 year old son, Taylor who in fact has MPS VI! Jerry and Kaylene have three amazing children, along with Taylor , they have Brittany who is 23 and Makayla who is 15.

Kaylene’s email read like a fairy tale to my heart compared to what I’ve read and have been told about MPS VI since Trey’s diagnosis! Taylor was born in December 1987 and diagnosed in 1989. The Willis family was told that gene therapy was on the horizon and that they could wait for that (thank God they didn’t wait, they’d still be waiting) or that a doctor in Minnesota had been successful getting the missing enzyme back into the body with bone-marrow transplants (BMT). Brittany was Taylors only sibling at the time, was tested and was the perfect match for Taylor and the BMT. Kaylene goes on the write that Taylor has had 19 surgical procedures including carpal tunnel surgery and a bilateral hip surgery but has actually been healthier in general than his sisters. His mom brags (like all mom’s should ) that Taylor is a gym rat with abs of steel, some pretty awesome “guns” and 4% body fat. Taylor attends community college and can drive himself to most places. Their/his next big decision is cornea transplants and the timing for that. Most importantly “ Taylor is one tough dude that really handles life and its challenges quite well and that although he has some areas that are weak his strengths more than compensate for any weakness” says Kaylene.

As you can just imagine I was walking on clouds with this fantastic news and prayed with all that I have that Trey’s life will be as blessed as Taylors has been. What’s more is that along with Kaylene’s email she had left me contact phone numbers for her family. I was so ecstatic to let everyone know about this unbelievable news and how all of Dan and Robert’s efforts had restored hope in Mike and I’s lives that I called Kaylene and Taylor and asked if they would be able to come to Trey’s fundraiser that was being held that very night in only two hours. Low and behold…this wonderful family was there (with the exception of Makayla, who was cheering at a football game for Corona Del Sol High School that same night!). Trey got to meet Taylor (see attached picture) that night and Mike and I got to meet an amazing family who in an instant brightened our outlook into Trey’s future providing uplifting stories and encouraging words to this surreal roller coaster of emotions to which no doctor and/or the internet can come close to providing relief from.


Once again we have been blessed

Lots of Love,

Cami, Mike and the boys

Monday, September 22, 2008

A warm thank you from Trey Lane 's Family!



Dear Friends,
I wanted to take a brief moment and express my sincere thanks and gratitude for the amazing treatment my loved one's have received from the City of Tempe .

Cami and I are still reeling and absolutely "blown away" by the level of graciousness and support shown by our extended Tempe PD family at Trey's recent Fundraising Event held at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel. We would be remiss by not singling out Dan Masters and Robert Pargmann for being so instrumental in planning such a remarkable event for our son. I also know Dan's Planning Committee of fellow co-workers and friends took on a daunting task and worked tirelessly to ensure it went so well. You are all truly amazing!


Also, we realize a lot of caring people could not make Trey's event were also there with us both spiritually and emotionally - this support and love has meant the world to Cami and I.

I wish to add that we would be less than truthful in saying, "Everything's fine", not a day goes by that Cami and I aren't tearful in varying degrees but having experienced such an act of selfless giving, abundant love and sincere kindness from so many wonderful people has truly humbled Cami and I and restored so much hope in our hearts for Trey's future.

We are truly blessed, grateful and thankful to have all of you in our lives!
Appreciative beyond measure,
Mike, Cami, Drake, Broc and Trey

Click here to see a recent News Story done on Channel 15 about Trey's Fight against MPS-VI.)
Jose Miguel story "Valley toddler suffers from rare disorder, needs your help"

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

1st Annual Treasure Chest for Hope Fundraiser



Hi everyone,

Announcing an update and lower event price for the 1st Annual Treasure Chest for Hope Fundraiser. This was sent out to the Tempe PD this past Sunday. Please feel free to contact Dan Masters if you have any items to donate, a question or concern at dan_masters@tempe.gov. Dan and his partner Robert have put this entire fundraiser together for us without asking for our assistance or time…we can’t begin to thank them enough. This is going to be a fantastic event! Please join us once again to help us as we raise monies and awareness of MPS VI and for the MPS Society. Buy tickets on-line at www.earcandyproductions.org . and click on events.

All our gratitude,

Mike, Cami, Drake, Broc and Trey



NEW PRICE & EVENT INFORMATION BELOW…

This is a CASUAL event in which your support is needed!

Buy your tickets by September 3rd!
New Ticket Price, Dinner, Raffle Prizes, a 50/50 drawing, over 100 Silent and Live Auction Items, a chance to win a $100.00 gas card, all while helping Sergeant Mike Lane's 3 year-old son Trey as he battles a life-threatening disease!

Here is a sampling of just some of the over 100 auction items that will be available
on September 12th:

* Vacation Package to San Diego including airfare, hotel, rental car, and dinner
* Amazing sports memorabilia including an autograph/photo from USA Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps, Diamondbacks Tickets, ASU Football Tickets, Arizona Cardinals VS Dallas Cowboys Tickets, autographed Arizona Cardinals Football, Phoenix Suns & Phoenix Mercury Items, and many more sports-related and one-of-a-kind collectible sports memorabilia
* Numerous golf packages at a variety of courses around the state
* Several Hotel Stays
* A set of new tires
* Vacation getaway in Northern Arizona
* Complete car detail
* Vehicle tint package
* Dozens of Restaurant Gift Certificates
* Numerous massage packages

And MUCH MUCH more…over 100 items to bid on!!!

It is not too late to donate an item for either the silent or live auction…contact Sergeant Dan Masters for further details (dan_masters@tempe.gov)

Please help us in supporting Mike, his wife Cami, and the entire Lane family as they courageously fight this devastating disease.


“fighting this fight”



Hi everyone,

Again, it’s been awhile since the last update…I’ll explain.

Our meeting with the specialist in the MPS field,completely took the wind out of our sails and had taken me “out of the game” for the past two months...I have been a nervous wreck to put it mildly!

The doctor informed Mike and I that because Trey presents with so many skeletal symptoms at such a young age that he thought Trey had a rapidly progressing form of MPS VI. Mike and I just looked at each other in despair and disbelief. In our opinion Trey doesn’t look like the pictures of the children that represent MPS VI on their web site so to us this news was deplorable. Another sample of Trey’s blood and urine was sent to the lab along with the original (frozen) sample from before the very first infusion to find out Trey’s GAG levels (an indicator of the build up in his system) and if in fact the doctor is correct in his predictions. We were told the results would be back in two weeks…we are now working on 8 weeks!!! Another reason I was putting off this update. I was hoping to report the GAG results in this update…no such luck.

The main reason I put this off was because I’M NOT STRONG!!! After the doctor took a look at Trey’s charts, he informed us that we needed to have another blood test run on Trey to eliminate the possibility of another absolutely heartbreaking diagnosis. He called it Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency and honestly I don’t know much about it because I don’t want to know about it. What he did tell us was that if Trey tested positive for MSD, he would have a combination of MPS II, MPS VI and MLD…I thought I was going to die. We knew how debilitating MPS VI could potentially be to Trey’s little body but we were now being told that if he has MSD, he will have MPSII which affects the brain (the one thing MPS VI doesn’t affect) not to mention the extreme symptoms of MLD. I was told that the results would be back to us very quickly, within two weeks…are you kidding 2 WEEKS!!! To a parents heart that seemed like forever. What ever happened to over nighting it and getting results the next day??? I know the technology exists but obviously not in the cards for us. We gave the blood sample on Thursday and on Monday I was informed that the samples weren’t shipped overnight! We couldn’t give another sample the next week because of the 4th of July holiday hours that week and the following week we were in Michigan on vacation. FOUR weeks later we gave another sample which again we were told would only take 2 weeks to get results from.


The unknown has been eating me up inside. “Please God not more” was all I could think. They say that God only gives you what you can handle well, I honestly felt that I wouldn’t be able to handle this blow. I have been “numb” for weeks, so afraid of the unknown. I couldn’t believe I was having to go through this process of getting diagnosed all over again. As if the wait wasn’t hard enough the first time! For those of you who remember the first time we gave blood and urine to originally diagnose Trey for MPS VI, the samples were misshipped, lost, broken vials, not enough (all the reasons they gave to us) and again we couldn’t get them to the lab the following week due to the holiday’s. Too much of a coincidence…I have been scared to death. I didn’t give an update because I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t strong enough to handle all the calls and questions, questions that I had no answers to. I seriously didn’t know how I would live through this one.

EIGHT weeks later and the results came…we are so extremely relieved to report that Trey does not have MSD (Multiply Sulfatase Deficiency)!!! For the first time I am happy to say our baby has MPS VI and only MPS VI! Thank God for this news :o)

Trey is still doing magnificent with his infusions…our perfect patient. Mike and I are becoming concerned with the fact that Trey hasn’t grown an inch or gained a pound for months and will be addressing that issue soon. We realize that one of the symptom’s of MPS VI is a form of dwarfism but, some patients have reported that the Naglazyme infusions have jump started their growth so that is what we will look into (dosage, timing, age etc).

The MRI results are still yet to be known…I am so unimpressed with the medical field (go figure). I can’t believe we pay all the money we do when I feel like I do half the work!

We still have no monetary result from “Vegas nights”and are still working on getting the bank’s “match” from the Memorial Day golf tournament. But I am happy to report that the 4th of July watermelon booth at the Tempe town lake was a huge success (thank you James)!!! The money from that fundraiser has been sent to the MPS Society and we feel great about it! I will be forwarding each of you a flyer from our next fundraiser, “Trey’s Treasures Chest for Hope” fundraiser will be held at the Tempe Mission Palms on Friday, September 12th…look for the flyer in your in-box following this update. Dan and Robert are putting this on for us and the job they are doing is incredible! The prizes, the place, the menu, and the media...over the top! If you or anyone you know of would like to join us, ticket sales are going on now, please check out the flyer.

And last but not least…NORD (the National Organization for Rare Disorders) have approved us for the financial assistance of Trey’s infusion through 3/09!!! I guess the third time truly is a charm :o) Mike and I are ecstatic to say the least! We understand that this is only a temporary fix and are still “fighting this fight” and continuing with the fundraisers to raise money to donate to the scientist’s and researchers in order to help find a cure! We are so happy to be given this assistance to turn around and able to be a part of the bigger picture!

We are so appreciative of all the care and concern, thank you!

XOXOXO,

Cami, Mike, Drake, Broc and Trey

Attached are pictures of the boys in Michigan (it was so great to get out of the heat) and of our littlest angel praying…too cute

Infusion #15



Hello everyone,
First things first, Trey is doing wonderful, his infusions are going great and he is one happy and busy boy- "Mr. Busy" is not his nickname for nothing! He is also to the point of saying, "yes", when I ask him if he would like to go get medicine in his boo boo (such an easy going little guy). His favorite things to do during his infusion are watch, Disney's "Cars", eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and thankfully, take a nap. After tomorrows infusion we will attending a meeting with a "Top Doc" in the MPS field. This doctor is flying down from Oakland, CA. He will be adding Trey to their clinical surveillance program. We have blood and urine frozen from just before Trey's very first infusion and will be collecting both again after 6 months of infusions to determine how well the medicine is working in Trey's body. Mike and I are so excited and have a million and one questions ready for this doctor.


Drake and Broc are out of school but when they were in school we were lucky enough to wait as a family for their bus, see them off, head to the hospital and be home just in time to meet the bus after their school day ended. We are so thankful that Drake and Broc's lives we unaffected by Trey's infusion day's during the school year. Since they have been out of school, the boys have been busy with their Grandparents on infusion day's. Keeping them busy and their minds off what they know as Trey's "doctor appointments" has been our goal...so far so good. We are so lucky the boys have such great Grandparents!
"Vegas nights" was a blast but as of today we have still yet to know the benefits of the night's fundraiser as they are still obtaining corporate sponsorships from the event.
The Memorial Day golf tournament BBQ (in memory of my little brother's girlfriend, Stephanie's father, benefiting Treys Treasures) was an amazing day. These people were so passionate about helping a little guy they had never even met. I was so moved by the love and support, the effort and all the hard work that went into such a fun and successful event. We are also very excited about getting the money that was raised that day to be matched by Stephanie's mother, Lindas' bank. This money will be given to the MPS Society in Trey's name to benefit MPS VI.
We have been given the honor by Mr. James Neal to sell his Red Hawk watermelons at the Tempe Town Lake Fourth of July celebration. James has donated 200+ watermelons for us to sell at a "suggested donation" price and has offered 100% of the proceeds go to Trey. We are so excited to have meet James at "Vegas nights" and are extremely thankful to him for setting up this fundraiser. If you happen to be at the Tempe town lake on the 4th, please come by and enjoy a cool, refreshing, juicy slice of watermelon.
Mike is still in contact with his coworker Mr. Dan Masters who is in the process of setting up a benefit dinner auction at the Tempe Mission Palms to take place this August. We will keep you posted on this event. Dan mentioned that he wanted to put on this benefit for Trey and to have those of us who may not golf or who weren't able to make it into Trey's Treasures 1st Annual tournament as another event to help us "fight this fight".
Mike's dad, John had worked the Nascar race as a concession volunteer for the Air Force Academy parents Club and had mentioned what a super fundraiser this would be for Trey (their booth raised $10,000 that weekend!). After making contact with the concession supervisor, Mr. Dan Hudalla, we have been given a "green light" to staff a booth(s) for this Novembers event. We are looking for volunteers for help us in the concession booth for the weekend of November 7th - 9th (possibly Nov. 6th too, if we can find enough people). Again the proceeds from this event will be given in Trey's name to the MPS Society to go towards research for MPS VI. Please let me know if you think you may be free to help.
I had a wonderful conversation with Miss Tammy at the MPS Society and she informed me that once the MPS VI fund reaches $40,000, a grant will be awarded to a researcher specifically doing research in the field of MPS VI. The scientific advisory board, made up of doctors, scientists and parents of the MPS Society will determine the best grant possible. I was also told that we will be able to use their tax id number for all of our events. I'm sure you can imagine how excited to hear that every time we reach $40,000 a new grant will be awarded and that through all our hard work we will be able to contribute first hand by giving the scientists and doctors the financial backing needed to hopefully discovering better treatments and possibly even finding a cure for our baby Trey and the other patients of MPS VI.
Introducing, Master Trey Lane, the new face of "Hope Kids". Yes, Trey is now officially a "Hope Kid" -his face alone (just wait until they get to meet him) made such an impact on the owner/president that he will be honoring Trey as the feature story in next months newsletter. This organization is so amazing, just check out their web site (www.HopeKids.org) ! So far we are going to Robosaurus at Firebird raceway and the Circus at the US Airways Center. The best part about this concept is that the entire family is invited to all events and it's free! Drake and Broc are so excited ...to take the focus off of Trey and his doctor's appointments and to have the focus be on what cool event they we be invited to next has eased the pain that weighs so heavy on mine and Mike's hearts. We try to keep their lives as "normal" as we possibly can (what ever that is anymore)what a blessing Hope Kids will be in easing that pain!
Thank you again and again to all of you who have brought us dinners on infusion days! These days are both mentally and physically draining for all of us. We are so blessed to have our Thursdays filled through the end of August! And thank you Nicole for introducing the "Dinner Brigade" concept ...it has been a God send!
We have come to realize that there just aren't people walking miles and wearing ribbons for MPS as it is such an extremely rare disorder. BUT...we CAN make a difference in Trey's life by having fundraisers and in turn donating the money to research to advance this field of lysosomal storage diseases. We can't begin to thank all of you enough for helping us "fight this fight" for Trey and giving us the hope that one day all our efforts will result in the rewriting of the MPS litterateur for it to currently read "a life threatening genetic disorder" to someday because of all of our efforts it reading "a curable disease" !
XOXO,
Cami, Mike, Drake, Broc and Trey Lane
p.s. check out the face that made "Hope Kids" fall for Trey in the attached pictures (you can see his port in the picture of the three boys in the bath)