From the beginning

For those who are checking in for the first time, I am going to give a brief outline of what has been going on with Madalyn from the beginning.
Madalyn was diagnosed with a brain tumor on July 26th, 2008. The next morning Madalyn was undergoing brain surgery to have the tumor removed. Only 3 and a half hours after starting the surgery, the surgeons came out, announcing that they felt very good about how well the surgery went and that they felt very good about the outcome.
Unfortunately, the outcome was not what they expected and on July 29th, Madalyn was diagnosed with having a very aggressive cancer. Doctors told Trish and Terrell that she would need to undergo intensive Chemo-therapy until about the age of 4 when she could then handle radiation.
Soon after the surgery Madalyn started having seizures, something the doctors assumed had to do with the trauma the surgery had on her brain. They soon came to find out that she was loosing sodium through her draining tube which was causing the seizures. Her sodium levels continued to be monitored, keeping her in the PICU a bit longer than expected. Madalyn was taken very good care of by the nurses and her favorite Doctor, Dr. Walker.
Finally after much anticipation and sodium levels being stable, Madalyn's draining tube was removed from her skull. First step of progress! Soon after she started to fever and her head started to swell, which meant she had an infection. Madalyn's draining tube was then put back in and her sodium levels dropped again. They are stable but still being watched closely.
Through all the poking and prodding, Madalyn has continued to be a sweet little 19 month old with a sense of humor. At one point, a team of Doctors came in to introduce themselves to Madalyn and her parents. Madalyn slowly pulled her blanket up over her head and would not come out until they had left! The group got quite a laugh out of her!