In January 2000 Gayle discovered a new growth in his right eyelid.

Friday, October 24
Dr. Liebl notifies us of the biopsy results. The lab determines the sample could be one of two forms of cancer: squamous cell carcinoma or amelanotic malignant melanoma. The lab will do additional staining to find out which one is present.

Saturday, October 25
Gayle takes Alex to Hermosa Animal Hospital to have chest x-rays taken. X-rays show a clear chest, indicating the cancer has not spread.

Tuesday, October 28
While Gayle is away on business, Dr. Liebl informs us of the lab results. Diagnosis: amelanotic malignant melanoma. This cancer is not curable by chemotherapy. Surgery is the recommended treatment. We are stunned and devastated. Dr. Liebl arranges for us to have a consultation with Dr. Gayle Donner of Southwest Surgery and Oncology.

Saturday, November 1
We meet with Dr. Donner. It appears that we caught the tumor early -- a plus. Surgery will require that several teeth, gum and underlying bone be removed, however. Surgery is scheduled for Friday, November 7. Alex has blood pulled for a clot panel to check for any problems.

Friday, November 7
With Nikki in tow, we drop off Alex at Southwest Surgery at 1100. We kiss him goodbye and give him a final hug. Alex is in surgery for three hours and loses four teeth and underlying gum and bone. Meantime, we try to get through the rest of the day without him. Nikki definitely misses him.

Saturday, November 8
We are informed that Alex can come home today. We drive back to Southwest Surgery to pick him up. Alex is brought into the exam room that we're in and greets all of us. His lower jaw is swollen from the surgery and partially shaved but appears okay. He is to eat only soft food for the next two weeks. We are instructed to give him antibiotics for the next five days and acetaminophen if needed for pain. We take him home and he immediately goes to sleep. Typical Alex. We schedule a re-check appointment for Monday, November 17. Biopsy results from the bone tissue should be available within ten days.

Monday, November 17
At the re-check we are told the biopsy results are good: no cancer appears in the margins of the bone removed from Alex. He can be considered "cured".  This is the best news of all.  He is scheduled for another re-check on December 29.

Monday, December 29
Alex has his second re-check.  His lymph nodes remain small and the last of his stitches in his mouth should come out in a month or so.  The nodes will be checked every six to eight weeks for any changes.

Friday, May 22, 1998
Alex visits Dr. Liebl for an ear infection.  While examining his ears, Dr. Liebl again checks his lymph nodes and finds nothing remarkable.

Saturday, July 18, 1998
Alex visits Dr. Liebl for his booster shots for DHLPP, Bordatella and rabies.  He also has x-rays taken of his neck because of occasional pain.  Everything looks normal.

Saturday, November 7, 1998
A year has passed since Alex's surgery.  No recurrence of the tumor is seen.  We still examine his mouth for any unusual growths.   He drools at times because of the missing teeth, and his tongue sometimes sticks out of his mouth while he sleeps, but the important thing is that he's still with us.   For that we're thankful.

Saturday, January 15, 2000
A small growth was found in Alex's right eyelid.  We keep an eye on it weekly after seeing Dr. Liebl.

Wednesday, February 9, 2000
We take Alex in to have a biopsy done on the eyelid tumor, plus another growth on a right front toe.  Results should be back in a couple of days.

Saturday, February 12, 2000
Results are that the eyelid tumor is a soft-tissue sarcoma -- a schwannoma is suspected.

Wednesday, February 16, 2000
Consultations with Dr. Donner, Alex's oncologist.  She hears a heart murmur from the mitral valve.  This could potentially rule out any surgery.  Options are discussed:  a half-resection of the right eyelid, resulting in complete removal of the tumor, but also removal of the right eye.  Another option is partial removal of the tumor, plus radiation therapy.  Radiation therapy would be one month long, three times a week.  Due to his age (10 years) and the murmur, we all agree that this would be the riskier treatment of the two.  An ultrasound is scheduled for Friday to see if Alex is a good candidate for surgery.

Friday, February 18, 2000
Alex is dropped off in the morning.  The sonogram indicate that Alex's heart is very strong, despite the murmur.  We schedule the surgery for the 22nd.

Saturday, February 19, 2000
We decide to seek another opinion, keeping in mind that we may ultimately go with the first option. 

Monday, March 6, 2000
After a lot of hand-wringing, we elect to have Alex's tumor "debulked"  -- that is, surgically remove as much as possible -- rather than remove the eye.  Chances are it may grow back, but if it does, the tumor is slow-growing and has a low chance to metastasize.  He comes back to us after the surgery with a badly-swollen eyelid, but after a few weeks, you can hardly tell there was any surgery done there at all.