My Kate Kate

Well, here goes some of the most difficult news a dad has to share...

Back around November, I got a call from my amazing wife telling me they were taking our princess to urgent care because her fingers turned deep purple.  I immediately stopped working on my truck and met them there.  After waiting, we were able to get an EKG (normal) and speak with a doctor who had obvious signs of concern.  After speaking with Kate's pediatrician, visiting a pediatric cardiologist and getting an echo-cardiogram, we found out her heart was fine and were then referred to a rheumatologist.

Meeting with Doctor Butler at Arthritis Northwest, we found out that Kate has Raynaud's Disease, which "causes some areas of your body — such as your fingers, toes, the tip of your nose and your ears — to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud's disease, smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas."  Raynaud's is not very difficult nor is it super dangerous, but it can be an early symptom of an auto-immune disease and is very uncommon in 5 year old girls, so they did blood tests.

The news from the blood tests has been disheartening and difficult.  SCL70 is a marker in the blood with "normal" being up to 1.0, Kate's was 7.2.  What this means is that the marker for scleroderma is very high.  While speaking with Dr. Butler, he noted that he is not a pediatric rheumatologist, and that pediatrics can be difficult to diagnose as a child's internal chemistry varies considerably.  As a rheumatologist though, he would deem Kate's levels as being predictive of a future diagnosis.

Therefore, Kate is fine.  She is a normal, stubborn and gorgeous little one whose hands turn funny colors when she gets cold or stressed.  There is a good chance, though, that she will not always be this way.  In fact, there is a good possibility (doctor said it is probable) that she will contract this ugly disease.

As a result of this diagnosis and being told that there is little to nothing we can do to prevent the disease's onslaught, my amazing wife has taken our family on a lifestyle change revolving around "Real Food," which has been difficult (I WANT AN OREO!!) but has united our family in an effort to help prevent symptoms or the disease itself any way we can.

All of this has recently re-hit me as there is a local campaign to help a young woman who has been diagnosed with the worst case scenario of scleroderma.  All I can do is pray for my little girl and this woman and her family as they fight this ugly disease.  I can also go and buy some coffee on Saturday in a minuscule effort to raise money for her fight.

**Please, do not make the mistake of doing a lot of research on this disease, especially do not look at what this could physically look like.  Simply read the links I have provided, know that it is either debilitating or life-threatening and join us as we pray.  We serve a God who is greater than any disease or ailment.  He is great and mighty and is in complete control of everything.**