She came through with flying colors!!!

Enjoying her midnight snack last night....aka "her last meal"

Wasting time before surgery watching Nemo with Memaw.

Summer made it through surgery like a champ. They removed the right kidney and tumor in one piece. It did not rupture and appeared to be contained fully within the kidney. That is awesome news! That should put us at a stage 2 Wilms tumor, at least that is what we are hoping at this point. They only saw one lymph node and it did not appear to be cancerous, but they will test it to be sure. They had to hunt for a second lymph node to take out which is the minimum number they are required to remove to meet protocol for research. This is also great news because that means it has more than likely not spread to the lymph system. I was expecting a lot of lymph nodes to be removed, but they just were not there. WOOHOO!!! We do not know for sure that it is Wilms, but the surgeon said it is most likely that in her opinion. Tomorrow we will get more answers, but not as many as we will on Monday.

If it is indeed Wilms, they will start chemo next week or the following depending on the staging and other results. Stage 2 means 2 chemo drugs, and stage 3 means 3 chemo drugs. This will last for 18 - 24 weeks. She may also have some radiation, but that is still up in the air at this point. I guess everything is up in the air, including my hands thanking God for his answer to who knows how many prayers.

She was not happy when she woke up from her anesthesia. She was complaining of her belly hurting which is understandable since they sliced her belly open to remove everything necessary. They gave her a shot of morphine which knocked her out in my arms. I cannot tell you how amazing it was holding her in my arms after the surgery. Although she was not a happy camper, it was a precious moment I will never forget. Nor will I forget before surgery when they took her from my arms as she cried for me. Oh how the tears came flooding to my eyes!

She has to be careful when she moves (or me if I am holding her) because her belly is really sore. I am thinking tomorrow she will still want to get up and go to the playroom to play with all the cool toys, but we will have to wait and see. Of course, she has a room full of toys right here. The hospital staff gave her blocks, play dough, coloring book, crayons, a sticker book, a bear, a puzzle, and several books. She also received numerous fuzzy friends and balloons from visitors. I am just amazed at all the stuff she has accumulated in the past 24 hours. Everyone has been SO KIND to us and I am VERY grateful for all of my friends and family for all of their support. I am also grateful to fellow bloggers who have spread the word and started prayer chains all across the country. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!

We are no where near the end of the battle, but we have made a very promising start. I could not be more pleased with the way the day turned out. I am so very tired and ready for sleep, but I didn't want to keep everyone who took time out of their day to worry for me waiting for an update. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers! May God bless you all!!!

Her first drink after the surgery was Sprite which is her favorite carbonated beverage although she very rarely gets any.

The closest thing to a smile I could get on camera after surgery.

She's happy to have that IV out of her arm so she is free to suck her thumb with no beeping IV machine to worry about.
I'll keep you posted as we get more results.