07/11/2018
A bit of a mile stone for Shake It Off For Meghan with Taylor Swift coming into town. I thought it would be a good to send an update on Meghan. A little over three years ago Meg was diagnosed with NHL. The week she was diagnosed we also had tickets to Taylor Swift for the second time in Phili and could not go. At that time Meg was a huge fan and it was devastating. Three + years later, Meg will get to see her tonight.
Meg has been cancer free for 2 1/2 years. It took a lot of efforts from some amazing people and a huge toll on her body, but she is cancer free!! The treatments and now side effects of them suck, to say the least. She will be in a wheel chair tonight because her knees and a portion of her femur bones are dead (osteonecrosis) and she is in pain pretty much all the time. She will head to Memphis in early August to have surgery and to help relieve pain and pressure and maybe give her bones a chance to heal, but it isn't definite. There are other options if this doesn't work or last, but they are more invasive. Her skin & lungs continue to cause issues and she over heats so easily. Panic attacks are still very much apart of her daily life. She is starting to become happier in general so I hope it continues. She is less afraid of the cancer returning, but still constantly looking for lumps on her body. Starting school last fall was a tough transition. As mature as she is in some ways, she is so immature in other ways. Finding bonds with friends again has been difficult. We are fortunate she is a bright kid and that at this time the treatments and time from school have not effected her learning at all.
We are so blessed Meghan is in the place she is today. Things could have been so much worse. There is a little girl now Mya-Bee Strong, 15 months in the hospital, cancer free, but the treatment has caused permanent (although miracles do happen) mobility & neurological issues. Pediatric cancer statistics do show more kids surviving most types of cancers, but not all. What they never show is what it took to get them there, what challenges & disabilities they will continue to face the rest of their lives.
Our family will NEVER forget all the love and support from a community of people that continue to give, give, give. I thought I should repost the first video made for Meghan. It always brings me to heartwarming tears!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM53e91VG38
Dear Ms. Swift, January 2, 2016 My name is Tara Harman, the mother of 9 year old Meghan Harman and 11 year old Mallory Harman. Meghan was diagnosed with Non-...
