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Nine Months Cancer Free!!! August 22, 2008 We just received the good news that Chelsey’s PET scan came back clear. We are so grateful to God for His gracious answer to our many prayers. It is hard to believe that it has been 9 months since Chelsey checked out of the hospital, soooo sick from the stem cell transplant and complications (Steven Johnson’s Disease). It is hard to imagine that the weak, sickly cancer patient is the same young woman who visited home just last weekend. Chelsey’s health, vibrance, and zest for life stands as a strong testament of God’s healing power. It is a physical window through which we may catch a glimpse of the spiritual healing we all must experience if we are to stand in the next life. God’s goodness is all around you, trust Him in your weakness. Thank you for the many prayers that you have uttered for our sweet, little girl. 
UCLA GRADUATION
In case you have not yet heard, Chelsey was able to “walk” with her graduating class in June. Technically she needs to complete a few credits in the summer to finish off her degree, but by the end of the summer, she will be heading home and preparing herself for nursing school. Chelsey is planning on becoming a “chemo nurse.” I am not only happy for her but also for the fortunate cancer patients who will have her as their nurse. She is a walking testimony of the power and love of God in the midst of difficult trials. What an inspiration to her future patients and to all of us!! Thanks for all your prayers for our little girl. Please continue to pray for Chelsey’s health, her white blood cell count is expected to remain well below normal for another year. Mostly thanks to God for the graciousness of His answer to our prayers and for His Son Jesus Christ, THE answer for life beyond the grave. Watch Chelsey's talk at Harbor Church on Dec. 31, 2007 Read Chelsey's Story by her own hand! View a slide show of the "Relentless For Chelsey" event here.
UPDATES BELOW IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER Surgery Today July 16, 2008
This morning at 9:30 Chelsey is having surgery to remove her port. A port is installed in a cancer patient’s chest so drugs can be given and blood can be extracted without destroying the veins in a patient’s arm. This is a wonderful step in her healing process. The removal of her port is another step in acknowledging that her cancer is really gone. Of course, it in no way means it can’t come back or, possibly more likely in Chelsey’s case, that some other cancer might arise, but for now we celebrate God’s glorious answer to our prayers. Pray for a successful surgery and a sense of God’s loving care for Chelsey and Pamela as they spend the day together today. MORE GOOD NEWS!!! April 24, 2008
It has been 5 months since Chelsey was released from the hospital, and tests that were run yesterday continue to show NO SIGNS OF CANCER in her body!! God has been so faithful in hearing our prayers and so gracious in answering them. As Chelsey continues to deal with some of the side effects of such a difficult procedure, pray that her headaches will subside and that her body will continue to heal and regain strength. REJOICE!!: January 17th, 2008
The results of the latest PET scan revealed that the nodes had significantly decreased in size, and showed no metabolic activity - indicating that is no evidence of cancer in her body (just scar tissue). This is incredible news, and the result everyone has hoped and prayed for. She will continue to be monitored periodically to make sure that this cancer, or any other cancer, does not reappear. If after 5 years, there has been no sign of cancer, she will be considered "cured". Chelsey is now attending winter quarter at UCLA as a full time student. Merry Christmas
From Chelsey, and the entire Brooks Family 
 DECEMBER 18th
Happy Birthday Chelsey!
Chelsey turns 22 today. If you would like to send her a birthday wish, you can do that here.
Update: December 6th
Chelsey continues to get stronger, and has even been able to attend a Christmas party! She is undergoing 2 weeks of additional radiation treatments, and if all goes well she should be able to come home for Christmas. She has also registered for winter quarter classes! Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes. Please continue to pray for Chelsey, that the cancer is gone for good, and her strength and health return fully. Lastly, doctors are watching her liver, as there have been elevated enzyme counts. HAPPY THANKSGIVING: Nov 22nd, 2007
Chelsey has seen significant improvement in her condition over the past few days and her strength is returning slowly. Her entire family is especially thankful to be celebrating this Thanksgiving Holiday with Chelsey in her apartment. Setback: Nov 14th, 2007
Chelsey is currently battling a fungal infection in her lungs, a full-body allergic rash, severe swelling of her legs and feet, and an eye infection. More than just annoyances, these conditions are potentially very serious, and the doctors have not been able to determine the cause(s). As can be expected the constant ups and downs are taking a toll on Chelsey's mood. GOOD NEWS! Nov 9th
Chelsey just got permission to be released from her hospital. She is feeling very good, and this afternoon she and her mother will be moving into their hotel. Today concludes a MAJOR milestone in Chelsey’s treatment! Update: October 31, 2007
Chelsey has had a very hard last 5 days. LOTS and LOTS of side effects, some from the radiation, some from the chemo, and some from the medication used to help with the side effects from the radiation and chemo.
She's dealing with an infection, nausea, an annoying rash, low blood counts, fever, transfusions, and not-so-restful sleep. Please keep her in your prayers! Update: October 29, 2007
It’s been a rough few days for Chelsey! Her white blood cell count has dropped to 0.02 which was to be expected, the result of which is that her body is no longer able to fight infection. Her red blood cell and platelet counts have also dropped. Chelsey has received several blood transfusions already and received her first platelet transfusion yesterday. Until her stem cells graft and begin producing healthy cells (7-14 days following the stem cell transplant), her body will continue to struggle. She currently has a fever of 102, mucocitis in her mouth, throat and intestinal tract making it very painful to eat or drink anything, and she has been struggling with an excruciatingly itchy/painful rash/hives (literally from head to toe) resulting from an allergy to one of the antibiotics she’d been taking to fight infection (it will take up to 48 hours for the medication to leave her system). Please continue to pray for complete healing, and peace & rest in the process.
Update: October 24th
Chelsey’s transplant took place at 10:00 this morning, and went off without a hitch! She did amazingly well! Prayers were definitely answered.
They gave her anti-nausea medication immediately following the transplant which has enabled her to sleep.
The doctors and nurses refer to today as her “Second Birth Day,” and are planning to bring her a cake and sing to her later this afternoon. It’s actually her 3rd.
1. The day she was born.
2. The day she was re-born in Christ
3. The day she was physically reborn w/new blood
Update: October 22nd
Chelsey has just completed her final Chemo treatment and is fighting nausea. She will have a little break until Wednesday when the stem cell reintroduction is scheduled. Update: October 17th
Chelsey began her radiation treatment yesterday, and while she tolerated it fairly well, her red bloodcell count dropped enough to require a blood transfusion this morning. She will have 2 radiation treatments each day through Friday. In addition there will be additional focused radiation on the large cancer under her arm once she has completed this phase, requiring additional 2 more weeks of therapy. BLOOD DRIVE FOR CHELSEY!!
The women of Harbor Church in conjunction with BloodSource are sponsoring a blood drive on Chelsey's behalf. Walkins are ok, but its better to make an appointment with BloodSource by calling 1-866-822-5663 and referencing account number P981. Or just tell them you are "Relentless For Chelsey". All blood types are needed, and you must be 16 years old in order to donate. Update: Sept. 28th
The doctors were able to harvest enough stem cells from Chelsey in one visit! This is an amazing development, as the medical staff and the family (and Chesley) were preparing for up to 10 days of this procedure. Chelsey now has about a 2 week break before being admitted to the hospital for the month-long transplant procedure. Here are some things that you can be praying about in the future: Oct. 10 – surgical procedure to insert another catheter (for stem cell insertion) Oct. 15 – admittance to hospital, begins procedure with 4 days of radiation.(2 times a day) – next 2 days of intensive chemotherapy with a rest day in between. Oct. 24 – stem cells reintroduced, blood counts VERY low, body begins to try to rebuild. Nov. 5-9 – Chelsey can be discharged from the hospital if her body is producing enough healthy blood cells. It should take several months before Chelsey will feel healthy and strong again. Update: Sept. 15th
Chelsey has successfully made it through her 2nd round of ICE Chemotherapy, with significant exhaustion and nausea, but otherwise well.
Please pray that her body recovers rapidly so that she'll be ready for the next phase, which is harvesting of her marrow stem cells for reimplantation. Update: Sept. 12th
Please pray for Chelsey as she will check into the UCLA hospital this morning for a 3 day long chemo treatment. This is the same treatment that yielded such promising results 2 weeks ago. Pray that she will tolerate the chemo well and that the cancer will not. It is our hope and expectation that this treatment will effectively destroy the remaining tumors so Chelsey will be ready for her month long hospital stay (Stem cell transplant) which should begin Oct 8. GOOD NEWS! Sept 5th
The results of Chelsey's CT/PET scan are in and the results are very good! It seems that that several of the tumors in her chest and abdomen area appeared to be gone, and the mass under her arm and in the surrounding area were dramatically reduced in size. She is obviously not out of the woods yet, but they've finally found a course of treatment that is effective against her cancer. And she will still be able to use her own marrow cells when it comes time for the transplant.
Update: Sept 5th
Chelsey is waiting for the results of her Sept. 4th PET scan. This is significant. Good news indicates that the current treatment is working and that Chelsey will be able to use her own marrow cells for her transplant. A poor progress report will mean that she will need to use marrow cells from a donor, introducing the possibility of rejection. Update:
As of Monday, August 27th, word was recieved that the "Salvage Chemotherapy" was also not working. Chelsey has begun a new course of treatment that is known as "ICE Chemotherapy". This regime has left her weak and nauseous beyond what she has previously experienced but she remains a fighter! Chelsey Brooks, 2004 Folsom High School Valedictorian and current UCLA senior majoring in political science was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma in February of 2007. As her first course of chemotherapy was determined to be ineffective, she is now starting “Salvage Chemotherapy”, a much more aggressive treatment. And while the battle with this cancer is often winnable, the financial cost can be very steep even with medical insurance; the costs of treatment, care, travel, and other medical bills add up very quickly. Relentless for Chelsey is a fundraising event to benefit the Brooks Family Fund helping offset the cost of treatment and care for Chelsey and her family and her fight against Hodgkin's Lymphoma. For more information on the event, click here: Event Info
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