Welcome To Tacey Raye Raulerson's Homepage
We have been so blessed in our lives by the people we have met. What a HUGE understatement!! We all go through our own journeys dealing with situations. While ours has been a very difficult journey, it has also been the most uplifting, incredible experience of my life! Our family doesn't believe in chance happenings or coincidences. We believe everything happens for a reason. God puts special people in our paths and our lives to help open doors and windows for Tacey. We have met incredible people and had awesome experiences because of the paths we have had to transverse. As much as we dislike (or despise) this disease, it has made Tacey who she is today!
New Prayer Request:
We need your help in blanketing Tacey is prayer. We have been so blessed by all the incredible people who pray for Tacey on a regular basis and have prayed for her since before she was born! We need to intensify those prayers. Michael and I have debated about how to word this so people don’t panic, yet intensify prayers for Tacey. To be honest, we didn’t even share with our families what was happening until this past week. We hoped to have more answers before needing to share.
For the past couple of years, Tacey has had erratic and unexplained allergic reactions. Testing has been done that shows she has Chronic Urticaria and Physical Urticaria. The only thing that really tells us at this point is that she has serious reactions to some kind of irritant/stimulus. They still don't know the actual cause or if there is a treatment. We have been working with trying to manage the symptoms as well as possible while the doctors try to find the underlying medical disorder.
In the last month, there has suddenly been a new complication.
I hope you are sitting down because this one is going to floor you! Tacey has started having severe reactions to WATER! It started with reactions when she would bath or shower.
When it started, Michael and I thought it was shampoo, soap, etc. We got rid of everything, etc. We even had her skip showers and only shower every other day. She would be fine on the days she didn’t shower, but would have another reaction as soon as she took another shower. Nothing made a difference. We then noticed she was having similar reactions when she would sweat.
For the past several weeks, we have made weekly trips to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston working with many doctors to find the root of the problem. We spent Friday with the doctors in allergy/immunology. We then went to the lab for additional tests.
I have to confess Michael and I both had heart stopping moments when we were told their main concern is that she has a thyroid problem. This jarred us because the first thing that went through our minds was cancer. Even though problems with the thyroid are normally easily remedied, the thought of even the possibility of it being a cancer shook us!!
They need to rule out a problem with the thyroid before they make a diagnosis. If the thyroid is fine, the diagnosis could be another autoimmune disorder. With the exception of trying to lessen the severity through meds and supplements, in most cases you just manage the symptoms.
We will follow-up appointments this next week, so we can go over the test results and decide what additional tests need to be done. There is a strong possibility they will never be able to determine the exact disorder or condition. That means a lot of playing around with her meds, experimenting with different things and doing our best to learn how to minimize the severity and frequency of the reactions.
For now, they changed her med routine and added some supplements. They have options to add more meds in order to find the best combination/cocktail for her. This is going to take a little time. While they are getting the results of the tests, we are working with Tacey and the psychologist to help manage her symptoms and get her back in school ASAP!
I will keep you posted on all that is happening with Tacey. In the meantime, please continue to keep us in your prayers!
We are also trying to prevent tales and rumors of Tacey’s illness. Yes, we want as many prayers as possible but we also want to protect Tacey as much as possible!
For those of you who have started to think we fell off the face of the earth, I hope this explains why we have been withdrawn into our humble home. We have been doing our best to take care of Tacey and get this under control. It has been emotional, stressful, exhausting and so much more. The unanswered questions are the hardest to process!
Thank you for being with us on this long journey of 12 years! It has been difficult at times, but I will always say our blessings have far outweighed our challenges! I cannot imagine making this journey without our faith, family, friends and prayer warriors!
Love,
Tammy
Who is Tacey?
Tacey is a twelve year old little girl with Bilateral Retinoblastoma. Tacey was diagnosed when she was 7 months old. After starting chemo, it was determined that it was too dangerous to keep her left eye due to vitreous seeding. Her left eye was removed when she was 9 months old. Tacey continued chemo and other treatments trying to save her right eye.
During the summer of 2006, it was determined that Tacey's right eye could no longer be saved. Tacey was able to attend the first week of First grade before her eye was removed. She then had to undergo chemo once again. Even though this chemo was very hard on her body, Tacey's spirit remained high!
Tacey adjusted to life without her vision very quickly! She gets around very easily. She even attends 5th grade at a regular public school. She rides horses, plays with friends and does whatever most 11 year old girls do! The thing that really sets her apart is her role in rodeos around the country. Tacey and her horse, Tuff Enough, make apprearances at rodeos, Cowboy Churches, schools, cancer benefits and other special events. They carry a flag, lead the grand entry and ride the arena as their story is told. Tacey also talks to individuals, greet fans, poses for photos, sign autographs and cheers for the participants.
Traveling to rodeos and special events on the week-ends has become a way of life for the Raulerson family. They enjoy meeting the cowboys, cowgirls, bull fighters, pick-up riders, announcers and all other participants/supporters of the rodeo.
Thank you for your prayers for Tacey. Each day is a new adventure with new possibilities. One of the possibilities we must always be ready to face is a new battle with her cancer. One of the realities of life we must face is the fact that Tacey will never be considered cancer-free or out of danger. Please continue to pray for Tacey and our family!
Link to Photos and Videos of Tacey
Password: Tacey
Check out the links for photos of Tacey, information about her foundation, her guest book and contact information.
Tacey Raye, February 2010
Tacey Raye is a wonderful child with a gift of living life to the fullest. Even though she is blind and battling cancer, she doesn't let any of it get her down. She continues to keep her positive attitude.
Our Prayer Requests:
A lot of people ask for specific prayer requests for Tacey. Here are just a few:
- Pray that Tacey keeps her dynamic, positive attitude.
- Pray that she continues to remain stable with no new cancer.
- Pray that Michael and Tammy are able to give Tacey the emotional support she needs while still meeting their own emotional needs..
- Pray that Tacey is able to stay healthy enough to stay out of the hospital.
- Pray that Tacey stays healthy enough to stay in school on a regular basis!
Thank you for praying for our family.
