Dehydration

Colleen went to her clinic appt today. She required a transfusion of platelets. Once again, she was dehydrated even though she is drinking plenty of fluids. The doctors wanted to admit her but did not have a bed. Please pray that the Lord will fix whatever problem is causing this or give the doctors wisdom to know what is causing it so it can be treated. Her counts are still low so she will probably not begin the new phase of treatment this week. She is also still nauseated. We are going to have a new prescription filled for kytril tomorrow. Please pray that this will alleviate the nausea and stomach pain. Thank you for praying.

Answer to prayer

We want to thank each of you for praying. Cydnie is over her horrible cold and praise God the rest of the family remains healty. Another miracle because Colleen's white count remains low. Our God is so good. Colleen went for her clinic treatment on Friday. She received vincristine chemotherapy. We were informed of the next phase of treatment. It involves giving high doses of methotrexate through the IV. This is the drug that caused her stroke. She may begin this treatment next friday or the friday after. I believe her blood counts have to be a certain level before they begin the treatment so it all depends on those numbers. She will receive this medication every 3 weeks for 3 or 4 treatments. Most kids get this drug every 2 weeks but Colleen will get it every 3 to allow her body to process it. There is usually another spinal with methotrexate at this point in treatment, but they are postponing this one until after we see how she responds to the high doses in the IV. Colleen will be spending a week in the hospital every 3 weeks. Please pray that the Lord will provide the wisdom the doctors need to treat Colleen without any adverse side effects. Please also pray for us. Spending this amount of time at the hospital definitely causes extra stress. I have to work, so this is an added stressor but thank the Lord that Lens work is very flexible and supportive of him at this time and Chelsea is also a wonderful help to all of us.

Colleen takes 9 robitussin tablets per day so I asked my Aunt Kathy to find some with coupons on them in her area. She found 29 bottles and wrapped them up for Colleen for Easter( this is a 8 week supply). She is the only one I know that can make robitussin look beautiful. She and grandpa bought all of  that for us. Thank you so much! Below is a picture of the Robitussin basket. Simply gorgeous- Colleen, the girls, and the Robitussin!

Easter picture

Half way there - beads of courage

Colleen went for her treatment at the clinic today. She got 2 types of chemotherapy PEG and vincristine. She has been nauseated all day despite using all sorts of nausea drugs. It is so hard as a parent to have to sit by and watch your child suffer.Colleen as usual has been very strong- no tears - no complaining- no whining. And yet we have so much to be thankful for. We are currently 3 months into our 6 month intensive therapy and despite our 2 scares the stroke and the strange movements, God has blessed us with a month or so of quiet. Cydnie has a terrible cold. Please pray that God will protect Colleen and the rest of the family from this and other illnesses and pray that the nausea will subside.

Matthew 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

No matter what our circumstance, there is always someone worse off than we are. In life, we can choose to be angry with God and wonder why me or why us or we can be thankful for Gods grace and goodness. I heard about a child who died recently from lymphoma after a 9 month hospitalization. We spent only one week in the hospital and that was very hard. I do not even know this childs name or the family but their story was so touching. We do not know their name but our father in heaven does. Please pray for this family as they mourn the loss of their child. Thank you for praying.

Len wants me to share the beads of courage website. She gets a bead for every clinic visit, needle poke, icu visit etc. Our journey has been relatively calm compared to others. Colleen has a string of beads that are 8 feet tall already in 3 months. Each bead tells a story. If you type in beads of courage on facebook you can see the beads and many inspiring stories.

Pray regarding upcoming hospitalization and treatment

Colleen went to the clinic on tuesday for platelets. She has been feeling pretty good for the most part for the last few weeks. She was able to have some friends over for a while on tuesday and really enjoyed their company. Our friends at Annapolis Hospital sent a huge box of goodies for Colleen and she was really pleased. She loved all the gifts in the box. Colleen will be going into the hospital in a few weeks to receive the high dose methotrexate. This is the chemotherapy that caused her stroke. Please pray that she will tolerate the chemotherapy well with no side effects. We are thankful that she has no residual effects from the stroke but are understandably concerned about her having to receive the drug again.

Psalm 46:1,2,7 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change, And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

The source of our strength

Psalm 28:7-8 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in him and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.

It is almost Easter and I cannot help but share with you God's mercy and grace. He sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. You see we all have a sinful nature and God only sees that until we become saved. Recently, someone explained it this way. If you murdered someone and you went before a judge and the judge said I am not going to charge you with this murder because the good in your life outweighs the bad would you consider him a good judge? I often hear others say that they do not believe that a loving God would send anyone to hell but he has made a way for us to enter heaven and that is through his son Jesus Christ. He sent his son to died for us and  to take the payment of our sin. We need to understand that Jesus is the way that God has provided this way to heaven. He is the key to our salvation from an eternity in hell. I am so grateful to God for providing this way for us and I pray that everyone who reads this will accept him as their savior. Many hear the truth and turn away from it. Others become offended when you share this with them. Being saved translates into being forgiven not being better or more righteous than someone else. When we stand before God on judgement day he will ask you why he should let you into heaven? The only answer that he will accept  is that Jesus died to save me from my sins and I have accepted him as my savior and tried to live life serving him and sharing his word with others. Many who do not know the Lord as their savior cannot understand why Christians share this with others. We are commanded by God to share what we know and we also want everyone friends and family to know him. The worst thing will be not spending an eternity in heaven with those that we love.The joy and peace you experience is wonderful and you cannot help but share this with others so that they too can know God and experience that Joy. I am thankful that God has saved me and my immediate family. The peace of knowing that one day all of the sickness and sorrow of this world will pass and we will the spend an eternity worshipping our Heavenly Father is what helps us struggle through the sorrow and sickness and trials of life. Our time on earth is very short and it will all pass away eventually but our God in heaven will reign forever. We cherish the day when we can worship him in heaven.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God

We are thankful for a few good weeks. Colleen is stronger than I have seen her in some time. She is laughing and giggling and her mentation is back to normal. I guess the methotrexate toxicity lasted for some time. She is still receiving shots, pills and chemotherapy in her port on fridays but she is doing wonderful. We are thankful that God has allowed everyone in our home to remain free from illness for the last 2 months. What a miracle! Colleen took a picture with her dad today and I am impressed by her strength and courage. She gave us permission to post a picture of her without her wig. Truly inspiring! Thank you for praying and have a wonderful Easter!