Praise the Lord!!!!! Colleen came home yesterday at about 6:30 yesterday after having platelets, chemotherapy, and a spinal with chemotherapy. Colleen will enter the maintenance phase of chemotherapy when her white count recovers or baby white blood cells begin reproducing well.(this may be as soon as 2 weeks or as long as 6 weeks) Our last intensive chemotherapy. Colleen was grinning ear to ear yesterday and also today. Her back is a bit sore from the spinal, but overall she is beginning to feel better already. I am giving her antibiotics thru her mediport or Intravenously every 8 hours and she is tolerating this very well. This will continue through Friday. It is wonderful to hear the girls laughing and giggling upstairs as I am updating the blog. We are looking forward to resuming a semi-normal life within a few weeks. Our heart are overflowing with thankfulness to the Lord for everything that he has done this last 9 months. Our family is stronger and closer than ever, our focus is on heavenly treasures and we feel strengthened by his grace. We are so thankful for the strength that he has given us to help us through this challenging time. Many are amazed at the courage and strength that we are able to display but I always remind them that our heavenly father gives us the strength that we need. Without God's mercy and love we would be hopeless. Instead he has placed a blanket of calm over us throughout this entire ordeal. We felt and still feel your prayers and greatly appreciate them. So thank you again for everything- every card, dinner, word of encouragement etc. They will never be forgotten. Keep reading picture of Colleen at bottom of page.
Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will extol Him.
James 1 states to consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who given to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect to receive anything from the Lord... Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
We are human, we get weary and often lose focus during trials, but we know that our God is molding us into who he wants us to be and we are thankful for the opportunity to share God's love and his message with others.
This is a picture of Colleen yesterday- grinning from ear to ear after being told she was going home!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy for her!!!
Colleen was admitted on Monday for a blood infection. She was doing better but developed another fever a few days ago. This postponed her release. The doctors also say that because of the infection, her white blood count must be higher for her to come home. She also developed a fever during a blood transfusion yesterday briefly. I am feeling a bit better. It is amazing what a good nights sleep can do for the soul. We are still weary but feel stronger today. The blood cultures from a few days ago are negative- so no new bacteria. Praise God for answered prayer. Colleen is understandably disappointed and really wants to come home. Her white count came up from .2 to .3 today but this is not enough to come home. Apparently she would be at risk for readmission from another blood infection is she goes home now. It is a bit hard for me to understand the logic, but i really trust the doctors. It seems like she would me at more risk to develop an infection in the hospital,but they say they are concerned with the normal bacteria in her body causing another blood infection. Please continue to pray that God will help her white count to come up soon so she can come home. Please continue to pray for us as we near the end of the phase of chemotherapy. She should feel better soon. Please also pray that she will be able to catch up on her schoolwork. The online schooling takes around 6 hours per day and everyday she misses, she falls behind by 7 assignments. We just don't know if she is going to make it this semester. She only has until the first part of January to finish all of her schoolwork and this could be a huge challenge. Colleen is a really diligent and self motivated student and is really wanting to do well in school. Thank you for your love, encouragement, and your prayers. We know that our God is faithful and there is a purpose to all of this but we are getting weary. It is so hard to watch your child suffer for so long. Thank you again
1 Thessalonians 16-18 says Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Good news! Len was able to raise $2500.00 for the leukemia foundations Hollywood movie night. Thank you to each of you who donated. We are currently looking at supporting one or two organizations thru volunteering and fundraising and the girls want to train our dogs to go to be therapy dogs. We also are getting a new puppy in a few weeks. The girls are very excited. Should be interesting to see if our dogs can pass classes to be therapy dogs. We are looking forward to doing our part when Colleen is feeling better.
Colleen was scheduled to go home tomorrow with intravenous antibiotics but has developed another high fever tonight. Discharge will be postponed for 2 days at least. Another set of blood cultures were sent. Please pray that this is nothing serious. I forgot to let you know that Colleen was admitted on Monday with a blood infection, she responded well to the antibiotics but has developed another fever. I did post this on facebook but forgot to write it on the blog sorry.
This illness has gone on so long- 9 months of chemotherapy, illness, strokes, nausea, etc. We all know that having chemotherapy is challenging but until you have witnessed it first hand, it is just impossible to understand the suffering. It seems like the end of this trial is so near but yet so far. Up until today, I have felt as though everything happens for a reason and God is molding us into the people he wants us to be and giving us more opportunity to spread the gospel. Today, however, I feel as though the devil is just trying to break us down- taunting us with more suffering. Maybe I am just tired, but enough is enough!!!! . This child has suffered more than any child should. We need your fervent, heart-felt prayers to end this trial. We desperately need your prayers to help us to continue to see the blessings in this trial. No child should have to endure such suffering. l. I feel like the devil is trying to drag us down, trying to have us denounce our God and Savior out of sheer exhaustion. This will never happen. We are thankful that we have had so many opportunities to share our faith and God's love with others but enough suffering has taken place. Please, please pray that Colleen will recover quickly, that she will enter maintenance soon, that God will give us the strength that we all need to get us through this trial.
John 11:4 But when Jesus heard it, He said,"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it."
John 11:25 Jesus said to her," I am the resurrection and the life; He who believes in me shall live even if he dies and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?
James 5:13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.
Colleen has been nauseated off and on this week. She went to the clinic on Friday and received platelets. Her chemotherapy has changed to Tuesdays this phase. Her last scheduled intensive chemotherapy is scheduled for Tuesday. She also has a spinal with chemotherapy scheduled. Please pray that this last treatment will go well, that Colleen will have few side effects such as nausea, and that the cancer will remain in remission. We received a phone call from the mom of a young lady who sponsored a fundraiser for Colleen. She heard about the incident this summer when people were staring at Colleen at the pool, and felt compelled to help. It is simply heartwarming when complete strangers reach out to help. We are so thankful for each and every one of you who have encouraged us in anyway throughout this trial. It has been so encouraging throughout the last 9 months. So many of you have been such a blessing. I wish I were a more eloquent writer or speaker- I just cannot find the words to express our gratitude.No words seem sufficient to express our thankfulness. Every card, prayer, and word of encouragement is forever etched in our hearts. We will forever be grateful to all of you and our God for giving us the strength to endure this trial. God does not promise us an easy life, but he does promise to walk beside us and help us through. We will forever remember every act of kindness and will continue to love and encourage others who are weathering trials. We are so glad to be reaching maintenance. After tuesday, Colleen's blood counts need to recover and then she will be able to return to school. She will continue to receive occasional spinals, monthly intravenous chemotherapy and sometimes oral chemotherapy for the next 2 full years but she will feel well most of the time and be able to return to a semi-normal life.
Now that we are anticipating entering maintenance, we have decided to begin the process of giving back. Len is fundraising this week for the childhood leukemia foundation. Please consider donating to this wonderful organization. Colleen has been participating in monthly activities sponsored by this agency and has truly enjoyed them. She is fundraising for the leukemia foundations Hollywood nights. On Friday, she will be able to attend movies with some of her friends. It is a movie marathon at the Emagine theater in Canton.
Please consider donating to the wonderful organization. If you would like to donate please copy the link below and paste it into the address bar. It will take you to Colleen's site where the fundraiser is explained in detail.
http://events.leukemiamichigan.org/site/TR/Movie/General?px=1038364&pg=personal&fr_id=1330
Isiah 40:29 God gives strength to the weary and to him who lacks might he increases power.
Isiah 40: 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength, They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage on another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
Thank you, The Stewart Family
.jpeg)
