#HealingForHaylie-Post 10

Update on Haylie - June 10
God is so good! He truly is in control and provides for our needs. I just got a call from the marketing director at Gateway church who is in charge of the church’s summer blood drive. They are announcing Haylie’s need for B- blood at the Dallas campus this morning where the blood drive is taking place today. Gateway is also having people use Haylie’s sponsor number so that she receives the credit for the blood. This mama’s heart is so blessed to have confidence that B- blood and platelets should be available to her when the need might arise for another transfusion. Thank you Jesus!
I just spoke with the doctors on their rounds this morning. Haylie’s white blood cell count is now at 2,900 down from 3,600 yesterday. We get closer to the 0 level every day! Normally 0 is a very bad thing, but this is the way they kill all the cancer cells. We are praying her bone marrow recovers extra quickly and starts to produce new healthy cells in the next few weeks.
Her hemoglobin is at 10.2 and platelets are at 72 which is great for her. The doctor said she estimates that Haylie will probably be needing another transfusion in the next few days as those platelets begin to die off. This is totally normal and the doctors are on top of it. Again it gives me peace knowing that so many people have been donating in Haylie’s honor so there should be an available supply of blood this week for Haylie and whoever else may need it.
We did hit a small bump in the road this morning that we are asking for prayer. We have been quarantined so we aren’t allowed to leave the room until test results come back. She has had a really bad stomach ache and doctors want to make sure it’s not an infection. Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it to watch Brennen’s baseball games today, but I’m getting updated from Michael via text and game changer.
Yesterday was a really good day. Haylie had more energy and made it to the playroom twice. My sister came and sat with Haylie so I could go to Brennen’s baseball game. It’s been hard on him because we haven’t been able to go to many, if any of his events. I really appreciate all the people who are stepping in and looking after him. A huge thank you to my amazing sister, Stephanie, and Jared and Jamie King for constantly picking him up and getting him to the places he needs to be. After the game I made it home for the first time since I drove Haylie to the ER. It is amazing how much junk mail we get and how quickly it accumulates. I was able to get bills paid and get more clothes and needed items for Haylie and I.
It really was so good to get out of the hospital for a bit. People kept saying I needed to get out but I knew Haylie needed me here, too. I have to say, the first step out was the hardest. I stood at the front doors and almost didn’t go. I’m thankful for my sister who said I didn’t have a choice and I was going. I needed it more than I even knew. Haylie was great, too, she said I had to go because I finally had a chance to get out of the hospital. She said she wanted to get out so bad and if I had the chance to go I had to take it.
Once again this post has taken me several hours to write with the constant interruptions so I have updates to the update. 😜
Doctors just came back in with test results and Haylie does not have an infection so we are no longer on quarantine!!! Praise God, neither of us were allowed to leave the room. We can now have visitors again, too.
I also got a text from a pastor at Gateway who was sitting with a guy that was B- and he was donating for Haylie, as well. We are so blessed. God is our provider and we should not fear. He provided manna in the desert for the Israelites, I know He can also provide B- blood for Haylie.
Here are a few prayers requests we are asking:
1) Pray for Haylie’s tummy. It has been hurting her pretty badly for several days now. That is actually why they put us on quarantine because they thought it was an infection.
2) Please pray for Haylie’s headaches and back pain to go away. It was pretty severe last night. It has been hurting ever since her spinal tap.
3) Continued prayer for peace, strength and healing.
4) For God to be glorified in all of this.
Thank you all!
#HealingForHaylie

Getting some Wii playtime in with Brennen last night

We got our sign!

Prayer for Haylie after the game.

#HealingForHaylie-Post 9

9:33a

Update on Haylie - June 9 and blood donations
First of all, I am absolutely blown away by the amazing and overwhelming response to help Haylie. Words can not describe how loved we feel by everyone who is reaching out and trying to help. Yesterday morning was a little rough for me with needing the blood transfusion and shortage of B- platelets before her spinal tap. We certainly did not intend to cause such a hysteria though. We have had people reach out from all over the country willing to donate blood. My heart overflows. I have learned more about blood in one day than I ever thought I would know. I have learned than there is a blood shortage, especially with platelets, that usually happens every summer. I had no idea. My hope is that all the wonderful people that donated blood yesterday will be able to save many people’s lives in the days to come.
Haylie is doing great and her spinal tap went well. We are still waiting for the results but are believing for it to be clear of any cancer cells. To my understanding, Haylie will probably need a couple more transfusions this month because her body is not currently making any more and the chemo is killing them off. In the next few weeks her body should recover and begin to make healthy platelets and blood again to replenish itself. Leukemia is a cancer of the blood, and we need to kill the cancer cells and then allow her body to produce new good ones.
I found out that people can receive any blood type of platelets because they have taken all the proteins out. An exact blood match is best because they will live a bit longer, but patients can take a different blood type of platelets, which is what Haylie took yesterday when no B- platelets were available. There sometimes can be a few proteins left so an exact match is optimal so you don’t build up antibodies to it in your system.
The transfusion went well and she had no complications. Doctors want her level to be above 10 while in the hospital. Since we have been here, it’s been handing out in the teens, which doctors are ok with. They had to bump it up to 100 in order to perform the spinal tap. I don’t know exactly why, but if I understood the doctor correctly it was to have lots in the spinal fluid so that way it would keep the cancer cells from coming in during the lumbar puncture from bleeding. Not sure about that but our wonderful doctor knows and I trust her.
She gets blood tests twice a day letting us know her levels. If it starts to drop too low again, we may need another transfusion but we can’t predict exactly when. Normally it is not such a rush, but due to the spinal tap and chemo infusion, it had to happen quick. Since platelets only live a few days, it is tricky to get the timing. It takes 2 days to receive the platelets after a donation due to the cleaning process. It is wonderful to have people that are B- that are willing to donate if she needs another transfusion. The reality is that there is a shortage and lots of people need these life saving transfusions every day. I pray that God would richly bless everyone who donated blood to help save someone else’s life.
I’m attaching a few pictures from yesterday. Our cousins came to visit and Haylie was able to go to the big playroom for about 30 mins. We look forward to the progress that we can make today. She is much stronger today and has more energy because of the transfusions.
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16
Thank you to everyone that gave blood to save someone else’s life, especially my child.
#HealingForHaylie

Carter Blood Information - Updated as of 1:56pm

Carter Blood Information - Updated as of 1:56pm

Answers to questions:

If you are B-, please give Carter this information when donating:
Sponsor # SPON033472 for Haylie Geraci at Children's Medical Center of Dallas
Shelf life for blood = 42 days
Shelf life for platelets = 5 days

If you are NOT B-, you can still donate at Carter for others in need and give them the above referenced Sponsor #.

Thank you #healingforhaylie

#HealingForHaylie-Post 8

Sorry that my math is off on the update #s.

Update # 8 (June 8 - 10:40am)

It was a rough night. We need prayers and B- blood. Haylie was in need of platelets and blood last night, but unfortunately the B- supply is extremely low and they could only get one unit of platelets that finally arrived at 2:00am. They have been trying to locate more platelets because she can’t have her spinal tap and chemo treatment today until they are able to get her platelets and hemoglobin up. They finally got some blood for her and she is currently getting the transfusion right now. Please pray there are no complications or reactions.

We just found out that there are NO B- platelets. I’m being asked to sign a consent to give her another blood type of platelets because she needs the platelets to have the spinal tap and chemo treatment. Doctor said the treatment is more important. Please pray everything goes well.

She will have a spinal tap in her room at noon without anesthesia. Please pray that goes smoothly as well. They couldn’t get an OR for the anesthesia until after lunch and they didn’t know if they would have the blood so this gave us more flexibility and she could eat. Chicken express for breakfast today.

We have a big request. If anyone is B-, please consider donating soon. It is very rare and the blood supply is very very short right now. She will be needing more transfusions and not having blood or platelets to give her is scary. I wish I was B- so I could donate, but I’m not. Everything about Haylie is special, including her blood. Thank you for the prayers. We are finding out that it takes 2 days to process the blood. She should be ok for a few days but will likely need another transfusion by next Friday. I will try and find out more info on how the process works and keep everyone updated. Even if Haylie doesn’t get the blood, donating can help save some other persons life too.

For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
#HealingForHaylie

BLOOD & PLATELET DONORS - B- donors only (not O-)

BLOOD & PLATELET DONORS - B- donors only (not O-)

Go to any Carter Blood Center and request platelets and blood be credited to Haylie Geraci. Platelets only last 5-9 days and it takes 2 days to process, hence the reason for the urgent request.

https://ww2.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/centers 

URGENT NEED (B- Blood and Platelets)

Journal entry by Jamie King — 1 hour ago

From Melissa:

We need prayers and B-Blood, as Haylie is in need of platelets and blood.  There are NO B- platelets, so Melissa is being asked to sign a consent to giver Haylie another blood type of platelets, because Haylie needs the platelets to have the spinal and chemo treatment today.

Please spread the word!

https://ww2.greatpartners.org/donor/schedules/centers 

#healingforHaylie-Post 5

Update - June 7th
This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!
God is good. We have gotten several great reports this morning. When Haylie had her first spinal tap last Friday We learned there are 3 levels to the spinal fluid, 1- no cancer in spinal fluid, 2- cancer found but 5 or less in sample, and 3- lots of cancer throughout. Doctors prepared us that she might be a level 3 because her numbers were so high, but she came back a 2, which is certainly better than a 3. Well, today the dr just came in and said they got the official pathology report back and NO cancer cells are present in her spinal fluid. It was a false positive so she is at actually a 1! Praise God! Prayer answered. I believe God has already begun the healing.
She had another x-ray to check on the mass around her heart. We are still waiting for the results but they just did a test to see if she could lay flat and tolerate it. Well...she rocked it, she laid flat and still had 100% oxygen levels!!! I am believing that the mass is gone and she can now sleep laying down rather than sitting up all night. She swallowed pills this morning and said they didn’t feel like they got stuck like they have in the past.
We also just went for a walk around the floor to get her some exercise and get her out of the room. She is in good spirits and has a great attitude. I accidentally pulled her picc line while getting her out of bed around 2:30 this morning. I felt terrible and precious child said it’s ok Mom, it could have been a lot worse.
She will have another round of chemo tomorrow along with another spinal tap. She is supposed to have a platelet transfusion tonight to get her levels up so that anesthesia can be used. However when she found out that she can’t eat after midnight she said she wants to just use a local and no anesthesia. Our doctor said she sometimes has teenage boys decide to go that route because they want breakfast more than the anesthesia. I just didn’t think Haylie would have been in the same category, but she was requesting Dickey’s turkey at 4am. 😂 She rocked her first spinal tap without anesthesia so I know she can do it.
Thank you for the prayers. I was able to get eye drops and my eye is almost back to normal today! And I spoke to my mom and her surgery was a success and she is home recovering nicely.
A huge thank you to Jamie King and Ashley Hartzog for coming and getting me out of the hospital for dinner last night. Y’all are amazing friends and seeing y’all brought such joy to me during a rough time. I am beyond blessed by your friendships.
We also had some some great family members come and sing and pray over her this morning. It was very encouraging to me. He sang fighting my battles, and we stand believing that God IS going before us fighting this battle. God is so so good! We are standing in faith expecting more good news tomorrow.
Please pray
1) that Haylie’s spinal tap goes well, especially without being put under, and that the results come back clear with no cancer cells tomorrow
2) that we would stay healthy and continue to get more rest
3) that Haylie’s chemo treatment continue to kill all the cancer cells and her body would recover quickly.
Love you all!
#HealingForHaylie

With her doctor!

Snuggles with Dad last night.

Watching a movie together.

Caring Bridge for Haylie

Here's a quick link to Haylie's CaringBridge Site:

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/healingforhaylie

#healingforHaylie-Post 4

Wednesday- June 6

I used to think that the saying “God will not give you more than you can handle” was true, but now I know that it is totally false. I believe He sometimes gives us way more than we can possibly handle so that we have to give it to Him. This is not something I can go through with my own strength. This is where I give it to Him and He takes my heavy burden and carries us. I’m so very thankful we serve such a big God that can handle it all. We are also so blessed by the amazing support system we have of people helping us in our time of need. I really think this is what Christ meant for his church. Everyone comes together and does a little to help others and it makes it possible. Then someday we will be able to help others in return. This is truly how the body of Christ works.

We didn’t have a great night, but it was way better than several in the past. She is a little stronger today than yesterday which is good. The great news is that her WBC is down to 5000! We get closer to the 0 number every day when the chemo will have killed all the cancer cells. Of course that means there are side effects so we are working through those as well. Haylie’s hemoglobin rose very slightly last night so they won’t be doing a transfusion today. I’m glad that it rose, but the transfusion would have given her a much needed energy boost. We are praying that it continues to go up and she regains some energy.

Today my goal was to wash my hair and I am happy to report I finally got it done. Yay for clean hair! The doctors might not even recognize me today. Tomorrow I’m hoping to get a bigger goal than just washing my hair, but again we celebrate the victories.

It took me a while to figure out what day it was today. I have not walked out of the hospital in 6 days now. I was told one area on our floor has a large glass window that the sun will shine in so we are going to try and find that soon. I guess that can be our goal for tomorrow.

Also, please pray for my Mom. She has had a lot of health issues of her own lately and she had a procedure done this morning in El Paso. Pray for her quick recovery. She has wanted to come see Haylie but she needs to recover herself first.

Thanks again for all the love and support. God is going before us and fighting our battles. The verse I wrote down this morning reminds me of this.
The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you. Deuteronomy 1:30

#HealingForHaylie

#healingforHaylie-Post 3

Update on Haylie - Tues June 5
We had another great night. Yay!!! She actually slept from 10:30pm-2:30am this morning!! She woke up at 4:15am and wanted a salad. She settled for a few bites of a fiber bar and went back to sleep until 6:40am when she wanted the salad again. 😋. We had to wait until 7:00 when food services finally opened. She finally got ranch dressing and had her salad for breakfast! And thank you to Jamie for free bird burritos for lunch yesterday and Tonni for an amazing dinner! It was such a blessing to have a delicious meal. I didn’t even realize how much we all needed it.
We met with her oncologist this morning and found out that her white blood count is now down to 8,500! The goal is still 0 because most of her cells are the bad T-cells. Her bone marrow will have to recover and then it can start producing healthy white blood cells again. So right now, her immunity is extremely low so we ask that if anyone is sick or even thinks they might be sick, please do NOT come visit. The doctors require everyone to wash their hands and use sanitizer and preferably a mask when you visit. Also, flowers and plants are forbidden on our floor and stuffed animals are discouraged because of risk of infection. She gets tired really easily so we ask you to please text me before visiting so I can let you know if it’s an ok time. We are still learning and getting adjusted to what will be our new normal for awhile.
I’ve been trying to write this post since 7am but have had a constant stream of doctors, nurses, phone calls and texts. Sorry if I am not able to respond, we are still a bit overwhelmed. Michael spent the first night at home so he could get some rest since he returned to work yesterday.
Haylie’s hemoglobin is reallly low so doctors said they will be doing a blood transfusion either today or tomorrow which should help her feel better. Also, I’ve had several people ask about donating blood. I believe some friends are setting up a blood drive soon. We were told to go through Carter’s blood care. Haylie is B- but it’s ok if you are not the same blood type because you can donate in honor of Haylie and she will get credit for a discount on her blood transfusions, and there are lots of other people in need of blood and it can be a lifesaving blessing for others too. We will be in touch with more info about the blood drive.
Prayer requests
1) Continued prayer for strength and healing for Haylie and for her to stay healthy from infection.
2) That Michael, Brennen and I all stay healthy so that we can be around her. (If we get sick, we will be quarantined from her)
3) That my eye would get better. I think I may have scratched my lens. 😬
4) Prayer for her platelets to increase. She is now at an 18.
5) Prayer that the blood drive be a blessing for others as well as Haylie.
Thank you to everyone. We are beyond blessed by the most amazing friends. We can feel your love and prayers. I’m learning to choose faith over fear. God is going before us and He has got this.
#healingforHaylie

Another update - June 5th
We had some fun visitors today! Blair the therapy dog came by along with our awesome teachers Mrs P, Mr Mordecai, and Mr Dunbar and our sweet friend Morgan and her mom.
We loved our visitors but today has been a really tough day. We knew we would have these occasionally. Yesterday was another round of chemo and it knocked her down pretty hard today. She is requesting no more visitors at this time until she can get some strength back.

Her blood levels are really low and she is expected to get a blood transfusion tonight or tomorrow so hopefully that will get her some energy back. Thank you everyone for understanding. Please keep her in your prayers.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or troubled for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
#HealingforHaylie

#homerunsforHaylie

So proud of Brennen and his Bobcat baseball team. He said he was going to play hard and win for his sister, Haylie. He hit a home run and they brought home the championship! The best part was the team said a prayer for Haylie after each game. We are so blessed by an absolute amazing group of friends. My heart overflows. Congrats Bobcats! And thank you Stephanie for taking Brennen to all the games this weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/melissa.m.geraci/videos/10213681919097071/
https://www.facebook.com/melissa.m.geraci/videos/10213501304101809/
https://www.facebook.com/melissa.m.geraci/videos/10213501295501594/

#healingforhaylie our boys praying for our girl Haylie! They were ‘playing for her today’!
Bobcats 8U Advanced

Praying for Haylie!!!

https://www.gofundme.com/5mqf14o

#healingforHaylie-Post 2

June 3, 5p
Update #4
Today has been a very good day! Her white blood counts are down to 50,000! She started eating and has gotten some strength back. The doctors saw her this morning and are very happy with her progress. She was disconnected from several of the monitors so she has many less wires today. She even went to the playroom today for about 30 min.
Haylie had a good night, or as well as can be expected. They are pumping her full of fluids to try and flush the chemo out so she needs to potty about every 40-60 mins. That is a great thing, but it makes for a terrible nights rest. We are exhausted but doing better. We have had several small victories today and we will celebrate them.

Thank you for the continued prayers. And a big thank you to Ella for the awesome sleeping mask, she loves it for her naps and the blanket kept me from freezing last night! And thank you Ashley for the foam pad to sleep on. It makes the hard couch so much better. Here are some pictures from today.

2 of our great doctors

Nanny and Pops came to visit

Going for a walk

She loves the sleeping mask her friend Ella brought her

Making a craft of Peanut our dog

June 4 9:00am ·

Update #5
Praise God, we had a great night. Since they removed the monitors, we didn’t have the alarms going off all night when Haylie’s heartbeat would reach very very low levels. The drs said her ekg was normal and it was all caused by the steroids so we shouldn’t be panicked. They also reduced the fluids in her IV so we made it for 2 hours stretches instead of every 20-40 mins like the last few days. I actually got a few hours sleep and I feel so much better.
Prayers for today
#1- Today she will begin her next chemo treatment, so please pray that her body responds well.
#2- That Haylie’s white blood count continues to come down and her platelets increase. Currently due to her blood type they don’t have any platelets here and they have to have them transferred from Parkland.
#3- Michael is returning to work today. Please pray he has a good day with lack of sleep and that Haylie and I do well without his extra help today.
#4- My right eye is super blurry, I think it is just from lack of sleep, but please pray I can see normal again.
#5- Haylie’s jaw is very painful and she is having trouble eating. We were told it is a side effect of one of the steroids she is on. Please pray the pain goes away.
#6- Pray for strength for Michael, Haylie and me and for God to be glorified in all circumstances.
Today this is our mountain. We have seen God move mountains and we know He can do it again. 

#healingforHaylie-Post 1

This first post might be a bit long, so please forgive me.  However, I want for each of you to get all of the details that we are working with....

The Geraci family is a dear family to us.  We were in the same Life Group with them at church, we got to love on Melissa & the kiddos while Michael served our country, then they became our next door neighbors for a little bit!!!!  They no longer live in Rockwall & so we miss them, but these updates have been posted on fb and I thought I would share them with each of you since y'all have proven to be incredible prayer warriors.

May 30 at 8:14am ·

Please say a prayer for Haylie. She is having to miss her last 5th grade field trip picnic because she is having major stomach pains and has been for a while now. Her doctor thinks it could be her gall bladder. We are trying to get an appointment with Children’s Hospital asap.

May 30 at 7:28pm ·

Update on Haylie.
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and messages of support! We are so thankful that we were able to see the GI doctor at Children’s Hospital today. We were told that we couldn’t get an appointment until Oct 11 so getting in today was a real blessing! We were also able to get a sonogram done today after she started throwing up at the doctors office. The sonogram showed a very swollen liver and spleen. We are still awaiting the lab results from her blood tests but should get more answers from that tomorrow. They took 9 viles of blood, the absolute max they could take with her weight, so we better get some answers! It was a bit difficult and she was passing out since she hadn’t had anything to eat due to the sonogram. They also found that she has a virus that was causing the red bruise rash, fever and chills. Her gall bladder actually seems fine which is good news. She feels much better now than she did last night or this morning so we are thankful for that. We are optimistic that she will be able to make it to her 5th grade graduation on Friday.

May 31 at 2:41pm ·

Please say a prayer for Haylie again. The dr called and said her labs came back critical and instructed me to get to the ER right now. We just got here and got checked in. I don’t have many answers right now but they have been amazing here so I know we are in good hands.

June 1 at 12:48am ·

Update on Haylie
I’ve had so many people asking for an update so I figured this was the best way to get out.
Haylie has been diagnosed with leukemia. This is a really hard post to write. Currently her levels are extremely high and we are in the ICU. Right now we have more questions than we do answers.

It has been a really long hard day for us. As I look at the time, I realize this is now day 2 for us. By God grace, have made it through day 1. We have a long road ahead of us but are so thankful to have some answers as to why Haylie has been feeling so bad lately. We can now work on a solution. This diagnosis is not an easy one, but we serve a mighty God who is bigger than cancer. Right now we will take this one day at a time.
We have been so well taken care of so far at the hospital. I’m still processing everything and honestly I’m absolutely exhausted. We are so thankful for all the prayers and ask for you to continue to pray for us. This is so much bigger than I can handle so I’ve given it to God and He will go before us. We stand firm and I will praise Him even in the storm.
Haylie is so amazing. No words can describe how much I love this child. She is still so sweet and positive even during this very difficult time. She is a fighter and I know we will beat this.
We are a bit overwhelmed with things, so we ask you not to contact us directly right now. We have an amazing group of family and friends and we will be reaching out to you for support in the coming days. Please keep us in your prayers because we know the power of prayer. Love you all. I will try to post more updates when I get a chance.

 June 1 at 1:42pm ·

Update on Haylie #2
So much has happened in the last 12 hours I’m trying to figure out where to start. The doctors have identified which type of leukemia Haylie has, T-cell ALL. That is not what we were hoping for as it is the most aggressive and does not tend to respond to chemo as well as the others so she will require a very aggressive treatment. We will be required to stay in the hospital for the first month of treatment right now. They also found a large mass above Haylie’s heart which has brought some complications. We are so thankful that it has not affected her breathing. She just received a picc line to start the chemo. It was a little scary because of the location of the mass. They had to do it in radiology to get a clear picture and go around the mass. They were not able to put her under or use sedation because they were afraid the mass would block her airway. She did awesome! I knew she was tough but she is showing such strength right now.

She had a good night last night. Her white blood cell counts were dangerously high and kept climbing during the night, so she was watched very closely. Thankfully they have started going down with the treatment so we won’t have to do the emergency procedure. Praise God! We can feel the prayers! She just received a platelet transfusion because her platelets were also dangerously low. We are so thankful to be at an amazing hospital with doctors who are on top of her care.
I’ve always told Haylie that God has big plans for her and will use her in big and mighty ways. So this is chapter 1 of our story. We look forward to see how God will use Haylie and show Himself mighty. Day one and here comes the Son!

June 2 at 3:32pm ·

Update #3
Prayer warriors please lift Haylie up. I feel like we are in a spiritual battle right now and it can only be won on our knees.
I wrote that about 3:00am when she was struggling to get enough oxygen. It was a long night but God is faithful. Her oxygen alarm kept going off when her levels got low and we would have to wake her up to take deep breaths and reposition her. The nurse finally put her on oxygen when we couldn’t stay above 90%. She is doing much better now and we are currently at 98%! She is being pumped full of fluids to flush her system so she has to get up to go to the bathroom all the time. Sometimes we got up every 20 mins, once she made it 90 mins. We are getting good at unhooking the machines and rolling the IV pole to the bathroom. We got to see our nurse very regularly last night.

Haylie had a really rough time with muscle spasms in her legs around 9pm. She was kicking uncontrollably at times. The doctors couldn’t figure out a reason and ran blood tests to screen her levels which all came back ok. I finally called my parents who started to pray and finally the kicking stopped and she fell asleep. The nurse even said it had to be Jesus because it stopped the second they finished praying.
Ok...it is now 3:00pm and so much has happened again that I haven’t had time to post this. Huge praises! Today has been a great day with lots of victories. Her white blood count dropped from 385,000 yesterday to 177,000 this morning to 85,000 by mid morning. Since we are below 100,000 we got to transfer out of ICU!!! When we arrived at the ER her count was 270,000. The normal range is 4000-10,000.
We just got moved to our new room on the oncology floor. Doctors are amazed at how fast she is progressing. I’m not because we serve such a big God. Prayers are being answered!
We are overwhelmed by the love and support we are receiving. We have had many precious friends visiting us and bringing us food. Jamie King, Ashley Hartzog and my sister Stephanie, I might never be able to properly thank you for all you are doing for us. You have helped pick us up and helped carry us through.
Thank you for all the encouraging words and Facebook messages. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to respond to many texts or messages. Hopefully we will get some more rest in our new room and I can post updates more often. I’m posting a few pictures of our journey thus far.
Please keep praying, they are being answered.

On our way to get our picc line put in.

Family visiting!

Friend visiting!

Friend and Daddy!

BFF!!

Bustin’ out of ICU. Our nurses were great!

Finally getting some rest in our new room.

A post that brings me great joy!!

December 8, 2006-December 8, 2017-This is the 11 year anniversary of a day that I love to celebrate!!! 

December 8th... A day that I rejoice in...

Please rejoice with me and praise the Lord for all that HE has done for my hubby!!!!

Our Hankie is Home

Well, today was a tough day.  Is it because we are traveling?  Yes, that added to it.  However, it’s tough because our sweet Hank is home with the Lord now!  He’s not been doing very well the last few weeks.  You might remember that he was diagnosed with cancer, lung carcinoma, about nineteen months ago.  They told us not to expect him to live very long.  However, B did his research & learned that Noni Concentrate decreases the size of lung tumors better than chemo.  As well, he learned that mushroom powder can help the immune system considerably.  All of that to say, he survived much longer than expected!!  His life expectancy was even shorter with chemo.  The vet told us in April that whatever we were doing, to keep it up. 

So, the last few days he’s not been moving much at all.  It seemed that his back legs were no longer working. He has stopped eating.  Last night was especially rough as we were up all night with him.  He would cry out in pain (our best guess), then we would move him a little bit & he was a bit better for a few moments and then it would happen again.  Then, he started to “get sick.”  So, many loads of laundry were done last night & this morning.

The sweetest moment for this Momma was seeing her little girl love him so well!  We have a “dog bed” that I made for our first four-legged kiddo, Tucker, that passed away at about eighteen months old!!  She went and got the bed, laid Hank on it, & then covered him with a towel.  She spent most of the morning, just loving on him & talking to him.  It was beautiful & brought me to tears.  I love her heart!!

 Mom was going to keep all three of our pups & hers!  She is superwoman and can balance most anything.  However, she agreed with B that it made more sense for him to go to the vet & be boarded so that he could be watched by them much more closely than she could.  So, we took him to the vet.  Once Dr looked at him and heard about last night, he said that it would be mean to cause him to suffer much longer.  So, we decided to let him go to Heaven.  One of the hardest decisions to make.  I kept asking our vet what he thought & again, he stated that he wouldn’t cause one of his to suffer like Hankie Poo was…so, we all got to love him, hug him, cry over him, and tell him how precious he was to us.  Then, we got to hold our little man as he went to Heaven!!!  Isn’t that where all dogs go….?  It was hard, but our vet was so sweet, as was his staff.  They were so sensitive to our tears, needs, etc.

So, when we get home it will be much harder as our sweet little man won’t be there.  We are going to miss him considerably.  So, please pray for those of us still here and for our other four-legged kiddos as they will miss their brother, too!

Happy Birthday to My Prince!!!

Today is my Prince's day of birth!!  He doesn't post it on fb or anything like that.  Thus, many do not know!!  However, this man deserves to be celebrated today!!  If you ask me, he deserves to be celebrated every day of the week.  He is the first man in my life that keeps his word, loves unconditionally, and keeps his covenant to the Lord and man!!!

There have been many men that have come into my life and been incredible role models, etc.  However, not one has done it all, except for my man, my gift from the Lord!!!  What a rockstar!!!  All men should desire to be like him!

When your wife is dying, you could leave...we've seen many family members, friends, etc., that have done this...while their spouse is in the hospital or as soon as they are out, they are told that they require too much work.  However, he blesses me by telling me that he's never seen loving me as work.  Existing seems like work to me, yet he loves me through it all with such an incredible and generous heart!!

He missed four months of work to be by my side, to make sure that I was cared for...
As many of you know, his work is commission only.  Thus, four months without pay to keep his word, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer...
Something else that  I love about this man (and that can drive me a bit crazy, too) is that even though his job is commission only, he still looks out for what's best for his clients!!  He could propose the ideas that will make the most money for our family.  However, he does what's best for his clients.  He is such an honorable man!!

Have I told you how much I love him?!?!?!  All men should want to be like him and all spouses should want to love like him.  I sure do!  I pray that I can love him as he has loved me, yet without him having to be ill!!

If you will all celebrate his day of birth with me!!  If you have his # or e-mail, please reach out to him to show him how much you care about him & admire him, too!!  If not, and you want to reach out to him, send me a message and I'll share his contact info with you!!  He's in a meeting all day and so he might not be able to answer, but he will still feel the love through messages, etc.

Thanks for making sure that my man, my gift from the Lord, is blessed today!!!

Invisible

What does it feel like?  What does it mean?  I could give you Webster’s or Wikipedia or google’s definition.  However, instead I will give you mine.  With the way that I feel, my guess is that you might see my picture next to the word invisible.  Ouch, I’m being honest, huh?

Despite all of the precious love from each of you while I was in the hospital, now that I’m out….

If you recall, I was in a coma; thus, I don’t recall each of your visits.  As a matter of fact, I have to keep asking B who came to the hospital, who called, etc.  Since I’ve been out of the hospital, out of a coma, I don’t seem as valuable.

I can start the feelings at home.  Apparently, my little one cried for Mommy while gone, but now that I’m here, nothing.  Yes, she’ll occasionally give me a hug and tell me she loves me, but it’s when she wants to, not when I ask her to do something.  You’d think I wasn’t speaking at all.  Yes, my voice is still hoarse.  However, she has acted this way when I have a voice, too.  The assumption is that she looks forward to family time because she gets excited when we talk about it, plan for it, etc.  However, the other night in the car, we’re all about to start singing a song together that is super fun and she asks me to stop so that she can sing by herself.  Ouch!  To most that might not hurt; however, when you don’t feel like you get to be a Mommy anyway, each chance matters.  This was an opportunity for us to share a special song about being a light to a dark world, yet I was asked to not participate.  So, yes, the tears were flowing…my daughter didn’t want a Mommy…was my interpretation. 

So, as you might guess, my view is through a different set of lenses than most of the world might look through or maybe I’m just being extra vulnerable by sharing.  My lenses are that of a grown woman that used to have a job that “required” her to be out talking to people and driving all over Tx all day long.  I was constantly surrounded by people.  I felt important.  When I walked in a room, people noticed.  I was respected by healthcare professionals.  Now, I am stuck in the house most every day.  Sitting behind a computer that can cause seizures since reading & writing are both triggers for my seizures.   I would love to sit & write thank you’s to those of you that have gone above and beyond, yet it typically brings about seizures.  Thus, there’s one more way of reaching out into the world that is removed.  Healthcare professionals see me as the patient, not the one coming with info.  Thus, I am asked to be quiet.  Though we have learned so much through this journey, they don’t care to listen to me.  They will listen to my man, but not me.

I’ve not had the opportunity to drive in nine plus years.  Just to realize that I need something and quickly run to the store.  It doesn’t get to happen.  To know that my 20 yr reunion is coming up and I’d love to go find an outfit to wear since I’ve not been shopping for clothes in quite a few years, but I have to ask for a ride and then ask someone to wait while I try stuff on or only have a few minutes to look because they need to be somewhere else as they are doing me a favor by taking me.  Even to take my kiddo to school.  She prays this almost each night, that God “will heal Mommy so that she can take me to school.”  Ouch.

Okay, so I’ll clean the house if I’m home all day, right?  Well, first, physical activity is a big trigger.   That being the reason that when in public I’m typically in the wheelchair or a motorized scooter at the grocery store.  I love the lines left in the carpet that vacuuming makes.  So, it would bring me so much joy to get to vacuum all day long (okay, I might eventually get sick of it).  However, that is a bunch of physical activity & it’s a lot of noise.  Many sounds are triggers for my seizures.  For example, the blinker in the car can be a trigger.  If music is too loud or at the Friday night football games when they sound the train horn or whatever that loud noise is, I have to plug my ears, or else.  Books on tape/audio books, that would be fun.  However, there is something about the octave that has been a trigger for many years each time that I’ve tried.

Even at church…we have an amazing church family!  However, we sit where we do because of the sounds.  Too close to the speakers and we have seizures.  Too close to the instruments and we have seizures.  Too far away and I don’t feel like I’m a part of the service.  Also, there is a lady that has always had a tambourine, but she sits on the other side of the sanctuary.  So, we’ve been in the same spot for about six years.  For some reason, the last three weeks, she has come over to the other side of the sanctuary and I have to leave during worship due to the pain it causes.  The first week, I just stood in the hallway during worship as I don’t want to interfere with her worship either.  Last week, one of the pastor’s wives saw me in the hallway and asked what was going on and went in and shared with the lady & asked her to stop.  We were at the last worship song by the time all of this happened.  So, I made it back in for one song.  Today, she started banging it and I rushed out.  Ben got one of the ushers to ask her to stop.  Instead, they moved her to the balcony.  So, I came back in…then, it started again, so I had to rush back out.  If you’ve been around me much lately, you know that me and rushing don’t work well together as I am typically shaking, out of breath, and completely exhausted, and likely to have a seizure after rushing.  Turns out there were two ladies today with tambourines.  Thus, I was outside in tears most of the morning.

Back to cleaning the house as this would be fun and there would be a sense of accomplishment.  Most of the chemicals that we would use to clean with, even the more natural ones, when touched, breathed in, etc., can trigger seizures.  Thus, if our house gets clean, that is on B’s shoulders and I can’t be in the house.  So, there’s one more thing I can’t do and one more thing that I have to add to his plate.  I can do laundry, though.  So, there is my outlet a couple of times a week.  However, once I unload the dryer, the standing to hang items, fold sheets, etc., requires help.  Or, I’m just too exhausted from walking from the bedroom to the laundry room, unloading the dryer, switching the clothes from the wash to the dryer to be able to complete the task.  Thus, much of the laundry remains laid out on the table, needing to be folded or hung.  This is frustrating as I was raised to finish what you start.

Another example is in public, namely the grocery store.  It is amazing how many people seem to think that the motorized carts have their own lane and we should get over the fact that they are shopping on the same aisle.  First, most stores do not make their aisles wide enough for the carts to turn easily.  So, if there is someone on the aisle that I’m trying to turn on, I have to wait until they’ve moved completely out of the way.  Second, they aren’t as easy to maneuver as one might guess.  Putting it in reverse, causes a beeping that hurts so badly and typically triggers a seizure.  Thus, forward is the only direction that I can go…It’s amazing how many people that are up and walking with their cart seem to guess that I would prefer to move out of their way in the big motorized piece of equipment rather than them taking two steps backward with their cart so that I can make it past them.

It is truly amazing the dirty looks that I get when coming down the aisles.  As if I have chosen to be in the motorized cart to inconvenience them.  Do they really think that I would intentionally ride in one of those carts and try to get in their way?  It sure seems that way.

Let’s try Miss P’s dance class.  When we get there and I’m on the walker, the Mom’s like to remain standing or sitting where they are.  The fact that there is a woman trying to walk through with a walker doesn’t seem to faze them.  Many will actually turn around and turn their back to me.  Thus, my feeling invisible.  Just because you turned your back to me doesn’t mean that I didn’t see you.  It hurts.  Then, needing a place to sit while there.  I’ve actually had to go out to the car a few times because no one will share some space on a bench.  B can stand in there & he will give up his seat for anyone.  However, if I’m not there early enough to claim it, I have to sit outside in the car.

To live in a community that we’ve been in for 30+ years, it hurts to be in town and see people intentionally turn their back so that they don’t have to look at me, acknowledge me, etc.  Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”  Mark 6:4 (NASB)  Please trust that I’m not referring to myself as a prophet by any means.  Just trying to comfort myself that even Jesus felt rejection in His hometown.  

Am I saying that our hometown isn’t amazing?  Not at all.  There are so many wonderful people.  Many that have shown tons of love.  Yet, there are also many tough days.  When at the grocery store, at P’s dance class, etc., it hurts to see people that we know and that know our struggle, yet they still turn the other way.  Or, when people ask us to let them know what they can do to help.  I finally build up the courage to ask them for a quick ride to the grocery store and they’re too busy!! 

Maybe many of you feel this way, you just don’t share it.  Maybe I’m the only one.  If so, sorry for taking up your time.  If you do ever feel this way, know that you are not alone, both physically and spiritually!!

Joshua 1:9, “This is my command — be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (NLT)

What a difference a Month Makes....

With all the natural disaster events that our nation seems to be facing, and veterans returning from war, it seems that today we can all get a little glimpse of what it means or feels like to be shell shocked.  For us, that is what the last month, August, has felt like.  Coming out of a horrendous July with Princess nearly losing her life not just once, but twice has left us almost a feeling of walking on egg shells.  Princess is still continuing to have seizures, thankfully, not near the rate that we were experiencing in July or actually even prior to July.  This has been an answered prayer and we praise the Lord for providing just only 5 seizures that we recorded for all of August. 

We are still trying to balance our schedule between multiple physical therapy appointments per week and multiple visits from a nurse to monitor Princess’ blood levels.  Thankfully, the shell shocked feeling seems to be lessening and we are beginning to get back into a routine. 

Something that I have been able to describe to folks is just how much energy, or lack there of, that Princess doesn’t have.  It is really surprising just how much stamina Princess does not have and that once fairly simple tasks at the house can exhaust her.  Slowly we are seeing improvement, and realize that the road ahead back to full-strength will take some time. 

Another reason that August was good was the fact that Princess and I (as many read) celebrated 14 years of marriage.  We had a nice quiet celebration, and are looking forward to what this year holds. 

Thank you to many who are continuing to check-in and seek updates!  We are grateful for today and are prayerful that September will allow for Princess to continue to build her strength and can have fewer seizures than August.  As of today, we have recorded 4 seizures so far and pray that the Lord will continuing to provide healing!