You Asked for It !!! MORE of MAGGIES ROOM

While you where gone...............

Update on Kate

The BLESSINGS of "BLANKETS of HOPE"

We are rejoicing and have great cause for praise that over the last two weeks we have seen significant improvement in Kate's energy level and over all health. It has been wonderful to see Kate engaging fully in life and getting the most out of each moment of her day. Kate's attitude is truly an inspiration. Kate embraces a day of feeling good like a precious gift truly living it to the fullest and not taking a moment of it for granted. I can't express to you the joy that fills my heart seeing Kate delve into life again. It is truly an "amazing grace" gift seeing the transformation in her health. Last weekend energy-wise, it seemed like she was running circles around me:)

Kate, Maggie and I experienced one of the most joy filled days that we've known in this journey, when we made the first delivery of Kate's senior project "Blankets of Hope". As we went from room to room visiting fellow oncology patients in the clinic and on the floor, Kate was able to personally give a blanket to other children and teenagers whose lives have been touched by cancer. The blankets were received with deep appreciation. Kate was truly radiant with joy as she visited from room to room, relishing in the ability to be the giver of a gift of encouragement, when she has so often been the recipient. One of the most touching moments of the day occurred when we visited a five year old little boy.
He was fun to visit and conversation became quite animated with Kate being taught how to "web" someone like Spiderman. When we noticed our new little friend had the same type of central line as Kate, we told him that he and Kate shared something the same. When he asked what, we lifted the bottom of Kate's shirt, so he could see her line. His eye grew wide with amazement and he said incredulously, "You have one too????" What a point of identity in the journey. The point of connection only deepened a few minutes later when Kate told her new little friend that they shared something else the same.... and she slowly removed her wig. His sparkling eyes grew wider still with amazement that this big girl friend of his was truly a lot like him. We all enjoyed laughter and smiles together as Kate and her special new friend made silly faces together and posed for a picture showing their "sameness".

While Kate has been improving daily, we have continued to wrestle with low sodium levels. We have continued eight hours of IV fluids each night, in an attempt to regulate this level. Late last week we added salt tablets hoping to boost the level. Kate's platelets remain low, as evidenced by the many bruises from even the slightest bumps along the way. Labs at the end of last week indicated that Kate's hemoglobin level had dropped. We will spend Monday at Children's getting a transfusion of RBC's. With this visit we will also deliver another 200 blankets.

Worship this weekend was wonderful and the sermon reminded us of the impact our perspective can have on how we choose to live our lives. By the grace of God, we have truly been able to see the good through the bad and "We know that in all things God works good for those who love Him." Rms. 8:28 Kate and I were talking at lunch time and realized that we had both written down the same quote from the sermon, as it resonated deeply with what we have learned on this journey..."If I allow pain to make me bitter, it blinds me to the truth of what God wants to do in my life." Martin Luther How incredibly gracious God has been in guarding our hearts and minds so that despite the many days of pain and heartache, that we have truly experienced JOY in the journey.

Grace and Joy to you in your journey,
Elaine

Maggie's 13th Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE !!!

What fun we had celebrating Maggie's birthday! Thank you so much to all of you who joined us in filling the mail box with cards to wish Maggie a Happy Birthday. You will never know how much joy you brought to Maggie. The day before her birthday she got the mail and came in dramatically exclaiming, "We got so much mail, they had to put a rubber band around it!" She counted the cards out loud and received 19 cards on Thursday. On her birthday she eagerly watched for the mail to be delivered and was thrilled to receive another 17 cards! She loved it when Saturday's mail brought still another 8 cards. Pappy teased her that he didn't think that he had received that many cards total in his whole life:) She literally received cards and emails from around the world and across the states! Oh my, what will she do when next week's mail goes back to normal?!?!:)

Thursday night Maggie's friends came for a slumber party. They had a so much fun on a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt that Kate created for them. They had some crazy clues that took them to Pappy's blueberry patch, the neighbors' pool and even the cemetery! A summer party would not be complete without water balloons and a bonfire. I could not believe how many s'mores 13 year old girls can put away!

Special friends and family joined us on Friday for a birthday lunch. Kate's games continued when Maggie had to read clues to find her hidden birthday gifts. Maggie's choice for her birthday cake is always non-traditional - this year she chose Strawberry Trifle...she did not inherit her mother's love of chocolate:)
The girls and I celebrated Maggie's birthday with dinner out on the town at Olive Garden - a favorite of Maggie's. Special thanks to family and friends who blessed us at with Olive Garden gift cards at Christmas time. For all you Krispy Creme donut lovers... in celebration of their anniversary, Krispy Creme welcomed anyone whose birthday was on July 13th to come in for a free dozen of donuts - that was one birthday present Maggie had to share!

What a precious gift Maggie is to us. She is a bright spot in each day for Kate and me as she approaches life with enthusiasm, passion and always a touch of drama. She is so loving, sensitive, and caring. A dear friend encouraged Maggie to remember how amazing God is that He chooses certain people to be someone to others. Maggie is without a doubt the special sister God chose for Kate. What a joy it is to celebrate Maggie's life and the gift she is to us!

Fun on the Fouth

It was nice to have a day without distractions just to rest and relax with family. We traveled with my mom and dad to Ohio to share the holiday with my brother Steve and his family. While the day was not sunny, temperatures were warm and Maggie enjoyed lots of pool time with her cousin Abby. They decided Grace should be introduced to the pool and swimming. I don't think Grace would rank the pool as high as Maggie and Abby on a list of fun things to do:)

Maggie Loves Mail OR Maggie's LOVE Mail

Maggie almost daily asks, "Did I get any mail?" She is beyond delighted when now and then mail comes addressed only to her. With that in mind, Kate and I thought it would be fun to fill the mailbox with cards for Maggie in honor of her 13th birthday. Maggie's birthday is next Friday, July 13th. We would love to have you help us fill the mailbox in celebration of Maggie's special day.
Our mailing address is:
209 Chapel Drive
Ellwood City, PA 16117

OR if you're one of our friends around the world our email is:
edillon3@verizon.net

Thanks for helping us love on Maggie,
Elaine and Kate

Suprise and Sodium

Our week of colors ended with a glorious golden sunset streaked with the beautiful colors of a weekend that carried evidences of God's goodness and grace. A brilliantly colored grace gift came with the surprise visit of our dear friends Debbie and Christa, from Colorado. Debbie and I have been friends for over 20 years. I thank God for the bond of friendship that has remained strong despite the time and distance that has separated us. Kate and Maggie were delighted that Debbie's daughter Christa came along for the visit. We enjoyed a wonderful girls' weekend of shopping, cooking, walking and talking, watching a movie, playing "Loaded Questions", and laughing until we cried. What a perfectly timed gift this visit was for all of us. Our hearts and spirits were lifted by the love, care and thoughtfulness of Debbie and Christa.

Kate's pallet of pale colors brightened in intensity as she seemed to finally begin to turn the corner and start feeling better towards the end of last week. Nausea seems to have come under control, strength and energy are returning a little each day. Kate continues to wrestle with the ups and downs of her sodium levels and while the sodium returned to normal levels at the end of last week, this Monday's labs showed that it has dropped again. We will continue to run 8 hours of IV fluids each night and re-check labs next Monday morning, hoping to find the sodium has stabilized once and for all. Kate had her first session of physical therapy yesterday. We hope that in the coming weeks we'll see evidences of strength returning to her leg muscles.

Because she is feeling better, Kate is once again delving into the normalcy of life. She has finally had the energy to begin working on school work and summer assignments, writing a paper this weekend for the AP English class she will be in this fall. Kate has been so excited to have energy to put into the next phase of her senior project. Her project is called "Blankets of Hope". Her project is to give the oncology patients at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh the gift of a fleece blanket to provide warmth and comfort during the treatment time. Last night we placed gift tags on the first 258 of over 700 blankets which we will deliver to the hospital on Friday. Kate has put so much energy and thought into this project and is so excited to bless the other oncology patients with this special gift.

Again, thank you for praying along side of us through the past few weeks. Through answers to the prayers you lifted on our behalf, those dreary colored days always had threads of the bright, warm colors of God's grace and love woven through them.

Only by grace,
Elaine

June: A Tapestry of Colors

Kate's Pallet of Colors

The colors of Kate's pallet over the past two weeks have faded into paler shades interspersed with some dreary shades of grey. While the three weeks of Kate's radiation passed pretty smoothly, it made its effects known over these last two weeks. Nausea entered the picture taking Kate's appetite with it and fatigue has kept Kate sleeping much of the day. The nausea increased in intensity this past week and the anti nausea medication seemed to make little impact. Tuesday night after an 11pm dose of anti nausea meds, Kate was woken from her sleep at 1:15, 3:20 and 5:30 with heaves. The next day we added decadron (a steroid) to her mix of meds in hopes of alleviating the nausea. Kate had labs done locally three times this week to keep an eye on her counts and her electrolytes. Kate's sodium dropped below normal, so last night we added 8 hours of IV fluids for each night of the weekend. We'll repeat labs again on Monday morning, hoping that the sodium is back at a normal level.

Despite the grey days and discouragement of feeling badly again, God faithfully sprinkled His gold into the pale shades of Kate's color pallet. Kate's gentle and loving spirit shone as we did Maggie's room make over. While she didn't have the energy or strength to participate to the extent that she would have liked, she sat on the floor and did the "cutting in" for the color of each wall. Kate gets so much joy out of doing things for others. With Kate's energy low, we've enjoyed some restful, quiet family movie nights, cuddling on the couch. Over the last couple of days Kate seems to have improved somewhat. Thursday had a bright spot when Kate announced that she was hungry for her favorite "Texas Road House" meal. Our Texas Road House gift card was a special and meaningful gift from someone who had also journeyed the cancer road and who knew first hand the fun of actually feeling hungry and wanting something really good to eat. Kate has also continued to enjoy getting out and sharing in celebrating her friends' graduation parties.

The colors of my heart faded as well over the past two weeks. It's so hard to watch Kate struggle and not feel well and feel helpless because I can't do anything to make her feel better. I felt so drained emotionally and physically.
I long to carry this burden for her. How I treasure the family movie nights with Kate resting her head on my shoulder and Maggie holding Gracie beside us.

Please pray that our summer will be one of renewal physically, emotionally and spiritually for all three of us. The last few months have made us a bit weary. Kate had hopes of a summer mission trip but with the encounters over the last two months with various viruses and the side effects of radiation, we've decided this summer is not the best timing. We do, however, hope to get away a bit and enjoy some quiet, peaceful, rest and relaxation.

As always we are forever grateful for you faithfully carrying us in prayer to the throne of grace.

Embraced by grace,
Elaine