A Year Ago

Monday~
It was a year ago today that Kate had the MRI that revealed the tumors up and down her spine and we were once again actively engaged in the battle against cancer. It's been a challenging year. We could not have traveled this road without the help, support and endless encouragement of you, our wonderful family and friends. Thank you for walking beside us in prayer every step of the way and for storming the gates of heaven with your pleas on Kate's behalf during the acute, intense days of treatment and the long, tedious days of recovery. There were difficult days that it was only the strength of God's arms carrying us and your prayers lifting us that we were able to navigate the day. Daily we are reminded that God's mercies are new every morning and His grace is sufficient for all the day holds. We are confident that God is in control of this battle and He is our source of hope. We have seen miracles and God's incredible, amazing grace gifts in every day. We embrace each new day remembering..."Each day of life is a precious gift from God" ~Charles Spurgeon

Kate had an exceptional weekend. She has given the past three days a 10 on the scale of feeling good!! For those of you that have spent time in the hospital or dealing with an ongoing health condition, you know that the medical world often measures pain, etc. on a scale of 1-10. While Kate has grown tired of the 1-10 scale, it was with a confident smile that she gave these three days a big 10!! Nausea free, eating well, increased stamina and strength, the need for naps gone, Kate was able to be out and about, driving, socializing and finishing up her senior project. Feeling good and being able to do normal things is a gift that Kate does not take for granted. She is very intentional about making every moment count and not wanting to waste a moment of energy. We are incredibly grateful for the change and improvement. Thank you for praying her past the radiation somnolence and nausea. She's a different girl than she was two weeks ago. We re-started physical therapy(PT) last Thursday. After two weeks of being in bed sleeping most of the day, she had lost all ground gained in strength and balance from the first two sessions of PT. Counts this morning showed that platelets had crept up a tiny bit higher to 50. She's holding her own and will not need a transfusion this week. Thank you for continuing to pray for Kate's on going recovery and that she will be able to start school strong, and experience her senior year and all that goes with it to the fullest extent.

Only by grace,
Elaine