Dillon's Dialogue

Maggie Spring Dance and RHS Homecoming2011

2011-12-07T11:41:00.004-05:00

Blessings on the mountain tops and valleys

2011-11-26T10:14:00.000-05:00

Blessings on the mountain tops and in the valleys…

Much has happened since our last blog update in May. Our journey over the course of the past months has been one that has found us rejoicing on the mountain tops and being carried by God’s grace and strength in the valleys.

May 18^th my Dad began a journey with cancer, which by God’s grace, he only had to endure one month. Dad’s illness caught us totally off guard with little to no warning. Dad was always the picture of health, active on the golf course and around the yard, vibrant and full of life. It began with some stomach pain, initially thought to be gallbladder, but tests revealed otherwise. The disease progressed so quickly, that surgery and treatment were not options. The best the doctors could determine was that it was likely stomach cancer. On June 18^th, the day before Father’s Day, Dad walked into heaven healed and whole. While we miss him terribly, we are thankful that he only suffered a short time. As many close friends and family know, I’ve been a Daddy’s girl all my life. How thankful I am that I had such a loving Dad who by his actions, and words, pointed me towards God, my heavenly Father.

In the midst of Dad’s diagnosis and Kate’s recovery from her hip fracture and surgery, I was finishing my teaching placement in 6^th grade, as well as, my graduate courses necessary to complete my teaching certificate. I know without a doubt that it was God’s strength that carried me through those challenging weeks as I finished up my coursework. In June I began the interview process with our school district. At the first interview I learned that they were interviewing 30 candidates for the two teaching positions that I was qualified for. When I was invited back for a second interview, I knew it was absolutely a God gift. The second interview, at which there were ten candidates, was just two days after my Dad died. It was truly God’s grace that carried me through and got me invited back for the third and final interview. There were five of us who interviewed at the last interview for the two positions. Knowing the high caliber of the other candidates going into the interview, my hopes were wavering. When the administration offered me the job, I burst into tears. God had worked still another miracle in my life! I am teaching fifth grade math, science and social studies, as well as, one class of 6^th grade social studies. I feel incredibly blessed… I love my job and have wonderful students.

I can’t believe I am the mother of two seniors. Kate returned to Malone the end of August to begin her senior year. She is still walking with a walker due to weak muscles in her legs, as well as, balance issues. Mid-September respiratory stuff was running rampant everywhere. Maggie and I had it at home and Kate came down with it at school. Kate’s was more intense and her symptoms became more acute, to the point that on a Sunday afternoon I drove to Ohio to get her and take her to the ER to be checked. CT scan showed pneumonia. Given her history, the doctors decided it was best to treat her at Children’s. Because she was dehydrated her blood pressured dropped very low so the ER doctors determined they would be more comfortable transferring her there by helicopter. After four days in the hospital, Kate came home for another week until she was finally strong enough to return to school. We are thankful that she is healthy again and working to catch up from her two week absence and looking for a placement for her Social Work internship.

Maggie danced in her last dance recital in June. She did a beautiful job. With her AP classes and many extra-curricular activities we determined dance would have to be put on the back burner for this school year. Maggie hopes, however, to find a college where she can continue dancing as a minor or extra-curricular activity. Maggie spent a month in Costa Rica this summer. God worked in her and through her as she taught kindergarten, first and second grade students. Her senior year is flying by all too quickly. She is busy and on the go all the time. Maggie was surprised and honored to be voted on Homecoming court. She was teary at the reality that Pappy was no longer here to escort her, as he did Kate, but was thrilled when our family friend, Gary traveled from Kentucky to escort her at the football game. Cross country season recently ended and Maggie is excited to begin practicing her part as Hodel in this year’s musical, “Fiddler on the Roof”. We’ve made several road trips to visit colleges and will visit one more this week as Maggie seeks the best fit for her to study elementary and special education.

We ended the summer with a trip to Annapolis to visit our friends Jim and Sue. A trip to the D.C. Holocaust museum was a highlight of the trip for Kate. We also enjoyed a good visit with my brother Kurt and his family in Mechanicsburg.

We are anticipating a family trip to Costa Rica this summer. Our church will take a team and there will be opportunities for each of us to serve there. I am looking forward to doing some training with the teachers who work at the Christian school there. The year is flying and before we know it 2012 will be here and we will soon be celebrating two graduations. The coming months will be busy, fun and full. Reflecting back and looking forward, we can only stand amazed at God’s hand at work in our lives. We are grateful for grace and the blessing and promise of His faithfulness on the mountain tops and in the valleys both in the past and in the months to come.

Maggies Jr. Prom 2011

2011-05-31T09:29:00.004-05:00

Maggie’s junior prom was May 13th. True to form, Maggie embraced the whole experience from start to finish with enthusiasm and excitement. Dress shopping was so much fun and as you can see by the pictures Maggie chose a dress that so fits her personality… vibrant, fun and colorful. It’s always fun to watch our sweats and T-shirt loving Maggie get dressed up and look so beautiful. When Bryson, her date, arrived to pick her up in his Dad’s 1976 Maverick, Maggie was thrilled! They enjoyed a wonderful evening together.

Forever God is with Us

2011-05-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

Once again it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog. The last couple of months have been extremely busy sprinting to the finish line to complete the work for my teaching certificate. Tuesday I officially completed my 12 week teaching placement in sixth grade. I completed my graduate courses a few weeks ago and last week was my final observation by my mentor. I’m thrilled and thankful to have finished this process. I know without a doubt it was only by God’s grace and strength that I was able to pass the intense entrance exams into the program and juggle the work load of the graduate courses and classroom placement.

In the midst of finals the last week of April, Kate fell and injured her leg.
Following an x-ray in the ER in Ohio, the radiologist determined the femoral neck was fractured and she would need surgery. He felt the pain was too severe for a car ride and had Kate transferred by ambulance to Children’s Hospital in Pgh., where they did a CT scan to assure there was no tumor cause for the bone break. Both the OH and the Pgh. docs indicated this is the type of injury you see in elderly ladies with osteoporosis. Due to Kate's high doses of steroids, chemo and radiation her bones are very soft. Surgery went well and three screws were used to repair the hip fracture. Kate has neuropathy in both legs (nerve damage from cancer treatment) so her right leg is not strong either. She is using a walker to get around and a wheel chair for distance at this point. She was not to put weight on her leg for a month. It has been a bit of a challenge in that Kate's upper body and right leg are not strong, but they will be by the time she is recovered as she uses them to compensate for the left leg. As always Kate handles all with out complaint. Monday we saw the surgeon for a follow up visit. He was pleased with the healing thus far. She will continue using the walker for the next six weeks and is now allowed to put 15-20 pounds of weight on her leg. She is doing 3 on-line courses this summer, so that will be perfect for her recovery time. She still has one final to make up, but Malone has said just to contact them when she is ready. We are incredibly thankful for answered prayer and God’s care all along the way. Kate had the head of the department as her surgeon and an excellent anesthesiologist and a smooth surgery. We would be grateful for your continued prayers for a full recovery, and that the blood flow to the site would not become occluded (20-25%) chance which would manifest itself after about three months. Maggie has been an incredible help during Kate’s recovery. She has had such a servant heart and has cared for and assisted Kate so lovingly and patiently. We are thankful for the prayers, meals, phone calls, gifts and cards sent to bless us during this little bend in the road. It’s both the little and big challenges in life that grow our dependence on God, and claim the song words: “Forever God is faithful, forever God is strong, forever God is with us, forever!”

Fabulous at Fifty

2011-04-18T10:28:00.001-05:00

What a wonderful birthday celebration I enjoyed. Fifty is Fabulous!! As one of my former high school teachers wrote in my card…“It’s only a number”. I could not have felt more loved with all the expressions of love and special wishes sent my way.

The celebration began at school on Friday. My sixth graders were so much fun. One of my students with the help of her mom and sister baked cupcakes to celebrate with the class. The kids secretly sent a card around the classroom to sign for me while I was teaching and delighted in the fact that Mrs. Dillon didn’t even know. The class’s gift to me was a “no homework” coupon – which I was happy to put to use for the weekend! I gave the students an opportunity to guess my age and one sweet little girl guessed “21” – she got an A for the day, while one of my fun-loving boys said “64 ½” – he got a zero for the day. Lunch that day came as a big surprise when my co-teacher prepared a wonderful lunch for all of the 6^th grade teachers to enjoy together.

The birthday festivities continued through the weekend with my brother, Kurt and his daughter Megan arriving. Kurt was born on my sixth birthday. It is always special when we can celebrate together. Kate and Maggie began Saturday by taking me out for breakfast. The day continued with a fun family birthday dinner at Ichiban. Much to my surprise the girls had schemed and invited two of my dear heart friends and their husbands to join us. Then it was back to our house for cake and a wonderful evening visiting with friends and family.

The biggest surprise was yet to come when everyone had left. The girls said Mom, now we want to give you the gift you are going to like the most…but it’s going to make you cry. It was then that they presented me with a shopping bag full of cards and birthday wishes. My heart was touched and truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and birthday wishes expressed by dear friends and family from around the world. The girls were right, the card shower did make me cry as we sat together for over an hour with me reading and enjoying the cards, notes, emails and wishes so many of you sent my way. Thank you to each of you for making my 50^th truly fabulous!

The celebration did not end that weekend. The next week the girls from the flower shop arrived with pizza for dinner and we celebrated together. Last weekend two of my childhood friends took me to Pittsburgh to Phipps Conservatory to the spring flower show. We enjoyed breakfast out and glorious day of sunshine and gorgeous flowers at their peak. The three of us celebrated our total of 150 years and a lifetime of friendship!

As I reflect over my 50 years God has shown me so many things. I continue to be amazed by His grace and overwhelmed by his faithfulness in our lives. How grateful I am that His plan included choosing each friend and family member in my life. You each are a gift to me and I thank God daily for the countless people He has placed in my life, whether for a season or a lifetime. You have journeyed beside us through life’s joys, as well as, the trials. I am blessed beyond belief by your “presence” in my life!

GUYS and DOLLS

2011-03-21T09:36:00.005-05:00

Maggie and John ~ Havana Dancers
Maggie and Billy (Nathan Detroit ) Streets of New York City
I Love you a "BUSHEL and a PECK" ~ HOT BOX DANCER
Maggie as "Agatha" ~ Save A Soul Missionary

The high school musical, Guys and Dolls was fabulous! Maggie was certainly in her element and loved every moment as she sang and danced her way across the stage. Unfortunately she caught a virus that had been working its way through the cast, so she was sick the entire show. You know the saying... "The show must go on." She would not hear of staying at home and gave it everything she had, despite the fact that the only thing she was able to keep down for four days was Gatorade. She performed beautifully and to the observing eye no one knew how badly she felt. Maggie was delighted and felt so special when family and friends traveled from Maryland, Kentucky and Ohio to see her perform. Now that the musical is over, it's time to focus on finishing her hours behind the wheel and the classroom portion of driver's ed so she can take her test. Then it will be May and time for the prom!

The week of the musical Kate was at home for spring break. It's always a joy to have her at home. She spoiled me by taking over the kitchen for the week and trying out some new recipes on us. Kate's load is very heavy this semester and she and I are trying to cheer each other on through this intense time in our class work. Yes, I too am back in school and working on two graduate courses, as well as, a twelve week teaching placement in sixth grade. Crazy, busy days, but by June I hope to have my teaching certificate.

We continue to be amazed by God's grace and are incredibly thankful for His goodness and faithfulness in our lives.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!! 2011

2011-01-02T16:22:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!! We trust that you and yours enjoyed a wonderful and blessed Christmas. 2010 was a busy but blessing filled year for the Dillon girls. We marvel at the evidences of God's faithfulness, grace and mercy in our lives each day. The words of one of Chris Tomlin's newest songs capture so well our overwhelming sense of awe in the faithfulness of our God. "I lift my hands to believe again. You are my refuge. You are my strength. As I pour out my heart, these things I remember. You are faithful, God, forever. Let faith arise!"

We received the best Christmas present of all on December 20th with Kate's clear MRI scan. We rejoice and celebrate God's goodness and His continued hand print of healing on Kate and the miracle of her life. Despite a tough course load this semester in her Social Work major, Kate had her best semester thus far academically. It is truly God's grace which allowed her to triumph over the learning/processing difficulties, residual effects of her treatment.

Miss Maggie is loving learning to drive far more than I like being in the passenger seat!! Her junior year of high school is going well. During Christmas break they began practices for this year's musical Guys and Dolls. She is a dance captain this year and also has a small speaking part. She thrives on the singing, dancing and drama. As much as she sings the songs from the musical and dances around the house, we are sure to know the songs as well, by show time in March.

We enjoyed many special visits along the way in 2010 with friends and family both far and near. Whether by email, blog, phone or personal visits we are grateful that we can keep in touch despite the distance that separates us. Wishing you a 2011 filled with the gift of God's love, the blessing of the hope we have because of Him and the promise of His peace!

Homecoming 2010

2010-10-11T17:38:00.004-05:00

RHS Homecoming 2010

2010-10-11T17:36:00.000-05:00

It's just so much fun to raise girls and get to watch them dress up for special dances and events through their high school years. How fun it was to have enjoyed those years with Kate and now to do it for the second time around with Maggie. I always marvel when Maggie, my sweet, casual girl who loves to wear sweats and t-shirts dresses up and looks so beautiful. Kate and I have so much fun fussing over our low maintenance Maggie.... doing her hair, make up and even coaxing her to wear earrings for the occasion. It was a beautiful fall weekend and Maggie and her friend Bryson had a great time at homecoming.

Fall seems to be flying... I have been blessed with a long term sub position to start the school year. I am teaching 7th and 8th grade English for the same teacher that I did last fall. I enjoy working with middle school students and it's nice teaching the same classes that I did last year. Between fall weddings and the various high school homecomings and doing a Pittsburgh area bridal show, it's been a busy fall working at the flower shop as well.

Both girls are off to a good start in the junior years. Kate's courses this semester are really beginning to focus on her social work major. The junior year of high school is always a heavy academic load. Maggie seems ready for the challenge and is also enrolled in a college level psychology course through Penn State.

Our fall has truly been fabulous so far. I am overwhelmed by God's nearness, provision and hand upon every aspect of our lives. The words of Chris Tomlin's newest song "Our God" seem to sum up the sense of awe and wonder in my heart ...there truly is none like our God.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God…

Blessings to you and yours!

An Evening with Chris Tomlin

2010-10-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

Kate and Chris

2010-10-11T16:51:00.002-05:00

Chris Tomlin Concert

2010-10-11T16:46:00.002-05:00

Summer Happenings

2010-08-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that the summer is drawing to a close and a new school year is about to begin. I always hope that summer will be a slower pace and I will have more time to catch up with friends, put aside agendas and "to do" lists and have time to relax. While that was not the case this summer, the Dillon girls have enjoyed a good, but busy summer.

June started with Maggie's dance recital. She danced ballet and lyrical numbers and did a beautiful job! Maggie spent four weeks of her summer at Seneca Hills Bible Camp. First week out of school she went for orientation at camp for summer staff. Maggie's summer camp title was "crafty". Maggie helped direct campers who visited the craft barn. Her scope of responsibilities also included providing child care for camp staff children and guest missionaries' children. She also was responsible for some cleaning details in the administration and staff dormitory buildings. It was fun to celebrate Maggie's 16th birthday.... and we did so at least three times, with family and friends at various locations. A special birthday present for Maggie was a long weekend in Tennessee with our dear friends Charlie, Teresa and Rachel. Maggie had a wonderful time and was spoiled royally! Between her weeks working at camp and assisting with teaching summer dance classes for little girls at her dance studio, Maggie has been studying her questions and will soon be taking her test for her driving permit. Maggie has decided not to run cross country this season, but hopes to keep some running in her schedule just to stay in shape for track in the spring. School begins again August 31st, so Maggie will be squeezing as much as she can into the next couple of weeks.

Kate successfully completed her on line philosophy course at the beginning of summer. The rest of the summer Kate has delighted in reading books of her choice for pleasure. Kate's official work for the summer was PT twice a week and working on strengthening her weak leg muscles. She was also blessed with a little part time job helping an elderly couple in our church several evenings a week. Summer is also a good time for the significant time it takes at Children's Hospital for check ups and monitoring several of Kate's ongoing health related issues that are residuals from her intensive chemo and radiation treatments. Our check up with Endocrine and her yearly ACTH test confirmed that we must continue to treat the adrenal insufficiency. Her adrenal gland has shown only a slight increment of improvement. Her endocrine blood work also diagnosed hypothyroidism, caused by damage to the thyroid as a result of radiation. She has begun taking synthroid to address this issue. Our hope is that with this we will see a decrease in Kate's fatigue level. When Kate saw her oncologist in June, she commented that she had hoped Kate's walking/gait would have shown some improvement. Last Monday we addressed this issue...Kate had an EMG - nerve conduction test to see if there has been any improvement in the nerve damage (resulting from her cancer treatment). Those of you who have experienced an EMG know that this is not a pleasant experience. It involves electric stimulation (like little shocks) and a needle probe to test nerve activity at various points on her body. When the EMG was complete, Kate texted a friend and said "the torture is over", yet she handled it all with grace and not a complaint. In comparing Kate's test results today with the EMG done in January 2009, we were glad to learn that some healing is taking place in some of the nerves, but disappointed to discover that some damage is still occurring. The good news is that there is more healing occurring than the ongoing damage. The neurologist explained that nerve regeneration is extremely slow. She affirmed keeping up with the PT to prevent more atrophy to Kate's weakened leg muscles that are not being stimulated by healthy nerves. Likewise, good nutrition is essential to repairing her nerves. An evaluation in audiology revealed the hearing in Kate's right ear has dropped off a little more. The audiologist tweaked her hearing aid to compensate for this additional loss and we are thankful the for no change in the left ear. Kate's classes begin again August 30th.

My summer started with a much needed time away in Colorado visiting my dear friends Debbie and Tom. I came back feeling much relaxed and refueled ready to jump in to a busy summer. I have been working at my friend's flower shop during the summer wedding season. I call this my "therapy job" as I enjoy this creative outlet, being surrounded by the beautiful flowers and the sweet fellowship I enjoy with the girls at the shop. In addition, I have been tutoring and taught 6th grade summer school. While I've felt like I've caught myself coming and going it has been a blessing to have these work opportunities for the summer when I am not subbing. As the summer comes to a close we have several special events on our calendar. We will be traveling to Kentucky for a long weekend to visit some dear family friends. It will be wonderful to enjoy some time away and to share sweet fellowship and laughter with our friends. Another highlight in these last few weeks of summer will be a night out on the town in Pittsburgh. When Kate's cancer reoccurred in 2006, we received an incredible Christmas blessing from a very special group of people. One of the many gifts that we received was a gift certificate to the Pittsburgh Performing Arts. For one reason or the other, most of which were scheduling issues, we have not yet used the tickets. When we heard at the beginning of summer that Phantom would be making it's last run in Pittsburgh this summer, we knew that was the show we wanted to see. We are thrilled to be going to see Phantom of the Opera. The end of September one of Kate's dreams will come true when we attend the Chris Tomlin concert in Pittsburgh. Kate has long been a fan of Chris Tomlin's music and some of you may remember that through the networking efforts of our dear friend Bob, Chris learned of Kate's cancer journey and back in 2007 wrote her a personal note of encouragement and dedicated one of the songs on his CD to Kate. In March of 2007 while Kate was in the hospital for her stem cell rescue, she learned that my brother Kurt was going to a Chris Tomlin concert for his 40th birthday. Unbeknownst to Uncle Kurt and Aunt Tina, Kate contacted Chris and his team and surprised her uncle even further with back stage passes to meet Chris after the concert. At that time, Kate told Chris that she wished that it was her coming to the concert, but that one day when he came to our area, she would be sure to be there.... and so that dream is about to come true!

While blog updates are few and far between these days, you our family and friends are always on our hearts and many of you are prayed for regularly by the Dillon girls. We thank you for your continued care, concern and prayers for us. How thankful we are that at some point in time, God allowed our lives and paths to cross with yours. While time may pass and the distance between us is great, our hearts are forever joined by His love.

Kate's MRI Update

2010-06-04T09:35:00.001-05:00

Praise the Lord !!! Kate's MRI was good !!!
Thanks so much once again for ALL your prayers .

"Catching up with the Dillon Girls"

2010-05-13T12:33:00.001-05:00

It seemed like spring would never come with all the snow we saw this winter, but it's finally arrived

and we have plunged head first into one activity after another. We rejoice that while life is too busy

at times, we are enjoying a healthy, normalcy of life that we wondered if we would ever regain

in the midst of Kate's cancer journey.

Kate arrived home May 4th and is glad to have finals behind her and be home for the summer. She had a

good sophomore year at Malone. She has an on going struggle with the short term memory and the

processing issues resulting from the high dose chemo and radiation. Although she puts a tremendous amount of

time and energy into her studies and typically ends up with a C. This is so different for Kate, who was an

A student in high school. She doesn't complain and perseveres when others of us might have given up. She

amazes me with the grace with which she walks. C's are a minor trade off in comparison to the gift of life Kate

has been given. The support services at Kate's school and her professors have been great about meeting

her educational accommodations for testing and have been extremely supportive and encouraging to her.

Kate began a philosophy course on line this week. Next week she will begin doing weekly PT and continue

through out the summer to work on her gait and balance issues and to strengthen her leg muscles.

Kate's next MRI is June 3rd. We are as always grateful for your prayers once again as we

go for this scan.

Beauty and the Beast consumed most of Maggie's time through mid-March. The show was great!

Musical and track overlapped for a couple hectic weeks and now track season is winding down so that

Maggie can then focus on preparing for her dance recital. Another fun part of Maggie's spring was attending

MORP (prom spelled backwards). The girls have to ask the guys and it's usually a fun theme. This year's

theme was Disney. Maggie and her friend Bryson attended as Esmeralda and Quasimodo from Hunchback

of Notre Dame. Maggie is really excited about her plans for the summer. She will be working this summer at

Seneca Hills Bible Camp - about 1 hour 45 min. from here. She will only work 3-4 weeks of the summer at

different points as the camp directors believe high school students should still have the opportunity to vacation

with their families and do missions trips, etc. She will be doing crafts and child care. She's thrilled! I was very

impressed with the program directors and their emphasis on discipling their staff, as they serve for the summer.

Maggie is counting the days until she turns 16 on July 13th.... oh my, another summer of teaching a daughter to drive!!

I am so very thankful for steady substituting throughout the school year. This summer I will be once again be

tutoring and working with our district's summer school program. Last weekend our church hosted an all day

Beth Moore simulcast that was televised to over 300,000 women in over 800 churches around the country. I

have been participating in Beth Moore Bible studies for the past five years. Each one has touched my life and

impacted my spiritual journey. As always God blessed through Beth's teaching and it was fun knowing of friends

in other states participating in the same study at the time as I was here in PA. This was a huge event with women

coming from all over the surrounding area. It was a blessing to cross paths with several friends from my college days,

who I have not seen in years. The girls and I are looking forward to a busy, fast paced summer together. We are

looking forward to some visits from dear friends along the way and hoping in the midst of a busy summer to get away for

some rest and refuel before heading back to school in the fall.

Several people that I've talked to lately have commented that there has not been a blog update for a while.

So in addition to the written update attached are some photos to capture the events of the past few

months so you can "see" what's been happening in our lives. We remain grateful for each of you, your

faithful prayers and how you have journeyed beside us over these past years. We continue to be amazed

by God's infinite grace and faithfulness in our lives as He cares and provides for us above what we could ever imagine.

New Year Reflections from a Winter Wonderland of Snow

2010-02-08T10:46:00.001-05:00

The prediction was for 6-8 inches, but we ended up with a winter wonderland of 18 inches plus. The mass of whiteness surrounding us shut down life for most of Saturday as everyone began digging out of what some folks say was the fourth worst winter storm in Pennsylvania history. The winds caused drifting blocking my garage with snow as high as the top of my legs. It would have taken me at least a day to dig out of the back drive way. God truly amazes me with his provision and care of even the littlest of details our lives. A high school freind, who I haven't seen since our reunion in September, stopped by and pulled out his shovel to join my parents and me shoveling the front drive. He was out and about helping friends out and helping his brother with plowing near by. I asked him if he thought his brother would be able to plow out my back drive. Sure enough as we began digging out behind the garage door, his brother drove in and they made an all afternoon task a 30 minute job. What a tremendous gift and blessing!!

Being snowed in also provided me some time to put together a blog update... As we begin a new year we look back at 2009 with grateful hearts. It was another year filled with daily reminders of God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives. Some of the brightest points of the year for us were the special visits we enjoyed with family and friends. Friends visited from Kansas, Tennessee and China via Tennessee. Memorial Day Weekend was a fun time with family in the mountains of eastern Pennsylvania and Labor Day weekend the girls and I enjoyed a most memorable trip to Annapolis, Maryland to visit with friends. How grateful I am for the heart ties God establishes with friends that endure the miles and years that separate us. The visits we shared with family and dear friends were so special for Kate, Maggie and me – true treasures of our year.

One of the high points of 2009 for Maggie was being a principal dancer in her high school’s performance of “Grease”. Maggie, our perpetual motion girl, was in her element with the dancing, singing and drama of "Grease". She could hardly wait to get back to school after Christmas break and begin rehearsing for her role as a principal dancer in this year’s musical “Beauty and the Beast”. While Maggie is always pretty enthusiastic and positive about all of life, the low point of 2009 for her was being sidelined for her entire cross country season, with the equivalent of a stress fracture in her hip. With the onset of winter track and the musical we are thankful for the healing of her injury and that she is once again running and dancing free of pain. With Kate away at school Maggie and I have had special opportunities for one on one time together. I love Maggie’s spirit for living. She brings so much laughter and joy to my life with her high energy, passion, drama and enthusiasm for all of life.

Kate had her best semester yet at Malone University this past fall. She is embracing college life and able to enjoy the experience so much more this year. She has been blessed with fabulous suite mates and friends. Maggie and I had a good time planning a surprise birthday party for Kate with her suite mates. The look of surprise on Kate’s face was priceless when we walked into her suite with cake and a Mexican feast of fajitas and tacos. She and her friends enjoyed the home cooked meal and a few hours of diversion from studying for finals. I could not be more proud of Kate. She has persevered through all she has been through with such grace. She never complains about anything associated with the residuals that have resulted from her treatment. The processing difficulties are impacting her studies, making her sign language class her biggest challenge. She is learning new study skills and is learning to advocate for herself and use some of the adaptations that are allowed for her in education plan. She is one amazing young woman and I thank God every day that she is alive and truly living life to the fullest. The leg pain that Kate began experiencing before Thanksgiving was scary and stressful for us all, as we all recalled that was how her cancer reoccurrence began in 2006. We received the best Christmas present of all on December 21st when Kate had a clear MRI. We continue to rejoice and are so very grateful for this amazing grace gift from God.

I continue to substitute teach in our school district. I was blessed with two back to back long term subbing positions that carried me through Thanksgiving. How thankful I am for the consistent work teaching. God is so good to provide for our every need. One of the highlights of 2009 for me was the incredibly gracious gift from friends of an Alaskan Cruise. The trip was a fabulous experience filled with the incredible beauty and majesty of God’s creation in Alaska. What a perfectly timed gift – a much needed time of rest and relaxation. One of my biggest challenges is juggling time. While life is busier than I would like it to be, I am thankful that God faithfully provides the health and strength to walk or on some days race through each day.

If you still follow our blog, I’m sure you have noticed that the updates are few and far between these days. I hope to continue to provide periodic news of the Dillon girls, but remember, like the old saying “no news is good news”. We are grateful for friends and family both near and far who continue to journey beside us in thought and prayer. You, our family and friends, are often on our hearts and in our prayers. May the love, joy and peace of God fill your hearts and homes as you journey through 2010.

With love,

Elaine, Kate and Maggie

Kate's MRI

2009-12-22T09:56:00.001-05:00

We received the best Christmas present today when we learned that Kate's MRI was clear. We are rejoicing and oh so very grateful for this amazing grace gift from God. Thank you so much for interceding on our behalf. In answer to the prayers of family and friends, God so lovingly and graciously enveloped us in His peace. While Kate was in the MRI I re-read some portions of my favorite devotional book God Calling by A.J. Russell. This devotional is written as though God is speaking directly to the reader. One passage in particular stood out boldly to me today...

I am here. Fear not. Can you really trust Me?
I am a God of Power as well as a Man of Love, so human, yet so divine.
Just trust. I cannot, and I will not fail you. All is well.
Courage. Many are praying for you both.

As I read this passage I could not help but say thank you Lord - what perfectly timed words of assurance and a vivid reminder of the many prayers being offered up on our behalf.

Kate has been experiencing pain in the upper thigh of her right leg for about a month now. Given that leg pain was the symptom that led to the diagnosis of her cancer reoccurrence in 2006, you can imagine that there was a certain degree of concern and anxiety for today's MRI results. The MRI was long as usual and we did not leave Magee Hospital until 11:45. (Our appointment with Kate's neuro oncologist was at 11:00). Thus, when we finally got to Children's about 12:15 they told us to grab some lunch and Dr. Jakacki would see us at 1:15 when she returned from Tumor Board which meets every Monday from 12:00- 1:00. This was perfect timing as they would be able to review Kate's scan together. However, much to our disappointment and Dr. Jakacki's frustration when she came in to see Kate at 1:45, the scan had still not been sent from the other hospital to be read by the radiologist at Children's. Kate had her neuro exam and we discussed the pain in her right leg extensively and still no MRI results. Dr. Jakacki is a pretty feisty for her petite blonde stature and she left the exam room determined to get the MRI report. Not surprisingly she came back with the news we were all praying for... the MRI was clear! Given the leg pain is not tumor based, we will begin addressing the pain with Kate begin PT tomorrow and also see a chiropractor.

As we enter this week of Christmas our hearts are rejoicing that we are loved by a God who was and is and always will be faithful. Like the virgin, Mary our souls magnify the Lord for He has done great things!

Amazed by grace,
Elaine

Kate & Maggie Fall 2009

2009-10-29T10:31:00.001-05:00

At long last a blog update...

2009-10-29T10:23:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that the last time I updated the blog was in July after Kate’s last MRI. From that point on the summer just seemed to whirl away. Life has been busier than I would like it to be, but that is the stage of life we are in right now. I am thankful that God faithfully provides the health and strength to walk or on some days race through each day.

The past few months have held special moments with face to face visits with friends. How grateful I am for the heart ties God establishes with friends that endure the miles and years that separate us. August brought a visit from our sweet friend Dee Anne, who worked in China with us for two years, and her dear parents Bob and Sandie. We have known Bob and Sandie since our first year in China (1995). The time we shared together was so special for Kate, Maggie and me – a true treasure of our summer.

Kate, Maggie and I made a trip to Annapolis, MD Labor Day weekend for our friends, Tom and Debbie’s, son Eric’s wedding. What a beautiful weekend and wonderful celebration. What a journey life is…I so well remember Eric’s infant and toddler daysJ The weekend in Maryland was memorable on every level. I was able to catch up with two of my dear teacher friends. We also enjoyed visiting the church we were a part of in Maryland and catching up with friends there. Our friends Jim and Sue spoiled us with their gracious hospitality and served us Maryland’s finest crab cakes and silver queen corn! A long delicious lunch provided the perfect time for visiting with other special friends… Jack and Libby, Ruth and Jim and Sue’s daughter, Gina, who I taught when she was in middle school, now married with a new baby. I am reminded of how the years have flown, seeing those I once knew as children getting married and having families.

The week we returned from Annapolis we had still another special visit to look forward to…. Our dear friends of many years… Charlie and Teresa rode into town on their motorcycle making us a stop on their road trip to the north east. It’s amazing how much heart time and sharing you can pack into an overnight visit. My heart was filled and refreshed by the laughter and heart time we shared together.

Still another opportunity for reconnecting with friends, was at my 30^th high school class reunion. I was involved in the organizing and planning of this event. Everyone enjoyed the time to meet and catch up on each other’s lives. I have been so blessed over the past few years to reconnect with the group of girls that I grew up with in my neighborhood. After years with me being out of the country, they reconnected with me and walked along side of me through Kate’s illness. Childhood friendships that have endured the years…what a gift!

October blessed us with a week long visit from our dear friend Sandy. The girls and I loved every moment of our time together with Sandy. Sandy's visit was perfectly timed in the season, so that she enjoyed a colorful display of Pennsylvania leaves at their finest. We laughed, worked in the yard, talked, shopped, and I even took Sandy to a flower arranging class...not something she might choose, but after all... I watched tapes of basketball games with her during our China days!! How blessed we are by the gift of Sandy's friendship.

Maggie is off to a good start in her sophomore year. Late September was homecoming and she looked beautiful. It’s always fun to see our sweet, low maintenance Maggie all dressed up with makeup and jewelry. Mags has had a disappointing cross country season. She began experiencing hip pain in July. Rest did not seem to help this, so we were referred to an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed Maggie with tendonitis. His prescription for rest, and PT didn’t help the problem either. He then ordered an MRI and we learned that Maggie has significant swelling of the bone marrow of her hip, and that her injury is the equivalent of a stress fracture. The doctor curtailed all activities, no running, no dance, no gym… Maggie was understandably very disappointed. She continues to keep stats for the team and we are trusting that continued rest and time will provide healing for her injury and she will be ready for winter track by March.

Kate is also off to a great start in her sophomore year of college. She is now a Social Work major with the desire to work one day as a Child Life Specialist in a hospital. The Child Life Specialists with whom Kate related during her hospital stays made a real impact on her life. Kate is still unsteady, but stronger and is only having to rely on her scooter for long distance trips on campus. She is embracing college life and able to enjoy the experience so much more this year. Everyday I thank God for His miracle of healing in Kate. We still experience little hiccups along the way, like the weekend in September that I received a call from Kate’s suite mate telling me that Kate had fallen on their way to dinner and hit her head, and that because she couldn’t even remember the fall, that they were taking her to the hospital. You can imagine the anxious feelings that came over me, as I got in the car and drove the hour and forty minutes to the hospital near campus. By the time I got there the ER doctor had the results of the CT scan and there was no head trauma, but definitely a concussion. He indicated that Kate was very disoriented when she arrived at the hospital but that in the time she was there she improved significantly. I did bring her home for the weekend, so that I could monitor her for the first 24 hours after the concussion. She still does not remember falling or getting to the hospital. Once again, God’s hand of protection was on Kate.

I continue to substitute teach in our school district. This year I expanded my range from K-8 to include high school as well. Subbing days have been consistent this semester, for which I am thankful.

Please know that while my blog updates are few, you our family and friends are often on my heart and in my prayers. I am grateful for those of you who are near by and journey beside us helping me in many ways and for all of you who are long distance who carry us in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you for being there, and for your love, care and concern for us.

Blessings,

Elaine

Glory to God !!!

2009-07-21T07:13:00.001-05:00

Our hearts are bursting with joy with still another clear MRI for Kate today!!! Thank you so much for praying us through our very long day. The scan lasted about two and a half hours - a little quicker than usual. Kate's oncologist was very pleased with the results and with the fact that there were no issues that we needed to address during her checkup. She about knocked me over when she said we will wait six months before doing another MRI!! We were thrilled and floated out of the hospital. God is faithful and continues to leave us standing in awe at His amazing grace! Kate's unsteady walking and balance while improved somewhat, remain an issue. The doctor wrote a script for some physical therapy and also wants Kate to see a chiropractor for the huge muscle knots in her shoulder probably caused by these muscles over compensating for weakness of other groups of muscles. Today's DEXA scan will provide the endocrine specialist with a baseline for future monitoring of Kate's bone density. Last week's ACTH test revealed little improvement in Kate's adrenal function. The endocrine specialist feels the adrenal insufficiency will improve with time and the continued maintenance dose of cortef. Kate will need to wear a medic alert bracelet to alert medical care givers to this condition, should she get hurt and become sick. Thank you again for so faithfully journeying beside us in prayer. God has done great things and we are filled with joy!

Happy 15th Birthday Maggie !!!

2009-07-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

Christmas in July- "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"

2009-07-14T09:46:00.005-05:00

July Already !!

2009-07-05T09:05:00.001-05:00

Where did the month of June go?!?! It seems like just yesterday we were finishing school and looking forward to the slower pace of summer. June however was another busy month packed full with activities.

Maggie, as always, had a fantastic week at church camp. She loved every minute of activity and learning. As part of a leadership group, she along with two others led one morning's devotional time. She's developing a real servant heart. Her summer mission project "Carpenter's Project" is just around the corner and she'll have many opportunities for serving in and around the community. Cross country training has started already and Maggie is running four days a week. Maggie's dance recital was wonderful. She has really grown in her dancing ability and her solo as the Sugar Plum Fairy was absolutely beautiful! She has developed her dancing skills so much that she brought tears to her teacher's eyes. Our energetic little Maggie has blossomed into a beautiful young lady - it's hard to believe she will turn 15 in two weeks.

Kate has been diligent at her studies and has completed her first on line course and started the second one. She is also persevering with working out and seems to be walking a little more steadily. While exercise is far from being Kate's favorite thing to do, she makes an effort knowing the stronger leg muscles will make getting around campus a little easier in the fall. Kate will see the endocrine specialist next week for a follow-up ACTH test to see if the cortisone has helped improve her adrenal function. As you pray please remember Kate's upcoming MRI on July 20th.

Our sweet little Grace was the focus of our attention in June. Small breed dogs like Bichons are prone to something called a luxating patella. In other words, the knee cap moves out of place. This has happened a couple of times each year and within a few days, the limping stops and she's been as good as new. This last occurrence, however, after almost a week, she was still really favoring her leg, so I took her to the vet to have it checked. He said there was a 50/50 chance it would heal and be ok until the next occurrence, but upon examining the affected leg he found some ligament/tendon damage. He said with repeated incidences down the road she would end up with arthritis in the joint. So Grace ended up knee surgery. I must confess that I've gone over the edge when it comes to being a dog person. When I left Grace at the vet for her surgery I walked away with tears in my eyes, feeling like I'd just sent my little toddler off to surgery. With the hovering, smothering nursing care of the three Dillon girls, Grace had more attention than she knew what to do with and has made a great recovery. She's back to her feisty self, getting into mischief whatever chance she gets.

June brought sadness to our hearts as we said good bye to a sweet friend who we've known on the cancer journey. Our hearts ache for her parents as they must go on with out their sweet young daughter, who at sixteen after successfully battling cancer, would lose her life to infection. It's very difficult to make sense of it, but one day we will understand why.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful red, white, and blue July 4th, filled with family, friends, fun and fireworks!

Weekend Away

2009-06-08T09:42:00.004-05:00

Memorial Day weekend was spent in eastern Pennsylvania visiting with my youngest brother and his family. It was good to get away for a weekend and enjoy time with Kurt, Tina and the kids. Our trip included fun time with family, of course a little bit of shopping and a first for the Dillon girls.... an overnight of camping at Tina's family's hunting camp. Our day and night in the great outdoors at Gobbler's Knob included some memorable firsts for Kate and Maggie including crossing the stream to the cabin on a swinging bridge and out house privileges. Under the guidance of Uncle Kurt and his father-in-law the girls got to try their trigger finger at some target practice learning to shoot a 22. Maggie donned waders and cast a fishing line for the first time. Beginners luck seemed to be with Maggie as each cast resulted in a catch, including a crayfish! The afternoon included a walk through the lush, green woods part way up the mountain. Kate was determined that she too would be a part of the climb. She worked hard, and at her own pace made it to our destination. I am so proud of the progress she is making in strengthening muscles and developing some endurance. Our stay at the cabin was complete with an evening under the stars around the camp fire making s'mores and mountain pies. What a wonderful weekend of relaxation with family and friends. I came across the following quote while we were away..."Grace describes things beyond your ability to earn or attain, gifts you can only receive from a God who lavishes them on you freely." from the book Extravagant Grace. We recognize each day is a gift and holds countless lavish expressions of God's of grace in our lives.

May Update

2009-05-19T09:55:00.001-05:00

Another month has passed since my last update. Things have continued at a steady pace but with the musical behind us and the end of track season, Maggie has actually had a chance to come up for air. For the first time in months, we've actually had an evening or two each week with nothing on the schedule!

Maggie's entire experience with "Grease" was wonderful. She recently commented that she wished there was always a musical going on! You can tell by the pictures posted previously on the blog that Maggie was having fun! This week the students from the musical will participate in the Mancini Awards. This is the "red carpet" awards for the top performances in the county. Each school participating will perform one of their numbers from their musical. Maggie begins finals next week and will finish school on June 3rd. As typical of Maggie, she'll be on the go all summer. She heads off to Jumonville, church camp, the week after school is out. Carpenter's Project, a mission project with her youth group will be in July. In the midst of all these things she'll be starting cross country training.

Kate finished her semester May 5th. Wow, she has completed her first year of college! How thankful we are for the miracle of life God has given Kate and for the way He faithfully carried her through both semesters. It's good having Kate at home. She had a few days to catch her breath and started her first of two on line courses for the summer. We've been trying to spend time at the gym a couple days a week – not that she loves it, but she endures itJ She started walking some with my mom this week. Our goal is to try and get her stronger, so that she doesn’t have to be so dependent on the scooter in the fall to get around campus. Her gait/balance is still unsteady but with the nerve damage, which resulted from the high dose chemo, that is something that will not change over night. She still handles all with grace and a positive attitude. In a recent annual check up, Kate’s endocrine specialist diagnosed her with adrenal insufficiency – he feels like this could be also contributing to her fatigue. This means Kate's adrenal gland does not respond as it should. If she gets a fever/infection we would double her medication or should she ever be in an accident she would need an injection of cortisone right away to compensate for the under production of her adrenal gland. We have tweaked Kate's medication dose and hope to see an improvement in adrenal function when we repeat her ACTH blood test in July. Kate will also have her next MRI in July.

We are enjoying the spring-like days and warmer temperatures. The newness of life displayed in the green grace and budding trees and flowers refreshes my spirit.

I love this time of year and the promise of new life it brings. Thank you for your continued prayers for our family. God answers prayer and has filled us with joy and peace and hope. We rejoice in God's goodness and faithfulness!

You asked for it -More "GREASE" pics

2009-05-19T09:40:00.007-05:00

"GREASE" is the word

2009-04-17T10:20:00.001-05:00

2009-04-02T08:58:00.000-05:00

March Madness

2009-04-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

While "March Madness" may mean following basketball and filling out brackets to many of our friends and family around the world, for the Dillon girls "March Madness" is the perfect description of the whirlwind in which the month of March flew by. I'm sure many of you can relate. It seems that life just never slows down.

For Kate and Maggie both, the month has involved writing papers and many long evenings. Juggling school work and all the other things on their plates is definitely a real balancing act. Kate's spring break provided a much needed rest and allowed her to gain back some of the strength she had lost to the virus she had the week before. Sadly, during Kate's break we learned that her high school english teacher, who had done her homebound instruction, during Kate's junior year, had lost her battle to cancer. Our hearts grieve the loss of this special woman. She had become our friend, and was also Kate's mentor for her senior project "Blankets of Hope" which provided blankets for the oncology patients at Children's Hospital. I remember less than a year ago, when Kate's teacher was diagnosed, she told us that she had been Kate's teacher, but now Kate was her teacher, as she was going to follow Kate's example of courage and grace in battling her illness. She did fight bravely... our visits and conversations together were always upbeat and positive. Our hearts ache for her family, especially her two precious little girls.

God absolutely wowed me twice last week. Kate had been a bit discouraged about working out a room mate/suite arrangement for next year. I prayed and asked God that He would work out this situation. That very day, Kate called to say that she had a gone to a dorm wide social event and that one the girls across the hall approached her and asked if she would be interested in moving into their suite as two of their roommates would be graduating. Kate was delighted and commented that it felt so good that these girls sought her ought and asked her to be a part of their suite. She enjoys these girls, as she has been a part of Bible study in their room. The other plus in this is that Kate's RD told her that they offer a few students their own room and given Kate's health and need for early nights and extra rest, she thought Kate could have one. I think it will be a blessing for Kate to be with this group of girls. Just one more month of school for Kate. It's hard to believe her freshman year in college is already drawing to a close. The second wow occurred last weekend at our friends' daughters wedding reception. God gave my heart great cause for rejoicing as Kate and I took to the dance floor and then later in the evening I looked around to find Kate dancing again. Only a week ago Kate had tearfully told me she wished she could feel like her old self again. I pray daily that God will strengthen Kate physically and renew her spirit. On the way home at that night from the wedding, Kate's comment was "It was good to feel a little more like my old self again. I wish I had felt that good at my proms." Thank you God for such specific answers to prayer!

Maggie's life is literally non-stop from the time she begins her day until she falls into bed. She can hardly wait for the musical this weekend. She has been practicing her role as a principal dancer all winter and finally after months of preparation show time is finally here for "Grease". Maggie is juggling track and musical simultaneously. Track ends at 5:00 and musical begins at 5:30. Her friends mother and I took turns delivering supper to the school so the girls could get a quick dinner in between practices. Maggie is absolutely exhausted, but loving every minute! Our "drama princess" is certainly in her element.

In addition to subbing and tutoring and helping my friend with her daughter's wedding, I've been helping out behind the scenes of the musical making silk corsages for the prom scene. I'm also overseeing an auction of gift cards from local businesses the nights of the play. Turning another year older in March, I was reminded of how blessed I am. Friends and family touched my heart with their thoughtful emails, cards flowers and gifts. In the midst of the whirl wind of the month of March, I was blessed with a very gracious gift of a trip to Colorado to share a long weekend with friends. How perfectly timed this gift was allowing a much needed time of refreshment and refueling. Reflecting upon the passing of still another year of life, my heart was encouraged by what a good year it was... one of walking by faith, growing in relationships, and continuing to trust in a most gracious and merciful God. "You are the hope living in us. You are the rock in whom we trust." Thank you God for another year of life and all the love and joy that you have poured into our lives.

Moday MRI Update

2009-02-24T08:06:00.000-05:00

Wonderful news... Kate's MRI today was good, for which we are rejoicing and thankful!! The next MRI will be in 4 months instead of 3, which is a positive step. The more time that elapses with clear scans, the doctor begins moving the scans a little further apart. Kate's flu-like symptoms are the result of a very nasty virus. She came home from school feeling bad and continued to deteriorate through the weekend - cough, severe sore throat, no appetite, vomiting, and extreme fatigue. She's feeling miserable. During our clinic visit, she received IV fluids, and an IV dose of morphine for the throat pain. This throat virus is so very painful. I had it this fall and nothing touches the pain. We did a culture for strep, but given the presentation of the symptoms it is more likely the virus. The doctor wrote a script for Tylenol with codeine and we hope that helps the pain. Kate's doctor doesn't want her to go back to school for a few days until she's feeling much better. Please continue to pray for Kate as she battles this virus.

Once again thank you for standing in the gap for us and holding us up in prayer. God's hedge of protection was definitely around us this morning as we departed in 6 inches of newly fallen snow which was still falling. Travel was slow, but about half way there it was as if we crossed a line and the snow stopped and the highway was only wet. School here was delayed. The people at the hospital, where there was only an inch or two, couldn't believe it when we told them about our morning snow storm. While there is always some degree of anxiety associated with each MRI, God's presence and peace were felt by both of us. We continue to thank God for using Kate's journey for His good and glory. Upon hearing a bit of Kate's history, the MRI technician, shared with us that tomorrow he and his wife will take their five year old son to the doctor to determine if he has lymphoma or not. We assured him of our prayers for his little boy. He proudly showed us his son's photo and so that we could put a face with his son's name as we pray.

Today was still another amazing grace day. Thank you for playing such a strategic role "on your knees" in Kate's journey. ALL GLORY TO GOD!!

MRI Monday

2009-02-22T10:44:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder that tomorrow morning, Monday, February 23rd, Kate will have an MRI. As always we are grateful for your prayers each time Kate has an MRI, which always brings some level of anxiety with it. We are to be at the hospital at 6:30 am and the scan is scheduled to begin at 7:00 am. At 10:00 we will have a check up in the clinic with Kate's oncologist. Please pray for God's presence and peace to fill Kate as she endures the long time in the tube. We are thankful for our always present God, who goes before us, goes beside us and comes behind us through each MRI.

We have enjoyed a relaxing and low key weekend. Kate has had flu-like symptoms - sore throat, cough, aching all over, so she has especially appreciated resting in the comforts of home rather than in her dorm room. Kate, Maggie and I have enjoyed being together, and had a couple of fun movie nights.

As we have shared over the years, Kate's journey has been one of amazing grace. We are all recipients of God's grace and mercy. At times I have found it impossible to comprehend or put my mind and soul around God's wondrous gift of grace. On a recent trip to Malone to get Kate, I read this quote that so perfectly articulates that grace, which embraces and carries us through life.

"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us." Anne Lamott

Only by grace,
Elaine

EMG Test

2009-01-14T13:34:00.000-05:00

Last week Kate and I spent the greater part of Wednesday in Pittsburgh getting her EMG (nerve conduction test). It was not a comfortable procedure - electrical shocks via electrodes and needles inserted into various muscle groups and near nerve endings. The procedure told us that chemo had done some nerve damage. Other parts of the test revealed that some of the nerves are trying to recover. The neurologist explained that nerve recovery is an extremely slow process, but that since Kate is young, in her life time she may see some nerve recovery. So it looks as if her gait and balance may improve over extended time, but not rapidly enough to notice. The good thing was the EMG also told us there was no evidence of tumors on the nerve praxis (bundles) projecting out from the spine. Kate will continue taking B12 to correct her B12 deficiency, which also impacts the health of nerves.

Kate returned to school on Sunday. It was wonderful having her at home for the past month. Maggie is busy "surviving" her first experience of high school midterms, but eagerly anticipating the a winter retreat with her youth group this weekend.

Last weekend brought about 10 inches of snow upon us. It was pretty, but it isn't going anywhere fast with temperatures expected to drop into the single digits over the next couple days. Winter is not my favorite time of the year, but like the seasons of the year, the seasons of life bring us new experiences, challenges, uncertainty, times of waiting, and periods of growth and change. Like the seasons of nature, the seasons of life cannot be rushed or slowed. I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3:1 that says: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." And so I walk through this season of winter and this season of life mindful that God in his sovereignty has his hand upon the earth as it rotates through the seasons, just as he has his hand upon us and is faithful to provide a way, a purpose and plan for each season of our lives.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-30T21:15:00.001-05:00

Closing 2008 ~ Anticipating 2009

2008-12-30T21:12:00.001-05:00

We trust that each of you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and are along with us eagerly anticipating a 2009 bright with blessings, and experiences that will encourage, strengthen and expand our heart, minds and faith. The days since my last blog update have passed with a flurry of December's non-stop activities.

December started with Kate experiencing her first college finals. Even in the midst of the hard work of studying for finals, Kate's new friends managed to surprise Kate with a birthday party in her honor. With finals behind her, Kate was thrilled to be home in time to celebrate her 19th birthday with family and friends on December 12th. Birthdays have always been special days at our house. As a mom, my daughters' birthdays are always an opportunity for reflecting over the years of their lives. As Kate marked her 19th year of life, it was with a heart of praise that I thanked God for the precious gift of Kate and countless miracles He has worked in her life. Kate is thoroughly enjoying the down time at home and time to catch up on pleasure reading and reconnect with friends from high school. Into the midst of the rest and relaxation, of course we must throw a little of the tediousness of the medical world. We visited a neurologist at Kate's oncologist's request, in hopes of finding understanding as to why Kate's gait is off when she's walking. The neuroglist has ordered a an EMG, which is a nerve conduction test. Electrodes are attached to the body and shock impulses administered through them. The neurologist told Kate that while it is not a pleasant experience, that with all that Kate has been through, she has experienced far worse. The hospital is hoping for a cancellation on their schedule so that they can get Kate scheduled for this test before she returns to Malone on January 11th. Kate's next MRI is already on the calendar for February 23rd.

Maggie has begun winter track and is enjoying training three days a week after school getting ready for the spring season. The highlight of December for Maggie was learning that she had earned a part as a principal dancer in the high school's musical, Grease. Our drama princess can hardly wait for practices to begin for the spring performance. My sweet Maggie has often heard me say, how meaningful handmade gifts are to me. Christmas morning Maggie proudly presented me with a large box, with hand made wrapping. Inside I found a beautiful, holly centerpiece in an antique crystal bowl of my Grandmother's, created by Maggie with fresh holly she had snipped from Pappy's bushes. It looks beautiful on our table and is a gift that touched my heart as only a hand-made gift straight from a tender, loving heart can.

Christmas was wonderful with all the events leading up to it and the joy of celebrating with family and friends. We joined with other friends from our church for a fun afternoon of Christmas caroling. We had a lively group and laughed as much as we sang. While we didn't have a white Christmas in Pennsylvania, we were glad for the nice weather as we traveled to Ohio to spend the day with family at my brother's. It was a Christmas to remember for the simple pleasures that all too often go unnoticed....cousins sprawled on the floor playing games, family photos snapped, favorite foods that are a "must" year after year on the holiday menu, familiar carols sung, surprise packages, homemade gifts, cards and emails from friends and family far and wide.

And so we move with anticipation into the New Year, knowing that the "Hope" that came into the world in a manger, is the "Hope" that goes before us, walks beside us and comes behind us as we journey through the year to come. Thank you again for continuing to walk beside us in thought and prayer. Your prayers are a gift beyond measure. We are grateful for God's faithfulness, grace and mercy daily in our lives in answer to the prayers lifted on our behalf. It is our prayer that your hearts and lives be filled with "Hope", love and joy in the 2009!

Grace like Rain

2008-11-12T14:40:00.000-05:00

God is faithful! Once again, He has heard the cries of His people on Kate's behalf and has poured His grace out upon us like rain. The scans of Kate's brain, spine and pituitary were all fine! We are rejoicing and thankful and for His handprint upon her MRI. It was a very long day in Pittsburgh beginning with an appointment at 9:00am, the next appointment with her oncologist was at 1:00. The MRI was scheduled for 2:15 but never got started until 4:00. True to form the MRI concluded almost 3 hours later and we departed Children's at 7:00 pm. Long days of sitting and waiting have a way of zapping your energy. By the time we got home about 8:00 we decided that it would be better to get a good night's sleep and get an early start this morning to drive the hour and forty minutes to Malone rather than start out last night when we were so tired. Maggie and I got the car unloaded and Kate was ready to head off to class. About 11:00 as we were driving back home, the nurse practitioner called and gave us the wonderful news of the good MRI. Yesterday's visit was positive and upbeat. The tweaking of Kate's meds over the past month has seemed to make a huge difference in her nausea and vomiting. Kate enthusiastically reported to Dr. Jakacki the lingering problem of nausea is for the most part gone. We were delighted that we are taking 3 medications out of Kate's regiment of daily meds and are beginning the weaning process of another. WOW so much progress to report in one visit and no new issues to deal with! Thank you Lord! While Kate's leg muscles seem to be getting stronger, her gait is still considerably wobbly. Dr. Jakacki is referring Kate to a neurologist to see if they will have any insight into this issue. Kate also had some extra labs drawn to see if they can get a handle on why her hemoglobin has been dropping recently. Yesterday's hemoglobin was ok, not as high as we'd like it, but a real plus was that the red blood cells showed a decrease in size (you may remember the enlarged size was a symptom of the anemia we have been treating). We'll do some blood work over Thanksgiving break to keep an eye on that hemoglobin level. We are grateful for your prayer support carrying us through the MRI and waiting time. God is at work moving the mountains in Kate's life. We rejoice and know that you do too in praising God for the very specific and positive answers to your/our prayers on so many levels.

The great MRI report was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend together with Kate at home. It was a non-stop time of special times shared with family and friends! We are looking forward to a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating God's bountiful blessings, provision, and faithfulness so evident, every day of the year!! Blessings to you and yours as you celebrate His goodness and grace in your lives!

Malone University

2008-11-02T11:29:00.001-05:00

Fall Reflections

2008-11-02T11:21:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already November. I'm sure like many of you the days of fall are quickly flying by, much like the blowing colorful leaves that our little dog Grace chases after, attempting to catch them and hold onto them. Unfortunately, we can't hold on to these quickly passing days of fall, but must relinquish our hold on them as the colder days leading to winter creep up behind them and we turn our clocks back tonight. I'm not a lover of the cold and this week's cold frosty early morning dog walks are only a warning of the what's yet to come with winter. As I worked in the yard this afternoon, enjoying the beauty of God's autumn paintbrush, I was filled with a sense of thanksgiving for God's grace and blessing over the past two months. These past months have been non-stop with all the usual things, but also were a time when I felt a little more immersed in the world of hospitals and doctors than I normally do. Between Kate's lingering issues, and Maggie's headaches, I also walked beside my parents as Dad had knee replacement surgery and Mom had cataracts removed from both eyes. With both of them having some driving restrictions, I was the chauffer to surgeries and follow up appointments. How glad I was for the opportunity to serve them in this small way, after the countless ways they have been there for the girls and I over the journey of these past four years. How blessed we are that both did extremely well and were cleared by their respective surgeons last week and are back to their busy retirement schedule.

As for Miss Maggie.... we are thrilled to report that the once menacing headaches are gone! After the clear MRI, Maggie's pediatrician, in an effort to get to the bottom of the headaches suggested that we try a daily dose of iron, as Maggie's blood work had indicated that she was borderline anemic. She was so borderline that in normal circumstances she probably would not have intervened with the iron. However, a week later Maggie noticed a significant difference and was able to begin running again and complete the last two weeks of her cross country season. She was so pleased that even after over two weeks off, she was able to run a previously run course with an improved time. How thankful we are that this headache problem was so easily remedied. With cross country season over, we are enjoying a lighter afternoon schedule, since Maggie determined that she would not play basketball this season. She is looking forward to winter track beginning. This afternoon as Maggie ran and Gracie and I walked at the park, Maggie shared how much she enjoys running.

Kate continues to adjust to college life. While she enjoys Malone, she still misses home and time with Maggie and Mom. The on going battle with fatigue and weakness have not helped Kate's adjustment. She uses up the majority of her energy for class and school work so there's not much left for socializing or activities. The week before Kate came home for fall break, she seemed especially fatigued, even falling twice at school. While on break, she had a follow up check up at Children's gastro department. While there we stopped by the oncology clinic for her flu shot and had them draw some labs. Sure enough her hemoglobin had dropped again necessitating a blood transfusion - not quite the way Kate planned on spending time on her fall break. Since the transfusion Kate feels better and has more energy so that this past week she was able to attend a Bible study on her floor and proactively went to the campus wellness center to work on strengthening her weak muscles under the direction of a physical trainer. She has been getting to know some girls and it looks like some friendships are developing. Kate's next MRI will be Monday, November 10th. It is after her clinic check up, so we will likely not get the MRI report until the next day. As always we would be grateful for your prayer coverage in advance and for the scan. In addition, Kate's doctor and the hematologist, who did her stem cell rescues, will order some additional blood work then to see if they can find a reason for Kate's hemoglobin to keep dropping. Please pray for wisdom and insight for the doctors and that whatever the cause for the hemoglobin dropping that it will be an easy solution for whatever is behind this problem.

As for me, I'm so thankful the gift of each new day. Many have asked me if it is hard having Kate away at school. Absolutely, but I know that she is in God's hands and He takes so much better care of her then I ever could. I am thrilled that she has the life and breath to be able to go to college. There was a time in the journey that we wondered if she would have realize her goal of going to college. We pray daily that God will move the walls of fatigue, weakness and processing difficulties for Kate, much like he move the walls of Jericho for his people. We miss her, as she misses us, making the weekends she is at home fun and special for all of us. Over the years of Kate's illness Maggie has so lovingly taken a back seat, as so much of my time and attention had to be focused on Kate's needs. With Kate's health relatively stable and her being at college, Maggie and are enjoying some catch up one on one time together. She's a delight and so much fun, as long as I have the energy to keep up with her!

Reflecting over the past ten months, I have been to the funeral home far too much. I am saddened by the number of dear ones on the cancer journey, and other long time special family friends that we have said good by to. My heart aches and tears come as I pray for these that have lost their precious loved ones. Other dear friends are facing huge challenges with their children and families, their jobs and their reputations. The reality of death and the challenges of life are painful and oh so very hard. We are all faced with burdens, though they may be different, they are heavy to carry, and hit us on every level... body, mind and soul. How precious are the prayers of God's people to Him as we cry out in our own personal agony and as we intercede for others facing their own mountains of crisis. I am confident that it is the power of prayer that has sustained us through the darkest of days and know that as we lift others before the thrown of grace that it is the prayers of the many praying for them that will also sustain, encourage, strengthen and carry them through their darkest of days. So keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping, and keep trusting God, the one who hears our every prayer!

MRI Report

2008-10-03T20:43:00.000-05:00

Wonderful news!! Late this afternoon I received a call from the pediatrician's office. The MRI report was fine revealing no abnormalities in Maggie's brain that would be the cause of her headaches. The doctor did say that Maggie does have a Chiari 1 Malformation which basically means the cerebellum is a little lower than where it typically sits in relationship to the brain stem. (I'm reading up on this on the internet to better understand exactly what it is.) He said this is not an uncommon finding in MRI's. He does not feel, however, that this malformation would cause headaches. Needless to say we are thankful to know what is NOT the cause of Maggie's headaches and rejoicing once again at God's grace and mercy. Maggie's own pediatrician will be in the office tomorrow and call me to discuss what we should do from here. Thank you for once again carrying us to the throne of grace. Your prayers were heard and answered... Maggie and I both were at peace before, during and after the scan and the MRI report was good!! PTL!!

Maggie RHS Homecoming 2008

2008-10-01T12:27:00.006-05:00

I guess I have to admit that my little Maggie has grown up on me. It's hard to believe that this beautiful girl is the same extremely active little toddler who we fondly referred to in China as Xiao Mafan translated "small trouble". It was a fun weekend getting ready for Maggie's first high school dance . Kate came home for the occasion and loved on her little sister well by doing her hair and make up.

Maggie & Josh enjoyed a fun evening together at Homecoming

Special Request - MAGGIES's MRI

2008-09-30T11:28:00.001-05:00

To this point anytime the word MRI has appeared on the blog it has been concerning Kate. This Thursday, however, it will be Maggie who is going for an MRI of her brain. For the past 3 weeks Maggie has been experiencing daily headaches. Pain relievers have not provided much relief. The pain from the headaches increases when Maggie runs, so she has been side lined to helping out the coach rather then running with her cross country teammates. Upon visiting the pediatrician, one of the doctor's first concerns and questions to Maggie, was whether Maggie was afraid her headaches were caused by a tumor. Maggie's doctor is wonderful and very understanding and sensitive to all that we have gone through with Kate. She ordered blood work to check if to see if that would reveal any reasons that she would be having headaches and had Maggie begin taking a different pain reliever. The blood work all came back fine, but the symptoms remain. The pediatrician determined then that an MRI should be the next step. Thus, this Thursday at 3:30 Maggie will have a scan. Please pray that God's hand will be upon Maggie and that she will not be anxious and that God will keep her in perfect peace. Please also ask for all three of us that our we will keep our eyes on God and not focus on the past. It's hard not to bring to mind that it was late September 2004 when Kate, who was 14 at the time, as Maggie is now, had symptoms which necessitated an MRI leading to the diagnosis of her tumor. Thank you for once again standing beside us in prayer. I do not know when we will have the results of the scan, but will post something on the blog as soon as we have a report.

Maggies first day of High School !!

2008-09-03T10:16:00.001-05:00

Late Summer Update

2008-09-01T10:59:00.001-05:00

At long last a blog update.....Summer passed all too quickly and we have spent the past month squeezing in all the fun things in we can, Maggie's mission trip, the start of her cross country season, and getting Kate ready to go off to Malone College. Thus, updating the blog got pushed to the back burner.

KATE:
Children's called late Monday 8/18 afternoon with Kate's labs results from the previous Friday. You may recall her prolactin level was slightly elevated and the doctor wanted to recheck that level after Kate had been off the medication that may have been the cause of the elevation. Since we were doing lab work, I also requested that we check her other counts before she went off to college. Much to everyone's surprise her hemoglobin was a bit on the low side, so it was determined they needed us in the clinic Tuesday to get a retic count (how fast the body is making RBC's) and then type and cross match her for a probable transfusion of RBC as we didn't want her going to school on the low side. The lab news that concerned me, however, was that the prolactin level (which we hoped would have dropped after cutting out the medication) actually more than doubled. You may remember that I shared the doctor thought it could be caused by medication, but acknowledged it could be from tumor near the pituitary.

So Tuesday 8/19 we were off to Pittsburgh for a marathon day. We arrived at the clinic and they immediately got down to business. They put in an IV and drew Kate's blood for labs and then announced that we needed to head to the other hospital for an MRI. This was a surprise to us, but one we were very thankful for, as we did not think Dr. J would be able to get Kate an MRI with such short notice. This MRI was a focused study of the pituitary. It took only about an hour, a lot shorter than Kate's normal 2-3 hour scans. We then headed back up to Children's where they had 2 units of blood waiting for Kate's transfusion of RBC's. Finally about 4:30 as the blood transfusion was finishing, Dr. J came in to share with us the good news that Kate's MRI was fine. We were extremely relieved. She then went on to discuss the fact that Kate's symptoms remain a puzzle to her. First: in regards to the prolactin - since the medication suspected of elevating Kate's prolactin is not the culprit, and the MRI shows no tumor near the pituitary, the reason for the increasing prolactin level remains unknown. Dr. J feels now that this is out of her range of knowledge and expertise and she has Kate scheduled on September 12th to see someone in the endocrine dept. to see if they have some insight. Secondly, the drop in Kate's hemoglobin was also a puzzle, because her other counts (platelets and WBC's) remained strong. Typically when the bone marrow becomes depressed you will see a drop in all three types of blood cells manufactured in the bone marrow. Dr. J consulted with Kate's stem cell doctor and he ordered some blood tests to check for 4 types of viruses that may be seen in bone marrow/stem cell transplant patients that could possibly cause a drop in hemoglobin. Dr. J also order some other blood work to check vitamin levels, etc. Thursday 8/21 the hospital called to say that the results of those extra blood tests revealed that Kate has a vitamin B12 deficiency known as megaloblastic anemia. What this means is that Kate's red blood cells are large and fewer rather than normally small size and many in number. The bone marrow is compensating for its inability to make enough red blood cells by making larger ones, which aren't as efficient at their job and do not live as long as smaller red blood cells. So Friday 8/22 it was back to Children's, where Kate received the first of five B12 injections and we consulted with the gastro specialist. The reason that Kate's oncologist referred us to the gastric dept. is because this type of anemia is often a result of malabsorption of the B12 in the digestive process. One of the first moves of Dr. G, the gastric specialist was to wean Kate off of the medication she has been on for gastritis (stomach acidity). Studies of this medication have shown that it may interfere with the absorption of the B12. Some of the symptoms of megaloblastic anemia include: fatigue, muscle weakness, nausea, lack of appetite - all things that Kate wrestles with. We are hoping and praying to see some improvement with the injections. The gastro specialist ordered a bunch of extra blood work and scheduled a EGD (stomach scope) for Friday 8/29. Kate has had an EGD before, so this was pretty low stress. The doctor took multiple biopsies as she went but based on the pictures she share with me, doesn't expect any issues like infection to show up on the biopsies. She did however, have back the results of some of Kate's blood work and has found that B12 problem may be a result of issues with the intrinsic factor. Dr. G explained this to me the best she could and then my dear friend Teresa, who is a nurse, helped me put it in laymen's terms. Basically, the intrinsic factor functions as a basket carrying the B12 around the body suppling the cells with B12. In Kate's case there is an anitbody blocking the work of the intrinsic factor, thus the B12 is not getting disbributed or absorbed by Kate's body. Dr. G told me she has never had a patient with this,and she herself is going to have to do further research and that we could probably expect more tests for Kate to get to the bottom of this issue.

In light of the anemia diagnosis we discussed at length Kate's start of college. Dr. J knows Kate's personality well and while she is concerned that Kate may push herself too much, but she supports Kate going, understanding that sometimes engaging the mind in something else takes the focus off of feeling bad physically. She encouraged Kate to do what her heart was telling her. Kate and I prayed together about this and she determined to give it a try. Kate and I both have some concerns and are a bit anxious about her making this big step, given how she is feeling, but as we have navigated this journey we know that we just have to take one day at time.

So last Wednesday 8/20 it was off to Malone College in Canton, Ohio. My parents accompanied us so that we could get everything in Dad's truck and my car and then Mom and Dad departed after lunch to get Maggie back for her own orientation to the high school. During her time on Malone's campus, Maggie was delighted when several people mistook her for a college student. We all worked together and got Kate completely settled in and set up. I didn't want her to have anything else to do to tax her strength. Kate and I went to our various parent/students mtgs. throughout the afternoon. Late afternoon the students were walking back to the chapel to meet back up with the parents. Kate took a shortcut with the students near some side walk renovation where the ground was uneven, she lost her balance and fell, taking a hard hit to her head on the pavement. The health center checked her out and she seemed fine, but had a good bump and slight headache. We called her oncologist to touch base and she asked that we go to an ER in Canton and get a CT scan to be sure that there was no hematoma (bleeding). So we spent almost 4 hours in ER and were glad the CT scan was fine. While Kate's first day at Malone was not all that we hoped and prayed that it would be, we know that God is carrying her every step of the way and will lift her over this latest hurdle.

Kate's transition has been rough. Not feeling well, has done nothing to help the separation from Maggie and me and feeling homesick. She began classes this past Monday and has been positive about each class and professor. The Malone's support services department has been wonderful! They rented a scooter for Kate so she can get around a little easier until her legs get stronger. I told her not to run anyone over:)

Thank you for praying Kate through another hurdle in the journey. Please pray for her in these early days of transition to college life asking for renewed energy and strength and the opportunity to really connect with some people and start building some friendships. Medically, we are thrilled to have some answers about what is not the cause of Kate's symptoms, but please ask for wisdom for the doctors as they continue to work at solving the puzzles related to Kate's health.

MAGGIE
Maggie's summer has been her usual flurry of activity. Cross country practice began soon after school ended. She has amazed me with her love of running and dedication to pull herself out of bed early in the morning (she loves to sleep in) to train and get in shape. We are so thankful that her exercise induced asthma, which is being maintained only with daily inhaler doses, does not hinder her from running five or more miles with relative ease. My admiration for her stamina and determination has grown with each race I have watched her run.

One of highlights of Maggie's summer was her mission trip to Tennessee. She loved this experience and the team leaders shared with me their praises of her enthusiasm and tireless efforts and servant heart. She worked part of her week on projects at a family's home where she quickly bonded with the little girls in that family who were delighted with the special love, time and attention Maggie focused on them. The other part of Maggie's week was spent working in a store house that provided used clothing and household essentials for those in need. While these items were available primarily for those locally, the team helped pack up the excess clothing for shipping overseas to third world countries.

Maggie experienced an unexpected thrill when her friend received free tickets for the Jonas Brothers concert this past Tuesday night. The girls' were excited to say the least. Kudos to Molly's Dad for enduring a long, loud evening of music and teenage girls screaming their enthusiasm through the concert.

School began this past Wednesday for Maggie. Her transition to the high school has been smooth. It's been fun to listen to her stories told with her usual dramatic flair about her first days in the high school:) Maggie and I had fun Thursday night working making and selling funnel cakes at our church's booth at the local fair. This fund raiser allows the youth to begin earning money towards next summer's camp. Ballet begins next week. Friday was the first football game of the season, still another social event on Maggie's long list of activities.

MOM
As for me, the summer was full of special blessings of visits with friends, good times and busy days with the girls, and tutoring. I will continue to substitute teach and tutor this fall, as this gives me the most flexibility given that we are addressing these latest health issues with Kate. Right now it is necessary to make more frequent trips back and forth to Malone for Kate, so that we can get her to these various appointments at Children's. I have been so thankful for the support and help of family and friends with logistics. My dear Mom and Dad have made a couple of the trips to Malone to pick up Kate, so that I could remain at home to be a part of some of Maggie's activities and events. Other friends have graciously provided rides for Maggie, when I have been at appointments with Kate. My heart has been particularly blessed watching the tender love and care of Kate and Maggie for each other. Maggie was real servant in helping get Kate packed and then moved into school. She has been a great cheerleader to Kate in these early days of transitioning to college, not feeling the best and missing home. Kate's sensitive heart reached out to Maggie as well, as she wrote Maggie a special email before her first day in high school and called that evening to hear all bout her day. I really had to smile when Kate lovingly agreed to bring home a couple pieces of her clothing that Maggie wanted to borrow. Now that's sisterly love!!!

We remain thankful for your encouragement, love and prayers. How blessed we are to have you walk beside us!

MRI - STABLE !

2008-07-15T13:07:00.000-05:00

Last night's scan was one of the quickest ones Kate has ever had - they even took us in early - a first in all these years of MRI's. Both Kate and I had a peace that could only come from God before, during and after the MRI. But boy, what an incredibly long morning of waiting today! Finally at 12:30 the nurse practitioner phoned and told us the MRI was stable. We are relieved and rejoicing at this wonderful news. While the MRI did not include a focused study of the pituitary, the scan showed that the pituitary area looked fine. Labs were repeated and Kate's prolactin level remained slightly elevated. We will begin reducing the medication that may be contributing to the prolactin elevation and repeat labs after that medication is out of her system. We will also try again to begin to wean Kate off the steroid that she has been on forever. Prolonged use of the steroid weakens the leg muscles and has made her skin seem thin and translucent. Steroids also suppress the immune system, which has probably been the reason it has taken so long for Kate to recoup after last week's virus. Please pray for the weaning process, as each time we attempt a reduction Kate's energy level plummets and she battles nausea. We were a little disappointed to learn that Kate's hearing loss in her left ear increased a little more in the speech frequency range. The audiologist has recommended considering an aid, to help Kate be able to hear lectures at college and conversations when there is background noise competition.

Needless to say we are relieved and celebrating with joy still another incredible grace gift from God! He over and over again shows His faithfulness and power in Kate's life. Thank you soooo much for standing by us though this. We were carried by your prayers through this stressful time. I hope that God's answers to your specific prayers on Kate's behalf encourage you as much as they encourage us. Please pray with us that we will see a drop in the prolactin level and that Kate can be weaned off the steroid with out battling nausea and fatigue.

Carried by grace,
Elaine

Happy Birthday to our Precious Maggie

2008-07-14T09:52:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday to our Precious Maggie!

It's always such fun to celebrate special occasions with Maggie. Maggie embraces life with such energy and enthusiasm and delights in even the little things. Maggie was thrilled with every card, email, phone call, and gift she received, and enjoyed celebrating with family and friends over one of her favorite meals and her choice of cake. It was with great joy, that we celebrated Maggie and the special gift that she is to all who know and love her!!

2008-07-14T09:52:00.004-05:00

MRI Rescheduled

2008-07-08T10:20:00.001-05:00

We would like to ask you to pray with us over the next week regarding Kate's upcoming MRI. We are thankful they were able to reschedule the MRI for July 14th. She is scheduled for a 1:00 audiogram; a 2:30 clinic visit with her oncologist and the MRI will not be until 5:15. This of course makes for a long day and with the scan lasting 2-3 hours we will not likely have the results before the next day. We know that God's hand is upon Kate and He is in control and will faithfully continue to provide the grace and mercy that He has throughout this journey. Would you please pray with us and also ask that God's perfect peace will keep us as we wait on the MRI.

The last four days have been a concern as Kate has been battling vomiting, extreme fatigue and some diarrhea, one day with fever. She is weary of not feeling well. Would you please pray for her. We are trusting with the sudden onset that it is a virus or flu, but we always get a little anxious when nausea is involved as that's how things started. It has lingered longer than I thought a virus would. We have been in contact with Kate's oncologist and are waiting for their response and insight. Thank you for standing by us.

Only by grace,
Elaine

Reflections

2008-06-27T05:58:00.006-05:00

Reflections...
Over the last month my heart has been so full. God continues to pour out blessings in our lives and I truly am amazed at just how deep and wide the Father's love is for us...
Kate's graduation was a realization of still another miracle in the journey of Kate's life. Her graduation was a celebration of the milestone of completing high school, but even more than that, a celebration of the gift of life. In May we learned that Kate had received a Make A Wish scholarship. We went to the Make a Wish headquarters in Pittsburgh, and enjoyed a special afternoon with the other recipients who had also over come incredible odds and are now ready to begin college. The senior awards assembly at the high school also held blessings and affirmation for Kate as she received the Spirit Award for her senior project. This award is for the senior project that most exemplifies the spirit of service to others. Kate's "Blankets of Hope" project in which she raised the funds for over 700 blankets for Children's hospital was truly done from the desire of her heart to serve others journeying the cancer road. She also received another award for Leadership and Service. Kate joined 18 other teen oncology patients this week for a retreat/get away to the Poconos. The Child Life Department got funding for the trip and it is a good opportunity for the kids to get a way and enjoy some time with others who truly understand the journey they have been on. Kate and her friend Brandon went two years ago, on the first such outing. Neither one of them felt very well at that time, so it was nice to see both of them vibrant and full of health, head out on the bus for the trip. This summer, we are focusing on trying to build up Kate's strength and stamina so she is ready for walking campus in the fall. We are trying to do some walking each day and some work with light weights.

It's hard to believe Maggie will begin high school in the fall. Blessing and affirmation were also awarded to Maggie at her awards assembly. I truly thought my heart would burst with joy when Maggie was honored as the female recipient of the American Legion Award. This is considered to be the most prestigious award given in eighth grade. It is awarded to a male and female eighth grade student who possess the qualities of courage, honor, leadership, patriotism, scholarship and service. Over the course of the last few years with Kate's illness, Maggie has often taken a back seat to the attention focused on Kate. I have tried to be very conscientious about acknowledging Maggie's achievements and activities, but this honor topped all and it was truly with tears of joy,that I watched Maggie receive this honor and affirmation of the special qualities she possesses, that caused her classmates to award her this honor.
Maggie's dance studio had a small dance revue the end of May. I love watching Maggie dance. At times it truly takes my breath away to see the beauty of her ballet dancing. Running seems to have captured Maggie's attention. After a fun track season of developing her skills, she has decided to run cross country this fall. Practice began this week. Maggie had a great week at church camp. She always comes back from that time charged up spiritually. The youth meet in the summers and she never wants to miss their weekly event called Ablaze. In early August Maggie will travel to Newport Tennessee on a mission trip. They will work on some construction projects and conduct a Kid's Club. She's excited about this trip and has raised the funds for her trip through youth fund raisers and the gracious support of love gifts from family and friends.

We would like to ask you to pray with us over the next few weeks regarding Kate's upcoming MRI. At this point we are scheduled for an August 7th MRI and clinic visit - standard three month check up. Since her illness, Kate and I have become very aware of and are very sensitive to any physical changes in her body. We noticed some changes recently and I discussed them with the nurse practitioner. Kate's oncologist went ahead and ordered some blood work to follow up with our observations. Results came back indicating a slightly elevated prolactin level. The doctor feels this may be caused by one of the medications Kate is taking. She did however acknowledge that it could also be caused if there was tumor near the pituitary. The nurse practitioner said, given the absence of any other symptoms they are fine with leaving Kate's MRI until August 7th. However, if I wanted to they would try and move it up. I decided I would like to have them move it up if possible. There is really only one feasible week in July that it can be done given the doctor's schedule. They are going to try and reschedule the MRI for the week of July 14th. The bottom line is, whatever the outcome of this MRI, God is control and will faithfully continue to provide the grace and mercy for each day. I am praying trusting that God's hand is upon Kate and that this is truly nothing more than a side effect of medication. Would you please pray with us and also ask that God's perfect peace will keep us as we wait on the MRI.

We trust you are finding quiet moments in this slower paced season of summer to enjoy the beauty of each day and each relationship that God has given you.

2008-06-27T05:58:00.003-05:00

RHS Graduation 2008

2008-05-31T11:34:00.003-05:00

RHS

Graduation

2008

RHS Prom 2008

2008-05-20T10:29:00.005-05:00

Kate & Mike
RHS Prom 2008

Whirlwind Days

2008-05-19T09:32:00.000-05:00

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind of late, running from one activity to another with Kate and Maggie. How good it is to be able to enjoy busy days blessed with the gifts of life and health to do so. It's hard to believe that Kate's graduation is just a few weeks away. Her life is moving at a steady pace preparing for all that goes with graduation...writing papers, studying for exams, prom and senior dinner dance. Kate had a wonderful time at the prom. She is stronger physically, so she was able to enjoy dancing and the whole evening more that last year. Seeing Kate look so beautiful and healthy brought tears to my eyes and filled my heart with joy. This weekend found Kate modeling once again in a fashion to benefit the Angels R' Us fund of the Beaver County Cancer and Heart Association. We were blessed by the programs of this wonderful organization and Kate loves knowing she is now able give back with her time so that others might be blessed. This week we will attend a reception at the Make A Wish Foundation in Pittsburgh, where Kate will be honored as one of the recipients of the 2008 Kurt R. Weiss Scholarship for Wish Kids. What a special honor and gift to help Kate on her way to the next chapter of her life.

Maggie finished strong in her track season. We were so proud when she took first place in the triple jump and her relay team placed at a track invitational where 8 other schools were competing. This past weekend she and two friends ran in a benefit race and their team took first place. How grateful I am that the exercise induced asthma that she was diagnosed with in 6th grade, has not restricted her participation in the sports and activities she so much enjoys. Maggie is busy preparing for her ballet revue at the end of this month. I truly love watching the beauty and grace with which she dances - what a contrast to when she's diving after the basketball on the court!

This is a busy season in our lives. We have been so encouraged by recent notes and conversations when people have reminded us that they are still praying for us on daily basis. Kate is where she is today as a result of prayer and God's grace. Thank you for continuing to "stand" with us.

Stayed tuned for Prom Pictures

Rejoicing

2008-04-14T20:57:00.001-05:00

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy! Psalm 126:3

Rejoice... Kate's MRI was stable, showing no change!
The MRI was long as usual but Kate and I both had an incredible sense of peace.
Thank you for praying with us and for us.
The clinic visit was affirming and encouraging.
It's truly nothing short of a miracle that Kate is doing as well as
she is. The fact that Kate is only dealing with residuals of nausea, muscle weakness, and
fatigue is truly amazing to her medical team given Kate's history,
all that she has been through, and what they have observed in similar cases.
So once again we rejoice in God's faithfulness in still
another amazing grace gift to Kate and all of us that love her!

Now this is INTENSE !

2008-04-10T14:20:00.009-05:00

"Maggie puts everything into giving a strong performance in the triple jump"

The Journey

2008-04-10T08:37:00.002-05:00

On life's journey we all travel on roads of many kinds. There are times when the road is smooth and straight and we can see for miles. Life is good, all is well and peace and contentment abound. How grateful we are for those easily traveled roads, and how easy it is to take them for granted. At other times, however, we may find ourselves on a road with dangerously crumbling edges, sudden, sharp twists and turns, deep potholes and steep, seemingly insurmountable hills to climb. It is in those times that we struggle with every ounce of our physical and emotional being to hold on tight to the steering wheel to stay on the road. Traveling such roads brings us quickly to the end of our selves and causes us to fall into the arms of our waiting Father. It is during those times when life seems our of control and is filled with hurt, pain, sadness, and hopelessness that God carries us. It is in His arms that we find hope, peace and the strength to travel the difficult roads. Over the past week we have rejoiced with a sweet friend on the cancer journey who after many obstacles and hurdles seems to be finally on the road to recovery. While sharing in the joy of this friend's journey we have also shared tears with a very special friend who has just been diagnosed with cancer and our hearts have ached with still another dear one who's raging battle for health and life appears to be without hope. We don't know why and it is often difficult to understand the purpose and plan God has for allowing us to journey certain roads of life. We do however, in faith believe that God is with us every step of the way, meeting every need. We recently were introduced to the following song that so beautifully articulates our belief that Jesus is our healer and portion. He so lovingly and graciously holds us in the palm of his hand, healing and providing on every level...emotionally, physically and spiritually. May you too be encouraged today as you journey whatever road life has you on, that no matter what your need is, nothing is impossible with Him!

Thank you for praying in advance with us over the last few weeks for Kate's upcoming MRI. We have known peace and when those nagging fears and doubts have surfaced they have only been momentary, as Father quickly takes hold of them and replaces them with His perfect peace. Thank you for continuing to pray for Kate and her MRI this coming Monday, April 14th. The MRI is scheduled for 10:15 am with a clinic visit to follow at 1:00.

You may enjoy going on line and listening to this song:

You're My Healer
Planet Shakers
You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in You
I trust in You

I believe You're my Healer
I believe You are all I need
I believe You're my Portion
I believe You're more than enough for me
Jesus You're all I need

My Healer, You're my Healer

Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
Nothing is impossible for You
You hold my world in Your hands

Easter Blessings

2008-03-22T08:54:00.003-05:00

As we celebrate Easter, our hearts are overwhelmed with gratitude when we look to the cross...
"Like a flood His mercy reigns, Unending love, Amazing grace!"
We rejoice that God's gift of grace and love gives us newness of life, the blessings of daily joy, lasting peace and hope that is always alive because He lives!

We are grateful for your prayers for Kate as she faced the hurdles of fatigue and nausea once more.
The decision was made to go back up on her steroid dose and we are thankful that the nausea and fatigue
are back in manageable proportions.
~Please continue to ask for complete healing for Kate in these areas.
~Please pray in advance for Kate's next MRI scheduled for Monday, April 14th. Please ask for peace in our hearts and minds as that time nears and for God's hand print of healing to be on the MRI.

Walking Through Winter

2008-03-10T08:48:00.000-05:00

Greetings to our family and friends from a cold and blustery Pennsylvania. It seems like our winter just won't end. With the arrival of March we are hopeful that spring is just around the corner, despite the snow storms that have hit our area the last two weekends. This morning the sun broke through the clouds glistening on the newly fallen snow bringing a glorious brightness after a stretch of several gray and cloudy western Pennsylvania days. Thrilled by the sunshine, Grace and I eagerly headed out for a morning walk. Our walk in the 5 inches of newly fallen soon became more of a trudge, as with each step we would sink down below the crusty, icy layer into the depth of the snow and then with effort take our next step.

Our walk through the past few weeks has been one in which some days have felt like we were trudging through the snows of life as Kate has been dealing with the residuals of the cancer journey. These days have taken our energy and brought a stretch of grey clouds over our spirits. Kate has once again hit a fatigue wall and nausea has returned as the crusty, icy layer on top that makes each day an effort to get through. Kate, who bravely battles the weariness and stands strong in the face of the nausea, finally had to yield to taking some days off of school, because she simply did not have the energy or strength to trudge through another day. Discouragement has been threatening to cloud over our normally sunny days. This journey has truly created a special sensitivity to one another's needs, so that when one of us is hurting, or struggling we all share and feel the burden. Despite the clouds, God in his goodness and mercy has allowed the sun to break through the clouds and bright moments that have ministered to Kate's weary spirit. The winter weather has actually blessed has with few housebound "do nothing" evenings where we watched movies, enjoyed family time and the chance for some extra rest. A bright ray of sunshine for Kate was having her fitting for her prom dress and visiting and laughing with our wonderful friends at Mary's.

We have been consulting with Kate's doctor about the increase in nausea and fatigue and her decreased appetite. We have been in the process of weaning Kate off her steroid. This steroid has truly been the only medication that has successfully addressed the issue of nausea. Kate's system is very sensitive to the effects of the steroid and her symptoms may be in part due to the decrease of the steroid. Steroids suppress the immune system thus making it imperative that Kate take a prophylactic dose of an antibiotic each week to protect her from various strains of pneumonia. Unfortunately in Kate's case the antibiotic causes heaves and vomiting. While taking steroids she must also continue her anti-viral medication to protect against another case of shingles like she had last June. Prolonged use of the steroid is probably also a contributor to the muscle weakness in her legs. Thus, the goal is to get Kate off the steroid so she can be free of the other medications and annoying side effects. Because the last few weeks have been rough for Kate, she will probably have to go back to the second dose of steroid each day that we had cut out three weeks ago.
~Please ask for wisdom for the doctor as we continue to tweak Kate's medication in this process.
~Please ask that Father would reign down his mercy on Kate and bring complete healing and restoration to her body and spirit.
~While the issues that we are dealing with now seem minute in comparison to where we were last year, the ongoing nature of these latent effects of her treatment and medication are wearisome and oh, so tedious to deal with. After dealing with these things for such a long time, they begin to wear on you both physically and emotionally.
Kate wrestles with letting these nagging health issues get the best of her, as many we have met on the journey are in the heat of the treatment battle right now. Kate has complained so little along the way on this long journey. I have encouraged her be gentle with herself and understand that the discouragement is normal when you don't feel well for a prolonged period of time.

Track season has begun for Maggie the first practice was on a fluke 60 degree day between two cold fronts and snow storms. It was nice to be able to run outside rather that through the hallways of the high school. Of course as with all of life, Maggie is very enthusiastic about track. She went with her coach to a clinic several weeks back to work on learning hurdles. Mags is not overly confident in this new skill but with her determination and her ballet agility she will embrace the challenge of learning this new event.

And so we continue to run the race that is set before us with God's strength. The dreary days of winter are numbered. Spring is coming and with it the promise of new life and brighter days. The struggles are all part of the shaping process in our lives. It is through the trials that we learn perseverance and our faith increases so that we can by God's grace and mercy run the race He has set before us.

Fun, Fashion Shows and Flu

2008-02-13T10:22:00.004-05:00

Just a brief update to keep in touch with those who remain connected with us via the blog. The month that has passed since our last blog update has been one filled with busy days of activity.

The highlight of January for Maggie was her "180" Youth Group winter retreat. This time away focused on challenging the youth to share their testimony and the "how to's" to do that effectively. Mags had a wonderful time and with the enthusiasm that is typical of Maggie shared about her fun experiences of the special
weekend. Unfortunately many of the people on the trip, Maggie included, ended up with the flu. Maggie got the respiratory version of the flu, running a fever for several days. She missed five days of school and is still playing catch up with her work. The flu forced her to miss the last two weeks of her winter basketball league, as well. The fever and cough really zapped Maggie of her strength and energy - what a contrast this lethargic Maggie was to our usually exuberant, perpetual motion girl. We're glad she's well again and back to her endless energy self, so much so, that she could enjoy the blast of snow today that gave us a "snow day" off from school. Maggie was much more enthusiastic about her creation of a snowman, than she was shoveling the 6-7 inches of snow!

Kate's January highlight was the removal of her central line (broviac). Her outpatient surgery for this procedure went smoothly and her side was only tender for a few days. After a year of having to protect the central line in a plastic bag when showering, she loves the freedom of a no-fuss shower! Kate's fun for the month was modeling prom and bridesmaid dresses in a weekend fashion show for her special friends at Mary's Bridal. Kate's energy level varies from day to day. Some days a nap is a necessity and by Fridays she is usually pretty spent. While she is medically excused from gym, she tries to spend a couple days each week during the that class period riding the stationary bike or doing some of her physical therapy exercises in an effort to strengthen her wobbly leg muscles. God has been most gracious in keeping Kate healthy and protected from the flu during this season when so many people around her have been sick. During the week that Maggie was sick, Kate commented, that while she hated to see Maggie feeling so badly, it was nice for once not to be the one staying at home because she was sick. Kate truly appreciates the blessing of being healthy that we can so easily take for granted.

My January and February have been filled with an overwhelming sense of awe at God's grace as I contrast this January and February to this same time last year when Kate was undergoing her intensive chemo and stem cell rescues. Tears came to my eyes and my heart was overwhelmed with joy as I watched Kate, vibrant and beautiful, walk down the runway for the fashion show and remembered that last year I was watching her lay weak and worn in a hospital bed battling her cancer. Reflecting back on January and February of 2007, we are rejoicing in God's goodness and faithfulness in carrying us through those long tedious days of treatment and recovery - truly amazing grace.

We celebrate with joy each day and the good things that are happening in our lives. While we are rejoicing in Kate's renewed health and strength, our hearts are burdened for our friends on the cancer journey who are in the thralls of treatment and waging battle with their cancer. As you so faithfully lifted Kate and our family in prayer during the heat of the battle, we too are part of the ranks of those who are praying for an out pouring of God's grace and mercy to these dear ones and their families. As we journey this road, each day is filled with uncertainty and the concern for what tomorrow will bring. So it is by faith knowing that each day God's grace is sufficient that we walk... one day at a time, knowing that we are held secure in his hand and that each new day and all it holds is a part of his purpose and plan for our lives.

Reflections

2008-01-09T14:00:00.000-05:00

A year ago today, January 8th, 2007 Kate was admitted to Children's Hospital for placement of her broviac (central line). This began a three week long hospital stay which included high dose chemo therapy and her first stem cell rescue. As I reflect on all that we experienced last year, I am overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude to God for all that He has done for us. What amazing grace and mercy He poured down upon our lives on the journey of 2007. It was a long, tedious and often wearisome road, but God provided strength in the midst of our weakness and carried us in His loving arms each step of the way. Daily we experienced His faithfulness. Miracles all along the way were testimony of His power and grace at work. One thing that we will never be able to fully comprehend is the army of prayer warriors raised up in the states and around the world to carry Kate's needs and those of our family before the Father. A year later we are still meeting or hearing from people we have never even met telling us how they have been praying for Kate. We experienced the power of prayer as you stormed the gates of heaven with your requests on Kate's behalf. Words simply cannot express our gratitude to each of you for your prayer support.

Today, one year later, Kate is half way through her senior year....amazing grace!! She has applied to three colleges and was thrilled last week when she learned of her acceptance to the college that seems to be surfacing to the top as her number one choice. Fatigue still has the upper hand in her day, and she still struggles with nausea, but it seems to be improving. Kate's spirit remains sweet as she faces the challenges that cancer has left on her life with incredible grace and courage. Each day is truly a precious gift to be treasured. Today and every day we are held secure in the palm of God's hand. Thank you God for your faithfulness and your amazing grace!

Our blog updates will be less frequent as we enjoy the busy days of senior year and days of uneventful health issues. Of course when there is something news worthy to share or special prayer request we'll keep you posted. MRI scans will continue to be every three months to keep a check on things. Please continue to pray and ask for Kate's complete healing. She still has quite a ways to go to regain her strength, and stamina. Leg muscles are once again very weak and climbing stairs is quite a feat. Her balance is still a little off and falls happen now and then. Please ask for complete release from the residual nausea and a significant increase in her energy level. Please pray that the cognitive and processing issues that she is experiencing will diminish with time as her body heals and grows stronger. Please also join Kate in praying for God's clear direction in her choice of a college.

God goes before us, walks beside us and comes behind us. Confidence of this, we embrace yesterday, today and all our tomorrows.....ONLY BY GRACE.

Rejoicing !!!

2007-12-29T08:21:00.000-05:00

Rejoice - the MRI was clear! Thursday afternoon, the scan lasted almost 3 hours. Kate was on the MRI table from 2:20pm until 5:10pm. Kate exemplifies such grace, as the table is hard and she must remain extremely still and not move. When we left the hospital we did not know the MRI results. Oh, what a time of waiting....
Today (Friday) Kate and I went to Carlowe University for some educational diagnostic testing at 9:30am. This testing assesses some of the processing issues we have observed and will provide documentation and a report for Kate to take to college so that she can get any necessary accommodations in the classroom. The clock seemed to tick ever so slowly. The longer I sat and waited while Kate was testing the more anxious I became, wondering why they hadn't called me yet. Finally sometime after 11:00 am the nurse practitioner called and asked me if I had been sitting on pins and needles. She apologized and told me that she was at the office until 7:00pm last night and they didn't receive the MRI report. When she and the doctor came to the office this morning they still had not received the report. Finally, Kate's doctor went down stairs and read it herself. Upon reading the report she noticed how long the scan had taken and said we need to call Elaine, because she probably thinks something is wrong because the scan took so long. The radiologist determined to add some extra angles and films to make sure he covered everything well. All that said, yes, it was a good stable scan, no changes! We are of course thrilled and praising God for still another of His amazing grace gifts. An added blessing is that Dr. Jakacki told Kate yesterday if the scan was good she could get her broviac (central line) removed. Before we got home this afternoon the hospital had already called ready to set that up that out patient surgery for a little later in January!! God is good!! Thank you for praying with us and for us!

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends and Family,

May your celebration of Christmas be filled with

moments of laughter and love,

gifts of kindness and caring,

renewal of faith and hope...

the Lord is come!

Have a wonderful Christmas,

Elaine, Kate and Maggie

Christmas Dance X2

2007-12-18T10:02:00.000-05:00

Kate and Maggie had their school Christmas dances this weekend. Friday evening was Maggie's middle school dance. She and her friends had a great time. The high dance was Saturday night, however, a snow and ice storm caused them to cancel Kate's dance while most of the students were on their way to the school. Kate and her friend CJ did however, get to pose for pictures and enjoy dinner out before they learned the dance was canceled.

Maggie had her first winter league basketball game and scored 7 of the 9 points the team had in a losing effort. Because I was helping Kate get ready for her dance, I missed Maggie's game... it seems like her highest scoring games are when I'm not there!!

Kate's 18th birthday celebration was special. Thank you for your cards and emails, she was delighted with the wishes you sent her way. We celebrated with a family dinner on her birthday and she had the girls in Friday night for tacos and a movie. On her birthday, Kate and I went to the Make a Wish radio broadcast and Christmas at a mall near Pittsburgh where Kate was interviewed as a "wish kid" and our school made their donation. We all worked as volunteers collecting donations at the mall. Since Kate's wish in 2005, it's been a yearly event for us to accompany the group of teachers and students from our district that make the donation.

We met this week with an educational diagnostician who consults with Kate's oncologist's patients as needed. We've talked about the changes we've observed in Kate's cognitive and processing skills, probably an effect of radiation. She will do some testing during the Christmas break, that will help us identify where the processing issues are and ways to compensate when she studies. This testing will also provide Kate will have an official report to take with her to college should she need any accommodations for testing, etc.

Praises and requests:
~We are thankful that lately nausea has been somewhat better. Fatigue however remains an issue and Kate's appetite has waned a bit.
~Please pray in advance as Kate will have an MRI December 27th. it is her scheduled 3 month scan. The thought of an MRI always creates anxiety for both Kate and me. Please ask that the MRI be clear.

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS

2007-12-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

Dear friends and family,

Maggie so much enjoyed finding the mail box full of cards for her birthday, she wants to do the same for Kate. We would love to have you join us in celebrating Kate's life and her birthday this coming Wednesday, December 12th. It's hard to believe she is going to be 18 years old. I think Maggie will get almost as much enjoyment out of checking the mail box for Kate as she did when she was showered with cards for her birthday in July. Our mailing address is: 209 Chapel Drive, Ellwood City, PA 16117. Thanks for helping us celebrate the gift of Kate!

Homecoming Exclusive !!!

2007-12-06T10:50:00.000-05:00

Weeks later the wonderful memory of homecoming lingers on for us. We were so happy to receive this picture taken by our friend Cory Morton, a photography student. He truly has a gift for taking pictures. We thought this photo captured Kate's special moment so well. Thanks Cory

Wishing You a Wonderful Thanksgiving

2007-11-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since we have updated the blog. We wanted however to stop for a moment in the midst of this holiday season of thankfulness to tell you what a blessing each of you has been to us and how thankful we are that you are a part of our lives. You will never know the depth to which you have touched and impacted our lives as you have journeyed beside us over this past year and Kate's recurring cancer. When we pause to consider where we were this time last year our hearts are overwhelmed with praise and thanksgiving for God's grace and faithfulness. We have so much to be thankful for. We are grateful that you have surrounded and carried us with your warm and caring thoughts, faithful prayers and many expressions of love and support. In this season of Thanksgiving one of the things we are most thankful for is you, our friends and family. Thank you to each of you for being a blessing to us and for ministering to us in countless ways!

By way of an update.... Kate's senior year is going well. She is still dealing with the residuals of all the she went through this past year. Nausea, extreme fatigue, and fluctuating counts are still part of the daily picture. She is also dealing with some cognitive and processing issues, as a result of her intense treatments, that are impacting her school work. We are thankful for gracious and helpful teachers and are working with an educational consultant to learn some new ways to overcome these challenges. In the midst of it all, Kate seldom complains and her spirit is tender and sweet as is her smile and thoughtfulness of others. She is thrilled to have a part time job for the holidays that is not too physically taxing helping our dear friend Patti in her Christmas shop. We have been visiting colleges and eagerly anticipating the future God has planned for Kate.

Maggie's regular basketball season is over, the daily hectic pace has let up a bit. Tonight, however, she has her first practice for winter league. This is more laid back and for fun and working on developing the girls' skills. Maggie continues to bring smiles and laughter into our home with her dramatic and enthusiastic response to life. In her Home Ec/Child Development class over the last few weeks the students have carried and given "birth" to a child. They began by carrying a bean in a pouch around their waists, which then progressed to a marble and then a bag of rice and were instructed to keep the "baby" with them at all times. Maggie's "baby", a boy, arrived this past week. Maggie has been her expressive self in declaring that pouch around her waist was a "real bother". We had to rescue the baby in it's bag of rice stage from Gracie who trotted off with it twice:) We all laughed when we ran into the home ec teacher after school in the grocery store and she said to me upon discovering Maggie without her baby with her in the store, "Grandma, where's the baby?" Never a dull moment with Maggie!! She seems to be tolerating motherhood a little better this week, carrying around a cute baby doll in school:)

As for me I have been thankful that subbing has been fairly consistent this fall. I have also been tutoring three students. A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a visit with our dear friends Charlie and Teresa. It was good to reconnect face to face and since we have not seen each other for over three years. The girls were delighted when Charlie and Teresa treated us to dinner at their favorite spot... Texas Road House. I am thankful for the way God has blessed my life through relationships. The people I work with at school are wonderful and I look forward to days teaching and being in such great environment of people. God has sustained many long distance relationships with my heart friends who are spread out around this country and around the world. It is truly an amazing grace gift that our relationships remain strong and vibrant despite the miles and years that separate us. I know that the weight of this journey has been lightened significantly by my Mom and Dad, family and friends who are here locally and always ready to lend a helping hand with a ride for one of the girls, or a home repair, and be there in whatever way they can.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving our hearts are filled to overflowing. We are grateful for the abundance of blessings and reasons for praise and thanksgiving God has put into our lives. Thank you for your on going prayers for our family and for Kate's complete healing.

Blessings to you and yours,

Elaine, Kate and Maggie

More Homecoming pictures

2007-10-17T19:35:00.001-05:00

Kate and CJ ready for the dance

Pappy the proud escort and Kate

Blessed Beyond Measure

2007-10-15T10:45:00.003-05:00

Kate with mom and Mags

Stay tuned for more pics from an awesome weekend!!!

Another Amazing Gift from God

2007-10-15T10:45:00.001-05:00

Joy absolutely filled our hearts to overflowing this weekend with Kate being crowned Riverside's homecoming queen. We are truly rejoicing at the good things God has done for us. The overwhelming sense of love from Kate's classmates and friends touched our hearts so deeply. Family, friends from school, church and the community have shared hugs of congratulations and tears of joy with us through out the weekend. What an incredible gift to be loved and cared for so much. We are blessed beyond measure!

Friday night was cold, but clear. The girls were introduced pre-game as they rode around the field in convertibles. Special thanks to our friend Joe - Kate's first class driver and to our friends at McElwains who graciously shared their silver Cadillac XLR for Kate's ride around the field. Kate was able to keep warm through the first half of the game thanks to the kindness of our friend Brian, who graciously provided a portable propane heater in the stands for her. My dad had the honor of escorting Kate onto the field for the half time ceremonies. I don't think Pappy could have been prouder. He laughingly teased Kate that amidst all the hugs and kisses from well wishing friends when she was announced queen, that he was the first to kiss the queen.

Saturday was a fun and busy day with the girls on court helping decorate at the school for the evening's dance. Kate enjoyed an absolutely wonderful evening at the dance with her friend C.J., a truly kind and considerate young man and fun date. God once again showed his grace in allowing Kate the strength to dance and the stamina to be able to stay for the whole evening. I was amazed when she came home looking fresh and happy and not exhausted.

Kate truly looked beautiful as the inner beauty of the Spirit within her heart shown in her eyes. She glowed with happiness and an overwhelming sense of joy. It was truly a weekend to remember and one that we will treasure for years to come. Thank you God for blessing Kate with such a precious gift!

CONGRATULATIONS KATE !!!!!

2007-10-14T09:43:00.000-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS KATE !!!!!

RHS

HOMECOMING QUEEN 2007

Finally Feeling Better

2007-10-11T11:19:00.000-05:00

The weeks since my last update have passed slowly as Kate had persevered through each day, despite battling persistent nausea and being weary with fatigue. Day after day of feeling this way was beginning to take it's toll on Kate physically and emotionally. Last Friday Kate came home from school spent and told me she was tired of feeling this way and it was time to call her oncologist and go up on the dose of her steroid. She had hoped the dose she was on would address the nausea and that she could avoid the chubby cheeks and other side effects that come with the higher dose of the steroid. Saturday, was the hardest day, when Kate's spirits plummeted and she said with discouragement, "I don't think this is ever going to get any better." She spent Saturday in bed and feeling down and out on all counts. The prayer of my heart Saturday night was that God would touch Kate's spirit.

Sunday morning Kate was a new person. With an expression of peace and a countenance glowing with a renewed spirit, she recounted to Maggie and me that when she had woken up, she felt God had spoken to her about "grace". She shared that she had begun thinking about how we came to get our dog Grace at the point of her re-diagnosis of cancer last fall, and how she had chosen Grace's name as a visible, daily reminder of the grace God has poured into our lives on this journey and how that grace has carried us through each day. Her heart was overwhelmed with a keen awareness of how often God has shown His grace to her through friends, family, teachers and people she doesn't even know. She said with confidence, "God didn't give me the cancer, but He gave me the grace to walk through it." Not only did God touch Kate's spirit, but His physical touch was also evident in the significantly noticeable improvement in the areas of nausea and fatigue. For the first time in weeks she felt well enough to go to youth group. She was thrilled to be once again engaging in life, so much so, that she asked the youth group leader if she could share with the group about God's reminder to her about grace. How my heart rejoices that Kate is giving the glory to God for His touch on her life.

Kate has had the opportunity to visit several college campuses and enjoyed each experience, thus far. The tours of each campus have been taxing on her physically, but we trust that her strength will continue to be renewed and that she will know new energy and stamina by next fall. These are busy days visiting schools, completing college applications, keeping up with school work, amongst the other things of life.

Maggie's basketball season is in full swing. While there have not been a lot of wins, we are seeing improvement in the girls and their ability to work as a team. In a recent game Maggie had her best game of the season so far, scoring seven points, including a couple of nice lay ups. Maggie has also been blessed with a special experience of taking some special ballet classes. She was thrilled with her first session and excited about spending time learning under an older teacher with years of professional experience.

Homecoming weekend is upon us. How thankful we are that Kate is feeling so much better and will truly be able to enjoy all the festivities. The football game is Friday night and the dance on Saturday night. We enjoyed shopping and finding a beautiful suit for the football game and a gorgeous dress for the dance. Our hearts are overwhelmed and deeply touched by the people who have desired to share a part in Kate's homecoming. We are blessed beyond blessed and grateful beyond words for each and every dear person who has touched Kate's life through their participation in preparations for this weekend.

Surrounded by grace,
Elaine

Request: Relief of nausea and fatique

2007-09-25T16:49:00.000-05:00

Despite the tweaking of medicines Kate's nausea and fatigue still seem to have the upper hand. We are asking for you to please make these two needs a focus of your prayers for Kate.
NAUSEA: Last Thursday we traveled to Children's for an infusion of a new antibiotic for Kate. Prior to leaving the house Kate took the best of her anti-nausea medications in an attempt to subdue her nausea. When we arrived at the clinic, the nausea had not improved, so she asked for an IV dose of another anti-nausea drug that can be given over top of the initial medication. The nurse told her that it was already ordered, in that the IV antibiotic that she was about to get, may cause nausea and they wanted to pre-medicate her before administering it. Sad to say despite that pre-medication, Kate heaved through out the hour long infusion of the antibiotic. In addition she also felt very weak and her counts showed that her hemoglobin had dropped a bit. Her heart rate was a bit tacky, reflective of the fact that her heart was having to work harder to pump the blood with her low RBC count. With these factors in mind she received some IV fluids and then two units of blood. It was another long day at the clinic. She was truly wiped out and had to take the day off from school on Friday to rest. She slept most of the day. I am giving Kate her anti nausea meds very early in the morning, before she ever gets up in hopes to halt the morning heaves and prevent throwing up. So far, not a great improvement.
FATIGUE: Last Thursday we increased the dose of Kate's medication which helps push her past the fatigue. She has not noticed much difference. Getting through a day of school takes about all the energy she has for the day. She is going to school an hour late each day, as she has a study hall first period, and that allows an extra hour of sleep. On the weekend Kate must often choose between activities, as she knows she just simply does not have the energy to do everything.
PRAISE: Kate's attitude and spirit continue to be positive and sweet. God has truly filled her with his grace to endure this "thorn in her flesh" of nausea and fatigue.
REQUEST: Nausea has always been the point of struggle for Kate. The nausea lingered for a long time post treatment in 2004-2005. Gradually over time, it improved. We may just have to wait it out again this time. We continue to be thankful for the clean MRI, knowing that there is no tumor related cause for her nausea. We continue to work with medication in an attempt to bring improvement. Would you please ask that God will bring healing in the areas of nausea and fatigue. Please ask for continued perseverance, grace and encouragement for Kate as she walks this bumpy road.

Only by grace,
Elaine

Amazing Grace..... another Miracle !

2007-09-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy! Psalm 162:3 Another incredible day in the journey...one that went from wrestling with fear and clinging to our hope in God to the overwhelming joy of celebrating the miracle of a clean MRI. It was an incredibly long day of waiting ... the 10:00 MRI finally happened around 11:00. We finished that about 1:30 and then headed to the clinic where with traffic and the inevitable hospital time pushed that appointment to 3:00. On the way to the clinic Kate shared that she had a perfect peace while in the MRI tube - a definite answer to a specific request. We did blood work and check up with the nurse practitioner while waiting for the doctor. Finally, our long day of waiting came to an end around 4:00 when Kate's oncologist came into the room and shared the words we had all been praying for... "the scan is clear, it looks great!" Words simply cannot express the magnitude of joy and relief that filled our hearts. "God has surely listened and heard our voices in prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected our prayers or withheld his love from us!" Psalm 66:19&20

We spent the next hour discussing the headaches, nausea and extreme fatigue that Kate is experiencing. Kate's oncologist shared that by the appearance of Kate's bone marrow in her spine visible on the MRI, that it was very evident that it has been hit hard and depleted by all the treatment she has been through. It will take quite a while for her bone marrow to recover. Because of the depleted bone marrow, her blood counts continue to hover at lower levels which of course directly impact how she is feeling. It will still be some time before she is feeling truly well. Kate's doctor feels the low sodium is a response of the brain to the influences of the radiation. We will continue to monitor Kate's sodium levels and she will remain on her salt tablets until this stabilizes. We were all relieved and thankful that there was no tumor related cause for Kate's headaches. It seems that they must be muscular/skeletal in nature. We will combine medical massage and chiropractic medicine to address this issue. We have made some adjustments to Kate's meds in hopes that will help Kate's nausea. Dr. Jakacki also talked with us about the impact of Kate's radiation and high dose chemotherapy on Kate's cognitive and processing skills. The challenges that Kate is experiencing in these areas are very understandable given all that her body and brain have been through. Right now Kate is definitely battling the acute side effects of her treatment - harsh to her body and brain. Please pray with us that this will improve with time as her body and brain heal and that the long term impact on her cognitive abilities will be minimal. Dr. Jakacki indicated that some modifications are necessary in order to accommodate these changes in processing skills. She insisted that Kate can have no time restraints on her tests. She also highly encouraged us to delay Kate taking any sort of placement or proficiency tests during this time that she is recovering. She said she will only experience frustration and become discouraged when she can't perform academically like before. She strongly discouraged Kate taking the SAT's in October and encouraged us to wait several months at least until Kate begins truly feeling better and stronger. We will continue using medication to increase Kate's energy, but have also with the help of the high school's very understanding administration made some adjustments in Kate's daily class schedule to allow some extra rest and reduce the wear and tear of hikes from one end of the building to the other. How grateful we are for the support and encouragement Kate has received from her teachers and the administration.

After receiving the ultimate gift of God's grace and mercy with the clean MRI scan, our hearts were so full we didn't think life could be any better. But God had another very unexpected gift in store for Kate. Kate came home from school on Friday afternoon with the special news that she had been selected for home coming court.
She was so surprised and touched that her friends and classmates would honor her in this way. She has said over and over this weekend what an encouragement this has been to her heart. Thank you God for still another unexpected blessing!

Personal reflections....
As I sat beside Kate during the long MRI, I read the Psalms in an attempt to keep my mind focused as I wavered back and forth between fear and peace. In so many of the Psalms David cried out in fear or distress to God. Time and time again, God's hand was at work in David's life and David's cry for God's help would soon be followed by songs of praise. We too have time and time again felt the hand of God at work in our lives, and in Kate's journey with cancer. We too can proclaim with David the words of Psalm 77:14 "You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples."

In the two days leading up to Kate's MRI, as I prayed and prayed, the doubts and fears would attempt to take hold of my heart. In our human weakness our faith often falters and fails. I found myself praying the words of Mark 9:24..."Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief." I was encouraged the day after Kate's MRI to read in a book that I'm reading...that God hears these words as a cry for more faith - a plea to conquer all unbelief, all lack of trust. That cry heard. That prayer answered. More faith, and at the same time more power to see where trust is lacking.

God heard our voices and our cry for mercy. We can say... "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." Psalm 116:7 How can we ever thank you for standing beside us in prayer and rejoicing and celebrating with us God's faithfulness?!

Amazed by grace,
Elaine

MRI

2007-09-13T20:48:00.002-05:00

Kate's MRI is CLEAR, we are celebrating!!!!! Update will follow soon! Thank you all for your prayers.

Special Request: Thursday Sept.13th-MRI

2007-09-11T21:32:00.000-05:00

In light of the fact that Kate is struggling with nausea again and she has been experiencing headaches on and off over the last week, her oncologist's office called today and has scheduled an appointment for this Thursday, September 13th. She will have an MRI scan at 10:00 am followed by an appointment around 2:00 pm with her oncologist at the clinic to determine what might be causing these headaches and the return of the nausea. The scan will include the brain, brain with contrast and spine with contrast. As you can imagine, MRI's are always a source of anxiety. We are trusting, believing and praying that God's hand print will be upon this MRI and there will be no tumor related causes for Kate's nausea and headaches. I must be honest the spirit of fear has clutched at my heart this afternoon and I am doing my best to walk by faith and put my trust in God who created Kate and knows our every need. Kate came home from school and also said she feels scared, but confidently added that she knows God's hand print will be on the scan either way. Please ask for God's mercy and an amazing grace gift with a clear scan. Please pray with us that the scan time will pass quickly and that God's peace will create in Kate's heart and mind a calmness as she endures the lengthy time on the scan table and that we will both be able to rest in Him. Thank you for lifting this need, Kate, Maggie and me in prayer.

Challenges and Requests

2007-09-11T11:51:00.000-05:00

The start of the school year has been a cause for celebrating the miracle that Kate is back in school. Being back in school, however, has opened our eyes to a new challenge. We have seen a difference in Kate's ability to recall information. On two separate occasions Kate has expressed a frustration that she felt like she could not think clearly or focus on her tests or recall information she had studied and knew well. I observed this first hand, when reviewing with her for a test. After the first incident, we happened to be by chance having labs done that afternoon and found that her hemoglobin had dropped, as well as, her sodium level (her sodium was 127 normal is 135). The nurse practitioner said the low counts may well have contributed to this feeling of not being able to think. Interestingly, I talked with a friend and she shared that her mother's sodium had dropped to 120 and when taken to the ER the doctors thought this woman was having a stroke based on the state of confusion she was in. We are currently limiting Kate's consumption of water, so as to not dilute her sodium. Last week, I read the labels on everything at Wal-Mart trying to find a variety of drinks and foods high in sodium. Meanwhile the majority of health concerned folks are looking for foods and drinks low in sodium:) Gatorade is one of the highest sources, but Kate says you can only drink so much Gatorade:) In addition to the recall issue, over the past six months it has been necessary for Kate to take some proficiency and placement tests. We recently learned that she did not do well on these. This is not typical of Kate's normal academic performance. For a girl who has always taken advanced and college prep courses, observing this difference in her normally high academic performance we are wondering what is going on. Given all that Kate has been through physically with treatment it is understandable that she may not have been able to perform to her usual potential on a given day. I talked with the radiation oncologist and it is his hope and feeling that she is still experiencing some acute side effects from the June radiation. He stated that she has been through alot with the high dose chemo and then radiation again. He's hoping that we will see an improvement with time. We are praying to that end. He had told us back in 2004 before Kate's first radiation that some patients may experience a change in cognitive and processing abilities, usually seen about a year after treatment. His feeling is that we would have seen change from the 2004 treatment before now and it would have been a gradual change, not a sudden change. He also does not feel like such side effects from this June's radiation would have already shown themselves already.

Kate has not felt great for about a week now. Fatigue, nausea, lack of appetite, headaches, make her days more challenging. She desires to be in school and has not opted to stay at home. She got out on the weekend to do things with friends, but her strength and energy limit the amount of time she can spend at any event. She reads her body well and knows she can only do so much.

Although she is feeling very tired, her hemoglobin level was reasonable in yesterday's (Sept. 10th) counts. Sodium, however, had dipped again to 127.

Thus our requests are on going:

~that Kate's sodium level would stabilize
~for wisdom for her medical team addressing the sodium issue
~that these issues will indeed be of an acute nature and short lasting and that we will see an improvement in Kate's ability to think clearly and the ability to recall with the ease she has been used to
~ongoing prayer for the ability to think clearly and recall what she has studied
~that God will protect Kate's brain from long term, long lasting effects of radiation
~Kate's nausea has returned. Last week and again this week she has had nausea daily, with no relief even with the increased dose of her steroid.
~I don't think you and I can fathom how exhausting a day of school in the heat and humidity, with the added stress of nausea and fatigue must be for Kate's weakened body. She falls into bed at 9:00 or 9:30pm. Friday night she went to bed at 7:00 pm. Please ask that her energy and strength would be renewed daily.
~Kate will take her first set of SAT's on Saturday, October 6th. Given Kate's struggles in thinking these last two weeks, we have enlisted two teachers to tutor her and help her review and get her mind thinking in the mode of such standardized tests. Hopefully this will help her recall and also build confidence.

Thank you for your on going prayers for God's touch on Kate's health. The wonderful thing in the midst of the academic challenges of the last two weeks was hearing Kate pray and seeing how heavily she leaned on God and how confidently she sought his help. How we rejoiced together and thanked God when she received great scores on her two tests last week.

Leaning on his arms of grace,
Elaine

Labor Day Getaway

2007-09-05T07:14:00.001-05:00

"Nature is often God's nurse for tired souls and weary bodies." How refreshing it was to our bodies, minds and spirits to enjoy a day away at Deep Creek, Maryland with our friends the Meyers. It was a beautiful, picture perfect day with the sun sparkling on the lake and blue skies. We all had a great time on the water riding the jet skis, the paddle boat and "tubing" on the 'torpedo' behind the power boat. I'm not sure what Maggie found to be more fun, bouncing over the waves on the torpedo or falling off into the lake when the bounce was too high and they couldn't hang on!!:)

First Day of School 2007

2007-09-03T09:42:00.002-05:00

First Day of School 2007

2007-09-03T09:42:00.001-05:00

We have been doing well...busy days in preparation for school and trying to capture the last free moments of summer before routine and schedule confines us again:) The week before school started ten of Kate's friends and their moms plus Maggie and her friend Jordan were here for an evening of fun to celebrate the beginning of the girls' senior year. We had lots of delicious Mexican food and desserts.

The girls started school on Wednesday. It's fun that the first day of school still generates excitement even as they have grown older. Of course in keeping with tradition, Mom had to take the first day of school photo:) They were eager to be back with their friends and activity filled schedules. Kate has put in two full days of school. We are thankful that she has had the strength and stamina for a full day of school. Given where we were at this time last year with the reoccurrence of Kate's cancer, we consider it nothing short of a miracle that she was able to begin her senior year with her class. Her body is of course still in major recovery mode, and her fatigue level has been heightened by low counts, plus the heat and humidity which is physically draining. Maggie is an eighth grader this year and enthusiastic about everything in life. She had her first basketball game of the season and scored 3 points!! She's looking forward to ballet starting again next week. I will be substitute teaching this fall. That seems to be the best plan right now, not knowing from one day to the next what Kate's needs may be. Subbing gives me the flexibility of being able to say no to a day of teaching if I have to, and the school is very gracious in understanding those needs and working with my schedule.

Kate's blood work last Friday was ok. Her platelets held steady at 50. Her hemoglobin dropped a little low for Kate. She was not however symptomatic and we repeated labs last Monday and while hemoglobin only rose a tenth of a point, she remained asymptomatic. Her sodium remains a concern. We stopped IV sodium a week ago Monday as she was at 134 and normal is 135. She continued her twice a day salt tablets, but we were disappointed last Friday to see that sodium fell to 129. So we upped the salt tablets to 3x per day and had to repeat labs on Monday again. We were encouraged this Monday's sodium climbed back to 134. However, yesterday, while platelets hung in there in the mid 50's, Kate's sodium yo-yoed once again and fell to 127 and her hemoglobin dropped as well. Thus, we will make a trip to Children's today (Friday, August 31st) for a transfusion of RBC's. We have been playing with her sodium levels all summer. The nurse practitioner said at some point if we can't get this stabilized it might necessitate some renal function tests. Please ask that her kidneys not be an issue. We're doing all the human medical things to regulate the sodium and are not able to maintain results. Please pray that God intervene with the sodium and bring it into stable levels in Kate's body.

Please know of our gratitude for your ongoing interest in our lives and continued prayers as we journey around the curves on this journey. Life is a precious gift. Embrace each new day and be blessed!!

Only by grace,
Elaine

Looking Ahead

2007-08-23T11:44:00.000-05:00

A Year Ago

2007-08-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

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

Little Steps Forward

2007-08-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

A friend recently shared this quote with me...If God brings you to it, He will bring your through it. How true we know this to be. God has so faithfully taken us through each step of this journey. We are thankful and rejoicing that Kate seems to be improving a little each day. No big dramatic changes, but small steps forward are encouraging and assure us that God is in control and answers prayers. Please know that your faithful prayers make a difference!

Last Monday's (August 8th) counts once again showed that platelets had bottomed out at 21. We made a trip to the clinic at Children's and Kate received another transfusion of platelets.
The doctor also determined to increase the dose of Kate's steroid to combat the nausea. Kate's oncologist also addressed the fact that Kate was sleeping more hours each day than she was awake. She feels that Kate is experiencing radiation somnolence - which may occur 2-8 weeks after radiation. Kate was at week 8. With radiation somnolence the person may sleep for 14-20 hours straight. Kate's days of heavy sleep continued all of last week. Over the weekend we were encouraged when she was awake for longer periods of time. Last Friday's (August 10th) counts were also positive in that platelets hung in there at 45, not high, but certainly better than 21!!

While Kate is still sleeping most days until lunch time, she has enjoyed having a little more energy and being able to use that energy for something to brighten her afternoon or evening hours. She has wanted to take a cake decorating class for a long time. It was good for both of us to get out to our second class last Thursday evening. What better way to boost energy than to indulge in the handiwork of our class - decorated, chocolate cupcakes!! The weekend brought my youngest brother and his family to town. Kate's awake time in the afternoon and evenings allowed her to enjoy their visit. We all traveled to my other brother's in Ohio and spent Sunday afternoon at the pool. I could tell Kate was feeling better when she opted to lounge by the pool rather than go inside and take a nap.

We were so happy when this Monday's (August 13th) counts reflected that Kate's platelets had crept up a tiny bit more to 48. Yea!! So it looks like this week we will not have to go to Pittsburgh for a transfusion! Counts did however show that Kate's sodium is still a little low despite the fact that she is on nightly IV fluids containing sodium and she is taking salt tablets twice a day. We will continue running IV fluids each night and increase the salt tablets to see if we can get her sodium level in the solid normal range. We started a new medication yesterday that is supposed to boost Kate's energy level. She has quite the cocktail of medications and we are tweaking that each week trying to find that intricate balance of medications to address nausea, fatigue, sodium, strength and appetite. How thankful we are for the wisdom of Kate's doctors and their diligence at working to get her feeling better.

In the midst of some rather blah weeks, God has brought us encouragement through the visits of two very dear friends. Last week our friend Sherri visited for a few days on her way back to her home on the other side of the world in Turkey. Our time together was very special and truly ministered to our hearts. Sherri graciously accompanied us to the hospital and helped us pass the long afternoon of platelet transfusion. Kate, Maggie and are enjoying time this week with another visitor from the other side of the world, this time China. Sandy has brought encouragement and laughter and spoiled us with dinner at our favorite place...Texas Road House!
How grateful we are very heart friends who specially routed their state side travels via little Ellwood City, PA!!

Maggie's basketball practice has begun. Her first game is August 27th. Mags is excited and we're once again looking forward to watching her play.

REQUEST:
~The start of school is less than two weeks away. Kate still has a way to go before she will have the stamina and energy to make it through a full day of school. Please lift this need to Father and ask that Kate's health and strength be restored quickly so that she can start the year with as much normalcy as possible.

The following is quote is framed and hangs on the wall of our home. We've found it to be a good compass and guide for navigating whatever life may bring our way. May it encourage and challenge you as it has as you navigate whatever life has brought your way today.

Happy moments,
...praise God.
Difficult moments,
...seek God.
Quiet moments,
...worship God.
Painful moments,
...trust God.
Every moments,
...thank God.

Moving Backwards

2007-08-06T08:37:00.000-05:00

After feeling strong for several weeks, Kate began to regress over the past week and a half. She has been dragging and feeling low on all counts...physically and more so emotionally. As we've shared before it's always very discouraging to make progress, be feeling great and then to go backwards again. The movement backwards seemed to show itself a little each day in strength, stamina and appetite, with an increase in fatigue, and nausea again. Kate had been doing great and her counts dropped, but she was still going strong and not symptomatic of the lower counts. She received a transfusion of RBC's and platelets, just to keep her counts up at that point. Last week she continued to feel a little worse each day. The weekend was a really low point all the ways around. She has literally been in bed most of this week.

Counts this past Monday morning showed low platelets and hemoglobin. We spent the day Tuesday at Children's oncology clinic getting transfusions of RBC's and platelets. She had some anti nausea medicine IV, plus some benedryl to avoid allergic reactions to the blood products. By late afternoon, even the hospital staff said her color had improved.

As the week has progressed nausea has only improved a little and Kate is still soooo tired. Eating is with great effort. The nurse practitioner reinforced what they have said all along... Kate's body is going to take a long while to recover. Her bone marrow had not even fully recovered from the 2004 - 2005 radiation and chemo and now she has been heavily treated again over this past year. It will take quite some time for her bone marrow and consequently her counts to recover. Her platelets have hovered all summer around 40 but over the past two weeks began dropping.

We repeated counts Friday morning and found that once again Kate's sodium level had dropped. We began IV fluids again last night and have increased her steroid dose in hopes of quieting the nausea. We'll check counts first thing Monday morning and see where to from there.

Please pray that the month of August will bring steady upward movement in Kate's counts, that the nausea will disappear completely and she will be strengthened and renewed from the inside out. We are believing and praying that Kate will be able to enjoy and experience her senior year to the fullest extent, unhampered by the residual side effects of treatment that still linger. School begins August 29th. Please pray that the transfusions will help Kate to feel better physically. Please especially pray for her spirit that God will lift her heart and tenderly embrace her with His arms of love, strength, peace and healing power.

God always gives cause for praise...
~Maggie just returned from a few days at the beach with a friend and her family. This journey with Kate's illness has been long for Maggie as well and we're glad that she was able to enjoy some refreshing time away, especially during this low week.

~The summer has been one filled with God's grace gifts in opportunities to reunite and visit with heart friends and families that have been part of the previous chapters of our lives. While time and distance has separated us from many of these, they have journeyed faithfully beside us in prayer and with countless, long distance expressions of love and encouragement. How grateful we are that miles and time cannot break the bond of love that God creates between His children. What perfectly timed gifts these visits have been to Kate, Maggie and Me.

Again we are grateful that we can call on you for prayer support. We are thankful for the small increments of improvement that we have seen during the course of this rather long week. We know that strength, hope and healing come from the Lord and He pours them daily into Kate's life! Thanks for continuing to lift up Kate's needs.

Thankful for His grace and love that know no end,
Elaine

You Asked for It !!! MORE of MAGGIES ROOM

2007-07-26T09:22:00.000-05:00

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

Update on Kate

2007-07-18T09:49:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-04T10:55:00.002-05:00

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

2007-07-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

Kate's Pallet of Colors

2007-07-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

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

Maggie's Rainbow of Colors

2007-06-28T09:09:00.000-05:00

At my June 11th writing Maggie had just left for a week at church camp. Kate and I traveled the two hours with our friend Renee midweek and enjoyed a visit at camp and some great praise and worship. Maggie had a wonderful week at camp and said she wasn't quite ready to come home:) Tears filled my eyes and tugged at the hearts of many others at church on Sunday morning when Maggie shared before the congregation that her week at camp was an awesome experience. She said she learned that God is always there for her and that she can lean on Him. She shared that it has been a difficult year for our family but she learned that she didn't have to be strong, because God is always there for her and He also has given her friends and family in her life with whom she could share her concerns and cares. What a beautiful thread of gold, God wove into the tapestry of Maggie's life as she grew in her understanding of her heavenly Father.

A bright splash of colors flooded Maggie's day upon her arrival home from camp.
In Maggie's absence Kate and I orchestrated a "While You Were Out" and gave Maggie's bedroom a make over. Maggie's dream room burst into colors of bright orange, laudable lime, magenta pink and calypso blue with fun accents of gerber daisies. Our drama princess did not disappoint us with her reaction as she walked around the room touching each color and decorative touch saying over and over "oh, my goodness", I can't believe you did this for me.

Maggie's dance recital was absolutely beautiful! We are so proud of Maggie and marvel at the beauty and grace that mark her ballet and lyrical dancing. Watching Maggie express herself through dance is like watching the sun glisten on the rain and make a beautiful rainbow of colors.

Walk Through the Weeks

2007-06-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

It's AMAZING what a little make-up will DO !!!!!!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've had time or energy to sit and write a blog update. The weeks have taken us through through the color spectrum in our hearts and spirits. We've had bright days with vibrant orange and yellow hues, we've had warm comfortable days of peaceful blue, warm golden colors and we've also had dreary days of dull grey that clouded our hearts and spirits.
As we've walked through the past weeks I am reminded that God is weaving a beautiful tapestry in our lives and that each color is essential to the final masterpiece. The threads both bright and dull are woven together with sparkling threads of gold running throughout the array of colors. It is that glistening golden thread of God's touch to our brightly colored days, our tranquil peaceful days and our dull, difficult days that combines all the colors to create a beautiful masterpiece of His purpose and glory in our lives.

One fun colorful thing that we did was to host a mom and daughter night with some of Kate's friends and their mothers. Our dear friend Patti shared with all of us about pure, safe and beneficial Arbonne products. We experienced hands on a skin care regiment and had fun afterwards experimented with the make up of many beautiful shades and hues, suited to each different lady or girl participating. We shared many smiles, much laughter and count that evening of fun and fellowship as one of the warm, golden colors.

We took some pictures of our make over fun and promised that they would definitely be blog material:)

Stay tuned for more the next couple of day !!!!! :)

Radiation Complete !!!

2007-06-11T07:46:00.000-05:00

Friday was Kate's final day of radiation. We are glad that those daily trips to Pittsburgh are behind us. We are so thankful that Kate did not battle heavy nausea and vomiting during this three weeks of radiation - what a gift of grace.
The biggest side effect seems to be fatigue, which has been magnified by the pain medication Kate is on for her shingles. She's taking naps and goes to bed early. She's felt good and is enjoying going to graduation parties of friends who have just graduated. She tires easily and isn't up to staying long, but she's glad just to be out and about with friends.
~Praise for an extremely smooth three weeks of radiation.
~Please ask that long term side effects of radiation, which may not show them selves until further down the road, would be minimal to none, as were the immediate side effects.
~Please ask for Kate's counts to rebound and her immune system to recover quickly. Kate's platelets are low as evidenced by bruising. WBC's are low as evidenced in Kate's encounter with shingles. Kate's body has a lot of healing to do. Please pray that she will be strengthened each day.
~Kate will be doing some physical therapy to build up her weak thigh muscles. We hope to be able to do this locally, and not have to travel daily to Pittsburgh.

This afternoon Maggie departed for her week at church camp. She was excited to say the least. God's grace and mercy have been so apparent in Maggie's life. Despite all that she has been through on our journey of the past few years, her heart has remained tender, she finds joy in even the littlest things and has such enthusiasm and passion for life.
~Please pray that Maggie will experience God in new ways this week and that she will grow in her walk with Him and that He will renew her in the areas where the wear and tear of this journey may have left its mark.

As always we are grateful for your on going prayers. Each morning brings God's gift of a new day filled with blessings to be unwrapped and enjoyed to the fullest. While some days bring challenges, we experience God's amazing grace and mercy, as He gives us reason for joy and smiles even in the midst of those challenges.

Only by grace,
Elaine

Home Again :)

2007-06-06T08:29:00.001-05:00

We are rejoicing that Kate was discharged from the hospital early this afternoon.
We're always happy to be back together with Maggie and Grace. It's good to be home and also back in our own beds. Those hospital beds for patients and fold- out beds for moms are not known for their comfort:)

Kate will continue a regiment of pain and anti-viral meds for awhile. Our prayer is that the shingles heal completely, don't spread and do not come back, as Kate's weakened immune system is suppressed even more from radiation.

Maggie's last day of school was yesterday and she enjoyed her first morning of sleeping in today. She finished her year strong, with another high honor report card. She's officially now an eighth grader. Next week she will be at Jumonville, our church camp, for the week. This is always one of the highlights of her summer. She arrives home in time for dress rehearsal for her dance recital next weekend. Our drama princess loves being on the dance floor. This year she has studied ballet, pointe and lyrical dance. We're looking forward to the performance.

Again, thank you for carrying us in your prayers through still another hospital stay. Hospital time is growing old for all three of us. But God in His goodness and understanding brought special pick-me-ups to all of us through out the time through time shared with good friends, flowers, emails, phone calls at just the right time, and a caring and compassionate medical team at Children's that goes beyond their medical role to just be there for us.

Embraced by grace,

Elaine

Fountain. Bottle or Can ???? We want YOUR opinion

2007-06-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

Kate and I have been talking about bringing a bit of fun and debate to the blog, since week one of radiation treatment (RT). I guess being bored and in the hospital now with lots of time on our hands presents the perfect opportunity to actually put our point of debate out to you in writing.

After completing that first long day of radiation with all the tedious filming, Kate came out of the treatment room and said, "I need a fountain Pepsi." The nurse quickly offered a can of Pepsi available for the patients. Kate said thank you, but explained that it had to be a fountain Pepsi. So from that day on, while Kate goes in for her treatment, I go to the cafeteria on the 11th floor and get a "fountain Pepsi" and have it waiting for her when she comes out of RT each day. Everyone at the radiation/oncology department is quite entertained by Kate's preference for fountain Pepsi. Her radiation oncologist heard that I was headed for the cafeteria for her fountain drink and offered her one of his cokes from the refrigerator in his office. She said no thanks, it had to be fountain. He laughed and told her the fountain drinks were not as good as they were watered down by the ice. She told him that's what she likes about fountain drinks:)

So we put our silly little debate out to you our blog family and friends. What do you think? We know some of our friends who live overseas have definite opinions on this.
It's wonderful to think that you who have prayed with us, rejoiced with us, cried with us, and walked with us through all the seasons of this journey, can laugh with us too at a silly little thing that has brought laughter and fun to our daily RT routine. And so we give you the great debate... FOUNTAIN, bottle or can?????

Update

2007-06-02T10:48:00.000-05:00

Viruses are just one of those slow and tedious things that you have to wait out and wish they would "run their course" just a little bit faster. We know we're where Kate needs to be, to best battle this virus, but as you can imagine hospital stays and the changes they impose on our lives and routine are growing old for all three of us. So we're doing what we need to do, trying to keep a good attitude and trusting that we'll get home sooner rather than later.

Friday Kate's shingles seemed to spread a little bit more, while others seem to have begun to dry up. The goal (much like chicken pox) is to get all the blotches to dry up. Based on how the blotches look, we still have a ways to go. There's really no way to predict how quickly this zoster virus will run it's course. The pain medication makes Kate sleepy. The maintenance dose the machine gives her automatically seems to be helping enough so that Kate can avoid pushing the button for an extra dose of pain meds if she knows friends or family are coming and she wants to be awake enough to enjoy their visit.

Kate had radiation as scheduled yesterday (Friday) and that completed week two. Next week will be her final week of RT. We are thankful that this will soon be behind us and that Kate has the summer to allow her body to recover from all that it has been through. Yesterday we had a physical therapy(PT) consult. Since Kate's high dose chemo, we have noticed significant muscle weakness in Kate's legs. This was evidenced early on in her gait when walking. While we have seen improvement in her walking as her muscles slowly strengthen, it still takes considerable effort for Kate to climb stairs. During our PT consult several simple movement tests confirmed this muscle weakness in her thighs. The therapist gave Kate a series of thigh and hip strengthening exercises to do each day. Kate was a willing and diligent patient (of course the fact that the PT therapist is a young, good looking guy, might have had something to do with her positive attitude and willing spirit:) Those of you who know and love Kate know that she willing admits to not liking sports or being into exercise. We laughed with the therapist that this is "Kate's kind of exercise" she doesn't have to leave her room or break a sweat! We will probably continue some outpatient PT once Kate is released from the hospital. Please continue to pray that Kate's body will be renewed and grow stronger each day.

We are grateful for friends and family who help us pass the time in the hospital. We're looking forward to a visit with friends today and tomorrow when family comes bearing a picnic lunch filled with some Kate's favorites that she requested:) As always we are grateful for God's grace and your faithful prayers.

Walking in His strength and grace,
Elaine

Anther Virus !

2007-06-01T17:09:00.000-05:00

Those were Kate's exact words when we learned that she has the zoster virus...in other words...shingles.
On Tuesday Kate noted a contained rash that was only itchy if touched. Upon consulting with her nurse practitioner, she told us to keep an eye on it and let her know if it spread, blistered or became painful.
Sure enough by the Wednesday all three symptoms were added to the equation.
Kate's rash is on the right side of her body, and as is typical of shingles, follows the nerve line. They called in a prescription for an anti viral medication which Kate began immediately. Today (Thursday) we had a scheduled clinic visit for counts prior to Kate's radiation treatment. When the doctor examined Kate's shingles, she responded without hesitation and very definitively, "we need to admit you". Kate's shingles had spread and needed to be addressed more aggressively with IV medication. The anti viral medication does not "cure" the shingles, it hopefully makes it run it's course a little faster. In addition to the anti-viral IV, Kate has a PCA (a pump) which allows her to administer a narcotic pain medication as needed. The anticipated length of her hospital stay is three to five days. We were a bit surprised by the decision to hospitalize Kate, as she was feeling and looking good, with the exception of the pain associated with the shingles. However, there was no hesitancy on her doctor's part to do this, and the we all want to get Kate on the road to recovery as quickly as possible. The doctor was also not surprised when Kate presented with shingles. With Kate's suppressed immune system, she is very susceptible to such things. With the addition of radiation, Kate's already compromised immune system took another hit and made it even more likely for her to come down with another virus. Again, because of her own weakened immune system, this virus came from with in and was not contracted from someone.

Kate's spirits are good and she enjoyed a visit with good friends this evening. She was also fine with me coming home for the night to get Maggie squared away to stay with two of her good friends over the next couple of days, as my parents, who she usually stays with, are out of town.

REQUESTS
~Please ask that Kate will rebound quickly from the shingles, that they will not spread further and the pain will be manageable.
~Please ask that the final week of radiation will go as smoothly as these first two weeks. WBC and ANC counts dropped today, as anticipated with radiation. Ask that Kate be protected from other viruses while her counts are lower. Nausea has been manageable and fatigue, while present, not consuming... what grace and mercy we have experienced.
PRAISES
~Praise that we caught this when we did and that the shingles are not much worse. God has graciously made Kate very aware of her own body and even subtle changes she quickly detects.
~Praise that Kate finished her last final on Wednesday and has no pressures of school work hanging over her head while she is recovering. We are thrilled and amazed that Kate was able to finish her junior year on time...another amazing grace gift!
PRAISE for the gift of good friends to care for Maggie, and for brave, extended family to care for Grace:)

Each day has evidences of His hand of care and reminders that He is in control going before us, with us and coming behind us in every aspect of our lives and this journey!

Covered by grace,
Elaine

Radiation Week I

2007-05-29T11:54:00.000-05:00

Kate was clearly carried on the wings of your prayers through week one of radiation therapy (RT)! She did well and we were able to get back each day in time for her art class at school and then her homebound teachers after school.
Praise that Kate had no nausea or vomiting until today (Saturday). We will trust today's vomiting will be an isolated event!

Friday we did counts prior to Kate's RT. Her hemoglobin had dropped a bit, and although she was not symptomatic, Kate's doctor felt it best that Kate get a transfusion of RBC's prior to the long Memorial Day Weekend to avoid dropping to where she would feel bad. Kate was very disappointed as the two hours plus needed to transfuse nixed her lunch plans with friends. She spirits picked up when other friends called and they planned supper out at Subway.

Tonight Kate invited a bunch of friends over for a bonfire with hot dogs, her famous potato salad and s'mores of course! Being with her friends and hanging out is such wonderful sense of normalcy for Kate. How thankful we are that after a week of radiation Kate is able to have a fun time with friends.

Please pray that as the radiation accumulates in Kate's body that symptoms such as nausea will remain minimal and that while transfusions may be needed, that her counts will not drop drastically.

Praise that with the help of her wonderful teachers and Kate's determination and self discipline that Kate will complete her junior year on schedule. She completed several finals this week and has a few more things to finish up next week.

We have been thrilled and so grateful for the out pouring of God's grace in Kate's life this week. We marvel that week one of radiation went so smoothly and truly with minimal to no side effects.

Thank you for running this final lap of treatment with us. We are confident as we pass the baton of prayer to you that your prayers will carry Kate victoriously to the finish line of treatment.

Awed by grace,
Elaine

Radiation Day 1

2007-05-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

Kate's first day of radiation therapy (RT) was long, tedious and draining. She was face down, with her head held in place by the mask that was bolted to the table for about an hour. The first day involved taking extensive films and doing the RT. The time seemed to crawl as I sat waiting in the waiting room. I can only imagine how time must have seemed to stand still for Kate as she laid in that uncomfortable position for so long. She came out looking very weary and admitted she came close to tears on the table, thinking she wished she didn't have to go through this again. She asked if we could please do something fun on the way home:) A little bit of shopping and some lunch helped ease the weariness and restore her spirit. By afternoon Kate was her positive, determined self again. We are thankful and rejoicing that day 1 held none of the trying side effects!! Thank you for praying us through this day. It was so obvious that we were carried by your prayers and grace through a very challenging morning. Kate is schedule for her RT Monday - Friday at 10:00 am. Treatments (without the addition of films) should be about 15 minutes. We are grateful for your continued prayer coverage for Kate over the next three weeks of treatment. Please ask that the side effects of dropped counts, nausea and the many other potential serious and long term side effects that go with RT will be minimal and that the results will be great and Kate's health will be restored and this cancer will be defeated once and for all!

Moment by moment in His grace,

Elaine

Kate and Company

2007-05-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

Kate -You are A Symphony of Beauty

2007-05-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

Grace, favor, sweetness, and charm.

Kate you are truly a reflection

God's beauty.

The sun has one kind of glory,while the moon and the stars each have another kind. And even the stars differ from each other in their beauty and brightness.

I Corinthians 15:41