Miracle 2012

You might find a cup of tea for this post as a number of us will share our Memories of the Miracle day of JUNE 5, 2012! 
 

AMY REMEMBERS.................                                                       
Sometimes (many times) God does things we don't fully understand and a year ago today was one of those days.   I awoke early that morning to lay before the Lord, Literally face down on my living room floor, to beg God for a Miracle for Kristi on this given day as she was walking in to do the Pelvic Exenteration Surgery..  For me I was here at home with my kids and Kristi's all tucked safely in their beds still enjoying the early morning hours of sleep - The plan was set in place - I was to watch her kids for the month that she would be in Houston following this life changing surgery; we had crossed all our t's and dotted all our i's, we were willing and ready to be OBEDIENT and walk the path God had called each of us too!  Yet still in the backs of our minds we hoped and somewhat felt that God had other plans in store, but He had yet to reveal them to us - so I awoke and did the only thing I knew to do - and that was PRAY! God gave me two very distinct verses as I laid there praying  Ps. 27:13-14  I am still confident of this, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living WAIT for the Lord, be Strong and take heart and WAIT on the Lord! and Ps. 28:6 Praise be to the Lord for He has HEARD my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength, my shield, my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for JOY and I will give thanks to Him in Song.  - I remember my dad calling me about 5:30 as they had just said goodbye to Kristi as she walked back to the surgical room... we cried and we prayed together, we shared what God had spoke to each of us that morning and we said our goodbyes while we sat and waited in our respected places, dad at MD Anderson and Me at home.  The sun came up and the sound of children filled my home and I passed the baton of care off to my husband as I headed to work and pleaded again with God on my drive that He would give me a clear mind to care for my clients when my mind was elsewhere.  God is Faithful and I was able to be present for my clients but in between a couple of clients I received a text from my dad saying "We got our Miracle" I closed my door and shed a few happy tears before ushering the next client into my office... I wanted to dance and sing and weep but my days work was not done! Jeff sent me a text picture of Isaiah and Alyssa after they had talked to their daddy on the phone and heard that Mommy had been given a miracle - the first thing I noticed was that the sparkle in Isaiah's eyes had returned!  Thank you Jesus for HEARING our cries for help on June 5th 2012 - Today we still learn to WAIT on you - to see what you are up to but we WAIT in Faith and we do not Forget the Miracle of 2012!

DANINA REMEMBERS...................

DO WE LOVE GOD AND BELIEVE HE IS GOOD when we get a miracle and when we experience loss??   Yes.... We can say this without doubting... HE IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!  He is the same God in the dark and in the light.  He is the same God on the Mountains and in the Valleys.  These pictures from June 5th 2012 remind me of how you, our dear friends and readers, and how we as family have walked both in a year's time.  The mountain top experience of a modern day miracle and the terrifying valley of facing death and loss with the radical surgery performed 6 months later.  

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”  declares the Lord

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

 so are my ways higher than your ways

        and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8,9

My parents and I had the unique experience of sitting in that same waiting room twice.  Saying goodbye twice.  Praying with Kristi in the pre-op room twice. Anxiously waiting to hear news from the Dr.s twice.  One time, we waited 5 hours to see Kristi, and the next time it was nearly 16 hours before we saw her.   One time, we left the hospital the same day we came, and the next time we stayed at the hospital for weeks.  One time, Kristi left as she came, and the next time she left with life altering changes to her physical body and life. But each time......we left knowing that our God was REAL AND ALWAYS THE SAME! He was good and worthy of our trust.  Each time, we came and went feeling God's presence through you!! 

One year ago today, I watched Billy fearfully and sadly walk Kristi down that hall at MD Anderson at 5:15a.m.  Then, that  very afternoon I watched the miracle of him joyfully walking her back into the apartment we had rented for one month.  I remember that many of you gave money that we used to rent this apartment for the month.  I also remember that they wouldn't give us our money back to return to you so we didn't choose to rent from them for round two. : )    I look back and really can't even process all that we have lived in one years time!   WHEW!!  No wonder we still feel tired! 

Thank you God for your grace and strength and care, and thank YOU for 

how you have lived and prayed and walked with us.  

 God is good.............Danina

Katy Remembers......................                                                                                                        

Last year on this day I woke up at 4AM with no alarm. It was a short night for all. I think I hung up with Kristi about midnight. I clung to those last few words not sure when we would talk again. It was so hard. I knew that everyone in Houston was waking up to prepare to head to the hospital. I wasn't sure how Kristi or any of them for that matter were going to be able to put one foot in front of the other to get there. I started texting Kristi and of course she was awake. I prayed, she prayed, we all prayed. Asking for a Miracle. One thing was for sure and she knew it was that God was with her. Directing her path and holding her hand. This day held a lot of nervous and anxious energy as those of us back home waited for updates. We were all glued to our phones. Amy, Josh and I were texting as we had a different experience at home then those in Houston. I was very pregnant!! I was due with my son on June 30th. My husband was home and it was a somber day yet still trying to have a nice day with our older son. My husband and son were going to go to the pool. It was about Noon and I decided to go. I didn't want to miss out on his first swim of the season and my Mom always taught me to smell the Roses! I had no idea what to put on for the pool nor did I feel up to going. I really just wanted to lay in bed. I wasn't feeling right. My body was aching, my heart was heavy and my mind was racing with so many thoughts. I knew that Kristi was in the operating room and last I heard the next step was to make the foot long incision. They had been slicing and dicing the biopsy that my Mom asked for thinner than paper for the last few hours. I just wanted to save her. Rescue her from that operating room and take a giant eraser to the last 1 1/2 years of Cancer. I wanted it all to disappear and for Kristi's life to be restored!  Instead I willed myself to my bathroom, drug on something that seemed to fit okay, and started to get ready at the sink. My phone rang and it was my Mom. I was actually terrified to pick up the phone. What would she say?! We all knew this was a high risk surgery. She said, "Katy, God gave us a Miracle. They stopped the surgery!"  All I remember saying was "What?!?" over and over as my hands hit my knees and I began sobbing hysterically. Which alarmed my husband quite a bit and they both came running in. I could see on his face that he was also terrified so I just started saying "it's good, it's good". It was hard to even comprehend what my Mom was saying. It was almost too much to wrap your head around. What a huge turn in events. I can't even explain the roller coaster of emotions we had all been on for the last three months yet alone the past three days before this happened. It was a rollercoaster mentally and emotionally. We talked and she explained what she knew and we hung up. Just like what Amy said you have all this going on yet with kids and life you just have to carry on. So off to the pool we went. It was like a daze. I got to the pool and my friend was there and we cried and talked about it all and watched our kids splash in the pool. I was so anxious for Kristi to wake up. What would she think and feel!? In the meantime my body was reacting. I told my friend I think I am having contractions! I wasn't yet full term so I decided the day was just too much and I just was feeling yucky from the emotions and was having Braxton Hicks. Kristi was so excited for this pregnancy and I had told her I was going to wait till she got back from Houston to have this baby! I was sad thinking that she may miss it. But I was determined to wait for her return!! We went home and I laid around having contractions throughout the day while getting updates from Houston. Kristi walked in the hospital on the 5th thinking that she wouldn't be walking out for quite some time only to walk back out that night. It took a few months for her to really process all of that herself! God had revealed Himself to us that day in a way that we will never forget. Part of her blog post from Aug. 1, 2012 said, " So with a deep breath, I put out my right hand with my palm facing backwards and closed it tightly as if I were grabbing Jesus' hand.  Aloud I uttered, "Let's go Jesus" and walked out to grab Billy's hand as well." She sadly surrendered to HIS plan on June 5th. She had Faith and confidence that He was doing a good work in her and she Trusted Him and went forward. What a great example she is to us. Later that night I called my brother Josh at 3AM and said "I need you now"!!!! Kristi had said many times "I can't wait for you to call me at 2AM saying you are having a baby"! Instead I got to call my brother. He's so amazing and we have such special memories of that time. God gave me Josh. Actually God gave Josh me because I came last as a "bonus"!!  Either way we've always had each other and I'm so thankful for him and that we got to share that experience together. He's always been a rock for me. My son had a great time waking up to his Uncle!!!  He arrived to my house by 4:30AM and my husband and I went to the hospital. Because I was so early they said it was false labor but that I needed to stay there so they could prove that!! But I proved them wrong! I had him that evening.  In the wee hours of the following day I had the best surprise EVER! I was in the bathroom when I heard John say "oh.....my......gosh!!!" I came out to find KRISTI, Billy, Danina, and my parents with sleepy eyes but big smiles IN our hospital room! They hurried from Houston to meet him when he was barely 12 hours old! What an amazing family I have and a huge sacrifice Kristi made to jump in a car ride like that so quickly!!! They had quite the journey getting back to Ark! Another priceless gift!!! What an unbelievable 48 hours we all had!  Still a year later I can hardly believe they did that!! Thank you ALL again! 

Here we are a year later and she has faced more in the last 2 1/2 years than we could of ever dreamed. Dealt with the unimaginable. Persevered through things that we could never dream fathomable. She's a fighter and just as determined as ever. That's who my sister has always been ya know. A fighter. She can dream beyond the stars farther than most of us can. She goes for what she wants and always rises to the top. This time her fight has been for life.  How proud God must be of His forever faithful servant!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

It's a Zip-a-dee-doo-dah day!

   "  Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay, my oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of sunshine goin' my way........Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!!" The Pastor here in AR used this little song last week in his sermon.  It got me to thinking how much I always liked it and how happy I felt when I sang it.
      When you think about singing this little diddy you understand you can't sing it without it bringing you happiness. You don't sing about a Zip-a-dee-doo dah  day when you are feeling melancholy or sad.  It is a perk up and have a wonderful day song! Well, that's where we are at here in AR.  Each day is a more wonderful day! Each day Kristi is feeling better and perking up.   This past week Kristi has been able to get back into some real life.  We went "out" and practiced driving and I got to be the grown up going along, (Dr. recommended) just like the drivers ed teacher, but I didn't have my own brakes.  I only needed them once! Later, I took her on a drive to Jeff and Amy's house to see them and the work done on their new addition. On this drive Kristi was the grown up riding "shotgun" and wishing she had her own brakes when the people we were following suddenly decided to slow down and turn.  We had a good laugh because I paid her back!    Kristi hadn't been able to go to Amy and Jeff's house, which is only 40 mins away, since January.  Kristi got to see the basement part of their "addition", which had proved to be beneficial last week as everyone had to take cover from the same storm that hit OK.  George said that he didn't know trees could bend over that far and pop back up and be ok.   It went from still, quiet weather to swirling hard winds here in seconds. At Kristi's house we took to the inside rooms, hoping the storm passed by.  It did pass over our homes, though there was damage in the area. Josh was traveling to a safer place with us during the worst of the storm in his little Toyota truck and was blowing around  and quite alarmed by the time he arrived. He said it was getting "sketchy!" It was more than sketchy as a  19 yr old man was killed while driving to deliver medications for a drugstore when a sign came flying into his car.  Our family felt very sad for him and all those who are suffering so much from these tornados.  One night in a tornado shelter underground when the news is saying, "take cover" is worth all the cost and 70 hours of digging (not by hand) and hammering out that red rock.  George dug it out and Joshua helped some and then made a nice red graveled road for the kids in the enchanted forest next to the house.  Well, talking about Storms;
  We are hopeful the storm in Kristi's life  has passed by. It's been scary, very tough and long. "A long hard road," the Dr said, on Nov 15th, 2010! " We were hoping he was wrong but we need to tell him how correct he was! There is an old song that tells the story, " When the storm passes over and the thunder starts to roll...when the clouds roll forever from the sky... Keep me safe let me stand in the hollow of His hand.  Keep me safe till the storm passes by." Thanks be to our Heavenly Father for keeping her safe and bringing her though these past 2 1/2 years.  And  a huge  thank you to all you people who had a part in helping the Wright family get through this.  People have had wonderful ideas and been incredibly generous to all of us and we have learned so much from all of you and from this experience about how to help others in these situations. You have been a shining example of "Jesus with skin on" (from a Guy Dowd video).
     There is a little plaque in my room here in AR at the Wright's house.  I actually bought it for Kristi after her June 5th miracle last year.  It says Rejoice Always, Pray without Ceasing, In everything give thanks!  Easy to do when you have received a real life miracle down here on earth... but every adversity doesn't come with a miracle.  I read it every day and wonder how to apply giving thanks to everything.  The thing that comes to mind is that I can always give thanks that God makes a way for each of us to bear the hardships that come to us in this life. As a young wife I found a verse in the bible that promised me that with every hard thing that comes my way, God will be with me and I will be able to bear it and survive it.  That has given me great peace throughout my life and I see it playing out in Kristi's life each day. He is faithful.  I have seen this promise play out in friends and families' lives as they experienced adversity.  It is a promise God has shown us He will always keep! As people who have the holy spirit living within them we should always be ready to pray and trusting God in all our situations.  Praying without Ceasing just becomes a way of life. And then there is the Rejoice Always portion.  We all have things to rejoice about and be grateful for even in the midst of our troubles.  We are rejoicing that Kristi is done waiting to live life, but is able to actually go out into the world and live her life.  She has had some social events she could attend this week.  Last night she COOKED!  She passed her driving test with Mom and took over the driving.  She took her kids to the pool yesterday.  She can power walk in the driveway with Chris, the Physical Therapist. There are some consequences that come with this activity like sore shins and sudden fatigue, but we are rejoicing because she is recovering and being part of life again.

School is out for the summer and Kristi is going to be caring for the kids.  Pray for her endurance an strength to meet their needs as well as keeping up at home. Its important she doesn't over do it!  The medicine she is on doesn't allow her to be in the sun without burning, so she'll have to be very careful while taking the kids on outings. Also, there are hurdles still to cross with housework and going to Walmart, as Kristi continues to have a very strict weight limit for lifting.  For example, she cannot carry a laundry basket of clothes yet.  However, the kids have agreed to be very helpful as they are excited about this big corner their mom has turned as well!  Funny thing happened, Breck (Amy's son) texted with Isaiah, He said, "What's new?"  Isaiah said, "MY MOM!"   written by Kristi's MOM!

Mother's Day 2013 - A New Perspective

"Changing your perspective...... Changes your experience" - unknown

Have you ever gone to the Eye Dr. and tried on glasses only to realize you had not been seeing clearly and had not even realized it until that very moment?  I have!!  It was such a surprise to realize my perspective and experience of life had not been as clear as it could have been, or as it needed to have been.  This is the gift God has continued to give our family since 2010.

We first experienced this with Kristi's cancer diagnosis, then my son Taylor came close to death with a septic hip and staph infection,  followed by learning Kristi's treatment for a cure would be permanently life altering, and this past week my brother in law Jeff survived the "widow maker" and following surgery found out the scary and disappointing news that he has quite serious heart disease.  (This is Amy's husband)  We have also changed our perspective as we have watched or walked through suffering with many of you.

We are celebrating life......the ability to fully live the life God has given us!

We are celebrating relationships......the ability to share life with those God has given us!

We are celebrating worship.......the ability to love and serve and worship our Savior! 

More than anything, we are asking God to give us HIS perspective about all of life.....our time, our relationships, our work, our spiritual, physical, financial, mental and emotional resources, etc...... so that our experience of life and relationships and worship will be what He wants for us and for HIS glory.

Today we are all celebrating that Kristi is home with her children and that God has provided a way for her to continue to be a Mom to Isaiah and Alyssa.   Kristi had set a goal to be able to go to Isaiah's choir concert last week and she made it.  Today she set a goal to attend church for Mother's Day and she was able to attend.  It took a lot out of her and felt like a long time to sit, but she lived life today with her children, her Mom and her family.  This made her happy!!  When I was there two weeks ago, it was heartwarming for me to see the kids be able to ask Kristi permission to do things, or show Kristi their homework, etc  instead of me.  One night, while I was caretaking at the Wright house, Kristi was having a good night and was laughing and interacting with her children,  and it felt so good to the kids that Isaiah didn't even want to break away to take his shower.

On this Mother's Day, our Mom is now in Arkansas mothering and grand mothering the Wright Family.  Our parents flew into Arkansas late Monday night and were greatly needed!!  Due to Jeff's sudden heart tests and hospital stay and Katy having both boys sick,  they were both needed.  Dad stayed at Amy's house with Breck and Kacey and Mom has been at Kristi's house.  Josh and the Soderquist family joined Amy at the hospital.  We have said this before, but we are so grateful for a BIG family!  We are even more grateful to know the Lord and His strength and hope and grace for times such as these!

Mom.....the caretaker for the Wright Family this week.
Thank you Lord for allowing Kristi to celebrate Mother's Day 2013! 

Dad...the caretaker for the Soderquist Family this week!
Thank you Lord for letting Jeff be here to celebrate Mother's Day!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
Kristi is going off of 2 of her 3 antibiotics today.  She has been anxiously awaiting this on two accounts.  She is hoping it will help with the evening nausea (this past week she has thrown up several evenings).  But she is also fighting anxiety about returning infection without the medication.  She was so sick and miserable her 24 days in the hospital and it has taken 6 weeks to gain new strength back.  Please pray that God will take her thoughts captive and that her fear of another setback due to infection will not control her mind.

Kristi is battling dehydration and possible anemia.  Pray that she can be rehydrated and rebuild her iron without needing  IV treatment.

Please pray that Kristi can find the right ostomy bags for her body.  It has been a frustrating process recently.  They tell you this will be part of the process so it isn't unexpected, but there is so much to making this adjustment mentally and emotionally and physically.  Overall, God's grace has covered Kristi with this life altering adjustment above and beyond what we would have expected.  She has some hard days and grieves different losses or gets frustrated with the process,  but over all......She looks at life through the perspective of just that........the opportunity to have life.

I don't know what your circumstances are as you read this, but I pray that you are allowing God to use your circumstances to change your perspective.....allowing Him to give you Spiritual Eyes in order to see clearly through new lenses that change how you see life, God, yourself and others.  We continue to learn this truth.......Our perspective does change how we experience life and relationships and sometimes we are more blind than we think!  Let's not allow being too busy, fear, unforgiveness or pride to blind us from what God wants us to give or receive....for we know not what tomorrow brings! (James 4:13-16).

Blessings,
Danina for us all

We plan to continue to give you an update every 7-10 days.  Thank you for the many that continue to pray and follow Kristi's story.......God's story!

3 Month Anniversary.....Post Pelvic Exenteration

Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, 

but to turn it into glory.”  --Phillip Yancey

You have now walked with us for 3 months following Kristi's surgery.  

Thank you!  

Kristi says, "Three months down......nine more to go!!" 

I flew in on Sunday to give my siblings a break from caretaking  for the week.  I knew Kristi would visibly show improvement, but she shocked me when she got up off the couch by herself and just took off walking to the kitchen without her walker.  I was so excited to see her walk and not shuffle and be hunched over!! 

Danina, Joshua, and Kristi
Kristi has enjoyed the sunshine.  She sits in a protected area
on her front porch and can watch the kids play and enjoy her ice
tea.  I've been cooking with lots of the ingredients provided for
the Wrights, and Kristi has been eating really well this week! 
We take walks across their grass so her body can get used to uneven 
ground, and today she set a goal to walk to her 2nd neighbors mailbox
and made it! 

Kristi had a major new workout this week with her Physical Therapist.  Her kids were so excited when she told them that she had "played basketball" that day.  Chris had her put a basketball on the floor while sitting down and then stand up and hold it over her head.  Then they walked outside and shot a few baskets to use new muscles.  She has appreciated Chris' creativity in helping her with objects around the house..... and this was one that brought the children into it and made them happy!
She did fall asleep early last night and slept all night and late this morning to recover!! : ) 

Monday was an emotional day for Kristi full of ups and downs.  She went from getting the news that a woman she met through her cancer posse at church had lost her battle with breast cancer, to receiving news that a long time friend of our family wanted to help them monthly with the exact amount of their house payment.  She had no knowledge of the amount of their house payment either!! God is so awesome in how He goes before us.  This removes some of the stress if their house does not sell immediately.  Please join us in praying for the family of Martina Peacock and in praising God yet again for HIS provision through His people.  We are also feeling the weight of our other friends struggling with cancer and difficult news.  We would love to ask you to also pray for encouragement and strength for Toni Simmons from our home town of Meeker, CO and our new little friend Julia Cobb we met at MDA.  They are both on facebook under Toni's Story and Jucan and both started with Ewing's Sarcoma.

Martina's faith amidst cancer impacted Kristi.  When Martina first attended a Hope in Him Cancer Encouragement Group, she shared a beautiful prayer that she and her husband prayed every day.  It was full of promises from God's word and Kristi held onto part of those words as she journeyed forward.  Another woman in the group reminded Kristi that one of Martina's scriptures was from 2 Cor. 4......

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life in you.

 Martina and many others in this cancer group desire more than anything for God to be glorified and Jesus to be known....whether in life or in death. 

 May we all live with this perspective with whatever suffering God allows in our own stories.  

------- Danina

“Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse.” 

― Philip Yancey, Disappointment with God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud

Continued Progress

Kristi has has been home for 25 days now! The longest stint at home thus far since her surgery. I am very sorry for the lack of updates over the past couple weeks.  Those of us here working as her caretakers are busy when we're at her home making sure she's taken care of and keeping up with their laundry and dishes etc and then once we arrive back at our own homes we need to keep up with life there as well - leaves very little time to sit at the computer, however, we do value your continued prayers and want to keep you in the loop so you know how to pray specifically as well as join us in Thanking Jesus for His provisions and for her progress.

Rejoice always, pray continually,

Give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

I Thess. 5:16-18

We are super encouraged by Kristi's continued progress in the right direction.  She is counting down the days till two of her antibiotics will be over!  She has a little over two weeks left with them and then maybe the  nausea and restlessness caused by those meds and the anti nausea medications will go away.  The typical routine for the past ten days is that she wakes up feeling pretty good and has gained energy and is doing more things with her mornings. She is able to get up and sneak out of her room to allow Billy to keep sleeping from his late nights at work and make her way to the couch all on her own, and in the last couple days she's braved getting her own drink and carrying it to the couch. Even made herself a pitcher of iced tea!  She's still pretty shaky and weak so does not trust herself at the stove or even with a knife to cut up fruit! Those days will come though - I can see them on the horizon! This week she even left the house and went over to Katy's for a few hours while the house cleaners were there to perk up her home. She thought it was nice to have a change of scenery. THANK YOU to all of you who have given to have her house cleaned - this is a HUGE blessing.

Here's the week review in pictures!

Sunday night Billy was called in to work at Midnight which allowed him to stay home a little longer than normal on Monday and enjoy some time with Kristi

Charlotte has stayed the last two weeks and helped with the kids in the evenings and getting them up and off to school in the morning!

We could not have done it these past 3 weeks without Charlotte and Billy's mom Leona.  They've done a great job of staying on top of the kids needs so we can focus on caring for Kristi's.  You both have been a Blessing!

Lots of Physical Therapy these past two weeks and Kristi is getting stronger! We are grateful for Chris and his enthusiasm, listening ear, and desire to find treatments that will get Kristi back to living life again.  She has accomplished her first set of goals and has recently set a new goal of being able to walk into Isaiahs choir concert un-aided, without her walker or wheelchair, so we are doing lots of walking! plus she's met the goal of standing for five minutes, being able to sit at her dinner table with the kids and in the den to watch a movie with her kids. She told me yesterday that Chris is showing her she can do even more than she thinks she can.  Her legs are still very weak and it's hard to do any sort of steps.

Accomplishing her goal to walk to her mailbox and back

Doing Physical Therapy at Katy's house - she had a fan club there!

Another goal is to work on her gait - she still shuffles along instead of walking at a normal gait. She says she walks like our Grandpa Claude!

Yesterday we walked beyond her driveway to the neighbors driveway and back, she's making new strides every day!  Also yesterday she sat outside and colored - she was gifted coloring books and colored pencils for after her surgery and she's finally getting to the place she can focus long enough to color a picture. 

 

Although she is finding some renewed energy and a  little more independance each day she begins to feel worn out come early evening.  She finds herself counting down the hours till she can take her 9pm meds and go to sleep. She still battles the restlessness during the evening hours but not nearly as bad.  Her PT has given her some stretches that has helped with that a lot yet it seems to be a side effect of one of her anti-nausea medications. We did attempt AGAIN trying to go off of that one and she threw up. So it's just a must for this season of her recovery.

 

We continue to be touched by the out-pouring of love she receives by so many of you.  This week she was able to pay off her medical bills to Highland Oncology and an old bill to the OU Cancer Center and still had some to send towards her bill at MD Anderson. THANK YOU to so many who have given financially to them. There is a huge need and you are helping meet it.  THANK YOU to all of you who have provided frozen meals, pantry supplies, paper products, gift cards..... They have all come in handy and have met a need and allowed Charlotte and Leona to not have to worry about what to feed  the kids in the evenings or for any of us to have to squeeze in a run to the store for the basics. You don't understand what a huge help that is!  THANK YOU to those of you who came this last week to pull weeds, mow their grass and perk up their outdoors! This spoke volumes to Kristi and Billy. THANK YOU to those who continue to help cart the kids  too and fro from school and their many activities.  It has allowed them to continue doing things that are a part of their "normal"  in the midst of a time that feels so abnormal.

 

Our hearts are full and we are grateful that Kristi continues to recover versus having set backs and for all of you who have helped us keep life moving in a positive direction. 

 

Danina will fly in this next week to join the care team for the upcoming week. Please add her travels Sunday evening to your prayers. 

 

With a humbled and grateful heart, Amy for us all





Thoughts from Katy

For those of you that haven't read Katy's update on Facebook, here it is.......

Last night I was driving home from caring for Kristi and her kids and I felt teary. It was a mixture of sad and happy tears. I was happy because she has these tiny little improvements that are so exciting. Such reason for praise! Last night she did NOT throw up!!!! PTL! I'm grateful to see her occasionally walk off without her walker even for just a few steps or see her brush her teeth at the sink. It's still a praise to see her sit up on her own or stand up on her own. She rolls to the side and then pushes herself up with her arm and walla she's sitting up! (the things we take for granted!) We can sit around stuffing our face with food we don't even need to be eating, we may not even be hungry and we don't have to think about every little thing we eat. We don't realize this is someone else's lifeline to getting better. She has to be extremely conscious to what she eats, when she eats, and how much she eats a day. Eating is so hard for her. She has to force herself to do it most of the time but she does it and doesn't complain. She doesn't complain about much at all actually. You only know when she's feeling bad usually by her appearance or the shakiness in her body. Or the fact that caring for her so much you've learned her cues for "I don't feel good"! This is the part I can't even get through without tears rushing into my eyes. I never thought I would be taking care of my big sister. I've always called her, asked her, leaned on her, cried to her but now I find myself being the 'big' sister. I think that's why her sitting up or brushing her teeth is so impactful. It wasn't too many days ago it still took us two to three people to help her sit up and swing her legs around because she couldn't even lift them herself. Or bringing her water and a toothbrush to bed because she was too weary to make it to the sink. Just the act of brushing her teeth was all the energy she had. Some things are heart breaking but this journey has been heart wrenching. The things she has been through in the past 2 1/2 years are unthinkable. I never imagined some of them even possible. But she's done them...she's walked this walk and held her Heavenly Father's hand the whole time. Even when she wondered where He was at times she/we knew He was there. That is a promise God gives us that we can only hope through this journey everyone can come to know. In Him we have HOPE and that has sustained us through many days.

This has been such a humbling experience for everyone involved but especially for our sweet Kristina. How sweet she is and what a blessing to so many. So many times people ask how does she manage with this or that or get through certain things...I have one answer GOD! He gives us such grace and mercy. I have definitely learned especially through all of this infection and feeling discouraged through this Cancer Journey what it's like to trust and have faith in Him. I can say there are days that I have felt my whole being grasping at that "mustard seed" of Faith. He says that's all we need and it's the truth!

I started this post just to tell that Kristi didn't throw up last night and look where it went!!!! I was so happy that she didn't get sick because it's so hard on her. She did go back to taking a whole anti nausea pill that makes her restlessness and jitters worse. So it's a trade off. Either take half that pill and have less restlessness (which can be severe) and feel nauseated or the whole pill and less nausea and more jitters. ugh. BUT you can find a praise in almost anything nowadays! thank you for praying and please continue to do so! It's helping!

Think about the things you take for granted today and look for reasons to be thankful. My son (3 1/2 years) told me his Apple was "beautiful" today and I thought when was the last time I found beauty in something like that! He looked it all over before eating it as if it were the most amazing thing he's ever seen! He also told me a few days ago while riding his bike he softly said "This is wonderful Mom. This is a Wonderful life"!!!!!! Whaaaaat!?!?! What a smart little fella. It makes you stop and think....slow down, be grateful, look for the little things...and enjoy life! It's "wonderful!!!" We are surrounded with little gifts and beauty every day. Let's try to look at it through a child's eyes!

 ~Katy

April 14th - a week at home

Kristi has completed her first week at home after spending 24 days in the hospital.  We've noticed a number of differences since she was ushered away to a local hospital a little over a month ago

• she's able to get in and out of her bed all by herself and has gone to the kitchen to get her own drink just needs someone to carry it back to her room for her.
• she no longer uses the wheel chair around the house
• she's able to make 3 laps around the inner circle of her home where before she barely walked to her kitchen and back - she's even caught herself taking off walking without her walker a few times - although her PT told her to keep it close!
• she no longer has a need for a home health nurse and is more independant in taking care of her personal needs
• she's more alert, sleeps less and even reads once in awhile
• she is off her pain medication
• she's has no food restrictions on her diet - she still rarely feels like eating due to the continued nausea
• she had a couple days this week she didn't even take a nap

She has certainly enjoyed being back in her own home.  Another praise this week has been her PT.  He was very dedicated to hearing her story and understanding what her needs/goals are.  Some things she's going to be working toward is the ability to sit at the kitchen table while her family eats and being able to stand up for five minutes (at MD Anderson they had her stand for 2 minutes and that felt very hard)   This would allow her to stand at her sink to do her hair and bursh her teeth etc. Kristi's muscles have atrophied greatly in size and length and due to shrinking in length this makes it hard for her to sit very long or be able to lay flat in her bed.  These are goals she will begin to train her body to do again as well.  However if she does not keep enough nutrients in her body all the physical therapy in the world will not help her because her body will not have what it needs to recover.  Nausea continues to be a battle due to the high powered antibiotics that she is on.  She has also battled significant restlessness all week due to the side effects of one of the anti-nausea meds. Her home health nurse referred to her as a jitter bug! We are hopeful that tomorrow we will hear back from MDA about another anti-nausea medication, by alleviating the one to help with the restlessness it is not enough to keep the nausea at bay and her from getting sick by the days end. The hardest part of her day is between 6-9pm - the restlessness and nausea rare their ugly heads the worst during this time frame and she ends up throwing up. At times the nausea scares her as this was the indicator before that the infection was back - the difference we see this time around is that overall she feels good where as before her whole body felt bad.

Prayer requests as we enter week two at home:

• A new anti-nausea medication that works without making her super sleepy or restless
• the ability to get all the nutrients she needs to help her body heal
• peace of mind - that she would take captive any thought that leads to fear/worry
• pray against the return of any infection
• pray against discouragment at how long the recovery feels already for her whole family
• Alyssa caught a nasty stomach bug this weekend - pray it does not spread throughout the rest of the family - pray for Kristi's mommy heart that grieves when she can't take care of her kids
• keep Billy in your prayers as he leads his family and feels stretched in many directions
• pray for the caretakers as we manage our own homes and assist Kristi in her recovery and caring for her home

We would also like you to pray for our new little 8 year old friend we made at MDA - we mentioned her in a previous blog but Julia (who is loving called JuCan) was told a little over a week ago she was cancer free only to discover that her cancer may have returned in her knee.  Tomorrow she will undergo a biopsy that will reveal whether it is an infection in the bone or if ewings sarcoma has rared its ugly head in her little body again.  The battle against cancer is wearisome - Julia's grandmother has also been re-admitted this last week to MDA due to her own cancer.  You can read her story at www.JuCan.cc  We know we are not alone as we walk this cancer journey - God has called many of you to walk it too.  We are praying for each of you and for a cure for cancer.  Another young mom from our home town, Toni, fights for life and the chance to be mom to her children. She currently is seeking a second opinion and asking others to pray for a miracle.  Please join us in praying for these two families. 

Grateful we can join together as one and cover each other in prayer. Tonight I will close with a Psalm where David waits on God and encourages others to put their trust in Him rather than in their own human strength.  

Find Rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from Him. 

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;

He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Trust in Him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to Him,

for God is our Refuge!

Ps. 62:5-8

Tonight whether you're like Kristi and waiting on the healing process or JuCan who waits for another diagnosis or Toni who waits on a miracle may you find strength for today and hope for tomorrow through Jesus alone.    ~Amy