Thurs 1/31 1200

Sorry this is late, I was waiting for numbers to post. I only have some of the numbers. Her WBC are up to 1.7 Thank you Lord!! We don't have the ANC yet. Erin slept well, they disconnected her IV pump so we didn't have any beeping in the night. It was so quiet!! And she only had to get up once because she had less fluid going in. :-) She did need some pain med at 8 p.m. but they brought her some pills and they worked well, in fact so well that she fell asleep during Lost. Me too, i confess, hope we can stay up tonight to watch that crazy show. And Praise God that watching TV is again entertainment instead of just distraction. We are really looking forward to going home and getting Erin in her own bed again. Unfortunately we won't get to keep our dogs at home, my sister will be keeping them for a few months more. I think she can visit with them for short spells, she just can't live with them, you never know when one of them will kiss your face!! Yuck, dog germs!! Actually, we love dog germs, but Erin's body won't be able to fight them, so, JoJo gets to keep them, hope she doesn't spoil them too much!!! Thanks Chappy for Russia on the map. Everyone who comes in the room asks about the map and is amazed at the answer. A prayer map!! A great conversation starter!! Blessings on all of you for your faithfulness in prayer!! We couldn't do this without you!! hugs, janet

Update for Wed 4 p.m.

Well, YOU are mighty prayer warriors indeed!!And God is Almighty!! We just got a visit from the Dr and she said we are not going to do the bone marrow biopsy until Monday. She tells us this after Erin missed lunch and cried all morning waiting for it, but we are NOT complaining. She said that Erin's blasts are decreasing and it is probably a normal phenomenon that the marrow would spit out a few blasts as it revs up to produce normal cells. Also the biopsy wouldn't give us all the info we need because she is still neutropenic, meaning she needs her neutrophils (the infection fighting white cells) to come up to normal numbers in order to prove that the leukemia is in remission. Otherwise we would just have to do another bone marow biopsy in a week. So Erin was saved an extra biopsy!! YEAH!! Her ANC (absolute neutrophil count) is 22 and it needs to be 500+ to go home. God Bless you for your faithful prayer.

The full story is that the Nurse brought in all the equipment for the biopsy and the PA that was supposed to do it was not here. So they came in and told us they would have to find someone else to do it. Then they told us Michael, another PA, would do it but he had others in front of us, so it would be awhile. So you see God's hand was in it all along, because then the Dr had time to figure out she would rather postpone it!! He is in the details. WOW!!! Patience is not easy but it sure paid off today. LOVE TO ALL!! janet

wed 1/30 0930

Happy Wednesday Prayer Warriors, We are in need of a special prayer today, like always. Erin is having her second bone marrow biopsy today between 12-2. She is scared as usual, this time because she knows what to expect.

The Drs said they found some blasts in her blood and they didn't think the leukemia was back but they didn't really know what they were seeing because the markers looked a bit different. They hope it is just her normal cells starting to grow. Of course this uncertainty caused a sleepless night for us all. We should have some of the results by Thurs and the rest by Fri. Also, we found out yesterday evening that Laura and Amanda are not bone marrow matches for Erin. However there are 3500 potential matches in the bone marrow registry. That's a big number and we pray there will be many exact matches available close by. If you feel led to help Erin or anyone else with a child who has this terrible disease, please register to be on the bone marrow registry.

Erin didn't walk yesterday but we hope she will get some walking in this morning before she snoozes the afternoon away on versed. God has been so faithful to carry us each step of the way and He continues to hold us tight. Thanks for your continued prayers for healing and peace. Love you all so much, janet

Tues 1/29 10:15

Good morning! Erin is up and feeling o.k. after her initial bout of nausea and hot flashes. Her hands get as hot as fire every now and then. She has no temp but gets hot feeling all over. Anyone else flashing out there? Yesterday we were encouraged by a WBC count of 1.2 but today it is back down to 0.7. It is discouraging to watch it climb and dive like that. Yesterday was a beautiful day and we took Erin outside for 10 minutes to perk her up, you know, get out of the cave. Backfire!! She sat and cried and her nose was running behind the big mask she has to wear, so she couldn't blow it. We were trying to cheer her up but no. I think it just made her want out even more. Please pray for her spirits to lift. She needs to stay POSITIVE!! Thank you all for your continued positive comments and prayers. We are learning every day to give the day to God and trust in His plan for Erin. We don't see the big picture like God does. This faith walk is hard stuff!! Erin loves you all and we all pray you are as blessed by the lovely comments on the blog as we are. God is working in ways we can't even imagine!! To Him be the Glory! love, janet

1/28/08 11:30am

Good morning friends!

Bill here....a little late today due to network problems here at the hospital. All in all, Erin had a pretty good day yesterday and last night. She walked a full mile (21 laps), ate well, and received two units of blood. They reduced her pain meds and she is still feeling pretty good so that's a praise!! We watched Ocean's Eleven and numerous Friends episodes to while away the time yesterday afternoon.

By the way, thanks to Dr. Butz....I now know what the technical name is for the "visions" I have at night....it's called hypnogogia or hypnogogic hallucinations and now Cindy Collins, my brother Rick and daughter Amanda and I can start our own support group!! Erin can be an honorary member since she thought Amanda and Kyle were hiding presents under her bed the other night.

We have now been at Emory for a full month and are at day 24 of treatment. Please continue to pray for complete healing for Erin and for her strength and spirit as she continues to fight the fight! Thanks, as always, for your continued support, encouragement, and most of all for the unceasing prayers... you have been such a blessing to us!!

Thought I would close with this scripture that Amanda put on our white board: "God is our refuge and strength, an everpresent help in trouble" - Psalm 46:1

Have a blessed day! - Bill

Sun 1/27 10:00

Good morning!! Thanks for the prayers, God has been faithful to answer. Erin's bone pain was gone yesterday. Unfortunately, her WBCs were down instead of up. They were 0.5 yesterday and 0.6 today. She will get more blood today as her HCT dropped below 25 again. She walked 5 laps yesterday with Monica cheering her on (with pom poms). She still has a chronic stomach ache but compared to all the other side effects it's o.k. We picked up South Korea thanks to Jenna, her brother Adam is stationed there. Thanks for the prayers Adam. The map is really filling up. Erin is getting excited about the possibility of getting to go home soon. We just wish we knew when, but that is part of our lesson in faith. God is teaching us to wait on Him in all things. "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah40 We are hoping to walk some more today, by God's grace!! Love to you all, janet

1/26 09:45

Saturday morning is a good time to praise God, especially after the evening we had yesterday. Yikes!! The bone pain she had yesterday morning got progressively worse as the day wore on. Her pain scale was 9 out of 10. They doubled her pain med and then had to triple it to help her out. She also had a lot of nausea. She was in tears most of the late afternoon and evening. One of the other patients described it to me as shin splints all over your body. The Praise is that bone pain means her bone marrow is starting to produce her cells again and that is great!! It is a good sign of recovery!! I love the way the Lord only allows one "side effect"at a time. We hope this is the last of the side effects!!
Anyway, this morning is a new day and she feels good. She is sitting up and eating pancakes as we blog. We don't have her numbers yet, we'll let you know. Surely they are up. Thanks to all of our prayer warriors and our continued trip around the globe via friends in Christ. We love the testimony of faith you all provide!! Keep up the prayers!! love you, janet

1/25/08 10:00am

Good morning family! Bill here....(that is my way of letting you know that this post will not be as eloquent or technically accurate as you have become used to from Janet.... :))

Erin had a good day yesterday. Ate well, walked 8 laps, and had some visitors to brighten her day! I understand Dr. Ken and Dr. Rip stopped by while making rounds yesterday and prescribed M&Ms twice daily or as often as needed. Rumor has it they were hoping to sit in on the Emory doctor's weekly team meeting and provide some new treatment recommendations. Erin had another fairly restful night although she is experiencing a general achiness all over that she describes as "bone pain". There were no episodes of seeing "things, people, or gifts" in the room last night although I did overhear Erin saying something about someone "being in the market for something". I think she may have gone shopping in her dreams!!

The really good news today is that her WBC is up from .9 to 1.3 today!!
For those of you, like me, that may not be familiar with some of the medical shorthand that has been mentioned in various postings, here are a couple key measures the doctors have been looking at :

WBC = White Blood Cell - these fight infection & regulate the immune system - normal count range is 4.5 - 11

Platelets - help stop bleeding by helping form clots - normal platelet count range is 150 -300 (Erin had been at 13 a couple days ago and is currently at 40)

RBC = Red Blood Cell -these carry oxygen throughout the body - measured in terms of H&H below
HCT (Hematocrit) - normal range 37-47% - Erin is at 25.4%
HgB (Hemoglobin) - normal range 12-16 - Erin is at 9.3%

The praise is that in general it looks like Erin's numbers are starting to improve and that is important in getting us closer to a release date for Erin to go home!!

As always, we praise God for providing us with such a faithful and strong support group as we have found in all of you and we thank each of you for sharing in this journey with us! I know this verse has been posted previously, but it is my favorite and it has been a source of great comfort to me: "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Blessings - Bill

1/24

What a gracious gift you all are to us. We are so blessed to wake up and read your comments each morning. Erin is so overwhelmed by the people who are praying for her. Isn't it amazing what God can do through cancer!!
Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." So in this list of things that will not defeat us, we include Leukemia, fatigue, chemotherapy, mouth sores, hives, hair loss, and hospital confinement!!! Praise God for our freedom in Him!!
Yesterday was a better day. Erin walked 10 laps, ate well and slept well. She was physically stronger but mentally exhausted. She was very sad most of the day, 25 days in the hospital will get to a girl! At bedtime they gave her some benadryl to help her sleep and she immediately went into hyperdrive and made me get out a paper and pen. We then proceeded to make lists of things to do today and tomorrow. It was so funny, she just started rattling off all these things on her mind. Then she slept well. Also they stopped all the antibiotics she had been getting so her IV intake was significantly reduced. This is great because she only had to get up twice in the night, instead of every 2 hours. Hey, that's important!!
The nurse just came in and said her WBCs went up to 0.9, WooHoo!! That is the upward swing we have been watching for! Thanks again to all our prayer warriors!!! We can't say it enough, you all are part of the team and we depend on you to help us petition God on Erin's behalf. Oh the power of prayer!! love your guts, janet

1/23 0900

Good morning!! Well after a wonderful Monday, we expected Tues to be good and it wasn't!! Monday night they turned off her basal dose of pain med and it must have caught up with her at bedtime, because she didn't sleep at all and was miserable!! So all day yesterday, she was miserable. She didn't walk or do anything but be miserable. Last night they turned her pain med back on and she slept fine So today will hopefully be a better day!!
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was that one of her favorite nurses Kemi went on vacation to England for 2 weeks (how dare she leave us) and she called Erin from London on Monday night!! What a treat, that's how caring the nurses are here!!
WE laughed at the bald club comments from our dear friends and Erin looks forward to the first club meeting. Be sure not to post the date or time here because Mike might see it. :-) Thank you all for keeping us laughing, we need that. Love to all and remember God is Listening!! janet

Tues 1/22 0930

Good Morning!! Thank you for your continued prayers for Erin. She had a good day yesterday and was able to walk her 21 laps. Yeah, one more mile for Erin!! To Uncle Ron, Dr Ken, and the 8th grade girls group, you are too late. Kyle shaved his head for Erin yesterday. He said he has never had a shaved head and wanted to do it for her so she wouldn't be alone. Wasn't that nice?? And Kyle has great hair so we know it was a sacrifice, especially in the cold winter!! Way to go Kyle!!
Erin's WBCs were up to 0.5 yesterday so hopefully we will begin to see a trend upward toward normal (3-11). They turned off her continuous pain drip yestrerday and left her the option to push the button for some pain med. Unfortunately that put her on a roller coaster of pain control and she didn't sleep at all last night, she got up every hour. It could also be the steroids they have had her on for her hands. Who knows. Today is the last day of steroids so maybe she can get her sleep back. We are so thankful to have a God that cares about these details and loves Erin more than we do. I know each day will get better because He is in control!!
The Drs decided that the condition on her hands is "Sweets syndrome" ( i probably didn't spell it right) and it is just a side effect of the chemo. Apparently it isn;t that common because every Dr in the joint has come to look at it and take pictures!! Again Erin is over acheiving!!
Love to all of you and thanks for the PRAYERS!! We couldn't do this without you all. Please keep praying, we have along way to go. hugs, janet

1/21/2008 10:00 am

Good morning friends! Bill here....

Yesterday was a good day for Erin! She walked a half-mile and her appetite continues to get back to normal. We watched some football interspersed with cheerleader movies on the Disney channel....that is such a violent sport ....and the football games were pretty rough also! We topped it off with pizza, which I believe is more nutritious than Spaghetti-O's.

Erin's mouth sores and spots on her hands continue to fade and the doctors are starting to cut back on the steroids they had been giving her. She is feeling up to having a few visitors but please call before you come just to make sure.

So, there are just two things to report from last night. Some of you may know that I have a history of "seeing people and things" at night when I am sleeping....and getting up to investigate or throw something at them. Well, I must be starting to feel at home here in the hospital, because Erin said I got up last night "looking for something in the room" and when she asked me what I was doing, I said I was looking for the "gizmo that tells the doctors what medicine's she is supposed to be getting". I think this may be something that runs in the family, because later Erin woke me up to ask me if "I could see where Amanda and Kyle had hidden a present under her bed". Anyway, we're hoping that they won't move us to a "special" room here in the hospital!!

I cannot fully express the gratitude that we have in our hearts for all the prayer support, scripture verses and encouragement that you have provided us and how it has lifted our spirits and provided such great comfort!! Thanks to all of you and know that we love you! There are several scriptures written on our whiteboard and this one is simple but it keeps catching my eye: "Be still and know that I am God" - Psalms 46:10

I pray God's blessings on you today and always! - Bill

Sun 1/20 11:00

Good morning and thank you for your prayers. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Erin finished up 6 and half more laps last night to make a half a mile. She is in good spirits this morning after a movie night with Laura. They "watched 5 movies" or slept through them. Laura is a good sister-sitter, keeping Erin laughing. She just returned from walking 5 laps. Erin's coworkers brought her a basket of gifts to open, one each day, and it has been such a great way to bribe her to do things she doesn't want to do. Today she opened a journal and said "good, today is the day I am going to start writing a book". That was the first I heard, so I am excited. We have always told her she could write a book!! You see, God does have plans to give her a future!!! Thanks again for your continued support. We are blessed to be surrounded by such an awesome faith community. We love you all, Janet

snow day 1/19 10:30

God is so awesome!! What a beautiful snow He is laying down outside right now!! Erin had a good night. But let me tell you about yesterday. A good thing, a not so good thing and a funny moment. The good thing was that she had a miracle in her mouth. Overnight her sores healed and her mouth pain went away, i mean AWAY!!! Don't you see Him working?? We believe!!! So Erin was able to eat normal food yesterday, not just smoothies. And of course it made her feel so much better!! The timing was another God thing because he knew the not so good thing was gonna happen too. She lost her hair yesterday. It was so hard, even though she knew it was supposed to happen, she hoped she might be spared that part. Her sisters and I cried with her as she let me cut off most of her beautiful hair. Although it is temporary, it is still a blow to her already fragile state of mind. But in typical Erin style, this morning she has bounced back to her normal perky self.
O.K now for the funny. You all know we are quick to laugh at each other in our family. So Laura and Amanda went next door yesterday to have their blood tested for a possible bone marrow transplant . Laura told them when she sat down that she passes out when she gives blood. They didn't believe her and so when her tube of blood was coming out so slow, Amanda started kidding her saying " drip, drip, drip". And that was all Laura needed to hear, she went out like a light. Amanda and Bill said you would have thought they never had anyone pass out before , she collected quite a crowd of nurses!! By the time she got back here to Erin's room she was still white as a sheet and I proceeded to laugh my head off. No sympathy here. We needed a laugh!! Thanks Laura!!
So today Erin did 4 laps so far, the first time in a week. Again, we thank God for her energy!! His mercies are new every day!! You all are such a blessing to us. Thank you so much for all the loving encouragement and the beautiful verses God is showing you. Barbara Bledsoe, you should write poetry!! You have a gift!! Love to all, janet

1/18/08 10:00 am

Good morning to all our family and friends! Bill here....thanks to all of you for your continued words of encouragement and especially for your continued prayers. There is such comfort in knowing that God's prayer hotline is ringing off the wall with Erin's name! As you know, between the nausea and the mouth sores, the last few days have been pretty rough for Erin. As I was driving to the hospital yesterday, I was praying that God would provide a sign that Erin would start to feel better soon. She had been so groggy and tired and unable to speak or eat. When I first saw her yesterday evening, she was sitting up, talking and more energetic than she had been in a while! She had one bout of nausea at about 6:00 pm and after that she just seemed to start feeling better thoughout the night. She even drank most of a smoothie and a few bites of spaghetti-Os!! [Okay - I know that the O's are probably not very nutritious, but the strawberry-banana smoothie had protein, vitamin, energy and immune booster additives - thanks Aunt Deb for the suggestion]. The light has returned to her eyes and her sense of humor and feistiness are back!!

I know that our friends who have been through this have told us that there will be good days and bad days and we know that this is a marathon and not a sprint, but we praise God and celebrate the blessings of this day and the respite from pain and nausea!!

We have been amazed at the response and outpouring of love and prayers as evidenced in all the comments posted for Erin on this blog. Our map on the wall continues to have stars added to locations around the world where people we don't even know are lifting Erin's name in prayer. Because you friends have been so faithful in spreading the word, there are people on all 7 continents praying for her healing! How awesome is that? To each of you we send our love and eternal gratitude for sharing this journey with us and immersing us in the comfort and warmth of God's love and we pray that you will also be blessed this day. - Bill

1/17 1 p.m.

Dear Friends, Today is day 14 since we started chemo, one nurse told her it would be the worst day and so far that's true. Erin is miserable, she has waves of stomach pain and lots of nausea. She still has only had a cup of smoothie and some water for nutrition. She asked for ramen noodles, go figure, so we brought them in, but she hasn't attempted to eat them yet. My sister and mother (Erin's grandmother) continue to sit with us at Erin's bedside for moral support. They tell stories and help rub her back. As Emily Powell said, we are cozying up. Erin still does not want visitors since she can't talk comfortably. Our prayer requests continue to be her mouth and GI tract, and her hands. Also her nausea and pain. We pray that this is the lowest day so we can see some improvement tomorrow. We enjoyed the snow last night and the symbolism of the white covering on earth, a fresh start, a clean slate. Please Lord, let it be so. Thanks as always for the prayers and encouragement. Love to all, janet

wed 1/16 0930

Blessings Dear Friends, We are so humbled by the beautiful words of encouragement and prayers being sent to us. You are God's hands and feet to us!! Erin had an average night, her pain is not better yet but she forces down a cup of water twice a day or so. They doubled her Nexium and she can hardly wait for her Zofran when it's due. She has some sores on her hands that are worrying her. She felt like she hyperextended her hands one day sitting up in bed and has since has red bands on her 2 middle fingers of each hand. They are looking worse and the Dr doesn' t know what they are exactly. So add her fingers to the specific prayers please. All in all she is doing pretty well emotionally. All because of your support and love!! She knows she has a huge team of prayer warriors out there giving their best to God on her behalf. Thank you to Carolyn Keller for sending her name to Antartica, I didn't even know people lived there!! Wow, our map is filling up. One of her nurses went to England to visit family and promised to pray for her so we also have England!! Did someone say I am competitive?? Love to all, janet

Tues 1/15 0900

Good Morning!! Thank you for your prayers, we feel them for sure!!! Erin had a rough night last night, lots of nausea!! Turns out they were giving her antinausea meds on schedule with her chemo and since that stopped yesterday, she didn't get any. So we asked them to restart the zofran on schedule to avoid another night like that!! Yesterday they put her on a Dilaudid PCA ( a patient controlled pain drip) so she is feeling a little better. She still hasn't eaten anything in 3 days. She has been able to drink a cup or 2 of water a day. I told her as long as she was fasting, we would all be praying!!The Dr gave us the bone marrow results yesterday although they are hard to understand. He said they got poor growth on the sample and were unable to do the conventional cytogenetic studies. However they were able to do some specific "fish" studies (don't think I spelled that right) and they were negative for chromosomal abnormalities. Basically he said it was good news. And she doesn't have to have another bone marrow biopsy this week as they originally told me, it will be 18-25 days after the chemo stopped, so that is great news to Erin. We take it all one day at a time!! God is answering our prayers. It comforts me to know God loves Erin more than I do and He has a plan for her that will bring Him Glory!!! love to all you prayer warriors!! janet

1/14 10:00

"Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed: save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I Praise" Jer 17:14
Erin is doing the best she can with her miserable situation. She is on morphine frequently now. She can't eat or drink without extreme pain. Please pray for her pain control. We are praising God that the first round of chemo is done and now we are relying on Him for a rapid recovery. Again no visitors please. I know it is a long way down here and we appreciate the effort but she just doesn't feel like visiting. We love you all for your words of encouragement!! We feel your love and treasure your support!! God is glorified in our friendships!! We love you, janet

Sun 1/13 11:00

This is the Day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Erin's rash and stomach feel better but now she is dealing with her mouth. Apparently the cells in the digestive system turn over faster than other cells and are more sensitive to chemo. so she has alot of swelling and sores in her mouth. she can't talk or swallow and is thoroughly miserable! Please pray for this side effect to pass quickly, it is keeping her from eating and drinking as she should. she asks that no one visit today, it's no fun since she feels so bad and can't talk. she is having a movie day instead. Blessings on you all for your faithfulness in prayer!! God continues to be faithful in his answers and is keeping us all afloat by his grace!! Today is her last day of chemo for this round and we are praising God for that. Now we just have to get her body through these side effects and her blood counts back to normal so she can feel better before the next round. It is overwhelming to think that far ahead, We find it is better to us to take one day at a time. thanks for your prayers!! hugs, janet

1/12/08 1:30pm

Hello everybody- its Laura. Today is the second to last day of her first 10 days of chemo. We are almost done with stretch one of the road to recovery. She is doing good today- we are trying to bribe her to go walk as we speak. Praise God for getting us this far and for going ahead of us into the next stages. His love is surrounding us and we are so thankful for all your prayers! They are an encouragement especially to me when I can't be by Erin's side through this, I know that all the prayers are surrounding her and comforting her. Today our specific prayer request is for her mouth and throat. Due to the chemo, both her mouth and throat have swollen, making it difficult to eat and swallow.

My dad and I also did some more decorating today and have added a prayer map to the wall. We want to track Erin's prayers since we have gone global. So we would love it if you would help us track the prayers by letting us know where her name has been sent. Thank you for all your prayers and for blogging with us. Keep God updated.

To Him my All,
Laura

1/11 7 pm

BIG NEWS!! God is Faithful, and your prayers helped!!! The Dr just came in and told us Erin doesn't have any Leukemic cells in her blood as of today; No blasts (the technical term). Anyway he said that is on schedule or a little ahead of schedule. The way I understand it, we are looking for a 3 part process for "remission" 1. no leukemia in the blood. 2. no leukemia in the marrow, we check that next week. 3. no leukemia in the marrow after her blood counts have recovered to normal levels, we will check that in a couple weeks. even if she is in remission at that time, which is certainly the goal, they will proceed with the 2nd round of chemo and the rest of the protocol. God is Good and we are thrilled to have good news. You are all a vital part of the team and now that our team is in the lead we need to press on toward the goal!! Keep praying!! Go Team!! We love you all, janet

Hello Everyone!

Bill here with my first blog post. Janet has become a blog master and she is much better at providing technical detail and will provide more info later. Meanwhile, Erin is in good spirits. Her rash is better and she is not nearly as itchy as she had been. She has had a bit of a stomach ache since yesterday and did not eat much or feel up to walking last night. We are through day 7 of 10 on the first chemo round and looking forward to completing it. Although she is down to 2 doses per day, it seems there are still people coming in every hour or two during the night to check on one thing or another. Erin says she does not recommend the hospital as a place to get rest!

I asked the doctor about when the hardest part of this first treatment cycle would be for Erin and he said it is usually 7-10 days after completion of the chemo. That is evidently when the effects of the chemo really fully hit and her immune system and energy typically reach their lowest levels. So for all you prayer warriors out there, we thank you and covet your continued prayers!

I want you all to know that we have felt God's presence throughout this process and a tremendous sense of peace in knowing that so many prayers are being lifted up! Thank you for the love that you have shown Erin and our family. It has truly been amazing!! GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!!

Blessings,

Bill

1/10 12:45

God is GREAT!! Last night Erin finished her 21 laps after I had posted the update.
She had a good night. They stopped taking blood from her arm and are now down to once a week peripheral sticks. The other blood draws are done from her central line, although it is still at 0400 in the morning!! Today her platelets are 6. We just got back from a walk to the gift shop. I told her it counts for 6 laps, she said it had to be 10. She got a nose bleed though so shopping wasn't fun. They are going to give her blood and platelets today, that should stop the nose bleeds. Generally though her appetite is fine, just picky!! Thanks for all your prayers and God's faithfulness. Keep praying!! Thanks to Jenna, Erin is being prayed for in China!!

1/9 5 pm

Hey, An update today. Erin has had a great day. She walked 15 laps so far and had a shower, thanks to God for the little victories. Thanks to Ramonja Erin is being prayed for in Honduras and other friends are taking her name to France. I love this world wide prayer. How humbling it is to know that people all over the world are lifting her name to God. And what a mighty God we serve!! We had a visit from the mother of a patient on the transplant floor. The mother works at my hospital in the NICU, small world. Her daughter Megan was diagnosed with the same thing in Aug and she had lots to share about the experience. It's not fun to be this club but the people are so nice. Love to all, Janet

1/9 10:00

Thanks for all the cards, phone calls and blog comments. Erin is encouraged by your love and comments. We are hoping today will be better for Erin. She had a sleepy day again yesterday and didn't have the strength to do her walking. We think, because of the hives, they gave her too much anti itch medicine. That in addition to the antinausea meds just overloaded her system. Please pray for energy to do her walking and continued appetite, even if it is just for cereal. Her
WBCs are 0.4 and that's good , it means she is responding to the chemo. Our praise is that the first 5 days were the heaviest on chemo and we are now on day 6, so the chemo is reduced to one drug twice a day instead of 3 drugs. She has wonderful nurses and Drs taking care of her and that is also a praise. Keep praying please!! Love to all, janet

1/8 10:00

Good Morning, Thank you for your prayers, we feel them, and thanks to the prayer pager from our church, we hear them as well. The pager goes off almost constantly, and we praise God each time for the faithful friends who are lifting her name up to heaven. Erin is doing fine this morning, more awake than yesterday. We got good news yesterday, the cerebral spinal fluid from the spinal tap a few days ago was clean, no leukemia cells were in it. They will check that periodically. She is on day 5 of the chemo and her WBCs are o.4 so it's working. She still has her rash and they have now decided that it is the chemo med causing it. They have the itching reduced a bit, but she will just have to tolerate it until we are done with the chemo. Thanks for the prayers for her appetite. She was able to eat Golden Grahams cereal yesterday. Bill is so great to go running for the lastest cravings. Thanks to our friend Candi for sending Erin's name to Greece and Romania. World wide coverage is in sight!! Ashley pointed us to 1 Peter which says " Rejoice greatly, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth that gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Ya'll have a blessed day amd keep praying!!! love, janet

1/7 9;30

Good morning, Thank you everyone for your encouragement and love. Erin feels your prayers and is strengthened by them through Christ. Erin slept pretty good last night, we love antinausea meds that help her sleep while the chemo is running. She has received a lot of cards and posters to fill her room. The staff thinks it looks like a dorm room. :) It brightens everyones day to see such a cheery room. Her sisters even put a big smiley face sign on the ceiling for her to see. They put the bed all the way up and Laura stood on tippy toe to tape it up there. Ain't no mountain high enough!!
WE found out yesterday that she did not get the flip of the coin for the new drug in this clinical trial. I Praise God for that, it must mean she doesn't need it and that will be less insult to her liver. There will be one more time to flip the coin for that drug in a few weeks, so we will see then. the drug is Mylotarg. However, God is firmly in control, so they can flip all the coins they want but we will always be in His hands. Please continue to pray for wisdom for the Drs and us. Erin needs prayer for her appetite as well. Thanks, you are an essential part of the team!! love, janet

1/6 10:15

Today Erin is feeling o.k. except for a big case of hives. she came down with the hives last night around 8 p.m. They don't know which med is causing it, but it might be one of the antibiotics she has been getting. Her numbers are down today and they will give her 2 units of blood after lunch. She did 5 laps yesterday and 5 today so far. Her chemo ran overnight and they are pushing more this morning. They converted all but 3 pills to IV so that helps with some of the nausea. Her High School friends came over last night and gave her an incredible scrapbook from girl scout days to now and even had a page for the cruise they are planning in the future. What a treat. Anyway, lots of loving visitors and prayers. Thanks to Aunt Deb and Uncle Ron for sending her name to Venezuela. God is good and we are encouraged by His Spirit through all of you!! Keep up the good work. love, janet

1/5 0915

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful words of encouragement. We are so blessed by your prayers and verses. Erin loves you all so much for being part of the team!! Last night she wasn't feeling well, nausea mostly so they gave her a bunch of medicine for nausea and she slept well. Bill said they came in hourly to start a chemo drip (6 hour drip), do vital signs, draw blood, put drops of steroids in her eyes, etc. She slept through most of it. Praise God, since she hasn't really slept well in a week. My friend Ramona wanted me to put some treatment detail in this note, so here goes: Erin will have 10 days of intensive chemo and then 3 weeks of recovery from that here in the hospital. then she may go home for a week or 2. The second phase is 8 days of intensive chemo and 3 more weeks of recovery in the hospital. Between all these treatments she will undergo many tests to see how the chemo is working and how the rest of her body is holding up. After that 2nd phase she may be able to do outpatient treatments where she would come in a get an IV for a few hours and go home to recover for a week and do it again 3x. At the end of all that they will determine if she is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Her sisters would be the best hope of a match but if not, they will go to the national registry to look for a match. The Dr told her she should not return to work for 6 months. Dr is here, more later, janet

1/4 3pm

Erin just had her first spinal tap and injection of chemo. She is doing fine so far, just waiting to hear what's next. She walked her mile this morning before the procedure so she would be done with that. You know she is such a rule follower. Thanks again for the prayers, we feel the grace flowing. I have been telling the Drs and Nurses that we are praying for them as well. They seem to like that. Amanda went back to teaching yesterday and was sad to not be here with Erin. The funny part is she told all her kids not to touch her or breathe on her or get near her. Can't you see her saying that to a couple hundred chorus students? She and Laura are trying to stay healthy so they can visit Erin. Anyway, thanks for the prayers. Love to you all. janet

Good Morning and God bless to all our prayer warriors. Erin slept as much as they let her last night. the nausea passed and she was able to walk her mile yesterday, finishing around 9 p.m. with Laura. they want her to walk 21 laps of the unit every day, that's a mile. This morning they are doing a spinal tap before they start the chemo. We were blessed to have a guy named Jonathan come visit yesterday. He is a brother of a friend of a friend and he drove all the way here to encourage Erin. He was in her room 2 years ago with Leukemia and just felt led to come and share with her. Thanks to God for angels everywhere we turn . One of the housekeepers here comes in and sings to Erin. She has a gifted voice and a wonderful collection of inspirational songs and she just comes ni and belts them out!! Our love to all, janet

Well the Dr just left. Erin has AML which is the adult type of Acute leukemia. She will begin treatment tomorrow and they are using a group of 3 drugs for the first 10 days to start. then they reevaluate and go from there. We are blessed because we originally thought we were dealing with a rare type that incorporated both ALL and AML. So you see, your prayers are being heard and God is answering. Davis (our pastor) was here to listen to the results with us and that was comforting. Thank you all for the verses you send, we love them!!! Please keep praying, tomorrow starts the hard stuff. Right now Erin is feeling o.k. just some nausea, but not enough to keep her from playing a little guitar hero!! Thanks Lisa for sending Erin's name to Mozambique. Wow we have worldwide coverage, heaven will wonder what all the noise is about! We love you all and thank you again for your prayers. Erin wanted me to tell you she is sad she won't be on Jr high retreat but she'll catch you next time. love, janet

God is good, his mercies are fresh every day. Erin slept fairly well last night, they woke her up a few times for blood work and pills. What are ya gonna do... hospitals are no place to rest. She is watching TV and choking down 9 pills. We will wait for the results and pray for good news. I realized this morning that we feel a little like Paul in prison and that we better start singing to break these chains and open the doors. God will hear us!! Thanks for all the prayers and phone calls and postings on this site. Thanks to Deloris we are being prayed for in Canada, thanks to my other friend Doloris we are being prayed for in Australia, thanks to all of you for putting Erin's name on the lips of prayer warriors all over this country as well. God is being glorified by all this unity!! Erin feels the love and in 1 John it says there is no fear in love. Thank you all!!! janet

Update 1/2/08 6:00pm

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and most especially your prayers. God is good!! Erin came through her bone marrow biopsy today and she did fine. We are supposed to get the results tomorrow after the Drs consult together. Then we will have a definite plan of action. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the Drs. Actually I would rather you pray for the miracle of complete and total healing that I know God can provide. But if Erin must travel this road then we will by His Grace.We have had many wonderful visitors that have brightened her day and even played a little Wii and Guitar Hero. Please continue to pray and call if you want to visit. She loves visitors but doesn't always feel up to it. We love you all. janet

Update 1/2/08 2:12

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Reposted from original Blog....

Erin has been diagnosed with Leukemia as of Sunday 12/30. She had a car wreck on 12/10 that totalled her civic. She walked away with a bruised arm from the airbag. She started having nose bleeds a few days later and wondered if she may have hit her head in the accident. We didn't go to the hospital at the time because she felt fine. Then a few days later she started having throbbing headaches when she walked up stairs and she got really pale. On the 26th she got a fever and congestion so we went to our reg Dr and told him the story of the car accident. We were hoping he would order a CT scan, but he didn't. He said she had a sinus infection and gave her an antibiotic. She still had a fever on Friday and we switched antibiotics. On Sunday morning, God woke me up at around 3 or 4 and urged me to take her to the ER to get that CT scan. So we went and they did blood work and discovered the WBC were 68,000, H&H of 6 & 18.8 and Platelets of 12,000. Needless to say we were all shocked. And still are. She was admitted to Emory for treatment and we are here now waiting for more info. She had a central line put in yesterday for the chemo and will get her bone marrow biopsy tomorrow (1/2). Please pray for Erin as she is so scared. We all are. Our comfort lies in a faithful God who promises that all things work for the good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Thank you for your prayers, prayers and more prayers!!! Janet
January 1, 2008 5:42 PM

Update 1/1/08 6:23
Erin had a free day today. Lots of visitors. This girl is loved. Tomorrow is a bone marrow biopsy. She is nervous, and scared of surgery. She is strong. All her vitals are proving to be better than anyone else in the room. The nurse proved it herself. Erin is at 100%, and dad is only a 94%. Everyone is in good spirits, with the test results looming in the background. Ellen and Kristen came this evening. They lifted her spirits. She is in room 612, at Emory, in the E wing. 1. Please do NOT come if you have been sick, or have been around anyone who has been sick for three days.2. She cannot get flowers. Sorry.3. As of right now we have plenty of snacks, games, and nick nacks. 4. Please pray any time you think of her. I hope I am not asking too much, but God is the healer.Thanks, more to come later. ~Amanda


Erin is in better spirits. Thank you, everyone, for your prayers. Today she will have the bone marrow biopsy. She was supposed to go in at 1:00, but the clock shows 2:05 and we are still waiting. Andrew and the gang brought video games. Erin created herself on the Wii. They competed in Bowling and other games. That seemed to lift her spirits. Thanks to you all. =) More later...
~Amanda

Sorry we had to change addresses, the old password didn't work for the other blog. We will use this from now on. Thanks for your continued patience and prayers. I hope God enriches your lives for being his faithful servants.