LEAP DAY 2008

Hello fellow leapers!! Well, we have leapt into this round with a bang. Erin started her chemo last night at 11 p.m. This morning, after virtually no sleep, Erin woke up with a ton of nausea. They gave her Zofran twice to no avail and then had to hit her with some Ativan. So she has slept the whole day away. We are waiting to do the spinal tap this afternoon but we don't know what time. It is probably better that she is sleeping because the anxiety of knowing she has to go through the procedure is worse than the procedure itself. On a positive note, it has been nice to see all the friendly faces of the nurses here that we came to know and love. If you are wondering about the boxing theme, our friend Cindy sent Erin some boxing gloves with scripture written all over them. They are already hung on the wall in preparation for the FIGHT!! Get thee behind us Leukemia!! Thanks for the prayers, let's all pray for a "knock out" in this round!!
love you all, janet

Thursday 2/28/08 LATE UPDATE

DING.....DING.....DING.....DING.....LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PRAYER WARRIORS EVERYWHERE......LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLE!!! ROUND 2 STARTS TONIGHT!

We moved Erin into room E615 late this afternoon. That room is just 3 doors down from her previous room and shares virtually the same view of the Candler campus and the Atlanta skyline. God paints some pretty magnificent sunsets that are visible from there so that's a definite praise! While we know that God is in control and His timing is perfect it is with mixed emotions that we enter this new phase. We feel blessed for the time we have had at home with Erin but it sort of felt like we weren't actively fighting the disease. So we are at once thankful to get on with it so we feel like we are back in the fight but we are a little apprehensive about how hard this round will be on Erin. We have been encouraged by others that have been through this who have told us that subsequent rounds tend to be easier with less side affects. So our prayer is that in addition to complete healing and total remission that this will be an easier round for Erin without major side affects.

The plan for this round is 8 days of chemo followed by 3 weeks of recovery! We can't say it enough....we feel so blessed to have you with us on this journey and thank you for your continued support and prayers!!
- Bill

Thurs 2/28

Well the Hospital just called to say they are gonna get us a room today. They will call when it is ready. So we have our bags packed again and are ready to go. Don't know which room yet but we hope it has a view. Thanks for the prayers and love, they are helping us tremendously to take each day as it comes. May the Lord bless you for your faithfulness. janet

Wed 2/27

Well. we just got home from another trip to Emory. Good news is that her labs are up. WBC 2.2 and ANC 1166. Bad news is they have no rooms. So they said they would call in the next day or 2 to get us in to start round 2. We praise God for the numbers and for the room He will provide. It gives us peace of mind to know she is now ready. We will just sit and wait for the phone to ring. So thanks for the prayers that have gotten us this far. Please keep them up, we ask for decreased side effects, complete remission and inner strength. We love you all for your faithfulness. God is so good to give you to us!! hugs, janet

Tues 2/26

Hello, today has been a glorious day. The storm this morning was so wonderful, even more so because we didn't have to go anywhere today. Hopefully, Lake Lanier got a boost. Erin is feeling fine. Today Jo, Jim and I went to Erin's classroom and brought home some of her stuff. They have hired a lovely new teacher to finish the year for Erin and we needed to get the desk cleared out for her. We left all the Georgia Bulldog stuff up since she is a UGA fan. Erin is still counting on going back in the fall. Tomorrow we go for more labs. Jim said we shouldn't even take a toothbrush, then they will surely keep us. God only knows. Please pray for God's will in this situation and peace for us to accept it. Of course our wish would be to stay and get this second round started, but after 3 tries, we are tired of getting pumped up for it. So we will just go, probably with our toothbrush in hand, and see what happens. Thanks as always for talking to God about Erin and loving us in the process. hugs, janet

Monday, 2/25

Well another trip to get labs and another trip back home. The WBCs were 1.9 and the ANC was 779, so they are going up slightly but apparently not enough to start round 2 yet. We go back on Wed for more labs. Erin is bummed, we were all ready to get it started so we could be done sooner. However, she is feeling good and we are content to wait until God says "Go." No one seems unduly concerned at this slow pace, it is just frustrating to have to wait and not be able to do something about it. We will just sit back and count our blessings: a loving God, 100 new prayer warriors, family and friends to share our journey, no infections, no nausea, no mouth sores, no constant interuptions in the night, no hand blisters, no rash, no hospital food, our own beds... well, let's just say the list is very long. Our cup runneth over!! Thanks as usual for the constant prayers. Love to all, janet

Post-Amazing Healing Service

My beautiful prayer warriors,

Thank you so much for an amazing service tonight! I cannot put into words what a wonderful experience it was. I sat in the balcony with my bodyguards for "germ safety," and I am so glad that I was up there, because it was so beautiful watching all of my friends commit to being lifelong prayer warriors for the Lord. I wanted SO badly to run down there and hug you all and pray with you at the altar - know that I was praying for you with all my heart from up in the box seating. It was amazing to get to see your lovely faces, complete with "warrior paint" (aka, sweet smelling oil). Not a day goes by that I don't think of and miss my church family. I love you guys with all my heart and I was so glad to get to see you tonight! :) Thank you for all your prayers and support - I believe that I got a glimpse of heaven tonight, and for that I feel so blessed. While God has been showing me how He is using this journey to strengthen me and my family (as well as many of you amazing bloggers - thank you for sharing with us!), tonight we were truly able to see how He is using this experience to teach others and grow them in their relationship with Him as prayer warriors. I feel blessed that God has chosen me for this journey because through it, He is allowing me to glimpse heaven. What an amazing feeling! Watching His children walk to meet Him at the altar so that they may speak intimately with Him - I couldn't stop my tears (which made my mask really wet, by the way). I am so grateful for tonight. Thank you for making it wonderful!

I didn't think I could even go to the service tonight, but we drafted our plans this afternoon (bodyguards, masks, sneaking upstairs, etc), and decided that I could go. I am now convinced that God was hanging on to my numbers so that I would be home long enough to go to the service tonight. What a blessing! Seeing all my beautiful friends tonight definitely lifted my spirits and gave me even more strength and determination to beat this thing so I can come back and play signs and rock paper crazy, and give everyone big hugs!

Thank you again for an amazing night! I feel blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group and amazing team of prayer warriors! I love you! - Erin

Sunday 2/24

Good Morning Friends and Family,
This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice together!! God has brought us many old and new friends through this experience. He has deepened our relationships and refocused our hearts on Him. Our perspectives have shifted. We are so grateful for this new outlook and pray that God continues to reveal His will in our lives and in how we love. It's like we have new ears and new eyes. I pray we will also develop a new voice. We are eternally grateful for the love you all have been sharing with us. Please continue praying for healing. We go back tomorrow for labs and then wait for the results to see if we are to stay for chemo. Glorify His name in all you do today. hugs, janet

Sat 2/23

Dear Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for the prayers, we feel them. Our day has been quiet, just watching TV, walking on the treadmill and reading. It is a different kind of cabin fever than the hospital, it's peaceful but boring none the less. Erin has always been such a busy girl, the mall is calling her hourly to see where she is. She is just so scared to go anywhere because the flu is rampant and her numbers are still too low to be out there. The youth are having a prayer service for her tomorrow night and she really would love to be there but just can't. Know that she will be there in spirit. She is so grateful for all the prayers sent up for her. God is working!! Please pray for her marrow to fully recover so we can get this second round underway and get on with the healing!! I just know remission is close!!
We love you!! janet

Friday 2/22/08 Back Home

Greetings friends and prayer warriors!

Today's word is Patience. Bill here...and we just got back home from Emory. They did the bloodwork and not much change from before. Erin's white cell count was 1.6 and her ANC was 640. We did not see the doctors but they reviewed the results and told us to come back on Monday. So, looks like another marathon movie weekend at the Blonshine household. We continue to hold fast to the knowledge that God's timing is always perfect and that He is in control!

On a side note, we did watch Lost last night...both the enhanced version of last week's show plus the new episode and frankly we remain somewhat confused. So if anyone has figured it all out, let us know!

I found this scripture today regarding patience:

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. " - Colossians 1: 9-12

So we joyfully give thanks to God for surrounding us with such tremendous support. Your continued prayers lift us up and are a constant source of comfort to us. May you all be blessed today as you have been a blessing to us! - Bill

Thurs 2/21

Hello friends, Thanks for your continued prayers, we are blessed to have you on our team. God is working through all of our prayers to draw us closer to Him. Erin is feeling fine and just walked an hour on the treadmill. No one can say she isn't trying to do her part to stay strong. Thanks to God for always providing the strength she needs for life!! "Blessed are those who whose strength is in you" Ps 84:5

So we are to go back for labs tomorrow at 11:00 and then see what happens. We will certainly keep you informed as we go. Please pray for our peace as we rev up again for the possible start of round 2. And the grace to wait if the labs are not up enough. One step at a time, with God's help, we will overcome!! We love you all. janet

Wed 2/20

Good Evening, Not too much to report today. Yesterday was so exhausting, we just vegged today, ran some errands and hung out. Erin did log some more hours in her car today, which was exciting. We are so thankful that God is in control of all of this, otherwise we would think we were spinning our wheels yesterday. Alas, no, He was working, as always, on the big picture. We trust that His timing is perfect. We are blessed to rest in His Holiness. We love you, janet

update for Tues

Well there is a glitch in the matrix at Emory. They had us come in for labs and gave us the results as I said before. Then we waited in the holding room for 4 hours and they admitted us to room 606. We then proceeded to unpack a considerable amount of STUFF, (it took Bill 3 trips to the car). The PA came in and told us he would do the Lumbar puncture soon, which thankfully never happened. Two hours later our Dr came in and said Erin's numbers aren't recovered enough and they sent us home. We are to go back on Fri for blood tests again and if they aren't up enough, we would go back again on Mon. I reported an ANC of 900 which is what they told us, then they changed it to 700 which is still good but they want it to be over 1000 before they hit her again with the chemo. Apparently they want her marrow to be well recovered because the chemo regimine she is on is so harsh. Are you confused? Me too!! I praise God for all of this because obviously we want what is best for Erin. I am thankful the PA didn't do the Lumbar Puncture before we saw the Dr. and I am thankful Erin is such a positive and forgiving person. You know it takes a considerable amount of mental prep for all of us to get ready to go back. Please join us in praising God for the wisdom He has given the Dr. and pray for the patience we need to watch and wait. I have felt a peacefulness these past couple of days and I know it is the Holy Spirit answering your prayers, thank you!! janet

Tues 2/19

Well here we are at Emory waiting on a room. They have us in a holding room for now until our room is ready. In the meantime Erin did have some labwork. You won't believe this but her ANC is 900, yes 9-0-0!!! Remember they were wanting it to get to 500 before they would let us go home. Well it finally got to the point where we can "go home" and we are already back. Anyway, it is VERY encouraging to us to know she is at good levels to restart this process. God's timing is perfect as usual!!

Erin's Christian sorority had a prayer and healing service for Erin last night and Laura was able to go. What a Blessing to have all her friends come together to pray for her. See what beauty God brings through the unity of the body of Christ!! Thank you ladies!!!

Erin is feeling well today, a little nervous as you can imagine. She walked an hour yesterday on the treadmill and drove her car around on a couple of errands. Just trying to cram in a little last minute fun before today. Thank you all for your loving support and prayers. We are blessed!! love, janet

Monday 2/18

Blessings on you all for your continued prayers. We are excited this morning because the Dr just called and gave us some encouraging results from the bone marrow test last wed. He said her ANC went up to 212, it was 126 on the 6th. The percentage of Leukemia in her marrow had reduced from 20% to less than 1 %!!!! Isn't that a blessing?? It isn't remission yet but it seems like it will sure put her in a good position for this round of chemo. God is so faithful!! We check in tomorrow at 11:00 for labs and then hopefully there will be a bed available for Erin. She is at the top of the list for a bed but you know how hospitals are, they sometimes fill up. We are also hoping they were able to get genetic studies from the marrow but that will take another week to grow. Knowing the specific genetics may help them pinpoint the best therapy to use. I guess the prayer requests for the day include: peace of mind about starting chemo again, decreased side effects this time, and of course complete remission.
Thank you all so much for loving us through your prayers. We feel them and yes we still hear them through the prayer pager. You should have seen Laura jump this weekend every time the pager went off. She wasn't used to the sound like we are. It was so funny to see her jump! We love you all and are so thankful to have you on our team!! hugs, janet

Sunday 2/17

Good Morning Prayer Warriors! Thanks for continuing to lift Erin's name up to our Lord. We depend on His strength daily to keep going. Erin had a good day yesterday and is feeling fine. She walked 45 minutes on the treadmill yesterday!! That's more than I can do, I am whipped at 30 minutes. Ah youth, it is definitely in her favor in this disease. Of course her greatest blessing is knowing the God of all creation is right by her side loving her!! We couldn't do this without the knowledge that God is in control. Bill just got home from church and is giving Erin the scoop on all her friends. Yes, someone is always watching you guys!! Erin just mentioned that she hopes she will be done with her second round of chemo in time to be home for Easter. It would be even better if her numbers were up so she could actually attend worship. Thanks to all of you for continuing to pray for Erin's healing. We love you all, janet

Sat 2/16

Good Morning!!! Life is good in the Blonshine house, all three of us girls are here picking on each other and laughing. I love it. Laura came home for the weekend, and I have a three day weekend. Erin is feeling well, just hanging out. We are watching movies, and joking about eachothers clothes and eatting habits. =) We are so blessed to have such a close family!! God continues to work through our friends and their prayers. We were told that this was going to be a long road. We are now a month and a half into it and it seems as if it will never end. Although I am sure in hind sight we will see extreme amounts of growth and spiritual learning. I continue to pray for strength and wisdom for my mom and sister as well as the entire family. God can and WILL help pull us through this time period. If you are cuurently keeping up with Erin's progress through the blog please pray in the following ways:

- We find out the results of her bone marrow biopsy on monday.
- Erin will be returning to Emory on Tuesday afternoon to begin her second round of Chemo
- She is scared and nervous about going through this ordeal again
- We are all anxiously hoping that this round will rid her of Leukemia
- The stinky part of having to be in a hospital room for another month
- Erin is tired, and ready to be done. Please pray for endurance, and energy to continue this fight. I think the same goes for my mom.

Thank you all for your thoughts, kindness, and care. We are counting our blessings daily. You have been a wonderful Christian family.

~Amanda Varner

Happy Day after Valentine's Day

Hey everyone - It's Erin again :) I hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Today has been a good day - I walked for an entire episode of Gilmore Girls this morning. I got so caught up that I just kept going! Ok, ok, not true. I watched every minute tick by, but I felt good, so I kept walking. :) Not much else to report, I guess. We are just enjoying the rest of our time at home before we start up again on Tuesday. I feel like God is really strengthening me and helping me gear up for round two. The day I was diagnosed, we didn't have any time for the news to sink in, and we were shipped off to Emory right away, no passing go or collecting $200. This time, I at least know what I am facing, and I have a few days to get my head in gear and make a packing list (including lots of movies and comfy pajamas). I can really see God using this time to work in me and prepare me. I am so thankful for that because if it were up to me, I would be making a get away plan instead (but I'll wait on that until I get really desperate :)).

Thank you for your continued love and support - I am thankful and so blessed that God is using each of you to help me get through this trial. He is so faithful and I appreciate the faithfulness of His amazing people. Thank you for your constant love and encouragement - I cannot believe the ways in which God is using this experience (well, I can believe it, I am just continuously, and pleasantly, surprised at the different things He is doing). Love you guys! - Erin

Valentine's Day

Dear friends and family, Happy Valentine's Day!! Erin had a good night and is visiting with her friend and watching GG. Nothing to report. In typical Erin style, her attitude is fresh today, obviously by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thanks for the prayers. We all feel the power of your prayers. You know how God talks to you when you aren't really listening? Well yesterday, God comforted me by letting me know that low numbers are good too because that means the Leukemia hasn't gone up either. It may not make sense medically but it did comfort us. Thank you God. We know that God has prepared Erin for this experience and the testimony of His Glory will shine through her. We just have to watch and wait for His plan to unfold. I am not very good at waiting. Thanks for helping me be patient, through your encouragement. We pray you will all be blessed by traveling this road with us. LOVE is the word of the day!! Live it! Janet

2/13

Good afternoon, we just got back from Emory. Erin had her labs, saw a PA, and got her bone marrow biopsy. Her WBCs were only 1.1, very disappointing after a week at home. We were really hoping for higher numbers especially since she has been feeling so good at home. Anyway, God knows the plans He has for her and we trust Him with everything!!! Her biopsy went well and we should have results by fri or monday. They want her to check back into the hospital on Tues to start the 2nd round of chemo. We didn't actually tell them our bags were packed and in the trunk. Ever the Girl Scouts. Please pray for Erin's spirits, she is so upset by the low numbers. And since they didn't come up, we can't risk going anywhere yet. She has lots of books to read and Gilmore Girls to watch so that's good. Thanks for all your prayers, please keep them coming. Erin sends her love, janet

Birthday Day

Celebrate with us, today is Erin's 23 birthday!! She had another good night and is looking forward to the day. I must correct my mistake from yesterday. Jeff was the video producer. We are enjoying watching the video and showing it to everyone who comes over. It's a hit! People may start faking horrible diseases just to get a personalized video and rap songs written for them!!

Erin got to talk to her 8th grade girls group last night and that was such a treat. Almost like being there, minus the hugs!!

Tomorrow is Erin's appt at the Dr to get labs and a bone marrow biopsy. As much as she would like to put it off, I am anxious to hear her numbers and get started with the rest of her treatment so we can beat this thing and be done with it forever!!

Thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love. "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up....Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:15-16

We thank God for all of you and your prayers!! janet

Monday at home

Blessings on you, mondays need double portions of blessings. Erin is doing well, she is a little tired though, she stayed up late to see Josh Groban on the Grammys. She just got a house call from the Moore Butz team of "medical" professionals. They brought more M&Ms to resupply her until she can get back to the real meds at the hospital. I am afraid of the bill we will get when the Moore-Butz team sends us their invoice. They brought Erin the most incredible video that the youth made her. Nick, Jeff and Tyler wrote her a hilarious rap and got all the kids to dance and say hi on the video. I suspect Allen was the producer. It is quality stuff, they probably need an agent!! Erin loved it, I cried. Love is a powerful emotion to share and we really felt it watching the video. Thanks guys!! She wishes she was able to come to see everyone, but the fact that we don't know the status of her immune system, is keeping her at home. She would love to go to the girls group tonight, but she will just have to join you by phone. Thanks again everyone for your prayers, we are so grateful for all your support!! Hugs, janet

Sunday at home

Dear Friends, This is the day that the Lord has made and we are rejoicing and being glad in it!!Here we are hanging out at home, wishing we could go to church. We haven't been in 6 weeks and we miss it dearly. But since the Dr said no crowds, we are trying to be compliant. Bill is there representing us and getting all Erin's hugs no doubt. Jealous? YES!! Erin had another good night and is catching up on some reading now. Her sisters are both sick so they couldn't visit this weekend. We are having a family birthday party on tues, hoping they will be well by then so they can attend. Emily just brought Erin the whole series of Gilmore Girls so we will be watching that all day. Gotta love it! Bless you all for your continued prayers. Your intercession on Erin's behalf is making all the difference!! God is faithful and has given us a sense of peace here at home. We stand in awe of His presence in our lives. "This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11. Love to all, Janet

Sat at home

Hey guys - it's Erin . . . from the comfort of my own couch! :) I am so glad to be at home - I am just enjoying and soaking in every minute of each day here! I feel like the Lord is renewing my strength emotionally, physically, and mentally. The weather has been wonderful and the birds were singing when I woke up this morning! I was able to drive my car yesterday - that was fun! It was exciting to get out and see what has been going on around here.

I also want you to know how much I appreciate all the encouragement that you guys have provided through this blog. What an amazing way for God to show himself to us! It has been such a blessing for us to read your comments each day. You guys are such faithful prayer warriors - we are so blessed to have you in our lives! The Lord has truly blessed us through this experience, and, though I am nervous about returning for the second round of treatment, I feel confident that the Lord has already strenthened me and that He is preparing me for the next battle. Thank you for taking part in my journey. This is undoubtedly the most difficult thing I have ever had to endure, but through your prayers and encouragement, I can see that the Lord is working in and through this. I will definitely have material for my book when this is all over! :) Thank you for your continued prayers, friends - you guys are helping to sustain me through this experience. I love you all and I am so grateful for all your support! :) I miss you, and I cannot wait to get through this so I can see everyone again! Lots of love, Erin

Fri at home

Another Beautiful Day to Praise Our Lord!! Erin is feeling good after another peaceful night in her own bed. Nothing exciting to report and that is a praise in itself. She is on the treadmill as we speak. Yesterday we had a visit from our dogs. My sister brought them in her car and rolled down the window enough to pet them but not enought to let them jump out. It was a sweet moment, but hard too. We are dog people ya know!! Today we are planning on taking a ride in Erin's car. She has been excited to drive it since she only got it 4 days before she went in the hospital. Bill took it to work once a week just to keep it in shape for when she got home. Other than that we plan on resting. Resting in the Lord is a wonderful place to be!! love to all, janet

Thurs at home

Hey, yes it has been great to be home. Erin slept 12 hours last night. She was afraid to be alone last night, without us an arms reach away, but she loved being in her bed. She is on the treadmill now putting in her "laps". An angel left us a sign on the garage door and some balloons to welcome us home but we can't figure out who it was? Hints? Also someone sent her a cookie cake to the hospital without a card. Any confessions out there? She was thrilled with both. Thank you. We are blessed to be here and will keep you updated with her progress although it won't be as technical as before because we aren't getting daily blood results to share. Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers. We serve a Mighty God and are eager to see what He has in store for us. Stay tuned!! Love you, janet

HOME

WE ARE GOING HOME TODAY!! WE JUST GOT THE NEWS. THEY ARE BENDING THE RULES FOR ERIN. SHE HAS TO COME BACK FOR A BLOOD TEST NEXT TUES AND MAYBE A BONE MARROW BIOPSY TUES OR FRIDAY. NO DATE OF WHEN WE WILL RETURN FOR ROUND 2. PRAISE GOD, WE ARE GOING HOME!!!!! XO J

wed 2/6 1100

Good morning prayer warriors!! Erin had a good night. She walked another mile last night after I left. My sister stayed with her last night. So that makes 2 miles, 2 days in a row!! She is really determined to get better and get out of here. Like Christy said, she needs parole!! Today her ANC is 126, her WBCs are 1.8 and her platelets are 89. No other news to report. We are going to start packing up her goodies so we can start taking some stuff home. We hope to be able to get out of here without a U-Haul. Thanks so much for your continued prayers. They are such a blessing to us!! love you, janet

How Great is Our God, Sing with me, How Great is Our God and all will see How GREAT, How GREAT is our God!!!

update for Tues

Well, the Dr came at last and told us there is still some Leukemia in the marrow. The majority are good cells but there are still some aberant cells. He is encouraged by the fact that she hasn't gotten any infections and is willing to bend the rules for her a bit so she can go home even if her ANC doesn't get to 500. He said one day this week. She will have the next biopsy next week in the clinic. He said about 50% of people go into remission with the first round of chemo. So apparently Erin really needs that second round to kick the Leukemia completely. After the second round they will determine if she needs the transplant. Please pray that she doesn't need that. She seemed to take the news well and is just looking forward to going home. Thanks again for all your prayers, please keep praying, we need every minute of it. Erin walked 2, yes I said TWO miles yesterday!! Today she got one mile in after her blood transfusion. So you see she feels well we just can't get the numbers to agree with her energy level. God knows the answers and the future and in good time, we will all be able to say, Ah-Ha, that's what He was doing. Cool, can't wait. love you , janet

Tues 2/5 1030

Good Morning! Thank you for your continued prayers. We depend on them. Erin's ANC went down today to 119 (yesterday was 180), WBCs 1.7 and her H&H went down too so she needs blood today. We haven't seen the Dr yet so we don't know any results from the biopsy but I didn't want to wait to post this morning. I will update later when we see the Dr. You know, as trying as this is, we are still positive because we know God is at work in this situation. Also, everyone here is so positive. They all are determined to get Erin home for her birthday. We know God is in control and His timing is perfect.

"Be still and know that I am God"-Psalm 46:10.

Also, after that powerful prayer service, I am more assured than ever that God has surrounded us with a team of "watchmen" to keep vigil for God's miracles. We are all keeping our eyes focused on God and are eager to see His Grace in action. Bring it on God!! love you , janet

update for monday

The biopsy went off without a hitch. Erin did very well, but who wouldn't on versed and fentanyl?? Yeah for IV sedation!! Yeah for GOD!!! We got her ANC back and it is 180 for today. So she will probably need another biopsy next week to see whats going on when her numbers are up even higher. Thanks for the prayers!! Please pray that she can go home this week. Thanks to SAO sisters for the cards and letters from all over the country!! You are encouraging to Erin!! love, janet

Mon 2/4 1030

Wow, what a praise for last night's Prayer Service!! I was amazed by the number of people who blessed us by their presence. God is glorified by your faithfulness! I know that it was a BIG sacrifice to come during the Super Bowl, but as you know God saved the best part of the game until you got home!! Thank you so much for the wonderful prayers and the prayer poster board is awesome. Erin loves charts!! Erin and Bill had a fun watching the game. She slept well and is in good spirits this morning which is a praise because last time we thought we were having a biopsy, she was a basketcase. That is prayer in action!! So they plan to do it right around noon. Todays WBC count is 1.8 but we don't have the ANC yet. We prayed specifically for the ANC last night. Every detail is important to God!! I just can't tell you how touched I was to see all of you last night and hear the prayers you offered so sweetly. We are so blessed by all of you!! May God bless you in return for your love. We will let you know how the biopsy goes later. Thanks again!! janet

Sunday 2/3 1400

So sorry to be late dear blogger addicts!! The hospital WIFI was down, or I didn't do something right. Anyway, Erin had a great night with Amanda. She was anxious to get her numbers this morning but they weren't so high. Her WBCs were 1.9 which is great but her ANC was only 19, and there were no more blasts in the blood and her platelets came up to 73. So, the marrow is doing something right, it just isn't high enough to get her home yet. So tomorrow is the bone marrow biopsy. Then we wait some more. God is working, there is no doubt. His timing is not our timing but rest assured, His timing is PERFECT!! The exciting news is that our church is having a prayer service tonight for Erin at 7 pm. So if you have a break during the Super Bowl, send one up for Erin and join the warriors of FUMC!! I just want you to know that we are experiencing God in new and powerful ways during this time in our lives. He is revealing Himself to us every day. And above all He is letting us know how much He loves Erin. Your comments, cards, and calls have been a sweet reminder of that. Thank you so much!! We love you all. janet

1-2-08 10:45am

Hello there- its Laura. I am the blogger for the day since I was the sister entertainer last night. It was a good night. We watched more movies- always a good source of entertainment for Erin and me. Then I sang and danced for her and she just looked at me like I was ridiculous which of course I am if it gets a smile on her face. We had a few visitors last night which she thoroughly enjoyed. She slept pretty well last night- not being hooked up to Dopi really makes a difference.

God is so good and He is working on her each and everyday to make her well. Her counts are slowly climbing, which is hard to watch but a blessing they are not going in reverse.
WBC=1.1 again, same as yesterday. But her ANC was 77 yesterday and we are hoping it goes even higher today, we just don't know that number yet.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We hope to be going home by the end of the week. It is so comforting to you are all behind us in this journey. We love you all.

In Him
Laura

2/1/2008 9:30 am

Greetings dear friends - Bill here...

This morning I decided to focus on the word "hope" as I was reading the Bible. So, before I provide an Erin update, a few words from our sponsor...

"There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." - Proverbs 23:18

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." - Romans 12:12

Today we are joyful in the hope that Erin will soon be able to go home for a break. We are joyful that Erin is disconnected from the IV pumps, that her energy is up, her pain is down and her smile is radiant!! Yesterday Andrew visited and encouraged / prodded Erin to excel by walking her mile PLUS an additional lap. Way to go Andrew! We did watch LOST last night and I have to say that I am as lost as ever! So I would appreciate it if one of you fans out there could explain it to me sometime :))

Yesterday evening we were visited by 3 of the doctors on the team and they indicated that Erin was right on track with the treatment plan and they reviewed what the expected next steps would be. I thought since you all have been taking this journey with us that you might want to know. When Erin's ANC comes up to 500 she will be able to go home. Her platelets are already at an acceptable level now! She has to have the bone marrow biopsy (BMB) on Monday regardless of where her counts are but our prayer is that her counts are up at that time. If the counts are not up on Monday then Erin will have to get an additional BMB in a week. Our hope is that on Monday her counts are up and the BMB will show no Leukemia so they can declare Erin to be in remission! The doctors said that the break is usually a week and then Erin will come back to the hospital for the 2nd round of chemo. Erin was a little disappointed at the shortness of the break but is just happy about being able to go home. The second round will be similar to the first (8 days of treatment plus 3 weeks recovery in the hospital). After that treatment the doctors will evaluate to determine if Erin needs a bone marrow transplant. We pray that she will not need the transplant. If that's the case, she will get another break followed by 3 additional treatment cycles (5 days followed by a break, 5 days followed by a break, and a final 4 day cycle). Hopefully the recovery breaks would be at home. That is the standard protocol assuming her results continue to be good.

Just got Erin's WBC and it is 1.1. So, we're still bouncing around a little and trying to patiently wait for them to take off. Okay, Janet says I am too long winded, so I will close for now. Meanwhile, thank you for accompanying us on this journey, for your encouragement and your faithful prayers!! - Bill

One quick note from me, people have been asking about becoming a bone marrow donor. If you go to marrow.org you can order a kit online for $52 and they send you a swab to get cells from the inside of your cheek, easy and painless!! If you feel led, check it out. You may be a hero for someone, if not Erin. Love your guts, janet