International Flair!

Good Evening Prayer Warriors, Sorry the posting is so late today but we just got back from Emory. Erin did great! The Spinal Tap went very well thanks to our favorite PA Jessica! What a blessing she is to us. Erin also had a pulmonary function test and that went well too. Tomorrow is another big day for her. She is having her central line replaced at 9:30 at Crawford Long. The best part of the day was the 2 angels God put in the waiting room to talk to us and encourage us. They were both transplant successes. They were full of good info and gave all the Glory to God. It was just what we needed 3 days before the big event. We had just found out that Erin's donor is international and we were sitting there teasing Erin about getting a new accent and liking foreign food and the patient (angel) sitting next to us started giggling and then started sharing with us about her journey. It was wonderful. They even promised to add Erin to their prayer list. Isn't God incredible?? Just what we need when we need it. wow. So, about the international donor...apparently folks in Europe are better about signing up for the registry and so their bank of donors is much more extensive. We Americans could learn a thing or two from our cousins across the pond on this issue. Thanks for the prayers everyone. We are blessed by each of you!! hugs, janet

"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2

Sunday

Good Morning Prayer Warriors, Thank you for your prayers. No news today, just resting and getting ready for a big week. Erin feels o.k. today, just trying to stay upbeat for the weeks ahead. God has been providing beautifully for her spirits all along. It has been amazing to watch her cope with all of this. She has taught me a lot about grace under pressure, patience in adversity, and love over all. I am praising God for His Holy Spirit in Erin that has helped her through this.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

There is peace in that!! Amen! blessings, janet

donor details

Good Morning Everyone, Thank you for your prayers! We found out a couple of details about the new donor yesterday. It is a 21 year old guy. We don't know if he is local yet, but we should find out Monday. At first I was a little leary of a 21 year old, since I know a few... but then I thought, what an incredible kid this must be to sign up to give an amazing gift like this. Wow, isn't God using him in a lifegiving capacity? If he only knew how blessed we are to have him in our lives. So please continue to pray for this young man as he starts this process. I pray he is as blessed by this as we are. We also found out that Erin will have to have a spinal tap on Monday as part of the prep for the transplant. She is NOT looking forward to that! Also they were unable to get her booked for her line change at Emory, so she is getting that done at Crawford Long on Tues morning. So much going on, please pray!! Erin had fun at the mall and definitely got her walking in. Then Aunt Jo bought her a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer (her secret dream), in GA red of course, and they made cookies with it yesterday. Yum! Erin loves to bake. So, all in all, a good day. love you, janet

"God's gifts and His call are irrevocable" Romans 11:29

Love that!!

donor not A+

Good morning Prayer Warriors, Thanks for the love and prayers. Erin got some news yesterday. The donor they had lined up couldn't donate until Sept. So they found another donor. This new donor is also a 10/10 match but not the same A+ blood type. This means Erin's blood type will convert to the donor's type. I don't know what that will add to her recovery but we are very thankful they found another donor so quickly who is available right away. Erin will check in to Emory on Thurs to start the process. She will get a different central line, 6 days of chemo and then one day of rest followed by the donor transplant. Then we wait for the engraftment, which can take a few days. Engraftment is when the donor cells get set up in the marrow and start producing new cells. It is going to be a long journey! We praise God for all of you, ready and willing to journey with us. Erin plans to hit the mall today. A little shopping therapy. We have family coming up this weekend to see Erin, so she will be a busy girl. We like to keep our minds busy so don't dwell on the upcoming days. Peace, janet

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:15-17

Rainy day

Good Morning, What a good rainy day activity - the movies. Going to see Harry Potter today. Erin is looking forward to going out but not so much sitting on her sore biopsy for 2 hours. We are so thankful for a little normal time today. Thank you all for the prayers that keep us going. Blessings on your rainy day activities! hugs, janet

"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we my share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:7-11

I often wonder what God's purpose is in all of this. But if this is discipline, then we are looking forward to peace in the harvest!!

biopsy day

Hello Friends, Erin had her 8th bone marrow biopsy today. I was thinking about how scary the first couple of biopsy prodedures were and how used to it we have become. What a crazy thing to be "used to." Erin did very well. Her favorite PA was there to do the procedure which always is a comfort. Erin is currently sleeping the good sleep. Great news is that she gets a few days off of her bucket-o-pills because her numbers are up. She also has permission to go to the movies!! WooHoo. It will be nice to be normal for a couple of days. We don't know when they will admit her for the transplant but I figure very soon. Thanks for the prayers. God is Good!! All the Time! blessings, janet

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world." Isaiah 12:4-5

short day

Hello Prayer Warriors, Well today ended up much shorter than we anticipated. We had 5 appts spaced from 8-4 but we just kept going to each dept and asking if we could be seen early and they all said yes. So, we got home by 12:30. What a praise, we were dreading a long day. We will get results from all the tests in a couple of days but it was mostly prep work for the transplant so we don't think there will be any problems. Erin's numbers were good so they scheduled a biopsy for tomorrow morning at 9:30. Please pray for an easy procedure and perfect results. Then we should be ready to schedule the transplant.
Last night when I was trying to go to sleep, the Lord reminded me of how many times He has saved Erin. I can count 5 times, but I am sure there were many times I never knew about. Then He reminded me of the verse in Hebrews that says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So I need to TRUST that He will save her again. Afterall, He is the God who heals! Amen! Thanks for the prayers. We love you for keeping the prayer lines open!! janet