Clinic Day

Hello Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for checking in on Erin. We are at the clinic now. Erin got great results on her labs, Praise God! Two of her liver enzymes are back down to normal again and her eosinphils went from 20 to 10 which is great. The normal value should be less than 6. She has not been having any GVH symptons and now the labs look better as well. I guess that means they have it under good control. She had to have phlebotomy again today (a.k.a. leaches), one vaccine, plus her respiratory treatment, so it has been a long day. She is now in her Patient Advocacy Board meeting. It's nice only having to come here once a month but it is a very long day.
At her next visit, they are going to do her Bone Marrow biopsy and her one year staging labs. Since she got her job back, they are going to do all this a month early so it won't interfere with work.
Hopefully next visit they will be ready to stop her steroids. She is on a very minimal amount but they decided to have pity on her students and get her off the "juice" before school starts. We were hoping they would reduce her meds today but since her labs are responding so well, they want to let them continue to settle all the way down before they make any changes.
In the meantime, Erin is getting ready to move into her own place. She and Laura have been shopping like crazy and enjoying putting together their own decor.
Thank you for your continued prayers for Erin. She is ready to put this all behind her and get back to a "normal" life. God has graciously provided for all the details involved! Blessings on your summer. Enjoy! love, janet

Isaiah 30:17-19 (New International Version)

¹⁷ A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill."

¹⁸ Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!

¹⁹ O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.

We are blessed by God's answers to your prayers. Thanks again

Happy June

Blessings Prayer Warriors,
We are so thankful for all of you and your prayers. God has done amazing things through all the prayers! I hope you have been as blessed as we have by spending more time with the Lord.
Erin is doing well. She is still walking on air over the job coming through. God has been faithful to put the pieces of her life back together better than ever. Erin is feeling so good, she has decided to get her own place this summer. Now, you know I am having a hard time with that decision, but she has agreed to let me spend the night whenever I want to. I told her I am available M-F but I would spend the weekends with Bill. You probably think I am kidding.... She found a nice place close by and it is brand new (no germs), and she has friends for neighbors, so I think I will be o.k....eventually. Laura is also moving out. I have been stalling on the whole empty nest thing but it looks like it is going to hit hard this summer.
Erin goes to the clinic next Wed, so we should have more medical details then. In the meantime, she has been feeling great, so we are praying that they decrease the steroids some. Steroids do keep her from sleeping well and that adds up over time. I guess that is our prayer request, that they can decrease some of the meds. Blessings on all of you. You are the best team ever!! love, janet

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." Galatians 6:9-10

Last Day of School/ updated

Happy Last Day of School!
Thanks for the prayers. We are sorry to say we lost Bill's Mom 2 weeks ago and we had the Memorial last week. She lived to 91 and was a testament to God's grace throughout her life. We are blessed by her legacy of faith! As hard as that was to say goodbye, we know she is now saying hello to the Lord in person and all her family before her. So, we celebrate her home-going with Joy in the Lord!
Erin is doing well. We praise God daily for her health. She is still walking and going to the gym. I am encouraged to say she is feeling like she might be beginning to sweat a little on her head after a vigorous class. We can only pray that is a sign that her body is returning to more normal endocrine function.
As for her job situation, Gwinnett County Schools has told her they will let her know this Friday if they have a place for her in the system. Please pray she gets a good position for the coming year. She has really been stressed about it. I know God has a plan for her, but it's hard to wait it out.
The next appt for Erin is in two weeks, so we are enjoying our first month-long break from the trek to Emory. Thank you so much for the prayers that have sustained us these last 2 1/2 years. We couldn't have done it without all of you on your knees for Erin. We are blessed by your faithfulness! love, janet

A favorite verse around graduation time:
"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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

Update: This just in...Gwinnett County is sending Erin back to Peachtree Ridge as a Inter-related teacher!! She will be collaborating with other teachers, so it will hopefully be less stressful than having her own classes. It is the perfect fit. God is good!! Erin is on cloud nine. Thank you Lord!!
Thanks again for the prayers! janet

HAPPY END OF SCHOOL WEEK

Hello Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for the prayers. We missed blogging last week because

Clinic Day

Blessings Prayer Warriors,
Thank you for your continued prayers. Erin and I are at the clinic and she is getting her resp. treatment as I blog. Her labs came back pretty much the same as they have been. Liver enzymes are slightly elevated but not much. Her iron is crazy high so they are going to get out the leeches again next visit. She asked them about not sweating and they didn't know what to think. They want her to just wait and see. The chemo she had sent all of her systems into chaos, so they just wait for things to normalize on their own. Actually, I think they just let God handle it. There is so much we can't understand. We are grateful God is in control! He is, after all, the ultimate healer! Amen!
Erin has had a good week. She is taking Zumba class at the gym and learning to shake her booty in Spanish. It's so funny - the teacher is Hispanic and gives all the instructions in Spanish. Erin just follows along like she is fluent. Ha! She might become fluent after a few months of Zumba! Erin is continuing the job hunt and would really appreciate any hints you might have on jobs in the area. She still hasn't heard from the Gwinnett County School System. Maybe they will come through at the last minute.
We have to give a shout out to Laura who just graduated from UGA! Good job, Sis! We are so proud of you!
Thanks again for the prayers! blessings, janet

"Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.... For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; ..." Psalm 103:1-5, 11-13

Cinco de Mayo!

Oops! We missed a week! This is Erin, playing blog catch up. I think we are losing our minds (forgetting to blog . . . what next?). Last we wrote, I had just received some shots, given some blood, and packed my sunscreen for the beach with the girls. We had an awesome time - sand, shopping, and seafood - what more could you ask for?! It was a great trip! :)

Last week went smoothly - headed back to the gym to try and get a little strength back . . . whew. A little sore doesn't begin to cover it. :) Funny, though, I realized that I haven't been sweating (gross, sorry), which has me wondering . . . I head back next Wednesday to the clinic, so I'll ask them then, but isn't that weird? Who knows - they probably have "crazy" written all over my charts because I always have some sort of something going on. Oh, well - I do try to keep things interesting for everyone involved. :)

We had a nice trip to the lake last weekend with the Solanes and Woodward clan. The weather was nice, and it was good for Mom and Dad to get a break and have some fun! Five dogs + ten people = lots of fun! Now we are looking forward to Laura's graduation from UGA - she has worked so hard and is ready for summer before hitting the books again in the fall for grad school. We are so proud of her! :)

Hope you had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo! I promise to update next week after our clinic visit . . .

Te amo, Erin

"I come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) I praise God for the wonderful life He has given me!

Lots of bandaids

Dear Prayer Warriors,
Thanks for the prayers!! We are so grateful for your continued love and encouragement. We just got back from the clinic. Erin had to give 50 tubes of blood again to reduce her iron. Then they gave her 5 vaccines. Hence, lots of bandaids. Her labs came back a little elevated this week. They had to increase her immunosuppressants again. Her liver enzymes are also a bit up, so please pray for all that to get back to normal again.
The good news is that Erin is going to the beach tomorrow with her girl's group. She is so excited to spend some time on the beach. Of course she will have to be covered head to toe in sunscreen, hats and umbrellas, but still, any day at the beach is a good day!
We saw an old friend of ours at the clinic today, which was fun, but at the same time, unfortunate, because that means someone is ill. Like I have said before, Cancer is not a club you want to be in, but the people are so nice. Our prayers go out to Bobby and family.
We hope you all are having a great spring. Thanks for reflecting God's glory to us!! Blessings, janet

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Cor 3:17-18