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

Monday

Good Morning, All is well here, just hanging out. The youth kids did another incredible video a la the Office for Erin. The casting was great and the writing was hilarious. It gave us all a good laugh. What a hoot. We definitely have some actors/producers in the making. We will be able to say we knew them when... Thanks everybody, it made Erin's week!! One of our dear friends sent Erin a jar of sawdust from campmeeting. It made me cry. What a sweet gesture. Erin has had to miss 2 campmeetings in a row and it breaks her heart. So at least she has some sawdust to keep her company. Thank you to everybody else who has kept up the prayers for Erin. We are so thankful to have you all lifting Erin's name up to the Lord faithfully every day. God is good.
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

You all do us a world of good!!

Sunny Sunday

Good Morning Friends, Yes, Monica is right, Bill cleaned the windows and everything looks so bright this morning. What a beautiful day the Lord has made, we are rejoicing. Erin feels good this morning except her thermostat is off kilter. She gets hot in some parts and not in others. She has moments of nausea too. Normal is so hard to define anymore. However, compared to the worst days, she feels great. She is still confined to the house though since her white count is still extremely low. I know she would love to be out and about but we can't risk it until we get a good lab result. Her next appt is Tues. She also has to get an EKG, Echocardiogram and CT as part of her prep for the transplant. So Tues will be a long day. Thanks for all your prayers!! We feel surrounded by your love. Blessings for the Sabbath, janet

"Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, not your son or daughter, not your manservant or maidservant, not your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, not the alien within your gates. so that your manservant and maidservant may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day." Deut 5:12-15

That is the 4th commandment. It's good to review those now and again.

sleepy sat

Good afternoon Prayer Warriors, We are getting a late start because the girls stayed up watching movies last night. Erin feels well, which means we all feel well. It is amazing how Erin's symptoms affect the rest of us. When she feels bad, we all feel bad, and when she feels good, the sun shines brighter and everybody smiles. So it is a good day! Praise the Lord for good days. Thanks for the prayers, God is faithful to listen! love, janet

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all the nations. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him." Psalm 67