History

Monday, February 25, 2008 1:00 AM PST

Happy “9th” Birthday Bailey!!! We love you and miss you so much!!!!

Hello to all of you. I had great intentions on updating this sooner but life has continued to fly by me. I often wonder how I had the time to do all that I did for Bailey and still be able to run the rest of the household. I do know that I was getting much less sleep then and am not quite sure how I survived on only 3-6 hours of sleep during the last four years. God definitely gave me a hand…I am sure of that.

It is hard to believe that we only had our little Miss Bailey for eight short years. She lived life in a “large” way, especially during the last four years, and we are so thankful for that. It is hard to understand this world at times and why things happen the way they do. For us it is our faith in God and eternal life that keeps us going. If I didn’t know that Bailey was in a better place and that I would see her again someday, I don’t think I would be able to function.

We take life one day at a time. For the most part we are at peace with Bailey being gone although we miss her terribly. We’ve been talking for the last couple of days about what we wanted to do for her birthday. Blake suggested going out for Mexican food since that was her favorite food to eat. So, that is one of the things we will be doing. On the way to church, Bryce asked me, “Why Bailey die?”. Talk about ripping your heart out.

Once again, this is not the real update that I have been wanting to do but I will hopefully get my act together soon.

I do have a couple of quick things to tell you and a couple of families that need our prayers.

First, I want all of you who have supported us both financially and spiritually during this journey to know that we will never forget you. We could not have made it through this time without your love and support. I have many, many thank you cards to still get out so bear with me if you haven’t received yours yet. Where does the time go?

Secondly, we have a few families that are very special to us that need your prayers. First is the Koelewyn family. We met them at the beginning of Bailey’s treatment, four years ago, when their little daughter, Audra, was being treated for a brain tumor. Well, it recently started growing again so they headed back to St. Judes this time. Like us, they are blessed to live in an amazing community that has rallied behind them and allowed them to go back to Tennessee as a family. Anyway, Audra has to receive 6 weeks of radiation to her brain in hopes of stopping this tumor, once and for all. So far, she has been handling things like a champ. Everyday I read about how God is watching over this family. If you want to follow her story, you can go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/audragracekoelewyn. Also, if you could still keep the Barker Family in your prayers we would appreciate it. They have been through so much during the last two years and are still trying to learn how to go on without their precious son/brother Christian.

We continue to pray for all of the families(Madera & Seattle) who are still on this journey. Although we haven’t been back to the hospital to see any of you, please know that we think of you often. As Bailey would say, “Never Give Up”. Each day is a new day with new opportunities and new challenges. Just keep trusting in God to lead you in every decision you make.

May God bless each of you,

Randy, Kathy, Blake, Brooke and Bryce & Bailey too!

Friday, January 4, 2007 10:30 p.m.

January 4, 2008

I am writing to ask for prayers tonight for Christian Barker's family. We met the Barker family in Seattle when they came back up from L.A. for Christian's second bone marrow transplant in less than a year. He was 14 years old and fought leukemia for the last 20 months before passing away from GVHD complications on December 28, 2007 after a very courageous battle. They just returned home on Wednesday and his funeral is tomorrow. Please pray for comfort, strength and peace for this special family.

I will be updating Bailey's website next week after everyone is back to school. I have so many things that I want to share with you.

Happy New Year to all of you. We are looking forward to a very uneventful year.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, Blake, Brooke and Bryce

December 7, 2007

I wasn’t planning on writing today but when I sat down to read one of my devotionals this morning this is the scripture that it quoted and I wanted it to share it with all of you. This is the first time that I have sat down to read the Bible since Bailey passed away. I have read a few devotionals and have been listening to Duke DuVall (1-800-939-5689)(He is so good. I even have Mings and Pings listening to him every morning now! They really like his messages too!). Anyway, I decided that I was going to read the Bible this morning before things got too busy but I started with Joel Osteen’s Daily Devotional Calendar and this is the scripture that he quoted for today:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” (Psalm 34:18-19)

In my Bible it was written this way:

“The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins. The good man does not escape all troubles—he has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and every one.” (Psalm 34:18-19)

I really like my Bible, which is called “Life Application Bible”, because it has notes below the scripture that explain it in terms that are easy to understand.

Anyway, I would recommend that you read the entire Psalm 34. It is actually very short but very powerful.

For the most part, all of us are doing okay. You go through the day fine and them you see or hear something and the reality that Bailey is gone “hits”. Her shining personality is truly missed and there is a definite void in our family dynamics. We miss her beautiful smile and adventurous spirit, among other things.

Right now, we have to focus on making Brooke’s birthday special then we will focus on making Christmas special for the other kids. I know that we are going to do something different than we normally do.

Our family wants to wish you a Merry CHRISTmas! It is sad that all around us people are trying to take the CHRIST out of Christmas. I understand not celebrating Christmas if you are not of the Christian faith, that makes sense. But why are so many Christians in this country not standing up for our Savior? I know I am guilty at times of doing this. It makes me sad when I think of what is next if we don’t stand up for our faith right now.

As I sat down to write, this song by Big Daddy Weave came on. This is the group that we were able to meet and it was one of Bailey’s favorite songs. If you ever have a chance to see them in concert I would recommend going. There is a great radio station called “KLOVE” that is nation wide that plays this and many other great songs. I hope you have a chance to hear this one. Some other great artist are Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, Lincoln Brewster, Point of Grace, Casting Crowns, Hawk Nelson (great for teenagers), Natalie Grant (I have a story to tell you about her new song), Mark Shultz, ZOEgirl (teenagers), Third Day, Todd Agnew. There are just lots of great songs on KLOVE for the whole family.

I am working on a new slideshow that I will put on the website sometime after Christmas so check back in after the first of the year.

May God be with all of you and may you have a blessed CHRISTmas.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, Blake, Brooke and Bryce

Big Daddy Weave - Every Time I Breathe

From the album "Every Time I Breathe"

I am sure all of heaven’s heard me cry
As I tell You all the reasons why
This life is just too hard

But day by day
Without fail
I’m finding everything I need
And everything that You are
To me

Chorus:
Every time I breathe You seem a little bit closer
I never want to leave
I want to stay in Your warm embrace
Oh basking in the glory shining from Your face
And every time I get another glimpse of Your heart
I realize it’s true
That You are so marvelous God
And I am so in love with You

Now how could I after knowing One so great
Respond to You in any way
That’s less than all I have to give
But by Your grace I want to love You not with what
I say
But everyday
In a way that my life is lived

Chorus:

Wrapped in Your mercy I want to live and never leave
I am held by how humble
Yet overwhelmed by Your majesty
Captured by grace and now I’m finding
I am free
You are marvelous God
And knowing You is everything

Chorus:

November 29, 2007

Hello to all. I've had a few calls recently from people wondering how we are doing, so I thought I would do a quick update.

Randy and the kids headed back to school on Monday. I have been busy trying to catch up on things that have needed to be done for a while. Things have been quieter at home without our little Miss Bailey dancing around. I don't think that it has really hit any of us that she is really gone. As long as I don't sit still for too long and let myself think too much, I am okay. However, for every "?why?" thought, I also have a "Thank you God" thought. One of those thoughts are..."but she was getting stronger each day" followed by "Thank you God that she was so strong right up to the end". As one of my friends put it, "She lived life up to the eleventh hour in "Bailey Style". We get a lot of comfort from that.

I have much more that I want to write but right now time doesn't permit. We still do not have internet service but I will be picking up my emails and reading the guestbook whenever I can get over to Rick and Wendy's.

On Tuesday in honor of Bailey and as a small way to thank the students, teachers, and admistrators at Orestimba High School, I went to the high school and said a prayer around the flag pole (before school hours...we don't want any lawsuits). Thank you to all of the students who joined us. Newman is a very special community and one that we are very lucky to live in.

Thank you to all of you who have continued to keep us in your prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, Blake, Brooke and Bryce

***November 15, 2007***

Please listen to Duke DuVall today and you will understand how God has often spoken to me during this journey.

1-800-939-5689

A lot of you are asking where you can donate to in honor of Bailey. In the near future, we have plans to set up a scholarship and foundation in memory of our precious little girl that would enable Bailey's "mission of giving" to continue. In the meantime, below is a list of organizations that have helped our family during the last four years. All of them do great work and we would be honored to have you donate to any of them in Bailey's honor.

The Memorial Hospital ROCK program (This is the program that just took us to Marine World. They are wonderful.)

The Make-A-Wish Program of Sacramento

The Leukemia Lymphoma Society

The American Cancer Society

Children's Hospital of Central California

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Our precious Miss Bailey was diagnosed with leukemia 4 years ago today. It is hard to believe that she was only 4 1/2 years old when this all started because she was wise beyond her years.I cannot begin to tell you how much your love and support has meant to our family. I will update you with more details on Bailey later but for right now I wanted to give you the details of her Celebration of Life Services.

Bailey's Celebration Of Life

When: Saturday, November 17, 2007

Where: Orestimba High School-Gym
707 Hardin Road
Newman, CA 95360

Time: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Public viewing at Gym

10:00 a.m. Services at Gym

11:00 a.m. Graveside Burial-Hills Ferry Cemetery
1334 W. Stuhr Rd, Newman

12:00 p.m. Celebration of Life Reception
Orestimba High Multi-Purpose Room

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 11:53 PM CST

Good evening, this is Bailey's Uncle Rick and I've been asked by Kathy and Randy tonight to let you know how much they appreciate all the love and prayers that have been flooding their way since Bailey's first diagnosis years ago, especially in the recents months and weeks. Our sweet Bailey has earned her angel wings and is now with the Lord. It's kind of surreal sitting hear, grasping for words to compose,... however, I've just read so many wonderful entries in the guestbook that I'm quite certain that you not only share in our loss but are also uplifted by God's greatness.

As for some of the details, I'm sure Kathy will do her best to post those when time allows. Let me briefly tell you that since being released from the hospital last week, Bailey was for the most part doing well. Aside from not having any immune defenses, the lukemia blast were undetectable in her bloodstream and her pain was under control. She had a splended weekend entertaining her siblings and cousins, and every small moment was cherished.

Later Sunday evening, a fever was noticed and by Monday morning back at Children's Hospital, the situation was not looking very good to say the least. ...but here at home, we held out hope that Miss Bailey would turn things around as she had done so so many times before. By Monday afternoon, Bailey was officially admitted to a room and they did all they could until space opened up in the ICU. As it turned out, her cultures showed that she had an aggressive infection and no amount of medical intervention could remidy her dire situation. Through it all, Bailey remained brave and at peace.

After Bailey's passing Tuesday morning, the family was allowed to be with her. I don't know how I could evoke the complete sentiment of being there, ...but for Bailey's parents, grandparents and sibs, the healing process was begun in a beautiful way. A most heartfelt thank you goes out to Becky Beam for her courage and grace to be with Randy, Kathy and the kids during this tough yet tender time. After returning home, the Rocha and Costa families and friends met for hugs, tears of sadness and joy, wonderful memories, and at times, moments of silent reflection. Needless to say, the kids' raucousness never did skip a beat, ...just as Bailey would have orchestrated it herself.

Wednesday will be a daunting day I'm sure, with all the details and planning that has to be done. When the dates and times for the arrangements are made, we'll have a better idea of how all the offers of assistance can be directed. Again, thank you to everyone throughout our communities and well beyond who have laid out their hearts, hands and prayers for Bailey and her family. You have all been and will continue to be a true blessing in the likeness of our eternal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May God bless you with his enduring peace and love.

Good Night,

Bailey's Uncle Rick

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 11:53 PM CST

Monday, November 12, 2007 11:50 PM CST

Please pray for Bailey. We are in the hospital and things are not looking good. We trust you Lord!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B's

Sunday, November 11, 2007 9:53 PM CST

November 11, 2007

Hello to all. Bailey is doing well. On Friday, she went to bed around 4 p.m. with a horrible headache and nausea but by 7:30 p.m. the headache was gone and she got up ready to eat and have some fun. God is so incredibly good!!! We have accepted that our life,at this time, will continue to be a rollercoaster ride...never knowing from one minute to the next what is going to happen...but trusting God to be with us no matter what we face. God is what makes this craziness bearable.

Bailey has woken up every morning, okay...late morning (she is such a night owl), with a beautiful smile on her face and with NO PAIN!!!! God is listening to all of your prayers!

Yesterday, she woke early (10 a.m.) to visit with Uncle Ray and Christopher. She had fun showing off all of her goodies to them. Today, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Melanie, and Baby Sophia visited. On top of that she had cousins Cam, Cole and Cate to play with too. She had a great day. She continues to eat well and is looking stronger each day.

Please continue to join us in CLAIMING Bailey's healing. We know that God is doing great things not only in her, but thru her. She has big plans ahead of her and has no intentions on slowing down. Love it!!!

We will be going down to clinic on Tuesday to get Bailey's counts, platelets and possibly red blood cells. Please continue to pray that she remains blast-free, infection-free, and fever-free. I will update from clinic on Tuesday after we get all of her results.

We hope all of you have had a great Sunday...we have. Praise God!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

Friday, November 9, 2007 7:15 PM CST

Hello Bailey friends and fans out there, it's Uncle Rick filling in for Kathy. I'm going to keep it short and sweet tonight because my four indians are chomping on the bit to get family movie night rolling here at Rocha Cinemas.

Our initial plan, per Bailey's request, was to get the cousins together tonight for a showdown, but unfortunately, Bailey needed to get off to bed earlier than expected because of a sudden headache. Kathy said that this has happened before while Bailey was in the hospital last week but she hopes that she can sleep it off tonight. Please pray that it turns out to be a restful night at that.

Otherwise, Bailey has been doing fine since getting back home Tuesday. I myself haven't had a chance to see or talk to Bailey yet, but Grandma Dellayne tells me that she's in good spirits and up to her usual antics. ...such as checking out what's cooking at Grandma's and snooping for the lastest scoop. Oh my, she's such a chip off the ol' block. I remember when I was a tiny Rocha, Bailey's dad would make his daily rounds at all the Rocha Dairy households checking out the meal fixins. Not only would Randy cherish the tasty morsels his pitiful self could muster, but he'd come home smiling like the Cheshire Cat because he was sure he'd uncovered the town's hottest secrets(of his own imagination I'm quite sure). Likewise, Bailey is never one to let something get by without her notice.

Oh yes, I'm suppossed to make this short and sweet...right? Well, thank you for keeping Bailey in your prayers today. Pray that she can sleep off these headaches, that her pain remains under control, and that she's shielded from any infections while her immune defenses are so critically low.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, ... and hopefully Kathy can make an entry soon to let you know about any new developments. Uncle Rick

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 4:19 AM CST

November 6, 2007

No blast, no blast, no blast!!! I just love the sound of that. I cannot wait until the day when I can scream that out loud about her bone marrow. For today, we will remain happy that the blast is not in her blood stream and continue to wait on God’s Will for Bailey’s final healing!

Bailey had a great day full of lots of fun and laughter. She sent Randy down first thing this morning to the gift shop to buy some goodies, she heard were there. Of course, she had dad use “her Visa” that she received compliments of Uncle Ray and Aunt Jeanette. Thanks you two! (By the way, beware if you buy Visa Gift Cards. When we went to use it today, her $50 card only had $30 on it. It seems they charge a monthly maintenance fee of $4.95 on them if you do not use them within 6 months of purchase.) Anyway, she sent Randy in search of some flashing necklaces and two foam swords (with sound effects and a shield). She had so much fun dueling with several friends throughout the day. She also spent time with a sibling, Sierra, of one of the patients, Logan. (Logan is a precious little baby whom in undergoing radiation and chemo.) Please say a prayer for him and his family. Sierra was close to Bailey’s age, which Bailey thought was pretty cool. They played cards, catch, chase, sword fighting, etc. It was good to see her just being “normal” despite the fact that she was tugging along her IV pole! Later on tonight, she was playing tag with Marcus. It makes our hearts happy to hear her laughter! We were spoiled once again with a wonderful shrimp dinner that Ricky, Veronica, and Aneleese brought us. Bailey enjoyed it so much, especially the hot salsa Veronica made! We were eating and I looked over at her and she was bright red. I instantly thought, fever…thank goodness it was just from the hot salsa!!! Thank you so much for your friendship and kind hearts. By the way, Bailey ate three of the oranges right before bedtime, from the beautiful fruit basket you brought us.

Tomorrow is supposed to be our release day!!! Please pray that all goes well and that Bailey remains blast-free, fever-free, and infection-free. She has a slight runny nose that I am hoping doesn’t develop into anything.

I am working hard on a new slideshow for the website, so hopefully it will be done soon. I was bummed because I made one through Windows Movie Maker but didn’t realize I would have to pay a fee to a Web Hosting Site in order to get it put on Bailey’s web page. So I guess I have to stick with the way I did her other one before.

Down below is today’s message from Joel Osteen about none other than “Healing”. Enjoy!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

He Is the Healer

Today's Scripture

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Osteen

Aren’t you glad that God is a healer! It doesn’t matter what is “broken” in your life today, God’s nature is to bring you complete healing. Do you need healing in your body? Your mind? Heart? Finances? Relationships? God is your healer. Notice what the Psalmist says in this verse: He binds up their wounds. In the natural, if you have a broken arm, it doesn’t just heal over night. The doctor makes a cast to hold it in place and protect it. He binds up your wound. In the spiritual realm, God does the same thing. He wraps Himself around your brokenness and protects the wounded area until it is strong enough to function properly again. The Bible also says that He is a restorer. That means that when He does a work of healing in our lives, He makes us better than we were before. If you’re going through the healing process today, know this: it may take longer than you planned, but God is binding up your wound. He is protecting you and healing you. He will bring you out better and stronger than you were before. He will take you to a place of complete healing so that you can live the life of victory He has in store for you.

A Prayer for Today from Joel:

Father in heaven, thank You for being my healer. Thank You for restoring every area of my life. I give You everything that I am today. Use me for Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007 1:28 AM CST

November 5, 2007

Another God Day with no blast, no fever, no infection, and Bailey feeling like a champ!!! God is so good and continues to bless us with Bailey’s Healing! We are still tapering her morphine without her experiencing any pain, which is a great blessing. She is sitting in bed right now with a big smile on her face as she munches on popcorn. I’m thinking it is time for bed but she has other plans…like continuing to eat and watch T.V.! I love her spunk!

Bailey had a fun surprise today. Billy Ray Cyrus (the dad of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus) visited the hospital today and signed autographs for the kids. Bailey was upfront so she enjoyed a lot of time near him. I have a great picture of her with Billy that I will post soon. It was a nice treat for all of the kids but I’m not sure if the kids or nurses enjoyed it more!

Bailey’s doctor is still working on getting her out of the hospital. Our insurance/Hospice finally approved all of our request for meds, blood products, ect., for Bailey once we get home. They have lots of paperwork to do so it looks like we won’t be home until Wednesday. I told the doctor that hopefully by Wednesday Bailey would not even need Morphine!! Please pray that we are able to continue the taper without her experiencing any pain. I know the doctors look at Bailey medically and think one thing, but we continue to hold on to the promises of God.
God’s Word will not fail. “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken…All came to pass.(Joshua 21:45)
“He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11)

I heard from St. Jude’s today and there are still no open studies that Bailey is eligible for.
I am going to contact the doctor in charge of the Natural Killer Cell Study tomorrow. Please continue to pray for guidance and direction for the doctors and us. Until we hear from God, we will wait!

Please say an extra prayer for the Koelwyn family as they travel to L.A. to get the results of Audra’s MRI. Christian continues to need our prayers too.

Blessings to all of you,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Monday, November 5, 2007 2:59 AM CST

November 4, 2007

No blast today!!! Glory be to God!! Each day that we do not see any blast in her bloodstream and each day that she remains fever-free and infection-free is such a blessing to us. The downside of keeping her on the chemo is that she will continue to be susceptible to infections. However, we know that God has many angels surrounding our precious little one keeping her safe as she is out and about spreading the love of Jesus to everyone she has a chance to meet.

Today Bailey woke up complaining that her right ankle was hurting. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she figured out why…from playing kick ball yesterday. (oops!!) Dr. Johnson scared me when she said that she could be bleeding inside her ankle area due to her low platelets. Her platelets are only 12,000, which are really low, but she will be receiving her matched platelets tomorrow afternoon. Luckily, there is no bruising or visible sign of her ankle bleeding. We had to postpone our next game until after platelets tomorrow!!! (Hee,hee!) Oh, by the way, the hurt ankle didn’t keep her from passing out goodies tonight!

We had special visitors again today. Ricky, Veronica, and Analeese Garcia brought us a wonderful lunch, made with love, specifically ordered by Bailey. (garlic shrimp, rice, beans, etc.). It was so yummy!! We were so happy to see all of them. The last time we saw them was days before we left for Seattle and little one was only two months old. Bailey ate so much that she was too full to eat dinner. She just told me that she can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!

It was so nice having our family together this weekend. I know it is hard on the kids spending so much time traveling back and forth but they are such troopers. None of them wanted to leave today, but hopefully, we will be back home no later than Tuesday. Thank you Pa and Grandma for taking such good care of our munchkins.

Thank you for continuing to surround Bailey with your prayers. If only you could see how much your prayers really work.

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust him and he will do this.” (Psalm 37:4-5)

Love and blessings to you,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Sunday, November 4, 2007 2:00 AM CST

November 3, 2007

Praise God for another day with no blast showing up in Bailey’s bloodstream! We cannot tell you enough how much your prayers mean to us. We pray every night that the Holy Spirit is taking that chemo through Bailey’s body and destroying the leukemia. Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) “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)

Bailey slept in until 12:00 p.m. once again but has been going ever since. Bailey and I spent an hour and a half outside today just enjoying the beautiful weather and playing kickball...it didn’t matter to her that she was still connected to her IV pole!

Bailey couldn’t wait to go around handing out goodies this evening. She made some new friends and was happy to put smiles on their faces. She was also happy to have Blake and Brooke back down here. Please keep Brooke in your prayers too. She continues to feel good some days and not so good on other days. I think she just needs some rest so that her body can recoup from all that it has been fighting. Thank you Rick and Wendy for taking care of the kids and bringing them to Merced today. We are blessed to have such a great family.

We hope that all of you have a great Sunday. We will not be able to go to church tomorrow but we will be listening to Joel Osteen so if I hear anything good I’ll be sure to share it with you!

Thanks to Pastor Keith for the visit today. Bailey always gets a good laugh when you are around.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Saturday, November 3, 2007 4:29 AM CDT

November 2, 2007

Another great day of victory for Jesus’ little warrior! No blast, no fever, no pain!!!! Hallelujah!!! She was a little more tired this morning but once we found out that her hemoglobin was only 7.8 that didn’t surprise us. They usually transfuse red blood cells around 8.5.

She woke up at noon today to eat the yummy combination pizza that they brought for lunch. Just about the time she finished eating there was a knock on our door. It was a nurse holding Bailey’s necklace and a note from Angelina’s parents. I want to share with you what the note said so that you can understand just how Bailey touches the families here and why I know that God is not done with her yet.

Dear Bailey,

We wanted to thank you for extending your heart to our daughter Angelina. We wanted to get you a special gift but the gift shop was closed and we decided instead to hand write you this special letter. You touched our hearts and Angelina is very grateful to you for allowing her to play with your necklace & bracelet. Angelina loves the blanket and she slept with it last night and she will continue to do so. May God bless you and we thank you very much for having a great heart!

She was smiling from ear to ear as I read this to her. This letter was better than any gift they could have given her because it just confirms that she is indeed doing God’s work while we are here at the hospital. God always brings much more good than bad out of our hospital stays and this letter just shows you that. We do not know what ended up being the problem with little Angelina but we know they need our prayers. We are happy they were able to go home today because the dad was torn between working and taking time off to be here with is sick little girl. His wife is pregnant and scheduled to have the baby next week so he knows he will be taking time off then too. They have not gotten sleep for two nights and he was heading into work a twelve-hour shift tonight. Despite all of that, they took the time to write this special note to thank Bailey for her special heart. May God watch over you Joe, Cristina, and Angelina.

We appreciate all of you who have given us information to try to help with our nursing situation. Randy and I prayed this morning about clarity and peace concerning this situation and not soon after, in walked Maureen from Hospice. I really liked her honesty and true concern for what is best for Bailey. I spent close to three hours today talking with the group to make sure that by choosing Hospice we are not limiting the care we are able to get for Bailey. We feel comfortable after all the discussions that it is okay to go with Hospice. Our biggest obstacle has been that there are no Home Health Care companies that do pediatric care out in Newman. Because of this, if we do not want to go with Hospice, we would have to keep her in the hospital. Anyway, everyone is working hard to make sure that all of our requests are being taken care of. So far so good. Please pray that our insurance company is open minded and shows favor on behalf of Bailey if this is the right choice.

My other concern of going with Hospice is that all of you might think that we are giving up our belief of Bailey’s Healing. That is not the case. We continue to be encouraged each day, by scripture that we read or hear, that Bailey will be Healed! If only you could see her, doing her thing, throughout the hospital floor. She didn’t go to bed tonight until midnight…that is with no nap today., She’s also been eating like a football player (maybe she really thinks she’s a Green Bay Packer)! She is such an amazing Energizer bunny. Thank you God for the blessing of seeing Bailey get up each day and enjoy life to its fullest!

I ordered a book from Joel Osteen’s website that I wanted to let you know about. It is written by his mom Dodie about her healing from cancer over 25 years ago. She was given two weeks to live with or without taking chemo. So she left the hospital without receiving any chemo or radiation and went home to be Healed by God. It is a very short but powerful book that I would encourage any of you to purchase. It is called “Healed of Cancer” and only cost $2. It is very easy to read and understand but has some very good examples of how we need to “claim our healing” from cancer or other issues in our lives.

I wanted to share with you today’s devotional from Joel Osteen’s calendar that I also just purchased:

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. (Psalm 37:3 NASB)

It’s not enough to say, “God, I trust You. I know You are going to meet all my needs.” That’s tantamount to the farmer not planting any seeds and expecting a fabulous harvest. Scripture says there are two things we must do in times of trouble. First, we must trust in the Lord: and second, we must go out and do something good. Go out and sow some seeds.

I hope you have a great weekend.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Friday, November 2, 2007 3:02 AM CDT

November 1, 2007

I wish each of you could see for yourselves just how well Bailey is doing because of the Grace of God. Your prayers are being answered. Each day she is getting stronger. She has a very low ANC right now but we have another day of victory in Our Lord with no blast in her blood stream!!! Yeah God! Please continue to pray that she remains
fever-free and infection-free. Please also pray that the Holy Spirit continues to cleanse her marrow and make it cancer-free!!!

Bailey started out her day sorting her stash of candy trying to decide which ones she was going to give away. We were surprised by a visit from Kevin, Catherine, Madeline, Audra, and precious baby Caleb Koelwyn. We met this special family at the beginning of Bailey’s treatments back in 2003. They were here today for Audra’s yearly MRI to check on her brain tumor. Please say an extra prayer that the tumor is gone forever!

After her nap today, Bailey started handing out more of the pillow/blankets that Ming has made. The kids and parents loved them because they are so soft and cute. I have a Bailey moment to share…Last night I heard a baby next door to us screaming most of the night. When Bailey heard her screaming this morning, she said that we needed to pray for her, which we did. We met the dad today when we gave him a blanket for her. Later, Bailey and Randy had a chance to talk to him and see his precious little girl, Angelina. They found out that it took eight tries last night to get an IV in her, which of course, is why the poor baby cried all night. While they were talking, the baby noticed Bailey is new blinking necklace. Bailey had wanted this necklace for a week before I finally got it from the gift shop two days ago. The baby loved Bailey’s necklace and started screaming when Bailey walked away because she wanted the necklace. In true Bailey spirit,…Bailey took it off her neck and gave it to the baby. We know that God has so many more moments like this that he needs his “Little Warrior” to take part in.

I have a favor to ask all of you out there. We were supposed to get out of here tomorrow but now it looks like it won’t be until Monday or Tuesday. The reason isn’t that Bailey is sick but that they cannot find a Home Health Agency Nurse that will agree to come out 2 to 3 times a week to change Bailey’s morphine. Everyone they have contacted will not do Pediatric Home Care. So if any of you know someone who works close to our area (Modesto, Turlock, Merced, Manteca) please let us know. Right now, it looks like the only way we will be able to go home is if we use Hospice, which poses it own set of problems. Most Hospice patients do not go home taking chemos, antibiotics, immune-suppressants, etc., so the insurance has to individually approve each medicine. That is why we will not get out until next week. Although Bailey is anxious to get home, she knows that God is using her to reach out to other families while she is here and she is okay with that.

Blake and Brooke we love very much. Thanks Rick and Wendy for taking care of the kids. (Wendy, I really think you are meant to have six kids!) Ha! Ha! Thank you Keri and Carson for the big bags of candy to hand out and for the visit today. Bailey had so much fun handing out glow-in-the-dark bracelets tonight that she didn’t want to stop doing laps! I love how much energy and drive she has. It has to be coming from God!

Please say a pray that Bryce doesn’t have a cold. He was sneezing today and getting a little cough. He had to spend most of the day out in the trailer.

Blessings to all of you.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Thursday, November 1, 2007 2:25 AM PST

October 31, 2007

We enjoyed another day of God’s victory with no blast in Bailey’s blood stream!!!!

Bailey had a great day today. She made sure she was up, fed, and dressed by the time the hospital “parade” started at 10:30 a.m. Our family went with a Green Bay Packer theme for today’s festivities. Bailey was a miniature Brett Favre, dressed from head to toe as a true Packer, except for her cute little Mary Jane Crocs and baldhead! Bryce sported a Green Bay helmet that was Randy’s when he was little and wanted to be like Bart Star! Randy and Blake were our “Cheeseheads”! Brooke, Pa, Grandma, and I were the GB Fans! It was great seeing little Miss Bailey (a.k.a Brett), with such a big smile on her face having so much fun.

After a short nap today, she enjoyed a fun visit from Stacey, Rodeo Clown Ryan, and Ninja Carson. She loved the bracelets and Wontons (she ate 5!). She already started passing out the cool pencils and stickers. Not long after there visit we had another knock on the door and had a nice surprise when we opened it. It was Miranda and her mom Stephanie. Miranda is the little miracle that many of you prayed for over two years ago when she was at transplant and not expected to make it. (The doctors said there was no way she would make it…well guess what, she did and she is doing great). Bailey really enjoyed seeing Miranda and sending her home with a stash of goodies. We met Miranda when Bailey was first diagnosed, so they have been friends for a long time. Thanks for Bailey’s gift.

Randy, Blake, and Brooke headed to Manteca this afternoon so that Dr. Kailey could see Brooke. Her blood work came back fine. Thank you God!!! (We needed that). Also, Dr. Kailey believes that all of Brooke’s other issues are tied to a virus, stress, or both. Basically, she needs to eat better, drink better and get a lot more sleep. As I know you can imagine, our life is a little bit chaotic right now so none of those things are happening consistently. So next time you see her, ask her if she has eaten any fruits or veggies lately!!

It looks like if all goes well, the doctors will have everything ready to get Bailey out of here by Friday. She really doesn’t mind being here, but I know she will feel even better when she gets home to her own bed.

They had to increase her Morphine a little bit this morning, but she has felt great since then. She is looking so well. Most of the people who come to see her cannot believe how well she looks. I tell you…it is Jesus shining through her. Someone asked her the other day what nickname she would like to be called, she thought for a minute then said, “God’s little angel”! Each day we see her getting stronger and more full of life. God is so great!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

October 30, 2007

Each morning has become somewhat of a roller coaster ride as we wait for our copy of Bailey’s labs. Today we did a victory dance…there were no blast in her bloodstream!!!! Thank you God!! We take each day as it comes and continue to find many things to be thankful for. Bailey was tired and slept a lot today but felt good when she woke up and started making her rounds. She is having a little more pain in her back. It is hard to know why she is having pain since we are making some changes in her pain meds in preparation of us taking her home. Also, I know it is hard to believe, but she tends to overdo it some days! We love her fighting spirit! We definitely see God’s strength in her each day.

She has fun handing out goodies to other kids and seeing how happy it makes them. I am constantly amazed at how strong that drive to “give” is in her. Tonight, right after she was settled in bed for the night, she decided to pass out some darling polar fleece pillow/blankets that Mings made for the kids down here. Her back was really hurting her, but she wanted to head down to Marcus’s room. I suggested that we have him come here and she agreed. Marcus, his twin sister, and another patient, Deandrya, were thrilled with their new gifts and Bailey went to bed knowing she had once again brought a smile to another kid’s face…mission accomplished!

We met a very special family while we have been here, who has taken us under their prayerful wings, and have really supported us in Claiming Bailey’s Healing. We really cherish our new friendship with them and have enjoyed getting to know them and experience their true unbridled devotion and praise of God. Please pray for their daughter Shanise, as they continue searching for answers to some medical issues that she has had to deal with for several years.

Please continue to pray for Brooke. She is really tired and continues to have pain in her legs. We are still trying to get a handle on what she is dealing with. Today we had some blood drawn to see if it can help to explain some of the “weird” things she is experiencing. We should have results tomorrow. I will keep you updated. Thanks to Dr. Kailey and Staff for always being so great!

Tomorrow the kids will get to enjoy collecting candy throughout the hospital. Both Bailey and Bryce have decided to be football players. It is kind of sad but she doesn’t want to be anything girlie because she is bald. I tried to convince her that there would be a bunch of bald princesses running around but she didn’t go for it. Usually her baldness doesn’t bother her but for some reason it does when it comes to dressing up. Either way, she is excited about tomorrow, so that is all that really matters.

Please pray that God will guide us as to what our next move is to be. I e-mailed St. Jude Hospital yesterday and I am waiting to hear back from them. We’ve had to spend the last few days meeting with people setting up Bailey’s transition back home. It is a little hard because their idea of us going home is different from our idea. As I have told you before, we just don’t feel like it is her time yet. However, medically they have a different feeling so we are pulled between the two realms of this stage of her disease. To look at Bailey, you would never think she was a sick kid, except for her cute bald head. Anyway, we are not in denial about the “medical” state of our little ones situation, but we do have faith that God has other plans for her. What exactly does that mean? It means that we will continue to wait on the Lord to guide us through whatever is to come. Do we have one week, one month, one year, ten years, forty years with our precious baby…we don’t know…only our Heavenly Father knows the answer to that. What we do know is that we refuse to waste one minute of one day worrying or focusing on what we should have done differently or what could happen in the future. Oh, we could come up with all kinds of scenarios of what is to come but that would only wear us down. To tell you the truth, most of it would probably never come to pass. Bailey refuses to live like that so why should we. Here is an example of why it is useless to let your mind run wild with, “what if...” My dad was given six months to a year to live with his stage 4 aggressive growing lung and liver cancer…he lived for 6 ½ years. On the other hand, Bailey was diagnosed with Standard Risk (ALL) Leukemia and given an 85 percent chance of disease-free survival…need I say more. You just don’t know so please enjoy your time with your children, parents, family, and friends. Life is so short and so unpredictable…so enjoy the time you have now!!!

We pray for blessing to be bestowed on each of you for all of the love and support you have shown our family.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 3:14 AM CDT

October 29, 2007

Well Bailey had another good day! Thank you so much for all of the prayers!! Our Dear Lord is listening. Today some blast still showed up in Bailey’s bloodstream but we continue to believe that with the Holy Spirit guiding the chemo through her body, she will improve. It is another late night so I am once again going to have to make this short before I fall asleep right her.

Bailey enjoyed a visit from her past principal at Von Renner, Mrs. Hamera. Thanks for the books. Thank you to Ashley Gomes (it was nice seeing you again) and her class for the nice card and goodies. Bailey had fun digging through the bucket of treats. Thanks also to the students in Room 5 and 7 at Fremont Elementary School for the nice cards.

Bailey has sure enjoyed having her siblings down here. They will stay for a few more days. Hopefully we will all be able to head home at the same time. We are just so blessed to be able to stay together as a family the majority of the time.

Thank you to all of our old and new friends who have left encouraging messages in the guest book. We appreciate all of the prayers that you continue to surround us with.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

October 28, 2007

October 28, 2007

Today has been a great day for Bailey despite the 5 percent blast that showed up in her bloodstream this morning. I was hoping to sleep in this morning but lo and behold, she woke up at 8:30 a.m. ready to eat and watch T.V. Praise God!!! She has not eaten breakfast since last Monday but today was different. She ate two bowls of cereal! She also has been sleeping in until early evening everyday since we arrived at the hospital. Today she started out early, played, took a little nap and played some more.

Around 12:30 p.m., her first group of visitors showed up. Uncle Ray (my brother), Aunt Jeanette, Chris (despite a punctured lung) and Derrick showed up for a visit. Before long, Uncle Rick (Randy’s brother), Aunt Wendy, Cam, Cole (Happy Birthday), Cate, and Cruz joined the party. Randy ran to In-n-Out burger and soon we were having a wonderful picnic out by the play yard at the hospital. The weather was beautiful and Bailey enjoyed being outside for a while eating and chasing cute little Cruz around. Not long after all of them left, Bailey settled in for a nap and in walks, Mings (a.k.a Minnie Mouse), Pings, and Aunt Marlene. She visited a while then took a little cat nap. So by the time Aunt Wendy called to see if she was up for visitors again, you guessed it, she was! We are blessed to have such a great family. Thanks to all of you for the nice visit.

We just thank God for the strength and fun loving spirit that we saw in Bailey today.

I want to write more but right now I have to head to bed. I have a cute little boy (Bryce) spending the night with Bailey and I in the hospital room. He wants Mommy to read to him and then to give him a massage. How do you say “no” to that.

We want to ask for special prayers for our new friend, Shanise, who will be having exploratory surgery tomorrow. Pray that the doctors will finally find out what is causing all of her pain. Also pray for Christian’s body to heal quickly.

Please pray that Bailey will continue to fight this fight and that they chemo will keep the leukemia at bay.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

October 27, 2007

11:45 p.m.

Today was a much better day for our Little Miss Bailey. Although she still slept quite a bit, she was much more comfortable and mild mannered. She was awake for a while this afternoon and able to open some gifts that George, Kim, and Kendra brought down. Thanks for the visit Contente Family.

She slept most of the afternoon and woke up sometime this evening. She went walking around for a while handing out some glow sticks and goodies. As long as Bailey can stay fever-free, we will be able to give her the chemo despite what her counts are. We’ve been able to continue the taper of both her cyclosporine and morphine. Thank you God. Our goal is to take her home on oral meds only. Please pray that her pain continues to go away and that we will be able to get home soon.

I have so much I want to share with you about a very special family we met and how we are just seeing God doing great things for our family and Bailey but it is going to have to wait until tomorrow. It is late and I need to get little one to bed. I just really want to ask each of you to continue to help us Claim Bailey’s Healing. We know that God is Healing our little girl and we really want you to be a part of this Miracle.

A quick update on Brooke. Her TB test and x-ray both came back negative. Praise God. She is still having some discomfort and swelling in her legs but overall she is doing okay. She is being a trooper. Now we just have to wait for her legs to heal and see if anything presents itself. Let’s hope nothing does. We just want these bumps to go away…end of story!

Please pray for Christian and his family as they wait for his body to heal from the GVHD that has ravaged his body.

We really do draw such strength and peace from all of your continuing prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

10:00 a.m.

I just wanted to share with you that the prayers are truly working…please don’t stop. There was zero blast in her blood work this morning!!!! Thank you Dear Lord! Her ANC is low at only 190 so I am not sure if she will be able to have her chemo tonight. Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Gates who will be making this decision. Please also pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to cleanse her bone marrow and rid it of any leukemia that continues to live there. I will be writing more later today, but for now, I wanted to share this breaking God News with you!!!!!!!! The battle is not over, but with God and all His amazing prayer warriors on our side, I know that we will continue to see Bailey healed!!! Another thing that happened this morning is that Bailey finally, after almost two weeks, had a bowel movement…and it didn’t hurt at all. Praise God! We will take every victory that God gives us, big or small, and give him thanks!

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

October 26, 2007

This is going to be really short because it is very late right now. Basically, please keep praying and claiming our precious girl’s healing. God is so good and continues to show us His mercy and grace each day.

Bailey’s blast went down to 7 percent. Thank you God!! Hopefully by tomorrow there will be none!!! Keep those prayers coming!!

One of the medicines they had Bailey on today did quite a number on her. She was either sleeping or crying or both all day long today. She didn’t wake up and kick it into gear until 9:00 p.m.

Thank you to Becky Beam for all your love and support. Bailey was out and about handing out the glow sticks tonight (at 10:00 p.m.) and goodie bags. God is so good…just two days ago, Bailey couldn’t walk and tonight she walked all around handing out the treats!!! Thank you also to Sharon and Katrina Schmidt for bringing 300 lbs. of pull tabs down to the Ronald McDonald House to donate in honor of Bailey. We appreciate Katrina putting together the countywide collection of the pull-tabs and all of the 4-H clubs that took part in the collection. Thanks also, you two, for the books and suckers that you handed out to the oncology kids.

I have more to tell you but will update tomorrow.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Friday, October 26, 2007 2:13 AM CDT

October 25, 2007

Thank you prayer warriors. Today Bailey was much more comfortable than the last two days. She slept very peacefully through the night until early this afternoon. The blast in her bloodstream were up a little higher today but because her ANC is 483 they are going to start her back on chemo tonight. Thank you God!! They are also trying some different combinations of medicines to try to keep her pain under control.

Dr. Johnson told us today that Bailey doesn’t qualify for two of the studies that we were interested in. So, I am going to try to contact St. Jude tomorrow to see if the “Natural Killer Cells” study has opened up yet. We are still keeping our ears opened but for the most part, there are not a lot of options available for Bailey medically.

As far as our doctor is concerned, Bailey only has a few weeks to live. So…let’s keep those prayers going at full speed and prove her wrong!!!!! We live by God’s timeline not mans. Please You cannot even imagine just how much your prayers are working. Bailey wanted to go out walking around the floor last night around 11:00 p.m., which is typical Bailey fashion. She informed us she was only going to do “two laps”. The amazing thing about this is that she hadn’t walked in three days and she was in quite a bit of pain. We didn’t think she would even make it out of the door because her legs were so weak. But…with her strength coming from Our Heavenly Father, Bailey made it out the door shuffling her feet along until she passed the nurses station. We grabbed a wheelchair and continued on our trip to little Megan’s room to give her some glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces. While Bailey sat there, she struck up a short conversation with a boy in the next room who was by himself. She gave him a few bracelets and some encouraging words. After visiting for a while, she wanted to make a few more rounds to see if there were more kids that she could give bracelets to before we called it a night. She is just so precious!

Jennifer thanks for the nice visit and all of the treats that you brought Bailey. She spent hours sorting and resorting all of the goodies while making up bags for the other kids. She had a great time with the Floam too.

Please pray that the Holy Spirit guides the chemo through Bailey’s body right to where the cancer is and DESTROYS IT!!!!! We trust in God’s Will for Bailey and know that He will continue to be with us during this journey. Please pray that we will know and understand God’ Will for our precious baby. We visited with a volunteer Chaplin named Bud today and had a really good conversation with him. We met him right after Bailey relapsed and have gotten to know him pretty well since then. Anyway, one thing that all of us agreed upon was the peace that we feel knowing that there is a much better place to go someday, Heaven. I really can’t imagine living life believing that this is it…and that once this is over well…….

Not one of us knows if we have another day here on Earth but if you believe that Jesus Christ is your Savior, you do know that you will have Eternal Life someday. That brings Randy and me peace and comfort.

God bless each of you!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 9:00 PM PST

October 24, 2007

Okay prayer warriors…we have another Huge battle to fight. We just received a copy of her counts today and there are blast (leukemia) showing up in her bloodstream. (Yuck!) This is very bad because blast usually do not show up unless the bone marrow is full of leukemia. Her ANC is 340. We need her ANC to go above 500 so that we can start her back on her chemotherapy and get this leukemia back under control. We have not talked to the doctors yet so we do not know what their plans are for our baby girl. We do know that we need all of you to…PRAY, PRAY, PRAY with us and help us to continue to CLAIM Bailey’s HEALING!!!! We know that God has been watching over her because it was two months ago when the blast originally showed up in her bloodstream. Once we started her on chemo, we never saw them again until today!! Praise God!!! The doctors didn’t expect her to stay blast-free this long. We serve a Great God! We know that He has big plans for her! Right now, we need God to send down the Holy Spirit to go after and destroy the leukemia before it gets out of control.

Bailey had a good night; in fact, she and I were up for an hour in the middle of the night playing with all of her goodies from this weekend’s adventure to Marine World (now called Discovery Kingdom). She is sleeping so peacefully right now with her pain, not gone, but at least under control.

We just had a visit from a sweet volunteer, Valerie, and her cute dog Ruby. We met them a couple of weeks ago when Bailey had her manicure from one on Valerie’s friends. Anyway, Bailey had lots of fun visiting with her, showing Valerie all of her new goodies and the pictures on her ipod. After she left, Bailey decided she wanted what Randy had gotten from the cafeteria for lunch. She put her order in with the nurse and sent Randy to the store to get “her favorite salsas” so she could jazz up her burrito. She ended up drinking a 16oz bottle of strawberry milk and eating a decent amount of her burrito!! This is the first time she has felt good enough to eat since Monday morning. We will take these small victories and continue to pray for Big Victories.

Thank you for the prayers for Brooke too. She is having a little pain in her knees and hip area from the inflammation but overall feels okay. Tomorrow she will be having an x-ray to check on a few things. I’ll keep you updated.

We want to say a big “Thank You” to the ROCK Program that is run through the Memorial Hospital Foundation in Modesto. The ROCK Program holds monthly events for kids with cancer and their families. This month they took the families to Marine World and totally spoiled us. Thank you Andrea, Anita and staff, and all of the Memorial Hospital employees and donors who support this program. !!! Bailey had such a great time!!!! We started the day watching a dolphin show, which of course, she loved. The highlight of her day however, was being a VIP at the Looney Tunes Show! The characters were so great and treated her like a queen. Bailey and Bryce went up on stage with a few other kids and danced around with the characters. (I will try to post pictures soon) Bailey, of course, was center stage dancing with Bugs Bunny. She was on Cloud 9 after the show and wasn’t sad at all that she couldn’t ride any of the rides. Second best was the “Dolphin Money” they gave so that everyone could get some souvenirs from the gift shops. She had a blast shopping for her goodies and is still so excited about what she purchased. Those are the goodies we were viewing last night!

I have to share a special story with you from that day. It was already dark and Bailey was walking along when she spotted a nickel on the ground. She was so excited. A guy, in his early twenties, who was walking by with his girlfriend, heard her excitement as she found the nickel. So, he proceeded to place money on the ground ever few feet without Bailey seeing him doing it. She even scored a dollar bill! It was so sweet and brought such joy to her. Although… I don’t know who enjoyed it more…her, the young man, or us as we stood back and watched her beaming smile every time she found more money! She still has no idea that he was doing this she just figured that someone had a hole I their pocket. Of course, I had to start dropping money for Bryce so that he could join in on the treasure hunt too! It is so simple to be a blessing in someone’s life.

We met with Dr. Johnson a little bit ago and decided to increase Bailey’s Prednisone, in hopes of it killing some of the leukemia. We will also continue to taper her immune suppressant drugs to let her body do a little more fighting of its own. We will have to keep a close eye on her because we do not want to end up with too much GVHD, which could make her really uncomfortable. We really need her ANC to increase so that we can start her back on her chemo.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. I know many of you feel so helpless because you don’t know what to do for us…please know that your prayers are the BEST thing you can do for us at this time!! They really help!!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

This is Joel Osteen's Message for today. It is just what Randy and I needed to read. We hope this can help you too.

PRESS THROUGH

Today's Scripture:

“Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 AMP).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

In Mark, chapter five, there was a woman who had been sick for twelve years. The doctors gave her no hope. But she heard that Jesus was coming through her town. Something deep on the inside said to her, “This is your season. This is your time to get well.” In the natural, when she saw all the people around Him, she thought, “I’ll never get to Him. It’s so crowded and I’m weak. I just don’t think I can do this.” She almost missed her season. But instead of dwelling on those negative thoughts, she started reminding herself, “If I can just get to Jesus, I will be whole.” She made the choice to turn her thoughts in the right direction. She kept pressing her way through the crowd until she got just close enough to Jesus to reach out and touch the edge of His robe. Instantly, she was made whole. Jesus said to her, in Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Notice it’s our faith that activates God’s power. What have you been believing God for? Don’t give up! Press through! Keep praying! Keep asking! Keep seeking! God is faithful! As you press through, He’ll meet your faith with His miraculous power, and you’ll step forward in the victory He has planned for you!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, I come to You today with an open and humble heart. I ask You to fill me with Your strength, peace, and joy so that I can press through to victory today. Show me the good plan You have for me and fill me with Your spirit of faith. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

October 23, 2007

11:45 p.m.

*Part II*

Thank you so much for the prayers…they are working!!! Around 6:00 p.m. tonight, we finally started to get Bailey’s pain under control after they increased her Morphine again. She felt good enough to pull all kinds of goodies out of her backpack, do some playing and sorting, and then put them back in again. She even watched a little T.V. before she snoozed off. We think her constipation could also be adding to the pain in her back. Hopefully things will get moving soon so that this pain can be rectified. Her fever and blood pressure have been going down which is a good thing however her heart rate continues to run a little high. Please continue to pray that God will take her pain away and that He will destroy her cancer. We thank God for all of today’s victories.

We think we have a diagnosis for what is going on with Brooke’s legs. Today she saw Dr. Lunat and a dermatologist and both agreed that it looked like “Erythema Nodosum”. What a name, huh?!! We are glad to know what it is but it is one of those things that doesn’t have an easy answer as to why she has it. In true Rocha Family fashion…this condition is “not normal” for someone so young. Also, there are many underlying diseases that could be the cause of this or it could just be stress. Please pray that it is just stress. We would really like to only have to deal with one health crisis at a time! As always, we know that God will be with us, no matter what is to come. However, we will be praying hard that this is a one-time episode with no other health problems associated with it. Please keep her in your prayers because the bumps can be quite painful as they heal over the next 6 to 8 weeks. We will keep you updated over the next few weeks as we gather more information about this. Thank you to Dr. Kailey, Dr. Lunat, and your staff. All of you are great to work with and have been so wonderful to our family.

I can only imagine what it must be like for Blake, Brooke, and Bryce to have their sister fighting cancer for four years and to still have her future so uncertain. They were 10, 7, and 1 respectively, when this all started. They are amazing siblings but I know it hasn’t been easy for them. However, I know that they are going to do great things, as they grow up because of the experiences, good and bad, that they have had. They all have such kind hearts!

You will get a kick out of this. Right now, Randy is reading sub-titles to Bailey for a “reality T.V.” episode of a group of school kids in China. She is sitting there transfixed on the going-ons of these little ones. Randy is trying to convince her that it is bedtime. She’s not buying it!

I had better go now so that I can get this little one to bed. She pushes herself too much and ends up having more pain.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

*Part I*

Bailey continues to have intense pain but we are not sure why. We are still holding onto the thought that it is just from overdoing it on Saturday, but it is hard to tell. She hurts so much that she is not changing positions in her bed, which I think is only making things worse. They just increased her morphine rate to 4.5 mg and she has a PCA so that she can get an extra .5 mg every fifteen minutes. Please pray that it works. If she isn’t getting some relief within the next hour, we will probably try a different narcotic to see if it will help relieve the pain. She is such a trooper. The Ativan they gave her to relax, didn’t do much for the pain, she is still moaning, but it did help her to sleep talk! She has been having lots of conversations. We thought her ANC might be on the way up but it actually dropped to 290 with a WBC of 700. She is currently receiving a red blood cell transfusion. She is getting them every two weeks. Thank you to all of you who donate blood. It really is life saving.

Please keep Brooke in your prayers too. She is at the doctors right now with my mom. About a week ago, a silver-dollar sized bump showed up on her shin along with some red bumps shattered around her legs. I thought they might be bug bites. She hasn’t had a fever but the bumps are starting to hurt and do not appear to be going away. Also, her spleen area is very sensitive although the doctor didn’t think it was enlarged. My kids don’t get the common illnesses, oh no, that would be way too simple, they just keep getting all of these odd ball things. I really do not know how people get through life without God. If I was on my own to deal with all of this, I would have lost it by now!

I will be updating later because I really want to tell you about what we did this weekend.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Monday,October 22, 2007

Bailey is back in the hospital and really needs your prayers. She is in a lot of pain right now and the morphine isn't helping. The pain is in her lower back and down her legs. We arrived down here around 2:30 p.m. and she hasn't done anything except lay in bed moaning since we arrived. Praise God, her counts look fine!!! Her ANC is 490 and there are no blast showing up in her blood work. Thank you God, thank you God, thank you God!!! Please pray that her ANC continues to increase so that she can get started back on her chemo tomorrow and that her body continues to kill off all of the cancer.

We are hoping that the pain is from overdoing it this weekend. I will update later with more info on what we have been up to lately...but for now we would appreciate your prayers that Bailey's pain will subside soon and that she will be up and about tomorrow passing out goodies to all of her friends here in the hospital!

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B's

Thursday, October 18, 2007 11:08 PM CDT

Well guess who managed to worm his way into this thread two entries in a row now? Yep it's me, Uncle Rick again. Kathy sends her sincerest apologies for not being able to update y'all herself, but time seems to evade her even more than for the rest of us blokes, ....as you can only imagine. In fact, she hasn't even had the chance to chase down a web-linked computer since my last update, so she's in the fog about all the ribbing-n-fibbing that's been goin on around here. So, being that I'm not fired YET, here we go!

There's not a whole lot new to report this evening, which is in itself a good thing for now. As I or Kathy may have mentioned before, keeping Bailey on an even keel and off a slippery slope is the immediate mission for now. In fact, Bailey is hanging in there pretty darn well and is often prone to over do it if left to her own will. Miss Bailey is proving me wrong(maybe) by comparing her to a rockstar. She's actually getting to bed at a decent hour and waking up at 9:00 a.m. Now really, how mundane can a girl get? Stay tuned, cause if I really do know Bailey as well as I think I do, then the party has only started. Watch out Randy and Kathy, ...cause you gotta tiger on your hands.

Well, little miss tiger is feeling like a sore kitty tonight but it's only to be expected because she'd rather pack three days worth of activity into one, than wait around three days hoping for one good day. Do think many of us loafers could learn something from that attitude? I hope so. With such charisma and energy bestowed by God, Bailey is sure to defy whatever challenges may come her way.

Miss Bailey was scheduled to receive her next matched platelet transfusion today but it turned out that the platelets wouldn't be available until early next week. Her pain level has remained in check and she should make it through the weekend fine but her exuberance has to be tamed because she's already bruising quite easily and visibly. Kathy noted that being able to even go a full week between these transfusions is quite remarkable in itself and most likely a testament to God's blessings called to action by everone's prayers for Bailey.

So let's cut to the chase because I'm sure you're inspired to go run a marathon, paint the house and write a book by tonight. ...right? Well, maybe not, ...we'll just let Bailey do it for us;) Please keep Bailey in your daily prayers so that she can get through this weekend A.O-K. ...And may God bless all of you out there who have carved out a tender place in your heart for this little dynamo of an angel who's story never fails to lift us a bit closer to Him every day.

Take care. (and go do something incredible now!)
Uncle Rick

Monday, October 15, 2007 10:38 PM CDT

Good Evening Bailey friends and fans out there, it's Uncle Rick filling in again for Kathy. She tried her best to update y'all today from clinic, but the darn keyboard she was using locked up on her. Situations like that make you want to chuck the thing right out the window, don't they! Well, I suppose if that's the most tragic episode of one's day, then in the grander scope of things, all's not so bad...

The original plan was for Bailey to receive her matched platelets Sunday but there was a delay so they headed down to clinic later this morning. Miss Bailey has spent the last couple of days getting back into the groove of things. Ah, well if you consider staying up through the wee hours of the morning and snoozing until the next afternoon getting into a groove, ...then you just might be a rockstar. Speaking of rockstars,(I'm going to lose my job for this;) Bailey is feeling pretty fine on her morphine but hopefully soon she'll get by without it. The lower dosage she's taking now allows her to rest satisfactorily yet once she's up and at'em, watch out!

Sunday afternoon, with a mean set of buzzers in hand, she gave yours truly a clipping any GI would be proud of. Then she ventured on to video tape her cousin Cole as he demonstrated his self-taught martial-arts-jedi-man-of-the-woods moves. I personally don't know if she's humored by him or truly impressed. Either way, they had a blast and it's heartening to see those two bond that way. If you've always known them together, you'd certainly classify them as the essential personification of fire and gas. Bailey would absolutely be the fire, she gets that from Kathy and poor Cole would be the gas. Unfortunately he gets alot of that from me, his dad.

This morning before heading off to clinic, Miss Baily had a surprise visit from Aunt Marlene. Who just so happened to bring along a special treat. No, not that yummy popcorn that's become so famous on these threads lately. It was non other than her grandchild, Miss Mia Philips. Pa Rocha tells me that Bailey and Mia had a wonderful time packing up a goody bag together. I'm sure Bailey sent her off with enough bells and whistles and candy to make anyone's head spin and stomach roil. ....as it should because we all know life's too short to skip the sweet stuff.

As per Kathy, all went well at clinic today. Sans the keyboard incident!#@*! The good news is that Bailey was able to make it through seven whole days before needing a matched platelet transfusion. Also, and this is a biggie, NO blasts are detected in her bloodwork. ...And God willing, her ANC count at a mere 10, will resume to rise so she will have some vestige of immune protection for her body. Consequently, her chemo is on hold until those counts rise appreciatively. For now, it's your prayers and God's merciful loving hands that are protecting Bailey's vitality. Likewise, Bailey and the rest of us are taking everyday, ...no, make that every breath, a victory for her in the name of Jesus Christ.

Bailey is coming up on her five month post transplant mark and with continued control of the leukemia, her options for a cure from this madness are looking brighter. For the time being, Randy and Kathy are waiting patiently, praying faithfully, and listening intently to God's and Bailey's doctor's response to her needs. Please continue your prayers for them; They Are Working! ...Praise the Lord!

Wishing you all a very very good day.

Bailey's Uncle Rick

Friday, October 12, 2007 4:00 PM CDT

October 12, 2007

2:00 p.m.

We are getting ready to head home soon. Bailey is feeling good and we are ready to see Blake, Brooke and Bryce. We have to keep Bryce away from her for a few days. Brooke called early this morning and told us he woke up crouping in the middle of the night. Pa sprung into action and took him to the freezer to get some cold air and calm down his crouping. (I know it sounds weird, but it works) He was hospitalized with croup when he was only one-year-old, just one month before Bailey was originally diagnosed with ALL. Anyway, I’m a little bummed that they won’t get to be with each other but it should only be for a few days.

We have to come back down on Sunday so that Bailey can get platelets. We should only have to stay for a few hours. We will then come back on Thursday for a regular visit.

I have to go now because little Miss wants to make one more round to say goodbye to all
of her new friends.

I won’t be updating until Sunday, so don’t worry… just keep praying!!! (Please)

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

P.S. Thank you Ryan and Stacey Koch for visiting and bringing Bailey all the cute girl stuff!

October 11, 2007

Thank you God for yet another day to enjoy our precious little girl!!!!

We are still at the hospital tonight but hopefully we will be heading home early tomorrow. Dr. Johnson wanted to evaluate Bailey on the oral pain meds for 24 hours to see how she did and that put us leaving here late tonight. Bailey opted to stay for several reasons. The first reason is that she is still having quite a bit of pain in her rib and back area. Dr. seems to think it is muscular and we are hoping that she is right. Secondly, she doesn’t like traveling in the car when it is late and she is tired and not feeling tiptop. Lastly, she was having too much fun socializing and interviewing fellow patients with her new video camera that she just received as a gift. Thanks to the two of you who bestowed such a wonderful gift on her. She is having all kinds of fun videotaping around the hospital.

Bailey was once again; slow to start today, but by late afternoon…after her nap, she was ready to go. She started out with paper and pencil in hand to make sure she collected the numbers and/or emails of her newest friends before she left the hospital. Stacey it was so nice meeting you today. Thank you for bringing Bailey such a nice bead set. She is going to have lots of fun making necklaces and bracelets for family and friends (new and old). Thanks also to Irene and Jordan for the crackers and string cheese. Bailey had fun roaming the halls with you. She also had fun interviewing a nice teenage boy named Joseph and his dad, Dan. I can’t wait to watch the full interview!!! Best of luck to you Joseph. You will be in our prayers. Oh, have a Happy Birthday…out of the hospital!!!!

Bailey was also able to bring a smile to the face of a cute little girl named, Meagan. She was not happy at all with her mom at the time we met her, but once Bailey gave her a Dora backpack, she was soon smiling and waiting for Bailey to interview her too! Of course we checked in on precious little MaryBelle. She recovered well from her bone marrow aspiration today and will be leaving next week for Stanford to prepare her for transplant. Please keep MaryBelle and her family in your prayers. She has three siblings…one of them is a two month old little sister that has to stay behind while MaryBelle and Veronica go off to Stanford.

Christian and his family really need our prayers as they face a very critical time in his recovery. Please dear Lord, show them your Grace and Mercy.

We found out yesterday that three of the doctors here are going back to the yearly Children’s Oncology Group conference back in Denver. This is where Pediatric Oncologists from all over the nation meet to learn about the latest advancements and studies being done to fight cancer. Please pray that God will guide and inspire them to search out the best treatment for Bailey. We know that God has big plans for our baby girl.

Hugs and kisses to Blake, Brooke, and Bryce. Thank you for being such good kids. We love and miss you so much.

I am including a few of the scriptures that I read today that continue to give me hope and encouragement. Enjoy!

The Psalmist writes: “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Keep traveling steadily along His pathway and in due season He will honor you with every blessing”
(Ps 37:34 TBL)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…then His peace will guard your hearts and minds. (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

October 10, 2007

Bailey was once again very tired today. I decided to wake her up at 11:30 a.m. when the Child Life Specialist, Mary Beth (thanks!), brought a volunteer by to give Miss Bailey a manicure. At first, Bailey said “no” to the offer but quickly retracted her “no” for a “maybe”. Within minutes, she was sitting up in bed ready for her manicure. The volunteer (sorry, I forgot her name) was so sweet and made Bailey feel like a princess. She put a crown and beads on Bailey before the manicure began. They chatted and laughed together, which was so sweet to see. The volunteer proceeded to show Bailey her short hair that was growing under her wig. She too is a cancer survivor and this was her first day back at the hospital since her diagnosis in Jan 2007. They talked about their hair loss, among other things. Then, as if getting a manicure wasn’t enough, in comes another volunteer with the cutest little doggie. Bailey was in heaven. She ended up with beautiful lavender nails with flowers on them. She was smiling from ear to ear.

After that, she was once again ready for a nap. When she woke up, she decided that we needed to walk around and check out the scene. Of course, we found a few children in need of some goodies and Bailey proceeded to bring a smile to their faces. The precious little girl, who blows us kisses, is named Lupita. Despite her tough day of having a feeding tube put in and dialysis started, she had smiles and waves for us as we walked by. All of these kids are truly amazing. We were able to visit with a mom named Veronica, whose little girl Marybelle, is one-year old with AML and getting ready to go to transplant. She too stole our heart with her darling smile and sweet way. Tomorrow they will do a bone marrow aspiration to see if they have finally gotten her into remission. Please pray that the chemo has worked to achieve remission and that God will watch over her during her transplant.

We found out today that Bailey has a sinus infection in her lower sinuses. We are hoping that this is the reason for the bad headaches and that by starting her on an antibiotic that the pain will go away. When we got back from walking tonight, she started feeling nauseated and couldn’t get to bed quick enough. However, after chatting with her for a while she started to feel better and was able to get up and take a shower. She found my stash of sticky bubbles and proceeded to fill up both the bathroom and her room with the bubbles. They are the kind that don’t pop easily and stick to each other, so it looked pretty cool in here for a while. If she does well on the oral pain pills they just started her on and the headache goes away, we might get to go home late tomorrow or early Friday. She still has quite a bit of pain in her chest and back area and for some reason she complains about her heart racing. However, every time they check, her pulse is fine and her heart sounds good. I think it is just the muscle still recovering from whatever virus she had.

Bailey was not able to get her chemo tonight because of her ANC dropping to 240. Please pray that God will help her body to continue to destroy the leukemia on its own and that it will recover soon from this virus. This hospital visit has made me extra aware of how careful we need to be to keep her away from sick people, our family included. It is so hard with the three other kids being in school, but her little body just doesn’t have the defenses that a normal person does. Thank goodness she does have her guardian angels surrounding her!!!!

We need extra prayers tonight for Christian and his family. He is suffering from horrible GVHD, from taking him off all of his immune suppressant drugs, in hopes of keeping the leukemia at bay. It appears that the GVHD is attacking his liver and he is starting to bleed out from all of his gut GVHD. Christian and his mom, Sandy, are completely worn down from numerous nights of no sleep because of the diarrhea and pain that this poor boy is having to endure. They need to be surrounded with our prayers for comfort and strength and for healing of this precious fourteen-year-old boy who has endured two transplants in hopes of a cure from this terrible disease. We know that God can heal him so please join us in claiming his Healing.

We continue to wait on God for guidance as to where we go from here for Bailey’s healing. We gave her over to God when she relapsed and asked Him to lead us to where we needed to go to heal our precious little girl. It is all about bringing Honor and Glory to our dear Lord. So please pray that we will hear Him when He is talking to us. There are a few studies that we are looking at, one in Tennessee, one in Maryland, and one at UCSF but without His guidance, we are not going to make a move. Perhaps we are meant to stay at home…time will tell. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and support.

Many blessings to all of you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 1:10 AM CDT

October 9, 2007

Well, today was a bit of a bad day for Bailey. She was extremely tired and didn’t wake up until 2:00 p.m. She has also been having a problem with bad headaches and her blood pressure continues to be running a little high. She had a CT Scan done today but we do not have the results back yet.

As much as she wanted to go around visiting today, she never made it out of bed. For some reason, her headache gets worse every time she stands up. However, right as I am writing this, she heard a baby crying. She looks at me and said, “I am going to sit up and if my head doesn’t hurt too bad, I want to go do a lap.” I love how she is able to distract herself and forget about the pain.

With her pain continuing, it looks like we may be here for a few more days. Her ANC made quite a drop today with it at 490 and her WBC = 700. She got her chemo tonight, which is good, but if her ANC drops more tomorrow, they will have to discontinue the chemo until she goes above 500.

We would like to ask for prayers for a friend who lived in the Pete Gross House at the same time as us. Audrey is pretty much a grown up version of Bailey. Despite all that she has gone thru, which is a lot, she is constantly doing things for other people. She just e-mailed us today to tell us that her skin cancer is back despite having had a bone marrow transplant. She is such a positive force to all of those around her and we know if anyone can beat this thing, she can. You will be in our prayers Audrey!!

We can’t wait to get back home and see the other kids. I know it isn’t easy having both Randy and I gone, but they are being so selfless. Brooke has stepped in to take over the “mommy role” with Bryce. She is such a good big sister. Thank goodness that Randy’s parents live right by us and are able to keep the kid’s routines as normal as possible. Thank you Pa and Grandma!

Please pray that we can get Bailey back home soon so that she can get back to chasing butterflies around our yard and playing with her siblings and cousins.

Thank you so much for your prayers…they bring us so much comfort and strength.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Tuesday, October 9, 2007 3:05 AM CDT

October 8, 2007

I have to make this quick tonight because I am falling asleep trying to write this.
Bailey felt a little better overall today. She didn’t need as much of her morphine or her Benedryl. However, we continue to have a bit of an issue with her blood pressure. Not sure what that is all about.

Remember last night when I told you we were hoping for a few more days of an ANC above 500. Well…Bailey’s ANC went up today, not down. Thank you God!!! Please continue to pray that it will stay above 500 for a while longer.

Bailey’s platelets arrived here in Madera tonight so they were able to give them to her. This was good because she had started to have a bloody nose earlier today.

Bailey has been busy all day making new friends and spreading joy wherever she goes. Randy and she met a precious little one who is only 13 months old and will be heading to transplant just as soon as they can get her into remission. Tonight she went around passing out goodies and got some special “air kisses” from another little 1 year-old with beautiful dimples and two cute pigtails. I don’t know who was smiling more, Bailey or the little girl. Bailey came back in the room just floating high, with hardly any pain to complain about. It is amazing how you can heal when you take the focus off yourself and put it towards doing something good for someone else. I learn so much from her each day.

Please pray for our special little buddy from Seattle, Ayden. He continues to be in the hospital with one thing after another happening and delaying his return home. I just talked to his mom Linda tonight and was shocked to hear all that Ayden has been through since we left Seattle. Please pray that his little body can continue to heal and become strong. Ayden had a bone marrow transplant when he was only 5 months old and has been in and out of the hospital since. He is absolutely precious and we can’t wait for the day we get to see him and his parents, Linda and Joe, again.

Hello to all of our Seattle friends. We continue to pray for all of you and hope things continue to go in the right direction for you.

Please continue to pray for guidance for us. Randy’s brother, Ron, just made us aware of another trial study that might work for Bailey. We still need to talk to our doctors and gather some info, but we know that God will guide us to the right place that we need to be to get our little Miss Bailey healed. Thanks for your continued support!!!

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Sunday, October 7, 2007 10:31 PM CDT

October 7, 2007

Good day to all! We have had a pretty mellow day here in the hospital. Bailey has rested a lot today so hopefully her body can recover sooner than later. She continues to have pain in her back and rib area, which we are praying, is not due to the leukemia. Her counts have continued to show no blast in the blood stream, which we are thankful for. Her ANC is dropping and now sits at 840, which is not unexpected being that she is on chemo and obviously fighting some type of infection. We are hoping to get a few more days of chemo in before they have to discontinue it due to her ANC being below 500. Please pray for God to watch over her and to continue to send the Holy Spirit down to guide the chemo and her white blood cells to kill off any leukemia that may be hiding in her body. We have started to once again taper her immune suppressant drug so please pray that her body can handle the taper without any problems. The hope is to allow the white blood cells to do what they need to do, which is to kill the cancer, without harming her body with GVHD (vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, skin problems, etc)

Bailey was able to go downstairs for a while today and enjoy a dog show. She had a lot of fun seeing them strut their stuff. And of course, she had to make her rounds looking for kids to hand out goodies to. Thankfully, there are not many kids here to give stuff to. The majority of the rooms are empty, which we love to see!

I have been lucky to have Randy down here with us since I just came down with a little cold. Bailey has assigned him night duty, taking her to the bathroom, since I did the first two nights and she is afraid that if I don’t get more sleep, I will get too sick to stay with her. She thinks it is funny when I have to nudge him to get him out of bed. He’s been a sport since he is still trying to get over a cold himself.

Just a little something from the Bible that I read today. I thought it might be helpful. This is a summary, from my Life Application Bible, of Acts 4:24-30. “Notice how the believers prayed. First they praised God; then they told God their specific problem and asked for his help. They did not ask God to remove the problem, but to help them deal with it. This is a model for us to follow when we pray. We may ask God to remove our problems, and he may choose to do so, but we must recognize that often he will leave the problem in place and give us the grace to deal with it.” I came upon Acts through some devotionals I was reading and decided to read it from start to finish. It is just what I needed to be reading right now. (It always amazes me how God leads us right to the part of the Bible that we need as different problems in our lives occur.) Acts talks a lot about the faithfulness of the apostles in spreading the Gospel after Jesus was killed and all of the Miracles that they performed as they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

I share these things with you because I have come to believe that we as Christians are meant to share our faith openly and to hopefully encourage others to do the same. It doesn’t mean that we don’t have bad times or that we aren’t going to have times that we question what is going on in our lives. Nevertheless, it is somehow comforting when you know or at least hear about somebody else who is going through a similar struggle and see how their faith is getting them through it. Right now, what we are going through is so unpredictable. We have chosen to hand it over to God and trust that if we are faithful to him that he will be faithful to us. It is never easy seeing your child, or any loved one for that matter, sick. Bailey’s days can start out horribly and end up wonderfully, or vice versa. We just never know what is coming our way. The only thing we know for certain is that God is with us and He will get us through this!!

We pray that you already have or will begin to seek a relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. It will truly change your life!!

God bless each of you!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Sunday, October 7, 2007 0:26 AM CDT

October 6, 2007

Hello to all! Bailey is doing well overall but still has too much pain in her neck, back, and ribs to be able to get out of the hospital. Since her Hemoglobin and Platelet counts are on their way down, we decided to give her red blood cells tomorrow. Her matched platelets will not be here until Tuesday, so I am not sure what that means as far as getting out of the hospital before then.

I am always amazed at how well she manages her pain. I know if I was at a level 6 pain, I wouldn’t be interested in going out socializing. Leave it to our precious little Bailey to be willing to endure the pain in order to bring a smile to another kid’s face.

Her ANC has continued to stay above 1000. Thank you God. We really need prayers that her body can continue to make enough white blood cells to fight off this virus and still keep the leukemia under control. She has started to have a little abdominal cramping and I am wondering whether it has to do with the fact that we are tapering her Cyclosporine. If you taper an immune suppressant drug too quickly, you can allow the GVHD to take hold once again. I don’t want her to have to go through that pain again.

We are still waiting on the St. Jude study and wondering whether or not this is going to be an option for us. We know that if God wants us to be a part of this study, He will guide us along just like He did for Seattle.

Thank you for the continued prayers. Please pray that God will protect Bailey’s body from all of the toxins that we are putting in it. We just found out yesterday that a darling little friend, Marcus, is experiencing kidney failure from all of the chemos he has received. He still has another year left of chemo before they are able to address the issue of kidney failure. For now, they will be starting him on dialysis but they anticipate that he will have to have a kidney transplant after the year of chemo. Please keep Marcus, his mom and his twin sister in your prayers. I know there are a lot of important decisions to make.

We hope all of you make it to church tomorrow or at least that you take the time to watch Joel Osteen or read the Bible. We will be watching Joel in our room.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Friday, October 5, 2007 9:32 PM CDT

October 5, 2007

Thank you for all of the prayers…they are working!!! Bailey had a good day today. She still had pain all over her skull and down neck and back but it wasn’t bad enough to stop her from being out and about meeting and greeting anyone she could find. She made some new friends…two teenage girls who volunteer here on Fridays. She hasn’t stopped talking about them since they left. I missed out on all the fun because I was out shopping at Target for goodies for both her and the other kids and getting my flu shot. Tomorrow we will be busy handing out the treasures and making new friends!!! I love it! She still has so much life to live and so many people to meet. She has been eating better than ever and taking all of her medicines too! God is so good!!

We wish we could have been at Orestimba High’s Homecoming parade and game today. Bailey and the rest of our family were supposed to be the Grand Marshall for the parade. We live in such a great community. They have been so utterly supportive and giving to our family. We have never felt alone on this journey. Thanks for thinking of us…it would have been fun if we had been in town. We really wanted all of you to see her so that you could see for yourselves just how good God is. Besides the fact that she is once again bald, you would never know by looking at her that she is still fighting this horrible disease. When you see her strength and the way she just shines, you know that it is something bigger than her that is keeping her going.

We just had a quick visit from Uncle Ron, Aunt Caroline, Madeline, Evan, and Vance as they were on their way from San Luis Obispo to Gustine. (They took just a little deter so that they could visit little Miss Bailey.) She showed them around the floor and of course sent them home with some goodies and treats. Thanks for the visit!

Thanks for the continued prayers!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Friday, October 5, 2007 1:40 AM CDT

October 4, 2007 P.M.

Bailey had her Spinal/LP today and handled it like a champ. Here is some God News…Dr. Gates just came in to let us know that everything from today’s LP looks fine. Thank you God! From what we can tell, it looks like she probably has what Brooke has. So, we will be here for a few more days while Bailey’s little body heals.

We are still working on getting her pain under control. The pain medicine is helping somewhat with her neck and back pain but doesn’t seem to be helping her headache very well. She took a good nap today and has been eating well despite her pain. I am hoping that she will be able to sleep well tonight once all of the meds are in her.

In true Bailey spirit, despite her pain, she went out walking around the floor so that she could hand out some goodies that she brought for a little friend named Marcus. He is such a little cutie. He is the little boy, with Mings dressed as Minnie Mouse, in the slideshow above. Thank you, to the Gustine couple (you know who you are), for sending us money to buy treasures for the kids in the hospital while we were in Seattle. Bailey informed me today that we still have money to spend and that if she is feeling good tomorrow she wants me to go out shopping for goodies for her to hand. She continually amazes us with how giving she is. She gets such joy out of sharing with others.

We still haven’t heard anything concerning St. Jude’s, so please pray that God will guide us along concerning that decision. Our doctor here isn’t that excited about it because it is a Phase I trial study (basically the guinea pig stage), but we want to get all our ducks in a row in case this is where we feel God is leading us. Right now, we are just waiting. Waiting to see where God wants us to be in order to get our little one HEALED. I am hoping to start gathering information about housing back there since it looks like we won’t be able to stay at any of the family housing places like The Ronald McDonald House. You can only have four family members at any of the housing facilities, which won’t work for us, since we plan on staying together as a family, as much as we can. Thank you so much to all of you who helped to raise money for our family. We are truly blessed to have so much love and support. Having our other children up in Seattle with us for the majority of the six months was such a huge blessing. It would have been so hard on Bailey not having Blake, Brooke, and Bryce there.

For any of you who find themselves questioning how God can work miracles here are earth, I would recommend reading Acts. I started reading it as we were traveling down here last night and have really found it not only helpful but also very interesting. I truly believe that the Bible has answers to ALL of our questions and concerns…we just need to take the time to read it! It is surprising how much you can learn about what God wants for your life by just taking 10 to 15 minutes a day to read the Bible. I find myself not wanting to put it down because there is so much good info that He is trying to pass on to me. I really like the Bible I am using because it has a type of “Cheat notes” that explains what the passages mean. It takes a little longer to get through the scriptures but I am getting so much more out of them. My Bible is called a “Life Application Bible” and as its name implies, the goal is to help you “apply” the knowledge that you are learning.

We want to ask for some extra prayers for Christian tonight, as he continues to fight through some horrible GVHD.

Thank you for all of the prayers that you send our way.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Thursday, October 4, 2007 6:17 AM CDT

October 4, 2007

We need extra prayers for Miss Bailey. We had to head back down to Madera last night because she was in so much pain. They are giving her morphine every two hours and it is barely touching the pain that she has in her head, neck, and back. Our biggest concern right now is getting her pain under control. They just drew blood for morning labs so in a few hours we will see if anything is showing up in her blood work. Please keep praying that no blast (leukemia cells) show up in her blood work. They will be doing a Spinal/LP this morning to see if they can find some answers as to what is going on in her precious little body. Many of Bailey’s symptoms are very similar to Brooke’s so we are hoping this is just a really mean virus. Brooke started feeling bad on Sunday evening and still is not up to par. As of last night, Brooke was still having head and neck pain too. So, time will tell.

I will keep you updated as we find out more information. Thank you for all of the prayers. No matter how crazy this roller coaster ride is, we always feel comfort and strength from the prayers that are coming our way!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 1:32 PM PST

October 2, 2007

Thank you Rick for the great update. I couldn’t have said it better.

Last night was a long, hard night for Bailey. She had been experiencing pain in her neck and back throughout the day but once bedtime hit, it became unbearable for her without the use of pain meds. Even with the pain meds on board, she wasn’t able to relax and fall asleep until 3:30 a.m. this morning. As Rick referred to, Bailey’s pain is similar to the pain she has when she is relapsing. I know that many of you are confused by past journals that I have written, as far as, where things stand with Bailey’s leukemia. Bailey is an official relapse patient. She has a very strong and aggressive leukemia that we have been able to keep in check with the help of chemo drugs during this last month. She has been off the chemo for the last two weeks because of her low counts. That is why this pain is so disheartening. But with that said…we know that she has a strong leukemia but we have a STRONGER GOD!!!!

So, to all you Prayer Warriors out there…we need lots and lots of prayers CLAIMING Bailey’s healing. Once again, every devotional I’ve listened to and read, and every Bible verse I’ve absorbed during the last couple of days, keeps telling me to Trust and Believe in Our Lord’s Power. I also keep reading that we can choose Faith or fear. So we are choosing FAITH in Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!

Right now, we are waiting on lab results and praying to God for victories today. Big or small victories…we’ll take them all.

The hospital’s internet is having problems today, so I will update as soon as I can.

Thank you for the continued prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

*****Breaking GOD News*****

To Your Glory God, to Your Glory!!! It is 12:42 p.m. and we just got Bailey’s counts back!!!!!! Remember what I said about taking any victories we can get today…well, we just received some Big victories when it comes to Bailey’s counts!!! There are NO blast showing up in her blood stream and she has an ANC = 1000 with a WBC count of 1800!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you GOD!!!! She does not need any red blood cells but she is on the boarder of needing platelets with a count of 23,000. (They usually transfuse at 20,000 or less) Today will be a late day because there was a mix up in ordering her matched platelets so they are still in Sacramento at this time. She will be admitted temporarily to the hospital this afternoon, get her platelets, then we get to come home. With her counts looking surprisingly good, Dr. Crouse is planning to start her back on chemo once again. Yeah!!!! Please know that your prayers are making a HUGE difference in our precious little angel’s life right now!!!! As of yet, Dr. Crouse is not convinced that taking her back to St. Jude for a Phase I study is the best choice. Please continue to pray for clarity and guidance on this subject!!! As of right now, the study is still not open, but hopefully it will be opening in the next 4-6 weeks.

Please keep praying that we will be able to get her pain not only under control…but gone!!!

Please also say a prayer for Miss Brooke!! She came home from a friend’s party on Sunday night with an excruciating headache and neck pain. We are actually hoping that this is what Bailey’s neck pain is from and not her leukemia. She is home from school for a second day and still not feeling very good.

In God’s love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

October 1, 2007

Good evening Bailey friends and fans. This is Uncle Rick filling in for Kathy tonight. Happy B-day Kathy, may ALL your Birthday wishes and prayers be blessed upon you!!

Since Saturday's update, I've only had a couple brief moments to catch up with Miss Bailey and the rest of the family. Sunday afternoon Bailey was still hyped about her Big Daddy Weave concert experience. I'm convinced that it was Bailey who proved to be the celebrity of the evening. I'm amazed how God has placed so many incredible people and events in Bailey's path. Just hearing her reminisce the night with a gleem in her eyes and a smile painted across her cherub face made my heart sing; "God loves us Bailey,...He surely does!!" Soon afterward, Bailey was back to her all-too-cool bedroom for some needed R&R, ....but the rascal knew I was only a few steps away outside her window chatting with her daddy. Through the blinds, there was Baily making the most endearing and infectious google eyes I've ever seen. She never wastes a moment to bring a smile to someone else's face.

Today Bailey has continued on doing her very best, but as per her mom, she's experienced an elevation of pain in her legs and back. Thus, necessitating some of the first pain meds she has taken in weeks. As you may have guessed because of Bailey's past bouts with this, it's not entirely good news. Please be viligent in your prayers today that this discomfort eases and Bailey's situation remains stable if not incredibly improves so we can get her to recovery. Bailey will be heading to clinic on Tuesday, where her bloodwork will tell what direction the leukemia is proceeding.

As far as Bailey's path leading to St. Jude's, Kathy is hoping that more of those answers may be made clearer after tomorrow's visit to Madera. Please pray that all things concerned keep moving in the right direction:)

God bless and have a God day!

Bailey's Uncle Rick

Sunday, September 30, 2007 0:06 AM CDT

*Day 136*

September 29, 2007

I just want to begin my message by saying thank you to God for being so faithful. Although we continue to be on a rollercoaster ride at this time, we continue to feel God guiding us along. The more faithful we remain to him, the more faithful he remains to us!!! We have many uncertainties at this time but have recently been made aware of a possible treatment for Bailey. I will get back to that subject latter in my journal.

I am going to backtrack a little bit and go back to Wednesday and work forward. Bailey had a pretty good day on Wednesday, a little tired, but overall she felt pretty good. She started to have a sore throat, which wasn’t surprising, considering that both Bryce and my niece Cate had sore throats and a cough. Around 10:30 p.m. I noticed that Bailey was feeling a bit warm and sure enough a fever was starting. She was at 100.2 . Since we had some big plans for the weekend, I was bummed at the thought of her having to spend it at the hospital. Ready for some God News…I called Randy in and we prayed over her. (Remember, her ANC is only 40). Anyway, within a couple of hours, the fever was gone. The next morning Bailey woke up early and felt good enough to go with Randy to take the other kids to school and stop by and have fun with baby Cruz for a couple of hours while Randy checked emails and did a few errands!!! God is sooooo good!!! She has continued to a have a little runny nose and periodic sore throat, but overall has felt good. She repeated her morning ritual on Friday with Daddy. She was so proud when she got home from helping Aunt Wendy take care of Cruz. She has big plans to be his morning babysitter so Aunt Wendy can get things done.

Bedtime tends to be some of the hardest times lately for Bailey. I think her little body is sooo tired from all that she does during the day that everything just hurts. The thing that scares us is that the parts that hurt are her jaw, her ankles, her back…these are all of the places she hurt in the past when she was relapsing. Whenever she starts feeling bad, Randy and I take a deep breath, say a big prayer, and get her to sleep as soon as we can. I cannot tell you how good it feels when she wakes up in the morning with a beautiful smile on her face and big plans for the day!! Just a reminder…pray EXPECTING God to answer your prayer. It works!!!!!!

Remember how I told you we had big plans for the weekend, well those plans started
Friday night at the Big Daddy Weave concert in Manteca.(www.bigdaddyweave.com) For those of you who aren’t familiar with any Christian bands, they are one of the top bands with just amazing, Christ-centered songs. Thanks to Dana Mankin for making arrangements with the First Assembly of God Church in Manteca where the concert was held. She called to see if there was a safe (isolated) place where our family could view the concert. We want to say a HUGE thank you to Youth Minister Joe Cox and his wife Julie for giving us the perfect opportunity to let Bailey be a “normal” kid while enjoying some great worship music. Not only did they have an isolated place for us but they treated us like royalty with our own private “staff”. Thank you to the Children’s Minister, T.J. and his sweet sister, Sarah. You did a great job making us feel welcomed and you took such great care of us. You should have seen the kid’s faces when we walked into the room and it was stocked with more drinks (on ice), candy, and chips, than they could possible eat during the concert. On top of that, T.J. and Sarah brought us great hamburgers from the snack bar. Yum! Yum! As if it wasn’t enough just to be at the concert…we had yet another wonderful surprise. Just as we were getting settled in…into the room walked lead singer, Mike Weaver, keyboard/saxophone player, Joe, and their tour manager (sorry, I promise I’ll remember your name next time), to visit with our family and of course meet our precious Miss Bailey. She was all smiles and got a kick out of the fact that her and Mike both wore Crocs! What great guys all of them were. Bailey felt so comfortable talking to them that she wanted to give them a copy of a song she wrote. (Right after she relapsed in October she wrote a song one night after we got home from clinic. I went into her bedroom and she was adamantly writing in her journal. I asked her what she was doing and she said, “Writing a song”. I took her right away into the kitchen so I could type it on the computer so that it wouldn’t get lost. Long story short…my father-in-law gave it to Melodie Lewis and she did an amazing job singing and putting it to music. Melodie only added three to four words to make it work musically. The rest was what Bailey wrote. Thank you so much Melodie…we cherish Bailey’s song. I have been trying to figure out how to get it on the website so everyone else can hear it and enjoy it!) Back to last night…anyway after she gave them her song they asked if they could pray for her. We all walked out of the room into a bigger area, formed a circle around Bailey and Pastor Joe Cox led us in a wonderful prayer for Bailey and our family. Thank you all so much!! That meant more than you will ever know. We believe in and continue to lean on the power of prayer.

You want to hear something funny? All of you know that we are waiting to find out if God wants us to go to St. Jude to finally CURE our baby girl from this horrible disease. Well Friday, before we left for Manteca, a friend of ours, Lynn, came over because she had a St. Jude’s Hospital medal that she had purchased during a fundraiser that she felt led by God to give me. She had already given Bailey one a few weeks ago, before we even knew about this clinical trial back at St. Jude. Later that afternoon, I get a call from Sandy, Christian’s mom, telling me that she has a copy of the study and from what she can tell, it looks like Bailey should be eligible for the clinical trial. (We just got Children’s Hospital in Madera to make a referral on Friday for Bailey to St. Jude. Hopefully we will get some information this week about whether she qualifies or not for the study). Then, after our prayer with the BDW band, I am telling Mike that we just got home from Seattle but that we might be leaving for Tennessee soon. He looks at me and says, “We are from Tennessee”!! I had no idea that that is where they lived. Long story short…he offers to hook us up with some friends of his from Memphis if we end up going back to St. Jude. I just wanted to cry.( A good cry… because I just looked at Bailey and she had a huge smile on her face. I took her beautiful face in my hands and told her that I know things are going to work out no matter where we go. She agreed.) I guess time will tell whether or not God wants us to be back in Tennessee. Please continue to pray for guidance for both of us and all of the doctors who will be part of Bailey’s Miracle.

Well, after enjoying a wonderful night of listening to Big Daddy Weave’s music, both Blake and Brooke were ready to fall asleep and Bailey was still ready to party!!!!! I love it!!! We hung out after the concert to wait for the crowd to dissipate. Bailey wanted to give all of the ministers and band members one of her “Never Give Up” Bailey bracelets. It was so precious. When she gave it to the guys, they immediately put them on their wrist then insisted that she “autograph” them. She was smiling from ear to ear. Thank you all at The First Assembly of God Church and the Big Daddy Weave Band, for making this such a special night for Bailey and our family. You have forever touched our hearts. We will pray that you will be blessed as you continue your ministries. Big Daddy Weave…we look forward to the day that we can watch you from the front row!!!

Bailey was in pretty bad shape by the time we got her to bed around 12:30 a.m. last night. She was completely exhausted and everything was hurting. But in true Bailey fashion, she was up at 7:00 a.m. this morning and ready to have fun. She spent the morning decorating Bryce and Sophia’s birthday cake and making guacamole for our party. She was a busy little beaver in Nana’s kitchen today. We had a great day with my mom and two of my brothers and their families. Bailey has had a fun day loving on baby Sophia and reminiscing about the concert last. Right now we are heading home so I have to go. I will update again on Tuesday. Until then…no news is good news.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 4:49 PM CDT

*Day 132*

September 25, 2007

We made it through another week without any extra visits down to Madera. Thank you God!! Today, as expected, Bailey needed platelets with her count being only 7,000. However, you would never know she needed them since her existing bruises were healing and we haven’t seen any new ones and no noticeable bleeding!!! Her Hemoglobin was good at 10.9 (they transfuse below 8) but her ANC (ability to fight off infection) is only at 40. So, we have to be extremely careful about keeping her away from sick people and extra germs. Because of the low counts, we are once again not able to give her the chemo she has been on. Please keep praying that God is keeping the leukemia under control or even better, that he has completely DESTROYED it! She has had some periodic rib pain but nothing that has needed pain meds!! Praise God!!

The last two days, both Randy and I have noticed her looking better and having more overall strength. We love it! In fact, last night at 7:00 p.m., I took her and her cousin Cole to a new park in Newman. It probably wasn’t the smartest place to take her with such low platelets and ANC, but the smile that she had on her face made it worth the chance. We only stayed fifteen minutes and she had limited activity but she was still so happy. We are planning adventures for Thursday (thanks Rick) and Friday (thanks Dana) so we will let you know if they happen. Please say an extra prayer that she will be able to do what we have planned.

We are still waiting on information about the clinical trial going on at St. Jude. Please keep praying for guidance and wisdom for the doctors and us. We know that if this is where we are supposed to be, that God will once again lead the way. So, for now, we will WAIT! I am not one who has a lot of patience, but I do have to say, that since Bailey’s relapse, I have improved in this area. I just know that God’s timing and plan are just so much better than mine!!

Bailey has been enjoying being home and having her Daddy around. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all of you who continue to give days so that Randy can spend this precious time with her.

As soon as we know more about St. Jude, we will let you know.

We wanted to say a special hello to all of our Seattle friends, nurses, and doctors! We miss all of you and think of you often.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Friday, September 21, 2007 10:58 PM CDT

Hi everyone,

I don't have time to write much because it is late and we are going to head home from my mom's house tonight instead of staying over. We want to get home so we can continue unpacking and getting our house together. We are planning on coming back next week to enjoy the Big Daddy Weave concert. I'll fill you in on that later.

Anyway, I do have a prayer request for all of you. Yesterday, Sandy Barker, Christian's mom called me with some exciting information. In four weeks a clinical trial is opening up at St. Jude's. From the information she has so far, it appears that both Bailey and Christian might be eligible for this study which is showing some very promising results against leukemia. What we are asking from you is this...please pray for us in making a decision about this. We want to once again follow what God's plan is for our precious little girl, so if moving to Tennessee, to get rid of this horrible disease, is what God wants us to do then that is exactly what we will do. God made it very clear to us that we were to go to Seattle, so we are looking for a clear answer once again. Both us and the Barker family would appreciate prayers of guidance and wisdom in this area.

Please keep little Bailey in your prayers about this move also. Yesterday she was gung-ho about the move but today she was pretty upset at the thought of leaving her home once again. I prayed with her for God to calm her heart and since that time she has been fine. It breaks our heart that she has to continue to fight this beast, but we know that God will be with her and help her to keep singing, dancing and chasing butterflies no matter where she is!!

On Sunday, Randy and I will spend the day fasting and in prayer. We truly want to follow the path that glorifies God. We would appreciate any extra prayer you could send our way on that day also!!!

May God bless each of you,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:04 PM CDT

Hi everyone,

Bailey continues to hold her own. The diarrhea has actually gotten worse but we are hoping that the change in medicines will soon help with that problem.

She was outside first thing this morning chasing down butterflies with her new net.(Thanks Mings!) Tonight, Mings will be over to shave her head. She was a little bummed a few days ago when it started coming out.(This is the fourth time she has lost her hair). However, she soon got over it and now can't wait for it to be gone since the last few mornings she has been covered in hair. She is such a trooper.

Besides chasing butterflies she has been busy making beautiful bracelets and necklaces.

We still do not have internet service so bear with me. Right now I am at Wendy's doing some research on options for our little one. Please keep praying for wisdom and guidance for both the doctors and us.

Some God news concerning Christian (the teenage boy from So. Calif)...the bone marrow aspiration a few weeks ago showed some abnormal cells but the one they did just a few days ago came back with none showing. Praise God! Please keep him in your prayers as this is his second transplant and he has been through so much. Please also pray for a little friend, Karagin, from Fresno who just relapsed after being off of treatment for four months. She will be heading to transplant down at City of Hope in So. Calif as soon as they find a match for her. This cancer is such a beast!!

Despite the occasional nausea and diarrhea, Bailey spends most of the day with a smile on her face. In fact, since I started typing this entry, Mings showed up to shave Bailey's hair off. She is over there laughing and smiling from ear to ear because Mings just gave her a Mohawk! She called her cousin Cole into the house so he could see it! She just continues to amaze me.

Time to go pick up Blake from practice.

If all goes well, we may end up spending a few days at Nana's house.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 6:33 PM CDT

September 18, 2007

*Day 125*

Happy Birthday Bryce!!!! We can’t believe you are already 5 years old. You always know how to make us smile. Mommy and Daddy love you sooooo much.

Hello to all of you! As Wendy said yesterday, we still do not have internet service. It looks like we might have to settle for dial-up. Ugh! Hopefully, by next week we will have some type of service so that I can keep all of you updated.

Thank you for all of the encouraging words and prayers. I want to let you know that it means so much to us when we hear about those of you who have never been big on prayer or God, for that matter…and now because of our Precious Bailey you are starting to pray and hopefully are experiencing just how awesome our Lord is!! That is an answer to our prayers that God bring much more Good than bad out of this situation. We are trying to travel this road by living each day in Honor and Glory to God. No matter where each of you are in your faith, we pray that you are taking steps…even if they are baby steps…towards knowing and trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior! I’ve talked to many families who are on the same journey as us, who agree that they have never felt closer and more loved by God than right now. I’m not saying the journey has been easy, but I wouldn’t want to be on it without God guiding and comforting us through it.

Right now we are at clinic and Bailey is getting platelets. She was able to make it through the whole week without needing a transfusion. Thank you God!!! Our nurse was surprised when her counts came back with platelets = 15,000. She guessed that they would be around 3,000. Please say prayers that these platelets are as good or better than last weeks. We pray for blessings to be bestowed upon this donor who so selflessly took the time to give our precious little girl this gift. Bailey will also be receiving blood today because her Hemoglobin is at 8.7. Usually they wait until it is below 8 but because we live so far away from clinic ( approx. 2 hours), we decided to do them today. Dr. Crouse and our nurse Joan, are working hard to get us out of here ASAP, so we can get home and celebrate Bryce’s birthday! Thanks girls!! Her ANC is very low today, only 110, so the doctor is holding her chemo for a week. Please pray that God will send the Holy Spirit down to keep the leukemia under control. I hate going off of the chemo at this time, but they have to give her body a chance to produce some white blood cells. Ultimately, we know that it is God who is healing her body not the chemo. This chemo is only meant to give her time, but we know that God has big plans for her and that in His time she will be healed. Please pray that she can stay infection free and fever free. We have some plans for this week and next and we really don’t want to end up in the hospital! Please also pray that she stays pain free. She tends to have pain when she wakes up in the morning and/or from her nap. However, I’ve only needed to give her Oxycodone a few times last week. Thank you so much for all of the prayers.

Bailey has had a good week for the most part. She has been making the rounds about town visiting Mr. Felber’s classroom to pick up Bryce, JJ’s Liquor Store for some goodies (she hasn’t been able to go into any stores since Oct 2006, so this was a huge treat for her…we had the whole store to ourselves!). She started out the weekend really tired but soon perked up and kept going and going and going. (Kind of like the Energizer Bunny!!) On Saturday, she even adventured out to her cousin Cameron’s football game at OHS. She had so much fun seeing friends and just being a normal kid. Thanks to Daniel for being so sweet and accompanying her up to the announcer’s box when it got too cold. Her and I were up early Sunday morning reminiscing about what a fun weekend she had. I am sure she will be sitting there again on Wednesday when she goes to see Blake play his game. Go Warriors!!

Bailey continues to have daily diarrhea but only vomits occasionally. We have decided to increase her immune suppressant drug a little to see if the diarrhea will subside. She still doesn’t have much of an appetite and when she does eat, it makes her tummy hurt. But bless her heart...whether it’s chicken nachos from Keri at Dr. Kailey’s office (Yum!!) or Mel’s beans, she keeps trying to eat, if only a few bites.

Thank you to Harvest Prayer Team and all of you who prayed for Bailey yesterday. We truly believe in the power of prayer.

Well it is almost time to head home and have our party so I have to go. As before, for now, no news is good news.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B's

Monday, September 17, 2007 10:50 AM CDT

Day *124*
September 17, 2007

Hi. This is Wendy again. I'm doing a quick update for Kathy. They are still trying to get internet access to their home. Bailey is doing really good overall. We made it through the week without going back to the hospital for more platelets. We have a quick request for anyone who will be reading this before 11:30 a.m. today. The prayer team from Harvest Community Church will be praying over Bailey today between 11:30 and 12:30. If any of you would like to join in at that time please do so. We would greatly appreciate it. We need God's healing hands and the power of prayer. Bailey will be going to clinic tomorrow so Kathy will be able to give more information in her update then. I would like to give a shout out on behalf of Randy and Kathy to everyone who continues to pray for my niece and our families. It has been extremely reassuring to know we are not in this alone. There is something to be said for small communities. Thank you.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

September 11, 2007

*Day 118*

Hello to all of you who continue to check up on our precious little Miss Bailey. We are working on getting our internet service hooked up so hopefully I will be able to leave more regular updates soon. We live just far enough into the country that the DSL might not reach us. If that doesn’t work out we are going to research other options.

Right now, we are at clinic in Madera. Bailey’s platelets dropped from 58,000 last week to 7,000 this week so she will be getting platelets today. Thankfully, Dr. Crouse was on top of things and had matched platelets ready and waiting for Bailey when we arrived here this morning. Thank you to all of you who take the time to donate platelets. You are literally saving a life every time you donate them. We are praying that she gets a good bump from this donor’s platelets so that she can make it through the week without having to come back down here. The rest of her counts look good. Her Hemoglobin is at 10.4, which is low, but they don’t typically do a red blood transfusion until she drops below 8. Bailey’s ANC = 1,170! Thank you God!!! Once again, no blasts are showing up in her blood. Praise be to God!!!!

The last few days have been a little tough on Bailey due to the fact that she has had continuous diarrhea and some bone pain in her jaw, ribs, and back. I increased her Cyclosporine medicine on Sunday because she started having horrible abdominal pain that reminded me of when her GVHD was starting. So, for now, we will not be able to continue her tapering of that medicine. The diarrhea seems to be improving as of today but they are running labs on it to see if something else shows up.

As we told Dr. Crouse about Bailey’s bone pain, she expected to find blast in her bloodwork…but none showed up. Thank you for the prayers!!! Every night as we put her two chemos in her we envision the Holy Spirit directing the medicine right to where it needs to go to find those hiding leukemia cells.

Bailey just woke up and we are getting ready to head home. I will try to update soon.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

September 8, 2007

*Day 115*

This is Wendy. I am updating for Kathy because they still do not have internet service at home. She’s sorry she hasn’t given an update until now. Things have been a little crazy with doctor appointments and unpacking. Most importantly she wanted to let you know how well Bailey is doing. Thanks to all your prayers! Bailey continues to have diarrhea and some vomiting. We are hoping this is left over from the flu bug we all had and not Graft vs. Host. Her counts looked good at clinic on Tuesday. We will be going back on next Tuesday and as long as things continue to go well we will only have to go back once a week. Our nights are still tough but she seems to always wake up with a smile on her face. She is enjoying her time home with family and friends. This weekend we are following a family tradition of “Camp Rocha”. This is when all the cousins get together at the Rocha Compound and camp out. Bailey has been looking forward to this for some time now. It will be an exciting and much needed time for her…..and us. Kathy will try to update this Tuesday at clinic so until then no news is good news.

“Blessed be the man who perseveres.”
James 1:12 NIV

“Conflict and hard times keep you on your toes…and on your knees.”

“Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God will be with you.”
Jos 1:9 NIV

September 1, 2007

*Day 108*

The last two nights have been hard nights with Bailey vomiting many times throughout the night. However yesterday was a pretty good day. Bailey stayed busy going back and forth with Pa collecting boxes for us to pack our belongings in! It was only when she slowed down that she was bothered by her nausea. Today has been tougher for her but she has still had times of laughing and being silly. In fact, despite the repeated vomiting and diarrhea episodes last night, she woke up at 8:30 a.m. ready to party. She walked out of her room this morning and said, “You guys having a party without me?”, then proceeded to pick up her guitar and start strumming away with a smile from ear to ear.

Right now, we are at clinic getting her matched platelet transfusion before we head home on Monday. The Benedryl helped to knock her out and in turn has helped with the nausea that she has had all day today. I am hoping that when she wakes up I will be able to coax her into taking a few more of her medicines. Days like today are some of the hardest for me. She has been walking around with a bucket in hand the whole day because she is sooooo nauseated, and I have to keep giving her more and more meds to put into her poor tummy. She doesn’t like it one bit but somehow, by the grace of God, she always ends up taking the majority of her pills. Please pray that this continues. She has twelve pills that she absolutely has to take daily, and then another ten plus pills that she should really take but isn’t always able to get them down. Please also pray that she is able to start eating again. She felt good enough the last to nights to finally eat something for dinner, but both times, it caused extreme pain and vomiting in the middle of the night. So, it has been over five days since she has really gotten any real nutrition in her. So far, today she has only been able to eat one Ritz cracker.

I think the nausea and diarrhea are from the flu bug she had, because the rest of us also had these symptoms for several days. However, until I know this for sure, I have to stop the tapering of her immune suppressant drug. Both of these symptoms can also be from GVHD. I should know within a few more days if this is the case or not. Please pray that God guides the doctors back home in California and us to know what the best thing to do for Bailey is.

Just in case some of you are planning on sending Bailey and our family some flowers, plants, animals, etc., we are not able to have any of those things in our house for now. For those of you who would like to visit, we will have to take that a day at a time. For the most part, as long as you are not sick or haven’t been by someone who is sick, you can see Bailey. Hand washing is a huge part of keeping her healthy, so if you come to our home, be ready to wash your hands upon entering and using sanitizing gel as needed. It will also depend on how low Bailey’s ANC (her body’s ability to fight off infection) is at the time you want to visit. Our goal is to let her live as “normal” of a life as possible while keeping her healthy at the same time.

I probably won’t be updating again until Tuesday. Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

August 30, 2007
2:00 p.m.

Bailey is out of the hospital and feeling well. She went around passing out goodies before we left the hospital this morning. She was so excited because one of the patients was a fourteen-year-old girl who we have never seen smile yet. Well, when Bailey showed up at her hospital room with a couple of treasures, both the girl and her dad had big smiles on their faces. Mission accomplished!!! Bailey said, "Mom, I remember you telling me that we need to be the "Light of Christ", I think we've done that today." Praise God!!

Bailey handled the new chemo without any problems so far. Today we will also start her on Prednisone too. She felt well enough this morning to take all of her morning meds without a problem. Thank you God!!

I will try to do daily updates before we leave to head back to California on Sunday. She will get a platelet transfusion on Saturday to get her covered for the flight home. I have to head out to get her meds and start packing.

Thanks for all of the prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

August 29, 2007

11:45 p.m.

*Day 105*

Monday night was a very long night. Around midnight, Bailey started vomiting. From that time on, she got sick about one to two times an hour. Brooke joined in on the vomiting around 3:00 a.m. Yesterday we spent from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the clinic trying to get her nausea under control. The last time she vomited was 7:45 a.m. that morning but she was sooo nauseated.

Because of the nausea, Bailey insisted on spending the night in the hospital so that she would get most of her meds by I.V.(She is so smart and doesn’t miss a trick!! I love it!!) Once they got her nausea under control, she had a pretty good night. As long as I was in bed cuddling with her, she was good! This morning when Randy and I left for our meeting at 9:00 a.m. with Dr. Thompson she was still sleeping. To our surprise, when we got back to the oncology floor an hour later, we found her cruising the halls with Pa handing out goodies!!!! She looked like she was ready to run around town. God is good!!!

Her procedure ended up being later than scheduled so to pass the time she created wonderful works of Play-Doh art. She is so creative and very resourceful. I love sitting back and watching her create things. They did a spinal with chemo, a bone marrow aspiration, and a bone marrow biopsy (they grab a bit of bone). We thought Bailey would sleep once she got back from her procedure but instead made a darling “Krabby Patty” with her Play-Doh. She spent the rest of the afternoon roaming the halls handing out treasures. I finally insisted around 6:30 p.m. that she take a nap.

A few hours ago, I received a call from Dr. Delaney. She had the results of Bailey’s bone marrow aspiration and they weren’t good. She went from .9 percent to 67 percent blast in just over two weeks. What does all of this mean medically speaking? It means she has very aggressive cancer and that there is no medical cure for her. We decided to start her on chemo right away to try to bring the blast count down and give us some time to get her home. So tonight, after she gets all of her nightly IV meds she will start her oral Etopiside chemo.

What does this mean spiritually? It means we need your prayers more than ever. Please help us CLAIM BAILEY’S HEALING. Since her relapse, everything I have read in the Bible or devotionals and every sermon or song I have heard has spoken to me about WAITING ON GOD AND TRUSTING HIM. I’ve learned that I can pray to God not just hoping, not just believing…but EXPECTING him to answer my prayers. Do you know what I’ve gained by praying this way…COMFORT AND PEACE. I will never regret CLAIMING Bailey’s healing. It has helped me see something good in every day that we have with Bailey. Yesterday when we found out about the abnormal cell in Bailey’s blood I felt my stomach twist inside of me and I felt like I was going to get sick. Today after Dr. Delaney called to tell me that her blast had increased so rapidly I said a prayer of thanks to God for that same abnormal cell that only yesterday had made me feel physically sick. If that cell had not shown up in her blood work, we would have waited another week before doing the bone marrow aspiration. Now that we know what is happening we can take action and start her on chemo to control it. Please pray, pray, pray that this chemo does its job.

Because of this latest development, we will be heading home as soon as possible. I want to say thank you to all of you, especially you Rick, who have been working so hard to get our house prepared for our arrival home. It is the amazing family and friends, new and old, who have helped to make this time bearable.

I need to share this with you so you can understand just how awesome God is. One of the girls Bailey visited today is a true Miracle. She had a transplant a few days after Bailey, and ended up in ICU around the same time as Bailey. Anyway, she ended up getting a terrible infection and was put on a ventilator. We talked to her parents often and things looked hopeless--medically. Her father and I had many conversations about our faith in God and His miracles. Ready for some God News…she was in ICU from late May until just three weeks ago. That’s when they moved her back to the oncology ward. We saw her in the halls this morning with a beautiful smile on her face. She is undergoing therapy but is doing great otherwise. God is so good!

Randy and I agree that we are not going to spend even one day letting fear and sadness rule us. We are going to continue finding our comfort and strength in Our Lord and Savior.

Thank you for all of the love and prayers you continue send our way.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

August 29, 2007
8:43 a.m.

We really need a lot of prayers at this time!!!! Medically speaking...when they do the bone marrow in a few hours this will tell them just how aggressive her cancer is and whether or not we have any options for further treatment for her. We hold strong to God and his healing and loving hands!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4 B's

August 28, 2007

Please pray, pray, pray for our Little Miss Bailey. They have found abnormal cells in her blood. I will give more details tomorrow. She has a bone marrow aspiration tomorrow to determine what we are dealing with. Medically speaking...it doesn't look good but we know our dear God still has great plans for her! I will update as soon as I can.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B's

August 27, 2007

*Day 103*

Hello to all! I am sorry I haven't been able to do the daily updates but we still do not have internet service at our apartment and things have been kind of crazy around our house.

When we arrived home on Thursday, after Bailey's blood transfusion, Bryce informed us that he had gotten sick in the bathroom. He never called for anyone, so by the time Grandma heard him, he had made quite a mess. He said, "I sorry mommy, I tried to make it to the sink". He has never had the flu so he didn't know what to do. He didn't realize that it was okay to get sick in the toilet, so he made his mess trying to get from the toilet to the sink! Poor baby! Anyway, after a few more times of vomiting, he felt better. That was, until yesterday, when he drank two cups of water then spun around a bunch of times on an office chair in the lobby. I think his little tummy just wasn't ready for all that fun yet! I ended up getting a touch of the flu on Friday, but have only had the pit feeling,nausea and weakness. Today is the first day that I haven't had that feeling but it's been a good reminder of just what our little Bailey goes through every day. I honestly don't know how she is able to take all of her medicines every day.

Some God news...so far so good as far as Bailey is concerned. She was really tired and her whole body hurt on Friday night so I figured she was coming down with the flu. But come Saturday morning, she woke up with a smile and spent the day walking to the roof and back with Pa while she anxiously awaited the arrival of Brooke and her two aunts, Mary Jane and Marlene. They arrived Saturday evening and Bailey was ready to go to Seattle Center to play lots of games and bring home all kinds of treasures. She had a blast winning all kinds of stuffed animals and jewels. Most of them she plans to give away to cousins and friends. She is so precious. On Sunday, Bailey, Brooke, Mings, and Marlene spent most of the day socializing with other residents then took a nap to prepare for their big night back at the Seattle Center. This time Bryce and Brooke went along to join in on the fun. All of them came home with big smiles on their faces and lots of prizes and stories to tell. At the end of the night Bailey decided to do the ring toss. It is the game where you try to toss small wooden rings onto a glass soda bottle neck. Guess what...with rings to spare, she won the game. So she is now the proud owner of a huge Patrick the Starfish (from SpongeBob).

Mings, Marlene, and Blake arrived home safely in California tonight. Poor Blake, woke up this morning feeling sick and actually got sick right before he boarded the plane. He survived the flight with no more episodes but then had to endure a two hour drive home. My sick stomach and weakness lasted for three days, so please pray that he feels better soon. He is excited to start school and football so I hope his doesn't last as long.

Mings and Marlene, it meant so much to all of us to have you come back up here. Seeing Bailey smile and hearing her laughing is so wonderful. Thank you so much for all that you have done to make sure she keeps having good days. I believe that being happy and having a positive attitude makes a huge difference in how our bodies heal. Thank you also for bringing Brooke back up. It's so nice having her here with us during this time.

Bailey received her matched platelet transfusion today in preparation for her last Spinal with chemo around 11:30 a.m. tomorrow. Please pray that all goes well and that the leukemia continues to stay out of her spinal fluid. (She has never had any detectable leukemia in her spinal fluid and that is just how we want to keep it!) We also meet with Dr. Delaney tomorrow afternoon to discuss her transition back home. On Wednesday, we will have an informational meeting with Dr. Thompson, who is an oncologist up here. Please pray for guidance and wisdom for the doctors and us.

We continue to believe and trust in the healing hands of God. We know he still has great plans for not only Bailey but our whole family. It feels so good to know we are not on our own. I encourage all of you to take time out to read the Bible, a devotional, or even a magazine like "Guidepost". It is so amazing how many of your questions can be answered by reading the Bible. Also, I want to remind you of the recorded message called "Moment of Inspiration" by Duke Duvall that you can call anytime. His messages are so uplifting and I often feel like they are written specifically for me! 1-800-939-5689.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B's

August 23, 2007

*Day 99*

Right now little Bailey is lying in bed at the SCCA Clinic getting a blood transfusion. As of yesterday, her Hematocrit had dropped to 24 percent (her threshold is 25 percent), so they knew they needed to get her some good ole’ red blood cells. Thank you, thank you, thank you…to all of you who donate blood. It is really a life saving gift for people like Bailey. Her platelets are also falling so they rescheduled her Spinal for Tuesday in order to get a Matched Donor in to donate platelets for her before her procedure. After her last unmatched platelet transfusion, she only jumped up 5,000 but after her Matched platelet transfusion, she jumped up 100,000. (Big difference!!) The Matched Donors are specific people they call whenever Bailey needs a transfusion. These people have been matched through their HLA typing which is how they type Bone Marrow Donors. However, for platelets you don’t have to match on all the levels, only on a few of them. Right now, I am in the midst of finding out what we need to do to make sure we have Matched Donors ready for Bailey when we get back to California. There were so many of you who unselfishly signed up to be a Bone Marrow Donor after hearing about Bailey relapsing. I am hoping that we might be able to use some of that HLA information to find out if anyone we know would be a Platelet Match for Bailey. I will keep you updated once the doctors get back to me.

I am spending a lot of time right now trying to get my “ducks in a row” in preparation for our return back to California. I just want to make this transition back to Children’s Hospital Madera, as easy on Bailey as possible. If all goes as planned, we will be heading home the first week of September. We really have no idea what is to come but we know God does. For now, we will head home and wait for him to direct us as to what the next step is for us to take, in order to get our precious little girl healed!

Please pray that her donor cells continue to win the fight against the leukemia in her body. The doctors are watching her blood work closely since everything tends to be in a downward trend. Her ANC has dropped to 840, which is something that concerns us because the ANC is her ability to fight off infections. Until recently, she had been holding steady around 2,000. Hopefully, her body can start producing more of those fighting white blood cells that she needs!! Please Lord, watch over our baby girl!

Today, we once again decrease her Cyclosporine by 25 mg. Thanks be to God that she has continued to do so well as we taper her off this immune suppressant drug. The less we suppress her immune system, the more her donor cells can fight!!! If all goes well, she will totally be off the Cyclosporine by September 16!! Yesterday despite her nausea, she ate a cheese enchilada with green sauce then proceeded to eat four bowls of a Mexican soup that she liked. Yeah!!! Her being able to eat is sooooo huge. Please pray that this continues and that she doesn’t have any other GVHD occur due to the tapering of the Cyclosporine.

Please keep Brooke, Mings, and Aunt Marlene in your prayers as they fly up to see us this weekend. Being the wonderful aunties that they are, they are coming back to spoil Miss Bailey and take the kids to Seattle Center one last time before we leave Seattle. Brooke will end up staying here until we go home, but Blake will head home with Mings and Marlene so that he can start High School. (I can’t believe our boy is starting High School!!) Bailey is so excited to have Brooke coming back up here. She misses her so much. Thanks to Rick and Wendy who have been the kids home away from home during our time up here. Knowing that they are safe and well-taken care of has helped to make our time apart, bearable. You guys are getting so good at having five kids in the house…you might want to consider having one more of your own!!!! We can’t wait to see little Cruzy walking! By the way, Happy “5th” Birthday Cate!!

Our internet service is still not working, so I can’t do daily updates yet. Today I am using the clinics computers to post this entry but we won’t be back here until Monday. If anything big happens in the meantime, I’ll have Wendy post it.

Please say a prayer for Ayden’s dad Joe. He worked all night and only got an hour of sleep before bringing Ayden into clinic. He thought it was a quick visit today but just found out that Ayden has to have a transfusion. So, he will be here for four to five hours and then has to head back to work for a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. That is one thing all of the Hem/Oncology parents have in common, sleep deprivation!

Thank you for continuing to support us.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Psalms 92:1-2

It is good to say, “Thank you” to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods.

Every morning tell him, “Thank you for your kindness,” and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness.

August 21, 2007

*Day 97*

Our internet service is still down at our apartments so right now I’m sitting at Ayden’s house putting in this entry. We have enjoyed a fun evening with Joe, Linda, and Ayden eating and playing. Bailey has been smiling from ear to ear!

Thanks Brooke for doing the updates for me. You did a great job!!!

Well, we hope all of you are doing well. I tell you what, God is not just listening but answering your prayers for our precious little Miss Bailey. I wish each of you could see how well she is doing. She continues to amaze us with her spunk and unending energy. From the time that we told all of you about her relapsing and the prayers went into double duty, she has improved daily; She is eating better than she has since before transplant. She is skipping and running down to Lake Union. She is climbing up six flights of stairs without stopping. She is singing, dancing, and giggling around the apartment most of the day. There is no question in our minds that prayers work!!!

We met with Bailey’s doctor yesterday to discuss what options we have at this point in time. She recently discussed Bailey’s situation with one of the Oncology doctors at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital. As of Bailey’s last bone marrow aspiration on August 9, 2007, which showed 0.9 percent leukemia blast in her marrow, she had not “officially relapsed”. You have to have five percent or greater for them to call it an “official relapse”. So what does this mean? Well, it means we wait! (Funny how that is exactly what every scripture we read or hear keeps telling us to do!) We have to wait and see what Bailey’s body is going to do.

Medically speaking…the longer we can keep Bailey under the five percent, the better. It gives her body time to recover from her transplant without putting something, such as chemo, into her beaten down body. Medically speaking…they are continuing to taper Bailey off her immune suppressant drugs in the hopes of obtaining the Graft vs. Leukemia effect. (This is where the New Donor Cells seek and destroy Bailey’s leukemia…forever.) Medically speaking…right now there is a very limited amount of help that the doctors can give Bailey. She needs to be further out from transplant. As of August 16, she is three months post-transplant. From what we understand, they want her at least four to five months out before they even consider giving her chemo. She needs to be six-plus months out before they would consider another Bone Marrow Transplant. Medically speaking…the longer we can keep her leukemia in check and keep her infection-free, the better chances she is going to have. Although, medically speaking…the odds are not in her favor.

Spiritually speaking…we know and TRUST that our precious little girl is in God’s hands. We know that the reason she has been waking up every day smiling and without pain is because of Him. We know that He still has plans for Miss Bailey and our family. We believe that He will heal her! We have never felt closer to God than now! I’ve struggled between praying for God’s Will and God’s Healing of Bailey. I’ve come to believe that the two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I believe that God’s Will is to have us take hold and CLAIM her healing. I was just talking to a very good friend of mine, who is a strong Christian. She let me know that she is praying for Bailey but is concerned that our family is going to be horribly hurt if God doesn’t heal Bailey. We had a great conversation, I assured her that we are very comfortable with the fact that God is in control, and that what will be…will be God’s Plan. I also told her that her fear of us getting hurt stems from the fact that she doesn’t “truly” believe that God can heal Bailey. She said, “You know, I guess you’re right. I’ve never thought of it that way”. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t either, until this happened with Bailey. I know there are many of you who feel the same way as my friend. Instead of worrying about us just continue to pray for us. We know the prayers work!!! I know from experience that God does perform miracles. We saw several miracles occur with my dad during his fight against cancer. When he was originally diagnosed, the doctor gave him six months to a year to live. No doctors wanted to treat him…they just told him to go home and prepare to die. My dad wanted to fight and finally found a doctor who would help him do just that. Long story short…he lived over six years. When he was originally diagnosed, Bailey and Bryce weren’t even born. Because he lived those six years, both of my little ones were able to know and love their Papa. Bailey got to experience what “being a fighter” was all about. She often refers to the fact that she is a fighter, just like Papa!

Our prayer is that God will heal Bailey…without chemo and without a second transplant! Only time will tell what His plan for our little one is. Until that time, we will continue to thank him for each day that we have with her. She teaches us so much about living life to the fullest no matter what you are facing.

Below is a scripture I wanted to share with you. As always, thank you for the continued love and support of our family.

This following devotional comes from the K-LOVE Devotional for August 19, 2007.

“THE REASON YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT IS…YOU DON’T ASK GOD.” JAMES 4:2 TLB

Imagine walking into a restaurant on a whim and asking if your order is ready. “When did you call it in?” the server asks. “Oh I didn’t,” you reply, “I just thought perhaps you’d have something with my name on it.” Sound ridiculous? No more so than expecting God to answer requests you haven’t made. James says, “The reason you don’t have what you want is….you don’t ask God.” Does that mean He’ll automatically give you everything you ask for? No. James adds, “Even when you do ask you don’t get it because…you want only what will give you pleasure” (JAS 4:3 TLB). Your motives need to be in tune with what God knows is best for you.

Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait…expectantly for Him” (AMP) Expectant prayer demonstrates confidence in God’s goodness. Instead of fretting and taking matters into your own hands, when you say, “Lord, I’m going to trust you with this, regardless of the outcome,” He’ll honor your faith. Paul says, “Pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks” (Ph 4:6 NCV). Do you need a job? Help overcoming a problem? Salvation for your loved ones? A deeper walk with God? Physical or emotional healing? Jesus said, “It gives your Father great happiness to give the [benefits of his] Kingdom” (Lk 12:32 NLT) God wants to be good to you, so tell Him the “desires of your heart” (PS37:4 NKJV) And thank Him that the answer will come-in His time!

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

August 19, 2007
Day 95

Things contiue to go well for Bailey. Right now she is walking down to the lake to see what fun she can find. They meet with the doctors tomorrow to discuse options for Bailey's treatment. Please pray for guidance for the doctors and us. She continues to eat well and has been enjoying cooking, dancing, and playing cards. Mom will try to update tomorrow afterthe apointment.

Love,
Brooke (Bailey's big sister)

August 18, 2007
Day 94

It's Brooke once again. The prays are truly working. At 12:00 today Bailey heard some boombing sounds coming from Lake Union, it was the pirate ships, they were having a battle. She was down there at 12:30. My Mom and Dad said that she was practicly running. They also got to go on a tour of a tugboat that was built in 1889. She ate great today. Bailey was so happy and energetic she didn't even take a nap. Have a great Sunday.

Love,
Brooke (Bailey's big sister)

August 17, 2007
Day 93

Hi, it's Brooke again,
Moms internet service will be down till Monday. Today was another good day for Bailey. Mom and Dad are shocked at how well she's eating and drinking despite how nauseated she is. It has to be a God thing! Have a great weekend!!!

Love,
Brooke (Bailey's big sister)

August 16, 2007
Day 92

Hi,this is Brooke. My mom asked me to write this since her internet service is down. Bailey had a good day. She walked all the way down to Lake Union to see a pirate ship that was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Right now Bailey's entertaining us with her dancing and harmonica playing. Tomorrow she receives platelets. Bailey's been nauseated all day but still ate like a champ. Thanks for your prayers.

Love,
Brooke (Bailey's big sister)

August 15, 2007

*Day 91*

Today was pretty uneventful, which is good. We were able to sleep in because our first appointment wasn’t until 1:30 p.m. It was a long-term follow up class, which only Randy and I had to go to. They just gave us a lot of reminder info about what we need to do in order to keep her safe while she is on immune suppressant drugs. Luckily, we have been at this for so long that it has become second nature for us.

Bailey had another good day. We cannot thank all of you enough for all the prayers being said on our behalf. They work, they work, they work!!!! Since we didn’t make it out of the apartment early enough tonight to walk down to Lake Union, we decided to walk the floors here. We started climbing the stairs to the next floor and Bailey said, “If I walk the stairs all the way up to the roof, do I have to walk each floor?” I told her “No”. So, she took off up the stairs, climbing six flights WITHOUT stopping. I love how strong she is! It was so nice up on the roof that we stayed there looking at the beautiful city lights and a few stars for over an hour.

Tomorrow Bailey has an appointment with a Kidney specialist. Her doctors are not sure why she is having problems with her blood pressure, so they are having her see this doctor in hopes of gaining some insight. Please pray that all is well with her kidneys and that God will guide the doctors to a nice and easy reason as to why her blood pressure remains high. Please also pray that her nausea goes away. She has been more nauseated than normal today but still was able to eat. Right now however, she just came out of her room to tell me how nauseated her tummy is. My answer was to put a few more meds in it. (Benedryl and Nexium). She didn’t like my answer but took them anyway. She is such a good patient.

We continue to believe that God will heal Bailey, but more importantly, she believes it and proclaims it everyday!

I have included today’s devotional from Joel Osteen for you to enjoy. I know that I have great intentions on reading the Bible everyday but it doesn’t always happen. I feel good when I can at least read a few devotionals and often find that they speak directly to me.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

"Nothing’s Too Small"

Today's Scripture:

“And even the very hairs of your head are numbered” (Matthew 10:30)
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
We hear all the time that nothing is too big for God. But have you ever thought that a problem was too small for God? Are there things in your life that you haven’t prayed about simply because you thought it didn’t matter to God? Every detail of your life is important to God. He knows the very number of hairs you have on your head! That’s pretty amazing to think about. If He keeps track of every hair that falls from your head, surely He cares about the things that you care about in your life. God wants to be involved in every area of your life—not just the big things, but the small things too. Don’t wait to pray until you have a major crisis. Talk to Him every day about everything. God wants to be involved in your mornings. He wants to be involved throughout your workday. He wants to be involved when you go to the grocery store. He wants to be involved in every area of your life. Open your heart and talk to Him about everything because nothing is too small for Him!

A Prayer for Today:
God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for choosing me as Your child and for caring about every detail in my life. I open my heart to You and ask You to be involved in every area of my life today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

August 14, 2007

*Day 90*

Well today started out early. We had to be at the clinic for Bailey’s Platelet transfusion at 8:00 a.m. so that she could get a bump in her counts before her spinal with chemo at 11:00 a.m. While we were waiting to go in for her procedure at the hospital, we got a call from her doctor at the clinic. Ready for some God News…because Bailey has been doing so well with her eating and the nausea isn’t too bad, they cancelled her Endoscopy. There are a couple of reasons that this is such good news… first, she would have been NPO (no eating) for 24 hours prior to the procedure, if they verified active GVHD in her gut they wouldn’t be able to taper her Cyclosporine (they are tapering her Cyclosporine, an immune suppressant, in hopes that the new donor cells can track down and KILL all of her leukemia. THIS IS BAILEY’S BEST BET. IF HER OWN BODY CAN GET RID OF THE LEUKEMIA, SHE WILL NOT NEED ANY CHEMO AND SHE WILL NOT NEED ANOTHER TRANSPLANT!!!!

The doctors are not expecting this to work, but we know that God is in charge, and if this is his plan, well then…do I need to say more! What we do know is that Bailey continues to amaze us each day. She is eating better and feeling better than she has since before transplant!! As I have said before, Randy and I choose to find the good in each day with her. We are trying not to look too far ahead or make any decisions too quickly. Through all the devotionals, sermons, and Bible passages we’ve been reading, God is telling us to WAIT. Some of you may wonder…wait on what? We are such a busy society, I think we need to learn to wait on him and be quiet enough EVERY day to hear what he wants to tell us. I kid you not; today we could not find one of Bailey’s meds. We looked everywhere we could possibly image in the apartment. It was after five o’clock and I really didn’t want to call the doctors but with her blood pressure problems yesterday, I knew she needed it. So…I called Randy and Blake in and we prayed. We prayed that if it was one that she really needed, that we would find it. Well, about ten minutes later as I was looking for something else guess what…I found it. The problem was that I thought it was in a bottle but the new pharmacy had put it in a small box. I had overlooked it three to four times before we prayed. Pretty cool huh?!

Bailey did well during the procedure today but her back is sore tonight. However, she still went to bed with a smile on her face and big plans to go play baseball tomorrow. She just loves life and having fun!!

Tomorrow is an easy day with Randy and me going to a long-term follow-up class at 1:00 p.m. and then Bailey visiting the dentist for her post-transplant check up. She may have to get a red blood cell transfusion on Thursday if her Hematocrit drops any further. Please pray that God helps the doctors in all of their decision-making concerning Bailey.

Please also pray that God will make clear to us what path we should choose for Bailey. Things are a little more complicated for us right now with school getting ready to start back in California. Blake, Brooke, and Bryce have been soooo great during this whole journey. Some of the siblings you see up here put their parents through the guilt ringer because they had to leave their home and friends. Our precious kids have never done that. They have never complained but are now torn about where they should be. Blake is starting his freshman year and should already be back home for football practice. He chose to stay here and be with Bailey until we know more about what is going on. Brooke is home waiting to start Middle School and wants to come back up here once she gets past the first couple of days at her new school. Little Bryce is starting Kindergarten and is looking forward to being with his friends again. But ultimately, we have to do what is best for Bailey. So, please pray that God makes it VERY CLEAR as to where we should be. He has been so faithful in guiding us in both big and small decisions during this time I know he will guide us to the perfect plan.

Thank you to Claire Patereau and the summer school 2nd grade students and staff for the darling quilt you sent up to Bailey. She got a kick out of reading all of the messages. We have it hanging over the headboard of her bed.

“The battle is the Lord’s” (1Sameul 17:47NIV) If you’re in a seemingly hopeless situation where there appears to be no way out, instead of wasting time and energy dwelling on your weaknesses and shortcomings, begin to focus on God’s power. When you focus on the enemy you stumble, but when you focus on God the enemy stumbles.
(K-Love devotional)

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

August 13, 2007

*Day 89*

Today was a long day at the clinic. It was supposed to be a short day, but when we got to clinic and they checked her blood pressure, it was high. They have been trying to taper down her blood pressure medicine, because her heart rate has been low. They ended up giving her two doses of IV Hydralazine and a dose of Amlodopine. They had to keep her to monitor after each dose and although her blood pressure wasn’t great when we left, they knew we were going to be back in clinic at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow for platelets before her Spinal at 10:45 a.m. Please pray that she gets a good bump from the platelets and that things go well with her Spinal tomorrow and that the results once again show no leukemia in her spinal fluid.

The results from Thursday’s bone marrow looked pretty much the same as the previous weeks. While the doctors remain very concerned, we take this as a small victory. We are just happy it didn’t get worse!! We really like Dr. Delaney. Medically, she knows that Bailey’s situation looks about as bad as it can get, but in her own words, she is an “eternal optimist”. I told her today, that Bailey was ready to fight this. She is going to contact the head oncologist at Children’s here in Seattle and our dear Dr. Crouse back in California and see what they recommend. As she was leaving the room, she said, “I’ll talk to my people”. I responded, “You talk to your people, I’ll talk to mine”( as I pointed upward to God in Heaven). She got a big smile on her face and told me to, “Tell your people to let me know what they think”. I told her that we already have her covered!!

Bailey was having some weird cramping pains in both of her hands today, but besides that, she had a great day. I know it is hard to believe, but since the night that we told her that her leukemia was back, she has been getting stronger every day. All of those prayers are giving her soooo much strength. You should see how she is eating despite the fact that they are starting to taper her Cyclosporine (her immune suppressant). The Cyclosporine is what keeps the Graft vs. Host Disease under control. They are tapering it in hopes of allowing more of her donor cells to attack and kill off the leukemia. However, “medically” they know that with the cells mutating, this doesn’t make much of a difference usually. “Spiritually” we believe it will!!!! How awesome it would be for Bailey’s new donor cells to kick it into gear and kill off all of the leukemia without having to use any chemo or having another bone marrow transplant!!!!!

We know God has a plan greater than anything we could every come up with, so please pray that we hear and understand what he wants us to do for our precious baby girl! He hasn’t let us down yet so we know that as the weeks go on, he will make it clear to us about which path we need to choose for her.

Despite no nap today, Bailey had enough energy to go down to the waterfront and walk around as we did last night. It is so peaceful down there and the sunsets have been beautiful. She had fun throwing rocks into the water. In fact, we had to stop her or else she would still be there!

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…then his peace will guard your hearts and minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

Please also remember to pray for all of our soldiers who put their lives on the line everyday for our freedom!!

We appreciate all of your support.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

August 12, 2007

*Day 88*

Another great day for Bailey!!! God is good!! She is eating more and getting stronger each day! She is walking so tall and strong! It is a miracle in itself to see how well she is doing, knowing what the doctors have told us. Yet, we know that God has promised to answer our prayers if we truly believe he will, so we are putting our time, energy, and prayers into claiming Bailey’s healing from him!

We took the kids down to the piers tonight to watch the sunset. It was beautiful. We took some good pictures. I will try to post them soon. Bailey had a good time and enjoyed spotting the jellyfish floating by. It was nice to get her out of the apartment for something other than a doctor’s appointment. We are going to miss only driving five minutes to the water and seeing all of the beautiful sights that Seattle has to offer. However, we can’t wait to get back home to Newman.

We start appointments early tomorrow so I’m making this brief tonight. I will let you know how everything goes when we get home tomorrow. Please pray for direction for the doctors as they get these important test results back. We also pray that God will direct the doctors in determining when and if to give Bailey platelets.

We were able to watch Joel Osteen today and once again came away feeling as if God was talking directly to us. His message was about asking God to show you “favor” in all aspects of your life. Just like how you show favor to people you like or admire, God wants to show us favor…we just need to ask and expect to receive it. Give it a try, I’m going to. Why wouldn’t God want to show favor to his followers? Next time you encounter a long line at the grocery store or on the roadways, ask for his favor. I now it sounds too simple, but just think of how frustrated and stressed you can get over a long line or slow moving traffic. If we keep remembering to ask for God’s favor and remember to thank him for giving it to us, then we are keeping an active relationship with him. Wouldn’t you rather your own kids ask you for help, rather than ignoring you or forgetting that you’re there when they need help? I will do almost anything for my kids…well guess what, God will do almost anything for you but you have to remember to ask!

Every time we are faced with another setback or some tough news, we feel God’s love surrounding us. Your prayers and support mean sooo much to us.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

August 11, 2007

*Day 87*

If only I had a way to show you what is happening right now as I sit here typing at 11:00 p.m. Saturday night. Bailey, Bryce, and Randy are playing soccer (with a Nerf soccer ball) in the front room of our apartment. I so wish you could see the smiles and hear the giggles that I am hearing right now. Such sweet music to my ears!!!! Praise God, he is soooo good! You should see all of her fancy moves. I can’t wait for the day that we get to watch her actually play on a team. She is really good!

About thirty minutes ago, right as we were getting ready for bed, we heard some big booming sounds. Guess what, we got to enjoy a beautiful fireworks show. We grabbed our shoes and ran up to the roof. There was a private party happening across the lake that was responsible for the great display. (Someone has lots of money!) We sure enjoyed their indulgence!!

I hope you enjoy the song ,”Bring the Rain”, by MercyMe. Bailey listened to it a couple times today, with a smile on her face. As for me, I had tears coming down. As I was getting that put together, I was looking for videos from some of our other favorite Christian singers, Jeremy Camp, Lincoln Brewster, and Hawk Nelson. That’s when I discovered that all of them are going to be in the Modesto area at different times at the end of August. So, I have a favor to ask for anyone who might have “connections” at any of these concerts. Bailey is a music lover and would absolutely love to see any of these groups. The only problem is that she can’t sit out with the general public, which makes it a little more difficult to let her go. I haven’t ever been to a concert at CSU Stanislaus, which is where Jeremy Camp, Lincoln Brewster, and MercyMe will be at on Aug 24,25 and 26, respectively. Does anyone know how the set up is? What about the concerts held at John Thurman field prior to the Modesto Nut’s game, which is where Hawk Nelson will be on August 28. Any info would be helpful. I’m not even sure if we will be back in California by then, but I thought it would be a nice surprise for her if we were. Anyone with info can email me at nevergiveupbr@hotmail.com. Thanks!

Thanks for all the prayers going up to our Heavenly Father. We feel stronger everyday and more at peace about what we are facing. Everything I read continues to reassure me that he not only has our baby girl, but all of us, in his loving hands. It is so comforting knowing that we are not in control of this. I know that probably sounds weird, but it is true.

Bailey started having a little runny nose late yesterday. It started when she was eating her salsa (yes, this is a little girl with continuous nausea). She refuses to give up her salsa! We are hoping that maybe the runny nose is from the hot salsa melting away that yucky cancer! Anyway, she has continued to have the runny nose today, but no fever. Hopefully, she can beat this without a visit to the hospital. Please pray for her to continue to feel well and to be able to stay fever-free and out of the hospital.

We have a busy week coming up with lots of doctors appointments in preparation for getting us home. Right now Bailey’s platelets are low, so please pray that they come up on their own. If not, she will need a transfusion because of the procedures scheduled for this week.
Monday-Labs, Nutrition, Clinic with Doctor Delaney
Tuesday-Labs, Spinal with Chemo
Wednesday-Dental Exam
Friday-Endoscopy to determine the extent of her GVHD in her gut

Hopefully, I will be able to meet with one of the local oncologist to get her opinion on Bailey’s condition. We are trusting that God will lead us to the right decision concerning our precious little Miss Bailey. We know he can heal her, we just don’t know what path we are to follow. Please pray for lots of wisdom for the doctors and us.

Yesterday I received my daily devotional booklet from K-Love. I stuck it in my Bible without thinking about it. When I went to read my Bible today, I found it and started reading it even though it is meant to be read from Sept to November. Actually, as I found out, it was meant for me to read it today! The second devotional I read just fit. The parts that spoke to me are as follows:

Sometimes your “strength is to sit still” (Ps 46:10), and take your hands off what you’ve entrusted to God’s keeping (Bailey). Even when things don’t go the way you think they should (relapse), God doesn’t need your help. He understands the situation better than you ever could, and when the time is right He’ll “do wonders never before done” (Bailey’s Miracle) (Ex 34:10 NIV) Sure, it’s frustrating to have something within your grasp and not be able to reach it (Bailey’s Healing), especially when others who seem less deserving are enjoying what you so desperately want. But the Bible says: “Be patient…trust the Lord. The Canadian preacher A.B. Simpson said, “Often there is nothing as godly as inactivity on our part, or nothing as harmful as restless working, for God has promised to work His sovereign will.” Paul writes, “Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient…and…prayerful”!!!!!!!(Ro 12:12 TLB) Long-range purpose will stop you from becoming frustrated by short-term delays. That is why God said, “He that believeth shall not make haste” (Is 28:16)

I hope all of you have a blessed Sunday. We will be watching Joel Osteen and a few other great ministers who are on T.V. on Sunday mornings.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s
(We love you Brookie!!!!)

August 10, 2007

*Day 86*

Bailey had a good day without taking any pain meds!!!! She was in true form today at the clinic. Probably the happiest and silliest that I have seen her during an appointment since before we came up here. Randy and I just sit back and take these moments in. I cannot tell you enough, how God is answering our prayers. Each day that we have her laughing and playing is truly a gift from God.

The news today was encouraging, in that, the percent of leukemia did not increase. We will have the cyctogenetics back on Monday, which will tell the doctors some important information.

I spent most of the morning researching what clinical trials might be available to help Bailey beat this beast. As far as the doctors are concerned, I don’t think they believe any of these new chemos would make much of a difference, but we are not so sure. They are concerned with the Quality vs Quantity of her life. A dear friend of ours, Veronica Garcia, called this morning with some information about a precious little girl she knows, who was given no chance of survival after she relapsed following a bone marrow transplant. Long story short, her parents trusted in God and took off to Colorado to give their daughter a clinical trial chemo that had never been used on a child, it had only been used on adults. That was in July 2005 and today she is doing well and continues to be in remission. Thanks Veronica for your love and support.

We will continue to stand strong on our faith in God and his ability to cure Bailey. We know that he will guide us to where we need to go and what we need to do. He has been faithful leading us since her relapse in October and I know that he will continue. We just need to make sure that we slow down enough to actually hear what he is telling us.

I have been reading about Job in the Bible during the last few days. I often feel like I can relate to him. Anyway, I really like the Bible that I have because it has “cheat notes” at the bottom that explain, in easy terms, what the verses are saying and how they relate to us today. Below are some of the “cheat notes” that I read today and really liked:

“Since we are locked into time, unable to see beyond today, we cannot know the reasons for everything that happens. Thus, we must often choose between anger and trust. Will you trust God with your unanswered questions? Job openly and honestly faced God and admitted that he was the one who had been foolish. Are you using what you can’t understand as an excuse for your lack of trust? Admit to God that you don’t even have enough faith to trust him. True faith begins in such humility.”

Below is some more Joel Osteen. I hope you are enjoying his encouraging words. If you would like to learn more about him, you can always go to his website at www.joelosteen.com

If all goes well and Bailey can stay fever free, we may be home within a couple of weeks. I was excited when I found out that one of the trial studies is being conducted down in Madera. I actually got the chills and teared up when I saw Dr. Crouse’s name listed as one of the doctors taking part in the study. We are trusting in God to let us know if this is the right trial for Bailey. Once again, we don’t want to be the one making the decision, we want God to and we know he will.

Thank you for all of the love and support we are receiving.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Today's Word with Joel & Victoria

"Know Him"

Today's Scripture
“Do you want more and more of God's kindness and peace? Then learn to know him better. For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: He even shares his own glory and His own goodness with us” (2 Peter 1:2-3, TLB)!
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Are you determined to know God today? Not just hear about Him, or read about Him, but really know Him personally. The Bible tells us that God is love. He is peace. He is Truth. When you get to know God, you come to know and experience His love, peace, and truth in your life. In the same way that you get to know someone in the natural by spending time in their presence and talking with them, you get to know God by spending time in His presence and talking with Him. And He’s closer than you think! The Bible says that when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He actually makes His home in our own hearts! No matter where you are on the planet, when you begin talking to God, He promises to listen. He wants you to know He promises to reveal Himself to you. As you come to know God more and more you will experience His peace, kindness, and strength and victory in every area of your life!
A Prayer for Today
Father in Heaven, I desire to know you more. Show me your goodness and grace today. Teach me to hear your voice more clearly so that I can draw closer to you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

August 9, 2007

*Day 85*

Thank you so much for all the messages and prayers being sent our way. Once again, we see them working so beautifully.

Bailey had a really good day despite the fact that she was NPO (not able to drink or eat) from the time she woke up at 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. When I first got her out of bed, she said her head and side were hurting, but before we even left the apartment, she said she was feeling better! Thank you God!! We went to blood draw first then to Children’s for her bone marrow aspiration that was supposed to happen at 10:50 a.m. They did not take her in for the procedure until 1:30 p.m. (There had been a scheduling mix-up). Anyway, Bailey didn’t complain once. It helped that she was able to watch a couple of cute little ones run around being crazy in the clinic waiting room. One of them was a precious little boy named Jake. We’ve been in the hospital with him several times and had given him candy on many occasions. Anyway, he was bowling with his mom when the ball went next to Bailey. After she handed it to him, he said “Hug”, proceeded to give her a huge hug, and then came back for a few more. It was so precious. Bailey was giggling and smiling from ear to ear.

Her procedure went well and Bailey came out of the anesthesia quickly. As soon as we got home, she came to our apartment, gathered up her supplies and proceeded to make her own “nacho cheese sauce”. She can’t have cheese sauce with jalapenos already in it, so we buy the plain stuff and she doctors it up until it tastes “just right”!! She is our future little chef among other things. (artist, dolphin trainer, veterinarian, doctor, volunteer) I thought she would be wiped out by the time that she finished preparing and eating, but she looked great. She did however, agree to a short nap.

We were able to get her down early tonight, early being the operative word. It was 10:30 p.m. Her normal bedtime tends to be between 11:30 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. It is way too late, but after taking a mid-day nap, she isn’t tired until then. Besides, all of the nighttime stuff we do tends to take a while. (shower, meds, dressing changes, line flushing, starting IV fluids…you get the idea) We got her down early in hopes of getting up early, so that we can take her to the zoo before our clinic visit at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow. She is our animal lover and has only been there once since we’ve been up here. It was so crowded that we had to limit where she could be. We are hoping that by going earlier, we will see more animals and less people!

Our clinic visit tomorrow is to go over preliminary bone marrow results and to set up a pain management plan for the weekend. However, if the prayers continue to work as well as they have been, we won’t be needing the “pain management” plan!!!!

Blake and I watched a Joel Osteen Podcast tonight that was titled, “Trust God to Do It His Way”. It was really good and once again, it was just what we needed to hear!! Some of the thoughts that came out of it are as follows:

-How many times do we miss out on our Miracle because we are so set on having it our way?

-Stay open…God has His Plan.

-God’s ways are better than our ways.

-Don’t put God in a box…He can do what man cannot do!!!!

-God has a plan and we don’t have to figure it out, we just need to believe!

Also, if you have a chance, I would encourage you to go onto the website www.thesurvivormovie.com. It has a short slideshow with a powerful message for cancer survivors, as well as the rest of us.

We feel stronger each day as we wrap our armor of God around us and know that He is in control and that we are not facing this alone. It is very calming knowing that he will lead us where we need to go. Please keep us in your prayers as we meet with the doctors tomorrow around 3:00 p.m. to get the results of her test.

A quick thank you to Sandy Barker, Christian’s mom, for her love and support and encouraging info that she gave me today. Christian was in almost the same situation as Bailey back in May. They were told there was no way that he would get back into remission…he did!!! He not only relapsed shortly after his first transplant, be his cancer was also dropping chromosomes similarly to Bailey’s. He is now around Day 80 of his second transplant and doing good considering he has had two transplants in less than a year. Please keep Christian and his family in your prayers.

One of my best friends, Jill Davis Flink, had a great idea that we will be doing sometime in the near future. We are going to have a day of Prayer and Fasting on behalf of Bailey. We will let you know what day we choose. Thanks Jill!

I am including today’s devotional from Joel Osteen. I hope you enjoy it.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

"Become A Better You"

Perfectly Complete

Today's Scripture
“Be confident of this. He who began a good work in you will continue to perform it until it’s perfectly complete” (Philippians 1:6).
Today's Word from Joel and Victoria
Do you have dreams that have not yet come to pass? Are there promises that you are standing on in your health, finances, or relationships? Know this: God is a god of completion. He wants to finish what He’s started in your life. No matter how long you’ve been praying, don’t let the enemy tempt you into thinking that it’s never going to happen. Be encouraged today because God is called the Author and the Finisher of your faith. That means He’s working behind the scenes on your behalf. Anything He begins, any dream He puts in your heart, He is well-able to finish. Stand strong on this promise. Be confident even when it looks like it’s not going to happen. No matter how long it takes, stay in faith and keep your hopes up because God has promised to finish the good work He’s started in your life!
A Prayer for Today
Heavenly Father, thank you for your promise to complete what you’ve started in my life. Thank you for your faithfulness and for showing me your goodness. Give me strength to stand strong so that I can experience your fulfillment in my life today. I love you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

August 8, 2007

*Day 84*

Thank you for all the love and prayers being sent our way. Bailey had a much better day today than yesterday. Praise God!!! She had a few headaches on and off, but nothing that even needed Tylenol. We know it is all the prayers working already!!!

Bailey’s positive attitude and spirit continue to give us strength. Last night she jumped into bed around 11 p.m. but didn’t go to sleep until around 2 a.m. Do you know why? She was busy drawing and coloring beautiful pictures!!!!! That’s our little artist. We cherish just watching her sitting there in bed coloring away. I thought she would be absolutely exhausted today, but not so. She took a nap but probably could have done without it. I love it, love it, love it!!! Thank you God!!!

As I said before, none of us knows how long we have together, so take time each day to appreciate each other. We have been so blessed to be shown such love and support from our family, friends (old and new), and complete strangers. Thank You!!!!

I know that all of you are worried about us, but we are doing okay. The initial shock is passing and we are choosing to go forward from here truly trusting in God! We can’t think of a better way to have our baby girl healed than by the loving hands of our Father!

As I sat down to write last night’s journal entry I put K-LOVE radio playing on my computer. It is a wonderful contemporary Christian radio station that’s available throughout the nation or over the internet. We started listening to it a few years ago when we were having a hard time finding anything suitable for the kids to listen to. All of our kids enjoy the music and we don’t have to worry about what they are hearing. Brooke and Bailey know the words to most of the songs. Anyway, the first three songs that played while I was writing were:

“There is a Reason” by Caedmon’s Call
“Our God is an Awesome God” by Rich Mullins
“Everlasting God” by Lincoln Brewster (It talks about how our strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord)

I almost had to laugh because it was as if God was hand selecting the songs just for me!! Every song that played while I sat here writing was speaking to me. I hope you check out K-LOVE, it is a great station.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day. This bone marrow aspiration will show us how quickly her leukemia is progressing. Please pray for Bailey and that the doctors will get the information that they need to make the best decisions for what we need to do for our little angel.

The Joel Osteen devotional below was sent on Friday, the day we found out about Bailey’s relapse. This is what I am talking about when I tell you that God talks to us. He really wants to be a part of our daily life.

God bless each of you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

"Believe and Receive"

Today's Scripture:

“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, NIV).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria:

Has God spoken things to your heart that haven’t come to pass yet? Sometimes when we are believing for things, it’s easy to let circumstances and the pressures of life drag us down. But when you make the choice to receive your promise by picturing it in your mind’s eye, and declaring it with the words of your mouth, your faith becomes stronger. You begin to feel more confident. You begin to feel more settled. You begin to have joy and peace because you know God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. What are you believing for God to do in your life today? Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Can you see yourself healed? Can you see yourself paying off that last debt? Can you see yourself at your ideal weight? Can you see yourself sharing the gospel with a family member or coworker? Ask the Lord to give you the picture of what He sees when He looks at you. As you open your heart and allow God’s thoughts to become your thoughts, and your receive His promises by faith, just like it says in the above verse—whatever you ask for in prayer will be yours!

A Prayer for Today:

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to serve You. Thank You for the gift of faith. I ask that you search my heart and mind and remove anything that does not please you. Give me your thoughts of peace and joy today so that I can learn to receive all you have for me today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

August 7, 2007

*Day 83*

We met with Dr. Delaney today to get the final results on Bailey’s Day 80 workup. Our worst fears have come true. Bailey’s leukemia is back.

There are so many of you that we wanted to call personally but time just didn’t permit. We weren’t able to tell Brooke until tonight and we wanted to make sure she was able to hear it from us not anyone else. Because I wanted to get this posted and ask for your prayers, we didn’t want to wait any longer.

I will fill you in on more details tomorrow, but basically, her leukemia is back very early after transplant, it is mutating, and we are very limited in our options. As it has been since the beginning of her relapse in October of 2006, there is not an easy solution. In fact, once again, our best option is to put it in God’s hands. I truly believe he still has many great things left for Bailey to do. She is just such a special spirit and continues to shine her light daily. Everyone that meets her up here is instantly drawn to her.

We hated having to tell Bailey that her leukemia was back but she handled it in true “Bailey spirit”...she cried a little, she asked if she had to go back in the hospital, then instantly said, “Well, maybe Ayden will still be there”, we talked some, then Pa called to say that dinner was ready, actually the Filhos (Portuguese Donuts) that Grandma made were ready, and out the door Bailey skipped to get her yummy Filhos. I love her positive, life loving spirit!!!!! By the way, she ate two Filhos, each bite dipped in her personal bowl of sugar!!!

On Thursday, they are doing another bone marrow aspiration to see how fast the leukemia is progressing. Please pray that it has not grown. This test will determine how we continue. Also, next week they will do an endoscopy to see if she still has active GVHD in her gut. This also will guide the doctors.

Right now, we need guidance from God on what path we should follow. We know if Bailey is to beat this horrible disease it will only be through the Glory of God and his loving, healing hands.

Please pray not only for our precious little Bailey, but also for Blake, Brooke and Bryce. They have been so amazing during this time and now, just when we thought life was going to get back to normal, it has once again been turned upside down. Blake was supposed to head back to California this week so that he could get ready for his first year playing football. We are not sure how long we will be here but hopefully will have some answers by next week. As for Brooke...we love you sooooo much Sis!!!! We know that Rick, Wendy and all of our other wonderful relatives in California will shower her with lots of love so that helps. Little Bryce knows something is up and just wants mommy to hold him a lot. As always, we will get through this because of the love of our wonderful family, friends and Our Dear Lord, Jesus Christ. Thank you for all of the prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

*Day 80*

I do not have a lot of info to give yet, but hopefully by the middle of next week we will have some information to share.

Bailey had a great day yesterday. We went to the hospital last night to see Ayden and of course to bring him a bagful of goodies and prizes. He is such a cutie and they are big buddies. Bailey didn’t want to leave him last night.

Bailey was really tired today and didn’t want to do much except lay on the couch. However, right around 11:00 p.m. tonight she kicked it into gear and was ready to party.
Go figure.

This coming week is a huge one as far as testing and results go. We know that whatever comes our way, God will be with us and helping us to endure just like he has been all along. Please pray the God will guide the doctors and give them wisdom. Please also pray that all of her leukemia is gone!!!!

I will update again tomorrow.

Randy, Kathy, and the four B’s

August 2, 2007

*Day 78*

This is just a quick update. Bailey had her spinal, bone marrow aspiration, and skin biopsy today. She handled it like a champ. She got off the procedure table and went downstairs to find Ayden to see if he wanted to go walking around the third floor. Since he was sleeping, we visited with a couple of other families. She was craving crab again so we stopped on our way home and picked up some nice fresh crab. She took a nice nap after eating. Despite all that she went through today, she agreed to go out for an evening walk. She amazes me.

I will let you know the results of her test as soon as I can. Thank you for all of the continued prayers. We truly see them working!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 31, 2007

*Day 76*

Hello to all! Our precious Brooke is back in California tonight and it already feels weird not having her here with us. We love you so much Sis!!! If you had asked us a year ago if we would put any of our kids on a plane without us, we would have said, “NO WAY, are you crazy”!! It’s funny how things change.

However, Brooke did not fly home alone. She was able to fly home with Randy’s Uncle Eddie, Aunt Mary Jane (Mings), Aunt Marlene, Mikie, Dustie (cousin) and little Mia. We had a ton of fun with our latest visitors from California since they arrived on Saturday night. Bailey had been counting down the days until their arrival for the last two weeks. She went to the airport with Randy, Eddie (Pa), and Brooke to pick everyone then brought them back here to the apartment for the party to start!!!

Sunday was filled with taking them all around Seattle to see the sights. I think the highlight for Bailey that day was visiting the Gas Works Park. She was able to run around and play some baseball and just basically be a kid. Mikie was impressed with what a “slugger” she was. Of course, she was beaming telling me the story of how good she did. Sunday night we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called, Buca di Beppo. It was Bailey’s first “real” restaurant meal since before transplant. We were able to enjoy our meal seated around a round table in the, “Pope Room”. If you every have the opportunity to eat at one, the food is excellent. Bailey ate like a champ! She wasn’t sure if the Seafood Linguine or the Spaghetti with meat sauce was her favorite!!! As for me, I was just glad she was eating! Brooke, Bailey, and Bryce had an absolutely fun filled time last night being totally spoiled by Mings and Aunt Marlene. We went down to Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is located) and the kids played and played and played (you get the idea), the carnival games. We came home with so many stuffed animals and blow up toys. (Most of them were actually cute) Bailey is an ace at throwing darts, so watch out!!! The special thing about our little Miss Bailey is that as she was winning her prizes, she was deciding whom she was going to give them away to. I love her giving spirit!!! Needless to say, little Mia went home with a Mickey Mouse and a turtle, that were almost as big as her!!!! Thank you for coming to visit us!!!

Thanks to some friends who we met up here, the kids had the perfect bat to do all that hitting on Sunday with. Thanks Garrett and Gary! The bat has been a hit!!!(No pun intended!) Randy, Blake, and Bryce went to a Seattle Mariners game with Garrett and Gary on Saturday afternoon. Gary and Garrett, who are also up here from California, surprised Bryce with the coolest adjustable bat and soft foam ball. We’ve had a few batting sessions in the apartment already. (Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone!) Gary is Christian’s dad. I’ve asked for prayers for Christian before. He had his second transplant, in less than a year, a few weeks after Bailey did. He also has a lot of nausea, like Bailey, and is having a hard time being up here again instead of getting ready to go to high school like all of his friends. If anyone wants to visit his website, it is www.caringbridge.org/visit/christianbarker. It would be great if you could leave him an encouraging word, especially you teenagers out there.

You want some God News???!!! Bailey was originally supposed to have her spinal on the Thursday before everyone got up here. Anyway, the only reason it was postponed was that her platelets were not high enough and they had to line up a matched donor. However, when she had her clinic on Friday, her platelets counts had started to come back up on their own. Because they continued to improve both yesterday and today, she doesn’t have to get a platelet transfusion. I am soooo glad she didn’t have the procedure prior to them coming or else she might not have been able to enjoy having them here as much as she did. And, another added benefit is that they are now going to do both the spinal and bone marrow aspiration on the same day, for her Day 80 workup. This is great because it is one less time that they have to put her under anesthesia. It is so exciting to almost be at Day 80. This week and early next week are going to be busy with lots of appointments and test for Bailey. They do complete workups on transplant patients prior to sending them home. They want to know what problems they are going to be dealing with before they send you packing.

The results of the Day 80 test are very important because they will give us a good idea of how well her transplant has worked. Hopefully, she has had lots and lots of Graft vs Leukemia so that she never has to worry about the leukemia again. I feel good about the test and trust that God is watching over our baby girl. I know he is going to continue to have amazing things in store for her. She is truly a child of God who loves and completely trust in him. I love it!

We hope all of you are doing well!!! We are looking forward to getting back to Newman sometime soon. In fact, Randy and Blake will be heading home next week. We do not just believe that God is going to heal our baby girl, we are expecting it!!!! (This was from one of Joel Osteen’s sermons)

Our love goes out to the Bockhop Family, Austin’s Family and Meagan’s Family!!!!

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 27, 2007

*Day 72*

Bailey felt a little bit stronger today and had a little less nausea!! Yeah! She had clinic this morning and as far as the doctors are concerned, she is doing really well. She needs to improve on her calorie and fluid intake, but they figure that will come in time. If need be, they will send her home on fluids. Right now, she has to carry around a backpack for 20 hours a day that is infusing hydration fluids. If that is our biggest challenge when we head home, we will be happy.

Bailey’s counts today looked good. Her platelets are starting to recovery, so if they stay the same or higher, they won’t have to do a transfusion on Wednesday as they are planning to do. She is scheduled for a spinal and possible bone marrow aspiration on Thursday. They might even try to do a scope procedure of her gut and colon to see if there are any signs of GVHD. I will keep you updated as soon I as know something.

We walked about 4 city blocks to a local Pizza Parlor to have dinner tonight. Not only was the pizza great, but there wasn’t another customer in there. Since Bailey can’t be in crowds, this was the perfect place to eat. And eat she did!!! She had a full slice of pizza and some wonderful artichoke and garlic breadsticks. She loved them and called dibs on the leftovers. We haven’t seen her this excited about food in a long time!!

I might not have a journal entry for the next couple of days so don’t get worried. We have a fun weekend planned and I know I’ll be keeping busy.

We hope all of you enjoy your weekend.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 26, 2007

*Day 71*

Bailey had a better day today, which is a step in the right direction. I could tell from the moment she woke up that she was feeling a little bit better. She got up and was ready to eat breakfast without me prodding her. The nausea continues to be her biggest problem right now. (If this is the only thing we have to deal with, we’ll take it!!!) She hasn’t needed any pain medicine since Monday night so I’m really happy about that. We went out for a nice evening stroll around our neighborhood, which was really nice and relaxing. There is something interesting to see no matter where you look. We live about two blocks from the official “center point of Seattle” (there is a plaque on the ground that shows it). We miss home, but have truly felt very comfortable here despite our circumstances and the drastic difference in location. Thank you God!!!

Brooke and I have spent the last few days together just having fun and trying to do some special things before she heads back home to California. Yesterday I took her to a nice hair salon to have her hair cut. The young guy that cut it was so nice and spent over an hour getting it just right. She was beaming by the time we left and she loved her new cut. Afterwards we went and had lunch at a little fish stand on Lake Union. The weather was great and we had a wonderful view of the lake as we set outside on a floating dock. From there we went school shopping downtown at a four-story Old Navy. We hit it just right and she was able to find some pants and tops that she really likes. This is the longest span of time that we have been able to spend together, just one on one, since Bailey relapsed. It was really fun and she has been floating on Cloud 9 every since. I’m going to miss her so much once she is gone. This will be the longest amount of time that I have ever been away from her. I think it is going to be really hard on Bailey and Bryce too!!

But as Joel Osteen said in a recent sermon, “Pray not just believing your prayers will be answered but expecting them to be answered.” So, that is exactly what I am doing. I am praying EXPECTING to be home by the middle of September with Bailey healthy and ready to dance around Newman!!!!

We should find out tomorrow at clinic what day Bailey will be getting her Spinal. I am hoping it won’t be until the middle of next week. I am so glad that the one this week was postponed. I truly believe that it was God’s way of letting her recovery just a little longer before we put more chemo into her. She is still a little wiped out so I am glad she has some extra time to rest.

Please pray that all of her blood work tomorrow comes back good and that she continues to get stronger everyday. It would be great for the nausea to go away so that she could be eating more often.

Please also pray for Parker Bockhop’s family and for a beautiful young woman named Meagan, who was our neighbor here at the Pete Gross House. She was such a faithful servant of God and was someone who never complained about her condition despite the fact that she had a precious little girl named Sophia who she was separated from. Meagan and her mom lived here while she received her transplant. Her two-year old little girl, Sophia, was back in Colorado living with Meagan’s younger siblings. Anyway, Meagan’s mom, Cherie, called today to let us know that Meagan had passed away. She said that Meagan had remained positive and full of Christ despite her circumstances. Each of us could learn something from a person like her. Cherie, I pray that God will comfort all of you and help you to focus on more good things than bad, just like Meagan did.

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 25, 2007

*Day 70*

Plans have changed concerning Bailey’s spinal. We received a call early this morning saying that after careful consideration, they decided to wait to find a matched platelet donor for Bailey. Because this takes a few days to implement, her Spinal Tap has been temporarily delayed. I think this is the best thing to do. She has been completely exhausted today and slept for quite a while.

Please pray for direction for the doctors who are making decisions about Bailey.

I will fill you in on more things tomorrow. Right now I keep falling asleep.(Sorry)

Love, Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

24, 2007

*Day 69*

Our hearts weep once again as we say goodbye to our friend, Parker Bockhop!! Today he went to be with God in Heaven! No more pain, no more cancer…precious little Parker. Please pray for comfort and strength for his family. We are waiting to tell Bailey about Austin and Parker until she is back home and feeling better. Right now, I think it would be too hard on her. We met Parker and his family over three years ago at Fava Day and then started seeing them regularly at the hospital in Madera. We have spent many fun times with them. We love you and will continue to pray for you Troy, Liz, and Parker. (Liz grew up in Hilmar but lives in Chowchilla now) We feel so blessed that we have met so many incredible people during this journey. Hello to all of our California hospital families and doctors. We miss you and are so thankful for the blessings you have been in our lives.

Bailey felt pretty good today. Once we can get her past the nausea, things will be so much easier. She continues to eat and drink small amounts but it is not something she enjoys doing yet. The doctors where happy with how well she looked today and how quickly she got out of the hospital. They will be monitoring her blood pressure, because for some unknown reason, yesterday morning it decided to go a little high. It was also slightly high during her clinic visit today. She continues to have pain in her left ear so they have put her on three more days of an antibiotic. They were finally able to see her eardrum today, usually it is too waxy in there, and they could see some redness.

Tomorrow Bailey has to go in for a platelet transfusion in order to prepare her for the Spinal Tap/Lumbar Puncture that she is having on Thursday. Her platelets were 36,000 today but they would like her above 50,000 before they do any procedures on her. Please pray that she will get a good bump in her platelets from this transfusion. I am slightly concerned because she hasn’t done well in the past receiving platelets from the general pool of donors. We really need her body to start producing the platelets on her own again. The fever she recently had could be the culprit for why her platelets dropped down.

Bailey was really tired tonight and she had some leg pain but was finally able to get to sleep without taking her pain meds. I will be watching her temperature tonight since it was a little higher than her “normal nightly” temp. Hopefully tonight will be an uneventful night. Except of course, for the many potty breaks she has to take during the night because of the IV fluids she is getting. They increased her fluids to 20 hours a day until she can start drinking more fluids consistently. So for now she walks around carrying a backpack with fluids and a pump and of course of her hotchie cotchies!!!

Brooke’s doctor says she is doing well. He thinks she will be fine to fly home next week. I know she is so excited to get back to Newman and see all of her friends, but she is having some second thoughts about leaving Mommy, Bailey, and Bryce. I know once she gets back to California she will be glad to be home. Especially since, she gets to have a week of fun at Uncle Rick and Aunt Wendy’s house. There is nothing like having your cousins all to yourself.

Thank you for all of the prayers!! We are comforted in knowing that so many of you are lifting us up in prayer!

Thanks to Dean Harris and Mattos Newspaper for your continued support of our family. Once again, nice article Dean!! Bailey had a smile on her face as we read it to her.

Thanks to all of you who have financially supported our family. We haven’t been able to individually thank each of you yet, but we will in time! I thought I would have so much time to write thank yous while Bailey was in the hospital but it didn’t happen. It seems like there was always a doctor, nurse, or technician of some sort coming into talk to us. Anyway, I hope all of you know how special you are to our family. Thank you for helping us to bring Bailey to Seattle. We have no doubts that this is where God wanted her to be.

Thanks also to the terrific Newman-Crowslanding School District teachers, staff, and administrators. We couldn’t have done it without all of you and your generous support. Because of you, Bailey was able to have her Daddy with her during her most difficult times. She will miss him once he heads back to California, but she knows that it will only be a short time before she gets to see him again.

May God’s love and grace be a part of your daily life.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 23, 2007

*Day 68*

WBC = 5,600
ANC = 4,200
Platelets =36,000
Hematocrit = 36.4

Bailey is out of the hospital!!! Thank you for all of your prayers! She continues to have some pain and nausea, but overall she is doing fine. She was able to take two doses of Miralax today, and right after we got home from the hospital tonight, she had diarrhea. This is the first bowel movement in eleven days! Hopefully, once the constipation is taken care of, the pain and nausea will subside. It becomes a vicious circle at times because the constipation cases pain so we give her pain meds…which in turn, cause constipation. They gave us three more days to get things moving and then they would have readmitted her to the hospital, put a G-Tube down her nose and put some medicine called, Go Lightly, into her to flush her out. We’ve heard that, Go Lightly, is a deceiving name so we would prefer not to do that to her. Thank goodness, she finally started going!!!

This week is going to be a little busy. Tomorrow morning we take Brooke to the doctor so he can recheck her spleen and see how she is doing because of the Mono. As soon as we are done there, we take Bailey to three Clinic appointments. Thursday, Bailey will have the second of four Spinal Taps with Chemo, which they give after transplant. Friday, she will have another Clinic visit and hopefully get the results of the Spinal.

Brooke is feeling better and hopefully after tomorrow will be okay to get back to the summer program at the Hutch School. Last week, Blake went out on a Yacht on Lake Washington and was able to see where Bill Gates lives. This week they have some Olympic Team Members coming to meet the kids. It is so nice having a place like this for the kids to go to. Living in an apartment in the city is a little different from what we are used to as country folk!

We hope all of you continue to enjoy your summer.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 22, 2007

*Day 67*

WBC = 6,500
ANC = 5,135
Platelets =29,000
Hematocrit = 35.8

Well, if things go well tonight, meaning no fevers,…Bailey should get out of the hospital tomorrow. She continues to have some pain but overall has had a good day. The one thing that we continue to wait on is for her to have a bowel movement. I can’t figure out why she still isn’t having one after four doses of Miralax and over ten days since her last one?! We walked around quite a bit today with Ayden (he is so cute) and she even ate a whole piece of pizza tonight, so hopefully something will happen soon!

We are soooo thankful that Bailey’s ANC continues to stay up and that she received a good bump to her Hematocrit level from her red blood cell transfusion. Now we need her Platelets to recover!

Bailey has enjoyed bestowing daily gifts upon Ayden. He spends the rest of the day carrying them around. They are big buddies. He brought her Magenta, from Blue’s Clues the other day and gave her a pack of Lifesavers today. That is the first candy that I have seen her eat since her transplant. She thought it was so cute how he marched in her room and handed them to her. Both of them had huge smiles on their faces. Please say a prayer for Ayden. He was supposed to get out of the hospital tomorrow, but they just found out that his blood work had cultured something. He may be here for another couple of weeks now while he gets antibiotics.

Please pray for our precious friend Parker Bockhop and his family. He had two cord blood transplants and has been relapsing since around November of 2006. He’s been such an amazing fighter but now it looks as if his little body is tired of the fight. We pray for comfort and strength for him and his family.

Just like Bailey…Parker has that “Never Give Up” attitude. So for all of you who think something is just too “hard” to do…guess what…most of us have no idea what “hard” is. I encourage all of you to reach out and do something special for someone who is fighting cancer.

To all of you Cancer Fighters and Cancer Survivors…you are all my heroes!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 21, 2007

*Day 66*

Sorry I wasn’t able to update yesterday, but it was a long day. It started with 9:30 a.m. labs and finished with finally settling into our hospital room around 1:00 a.m. The doctors decided around 5:30 p.m. yesterday to admit Bailey to the hospital, but there were no rooms available. We had to wait in the oncology triage room until 10:30 p.m. last night to get into a room. Bailey was comfortable so it wasn’t a big deal, but it did make for a late night.

So, why are we in the hospital? Well, Friday morning Bailey was still in pain on her left side and her left ear was really hurting her. They decided to give her an IV dose of Ceftriaxone, an antibiotic, and some IV Morphine while we were at the SCCA Clinic. After that, they sent us to Children’s Hospital to have an x-ray of her lungs done. So far, all of the tests have come back showing no problems. I don’t think we would have been admitted but all day yesterday, Bailey’s temperature and pain were like a yo-yo, up and down. We agreed with the doctors to play it safe and admit her. She had a much better day today but has still had some pain and low fevers periodically. One of the problems she is facing is constipation. She hasn’t had a bowel movement in over ten days, so they think that could be causing a lot of the nausea and pain. She also needed a red blood cell transfusion today so it is good we are here.

Overall she feels pretty good and has been doing a little chasing after Ayden. I am expecting to get out of here within a few days. Brooke is on the mend also. Thanks for all of the prayers heading up to Seattle for our family.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 19, 2007

*Day 64*

Well, it looks like we are back on the roller coaster again. Hopefully this time it is a nice short ride. Today was a crazy day. Bailey woke up having pain all along her left side and felt uncomfortable all over. Since this is the side where your spleen is located, this concerned me. (Mono causes you to have an enlarged spleen. They can also rupture but this isn’t highly common.) I called the doctor who was also concerned, especially since her pain was bad enough that she needed some Oxycodone. As we were getting ready to head off to clinic with Bailey, Brooke complained that her left side was feeling pretty weird. It wasn’t quite pain, but it just didn’t feel right. So I left a message for Brooke’s doctor and off we went with Bailey.

By the time we were settled in at the clinic triage area, Bailey’s pain was getting pretty bad. They ended up drawing blood, giving her Morphine and sending us off to Children’s Hospital to have a sonogram done. Everything came back looking good. Because her pain continued, they sent us for x-rays of her abdomen which also looked fine. Despite no explaination of the pain, they sent us home with the understanding that we would watch her closely. We go into clinic tomorrow for our usual visit. The tests so far have shown Bailey negative for Mono!!! Thank you God!!!

Brooke is feeling a little better tonight and is just laying low right now. Hopefully she can rest and get better soon.

Please pray that both Brooke and Bailey fell better soon.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 18, 2007

*Day 63*

Today has been an interesting day. Brooke woke up feeling completely miserable. Her throat hurt so badly that she winced every time she swallowed. We took her back to the doctor this afternoon to see if he could find anything wrong with her. He suspected that she might have Mono! Well…it is 12:30 a.m. and the doctor just called (The lab lost her blood. He told them to find it and call him as soon as they had the results.) This doctor is definitely different from Dr. Kailey, her doctor back home who we love, but as you can tell, he is very dedicated. He was the only one I could find who would see her when she was having problems right before Bailey went to transplant. He is rated as one of the top in Seattle, so that made me feel good. He was also an oncologist, although now he is primarily a Pediatrician. The first time we met him it was a lot like trying to talk to Robin Williams, the comedian. In fact, this doctor was a stand up comic and piano player in Chicago while he was going through medical school and was roommates with…John Belushi.

The results confirmed his belief…Brooke has Mononucleosis. So…what do we do now? Well as I am writing this, Randy is at a 24-Hour pharmacy picking up some medicine for her. There is nothing they can give her to cure her, but he has prescribed a steroid in order to help with the terrible pain she has in her throat. She has a new appreciation for what Bailey just went through with the Mucositis (when Bailey’s whole mouth, throat and GI tract shedded and healed.) Please pray that Brooke has a peaceful nights sleep.

Needless to say, I will be calling Bailey’s doctor first thing in the morning to see what we do about her. I am saying a lot of extra prayers that God has put a protective shield around our precious little girl. She continues to be very tired and experiencing periodic pain but still keeps on truckin’. This afternoon we went exploring parts of our neighborhood that we have never seen. We found a pizza parlor, a coffee shop, and a cool spa called Blix. Too bad it was closed by the time we were walking around. I think Bailey and I could use some pampering! Ha! Ha! She did so well walking even though she is feeling so yucky! I am hoping with some extra rest she will be feeling better soon and not get Mono. I will keep all of you updated.

Please say an extra prayer for Austin’s family, as his funeral is tomorrow.

Oh, some great news that I keep forgetting to pass along…Randy passed his RICA test!! This is the test that he missed passing by only three points before. This was the second time he went back to California to take it. What a relief. He needed to pass this to finalize his credential. With everything that we have had going on, I don’t know how he did it, but I am so glad he did. One less thing to worry about now.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 17, 2007

*Day 62*

I had my dates mixed up on the entry that posted this morning but I have now corrected it.

Bailey had clinic today and despite my list of concerns because of her overall yucky feeling, the doctors are not too concerned at this point. All of her counts are looking good and she still gives the doctors lots of smiles and laughter, so they just want us to keep a close eye on her and just work on getting her to eat and drink more if possible. Today, that was not possible. As soon as we got home from clinic, she headed in for a nap. When she woke up, she went for the nacho cheese sauce. She ate a little bit but couldn’t enjoy it the way she normally does. She must have spent thirty minutes getting it just right but still couldn’t eat much. She can’t have the normal nacho cheese sauce with the jalapenos already in it so she had to do some doctoring up of it before she was ready to dig in. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day in the eating category.

Tonight she is having a lot of pain in her legs and some in her back. We are hoping she is not coming down with what Brooke has. Poor Brooke has been exiled to the bedroom with the door shut. She has felt miserable all day with ear pain and extreme throat pain. She has pus on her tonsils so I can only image what her throat feels like. I really hope the antibiotics kick in soon so that she won’t be so miserable.

I need to get off so that I can hold my little girlie. Thanks for checking in on us. We really need prayers that Brooke will feel better soon and that Bailey will not get whatever it is that Brooke has.

God Bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 16, 2007

*Day 61*

Just a quick update and a few prayer request for all you awesome “Prayer Warriors” out there. Bailey has clinic tomorrow so I will try to do a better update after that.

First off, little Miss Bailey is doing okay but just isn’t feeling too hot since Thursday. We will be glad to get into clinic tomorrow morning so that we can see how her labs are and hear what the doctors think. She doesn’t feel bad but just doesn’t have a lot of energy and is having periodic headaches and back pain. She is still taking pain medicine every night and even needed some in the middle of the afternoon today. However, we were able to get her to walk down to Lake Union last night and out walking again tonight. Tonight we walked around every floor from the 2nd floor to 6th floor then up to the roof. We alternated between taking the elevator and the stairs to get to the next level. We have a nice Serenity Garden on the roof of our apartments and a great view of the Lake Union area. We walked each of the floors on the way down also. Her legs are still so strong despite all that she has been through. I am hoping she will start feeling better soon so that we can get out a little more before Randy, Blake and Brooke head home in a few weeks. Please pray that her body continues to stay healthy and that her new cells continue to grow and kill any leukemia that may still be hanging out.

Brooke also needs prayers tonight. We took her to the doctor today because she was miserable with an ear infection and really sore throat. She can barely swallow. He started her on antibiotics but still tonight, she is in a lot of pain despite the Tylenol and eardrops. We are praying that she feels better soon and that Bailey does not get whatever this is that has made Brooke so miserable.

I received some sad news today. Shellena, Austin’s mom, left me a message that he had passed away yesterday. Please keep Shellena, Matt, and little Megan in your prayers. Austin was such a happy baby who will be dearly missed. It’s hard to understand why this happens but I do know how many people’s lives this precious little angel and his family have touched. They have a strong faith in our dear Lord, Jesus Christ, and choose to focus on the good that Austin’s short life brought to those who were lucky enough to know him. Shellena, you will always be a special part of our lives. Thanks for sharing your precious little boy with us. We loved the smiles he so eagerly gave away and watching him race all over the third floor day and night. You so openly shared your faith and trust in God to everyone you met despite the prognosis that little Austin faced. You are an inspiration.

Just a reminder…hug your kids and tell them you love them, each and every day!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 14, 2007

*Day 59*

Hello to all of you. Thanks for continuing to check in on us. I am sorry I can’t do a daily update anymore but now that I am back at the apartment all of the things of a “normal” mom-life keep me busy. (breakfast,dishes,laundry,lunch,dishes,…) Luckily, Randy is a great helper or I don’t know how I would do all of the scheduled things I have to do for Miss Bailey (meds, line flushing, dressing changing, etc.) Anyway, the day flies by and before I know it, it’s midnight! So just know that for the most part…no news is good news!

Bailey has been wiped out since Thursday when she had her spinal with chemo. She handled the procedure well but overall just felt yucky all day. She didn’t sleep well the night before so I think being tired contributed to it. She is starting to get a little apprehensive about procedures. Part of it is due to her getting older (she was only four when this all started). The other part is that she’s been watching way too much Discovery Health and is now realizing just how many things she has had done to her and she is kind of over it. She is still the best little patient and goes with the flow but I think she can’t wait for these procedures to be over with. Also, the PA reminded us the other day…she just had a transplant two months ago! He said every part of her body is trying to recuperate from the radiation and hard chemo, not to mention her seven-day ICU stay. Her counts continue to look good and she has been able to stay infection-free. (Keep those prayers coming because they are working great.) He feels like she is doing great overall and said if he had to score her, he would give her a B plus/A minus. We will take that!!!! God is good!! Thank you for all of the prayers!!!!

Since Friday, she has been napping throughout the day and hasn’t had a lot of energy to do much. We think besides just the overall recovery of her body, she might be having some withdrawal symptoms from weaning her off the Methadone too quickly. We have her on a minimal dose of another pain med and that seems to be doing the trick.

We have been having a heat wave up here so it has been a good time to keep her inside. The only problem is that our apartment does not have air conditioning. Luckily, the heat waves up here don’t last very long.

Blake and Brooke have been having a great time at the Hutch School Summer Program. What a blessing to have this for them. They spent most of last week swimming at different parks or lakes. On Friday, they went swimming in Lake Sammamish where they had a floating dock and a slide that went down into the water. They had a great time. The only problem is…Brooke has been miserable with an ear infection since…you guessed it…Friday night. I am hoping to get her in to the doctor, first thing Monday.

I want to say “Hi” to all of the doctors, nurses and staff back home in California. Thanks, for all that you have done over the years to help our family. Also, “HI” to all of our special friends from our California hospital. We hope all of you are doing well. We can’t wait until we get to see you again. (Only not at the hospital, we’ll do lunch!!!) Remember…Never Give Up!!!

We hope all of you have a great Sunday. We will be watching Joel Osteen once again tomorrow morning. God bless each of you.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 10, 2007

WBC =7,010
ANC = 4,910
Platelets =80,000
Hematocrit = 32

*Day 55*

I can’t believe it has been three days since I updated this. Time just seems to fly.

We just want to start by thanking all of you for your continued prayers for our family. We can see the answer to your prayers by how well Bailey continues to do. Everyday we see her getting stronger and stronger.

We had clinic today, and as you can see from above, her counts are looking great! We are so thankful that the donor cells are doing so well growing inside our precious little one. I am in awe every time I stop and think of the fact that someone else’s cells are what is growing inside of Bailey and fighting off everything that is trying to attach her body. I don’t know if I told you this before, but Bailey’s blood type has changed. She now has the same blood type as her donor!! It is just amazing to me!!

Bailey had a very fun day yesterday. It started with Randy and I taking her and Bryce out to lunch. She ordered Orange & Sweet and Sour Chicken, which are two of her favorites. They prepared the food up freshly for her. After our lunch date, she came home and napped for a few hours before she set out on her date with Randy and me. We took her down to the Seattle Center, which is where the Space Needle is located. This is the same place that we happened upon right before her transplant. It has a small carnival type game area. She had her sights set on a huge, yoga size ball. It is made to look like a huge blue and silver basketball with “Seattle” written all over it. Are you ready for a “God News Story”??!! Randy had gone down the day before, to ask someone who works there, when the least crowded time would be. He talked to a really nice man who worked at the stand where you win the huge balls. Anyway, the next day when we took Bailey, the man was once again working. That was our first stop. After throwing twelve balls, (the man gave Randy six extra) and not being able to knock over the metal milk bottles, we figured we wouldn’t be getting her the ball. We went on to play other games, when a man showed up. He was the Manager of the Park and he was holding the Seattle ball that Bailey wanted. After hearing Bailey’s story from the man, he wanted to do something for her. It caught me so off-guard, that I started crying. I could barely talk to the guy. On top of giving her the ball, he also gave all of us wristbands so that we could ride any rides we wanted to. The kindness of complete strangers, during this time in our lives, just continues to overwhelm us. There is so much good in the world. Tomorrow, instead of just focusing on the bad, stop and notice the good in your life. I bet you will find more than you expected. Needless to say, Bailey had a great time and came home the proud owner of some really cool prizes. She was smiling from ear to ear. I will try to post new pictures soon.

Please continue to pray for our little friends who are such fighters, Parker B. and Austin, Kayla, Ethan and Ayden.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 7, 2007

WBC =5,170
ANC = 3,310
Platelets =70,000
Hematocrit = 31R>

*Day 52*

Hello to everyone!!! We hope all of you are having a great summer!! I am so mixed up, half the time I have to stop and think hard about what month it is.

Bailey had clinic yesterday and the doctors were happy with how she is doing. Her counts continue to remain steady, which is great. We do need the Platelets to continue to grow and reach 100,000 to 150,000 sometime before Day 100. Research shows that kids whose platelets are under this amount are more likely to have Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease (CGVHD). Once again, we are trusting that God knows all of Bailey’s needs and that he will continue to protect her and guide all of us.

Bailey has been doing well for the most part. The last couple of nights she has been complaining of overall body pain. I am hoping it is because we just recently weaned her off Methadone. I gave her another type of pain medicine last night and she slept well. I am hoping that tonight will be the same.

Next week is going to be a bit busier. She has clinic on Tuesday and Friday and she will have a Spinal with Chemo on Thursday. Please pray that this goes well and that she will not have any side effects from the chemo. Little Ethan’s counts dropped drastically after his but now he is doing fine. I talked to Austin’s mom last night. The Precious Little Angel is still hanging on. He is sleeping a lot but when he is awake, he flashes his amazing smile. Please continue to pray for him and his family as they spend these last days together.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 5, 2007

*Day 50*

Well we hope all of you had a nice Fourth of July. We had a really nice day.

Bailey has been feeling well and is getting more strength and stamina back each day. We had a fun day at the Ballard Locks watching the boats go from one level of water to the other. It was really interesting and the gardens that surround it are beautiful. We hope to go back soon and see the salmon ladder and just stroll through the gardens.

We go to clinic tomorrow so I will wait until then to do my big update.

I will try to get new pictures on the website soon. We saw Lynette Johnson, who took the great black and white photos of our family, as we were leaving the Locks today. She was so excited to see Bailey and had us following her back into the gardens so she could snap a few pictures of Bailey and our family. (She was there to photograph another family, who was with her at the time.) Isn’t that so sweet of her?! Thanks Lynette!!

Thank you for continuing to support our family.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 3, 2007

*Day 48*

Well all went well our first night home from the hospital. We had to be at clinic at 10:00 a.m. this morning, which wouldn’t have been so bad, if we had gotten to bed before 2:00 a.m. Every evening I have to get her fluids going through her Hickman line. It is not hard, it is just a time consuming process in addition to getting her and Bryce showered, her lines flushed, and her fifteen meds taken. I feel like I am running in a lot of different directions as the time ticks away so quickly. I just finally got her to bed and it is 12:30 a.m. I think it is going to just take time to get into a routine in order to make things a bit easier. On top of it all, it is still light up here until close to 10 p.m. That makes it hard to keep bedtime in perspective. It’s all good!!!!!

Anyway, because the nighttime routine is so crazy right now, I will probably only be doing the journal every two to three days…so don’t get worried. You know the old saying, “No news is good news”.

Bailey will be going to clinic on Tuesday and Friday mornings. As long as she stays infection-free, fever-free and doesn’t need any transfusion, we will stay on this twice a week schedule. That will be sooooo nice. She had clinic today. They did a blood draw but since I didn’t get all of her counts back, I didn’t post them tonight. The counts we did get back looked great. The nutritionist met with us…oh yeah, that is another thing I have to do. I have to keep a daily journal of what she is drinking and eating so that they can determine if she is getting enough calories and fluids. So far, she is doing well and is only requiring fluids at home due to the amount of meds she is taking and the fact that they want to protect the kidneys by keeping her body well hydrated.

We are looking forward to our view from our apartment for the big Seattle Fireworks Show over Lake Union tomorrow. We hope all of you have a great 4th of July tomorrow. Don’t forget about all of the soldiers who are fighting to keep our great country a free country. God bless our soldiers and their families who make daily sacrifies while their loved ones are away.

God Bless America,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

July 2, 2007

*Day 47*

WBC = 5,800
ANC = 4,118
Platelets =86,000
Hematocrit = 30.8

We are back at the apartment!!!!! It took a while but we finally made it home from the hospital around 6 p.m. We have never had a problem with our insurance this whole time but for some reason, our prescription plan is very unorganized. Despite the fact that Children’s Hospital Pharmacy is a provider pharmacy, the woman in charge of billing spent five hours trying to get Bailey’s medicine processed. She was passed from person to person to supervisor to person…you get the idea. In the end, they refused to fill some of them for more than 14 days and one they wouldn’t cover at all. So, tomorrow it looks like I will be on the phone having fun with Medco. Yuck!

Bailey, of course, used the time to say goodbye and pass out goodies to any patient or sibling she could find. Bryce meantime, had a blast playing with Garrett, whose brother Christian just had his second transplant. They are from Southern California. Garrett is 11-years-old and was the bone marrow donor for his brother’s first transplant. Hint! Hint! I know, I’m ruthless. It is soooo important to donate blood, platelets and of course bone marrow. Gary and Sandy, who are Christian’s parents, told us that there were several times when he needed platelets down in L.A. and there were none to give him despite the fact that he was only at 5,000. That is scary!!! We’ve been worried about Bailey being below 20,000 because of her bleeding problems. Please pray for Christian who is fourteen years old and undergoing his second transplant in just over a year. As I have said before, it is so hard on the teenagers who should be having the time of their lives but instead are stuck in the hospital for months at a time.

Bailey continues to have some nausea but overall is feeling good. We are looking forward to enjoying the nice weather we are having up here in Seattle.

Thank you for all of the prayers. We have felt the love and support during the fifty plus days that Bailey was in the hospital. It has been quite a roller coaster ride but one we have never been alone on.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

July 1, 2007

*Day 46*

WBC = 5,100
ANC = 3,723
Platelets =68,000
Hematocrit = 29.6

It is hard to believe that we have already been away from home for four months. Today I told Bryce that this was the last night that Bailey and I would have to spend in the hospital. He got so excited and said, “Bailey has no more cancer”! Then his next words were, “We get to go home now”. (Home as in Newman). I told him that it wasn’t quite time to go yet but soon we will be back home. He has been such a trooper over the last three and a half years. He was only one-year-old when this all started with Bailey.

Bailey was a little more nauseated this morning than she has been lately. The doctors had taken away her Benedryl, so we are hoping that is the only reason. Hopefully, she will feel great in the morning with no temperature and no high blood pressure, so that we can get out of here and enjoy the Fourth of July at home as a family. For some reason, her blood pressure has been a little high lately. They started her on a daily blood pressure pill and will continue to monitor her.

She walked all the way out to the parking garage today, which included climbing a bunch of stairs. She is looking good and sooo strong. Looking at her now it is hard to believe that just five weeks ago she was fighting for her life up in ICU! Thank you God for protecting our baby and guiding us to make the right decisions!

We need prayers that we will be able to keep Bailey healthy now that we are out in the “real world” again. She has a great ANC right now and the doctor is impressed with all of her counts, but her immune system is considered a “baby immune system” for about a year. A bad cold or virus could cause her to lose her engraftment. Please pray that God will continue to protect her and allow her to heal fully. Please pray also that her platelets will continue to increase and that she will get enough of the Graft vs. Leukemia affect to kill off any remaining cancer cells without getting any Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease.

We also want to ask for special prayers for two-year-old Kayla, who is on Day 13 of her transplant. She has such a severe case of Skin GVHD. Besides being burned by the Total Body Irradiation, her skin is cracking all over now. Her hands and one foot are wrapped up just like if she were a burn victim. Bailey made her night when she gave her two glow-in-the-dark bracelets and some coloring posters tonight. She is such a little trooper.

May God guide you and bless you in your life.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 30, 2007

*Day 45*

WBC = 5,300
ANC = 3,551
Platelets =77,000
Hematocrit = 28.2

Remember when I said I thought that by next week Bailey would be able to climb stairs? Well guess what…when we got back to the apartment today, she climbed the 2 ½ flights of stairs to our apartment, without stopping. Bryce was soooooo excited that she was climbing the stairs. When she got to the top he said, “I’m so proud of you Bay” and put out his hand to help her up the last one. It was so precious.

Once again, it was just a nice mellow day. While I took my first nap in forever, Bailey sorted candy. Mings has kept us so well supplied that we want to make up bags of goodies for each of the kids here, before we leave on Monday. Thanks Mings! You have brought lots of smiles to the faces of kids and adults around here. Everyone wishes they had their own Mings.

Bailey hasn’t napped today and is still going strong even though it is 11:00 p.m. While I am writing this entry, Bailey and Randy are out roaming the halls looking for any kids that might still be awake. So far, she has passed out two necklaces and six glow-in-the-dark bracelets. Every time she walks back in the room for more goodies, she has a huge smile on her face. She is such a special little spirit. She takes such joy in making other kids happy. I love it! Bailey is on a mission to put a smile on some of the teenager’s faces before she leaves here. That has to be such a difficult time to have something like this happen in your life.

Brooke has taken over my role around the apartment now that Nana is gone. She has been such a huge help for Randy. She makes sure everything is cleaned up before she goes to bed and makes everyone’s lunch in the morning before they head out on their fieldtrips. Both of our girls have such huge hearts.

Thanks for all of your support and prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

June 29, 2007

*Day 44*

WBC = 4,800
ANC = 3,504
Platelets =70,000
Hematocrit = 30.3

Well today we had a six hour pass!!! Bailey went home and filled up on spaghetti with meat sauce and sour dough bread with butter and garlic. Yum! She is doing so good and her legs are getting stronger each day. By next week she should be climbing stairs again.

We are so excited to get back to the apartment but we will miss seeing all of the kids, their families, and the great nurses that we have met. Hopefully once we leave, we can just come back to pass out candy!!!

We had more God News from the doctor today. They had run some very extensive testing at the DNA/Chromosome level to see if any of they cells were showing signs of mutating. Everything came back negative. Thank you God!!!!!! We are so encouraged each time we get results like this back. We love Bailey’s donor cells. They are nice and strong and doing a great job.

We cannot wait for the day when we can officially thank the woman who saved Bailey’s life. We are so thankful for the European registry because without it, Bailey wouldn’t have had a donor. Hint! Hint! It really is important to sign up to be a bone marrow/stem cell donor and to follow through once you are on the list. We have only met one family whose donor is from the U.S. The others are all from a European country, cord blood, or from a matched sibling.

Little Parker B. continues to amaze us. In his latest update, they said that a little oral chemo brought his blast down from 85 percent to 58 percent. He is busy preparing for a big 4th of July family with his friends and family. We are so proud of you Parker!!!!! Have fun Bockhop Family.

Have a safe weekend.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

June 28, 2007

*Day 43*

WBC = 6,300
ANC = 4,473
Platelets =77,000
Hematocrit = 31.4

Today was another good day for Bailey. It is so nice not having her so nauseated all day. Even though we didn’t go to bed until 2:00 a.m., we were up and dressed by the time the doctor walked in this morning. He was totally surprised and happy to hear that she had a good time out on Pass. We let him know that she wasn’t tired, as he had anticipated she would be, and in fact, she walked many laps once we returned.

We spent the morning hanging out with two cute babies, Mason and Ethan. Mason is 13 months old and has leukemia. He is here because his counts are so low and they are just waiting for them to go up. He is not a transplant patient. Thank goodness. While Bailey hung out with the babies and Pa, Randy and I ran to Costco to stock up on foods Bailey might eat.

She came home around five o’clock and didn’t have to return until nine. She did a good job eating her Orange Chicken and drinking a good amount of milk. She hasn’t drunk milk even once in the hospital. It is funny how things taste so much better at home.
She ended the night eating a yummy Italian Ice. It is good seeing her eating again.

I forgot to thank my brother Ray, Jeanette, Chris, and Derrick for coming up and visiting us recently. Bailey enjoyed having you up here a lot. She’s glad she could help teach Chris and Derrick how to throw the football correctly!! If you need any more pointers boys, she said she could work you into her schedule! (for a fee of course) She accepts most major credit cards!! Uncle Ray and Aunt Jeanette, she said thanks for the credit card. She feels very special being the only Costa or Rocha kid who owns a credit card. Most of the nurses and doctors have heard about “The Credit Card” and how she earned it from Uncle Ray by quickly downing a full strawberry smoothie. It was not a good idea however, since she was sick to her stomach for the remainder of the day!!

I wanted to say a big thanks to my mom for all her help while she was up here. We couldn’t have done it without you. She was up here since the beginning of March with us, except for one week. She survived the long journey home with Ray and family. They did however, take her to the beach on the way home, which I’m sure, made her happy. Now she is back to being a country girl. Do you miss the city yet?

Everyday we see Bailey getting stronger and stronger and thank God for all that he has done to guide us during this difficult time. There have been so many decisions that we have had to make where the doctors didn’t even know the best choice. It has been so reassuring knowing that God knows all that is to come and continues to “talk” to us and perfectly direct us in our difficult choices. We pray that by being a part of our journey you will be able to grow in your relationship with God and that you will be able to help others to grow. Everybody has trials and difficult times in their lives but when you have the love and support of others, it makes those times not so bad. As we have found out, the difficult times are when your relationship with God grows if you allow it to.

Please pray for an amazing mom named Kris. Her son has fought cancer for a number of years and she has been a constant encouragement to so many other moms. She was herself diagnosed with cancer recently and continues to search for the best treatment for her cancer. Please pray that God will comfort her and give her and the doctor’s wisdom in dealing with her illness.

Best wishes,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

27, 2007

*Day 42*

WBC = 6,500
ANC = 4,940
Platelets =84,000
Hematocrit = 29.2

As I am sitting here writing this, Bailey is giving Randy her “puppy dog” eyes so that he will go get her a warm blanket to wrap herself in. He was trying to motivate her to go to bed but she’s not quite ready yet. It’s way too early…it’s only 11:00 p.m.!!

Guess what…we went home to our apartment for four hours today!!!! Thanks for all the prayers! We were home from 4 to 8 p.m. tonight. It was just nice spending time as a family and being back home. The doctor told me that Bailey would be exhausted when she got back to the hospital…obviously he doesn’t know our little Miss Bailey very well yet. As soon as we got back here, we started walking the halls handing out candy and glow in the dark bracelets. We were just about to stop when we came across Ethan and his dad, Kevin. Of course, there was no way she was going to go back to her room while there was a cute baby roaming the halls!!

We finally have an answer as to why Bailey has been so nauseated…the biopsy came back positive for Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) in her stomach. It is a mild case but the stomach is pretty inflamed. Also, her stomach is not emptying the way it is supposed to, so food and fluids are taking a long time to continue on to her intestines. She will be taking a new medicine tonight that will hopefully help with that problem. As far as the GVHD goes, they will continue treating her with two medicines she has been on for another fifty days. After that, they will reevaluate her condition.

Bailey has a slight sore throat so please pray that it isn’t anything that is going to keep us in the hospital longer. We are hoping it is from the scope they put down her throat yesterday. The doctor is planning on letting her out for good on Monday, as long as things continue to progress. He is very happy at how well Bailey is doing overall.

Please continue to pray that her new cells are destroying any leukemia that may still be in her body. Also, if you could say an extra prayer for Ethan, his counts are going down and they are not sure why. They are hoping it is from some intrathecal chemo he received the other day.

Blake and Brooke just started the summer program that is offered free through the Hutch School. Everyday they will be going on a fieldtrip. Yesterday they went to the beach, today they went on a scavenger hunt around Seattle, and tomorrow they go to the Space Needle. A new adventure each day…how cool is that!! They are soooo supportive of the whole family up here. God is so awesome! We knew we needed to stay together as a family through this time and He has made it work out better than we could have ever planned on our own.

We hope that all of you are doing well and that you let God help you through whatever you may be facing.

Best wishes,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 26, 2007

*Day 41*

WBC = 6,700
ANC = 5,293
Platelets =42,000
Hematocrit = 30.5

We want to ask for special prayers tonight for the family of Bryan DeHoog from Ripon. He is the nephew of our good friends, Rick and Kelly Inderbitzin who live in Manteca. Bryan, age 18, successfully fought leukemia (ALL) over 10 years ago. Recently, he was diagnosed with leukemia again but this time it was AML. Long story short, he went into ICU with pneumonia on June 18 and after a hard fight, he passed away today. His family needs our prayers of comfort and strength as they face the coming days.

None of us knows when it is our time to go and be with our Heavenly Father. So think about this…are you living a life worth remembering? How can you bring more joy and happiness into your life? One thing I have learned from watching Bailey fight this battle during the last three and a half years is this…Take the focus off of you and find a way everyday to do something for someone else. Blake and I just watched Joel Osteen’s Podcast yesterday about being somebody’s miracle. His basic message was that we should be looking for ways to bless the lives of those around us whether it is a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend, a stranger, an elderly neighbor, a waitress, a salesperson, etc. (You get the idea). Bailey will endure nausea and pain to get out of this room, to pass out treats and treasures, and put a smile on another child’s face. Those are the happiest and most memorable times she has…giving to others. If this precious angel can put aside what is happening in her life to reach out to others, shouldn’t the rest of us be able to?

For all of you non-Christians and Christians alike…Jesus wants to be a part of your life!! He is just waiting for you to invite him into your life. He wants to do great things for you. (I think we sometimes forget that). You can do more with just one touch of God’s favor than you can do in a whole lifetime in your own effort.

Everyday is a gift from God!! We all need to do our best to remember that and spend our time enjoying the life God has given us instead of complaining about it. Believe me when I say this…there is always someone worse off than you are. We continue to meet and/or hear about truly amazing people who choose to turn to God instead of away from him during the hard times in their lives. I’ve said this before…we would never be able to make it through this without the comfort and guidance of God! He is real!!

Ready for some God News…today has been a much better day for our little Miss Bailey. She was all smiles when she woke up this morning. Even after she took her morning meds, she still felt okay. Her doctor was surprised to see her feeling so well and even had second thoughts about doing the scope today. She went in for her procedure right at 1:00 p.m. When the procedure was done, they came out and told us they would bring her to her room when she got out of recovery. Within ten minutes, they brought her back to the room looking all bright eyed and ready to have a good time. We expected her to sleep the day away like she did last time. That was not in her plans. There is a precious two-year-old girl, Kayla, who just had her transplant a week ago. She is a trooper but really isn’t feeling well. Bailey has been on a mission to fill her up with all kinds of goodies. (candy, necklaces, bracelets, and glowing pens). She stayed up all day and just went to bed at midnight. She did have some nausea tonight but nothing compared to how it’s been lately.

We are hoping to get out on a Pass for a few hours tomorrow. Randy is going to stock up, on all of Bailey’s favorites, in hopes of finding something she wants to eat.

Please pray for Parker B., Austin, Ethan, Kayla, and every precious child who is facing this horrible disease. I hate cancer!!!!

I had better get to bed. Sleep is a rare commodity around here these days!

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 25, 2007

*Day 40*

WBC = 7,000
ANC = 5,180
Platelets =45,000
Hematocrit = 29.8

Sorry the journal wasn’t posted this morning. I know it gave a few of you a scare. I posted it last night then found a mistake and somehow ended up deleting it from the journal without knowing it.

Bailey woke up feeling good…that is, until I put eight pills into her tummy with no food in it. I think the whole empty stomach thing is what is causing so much of the nausea, but the doctor wants to know for certain if she has any GVHD so…she will have an EGD scope procedure tomorrow to see what is going on in her gut and colon. Pray that God gives the doctors the information that they need to treat her correctly. We don’t want her to have to be on any more medicines than she has to be. We also pray that God gives her just the right amount of GVHD to destroy any leukemia that may still be hanging out in her body. We know that God can control every single cell in her body and we often envision the good cells specifically going after those horrible cancer cells! What a blessing it would be if she gets rid of her leukemia forever without having to endure the numerous side effects of Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease and the medicines that are used to manage it.

Bailey is so tired of being nauseated, that she agreed to try Acupuncture today. A couple of the Pain Management Doctors came in to do it. The first three needles really hurt and despite how hard she tried not to cry, she just couldn’t handle it. They ended up using some acupuncture patches (small round bandages with little needles under them) that stay on certain pressure points and when she is feeling nauseated, she lightly rubs across them. Tonight at bedtime, I asked her if she thinks they are helping and she said yes. I sure hope they are.

She slept a lot of the day and right as I was getting her ready for her first walk of the day at around 3:00 p.m. we had a visitor show up. Bailey was saved by Nancy, a social worker from Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, who stopped by to see us. She isn’t our social worker, but she thought she would stop by and visit since she was up in Seattle to see her son. It was so sweet of her to take the time to check on us. Thanks for the visit Nancy. To top it off, Bailey fell asleep right at the end of Nancy’s visit and I didn’t have the heart to wake her up.

I finally got Bailey out of bed around 8:30 p.m. tonight to do her walking, under protest from her. However, once she got out and starting seeing other kids, she turned into “the hostess with the mostess”. Love it!! She came back to the room twice looking for goodies (necklaces, bracelets, pens, etc.) to give away. After walking laps with Ethan, we still had to go up to x-ray at 10 p.m. tonight. Randy, Blake and Bryce were still here, so they were able to go with us. Bryce loves seeing the things that “Bay” has to do. Bailey finally ate some Rice Krispies tonight at 11:45 p.m. That was the first real food that she had today. She nibbled on some guacamole, chips, and Twinkies earlier, but nothing tasted good.

Bailey will receive a platelet transfusion at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Please pray that she will get a good bump from it and that she will have a safe and productive procedure at 1:00 p.m. Hopefully, we can get this nausea under control soon so that she can start eating and drinking enough to get out of here. She didn’t have to use her PCA pain meds at all today. That is a good sign.

Overall, I think she had a better day. She was feeling pretty good this evening. I hope it continues tomorrow.

Thank you for all of the prayers and support. We continue to feel the strength from all the prayers coming our way.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

**I don’t know why this didn’t post last night but everything is fine**

June 24, 2007

*Day 39*

WBC = 7,400
ANC = 5,254
Platelets =44,000
Hematocrit = 31.1

Well today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday except no vomiting. She wakes up feeling nauseated and immediately she has to take eight pills. It makes me feel sick just thinking about it. Anyway, after a few hours of continued nausea and fading in and out of sleep, I have to wake her up to go walking. This is not something she feels like doing but being the good patient she is, she gets up and does her laps. After she showered about 5:30 p.m., I thought she was going to fall asleep but she didn’t. Instead, it is 12:00 a.m. and she is hanging out next to me despite the fact that she woke up at 7:30 a.m. this morning.

The doctor really wants her to start eating and to get off the PCA pain medicine before he releases her. She has been eating guacamole that she makes herself, for a couple of days now, but she needs to do more than that.

She will receive a matched platelet transfusion on Tuesday morning in preparation for her procedure where they check the gut for GVHD. Last time they didn’t find anything but they are hoping this will explain why she has so much nausea. Please pray that she will either feel better tomorrow so they don’t have to do the procedure or that the procedure will give the doctors the info they need to help her feel better.

Her hair is starting to grow back. She is hoping for blond straight hair but I’m already seeing dark hair sprouting. Maybe she will at least get the straight hair she wants. Time will tell.

We hope all of you had a great Sunday.

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 23, 2007

*Day 38*

WBC = 8,600
ANC = 6,536
Platelets =39,000
Hematocrit = 32.0

Well the morning started out with Bailey waking up getting sick. Usually, she feels like a champ afterwards, but not this morning. She continued to feel miserable but was able to finally fall asleep. The doctor was very clear today that Bailey needed to get out of bed and walk as much as possible. So, I had to wake her up a couple of hours later and force her out of bed despite her being tired and nauseated. After she was up and walking, she actually looked really good and didn’t feel too bad either. We took some candy around with us to treat everyone we saw. We were able to visit with Ethan and his mom, which of course Bailey loved. He is doing so well despite all that he has been through. Thank you for the prayers for him and our other friends.

This afternoon, we were able to say goodbye to Austin and his mom Shellena, before they caught their flight home to Montana. We have met so many incredible people during the last three years who have such strong faith. None of us would choose this to happen in our lives but it is amazing the peace you can feel when you turn the decisions over to our Lord. Shellena gave Bailey and me a special gift. It is a picture of a precious little girl sitting on Jesus’ lap and it says, “Forever and Ever”. She printed a saying on the back that said, “Sometimes God calms the storm, and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms the child.” This from a mom who was told her baby boy has only one week to live. If that isn’t God giving her peace, I don’t know what it is. I pray that God blesses them with more than one week at home together. I know they plan on enjoying every minute they have left with their precious angel. Bailey was crying tonight because she is going to miss him. Austin, Shellena, and family…you will continue to be in our prayers.

Despite her continuous nausea all day long, she was able to take all but two pills. Thank you for the prayers. We know they are working. She is saying a lot herself these days. That is how she pumps herself up in order to take them. She sits and prays for God to help her and he does!

We wanted to say thank you to Van, Vicki and Anabella Felber for the special package you sent Bailey. For those of you who don’t know, Bailey and Brooke’s school, Von Renner, has an Olympics every year where the classes choose a country to represent then compete against each other for medals. This years Olympics was held in memory of Dennis Soares, the teacher who started them and whom recently passed away and secondly in honor of our little Miss Bailey for her “Never Give Up” attitude. Bailey was smiling from ear to ear; watching the DVD you sent her. She wore her medal around all day long. She thought you did a great job announcing, Mr. Felber. To Mrs. Bradley and her class, thank you for the messages. She loves and misses all of you. Everyone did a great job. Thank you for helping her to still feel like a part of the school. She misses being with all of you and can’t wait to get back to Von Renner. The amazing thing about living in a small community like Newman, is that there are so many caring and concerned people who are supporting our family. We continue to get letters and encouragement from not only Von Renner but from Hunt, Yolo, and Orestimba students too. She even had a class from Hawaii send her letters!

Bryce continues to make new friends everyday while here visiting Bailey at the hospital. Some are his age, some are older kids, and some are cute nurses that love doting on him. He just loves people and having a good time!! I can’t tell you what a blessing it is to be up here as a family. Brooke spent time today playing with a little three year old girl who will be getting her transplant on Monday. She didn’t want Brooke to leave. Brooke is so good with kids of all ages.

Bailey’s platelets continue to be stable and in fact, they increased slightly today. Thanks for the prayers!!!

We pray that you have a blessed day.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 22, 2007

*Day 37*

WBC = 5,900
ANC = 4,661
Platelets =32,000
Hematocrit = 33.9

Today started out earlier than normal. We had to be up at Ophthalmology by 9:00 a.m. to check out her eyes and vision. I had to get Bailey up around 8:30 a.m. so that I could get certain meds in her before we left. She got the eight important ones in and of course felt nauseated for hours afterwards. Despite the pain in her feet and ankles, she walked all the way to her appointment. It turns out her vision is great. The doctor saw no problems despite all that she has been through. However, they will continue to monitor her because of the potential for future problems because of GVHD.

As we returned to our room this morning after the appointment, we were surprised to see a large amount of people gathered in the hallway outside of our room. Long story short, it was a group of motorcycle riders that do an annual event called Children’s Ride 12. Among them were Biker Build Off stars Paul Yaffe and Brian Klock from the Discovery Channel. There was also a special guest appearance from Captain Jack Sparrow. I tell you what, if he had been a little smaller, I would have thought it was Johnny Depp, himself. This guy was so good, down to the accent and swagger of Captain Jack. In fact, the minute Bryce saw Captain Jack, he ran into the bathroom in Bailey’s room and locked the door. He refused to unlock it until I convinced him that Captain Jack was gone. It was hilarious! They handed out darling leather clad/Harley Teddy Bears to each of the kids and took pictures of them with Captain Jack.

We received some God News today… Bailey’s bone marrow is 100 percent donor cells!!! This is another step in the right direction. All of these test and a few more will be redone on day 80. But, as we know, we take it one day at a time and enjoy where we are right here, right now.

Late this afternoon, Bailey made up a batch of guacamole and ate over half of it herself with some tortilla chips. Yeah!! Avocados are a great food for her to eat. She had about a three-hour window of feeling pretty good. After that, she went down for her nap around 4 o’clock. She didn’t wake up until 9:00 p.m. feeling totally nauseated. Then we added six meds and from then on, she was miserable. Poor Baby. We just hope the nausea ends soon. I know she is ready for it to be gone. However, today was a better day than yesterday.

Please pray for Bryan DeHoog from Ripon, CA. He needs strength to fight the fight that Bailey so recently endured up in ICU. Stay strong Bryan and believe that our precious Lord can heal you!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 21, 2007

*Day 36*

WBC = 6,500
ANC = 5,395
Platelets =34,000
Hematocrit = 35

This has to be quick because it is 12:10 a.m. and I still have to get six meds into my precious little one. We have a 9:00 a.m. appointment tomorrow with an ophthalmologist to check out her eyes because of some blurriness she has been complaining about. We are also going to set up for Bryce to be seen while we are up here because he was supposed to have surgery, on his eye lid that has drooped since birth, this summer in San Francisco. We are considering having it done here so we won’t have to worry about it when we get home. We will gather some info tomorrow when we take Bailey for her appointment.

Bailey had some good and bad times today. This morning the doctor could tell right away that she hadn’t been out of bed yesterday. Her lungs had diminished some. It is so important to get her up out of bed so today I was on a mission to get her up and moving. This is so hard when she is completely exhausted and totally nauseated! However being the trooper that she is, she got up and did her laps before going down for her first nap. It helped that I tracked Ethan and his Dad down to walk with us. She just can’t resist a cute baby. Ethan is doing better everyday. Praise God!!! We have been blessed to witness so many miracles during this journey. God truly does heal!!! Pray believing he can and he will!!! Just remember it is in his time not ours!! (That’s the hard part)

After her nap, she once again felt nauseated, but got up and did a lap. After a delay, we continued the laps and found a couple families out in the common area just hanging out. That was enough of a distraction for her. There was a cute little baby named Mason there that she was able to focus on. She decided she wanted to try some of the Orange Chicken I had bought her and some Doritos chips. She was able to eat a little and actually keep it down.

Thankfully, she came into this so strong. It has helped her to quickly regain her strength despite a lot of down time when she wasn’t able to make it out of bed. We just love seeing her out and about handing out her candy and goodies.

Hope all is well with each one of you.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 20, 2007

*Day 35*

WBC = 6,700
ANC = 5,092
Platelets =28,000
Hematocrit = 33.9

Staying up until 2:30 a.m. took its toll on our little princess. She spent more time sleeping than doing anything else today. This was actually good for a couple of reason. First, she needed to rest and secondly she is so nauseated when she is awake that it helped her get thru today without being so miserable. Despite being so nauseated, she has taken all of her meds today. She still is having a hard time eating, but was able to eat a little guacamole and chips today. We miss our good ole’ California Mexican Food. It’s just not the same up here. Anyway, hopefully the nausea will subside sometime soon. We are hoping to make it out of the hospital sometime next week if we can get this nausea under control.

Bailey’s platelets held steady overnight. The doctors are hoping that she is producing enough to keep her above her 20,000 threshold. Hopefully she doesn’t drop tonight.

Well, the party for Austin was tonight. It is wonderful how these families support each other. They really become part of your family because you spend so much time with them enduring similar situations. Please pray for comfort and strength for his family. His mom is at peace with what she believes is inevitable. He is such a precious little one. I haven’t had the heart to tell Bailey about the latest news. I’m going to wait until she is feeling a better. She has really grown attached to him since we’ve been here. I’m praying God will give me the right time and words to tell her without it hurting her too much. This is one of the hardest things because she has already lost numerous little friends.

No matter the age of your children…go give them a hug. I know it’s easier said than done, but try to spend some quality time with your children each day.

We hope all is well back in California.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 19, 2007

*Day 34*

WBC = 6,800
ANC = 4,896
Platelets =28,000
Hematocrit = 32.1

Today has been another day filled with nausea. It is kind of a vicious circle that we are in. In order to get out of the hospital Bailey needs to take all of her medicines orally and she needs to eat a certain amount of her daily calorie needs. Here’s the problem…both of them make her nauseated. So if I get her meds in her she gets too nauseated to eat and if I get her to eat, she gets too nauseated to take her meds. Sooooo…we’ve had to choose the meds. Which means if the eating doesn’t happen soon she may end up with a feeding tube that goes down her nose and into her stomach. Doesn’t sound too fun, does it?

However, the nausea was not enough to stop our girl from making it down to the outdoor playground albeit with a vomit bucket in hand!!! She did pretty much the same stuff as yesterday, which was great to see.

So, we will wait to see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully, she will get a good night’s sleep if she can ever get to bed. Right now, it is 1:45 a.m. and she just feels too yucky to go to sleep. I still need her to take three more meds before she goes to sleep. She has taken close to twenty-five already today. Yuck!! For you women out there, imagine having horrible morning sickness and then someone insisting that you take that much medicine each day. I honestly don’t understand how these little ones do it.

Her platelets are still not kicking it into gear. We know it will happen at the right time so just keep on praying. Just look at those counts at the top. We love seeing her ANC so high. What a beautiful sight. Thank you God!!!

Just a few updates. Our hearts broke tonight. We found out that little Austin has leukemia in his bloodstream. They told his parents he only has about one week to live. He is the cutest, sweetest, happiest baby!! We know that prayers work so if you could say a few extra for him we would appreciate it. A group of families are having a party tomorrow night, here on the ward, to celebrate his life before they leave to go back home to Montana. Also please pray for precious little Parker Bockhop who continues to hold out for a miracle. He is such a strong little guy. Our love and prayers are with you Bockhop Family. We talked to Ethan’s parents tonight and he continues to improve daily. He is urinating some and hasn’t had to have dialysis in three days. His lungs continue to heal well. He is truly a miracle baby. Randy got him to smile a bunch tonight.

Also, please pray for Bryan DeHoog, Rick and Kelly Inderbitzin’s, nephew. He is currently in the ICU with very similar problems (except no bleeding) that kept Bailey there. Never Give Up Bryan!!!!
We thank all of you for the love and support you continue to show our family by following our journey and keeping us in your prayers. Bailey continues to touch the lives of many up here despite all that she has gone through. I just can’t wait to see what other great things God has planned for her. In fact, I know each of our children; will be forever changed, in a good way, because of this experience. We have tried to teach the kids to make a positive difference wherever they go. And from the compliments we continue to receive from people around the hospital, they are doing just that. Blake, Brooke, Bailey and Bryce…we just wanted to let you know how much Mommy and Daddy love you and how proud we are of all of you.

Remember this, “Do what you can and trust God to do the rest”!!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

June 18, 2007

*Day 33*

WBC = 6,000
ANC = 4,560
Platelets =25,000
Hematocrit = 31.8

Well, we just never know how our days are going to go. The good news is that Bailey did not have a fever during the night. The bad news is that she woke up around 11:30 a.m. feeling miserable. She had a headache, backache, leg aches, and lots of nausea. The doctor is thinking that maybe she does have some gut GVHD so he started her back on the medicines he had taken her off of to see if it relieves the nausea. After the medicine and taking a nap, she felt a lot better. So much so, that we was able to go down to the outside play area (this is the first time she has been outside in over a month). She is just so strong. Praise God. She did the hula-hoop, played catch with the football (boy can she throw) and shot baskets. It was really nice to see her outside having fun. After her big outdoor adventure, she was pretty tired but not ready to go to sleep. In fact, she just went to bed at 1:00 a.m. after finally vomiting. Pray that we are once again able to get her nausea under control. The doctor also wants her eating more before he agrees to release her. Please just pray that God will guide the doctors to know what is wrong with her and when the best time to let her out of the hospital is.

They had to give Bailey two unrelated Platelet transfusions today because last nights matched donor transfusion did not work. Disappointedly, neither did the two transfusions today. The doctors are hoping and I am praying that her platelets will start producing on their own soooooooon! It would be really nice not to have her getting these constant transfusions.

Let’s pray that Bailey has an even better day tomorrow. It would be great if she could at least go back outside for a while.

I hope some of you have signed up for Joel Osteen’s podcast or directly from his website. I haven’t listened to a message yet that hasn’t taught me something. I really enjoy his messages and his positive attitude. So much of what he says can be easily applied to your life. His attitude fits with Bailey’s of “Never Give Up”.

We hope you have a great week.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

June 17, 2007

*Day 32*

WBC = 5,300
ANC = 3,710
Platelets =35,000
Hematocrit = 30.8

Well today did not go as we hoped it might. In the early morning hours, Bailey started running a low grade fever. It only lasted for a little while but we were not able to leave the hospital because they wanted to monitor her. Anytime they go over 38.2 C, they draw blood to culture, but so far all is negative. They really don’t know what the cause is but they have a few guesses, none of them serious enough to worry about.

Bailey ended up sleeping in until 1:00 p.m., despite the numerous times I had to wake her to take her medicines. She is such a trooper. I whisper in her ear, she sits up and opens her mouth, I put the pills in her mouth, she drinks water and swallows them, she lays back down and within minutes is back to sleep.

Soon after waking up, Blake walked in the door of her hospital room. You have never seen a bigger smile on her face. It is nice having him back with us. She was sooooo excited to see him and couldn’t wait to give him the gift she had for him. She worked hard yesterday packing all kinds of goodies into a bag for him. She gave him a new Nerf football she had chosen as a prize from a toy cart here at the hospital (because he’s playing football this year), candy, money ($14 for turning 14), stickers and tattoos that she got after having procedures (she specially picked ones he would like so that she could give them to him). She is such a sweetheart. She is very caring and generous. (Humm…does that sound like someone else we know…Mings!) Anyway, she wouldn’t let go of his hand the whole time we walked our laps and handed out candy. And of course, he had to sit next to her while she was on the bedside toilet too!!!

She had to receive platelets this afternoon because they are still dropping and they don’t want her to get too low. Hopefully, she will start producing her own platelets soon! Grow Platelets Grow!!!!

Bailey felt good enough this evening, so Randy and I were able to do a quick anniversary dinner. She had Pa and Blake all to herself and even ate her dinner while I was gone. She told me later that she didn’t want to hurt Pa’s feelings by saying “no” when he kept asking her to eat more spaghetti. She drank a strawberry smoothie too. This is the most that she has eaten in over a month. The doctors should be happy tomorrow when they hear this.

She was very tired tonight and for the second night in a row went to bed by 10 o’clock. Usually she and I are up until at least 2:00 a.m. I am shooting to get to bed by 1:00 a.m. tonight as soon as I am done with this journal update.

If she can stay fever free tonight, we should get a pass tomorrow for a few hours. Hopefully, she has a good night. They are still watching closely for GVHD since she had some pain in her stomach area today when the doctor examined her.

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Sunday!!!

“Chose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth our Lord Jesus Christ”

I hope all of you take the time to read the Daily Bible Verse at the top of this page. That is one of the ways God has spoken to us during this time. If you read it and it “hits home”, don’t ignore it. Instead pursue it.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 16, 2007

*Day 31*

WBC = 6700
ANC = 4891 Thank you God!
Platelets =58,000
Hematocrit = 35.1

Randy and Blake are back home safely in Seattle! Thank you for all the prayers for their safe journey. Bailey and I haven’t seen them yet since they didn’t get in until 10:35 p.m.

We received some good news this morning. Bailey is being given a 4-hour pass to get out of the hospital tomorrow. We are going back to the apartment to spend time together as a family. We are going to have a lot to celebrate tomorrow…Father’s Day, Blake’s Birthday/Graduation, mine & Randy’s 18th Wedding Anniversary and Bailey’s Successful Transplant!!! God is Great!!!!

Bailey had a good day today. She walked up to x-ray today instead of riding in the wheelchair. Her lungs continue to look and sound better every day. She also walked around handing out candy to everyone she could find. We put a big stash in the doctor’s lounge since they are the ones lately who have been left out.

We are hoping that while we are home tomorrow, she will have a better appetite. She hasn’t been able to eat much, but she is trying. It is just that she takes one or two bites and it just doesn’t taste good.

We wish all of you Father’s a great day!!!

Here is some God News…Baby Ethan is doing well. He gave me a huge smile today when I called out his name. They are not going to do dialysis tomorrow in order to see if he can urinate on his own. Every day is a better day for him.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

June 15, 2007

*Day 30*

WBC = 5100
ANC = 3723 Thank you God!
Platelets =89,000
Hematocrit = 33.8

Today was kind of a lazy day for Bailey. I think going to bed at 2:30 a.m. caught up to her. She slept in until noon when she had to get up to do her breathing exercises. Soon after that, Brooke and Bryce showed up, so of course there was no way she was going to sleep while they were here. She spent a lot of time sorting and arranging her candy stash into various containers. Then it was off to share with as many kids, adults and nurses as she could find. I think Mings is onto something with this giving candy to the nurses thing. Every one of them smiles at us when they see us approaching with our chocolate candy basket. They deserve it. All nurses are great but we have a special place in our hearts for the oncology nurses. They are so caring and so many of them are Christian. It has to be so hard to see all that these precious babies go through, yet rewarding when you see the miracles and healing that happen.

The doctors are starting to transition Bailey off IV meds and onto oral meds preparing her to be released sometime next week. We found out today that two of her immune suppression drugs are being stopped, since no GVHD has been found. She continues to have pain in her back that can be pretty bad at times. We are hoping that as she starts moving more the pain will go away. Tonight is the earliest that Bailey has gone to bed in months. She was asleep by 9:30 p.m. despite the fact that I was changing the dressing on her Hickman Line. We have to come up with a better system to give her all of these oral meds. Right before she went to sleep, I gave her two meds then had to wake her up about an hour later to give her six different ones. I think too many at a time are what led her to vomit a little more than thirty minutes later.

We need her appetite to increase a little more if we are going to make it out of here next week. All she really ate today was a piece of sourdough toast with butter and garlic powder. We really don’t want her to have a feeding tube put in so pray that her appetite increases.

We want to thank John Fantazia and Mike Maldonado for organizing the Fun Run Car and Motorcycle Event that will benefit Bailey and our family. Also, thank you to everyone else who is working to make this event a success. Have I told you lately what an amazing community we live in!!! The event is being held on Saturday in downtown Newman so if you want to see some great cars and motorcycles stop by and enjoy the fun.

Please pray for the healing of Bailey’s kidneys. They are extremely large but the doctors are hoping they will begin to heal themselves now that a medicine she was on has been discontinued.

Please also pray for Randy as he travels to and from California to take a test, and for Blake who will be traveling back to Seattle with him tomorrow night. All of us are excited to have him back with us. Bryce really misses his big brother!

We hope all of you have a great weekend.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 14, 2007

*Day 29*

WBC = 4400
ANC = 3344 Thank you God!
Platelets =97,000
Hematocrit = 33.8

This evening Dr. Andrews came in and gave us some GOD News…there is nooooooo detectable leukemia in Bailey’s bone marrow!!!!! Praise God for he is good! Thank you for the many prayers that are coming our way. The doctors will check Bailey once again on Day 80 to make sure that there is still no leukemia. She still has a long road ahead of her but we literally take it one day at a time. Randy and I choose to put our eyes on God and focus on all of the good he is doing through Bailey and our family. We could never make it through this if we let ourselves focus on “what might be” because that list is endless.

Did you check out her ANC above? We love it. Some of the test are still pending, but I will list what has come back so far. She tested negative for Graft vs. Host Disease in both her gut and skin. That doesn’t mean that it can’t still occur but we will cross that bridge if it does. No leukemia was found in her spinal fluid (Yeah!) but the test for viruses in the fluid is still pending. We will know in about eight days what percent her donor cells are of her marrow. Hopefully, it is all donor cells. Her lungs are sounding good. Her left lung is a slightly collapsed but nothing that her doctor is worried about. He thinks it is because of the last two days that she spent under anesthesia. She started doing some breathing exercises with a Respiratory Therapist today.

What does all this mean? She has several goals that she must meet in order to make it out of the hospital next week. She has to be taking all of her meds orally, she has to be eating and drinking a certain amount, and she has to be up walking around and breathing without any oxygen. When she gets out of the hospital, we will be going to the SCCA Clinic, by our apartment, daily for blood work and checkups. It will be nice to be back home and allow her some normalcy in her life.

Overall, she had a good day. We walked around for a while and helped to decorate a banner that is going to be taken to Washington D.C. in order to raise awareness about the need for continued funding of childhood cancer. It affects every walk of life. There is no rhyme or reason to this cancer thing in kids. Despite all of the pain and suffering that these angels go through, you will meet some of the most amazing and happy kids you’ve ever met here at the hospital. From infants to teenagers, they are all special little spirits.

Thank you once again for lifting us up in prayers. We know that is how we are able to make it through such long stretches of uncertainny.

God bless you,

Rnady, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 13, 2007

*Day 28*

WBC = 3500
ANC = 2275 Thank you God!
Platelets =175,000 after a platelet transfusion
Hematocrit = 35.2

I am mostly writing tonight to ask for extra prayers for Bailey. Sorry I am too tired to write much tonight. Bailey did well through her procedures today. Now it is just the waiting game. These results are a huge part of where we go from here. They will be looking at the bone marrow that they took out of her today to see if there is any leukemia left. Please God let her be cured. All of you prayer warriors…we need some big time prayers going up to our dear Lord that Bailey is indeed cured and has noooooo leukemia left in her body. We just had some heart breaking news today about little Austin. (14 months old). His Day 28 bone marrow aspiration came back showing that he still has a certain percent of leukemia. He should have none. So now, they will take him off all of the medicines that prevent GVHD and let the donor cells have at his body in hopes of it attacking his leukemia without causing too much damage to the rest of his body. Please keep Austin and his family in your prayers.

We also need prayers that things are okay with Bailey’s kidneys and liver. She had a kidney sonogram done today and we are awaiting those results also. There are so many things that can go wrong after transplant. If I wasn’t a believer, I don’t know how I would make it through this.

I will write more tomorrow. Remember that God comes into our lives and wants to help us. All you have to do is ask.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

June 13, 2007

*Day 28*

WBC = 3500
ANC = 2275 Thank you God!
Platelets =175,000 after a platelet transfusion
Hematocrit = 35.2

I am mostly writing tonight to ask for extra prayers for Bailey. Sorry I am too tired to write much tonight. Bailey did well through her procedures today. Now it is just the waiting game. These results are a huge part of where we go from here. They will be looking at the bone marrow that they took out of her today to see if there is any leukemia left. Please God let her be cured. All of you prayer warriors…we need some big time prayers going up to our dear Lord that Bailey is indeed cured and has noooooo leukemia left in her body. We just had some heart breaking news today about little Austin. (14 months old). His Day 28 bone marrow aspiration came back showing that he still has a certain percent of leukemia. He should have none. So now, they will take him off all of the medicines that prevent GVHD and let the donor cells have at his body in hopes of it attacking his leukemia without causing too much damage to the rest of his body. Please keep Austin and his family in your prayers.

We also need prayers that things are okay with Bailey’s kidneys and liver. She had a kidney sonogram done today and we are awaiting those results also. There are so many things that can go wrong after transplant. If I wasn’t a believer, I don’t know how I would make it through this.

I will write more tomorrow. Remember that God comes into our lives and wants to help us. All you have to do is ask.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 bees

June 12, 2007

*Day 27*

WBC = 2500
ANC = 1200! Her cells are definitely growing!
Platelets =86,000 after a platelet transfusion
Hematocrit = 35

Bailey’s ANC continues to increase!!!! Thanks for all of the prayers!

Hopefully, after today, we will have an answer to some of Bailey’s nausea. She had to remain NPO (no drinking/no eating) all day today waiting for them to do an EGD. This is where they do a scope down into her stomach, intestines, and colon to check for GVHD and get some biopsies. They have platelet donors lined up for the next three days to make sure that her platelets stay high while she heals from today’s procedure. She handled the procedure fine. We should have some of the results by tomorrow.

She was able to enjoy loving on baby Sophia today before she had to go in for her procedure. I’m glad it ran later than expected so that she could have more playtime. She was too out of it after the EGD to do anything except sleep. So now as I sit here typing at 1:30 a.m., she is laying in bed telling me she is not tired. I am hoping that when the nurse leaves and turns out the lights, she will go nighty night.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day…it is Day 28!!! She is scheduled for a spinal, bone marrow aspiration, and skin biopsy at 11:30 a.m. The spinal is to check for any viral infections, the aspiration is to see what her marrow is made up of (f different type of cells) and to see what f the marrow is from her donor vs. her own cells. The goal is for it to be 100onor cells!!!! We do not want any of her original cells to survive because that would mean that the cancer could have survived. The skin biopsy is to determine if she has GVHD on her skin since she is very red and her feet and hands are blotchy. She will also have a renal sonogram tomorrow to look at her kidney function. She has been having quite a problem with high blood pressure. Most doctors would just explain it away as medicine induced hypertension. However, one of the reasons we are so glad to be here is that they don’t assume things. They go after a definitive answer. They want to make sure that there isn’t something wrong with her kidney function that is causing the high blood pressure. Please pray that all of her organs stay safe as they endure endless assault from the chemo and medicines she has been taking.

Ready for some God News…one room over from us today, up in the day surgery area, was Ethan and his parents. He was in his stroller with no oxygen support!!! He had to have surgery today to put in a new dialysis line because his temporary one quit working. However, because his temporary one quit working, he urinated on his own. His kidneys are healing!!!!! God is good. This little boy is a true miracle. For those of you who don’t remember his story go to my May 26 journal entry so that you can grasp the extent of this miracle. He is healing a little each day and in fact was just moved down from ICU today!!!! So, let’s continue to pray for a miracle for Parker B. and Salina. Both of these precious children need God to perform a miracle. We know that it is not over until God says it is over. He is the True Ruler of All of the Heavens and Earth. How amazing it is when you have him on your side!!!

Thank you so much for the continued prayers. Blake was already feeling better today. We can’t wait to see him this weekend. Thanks to Rick and Wendy for taking such good care of our boy during this last month and running him all around.

Please keep Ryan, Melanie, and Sophia in your prayers as they fly home tomorrow. We are glad that they were able to come up and put a smile on Miss Bailey’s face.

God bless each of you and remember to hug someone that you love today.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 11, 2007

*Day 26*

WBC = 1900
ANC = 1121! Her cells are definitely growing!
Platelets =118,000 after a platelet transfusion
Hematocrit = 36.4

Can you believe it? Bailey jumped from an ANC of 689 to 1,121!!!! As you can see, her platelets are maintaining at a great level too. This is only because of the special platelet donors out there who are committed to helping people in need like Bailey. Without the matched platelets, Bailey would not be healing and improving the way she is. In truth, without the matched platelets, Bailey would be in a really dangerous place right now with nothing to stop her from bleeding. Thanks to all of you who take the time to donate platelets and blood.

Breaking news….no vomiting today!!!!

Last night was tough, because for whatever reason, her oxygen saturation level kept dropping too low causing the alarm to go off all night long. Bailey woke up feeling really crummy. However, after an extra dose of pain medicine she felt a lot better. In fact, she felt good enough to take a real shower, as compared to a spit bath. She has not felt good enough to bathe since we went into ICU on May 26! Anyway, the only reason she agreed to take one today was that her cousin, Baby Sophia, was coming to visit her. She had a great time playing with and feeding little Sophia. She is soooo cute. Bailey only has 30 minutes a day to get unhooked from the IV pole. She saved it to go walking around passing out her candy. She is getting quite famous with the nursing staff because, thanks to Mings, we have a basket full of chocolate candy for the nurses and doctors. Everyone loves coming to Bailey’s room to get their chocolate fix. We even took it to radiology today when we went to get her chest x-ray. They were shocked we were offering them candy. Bailey was happy because she scored big time on the stickers. It was a win/win situation.

Tomorrow late morning or early afternoon, Bailey will be going in for a procedure to scope and biopsy her throat, stomach and gut. They want to make sure her nausea is from the GVHD and not a virus or other infection. It shouldn’t hurt Bailey but they do have to put her under anesthesia. The next day they will be putting her under again, in order to check her spinal fluid for possible viruses that could be causing her headaches.
Please pray for protection for her during these procedures. Please continue to pray that Bailey’s own platelets start producing. Also that the Graft Vs Host Disease stays under control with the medicines they are using. It looks like she might be getting some skin GVHD. (she needs some just not too much).

Please pray for Ethan and Salina, both are transplant kids, who are in ICU on ventilators. We haven’t talked to Ethan’s dad lately, but through the grapevine, we hear that it is his kidneys that need to start working. For Salina, it is a lung infection that is stopping her from breathing on her own. We have come to know her parents and are hoping for a miracle for them. It looks like she may be engrafting so pray that her cells will grow and start fighting her infection. As always, please pray for our precious little friend Parker B who himself needs a miracle. We know that God listens…so pray hard. This is a little boy who has fought long and hard to win this battle. Please also pray that Blake starts to feel better. We do not need him coming back up to Seattle this weekend with a cold.

We appreciate all of the support you are giving us during this time! Thank you!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 10, 2007

*Day 25*

WBC = 1300
ANC = 689 Yeah!
Platelets =89,000
Hematocrit = 26.1

We were really hoping that today would be the day that Bailey turned the corner in this nausea thing but it didn’t happen. We knew that this whole transplant thing was not going to be an easy rode. We have to keep reminding ourselves to just take it one day at a time (sometimes one hour at a time). Once again, she woke up vomiting and feeling really nauseated. This continued all day. However, she did make it out of her room for about thirty minutes, in order to check up on Bryce. Bryce was playing with some other siblings in a playroom next to us. Bailey heard me telling Randy that Bryce was sad because one of the kids wasn’t being nice to him. Right now…Bailey wanted to go and see who wasn’t being nice to her little brother. It was soooo cute. I never realized how protective she is of him. She did not want anyone making him sad.

This evening she was pretty miserable but she did want the T.V. on, which is an improvement over only wanting complete silence and darkness in the room. She got sick right before bedtime but it didn’t seem to help much with the nausea.

As you can see, her platelets were really good this morning. The doctors are excited that they now have three good donors whose platelets seem to give Bailey a good bump. They are anxious to get in her gut and see if all of the nausea is due to the GVHD or something else. They also want to do a spinal at the same time to see if Bailey’s past headaches were due to a virus in the spinal fluid. Hopefully not. I think this procedure will happen sometime this week. I will keep you posted. The doctor went ahead and gave her a red blood cell transfusion because her hematocrit dropped. They also chose to give her another platelet transfusion to see if they could get close to 100,000 before the biopsy of her gut.

Please continue to pray for comfort and healing for Bailey. We need her WBC and platelets to continue to grow, grow, grow. Also, please pray for the continued direction of the doctors.

We hope you had a blessed Sunday!!

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 9, 2007

*Day 24*

WBC = 2000
ANC = 440
Platelets =56,000
Hematocrit = 29.6

Bailey woke up this morning vomiting once again. However, once that was over she did a great job of taking all of her medicines. She stayed up for a few hours then decided to take a nap. She slept for four hours but she was very agitated during that time. She woke up feeling horrible but after a few pushes of her pain medicine, she seemed to turn a corner. When she heard there were kids out in the halls having fun she decided she wanted to take a walk. She has only been out of her room once, since she came out of ICU a week ago, because she has been soooooo nauseated. It was nice to see her out walking tonight especially since we were starting to wonder how her leg strength would be from not using them for almost two weeks. Not surprisingly, she was almost as strong as ever!! We were quite loaded down on our rounds tonight. We had our candy box and glow in the dark bracelets for the kids and the candy basket for the nurses. She enjoyed handing out her stash. We even met some new families. One of the families is from California also. Please say a prayer for their 14-year-old son Christian, who just received his second transplant today. They went home from Seattle in Dec 2006 and he relapsed in February 2007. His first transplant was from his brother’s bone marrow so they chose to go with an unrelated donor this time in hopes of getting the Graft vs. Leukemia effect. It has to be so hard being his age and relapsing within two months of being back home after a transplant.

The doctors have said that Bailey’s lungs are sounding good and her new cells seem to be doing well. We just can’t wait for the nausea to end. She is being so tough. It will be nice when her ANC stays consistently above 500 and her platelets start to grow too. We are just taking it one day at a time knowing that worrying won’t change anything. We taught Blake a scripture, in kid terms, when he was only three-years-old. It is plain and simple, 1Thessolonians 5:16-17, “Always Be Happy, Never Stop Praying”. That is what we are trying to live by.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 8, 2007

*Day 23*

WBC = 1,600
ANC = 544 (We need 2 more days of >500 for an official engraftment)
Platelets =6,000 a.m. before matched transfusion, 61,000 p.m. after transfusion!!!
Hematocrit = 29.2

Today Bailey’s nausea continued. However, with a lot of coaxing and begging, I was able to get her to take most of her oral medications. I feel so bad asking her to swallow anything when she feels so horrible but I know how important it is. She is supposed to take 10 oral meds every day. She is such a trooper. The doctors feel that all of her symptoms go along with GVHD in her gut but until the biopsy, they can’t be certain. She was able to get a lot of sleep today, which is something she has needed. Hopefully, the medicines she is taking will start to help the nausea to subside soon. She is tired of feeling crummy but still has that Bailey fight spirit that keeps the rest of us going. She spent most of her awake hours listening to me read stories from “Guidepost Magazine”. That is the only talking she would “allow” today. Our family has enjoyed the inspirational stories that are in the magazine for years. We often lay on our bed right before bedtime and read a couple of the stories. The kids truly enjoy hearing them. If you have never heard of the magazine, I encourage you to look into it. They are just very simple but inspiring real life stories about people turning to God to get them through their tough times.

I was able to spend a little Mommy time with Bryce today while Bailey slept. He was so excited that I was able to watch him swim and play. He has been such a good boy throughout all of this. He insisted on coming to the hospital today. He wanted to check on Bailey. I think it is hard for him to see her so sick sometimes. I am glad they have things for him to do here at the hospital.

Bailey received a good bump in her platelet counts from a matched transfusion today. She went from 6,000 to 61,000. Thank you God for the special donors that are keeping our baby girl safe. Bailey’s blood pressure continues to be high despite numerous medicines they are giving her to bring it down. It is a side effect of some of the medicines she is receiving to combat the GVHD. They just can’t seem to get a handle on it so please pray that the meds will start working.

Thank you to all of the students, faculty and staff at Von Renner, Hunt, Yolo, Orestimba High, Bonita, and Patterson who have sent cards and letters (they are beautiful), participated in fundraising or who have been praying for our family. We are truly humbled by all of the love and support we continue to receive from not only our local community but from people all over the nation. One of our main prayers when Bailey relapsed was that God would bring more good than bad out of this and we continue to see him doing just that. We are thankful that you are inspired by our faith during this journey. I hope it can help you to know that you too can have a personal relationship with Christ our Savior. We could never make it through this if we didn’t know and trust his plan for our family.

God bless,

Kathy

June 7, 2007

*Day 22*

WBC = 1,500
ANC = 495 (We need 3 days of >500 for an official engraftment)
Platelets =14,000
Hematocrit = 34.9

Well, today was pretty much the same as yesterday. Bailey woke up vomiting and continued feeling yucky and getting sick most of the day. Normally she can distract herself with movies or songs, but not lately. She doesn’t want any talking or noise around her. However, starting around 11:30 p.m., Randy and her starting singing a song. She was bright eyed and bushy tailed for about 45 minutes. She wanted to try drinking a Gatorade. She hasn’t been able to drink anything else but 7-up for weeks. Anyway, she quickly drank a 12oz. bottle and requested another one. She drank half of that one. This is amazing since she has only drunk sips of stuff for the last few weeks.

Tonight I keep nodding off as I write this so I will let you know what is up tomorrow.

Bailey’s lungs sound a lot better than they did just a few days ago. She is no longer on oxygen which she is happy about.

Love,

Randy,Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 6, 2007

*Day 21*

First off…Congratulations Blake on your 8th grade graduation. We are so proud of you and how hard you’ve worked in school over the years. We love you so much and wish we could have been there to share this special time with you. We will have a birthday/graduation celebration when you come back to Seattle. We hope you have a great time at your party tonight.

WBC = 1,800
ANC = 288 in the a.m.,420 in the p.m. (We need 3 days of >500 for an official engraftment)
Platelets =15,000 in the a.m., 41,000 in the p.m.

Bailey has required around the clock care from Mommy today because of the continuous nausea, vomiting and pain that she’s had. She woke up vomiting and started bleeding from her nose even though her platelet count was 15,000. They decided to call for another bag of matched donor platelets, which ended up giving her a bump to 41,000. Thank you to all of the special people, like Bob Pico from Manteca, who donate platelets. Bailey has needed 2 to 3 bags a day recently. I guess there are people who just wait to be called for their platelet type and come immediately when the need arises. That is how they were able to get platelets so quickly for Bailey, that were her specific HLA Type. That is awesome. To all of you who donate blood, Thank You!!!! Some of you might consider being Platelet Donors too. Something so simple to do can literally save a life.

Just when we think things might calm down, something else happens. Today, when she was receiving her platelets she starting getting really shaky and having a hard time breathing. They gave her some medicine and started her on a breathing treatment to get her through it. When it was all over she told us, “I started praying and I knew God was going to get me through it and he did.” She is so inspiring to us!

It is one o’clock in the morning and Bailey is up still feeling sick. She has been such a trooper but the pain and nausea are wearing on her. I think once she feels good enough to start being “the hostess with the mostess” ,she’ll be better off. For most of today she didn’t want anything but silence, which is hard when you are in the hospital. I pray that she can get past this nausea and pain soon. The doctors say that soon the nausea should stop. Please pray that God will comfort her during these hard times and that her platelets will start to grow. No matter how badly she feels though, we always get moments in which her beautiful spirit shines through. She just finished vomiting and is now busy chatting with Daddy, whom she hasn’t released to go home yet! She is also being a good patient and just took a medicine we have been needing her to take. She just amazes me!!!

Randy and I watched Joel Osteen’s Podcast tonight and there were many things that spoke to us. We wanted to share a few with you.

- 2 Chronicles 20:12
…We do not know what to do but our eyes are upon you

- Stop looking at how big your problems are, and start looking at how big your God is.

God Bless You,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

June 5, 2007

*Day 20*

WBC = 1,900
ANC = 437 (Your body’s ability to fight infection)
Platelets =43,000

This is going to be quick because even on a good night I am up continuously. I will write more tomorrow when I am not so tired.

First, some GOD news!! Sometime this morning a local Seattle person went in and donated the special platelets that Bailey needs in order to keep her from bleeding excessively. Two people were found who are a close HLA type to Bailey. The first one donated today and the next one will donate when we need more platelets for Bailey. They want most of the transplant kids above 10,000 to be safe but they had raised Bailey’s to 100,000 because of her bleeding problems. Even after having platelet transfusion all through the night, Bailey ended up with less than 5,000. We were so excited when the donor’s platelets gave her such a big jump. Praise God!! She needed the platelets so badly and it looks like God has once again watched over our baby girl.

All of the test for a possible seizure have come back negative!!!

She is sleeping peacefully tonight after some cuddle time with her Pa

Thank you for the prayers. They work, they work, they work!!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

June 4, 2007

*Day 19*

What a night. I really thought that I would get my first good nights sleep last night. I wrote the website journal early and was looking forward to just holding Bailey and falling asleep with her. That is not even close to what our night consisted of.

I thought that her platelet issue was a lot to deal with but then the storm got worse last night. I finished talking to Blake around 11 o’clock last night with Bailey lying next to me. Because of her low platelets, her mouth sores started to bleed again and her mouth was a mess. So, before bedtime we decided to get it all cleaned up. She must have spent twenty minutes or more swishing with 7-up and then suctioning it out. I think it felt good for her to get all of the old stuff out. We were laughing and giggling while I made my bed and straightened up the room. I left the room for about two minutes to get water. By the time I got back, her nurse was in with her and Bailey was starting to cry. She told the nurse that she felt like she was floating. As I tried to talk to her, she closed her eyes and started crying more. It just went out of control from there. There has never been a time when I haven’t been able to reason with Bailey, so I knew something was wrong. At first, I think the PA thought she was scared because she had been alone in the room and was just throwing a fit. She tried to get her calmed down by talking loudly to her. Wrong thing to do. As more people came in, she got more and more agitated. I lay in bed with her and held her, trying to calm her down, which only made her madder. She started kicking her legs up and down and holding her ears telling everyone to be quiet. Long story short…they feared that because her platelet counts had gone so low that she had some bleeding in her brain and was having a seizure. They gave her a couple big doses of one of her meds that basically knocked her out. They took her immediately upstairs to do a CT scan, which thankfully came back fine. Bailey and I finally went to sleep around 3:45 a.m. However, she had a very agitated night, often taking off her oxygen mask, which sounded the alarms because her oxygen level dropped too low. Her respirations were also running high and sounding off more alarms. I think I slept 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off.

Today they did another CT with contrast and an MRI looking for any possible bleeding or sign of a seizure. Everything came back negative. Thank you God!! Four doctors from Neurology came to talk to us about what happened. After much discussion, they felt that it was not a seizure. I don’t think it was a seizure. I believe it was a reaction to one of the nausea medicines or a combo of medicines. This poor baby is on sooooo many medicines and is receiving many of them at the same time.

Because of the episode last night and the platelet problem, the doctors have chosen to change much of their anticipated plans for Bailey. I will fill you in on details tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for Bailey’s platelets to come in and for her pain to go away.
Also, we need God directing her doctors in every decision they make.

I have to get to bed now since it is already the next day and I am exhausted.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

June 3, 2007

*Day 18*

WBC = 1,000
ANC = 215
Platelets = 13,000

We have another hill to get over. Bailey has been receiving platelets one to two times a day during the last week. The doctors want to keep her above 100,000 since they are not sure why she bled during the biopsy on May 26. Needing platelets is a normal thing at this stage of the game. However, this morning her platelets were 20,000. Immediately following an infusion of platelets, she dropped to 13,000. This is not normal. They are currently studying her blood to determine what the problem might be. The doctors are thinking that her “Tough New Immune System” has formed antibodies against certain platelets. Her new white blood cells are on a seek and destroy mission, which is good, but we want them destroying the leukemia not the platelets. They tried giving her a medicine that would optimize her existing platelets, but she had a reaction to it so they stopped it. So now they are searching the blood banks for a donor who matches Bailey almost perfectly, much like her transplant donor did, in order for her body to accept the platelets that they are transfusing into her. Platelets only last in your system for 24 hours, so it is important that there are several platelets donors who can donate for her. Please pray that they are able to find enough platelets to keep her at a safe level. She will not start receiving these platelets until late tomorrow if all goes well.

Okay Prayer Warriors, we need lots of prayers that Bailey will continue quickly towards a strong engraftment. White blood cells are always the first to engraft then either the platelets or red blood cells. Because the red blood cells last in your body for approx. 22 days, they are not as crucial at this time. We need her to start producing her own platelets soon since they are going to be hard to get.

So…now, we need the white blood cells and platelets to grow, grow, grow,grow,grow,grow!! We wouldn’t want things to get too calm and easy around here now, would we??? Yes we would!!!!

As far as her pain and nausea goes, they have increased some. This could be due to increased bleeding because of the low platelets. Her mouth, was almost completely healed, and now is bleeding again. It is not causing her a lot of pain but all of that blood is going down into her stomach. From what they tell us, blood in your stomach is one of the most nauseating things there is. We are working hard to manage her pain without totally knocking her out. She needs some awake time in order to fill those lungs with some good air and continue their healing.

I did have her up for a few hours so far today and she was feeling pretty good. Although we are in a smaller room, we actually like this one better. Not only do we have a nice view, but also the bathroom has one wall of glass that the sunlight shines through. It is pretty cool. When I walked in there yesterday, I thought I was in a 5-star Hotel for a few seconds. No such luck!

She is resting in a comfy chair right by the window as I write this. Her lungs are sounding better and she is basically breathing on her own except for a little blow by oxygen. We will take these positive signs and just put on our Armor of God and continue the fight.

Thanks for all of the love and support!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

June 2, 2007

*Day 17*

Bailey is out of ICU!!! Thanks for all the prayers they continue to work. She has had a very tough 8 days.

We made it back down to the Oncology floor sometime this afternoon. Bailey continues to have a lot of pain in her intestinal tract. The doctors are almost certain that it is from Graft vs. Host Disease, which comes with transplant. The GVHD has a good side called Graft vs. Leukemia. We want a lot of it because it’s when the new white blood cells go after any remaining leukemia. You wouldn’t think the leukemia would be able to survive the hard chemo and radiation, but it can. So, right now they will just be monitoring the GVHD until they get to a point where they feel that they need to intervene. I will explain this all later. Around Day 28 she will have a biopsy of some of her intestine to verify and decide how to treat her Graft vs. Host.

Praise our Lord God for all that is good. He has protected and watched over our precious little Bailey.

Please pray for the pain to be controllable.

Ethan continues to improve daily!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathryn, and the 4 B’s

June 1, 2007

*Day 16*

Okay, now it is time to backtrack a little bit and fill you in on how all of your prayers have helped our little angel.

Thursday morning bright and early, Bailey was whisked off to a CT scan while still in her bed. The CT scan came back showing some new fluid around her lungs and no signs of improvement, however her lungs were not worse either. At the morning rounds, the doctors had a lot of discussion going on. The Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) doctors wanted a bronchoscopy but the Pulmonology and ICU Docs weren’t ready to do one yet. So they agreed to a sonogram to get an idea of what the liquid was. The sonogram came back inconclusive. Because we wanted to spare Bailey having another procedure, we started encouraging her to cough every few hours even though she didn’t feel like it. She was able to get some of the old blood and mucus out. Especially when Daddy offered her 25 cents for every mucus plug she could spit out. By the afternoon however, she started having a lot of pain in her stomach. It was a cross between cramping and nausea. The doctors felt it could be signs of Graft vs. Host Disease starting. Our biggest challenge was keeping her comfortable without totally “looping” her with the pain meds. They also felt that engraftment might be near since her mouth was already starting to heal. As you know by now, they were right!!! When the afternoon labs came back it showed that she had WBC = 400 and an ANC =212. Just what we needed to hear!!!! God is Good!!!!

Friday morning bright and early, Bailey was once again whisked off to a CT scan while still in her bed. This time they wanted a view of her lungs while she lay on her stomach and put contrast into her body. They were still trying to figure out the nature of the fluid around her lungs. The doctors discussed the necessity of doing a bronchoscopy (putting a scope down into her lungs and then dispensing a saline solution that they can suck up and hopefully any infection with it, to test for the root of her infection). After much discussion, they came to an agreement that they would do a bronchoscopy on Bailey today. The BMT doctors need to know, if possible, how to treat Bailey. The reason they feel it is important is they need to start treating her Graft vs. Host disease soon with immune suppressants. Without knowing what is causing the infection, they leave her vulnerable. Randy and I had already decided that if the doctors came to that decision together, we would allow it. We felt that she was in a much better place that she had been on Monday. Thank you God for guiding us on our decision on Monday. We are soooooo thankful that we did not put her through the procedure at that time. There is no doubt by any of the doctors that she would have been on a ventilator for at least five days. That would have been such a huge step backwards in her healing.

Dr. Redding, the head pulmonologist, was the one who preformed the procedure today. He told us that if we were going to do it, today was the day, since we were heading into the weekend. Also, I think he wanted to be the one to do it since he had been following her case. We were told that due to the condition of her lungs, she would be on a ventilator for at least 24 hours.

They started the procedure around 3 p.m. today. They are not sure how good of sample they were able to get. However, our nurse told us that after the procedure was over, she was the only one left in the room with Bailey. All of sudden, Bailey started coughing up excessive amounts of old blood and mucus. The nurse could barely keep up with suctioning it out of her tube and mouth. She had never seen anything like it before. She grabbed a hold of it with a diaper and started pulling. She said it was coming up from down inside her throat. Praise God! It would have taken Bailey many, many days to get this amount of bloody stuff out of her. Instead, God used the opportunity of the bronchoscopy to help her body out even more! Now we just have to wait and see if they get any useful information from the procedure they did.

Around 5 o’clock, we were allowed into her room. She was on a ventilator for her breathing but was very responsive to our questions. They told us that Bailey would be taken off the ventilator as soon as she woke up more. Randy had to run upstairs. I was in her room holding her hand and talking to her. She started coughing so I called a doctor in. When she suctioned Bailey it totally ticked her off. As the doctor is trying to calm her down and telling her that the tube would be coming out soon, Bailey sat straight up in bed and started vomiting and coughing up a whole bunch more of the yucky stuff. The doctor yelled to a group of people and in they came and immediately removed Bailey’s tube. With the tube gone, she looked like a champ. Oh, it was so good to once again see her beautiful smile and shining eyes. She is breathing so much better tonight. Getting all that stuff out was such an unexpected blessing. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your prayers. God is listening!!! Why do we think we can do things better than God??? He has it all beautifully under control!!! Just Trust and Believe!!!

Ethan continues to improve. He is now on a ventilator that allows him to use some of his own lungs for breathing instead of just relying on the machine. Praise God!!

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

A saying that I saw yesterday reminded me of Bailey, ”Bloom wherever you’re planted”! She finds something to enjoy in almost every situation she is in .

P.S. I was nodding off as I wrote this so there is no guarantee that it is going to make any sense.

May 31, 2007

*Day 15---Engraftment Day*

Ready for some GOD News…Bailey has engrafted!!!! The white blood cells did not show up this morning but when they did the afternoon blood draw she had an ANC = 212!!!!!

Thank you God for blessing our little girl!! Thank you donor for your unselfish gift that saved our precious little Bailey’s life.

More info to follow soon. I just couldn't wait to share the news. Thank you for all of the prayers!

May 30, 2007

*Day 14*

Still no engraftment yet. Grow cells, grow!!!

I am really tired tonight so this is going to be very short. All the days of sleep deprivation are finally catching up to me. Tomorrow will be a big day in determining where we go from here. Please pray that God will guide the doctors through the blood work, CT scan, and overall appearance of Bailey.

Pain continues to be an issue with Bailey right now. She has a lot of rib and back pain but that doesn’t stop her from getting out of bed and sitting in the rocker. Just a few hours ago, she watched a T.V. show for the first time in over two weeks. She also played us a song on her harmonica. Love it!! It’s all those prayers that are flying up to Seattle that are making the difference.

Ethan is stable but not improving as of today. His parents have some big decisions to make so pray for clarity for them.

Please Pray for precious little Parker who is back in the hospital. He is such an amazing fighter. He truly needs a miracle so please pray for him.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 29, 2007

*Day 13*

Thank you for all of the prayers. We continue to need them as we navigate what is the best thing to do for our little Miss Bailey.

The day has been a little crazy. I don’t have long because I have to be right by her but I will give you a quick synopsis.

After we made the decision last night to delay the bronchoscopy (thank you God), Randy talked to his brother Ronny who is a doctor. He thought it was a good decision to hold off until the next day since it was so late in the day and a holiday weekend.

She had an okay night with some pain issues and a fever in the early morning. This morning she looked better.

Around 9:00 a.m., a doctor came in to discuss with us our thoughts about doing the bronchoscopy. We didn’t know it at the time, but he was the head pulmonoligist. (It’s a God thing) He spent the next hour reviewing her records, x-rays, and CT scans. When it was time for rounds, we were greeted by 20 doctors who were discussing all the options for treating Bailey. The Director of the ICU and the Head Pulmonoligist agreed that we should wait to do a bronchoscopy because of the certain risk that Bailey would end up on a ventilator.

Dr. Bleakley agreed to wait 24 hours and continue to evaluate Bailey’s condition before making a decision. We are soooooo thankful that God answered us so quickly when we were faced with such a huge decision that not even the professionals agree upon. Honestly, we were working with just minutes when we called off the procedure. The pulmonoligist told us that Bailey would probably end up having a bronchoscopy at some point but he felt that the risk outweighed the benefits of doing it today.

I don’t think we’ve ever been so happy to hear her little voice and see her beautiful eyes looking back at us. The thought of her on a ventilator for 5 days breaks my heart. Reality is however, that we are not out of the woods yet. Tomorrow morning there will be another pow-wow with the doctors to look at stats and discuss where we go from here.

Please pray that she continues to make steady improvements and that the doctors and we have the information we need to make the right decisions for Bailey.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 28, 2007

*Day 12*

We need many prayers for our precious little Bailey. Dr. Bleakley came in this afternoon very concerned about Bailey’s condition. The fluid build up in her body has caused several problems. Besides her lungs having excess fluid inside and outside of them, there is also a little around her heart. This is causing her heart to have a problem pushing out the blood. So right now, they are closely monitoring her fluid level and doing Lasix to help her release excess fluid.

So far, nothing has shown up from the biopsy that can help guide them as to the cause of her pneumonia. Bailey’s condition is not improving the way she would expect if one of the anti-fungal or antibiotics was working. She suggested intubating Bailey as soon as possible, and doing another bronchoscopy in an attempt to get an answer. They need to figure out if it is bacterial, fungal, viral or continued bleeding that is causing her condition to worsen. Once again, her doctor is choosing to be proactive rather than waiting for her to worsen. The ICU doctor was not so sure that we needed to be that aggressive. We were willing to go ahead with the procedure that Dr. Bleakley suggested but started praying for some sign from God as to the direction we should take. So…as they prepared to do the procedure we kept watching for something/anything that would lead us in the right direction. Within a few minutes, Bailey woke up and needed to go to the bathroom. As she sat there, she started to breathe better and become more aware of her surroundings. We started watching her oxygen saturation levels and noticed that they were almost as good as when she had the mask on. We asked her to do a few arm lifts, which she easily did (ten to be exact). We kept her mask off for 40 minutes during which time her rates stayed consistent. We asked to talk to Dr. Bleakley again before starting the procedure. I think she was pleasantly surprised when she walked in and Bailey was doing arm lifts. Up until that time, she had hardly been able to open her eyes much less do arm lifts. She felt that is was fine to wait until tomorrow and reevaluate Bailey’s situation at that time. She is breathing quickly right now but her oxygen and respiratory rates are in a good range.

We need guidance for the doctors and us to know what is best for Bailey. If putting her back on a ventilator is going to be what is best for her, we’re okay with that. It’s just that feeling of uncertainty that is so hard. That is why we need God’s guidance. We want him making the decision for us just as he did when we were trying to decide between continuing chemo or going to transplant. We should know by around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow what path we will be taking. I will try to keep all of you updated.

We really need her cells to start growing. So pray for those donor cells to grow, grow, grow!!!

We will continue to believe in, trust, and praise God even when we don’t understand this storm that we are in. We pray that you can do the same in your life.

God bless all the soldiers, past and present, who have sacrificed so much to protect our country.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 27, 2007

*Day 11*

We are still in the ICU tonight but Bailey is doing much better. Thanks for all of the prayers. The doctors gave her two bags of blood and two bags of platelets since her procedure yesterday. These blood products caused an increase in fluid in her body. Some of this fluid settled around the outside of her lungs and some settled inside them. This has caused her oxygen saturation rates to decrease requiring them to have her on 40xygen. She has coughed up a good amount of dry blood and phlegm today, which is just what she needed to do. The doctors (transplant and ICU working together) chose to keep her in ICU for another night just to make sure that they could monitor her breathing more closely. Dr. Bleakley feels that she is on the right track. We are hoping to see engraftment starting any day. Every child is different but with peripheral stem cells, the odds are in her favor that it will happen sooner than later. Grow cells grow!!!!

They also changed her to a new pain medicine called Dilaudid to see if they can more consistently control her pain. The first dose knocked her out to the point that she didn’t remember Brooke and Bryce visiting her. Then they backed off too much and she started to have a lot of upper body pain. They hope by tomorrow that they will have the perfect level for her figured out.

She spent most of the day sleeping, which is one of the main things she needs to do right now. I’m hoping that she will have a peaceful night sleep. Right now, they are doing vibrations on her lungs in order to keep things loosened up. The ICU nurses told her that she is the best oncology/transplant kid that they have ever had. That doesn’t surprise us. Even when she is in a lot of pain, she does what is asked of her. She is definitely a faithful little servant of God.

I am hoping to get some of that thing that they call “sleep” tonight. This is the earliest that I have ever written the journal so I think I might be on track. All of Bailey’s buddies, from the oncology/transplant ward, miss her and are asking their moms where Bailey is. She can’t wait to get back there to have fun and play some soccer. We can’t wait to have Chelsea as her nurse again. She is married to a California boy. He was raised in Ione. She was shocked that we actually knew where it was. We met her the first day Bailey was admitted to the hospital and we connected with her immediately. She is the sweetest thing ever with a heart of gold. One day she asked how we ended up in Seattle. My simple answer was “God”. She got so excited and said, “I knew it. I told my mom, who is also a nurse, that I thought you were a Christian family.” It was one of those teachable moments for our kids since we are always reminding them that how we act says a lot about what we believe. Bailey also has another favorite nurse named Brooke. She has helped us through many long nights. Although these are Bailey’s two favorite nurses, we are thankful for the many good nurses we’ve had since we’ve been here.

Thank you for the prayers for Ethan. I talked to his dad a few hours ago and he continues to improve. Praise to God for he is good.

Hopefully, we can keep Bailey protected from any other type of infection and allow her body to just focus on this one.

We appreciate all of you who faithfully check in on our precious little one.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 26, 2007

*Day 10*

Bailey had a better night last night due to an increase in her Basal (continuous) dose of morphine. They started infusing platelets into her around 5 a.m. in preparation for her procedure this morning. Around 9:30 a.m., we found out that they needed to give her a second bag of platelets because they wanted her at 75,000 or above and she was only at 63,000. The second dose bumped her up to 107,000.

This morning as she was getting out of bed something popped in her rib area. They had to give her three boluses (extra doses) of morphine to get the pain under control. As the morphine started to take affect, Bailey pulled out her new harmonica and treated the nurses and us to a little melody. If I can give you any advice concerning your child and pain, it would be this, find something to distract them. Whatever they like doing, let them do. (video games, art, listening to or playing music, candy, etc.) That is how Bailey has gotten through her many bouts of pain.

The surgeon who was going to perform Bailey’s lung biopsy decided he wanted to do a CT of her lungs while she was lying on her stomach first. Being the trooper that she is, she complied with his request, even though it was painful for her to do. His thought was that she might not need the biopsy because it may just be extra fluid not pneumonia. However, after the CT scan, he decided that it was probably best to go ahead with the biopsy in case there was some fungal infection. They started the CT guided lung biopsy about 12:00 p.m.

We have some God news and some bad news. The God news is that she doesn’t have a drainage tube hanging out of her ribs. The bad news is that I am writing this from the ICU. As soon as they put the needle into her lung, blood started coming out of her breathing tube. They had to abort the biopsy and focus on stopping the bleeding. It took a few minutes but finally it started clotting. By the time we were able to see her she was still sedated and on a ventilator. Some of the ICU doctors wanted to keep her on the ventilator throughout the night even though she was requiring only minimal help from the ventilator. They were afraid that she might start bleeding again once it was removed. They monitored her for several hours, to see just how much breathing she could do on her own. We have been through a lot during these last three and a half years but what we experienced today was probably one of the worst times for both Randy and I. After bringing her out of sedation, they proceeded to put a suction tube down her ventilator tube to get as much of the blood and phlegm out as they could. The problem is, she was pretty much awake at the time and unable to breathe as this was happening. Randy and I had to restrain her as they did this. Some God news…finally, after what seemed like an eternity, a doctor okayed for them to pull the tube out and let her attempt to breath on her own. As they pulled the tube out, she sat straight up in bed and cough out a huge blood clot. Some more God news. We are spending the night in the ICU so that they can monitor her but she is only requiring a small amount of oxygen and has had no bleeding. Her oxygen saturation level is remaining in the mid to high 90’s. Early in the day, Dr. Bleakley told us that the sample they did get was very small and that they probably would not be able to find out what caused the pneumonia. Ready for some God news? She came back in later and said they had somehow grabbed enough of a specimen to run 6 out of 12 tests that they wanted to. Thank you God!!!! Many people ask Randy and me how we continue to be so positive throughout this time. We chose to find some good in every situation we encounter with Bailey’s sickness. I am not saying that we do this with all aspects of our life. I wish I could. When Bailey relapsed, we knew that we had to “Let go and let God.” That is how we make it through days like today.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. We need them now more than ever. Please also pray that Bailey will stay infection free. They have had to access her lines so often today and not all nurses are created equal. (The ICU has good nurses but they are surprisingly, nowhere near as careful with her open lines, as they should have been). We love our oncology/transplant nurses both here and at home in Madera. They are truly special people who put the kids well being at the top of their priorities. Pray that we get to go back down to the transplant floor tomorrow.

I need to ask for special prayers for baby Ethan. Today as Randy and I were in the ICU waiting room, his dad Kevin walked by. We were both surprised to see each other up here. Anyway, because of Ethan’s kidney problems from one of the transplant meds, it has caused fluid build up throughout his body. Yesterday his lungs were so full of fluid they didn’t expect him to make it through the night. They told his parents this morning that he had no chance of surviving and that they needed to take him off the ventilator and let him go. Are you ready for some God news? They took him off and his lungs started working on their own!!!! It is still obviously touch and go right now, but he is fighting to survive and his parents and family have had another day with their precious little angel. Please pray for his little lungs and kidney to heal so that we can all celebrate another miracle from God.

Just some food for thought. Take the time to teach your kids about God and his promise of Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Go to church as a family, read to them from the Bible, and show them how to trust in the Lord. Like it our not, they watch and learn from everything we do. We continue to meet some of the most amazing Christian people during this journey. All of us agree that we couldn’t make it through this without our faith. It doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes get mad or frustrated at the situation, but we believe that there is a bigger purpose to our lives and the trials that we go through here on earth. As believers, we know that there is something better to come and we find comfort in that.

Have a great Sunday! We will keep you updated. Hopefully our next update will be really boring!

Grow cells grow!!

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 25, 2007

*Day 9*

Part II

Remember the roller coaster I said we were on, well…the ride continues. After Bailey’s x-ray today, they wanted to do a CT scan to get a better view of her lungs. Although the x-ray didn’t show much(without white blood cells it’s very hard to tell if there is pneumonia in the lungs since that is usually the clouding that they see), the doctors felt that she had diminished air flow in her right lung compared to the day before. The CT scan confirmed their suspicions. Bailey’s has a substantial amount of pneumonia in her upper right lung. Hence, all of the pain in her ribs and upper shoulder.

So…the doctors feel that the best option is to go in with a needle and get a sample of her lung tissue at the site of the infection. They believe it is probably a fungal infection. Two days ago Bailey’s lungs sounded great so they changed her anti-fungal medicine to one that wouldn’t be so hard on her other organs. They are thinking that the new medicine didn’t cover the particular fungal infection she has, so they have put her back on the original medicine. They gave us the option to wait a few days and see if the original medicine would reduce the pneumonia. However, when you have no immune system to keep an infection in check, a lot can happen in a couple of days. We know this first hand from a little friend of ours who almost lost her life during this part of her transplant. It was only by the grace of God that she is alive today. She had a cord blood transplant that typically takes longer to engraft. The doctors had her on every anti-fungal and antibiotic that they could. They told the family that she was too far from her engraftment to survive. Guess what…the prayers started flying and a true miracle happened. Miranda engrafted 9 days earlier than expected!!! That was two years ago and she is still doing great.

The procedure is more invasive than the bronchoscopy that she had done a few weeks ago. She will have to have a drainage tube coming out of her side for a couple of weeks in order for her lungs to stay inflated while they heal. We’ve been told that this can be painful for the child so please pray that God will help to control her pain. Poor baby! These cancer kids have had more pain in their short lifetimes than most of us will every have. All of them are so inspiring to me.

Speaking of inspiring, I have a classic Bailey story for you. Bailey was exhausted this afternoon so she decided to rest. A few hours into her nap, my brother Ron, sister-in-law Danielle, nephew Jack and niece Jamie, arrived at the hospital. They just drove in from Oregon today. Anyway, after a little while we were able get her to wake up. As soon as she saw the kids, she was so excited and couldn’t wait to show them around. So you guessed it, our Bailey jumped out of bed (still in pain) and became the hostess with the mostess. She started by taking them for a tour of the hospital. She then proceeded to open up her huge treasure box of candy to see if there were any they would like. She sent both of them away with a gallon size bag full of candy!!! Next, she cut and passed out pieces of the cake she made yesterday with her physical therapist. Then it was onto having fun with the glow sticks. She made each of the kids a necklace and bracelets that glow in the dark. You could tell she was tired and in some pain, but it never crossed her mind to stop. I love, love, love, love her determination.

Please pray, pray, pray for our precious little Miss Bailey. Please ask for protection during her surgery tomorrow and while her body recovers from the procedure. We need those cells to be growing strong so that they will be able to fight off this infection and anything else that might come her way.

Her surgery is at 10 a.m. tomorrow so I will update this web page as soon as I have a chance.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

May 25, 2007

*Day 9*

Part I

Happy 14th Birthday Blake!!! Have a great day sweetie! We love you!

I am writing earlier than normal to ask for extra prayers for Bailey. Last night was a long, tough night. Despite the extra morphine, she would wake up every hour or two in a lot of pain. She complained that her ribs, shoulders, and back hurt the most. Although she just spiked a fever at 8:30 a.m., I am hoping that the pain is just from overdoing it yesterday. She is just like the Energizer Bunny…she keeps going, and going, and going!

They gave her three morphine boluses this morning and she pushed her button numerous times. Now she is finally sleeping. They want to get her up to x-ray soon so that they can take better x-rays than they did last night. The Pain Management doctor is going to come in beforehand to give her some extra morphine for the trip upstairs.

As every parent of an oncology/transplant kid knows, it can be quite a roller coaster ride. She looked and acted so well yesterday and now she is in extreme pain. You just never know. She is never going to let me go home for a good nights sleep now. We were just teasing her at bedtime last night that Randy was going to stay so that I could get one good night of sleep. She didn’t go for that…thankfully. She adores her dad but there’s nothing quite like mom when she isn’t feeling good.

We are on our way to x-ray right now so I will keep you updated.

Love,

Kathy

May 24, 2007

*Day 8*

Okay, so as I am writing last night that we need her to stay fever free, I’m thinking, please don’t let them start. Then at 6:00 a.m. this morning I hear her nurse teasing her saying, “Enough already…just go ahead and spike a fever”. It seems that the nurse had been monitoring her every half hour since 4:00 a.m. and although she was warm, she didn’t have a true fever. The nurse wanted her to just get it over and spike a fever, so she could go ahead and draw labs. Do you know what Bailey told her? “No, I’m not going to get a fever cause God doesn’t want me to”. I love the faith and trust she has!!!!

Today started with Bailey waking from a sound sleep when she heard that the coffee cart was on the floor. Right after the announcement I hear, “Mom, I want to go to the cart”. I try to urge her to stay in bed and I tell her I will go see what goodies they have (stickers, coloring books, stuffed animals, books, etc.) and then report back to her. She says, “No mom, I want to go.” This goes on two more times until I finally concede and thank God that she feels good enough to get out of bed to go looking for small treasures. After acquiring some stickers we did a few laps then came back to the room.

We had a very fun and busy day. A physical therapist came by today with a mat in hand. Bailey and I proceeded to do yoga with her. After that, Bailey made a cake with her. The therapists try to figure out fun ways to get the kids to work their muscles without it seeming like work. She is coming back next week to teach us how to make Pad Thai and spring rolls. Yum!! Another therapist brought her a Barbie Head yesterday. She has had more fun trying to comb out the Barbie’s very tangled hair and painting her fingernails.

After that, we set out walking all around the unit looking for cute babies. We found some so we played with them and walked around the unit with them. Bailey, being Little Miss Independent, insist on pulling her own pole. The ones back home were a piece of cake but this one here is a tank. She currently has one huge IV pump and five mid-sized pumps on her pole. She gets quite a workout lugging that around. Which is hopefully the reason that she just woke up while I was writing this at 12:30 a.m... She starting moaning and groaning in her sleep and holding her right shoulder and ribs. They gave her two morphine boluses and she pushed her control twice but she continued to cry out in pain. They just brought a machine in to take x-rays of her while she lay in bed. I was so happy that we didn’t have to take her down to x-ray. It is 1:50 a.m. now and she finally seems comfortable. She hasn’t taken a nap in two days now and has continued to play hard. Hopefully, she can get some rest tomorrow.

Please pray that her cells are starting to grow, grow, grow. We want them to kick in so that they can destroy any of those stubborn cancer cells that may still be hanging out in her body. Please also pray that this is just pain from overdoing it. She has been through so much already; it breaks my heart when she has pain that is so hard to control.

All you moms out there, if you see Blake tomorrow, make sure to give him a big birthday hug and tell him it’s from his mom.

Have a great day tomorrow Blake. We love you very much.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 23, 2007

*Day 7*

One week down!!!! Yeah!!! Many of you are wondering how long before we know if Bailey has engrafted. We are hoping for engraftment sometime between Days 15-20. It isn’t an exact science but more of a wait and see when the new cells decide to kick in. For those of you like my sister-in-law Wendy, who always has to open her presents early, I know this is probably driving you crazy. For us, we know when the time is right, it will happen. God has done a perfect job orchestrating Bailey’s transplant so far, so we just need to sit back and let him continue. Just like all the devotionals and bible verses that I have been hearing or reading lately…sometimes he just wants us to WAIT. So for now, we will just take it one day at a time.

Although Bailey once again woke up vomiting, she ended up having a good day despite her mouth pain increasing. She was up and out of the room by around 11 a.m. Can you guess what she was doing? You got it, chasing those babies around. They are such a great distraction for her. Sad to say, there are numerous babies here. However, on the flip side, from everything I have read, if you have an infant with cancer, this is where you want to be.

Bailey ended up needing two bags of platelets today. While they were giving her the first bag, she started having a bloody nose. Because the bleeding didn’t stop, they decided to give her a second bag. They were afraid that the bleeding was coming from down in her throat instead of just in her nose, so the ENT specialist came in to assess her condition. Thankfully, it was just the nose because it was painful enough for her when they packed it. Because the initial packing the doctor did hurt her so badly, he pulled it out and was going to shorten it so that it wouldn’t be so uncomfortable for her. When he pulled it out, after only having it in for five minutes, guess what…there was no more bleeding. Thank you God! The doctor had originally told us it needed to be packed for 2 to 3 days. Part of the problem had been that as the nose was bleeding it was tickling inside of her nose. She just couldn’t resist not blowing it and trying to get all the blood out. I told her she needed to stop and she got mad at me and continued blowing. (The meds have caused her to be a little cranky at times. If I were on as many meds as her…I would be cranky ALL of the time.) When she found out she didn’t need to keep her nose packed, she was so relieved and started crying a little bit. She looked at me and said, “I learned my lesson mom…next time I’m going to listen to you.” It was one of those “Ohhh” moments. I told her that as long as she learned from her mistake that’s all I cared about. She shook her head and said, “I learned!”

Just now, her nurse said she has a slight fever. That is something we want to stay away from. Please pray that it is nothing and that her mouth pain continues to get better, not worse. I just pray that she can make it to engraftment staying fever free.

Congratulations Blake on the scholarship you received tonight for being one of the top students in your class. We are so proud of you!!

Thank you for checking in on us. It is nice knowing that we aren’t in this alone.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 22, 2007

*Day 6*

Today was pretty uneventful. Yeah!! Our little Miss Bailey just continues to amaze all of those around her. She was really tired this morning from all of her activity yesterday. She heard two little ones babbling outside of our door this morning and hopped out of bed hoping to join them. Before she could make it out the door, she started getting sick. She decided she would go back to bed and play later. She ended up getting out of bed and adventuring out of the room about 4:30 p.m. today. She handed out candy then just sat on her bed looking through her box of goodies. By the time Randy and I got back from taking Bryce for a haircut, at a very eccentric barbershop in the University District, she was tired and ready for some sleep. She just woke up right before the winner of Dancing with the Stars was announced. Now she is relaxing trying to get back to sleep.

Dr. Bleakly ordered an x-ray today to see of Bailey had any pleural effusion (translation…excess fluid build up in the lining around the lungs). It is a common problem at this time in transplant, but they needed to make sure it wasn’t excessive before they gave her the Methotrexate today. Everything came back looking fine!!

Bailey is determined to keep drinking despite her sore throat and nauseated stomach. So far she hasn’t been able to keep any water down, but I think it feels a little better for her to have something coming up instead of the dry heaves she has most of the time.

I want to encourage all of you to listen to Joel Osteen’s message this week. I really enjoyed listening to it today. You can go to his site at www.joelosteen.com and register to receive his weekly message or you can get his free pod cast through itunes like the one I do. This week’s message #323 is called “God is in Control.” One thing he mentioned is that, “Our faith activates God’s power.” I have come to know this as truth. Before Bailey’s relapse, I prayed hoping he would answer my prayers…now I pray knowing he will answer my prayers. We have a choice on how we look at the events in our lives. I’ve realized that sometimes certain things have to happen in order to open the door for blessings to happen. Joel quoted a scripture that really hit home and one that I plan to hold on to.

John 11:4 “This sickness shall not end in death, but for the Glory of God”!!!

Thanks for checking in on us and for your continued support and prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s
May 21, 2007

*Day 5*

This morning Bailey had a CT scan of her head and lungs. They wanted to check for any possible bleeding that might be causing her headaches, sinceher eyes have been bleeding so badly. They said the pneumonia in her lungs is clearing up beautifully. Praise God!! I could not believe that she had pneumonia right as she was heading into transplant. As always, God is good. They also said everything came back clear on the brain scan. They continue to think it is due to dehydration, but I am so happy that they don’t assume that is the reason. They are very cautious and go after problems at the beginning instead of waiting for them to turn into something bigger. I can’t tell you enough, how blessed we feel to be up here. We know it was totally 100od’s plan. There is no way we could have planned it this well on our own. People up here and at home are often surprised that we would move our whole family to Seattle from California. To tell you the truth, when I stop to think about it, I am surprised myself; until I think about how right, it feels to be up here. Any one that knows me knows what a cautious person I am. I am not typically a risk taker. Randy, he is a homebody (when he was little and his family traveled to the East Coast, he wanted his parents to buy him a plane ticket so that her could go home). So for both of us to immediately agree that this is where we needed to go, should tell you something! Once again, I want to thank all of you who have been sooooooo generous to our family both monetarily and with your prayers. Many of you do not even know us but have chosen to support and lift up our family. Please know that God will bless you many times over for the help you have given us. Thanks to all the Marine families that have been sending cards to Bailey at the request of Aunt Penny. We continue to keep all of the military families in our prayers.

Today was a very good day for Miss Bailey. During the early afternoon, Pa showed up with bags that Mings had sent up so that Bailey could make gift bags of candy for the other children on the oncology ward. She was so excited and had to start right away making up the bags. She sorted through her huge box of candy (every kind of candy known to kid) that Mings has been sending up regularly since we arrived in Seattle. She packed the bags full of goodies to take with her as she traveled around socializing. She had so much fun and only slowed down long enough to come back and pack up some more bags!! I love her giving spirit. She loves to make other people happy. She had some nausea and a little vomiting today but that didn’t slow her down. In addition, her mouth and throat are starting to hurt more. However, it didn’t stop her from trying some of the root beer float that she and Pa made. Her tummy didn’t like the ice cream so she just stuck with the root beer.

The rest of the kids are doing good. Blake is on Cloud 9 to be back home in familiar surroundings. (I think he takes after Dad a little bit!) Bless his little heart, he never once complained about being up here even though I know he was missing his friends and school back home. Brooke has been great too. She has made a few friends up here but they are not the same as all of the friends back home. She too has never complained. Little Mr. Bryce has been studying hard to get ready for Kindergarten. He is hoping to be in Mr. Felber’s class. He knows how much Bailey loved being in his class. He loves coming to the hospital and riding bikes, swimming and playing in the playroom. However, you can tell he misses not having any little friends up here. Every new child he meets he tells us, “That boy/girl is my best friend.” Actually, he is very much like Bailey when it comes to socializing. He loves meeting new people and just having lots of fun. He is going to love Kindergarten and being back with all of his Preschool friends!! (Hello to Mrs. Andrade and her class)

Grow cells grow!!!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 20, 2007

*Day 4*

We hope that all of you had a great weekend. As is usually the case with Miss Bailey, most of the day may be tough on her, but she WILL make it out of bed and have some fun at some point. Today was somewhat a repeat of yesterday. She had some really bad headaches this morning and early afternoon following vomiting and dry heaves. They both required two extra doses of morphine from the nurses before they subsided. She remains a trooper through it all. Her eyes look absolutely horrible with hardly any of the white showing. It looks so painful but it doesn’t seem to bother her, thank goodness. The doctors decided to give her platelets today even though her counts were at 30,000. Usually her threshold is 10,000 but because of the excessive bleeding in her eyes, they wanted her to have platelets sooner. Her mouth and throat had a little more pain today but not as bad as it could be. Thank you so much for the prayers. I know they are helping her with the pain.

After her shower this evening, we headed out in search of the most darling little 2-year-old boy you have ever seen. His name is Aydan and he loves Bailey and her Hello Kitty pajamas. He tells his mom, “Let’s find Hello Kitty” when he wants to see Bailey. She can’t resist him, so even though she looks completely exhausted, she insists on finding him. She likes sharing her stash of candy from Mings and Pings (Mary Jane & Eddie) with Aydan and any other kids she can find. We have also started our nightly ritual of handing out glow in the dark bracelets to as many kids as we can. We used to do this at our hospital in Madera. Bailey could hardly wait for it to be evening so she could hand them out. She has such a giving spirit. (Just like her Mings!) By the time we got back to our room, she was feeling sick again but once she got to bed, she was able to relax and go to sleep listening to her ipod.

Precious little Ethan continues to need our prayers. They are waiting to see if his kidneys are going to start functioning on their own again. There are quite a few babies here, most of whom have the biggest smiles on their faces when you talk to them. Little Austin, our one-year-old next-door neighbor, had his transplant one week ahead of Bailey. He is going through the mucositis right now but is still willing to flash you a precious little smile. You have never met such amazing kids until you visit an oncology ward. Most of these children have such amazing, life loving spirits. If you ever have a chance to volunteer in a hospital, please do. It really helps you to keep things in perspective.

Thanks for all of you who check in on us and keep us in your prayers.

We love you Blake!!!

Happy Belated Birthday Wendy!!!

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

May 19, 2007

*Day 3*

Bailey once again had some vomiting during the night and early morning hours. However, it seems like she is adapting to it and it is not taking as long for her to recovery and head back to bed. She is getting some bad headaches lately. They do seem to be worse right after her vomiting episodes. The doctors are watching her closely and think it might be from dehydration. They tend to keep the kids a little dry because their bodies are leaking fluids at this time and it can affect the liver. This afternoon Randy noticed that one of Bailey’s eyes had a large bloody spot in the white part. Then when I gave her a shower, I noticed it was also in the other eye and her eyelids were bruising. We think it is from her vomiting so hard. She often gets the dry heaves because she isn’t eating at this time (they are giving her nutrients and fats through her IV). They checked her platelets, which were fine, so they are going to continue to monitor her. She was happy to see Uncle Ron Rocha today. She really appreciates him coming to check on her. (Those were her words). Her mouth is getting a little sorer from the mucositis but it hasn’t kept her from drinking or taking her medicine. This evening about 9:30 p.m., she got a really bad headache after getting sick. They gave her some extra morphine and within twenty minutes, she was feeling a lot better. I asked her if she wanted to do one lap. In true Bailey spirit, she said, “Yes”! As we were walking, we met a really nice dad, Kevin, who was out with his little baby Ethan. Ethan is a year old but got leukemia when he was only 3 months old. He just had his transplant on March 2. We want to ask for prayers for little Ethan. Some of the post-transplant medicine he is on has caused damage to his kidneys. He is so puffed up and looks so uncomfortable. He hasn’t been able to urinate. They have stopped the medicines and are hoping that his body can help itself.
Bailey ended up doing about five laps. Yeah!!! She didn’t want to stop but I could see that her legs were starting to get tired. Once again, she is requesting that I lay with her so this will have to continue tomorrow. Please pray that her new stems cells are maturing and getting ready to grow!!

We wish all of you a great Sunday. We will be watching Joel Osteen from our hospital room tomorrow. We really enjoy his messages and he helps to keep us in touch with the Word.

We miss you Blake and love you very much!!! All of us are so proud of you!!

P.S. I posted the hospital address below for those of you who wanted to send her cards.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 18, 2007

*Day 2*

Today started very much like yesterday. Bailey started vomiting in the early morning hours. Although she didn’t feel well at all, she still had to see what was on her breakfast tray. Little things like that just make me smile. She slept a lot of the day. That was good since it seems like when she wasn’t sleeping she was getting sick or just feeling crummy. She is just the best little patient. When the doctors came in this morning, I thought she was asleep. However when they quietly asked her to open her mouth, she did. They did the whole exam on her without her ever opening her eyes. She just laid there all relaxed.

Her lungs are sounding great so it looks like she kicked that pneumonia right out of the park!! Thanks for all the prayers. We need to keep this little one infection free!!! That is why they do not mess around with any possible symptoms. Everything is a potential problem as this stage of the game.

Once again, in the late afternoon, we had to coax her out of bed for her shower. Like magic, it always seems to lift her out of the fog she is in. After her shower, we walked around the ward several times with the cutest little boy named Aidan. He has basically lived here on and off since he was 8 months old, when he had a transplant. Because of the Graft vs. Host Disease, he still has to spend some time here at the hospital. We pray that that doesn’t happen with Bailey.

Bryce had a great day. He was able to go swimming this afternoon down at the hospital pool. A child life specialist had told him about it yesterday, so he woke up wanting to put on his swimsuit. Needless to say, it was torture waiting until the assigned time of 4:00 p.m.. They even had volunteers to go into the water with him so Randy lucked out.

Blake had a great time spending the day with Pings. He is so happy to be home to familiar surroundings even though he really misses being with our family. I think he is going to have a wonderful time. He gets Cameron and Cole all to himself. He doesn’t have to share the boys with his sisters.

Randy had to pick his brother, Ronny, up from the airport this evening. He came to check in on Bailey and our family. Thanks for coming Ron.

I have a cute little girl requesting that I climb in bed with her so I have to go.

God is Great!! Just remember that and you can’t go wrong!!

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

May 17, 2007

*Day 1*

Last night was once again a long night for Bailey and me. I hopped in bed around 2:30 a.m. after finishing the website update. About 3:00 a.m., Bailey woke up with diarrhea and vomiting. We spent the next hour in the bathroom until she felt that it was safe to hop back in bed. Around 6:00 a.m., we replayed the same scene again. By noon, she felt a little better and stayed up for a few hours. Her doctors decided to run more extensive test on her stools since everything else has come back negative. They don’t want to assume that it is the radiation and chemo causing it. Because she is having headaches, they will be running test on her blood tomorrow. I am really glad to be here. They don’t assume that anything is normal or to be expected. Instead they error on the side of caution. I like that. The mucositis has definitely started. Translation--the cells in her GI track, from her mouth to her bottom, have started to slough off from the radiation and chemo she received. During this process, she will get ulcerated sores in her mouth and throughout the GI track. The next week or two will be a very painful time for her in terms of this mucositis. However, what I love about Bailey is the fact that she is easily distracted from her pain. Today when she woke up she could hardly swallow because her throat hurt so badly. After eating a Popsicle for a while, she forgot about the soreness and was even able to take her pills. I have been told that during this time what these transplant patients experience is the equivalent of swallowing glass. (Yuck!) Today while she was awake, she felt pretty good and even got out of bed and took a short walk. Once back in bed she slept for probably 4 to 5 hours. Because the kids need to take daily baths, I had to wake her up. I had a hard time convincing her to get out of bed because she was so nauseated. Thankfully, she felt a lot better once she had showered. It is so hard making her do things like that when I know she is feeling so bad.

Blake headed back to California at about 6:30 p.m. this evening and called me around 8:45 p.m. to let me know that he had arrived safely. Thank you God for keeping him safe!! Anybody who knows me understands what a big step this is for me. Randy and I are very protective parents. If anyone had told me 6 months ago that I would be putting one of my children on a plane without me, I would have told them they were crazy. However, with all the changes that have occurred in the last few months and our change in residence, we have had to loosen our reigns slightly. The thing that saved my sanity, for now at least, is the fact that a former co-worker of mine at Foster Farms, Ben Kuhn, was able to fly home on the same flight as Blake. Thank you so much Ben for being so flexible and getting him home safely to my friends, George and Kim Contente’s house in Ripon. Thanks Contente Family. What would we do without special friends in our lives?! Blake will spend the night there and then his Uncle Eddie will pick him up in the morning. Thanks Pings!(Vote for Pings)(A little inside joke!)

Well as I was sitting here trying to finish this update, little girl woke up. It is 1:19 a.m. and I am currently typing this in the bathroom. So far, we have been here for about 45 minutes. I am going to try to get her back to bed so I will update more tomorrow.

Please pray that God will protect her from any virus, bacteria, fungus, etc that could harm her at this time. She has zero immune system as of today and will have no fighting capabilities until she engrafts (2 to 3 weeks from now). Please also pray for just the right amount of Graft vs. Host disease to kill off all of the remaining leukemia without causing serious complications for her.

Please also pray for precious little Parker B. who continues to amaze us with his strength and courage. We know miracles do happen and we pray that he will be one of those who receive just that. Hang in there Bockhop Family.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 16, 2007

Drum roll please…Bailey received her transplant today!!!!

*Day 0*

Thank you for all of your prayers. We were told this morning not to expect the transplant to take place until the early morning hours of May 17. Then about 4:00 p.m. today, the doctor came in and told us the stem cells had arrived in Seattle and they were being processed at the lab. They arrived here at the hospital about 8:30 p.m. They started her life saving transplant at 9:38 p.m. and finished it at 11:48 p.m. !!!!! We are so thankful that this day has arrived and that we can now continue to move forward. Our baby girl still has some tough days ahead of her, but we know with her strength and determination she will be okay.

Today was a better day for Bailey overall. They now have her on continuous morphine and have greatly increased her nausea medicine. This has made a big difference. She slept almost the whole day except for an hour right before the transplant started. She did have some vomiting but nothing compared to yesterday.

We had a nice family day together as we waited for her transplant to happen. We want to thank Keith Hood, the pastor at Harvest Community Church for coming up to Seattle to be with us today. Sorry, we didn’t give you anything to drink! Ha! A cute thing happened today as I was asking Keith if he could pick up a Baskin-Robbins cake for Blake’s birthday. Bailey, who is the bathroom at the time, heard me and started placing her order for various ice cream treats from a local grocery store. She hasn’t eaten anything in days, so when she put in a request for three different ice creams we all got a smile. It was so good hearing her sound like her old self again. We were able to celebrate both Blake’s and her “new birthday” together. That was nice since Blake leaves for California tomorrow.

Today is called day 0. From here on out, we will be counting forward. Please pray that she will have a quick engrafment. (new white blood cells growing). They did a CT Scan of her lungs today and said the left side is almost healed but the right one is showing pnenmonia. Go figure. She still has a few fighters left. Her ANC was 160. We actually need it to drop to 0 somettime soon.

Thank you so much for all or your thoughts and prayers.

God Bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s
I am going to try to give you a synopsis of the last week so you have an idea of just how important your prayers have been to Bailey and our family. Hope it isn’t too much info but I want you to see that even with all of the pain she is in, she still is able to be our fun little Miss Bailey. We believe that she gets her strength from all the prayers going up to our heavenly father. We have surrendered her up to him and feel great peace with how he continues to lead us.

Saturday, May 5 – Bailey woke up unable to walk because her right kneecap hurt too much. We iced it for a couple of hours. Our social worker Alistair, from VCH in Madera, stopped by for a quick visit. He was up in Seattle for a conference. Bailey was excited to see him and insisted on walking down the stairs with him when he left. It was a struggle but she even took the stairs back up to the apartment. She felt okay for the rest of the day but by bedtime, she had pain in both ears, her back and legs.

Sunday, May 6 – She rested most of the day and felt okay. Just to get her out of the apartment we decided at 6 p.m. to go for a drive and headed towards the Space Needle. She wanted to get out and take pictures once she saw it. It wasn’t too cold so we walked around for a while because it is very spread out and there were hardly any people around. They have a permanent outdoors mini amusement park/carnival down there. When she saw all of the rides, games, and colorful buildings, she started smiling from ear to ear. She looked at us and said, “Thanks Mom and Dad, this is so much fun”! (She couldn’t ride them but she was so happy just seeing everything). Because no one was playing any of the carnival games, we decided to let her play some skeet ball. She had so much fun. Brooke won a frog so Bailey is determined to go back sometime soon so she can win something bigger! We probably spent an hour just walking around taking pictures. Thanks Mings and Pings for the camera. She and Brooke are turning into quite the photographers. We also took her driving down by the water, to Pike Place Market, to the Mariner’s and Seahawk’s stadiums and to downtown Seattle. She had such a great time sitting in the backseat snapping away on her camera. Someday I’ll do a slideshow of all of her and Brooke’s great pictures. We had to head home when her back started hurting her. From that point on the pain continued and we knew it was going to be a long night.
She was in a lot of pain all night but we made it through without having to go to the hospital.

Monday, May 7 – She still had some pain but was able to get up and move around. The pain always seems to be worse in the evenings. We attribute this to the fact that she is easily distracted. We took her to the SCCA Clinic to get blood work and to be evaluated by the doctors. They gave her Oxycodone to help with the nightly pain. I thought we would have no problems since the night before all I had was Tylenol to give her. I was wrong.

Tuesday, May 8 - The morning started early. Bailey moaned and groaned most of the night, started running a fever and by 3:30 a.m. was crying and requesting to go to the hospital. I called the hospital and they said to bring her in. Bryce heard me packing and woke up crying because he didn’t want me to leave. In true Bailey style, despite her pain, when she heard Bryce crying she wanted to go out to the living room and make him happy. So…she started massaging his little feet, then pulled out her newly acquired guitar, and started playing him some songs. (Our neighbor up here, another transplant patient, was leaving to go back home to Napa and ran out of room in her car so she gave our family her beautiful guitar.) What a wonderful distraction it was for Bailey and Bryce. We called Pa and Grandma over to join our party about 5:00 a.m. and by 6:00 a.m., she had fallen asleep leaning against Pa with my mom, Nana, on her other side. Needless to say, we didn’t go to the hospital but instead waited for the SCCA clinic to open up. They drew blood and started her on Morphine. This is not how we envisioned starting transplant but we continue to believe and be comforted that God is in control of all of the details of Bailey’s transplant.

The doctor came into talk to us about our options. Basically, Bailey was displaying symptoms and pain similar to when she relapsed in October 2006. In addition, they know from her last bone marrow aspiration that some of her leukemia cells started to reflect clonal evolution (changing their DNA to survive). This increases her risk of relapse after transplant but that is not something we let ourselves worry about right now. For our sanity, we just take one day at a time and trust that God is watching over our baby girl. Before we could make any decision, we needed to see what her counts were doing. To the relief of the doctor, it did not appear that she was fighting an infection since her counts were almost the same as the previous day. So the big question was…do we stop and look at the bone marrow and risk that we may never make it back into remission (blast <5 or do we continue on toward transplant. Both the doctor and we agreed that we should continue on to transplant given how strong and healthy Bailey’s overall body is. After being admitted to Children’s Hospital, she had an x-ray taken to see if anything explained the extreme pain she was feeling in her ribs and bones.

Wednesday, May 9 - Bailey went to University of Washington to start her Total Body Irradiation (TBI). She was given Morphine, Benedryl, Adovan, and Zofran before we headed over for her 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. appointments (pain and nausea drugs). She handled it like a champ. What can be a very intimidating and scary experience for an adult, didn’t prove to be traumatic at all for our little Miss Bailey. They do three sessions for three minutes each on the front of her body and then the same on her back. She was placed in a chamber by herself during the radiation. They put music on for her to listen to during this time. They watched her and communicated with her while she was in there receiving her treatment. We could hear the doctors and nurses laughing as Bailey told them stories. It was no big deal for her. I Love It!!! Thank you God!!! Something slight showed up in her x-rays from Tuesday but they chose to wait and do more x-rays after radiation on Thursday.

Thursday, May 10 –Radiation was at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Although she was very tired, very nauseated and in a lot of pain, she once again made it through her treatment laughing and chatting with the doctors and nurses. She felt good enough after treatment to forego the wheelchair in order to ride the escalator down to the parking garage. As she waited for us to load the car, she started dancing! More x-rays were taken. Bailey continued to have extreme pain in her ribs, back, and neck despite the morphine and nausea, even though; she was taking three different drugs to control it.

Friday, May 11 – This ended up being another roller coaster day. Bailey’s day started at 4 a.m. when she woke up feeling sick. We headed out at 6 a.m. to get to her radiation at 7 a.m. Once again, she did a great job and continued to amaze the docs. When we got back to Children’s Hospital, we found out that there was in fact something in her lower left lung. They decided to do a CT scan that showed she had pneumonia in her lower left lung. Next, they informed us that they wanted to do a bronchoscopy with a lung wash to see if they could collect enough of a specimen to determine if it was a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection so they would know how to treat it. (Yuck!) The doctor told us the best case scenario after this procedure was that she would cough or be put on oxygen for a couple of hours. The worse case was that the lung could slightly collapse from the saline solution they put in it and she would be in ICU for a while. Thanks to all the prayers…Bailey sailed through the procedure and only let out one cough the whole day!!! Because we got out of the bronchoscopy right when it was time to leave for her second dose of radiation, Bailey and I got a VIP ride to UWMC in an ambulance. They needed to monitor her since she had just been sedated. It brought back memories of my ride with Bryce when he was only 1 year old and my suburban broke down on the way to the doctor. He had croup so badly that his whole chest was sinking in. I learned a lot from my time with Bryce in the hospital. When my car broke down, there was a fire truck within eyesight and a volunteer firefighter even closer. Bryce was having such difficulty breathing that I don’t think I would have made it to Manteca in time. Do you think maybe God was preparing me for something bigger? I do! It was only one month later that Bailey was first diagnosed with her leukemia. God will take care of you if you let him. Learn from your difficulties don’t just assume they are bad.

Anyway, back to Bailey. We arrived back at Children’s only to find out Bailey was being put into isolation and had to have two-hour treatments in a medicine tent every 8 hours. To top it off, nobody was supposed to be in the room with her if possible. They were doing this to treat her for RSV since it seemed to be the most likely culprit and they didn’t want to wait around for 5 days to see what the bronchoscopy results would be. I love how proactive they are up here. I know that we are in the right place. We have so many specialty doctors coming into the room each day and with them another two or three that are in training. She has so many doctors collaborating to make sure that she is getting the right/best treatment possible. The nurses are great too. They really watch out for what is best for these little ones and don’t have a problem advocating for them. We already have our favorites who clicked with Bailey and our family right away.

Saturday, May 12 - Bailey’s last day of radiation!!!!!!!! Can you tell we are happy?! Brooke came and spent the whole day with us, which made Bailey really happy. It helps Brooke to appreciate just what her little sister goes through when she is able to see it first hand. Despite her pain and nausea, Bailey insisted on driving her own wheelchair. In fact, she went up and down a steep incline at the hospital several times and refused to let anyone push her. She is such an amazing little spirit.

Sunday, May 13 – We hope all of you special moms had a Happy Mother’s Day! My clan headed to the hospital sometime around 4:00 pm so we could have a little time together. Brooke spent some time with Randy yesterday shopping for me. They were able to have some good father/daughter time. Bryce had a great time opening up my presents!

Bailey received her first of two doses of Cytoxin. She slept a lot of the day until the kids came to visit us. She enjoyed seeing Blake, Brooke and Bryce and checking out all of the candy and goodies Mings and Pings sent. I went home for a few hours to help Blake pack for his trip back to California. He is heading home to graduate from 8th grade with all of his friends. He also needs to get back because he is one of the top students in his class and needs to be at the TOSCA dinner. We are so proud of him! This is the first time he has been away from us except when he went to Science Camp. We want him to go back and enjoy this last month of middle school with his friends but we will miss him a lot.

Monday, May 14 - Bailey’s pneumonia is continuing to clear up. If you can believe it, her ANC was still around 880 even though she spent the last week being hit with radiation and chemo. She is one tough cookie. Thank you for all of the prayers. The doctors came in during the afternoon to let us know that the results of her bronchoscopy all came back negative so she was taken out of isolation. In true Bailey spirit, although she was tired and not feeling well, she went out to do some laps and check out the scene. Then, of course, she needed to do a couple of laps riding the Big Green Machine. Last night ended up being a really long and hard night. The side effects of the radiation have started to hit. She spent many hours last night on the toilet with a bucket in her hands. I knew this was coming but it is still hard to see. They are really trying hard to keep her comfortable but there is only so much they can do. Please know that your prayers have helped her tremendously. Many people start with the diarrhea and vomiting as soon as the radiation hits there body. We are so thankful that Bailey’s didn’t start until we were through with treatment. Can you imagine having to ride in a car for 20 to 40 minutes twice a day feeling like that? God is good!!

Tuesday, May 15 – Bailey spent the day either sleeping or in the bathroom. They decided to start her on Total Body Nutrition (TBN) and lipids (liquid fat) so that we no longer have to worry if she is eating. It is in IV form and goes into her bloodstream. (She hasn’t eaten since last Monday except for one bite here and there.) Despite her vomiting, we still have to get her daily meds into her. Bless her heart she goes with the program with hardly any resistance. This is the overall worse day that she has had in a long time. The sad thing is, it is only the beginning as far as the side effects of the transplant go.

Tomorrow Bailey will receive her transplant!!!! Please say a prayer for the donor and the courier who will be transporting the cells back from Europe. Thank you special donor for everything you have done to save our precious baby’s life!!

I will keep all of you updated on the actual transplant. Don’t expect to hear anything early though. In fact, because the stem cells are coming from a European country, she might not receive them until the middle of the night. Once they arrive here in Seattle, they need to count them before they go into Bailey’s body. Leftover cells will be frozen for two years in case there is a problem with Bailey’s transplant. Please pray that the doctors will chose the right number of cells that will allow Bailey to engraft with enough Graft vs. Host disease to completely kill any remaining leukemia but with not too many that could end up giving her Chronic Graft vs. Host, which can be debilitating.

Today, I opened up a daily devotional that KLOVE radio station sends out to their supporters. I decided to start reading it even though the official start date of the devotional was June 1. It was based on 2 KINGS 4:8. If you don’t think God ever really talks to us here on earth I think this might change your mind. Read it and let me know what you think. What’s the lesson here for you? No matter how bad things look - stay on top of the situation! Keep believing God. Walk the floor and pray all night if you have to, but don’t give up. Keep standing on the Word. Your dream may not be fully alive yet, but it’s getting warm. Things are improving. God is moving. Your answer is on the way – Never Give Up until it arrives!

Although we have never met many of you who are praying for Bailey, we want you to know how special you are to our family. Thank you for all of the prayers.

Make sure you check out the “View Photos” link so you can see our newest pictures. An amazing photographer from Seattle, Lynette Johnson, took them for us a couple of weeks ago. She has a foundation that takes pictures of families with children who have life threatening illnesses. She captured our little Miss Personality perfectly. Bailey and Bryce had a blast during the photo shoot as you can tell by the beaming smiles on their faces. She took four rolls of film and gave us a copy of each picture and a CD with all of them. She is a nationally know photographer who has been featured on shows like “The Today Show”. You can check out her website if you are interested in learning more about her foundation. It is www.soulumination.org .

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Tuesday, May 15, 2007 2:35 AM PCT

So sorry I haven't kept you up to date. Things have been so crazy. I almost have a big update finished. You are probably going to wish I had stayed with the small ones.

Bailey finished radiation on Saturday, started chemo on Sunday, and finished it today. The pneumonia is getting better but they don't know what kind it is because all of the test came back negative. Despite all of the radiation and chemo she has had, her counts continue to hold their own. Her ANC was 880 this morning. She is so tough.

She is still scheduled to receive her transplant on Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Praise God!!!

I promise to update sooner this time.

Kathy, Randy & the 4B's

Saturday, May 12, 2007 1:46 AM PST

Please continue to pray for Bailey. We KNOW that they are working and I promise I will fill you in on how all of your prayers to our heavenly father are keeping our baby girl safe. She has handled radiation like a champ. The doctors and nurses are pleasantly surprised!!

The pneumonia that the doctors first thought was nothing to worry about has in fact been one of the things we have had to deal with today. Long story short, we need prayers that the doctors can figure out what caused it so they can treat it. They are currently being very aggressive in treating it but are still unsure of the correct path to follow until they get the test results back. The problem is, the test will not be back for another 4 to 5 days. Her transplant is only 5 days away. Please pray for guidance for the doctors in their decisions concerning Bailey.

I posted new pictures. I will also explain who and when we took them in my journal tomorrow.

I have to get to bed. A respiratory therapist will be here in three hours to start another treatment on Bailey. It takes 2 hours to do then she gets 6 hours off.

I wish I had time to share all of the stories of the many amazing kids and families that we have encounter during this journey. It has helped us keep things in perspective. After God, our families should come first. That means slowing down and enjoying each other. I thank God this Mother’s Day for the wonderful moms that both Randy and I have. We are truly blessed to have such supportive family and friends.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Friday, May 11, 2007

Once again, it is late and we have an early day tomorrow so I am going to have to make this short. The date was off on last night’s entry but I have now fixed it and moved all of the past entries to the "read journal history" section.

Bailey has continued to struggle with pain and nausea but the doctors here are doing their best to get both under control. They have a whole pain management team dedicated to making sure these precious kids have as little of pain as possible. Today they gave her a morphine button(PCA) to push when she is having pain.Bailey did so well at both of her radiation treatments today. They dosed her up with morphine and three anti-nausea meds each time just minutes before we headed over to the University of Washington to have the radiation. She is just such a special little spirit. All of the doctors and nurses over at the U of W have fallen in love with her already. Brooke went with us to Bailey’s second treatment which made little sis so happy. I have so many details I want to share with all of you about the process she has to go thru and how all of the prayers are sustaining her but I will have to do that this weekend. She woke up at 4:00 a.m. this morning feeling sick and she never went back to sleep until 9:30 p.m. tonight. It has been a long day for all of us.

They took more x-rays of her today and it was confirmed that she has a slight case of pneumonia in her left lower lung. I can’t wait to talk to the doctors tomorrow to get more details, but for right now, they are treating it with some meds. I will keep you updated. Because of the pneumonia, they have placed her on contact isolation. Our little social butterfly does not like being confined to her room but because of this, we have now been moved to a very spacious room that we will be able to stay in throughout her transplant. You should have seen our first room. It was very tiny so we are excited to have this new room with plenty of room to stretch out in.

As always, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!!!!
Please continue to pray for Parker B.,Bryan H. and Kris M. All of these special people are fighting this horrible disease.

Thank you to Susan Schouten for walking in honor of Bailey at the Relay for Life. She loved her new purple shirt and goodies.

God bless each of you,

Randy, Kathy, & the 4 B's

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 11:33 PM PST

**WE HAVE NEW PICTURES ON "VIEW PHOTOS"**

May 9, 2007

Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers. We definitely need them right now. I still don’t have much time to update this correctly. Bailey received two doses of radiation today. She handled it well and everyone that met her fell in love with her. After the second dose, she started feeling really nauseated and now has a fever. Late this afternoon, a doctor came to talk to us because the x-rays they took last night appear to show a small amount of pneumonia. Because she is not showing any systems, at all, they are probably going to retake the x-rays tomorrow. If there is still uncertainty, they will take a CT Scan.

She is such an amazing little one. In spite of being very nauseated, she had to take her daily oral meds. She was not happy but she kept them down.

She has radiation tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

I will try to give more details later.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

May 8, 2007
Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers. We definitely need them right now. I still don’t have much time to update this correctly. Bailey received two doses of radiation today. She handled it well and everyone that met her fell in love with her. After the second dose, she started feeling really nauseated and now has a fever. Late this afternoon, a doctor came to talk to us because the x-rays they took last night appear to show a small amount of pneumonia. Because she is not showing any systems, at all, they are probably going to retake the x-rays tomorrow. If there is still uncertainty, they will take a CT Scan.

She is such an amazing little one. In spite of being very nauseated, she had to take her daily oral meds. She was not happy but she kept them down.

She has radiation tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

I will try to give more details later.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4 B’s

May 8, 2007

I have to make this short and sweet because I haven’t slept in two nights. I will do a better update tomorrow. Today has been a roller coaster ride. Basically, we are here in the hospital tonight because Bailey is having extreme bone pain in her back and ribs. She needs morphine to endure the pain. It does not appear to be viral or bacterial and because they do not want to delay transplant any longer she will have radiation tomorrow at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. unless something shows up on the x-rays they took tonight. We do not know how this latest development will affect her long-term cure, but we feel that God has brought us up here for a reason. We need prayers that she will not be in pain; that she will handle this radiation without too many side effects; that this radiation and chemo will kill every cancer cell in her body without harming any of her good cells, brain, and organs; that her donors cells are the perfect ones for her little body; for protection for Bailey’s donor and the courier who will be transporting the stem cells from Europe; and that we know what God wants for us to do! Thank you all for your love and support. We could not do this without all of your prayers. I will fill you in on details tomorrow.

God bless each of you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

May 7, 2007

We need prayers for our precious little Miss Bailey!!! Lately Bailey has had good days but some really bad nights. It is so confusing sometimes. We are not exactly sure what is going on, but we can’t wait to get to Wednesday and start this whole process. For a couple of weeks now at bedtime, Bailey’s legs and toes have been cramping. Since Friday night, her back has been hurting. Last night was a really long and uncertain night. Many of her symptoms are mimicking when she relapsed but we are hoping that it is just the chemo. They have given her some Oxycodone to help her get through tonight. She might be admitted to the hospital tomorrow so that they can monitor her.

A fever started this afternoon and right now, I am checking her temperature every hour. Hopefully, we will not have to head to the emergency room tonight. Her ANC was 3600 and her platelets and hematocrit levels were good. However, they do know that her last bone marrow aspiration showed that her leukemia is doing something weird. I will try to explain later. Right now, we just need prayers that God makes it very clear to the doctors and us about what we need to do!! We need the radiation, chemo and the donor’s stem cells to attack and kill EVERY cancer cell in her body so that she never has to worry about relapse again. When we returned home from clinic today we found out that Meagan, our neighbor here at the Pete Gross House, just relapsed. She is a 22-year-old single mom of a little 2-year-old girl. The doctors said this is the earliest relapse they have ever seen and only give her a 5 percent chance. She is a strong Christian girl and handling it much better than her mom and sister. She is trusting that God has a plan for her. I pray that she will be the 5 percent that survive so that she can raise her precious little girl Sophia. Have I told you how much I hate cancer?!!

We will keep you updated, as we know more.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

April 30, 2007

We hope all of you had a good weekend. We had a great one! We want to thank Kamie Harris (daughter of Dean Harris, a reporter for our wonderful local paper, “The Westside Index”) who spent her Saturday being our tour guide. I posted new pictures of our weekend adventures on the photo page. We went to visit the Snoqualmie Falls, which was absolutely beautiful. Bailey had so much fun just being out and doing something that “normal” people do. She raced Bryce and Pa all around and had fun climbing in a small tree. When we returned to Seattle, Kamie took us by Dave Matthew’s house (of the Dave Matthew’s band), to the Fremont Troll (fun to see), and the Gas Works Park (beautiful view of Lake Union). Bryce and Bailey ran up and down a very steep grass hill. She was a little sore Saturday night but was ready to do some more running on Sunday. On Sunday, we adventured out on our own to the Olympic Sculpture Park. Bailey being the little artist that she is and Brooke being a great photographer, had a wonderful time. It is a fun and relaxing place to visit with an amazing view of Elliot Bay. Only ten minutes into our visit, Bailey looks at me and says, “This is so much fun Mom!”. I love it!! I included the links below in case any of you ever visit Seattle. (Thanks for the info Kamie).

Today Bailey had a blood draw and clinic. The doctors were pleasantly surprised at how high her counts are. Even though she started chemo last Wednesday, her ANC was 1290 today!! They also took samples to test for the RSV Virus again. We won’t know the results until next Monday. She has felt great and hasn’t had a cough or a runny nose in over a week. Thank you for all of the prayers!!!! We have no doubt that they are the reason she is doing so well!! The doctors thought she looked great and were impressed with her nonstop energy. All of this is important for sending her to transplant. We walked to and from clinic today and then, of course, took the stairs up to our apartment!
I know a few of you are worried about us because of the delays we have had in Bailey’s transplant schedule. We are actually doing really well. We truly believe in waiting for “God’s time” and just trying to enjoy this with her before she heads to transplant.

Here are a few things that spoke to me from a devotional I read this morning:

-In times of uncertainty, wait. Always, if you have any doubt, wait. Do not force yourself to any action. If you have a restraint in your spirit, wait until all is clear, and do not go against it.

-Though His answer has so long delayed, though we may still continue to “go on” in the midst of trouble, “the center of trouble” is the place where He revives, not the place where He fails us.
We hope all of you are doing well.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Fremont Troll (remember it's under the 99 bridge (also called Aurora), not the Fremont Bridge!)
http://seattle.citysearch.com/profile/11348370/seattle_wa/fremont_troll.html
Snoqualmie Falls (a drive but so worth it!)

http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/

Olympic Sculpture Park
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/OSP/default.asp

Greenlake Park (the play area and parking lot is up by the indoor pool icon)
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/_images/maps/GreenLake.pdf
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/parkspaces/greenlak.htm

Burke-Gilman Trail
http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/BurkeGilman/bgtrail.htm
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/burkegilmantrailmaps.htm

Best Seattle t-shirt place
It's across the street from the Pike Place market entrance (walking, don't follow there driving directions onto Western Ave!).

http://www.pikeplacemarket.org
I can't find the actual address, but it's literally at the entrance and you can't miss it!

http://seattleshirt.com/index.html

April 25, 2007

We went to clinic today to have blood drawn and meet with the doctors. Bailey's ANC has gone up to 1200, which is great. The doctors decided to put her on some oral chemo since it will be a few weeks until she goes to transplant. They want to make sure that they keep her leukemia under control. We agree with their decision. They will not test her again for the RSV virus until we get closer to transplant, so for now, we have to remain in isolation whenever we go to clinic. She has recovered well from her cold and the doctors said her lungs sound great. Bryce is feeling well too. Brooke has come down with a cough again. I wonder if it is her allergies since it seems to hit every couple of weeks. I hope that she will feel better soon.

Tomorrow we are going to have family pictures taken by a local photographer. She does this as a service to families with sick children. We are excited to have this done. We wanted to do this when we were home, but we ran out of time. We will post the pictures once we have them.

We have a little correction to make. We just found out yesterday that Bailey’s donor is in fact a female. Somehow, the information was transferred to a log incorrectly at the donor center. The doctors had the correct information; it was just we who were told incorrectly. Everything else is the same. She is 37 years old and from a European country. We look forward to meeting her someday so that we can thank her in person for the amazing gift she is giving Bailey.

Thanks for all of your prayers and the great messages that many of you send our way.
We appreciate all of your love and support!!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

April 20, 2007

Plans have once again changed. Bailey will not start radiation next week. We met with Dr. Sanders yesterday and she just doesn't feel right putting Bailey into transplant with the possibility that the RSV virus could still be in her system. So Bailey will start radiation on May 9 and have her transplant on May 16. To tell you the truth, we feel better about this plan. We were a little concerned with her going to transplant so close to the time of her having this virus. Once again our prayers were that God would give the doctors the information they needed in order to make the right decisions. And once again he did just that!! It is so hard not being in control and just sitting back and waiting. But every time we do, God comes through and handles everything just perfectly. Of course!!! If Bailey hadn’t gotten the fever and ear infection, I wouldn’t have taken her into the E.R. on Sunday and they wouldn’t have known that she had this virus. She had been sick with the runny nose and cough since April 5 but the ear infection didn’t occur until April 15. So now we will use this time to keep her away from all sick people and fill her full of all kinds of healthy fruits and veggies. Just something to think about…if Bailey had gone to transplant when it was originally planned on March 30, she would only been 6 days into it when this RSV hit. She would have had no immune system to fight against this virus and keep her from getting pneumonia. God is good!!! Please trust Him!! He knows what he is doing and doesn’t need our help. In fact, I have a very good friend who is going through a really difficult time in her marriage right now. She is a Christian but often thinks that God needs her help to solve problems. We got the giggles on the phone last night when I read her a part from a devotional I have been reading because it was as if it was written directly to her.

This is what it said,
“I once thought that after I prayed that it was my duty to do everything that I could do to bring the answer to pass. He showed me a better way, and showed that my self-effort always hindered His working, and that when I prayed and definitely believed Him for anything, He wanted me to wait in the spirit of praise, and only do what he bade me. It seems so unsafe to just sit still, and do nothing but trust the Lord; and the temptation to take the battle into our own hands is often tremendous.
We all know how impossible it is to rescue a drowning man who tries to help his rescuer, and it is equally impossible for the Lord to fight our battles for us when we insist upon trying to fight them ourselves. It is not that He will not, but He cannot. Our interference hinders His working. “ C.H.P. Just some food for thought.

Hope all of you have a great weekend. We are going to head down to the Space Needle. Bailey cannot go into any buildings but they have a great grass area where we can play Frisbee and people watch!

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Well it looks like the transplant is a GO!

Yesterday we started our day at about 8:00 a.m. with Bailey having an x-ray of her lungs and blood drawn to get her counts. Later, we met with Dr. Thompson who went over the results of both with us and discussed why she and Dr. Sanders felt that Bailey should go to transplant now. Her lungs looked good…no signs of pneumonia from the RSV. Thank you God!!

Since transplant is back on, we were reassigned back to the SCCA. We met with Dr. Ho today to go back over Bailey’s history and her current standing. He listened to her lungs and said they sounded great. He looked at her infected ear and said there was almost no pus left in it. He was impressed at how well she handled this last round of chemo since it is the hardest stuff she has ever had and she didn’t need any blood or platelet transfusions. All of those prayers worked well!!!! Thank you!!! As far as he is concerned, he thinks she is ready for transplant. She looked healthy and strong to him. She enjoyed showing him pictures from her Wish Trip this summer.(sitting on alligators, swimming with dolphins, petting penguins) Her counts however did drop significantly since our visit to the E.R. on Sunday. At that time her ANC was up to 2500 while today it was down to 610. This isn’t bad but it is something we need to keep our eyes on. We have put her into a plastic bubble as of 8:00 a.m. today. I wish!!!

So, here is the basic timeline we are working with. Tomorrow morning, we go to clinic to meet with Dr. Sanders and a nutritionist. Around 12:00 p.m., Bryce and I will go to the airport to drop my mom off for her flight home and pick Randy up. He’s been gone since Saturday so he missed out on all the fun of the E.R. and doctors visits. My mom has been up here helping us out. It’s been great not having to worry about the other kids while Randy and I run from appointment to appointment with Bailey. Thanks mom! Friday and this weekend should be pretty low key but things will start picking up by Monday.

As of right now, Bailey is scheduled to start her Total Body Irradiation (TBI) on Thursday, April 26. She will receive radiation 2 times a day for 4 days.(April 26-April 29) Then she will have two days of Cytoxine (April 30-May1). She will have one day of rest (May 2). And then...on May 3 she will receive her bone marrow transplant!!!!!!!

Here is a little background about this process for those of you who are not familiar with how this all works. Also, you can look back at the other entries I have written by clicking on “read journal history” on the top of this page.

Anyway, there are three ways in which you can collect stem cells that are needed for the transplant. Even though it is called a bone marrow transplant it is actually “stem cells” that Bailey will be receiving. The first way they collect the stem cells is by a donor having them taken out of their hip bone while they are sedated. The second way is through a process in which they collect the stem cells from the donor’s peripheral blood (bloodstream). This is how Bailey’s donor has chosen to donate. He will be receiving special proteins called growth factors for a few days prior to the collection date. Once the cell count is high enough in his blood stream they will collect the cells through a process called apheresis. Basically, they put a needle in each arm. One needle draws his blood out, the stem cells are strained out of the blood, and then the blood returns to his body through his other arm. The last way to collect stem cells is from the umbilical cord blood from when a baby is born.

What amazes me about Bailey’s transplant is that her donor is a 34 year old male who lives in a European country. The SCCA will send a courier over to where he lives to collect the stem cells. In fact, they collect the stem cells from him on the morning of May 3, the courier flies back home to Seattle with them that day, the lab here in Seattle will do their thing (count the needed amount of cells, etc.) and that evening, if everything goes as planned, Bailey will have “The Gift of Life” being transfused into her little body. The transplant itself is very similar to how you receive a blood transfusion. The actually process will not be painful for Bailey. Bailey will then spend the next 30 days in the hospital. It is during this time that the side effects of the radiation, chemo and Graft vs. Host Disease will be closely monitored and we wait for her to engraft. (The donor cells start growing and produce new white blood cells)

I just want to take this time to thank Bailey’s donor for this amazing gift he is giving to our precious little girl. Without him, she wouldn’t have a chance at living her life. I also want to thank all of you who are on the National Bone Marrow Registry. By being on the registry you may be able to someday save a life. Just like this man, a complete stranger from the other side of the Atlantic, is saving our little Ms. Bailey. We have met too many little ones during our journey that have no match…which means, no chance at life. That should never happen! I thank God that we have two perfect matches for Bailey. We feel so blessed and also very obligated to spread the word about the need that is out there for donors in our country. If it wasn’t for the international registry, Bailey would not have a donor. Both of her perfect matches are from a European country. If you are interested in becoming a donor you can call the National Marrow Donor Program at 1-800-366-6711 and request a DNA swabbing kit. They will send you a health questionnaire in the mail. If you pass that, they will send you a kit that allows you to swab the inside of your cheek and send it back to them. (By calling and having this sent to you through the mail no payment is required. You have the option to make a donation if you would like to help pay for the test). It is that easy and you could save a life.

I will keep you updated as we go through next week. Please pray that she doesn’t have any virus, bacteria, fungus, etc. brewing in her little body just waiting to attack when her immune system is gone. We need God to send down some special angels to surround our baby girl and protect her from all the bad that comes with having a transplant. Please also pray that the radiation will only go after the cancer in her body and that all of her major organs and her precious little brain will be protected from it. We know that prayers work. I wish each of you could see the beautiful smile and wonderful laugh that Bailey has everyday. Her positive attitude and ability to move past the tough times is truly inspiring. I am trying to learn from her.

Bryce is feeling much better. Blake and Brooke are also doing well in school and enjoying all of the new opportunities that are coming their way. We hope all of you have a great weekend. We are going to be happy to have Randy back home and enjoying this time as a family.

Please keep Parker B. and Bryan(Rick & Kelly's nephew) in your prayers.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Tuesday, April 17, 2007 2:42 AM CDT

Well, the last few days up here in Seattle have been kind of crazy. I will try to recap them quickly.

On Friday Bailey’s counts were good enough for them to go ahead with the bone marrow aspiration and spinal despite the fact that she had quite a bad cough.

On Saturday evening right around bedtime I noticed Bailey was feeling a little warm. Sure enough she had a fever. Starting around 10:30 p.m., I was up every half an hour to recheck it. It kept going up gradually throughout the night so I showered and had everything ready to go in case we had to leave for the hospital. (Any fever over 101.5 requires a visit to the hospital.) She was also having chills and feeling really weak and dizzy. To complicate matters, Bryce started running a high fever and was in a lot of pain from what I suspected was an ear infection. When he saw that I was dressed he started crying and wouldn’t go back to sleep because he didn’t want me to leave. On top of that, I myself was not feeling well at all, and Randy had left Saturday morning to head to California for a test in Sacramento. Luckily my mom was here to help. As it turned out, Bailey's fever reached around 101.2 and then gradually started going down around 6:30 a.m. However, when she woke up about 9:00 a.m., she was crying that her ear was hurting her. Needless to say, on Sunday I had both Bailey and Bryce at the E.R. being checked over. It turns out, they both had ear infections. Bailey’s was in her right ear only. Bryce’s was in his left ear only. Go figure. The doctors and staff at the Children’s Hospital E.R. were great. They checked both of them over thoroughly, drew some blood and gathered some samples from Bailey, prescribed some antibiotics and ear drops for the pain and let us come home. By the evening both were on the road to recovery.

Today, I received a call from Dr. Thompson. A sample from Bailey's nasal passages showed that she has RSV. More than likely this is also what Bryce has. Both of them have had coughs and runny noses for a little more than a week. We go in tomorrow to do x-rays on Bailey to see if she also has pneumonia. Both doctors in the E.R. thought her lungs sounded great so we are praying that she does not have it.

Here is where things could get complicated. Dr. Thompson also had the results of her bone marrow aspiration from Friday. The last round of chemo that they gave her did not get rid of the residual leukemia that is in her bone marrow. I hate cancer!!!!! It is basically the same percent as it was before the chemo. Dr. Sanders is the doctor who will be covering the transplants this month. She has been here for 20+ years and worked under the first doctor to perform a bone marrow transplant on humans. She is also the doctor whom we met with when we came up for a consultation in November of 2006. We really liked her and felt really comfortable with her recommendation since she has had a great deal of experience in this area. Anyway, she feels that we need to take Bailey to transplant as soon as possible and recommends that we do not do another round of chemo. She feels that the risks outweigh the benefits at this point. If Bailey has pneumonia, she cannot go to transplant until she is fully recovers.

Please pray, pray, pray for our precious little one. We just want what is best for her and we trust that going to transplant is the path that God has lead us to. Please pray for guidance for us and the doctors.

I posted new photos under the “view photos” section so check them out. As you can tell from the pictures, Bailey remains upbeat and ready to have a good time.

A nephew of one of our best friends, Rick and Kelly Inderbitzin, has just been diagnosed with cancer once again. He fought cancer once before as a young boy. He is currently going through test to determine just what is going on. Please pray for him, his family and for guidance for the doctors. Please continue to keep Parker B. in your prayers.
We know they work!!!

Thank you for the love and support you have shown our family. We couldn’t make it through this without all the prayers and love that are coming our way.

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Wednesday, April 11, 2007 1:47 AM CDT

On Saturday evening Bailey started running a low grade fever. I prayed hard that we would make it through the night without going to the hospital and that we would be able to spend Easter Day as a family. My prayers were answered. Her fever stayed at 99.6 all night and by morning it had dropped down to normal. We started out our day watching Joel Osteen on T.V. We’ve heard a lot about him, but had never watched him before. All of us enjoyed listening to him and the message he shared with us. Later the kids had a ball searching for Easter eggs in the apartment. Just spending time together was great. We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter.

I want to share a phone number of a daily devotional done by a man named Duke DuVall. The toll-free number is 1-800-939-5689. It is available 24 hrs a day. It only takes about 5 minutes to listen to his recording. We have listened to him for over 3 years and we are always amazed at how often his message speaks to us. Bailey loves listening to Duke. We put it on speaker phone and just lay there relaxing while we listen to him. He has great messages and stories that are always interesting and inspiring. If you have a chance, go to the following website and listen to his message from Monday and Tuesday.

www.liftinglives.com/dailypostcard.php?date=4/9/2007
www.liftinglives.com/dailypostcard.php?date=4/10/2007

Bailey had a smile as she listened to Monday's story. I can see her being just like Edith Easter, the lady in the story. You can sign up to have his devotionals emailed to you daily. I have put his website below under “Links”. We like having the email so that we can listen to the ones we really enjoy over and over again. Let us know what you think.

I also wanted to thank a little girl named Miranda Stearns from Newman who left such a great message to Bailey. Bailey had a huge smile on her face as she read your entry. It makes her feel good to know that she’s inspiring others to do better. Miranda, she also wants you to know that she sometimes messes up too. The important thing is that you keep on trying to do better. We have a saying in our family, “If you make a mistake…admit it, fix it, learn from it, and move on”. Bailey wanted to say hello to all of her friends in Newman and to let them know that she misses all of them too!!! She likes it here in Seattle but can’t wait to get back home and see all of her friends again.

Today, we headed out the door at 8:00 a.m. so that Bailey could have her blood work, EKG and X-ray all before our appointment with her doctor at 10:30 a.m. They decided to cancel her spinal and bone marrow aspiration until Friday. Her counts are continuing to come up (her ANC=350 today) but they want to make sure they are getting an accurate picture of what her marrow has in it…namely, is the leukemia still there?(no!no!no!) She is continuing to feel better from her cold. The doctor said her lungs sounded great and her ears looked good. Now we just need to keep her from being exposed to anything else. This tends to be a little bit of a challenge when she spends most of her days in and out of shuttles and hospitals. The thing that keeps me sane is that we have so many people praying for her. We see the strength our Lord provides her from the moment she wakes up in the morning requesting that Randy cook up her 6-8 egg whites. (It’s part of her weight gaining strategy! Sometimes she has 2-3 pieces of toast to go with them and a cup or two of juice!!!)

We plan on going to the zoo tomorrow as long as the crowds aren’t too big. Since it is an outdoor activity, the doctor thought it would be fine. We make her wear gloves, a plastic suit, an astronaut’s helmet, and …just kidding…about everything except the gloves. However, I do wish there was some type of bubble I could put her in! I know a lot of you moms that are reading this and know exactly what I’m talking about. What’s funny is, we had to take a class about food safety and how to keep her as safe as possible after transplant. Well guess what folks (I won’t name any of you who have made fun of me), but I am right on track. In fact, there were things I always wanted to do before, that I thought would be over the top, that they now tell me I have to do to protect her!! Needless to say, we do a lot of hand washing and use a lot of hand sanitizer around here.

My friend, Becky Beam, gave me a great daily devotional called, “Streams in the Desert”. I want to share just a few parts with you that have really spoken to me:

“We grow through the things that seem against us, but really are furthering our way and establishing our goings.”

“Afflictions are often the black folds in which God doth set the jewels of His children’s grace, to make them shine the better.”

May God bless each of you and help you through whatever challenges you may be facing today.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Friday, April 6, 2007 12:21 AM CDT

Just a quick FYI. Bailey was not able to have her bone marrow aspiration on Thursday because her counts were not high enough. Her ANC dropped back to 40. She needs to her ANC > 250. We are going to leave in a little while to have her counts taken before the weekend. We also have to have her checked because she woke up yesterday morning sick. She had a really croupy cough and ran a low grade fever all day yesterday. Surprisingly her fever went away last night. That doesn’t happen too often. Usually her temp starts going up around 6:00 p.m. Thankfully, we were able to stay home and sleep instead of hanging out at the hospital last night!!! Thanks for all the prayers.

She had a good nights rest. If she didn’t have the yucky cough you would never know she is sick. She is ready to go outside and have some fun. Of course, I want her to stay inside and rest. We will have to come up with a compromise.

If her counts are good enough by Tuesday, they will do the aspiration then. I will keep you updated.

We wish all of you a wonderful Easter. If you have a chance, go on Danny Munster’s web page. His mom Kris always leaves a link when she writes in Bailey’s guest book. Anyway, they have some really neat Easter related info on Danny’s website that you might enjoy. Kris, please know that you are in our prayers.

Brooke is feeling much better today. We finally have her back with us. Bryce was sooooo excited to have her back. He was running around making sure each of us knew that Brooke is now healthy and could stay here with us.

Please keep our little friend Parker B. in your prayers. He has been in the hospital with high fevers, among other things.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

Tuesday, April 3, 2007 11:47 PM PST

Hello to all,

We have had a couple of pretty days here in Seattle. I forgot to tell you that besides our view of the Space Needle, we also have a beautiful view of some of the Olympic Mountains on a clear day like today.

Bailey had blood drawn and an appointment with Dr. Thompson yesterday. Once again, her counts are holding…so she didn’t need any transfusions! She also gained two more pounds so Randy had to hand over four more dollars!! Ever since Randy made the deal with her to pay her for every half pound she gained, she hasn’t stopped eating. We love it. She is actually eating really healthy stuff most of the time except for the candy that Mings and Pings keep sending her! She loves getting packages from them because she knows it will be something yummy.

Her ANC appears to be coming back up already. Her doctor felt pretty confident that her counts were heading in the right direction so she scheduled a bone marrow aspiration and a spinal for Thursday. We will check her counts at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning and if her ANC is at least 200, they will go ahead with the aspiration at 1:00 p.m.. This test is needed to show us that the chemo completely destroyed all of the residual leukemia that was hanging out in her bone marrow. (We are keeping positive thoughts and praying continuously that all of the leukemia is gone and that she will be able to move on to transplant). We are hoping to have the results back by Friday. I promise I will post them as soon as we get them.

Yesterday we enjoyed visiting with Randy’s cousin Bradley who is a member of the US Navy stationed on the air craft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Last time we saw him was about 7 years ago when he spent the summer with Randy’s parents. At that time he was a freshman in high school and mostly interested in skateboarding. Now he’s in the military and married. Where does the time go? He is actually docked near Seattle right now so we look forward to seeing him a few more times before he is shipped out.

You want to hear something a little funny. The Rotavirus that Bailey tested positive for but never got sick from…well it appears to have hit Randy, Blake and I on Tuesday! Go figure. We were fine by the next day but Bailey got a kick out of the fact that she didn’t get sick and we did. Brooke is actually sick with something different than we had. She woke up on Tuesday morning complaining of a sore throat and neck. Bailey was able to stay in her grandparent’s apartment for a couple of days so that she didn’t have to be with us sick people! Brooke still isn’t feeling well so she got shipped down there tonight so Bailey could return home. It is amazing how much the girls miss each other when they can’t be by each other. Please keep Brooke in your prayers too.

Thank you for all of your prayers. We know God is listening.

Love,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Friday, March 30, 2007 4:25 PM CDT

Hello from Seattle,

Yesterday was bright and sunny up here. We felt like we were back in California. Today started out sunny, but it now looks like some rain is coming in. It reminds us of a cross between San Francisco and Monterey weather.

Bailey had blood drawn yesterday to get her counts. As expected the chemo brought her ANC down to 0. Now we just have to wait (approx 1 to 2 weeks) for her counts to recover so they can do the bone marrow aspiration and see if the chemo knocked out all of the leukemia. (pray,pray,pray). We have to go back on Saturday for another blood draw. They are watching her Hematocrit (red blood cells) and Platelets. Yesterday the Hematocrit was 31.2. She will need a transfusion if they drop below 20. Her Platelets were 64, counts below 10 means a transfusion.

She is feeling and looking great. You would never know that there is anything wrong with her. We hiked up the hill to clinic once again, yesterday. She and dad did a little “Dancing with the Stars” routine while we waited for the shuttle (we enjoy watching that show). Last night I had to change the dressing around her Hickman. This is no fun. I had to pull off the Tegaderm which sticks worse than any band-aid to her skin. Then I had to clean the site three times with an alcohol-type product. The site is still healing from her surgery last week and her skin is irritated from all the Tegaderm, so it really stings when I do this. That’s why I created a “Treasure Box” for home. It always helps her to get through things when she knows there’s a treasure waiting for her. Thanks to the ladies from the Women’s Retreat at Harvest Church who wrapped all the treasures for me. Since the treasure she unwrapped last night (at 9:30 p.m.) was a C.D., we had to dance to it before bedtime. If I hadn’t turned off the music, she would have danced all night!!

Blake and Brooke are enjoying school. They went on a short fieldtrip today to the zoo. They had fun. We’ve heard from numerous people that it is a great zoo. Hopefully when Bailey’s counts recover, we can take her there before transplant. We are hoping for good weather this weekend so that we can go exploring.

Please keep our little friend Parker B. and his family in your prayers. He needs his new cells to kick it into gear and kill off the leukemia that is trying to take over. Please also keep our good friend Susan S. in your prayers as she continues her fight against cancer.

We wish all of you a great weekend. Don’t forget to tell those who are close to you that you love them.

Love,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Tuesday, March 27, 2007 0:03 AM CDT

Where does the time go? I am so sorry I haven’t updated this before now. I know what it’s like to continually check a little ones website to see how they are doing. It has just been so busy.

On Friday, Randy and I had to go through training on how to take care of Bailey’s new Hickman Line. We had to pass our training before they would let us bring her home. We passed and Bailey was feeling well, so we were able to come home on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, we walked down to Lake Union and let the kids run around and play at a cute little playground by the water. Bailey’s stamina continues to amaze us. The wind kicked up a little bit so we were able to enjoy watching the sailboats out on the water. People in the community continually donate sport, play and various event tickets to the families of SCCA. So, on Sunday evening, Randy, Blake and Brooke were able to go to a Sonics game. Brooke came home with a few souvenirs so now Bailey can’t wait to go to the team store and spend some of that money that she is earning for gaining weight. (Daddy promised her that for every half a pound she gained he would give her $1.) Needless to say, she has been eating none stop and gained two pounds since last week!!!

Today, we had a clinic visit to draw blood and meet with Dr. Thompson. Baileys’ counts are still hanging in there with an ANC of 960. We have to go back on Thursday because they know that by the end of the week her counts will have dropped and she will probably need a red blood cell and/or platelet transfusion. We also found out that she was recently exposed to the Rotavirus. It appears that she has an immunity built up against it since she hasn’t had an episode of vomiting and diarrhea recently. Thanks for the prayers, they worked!! She hiked up the hill to clinic today and ran up the stairs to our apartment when we got home. Keep praying that she can keep strong and healthy during the next couple of weeks while we wait for her counts to recover so they can do the bone marrow aspiration that will tell us if this round of chemo worked.

Thanks for checking in on us.

God bless you,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B’s

Thursday, March 22, 2007 11:01 PM CDT

Hi guys,

I have one minute to write because I have a cute little girl asking me to cuddle with her. How can I refuse that offer? Anyway, the surgery went well. She had a tough evening following the surgery but has been feeling better each day. Right now she is tired but feeling good despite the fact that she has two new chemos daily and all kinds of other meds to ward off unwanted side effects. I will update with more details tomorrow. Thanks to all of you who are praying for us. We need that leukemia in her bone marrow to disappear!!

Love,

Kathy and Bailey

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:08 AM CDT

Well it looks like there is going to be a little change in plans. On Tuesday, we met with Dr. Carpenter to go over the results of Bailey’s bone marrow aspiration that she had on the previous Friday. At that time, he told us that the pathologist had found 1.3% leukemia in her bone marrow. After meeting with a panel of doctors on Friday, March 16, he decided that she needs to do a round of strong chemotherapy before continuing on with her transplant. They want to get the leukemia down to less than .1%. So…..the transplant will be delayed by about 5 to 6 weeks.

Yesterday we met with Dr. Thompson from Children’s Hospital to determine which chemo they will use for Bailey. Right now, we are waiting for Bailey to get out of surgery. They are taking out her port and putting in her Hickman line. The reason for this is that they are able to run two different medicines, chemos, etc. into her at the same time with a Hickman but not with a port. Today after surgery, she will be admitted into the hospital. Tomorrow they will start her 5 day chemo round. Once her counts are stable she will be able to come back to the apartment. Then we wait for her counts to recover. This typically takes 2 to 4 weeks. We need this round of chemo to work or else they will have to do a second round before transplant. We don’t want to do more chemo than we have to. So, we need lots of prayers coming Bailey’s way.

Bailey is in great health, except for the leukemia. All of her test came back showing that her organs are fine. Her lung capacity was above the normal range! Do you think that could be from all the dancing, running, skipping, rope jumping, and hill climbing that she has been doing?!!!! She is still our fun loving, happy little girl with not a care in the world except which show to watch or song to listen to.

I will be updating this soon.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy and the 4B’s

Thursday, March 15, 2007 0:26 AM CDT

Just a quick update. Today we only had one appointment. Bailey had to have a dental exam so they could make sure there were no cavities or other oral problems that could harm her once she has no immune system. She was given a clean bill of oral health!! No cavities and her mouth tissue looked great. Because the appointment was late in the day, Brooke and Bryce went with us. Bailey enjoyed having the company of her brother and sister during the shuttle ride and before/after the appointment. She is feeling good and continues to walk up the hills with no problem. She even insist on taking the stairs up to our apartment instead of the elevator.Please keep the prayers coming for Bailey, Parker B., Rhyan P. and Miranda. If you haven't been on Bailey's site for more than a week, you might want to check out the last few journal entries I made so you can get up to speed on what has been happening.

God bless,

Kathy, Randy, and the 4 B's

Wednesday, March 14, 2007 2:52 AM CDT

Hello again,

Since I haven’t updated in a while, I am going to do a quick update on what has been happening since Feb 23.

On February 25, 2007 Bailey turned 8 years old!!! Although she had to spend her birthday in the hospital she had a smile on her face most of the day. Her counts were already recovering on Sunday morning but her doctor wanted to keep her one more day without IV meds to see if her fever stayed away. On Monday her counts were still good and her fever stayed away so we were able to head home and continue our packing for Seattle. She had a good week and enjoyed spending time with family and friends before we headed up to Seattle.

We arrived in Seattle on Monday afternoon and were pleasantly surprised to find out that our apartment not only has a balcony but also has an awesome view of the Space Needle. Another bonus for Bryce’s was his very own construction site sky box (our apartment). There is a new building going up less than 20 feet from our apartment. Don’t worry; it will not block our Space Needle view.

We spent the last week going to appointments and shopping for supplies to set up our home here. Almost everyday Randy, Bailey and I were out the door at 8:00 a.m. and not back home until 5:30-6:00 p.m. They have a great shuttle system here that takes us between our apartment, the clinic, and the hospitals. Bailey has been such a trooper. She has had more tests done on her in one week than most of us have in a life time. They need to make sure that her body is strong enough to handle the transplant. Everyone has been so friendly and of course they have already fallen in love with our Little Miss Bailey. Most of the time she has a smile on her face and is skipping down the halls. I love it!!! Friday was a bit of a tough day however. She had to have a spinal with chemo and a bone marrow aspiration. They put her totally under for the procedure and I think one of the meds made her feel a little tweeky. It took a few hours for her to shake it.

I am going to give you a brief overview of how things work up here in Seattle. First of all, there are three parts to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The University of Washington Hospital, Children’s Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Research Clinic. We actually go to all three for various reasons. Most of Bailey’s outpatient needs will be met at the Clinic prior to and following her hospitalization. We went to U of W Hospital today to have Bailey measured and prepared for her whole body irradiation. The actual radiation will occur just days prior to her transplant. She will receive radiation 2 times a day for 4 days. She will then receive two days of chemo at the Children’s Hospital. She will have one day of rest, then on or about March 30, she will receive the gift of life…her new stem cells.

Here is a little update on Bailey’s donor and the BMT process. Bailey’s donor is a healthy 37 year-old male from a European country. Bailey is allowed to have limited contact with him through letters but cannot include any personal information in the letters. We will be able to have unlimited contact with him after 2 years have passed. Although it is called a Bone Marrow Transplant, it is actually stem cells that Bailey will receive. There are two ways for a donor to give stem cells. One way is from their hip bone. The second way is called peripheral stem cells that come from their blood through a process called aphaeresis. Our donor has chosen the second way. He will go through a few days of shots that force his stem cells out of his marrow and into his blood stream. On March 29 they will harvest his cells over in his European country and a courier will carry them back to Seattle for Bailey’s transplant on March 30. Isn’t that amazing? The stem cells are input through her central line much like a blood transfusion would be done. The day she receives her transplant is called Day 0. There are both pros and cons to receiving peripheral stem cells. There are usually too many stems cells collected this way so they will actually have to hand count the number of cells that Bailey will receive. They are able to freeze the extra cells in case Bailey is to ever need more. Let’s pray she doesn’t but it is a nice safety net. The peripheral stem cells tend to cause more of the Graft vs Host Disease that Bailey will have to deal with. This can range from mild to life threatening. It can also cause more Graft vs Leukemia which is something Bailey needs in order to make sure that all of the leukemia is killed off. I will explain in more detail later exactly what Graft vs Host Disease is. It is definitely a fine line.

Today we took a Food Safety Class. Most of you who know me know that I am somewhat of a germ freak. Well guess what? I have been right on target about most things and in fact learned that I need to be even more cautious now that she will be going into transplant. We will be making sure that Pa, Grandma, and Nana also go through this class. She will be on immune suppressant drugs for 9 months to 1 year or more. During this time we will have to be extremely careful with her. She will not be able to attend school for at least a year after transplant. She was bummed to hear that but she also knows how important it is for her not to be exposed to all the germs that come with going out into public places like school, malls, movie theaters, etc. We have a really nice public park with a great play structure just a few blocks away from us. We took all of the kids there yesterday to play for a while. Bailey had a blast! She hasn’t been able to do the monkey bars since she relapsed. Hopefully we will have some good weather before the transplant so that she can have a few more days at the park!!

We only have one appointment tomorrow and actually get to sleep in!!! They will be doing a complete dental exam on her to make sure that she doesn’t have any mouth issues. She’s hoping for sunshine tomorrow. We heard that our valley family and friends are having temps in the mid-80’s. We had rain today and highs of 48. But I’m not complaining. We live in a really great location. We are only ½ mile from the clinic and right by Lake Union. In fact late this afternoon, Randy, Blake, Brooke and I went jogging along the lake. I am already feeling the tightness in my legs!!! It has been many years since I have exercised. We’ll see how this goes. I figured it can help me relieve some of the stress that I’m going through right now. You should see the view we have from the waiting room at the clinic. I will try to post pictures of our surroundings soon.

Hopefully by Friday we will have all the test results back and will know if the transplant will happen at the end of March.

Bailey is feeling great right now. She’s the one that wants to walk (up hill) to the clinic and home instead of riding the shuttle. I love it!!! She is having a great time here and the treasure box continues to make all the pokes she’s receiving worthwhile!!

Blake and Brooke are adjusting to there new school. It is only one floor below where we live so it is very convenient. It is a school specifically set up for kids whose parents or siblings are going through transplant. They are meeting kids from all over the country, which is a great experience. However, they miss their friends back home in Newman. Blake will be going back home in a while so that he can finish out his 8th grade year and graduate with his friends. I guess that will be a test run for his college years that will be coming up in no time. It is going to be hard being away from him.

I am very thankful that Randy and the kids are able to be up here with Bailey and me. We owe a huge thanks to all the teachers and administrators who have made that possible. We are so happy that we live in such a small and caring community. Everyone from our Westside community has been amazing. Thank you so very much!! We will forever be grateful for the gift of being able to keep our family together during these tough times.

Thanks for all your prayers. We really do feel the strength from them!!

Love,

Kathy, Randy and the 4B’s

Tuesday, March 13, 2007 2:37 AM CDT

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all you prayers. We made it to Seattle safely and Bailey is doing well!! I will be posting all the details of the last few weeks on the website later today so check back soon. I will also be posting new photos soon. Sorry we haven't updated lately but things have been sooooo busy. Please keep a couple of our little buddies in your prayers. First is Parker Bockhop. He is a little friend who has relapsed after having two cord blood transplants. He has been through so much and he and his family really need your prayers right now. Secondly is Miranda, who many of you have prayed for and seen a miracle happen. She had a transplant over a year ago and has been doing really well. However, her grandmother called today to say that Miranda is in the hospital with Shingles (ouch!!) Next is our little friend Rhyan who has a metabolic disorder and has been hit with a high fever and who knows what else. A simple virus can be very dangerous to her. We appreciate all of your love and support. We promise to keep you updated on a more regular basis. Just know that Bailey is handling everything very well. We know the prayers that all of you are saying for her really gives her strength.

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, and the 4B's

Friday, February 23, 2007 1:27 PM CST

Bailey felt good enough Tuesday after her spinal and Vincristine to head over to Veronica and Ricky Garcia’s house to see their new little baby girl, Analeese Maria. She’s beautiful! Bailey couldn’t wait to hold her. You should have seen the smile on her face when Ricky put Analeese in her arms. Even though we didn’t get home until almost 10 p.m., Bailey was up and ready to go by 8:00 a.m. the next morning. I’m sure it was because she knew she was going to Aunt Marlene’s house later in the day. She had a wonderful time being spoiled by Aunt Marlene and playing with her baby cousin, Mia. That night when she went to bed, she was complaining that her jaw and legs really hurt (side-effect of Vincristine) and that her ears hurt. I put some pain medicine in both ears and that seemed to do the job for the time being. At 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning, she woke up vomiting and it just went downhill from there. By 8:00 a.m. she had vomited 5 or 6 times, started running a 102.5 temperature, and her whole body was hurting badly. We just couldn’t leave California without one more hospital visit down to Madera! They admitted her straight into the hospital and started her on fluids, Cefepime (antibiotic), Zofran (anti-nausea) and Morphine (for the pain). She vomited a couple of more times but made it through the night without any episodes. She is still very nauseated and needing Morphine for the pain. With the help of the Morphine and Benedryl she had a pretty peaceful night and hopefully will spend today sleeping. So as far as Seattle goes, we might have to delay her transplant a week or two depending on how long of a hospital stay she will be having this time. On Tuesday her ANC=780. Yesterday it was 3,705. This shows us that her body currently has the white blood cells that it needs to fight this infection. The problem is…we don’t know how many she has left and if her ANC will take a nose dive soon and put her back into the same boat that she was in a few weeks ago. We couldn’t get her ANC to go above 80 even after being in the hospital for nine days. So you prayer warriors…start your engines. We need this precious little one covered in your prayers. We are so thankful for the doctors and the medicines but we know the true healer is our Lord! I’ve included a Daily Blessing Verse on Bailey’s website that I hope you might enjoy. I found it when I was visiting Danny Munster’s site, his mom Kris is the one who leaves the creative messages in Bailey’s guest book. Danny’s story is amazing and inspiring. If you have a chance, click on his name under the picture of Bailey throwing a snowball (in her guest book). Thanks for your love and support!

God bless,

Kathy, Randy and Bailey

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 3:03 PM CST

Well folks, we have some big news. Last week we received a call from Seattle wanting to know if we were ready to set up a TRANSPLANT DATE!!!! Needless to say, our answer was “Yes”!! They need to run numerous tests on Bailey to see if she will be able to handle the transplant, sooooo…we will be leaving for Seattle soon!! If the tests come back fine, then the process will begin to prepare her body for transplant. This will include a bone marrow aspiration to make sure she is still in remission, two spinals with Methotrexate, surgery to take out her port and put in her broviac line, whole body radiation 2 times a day for 4 days, two days of high dose chemo, one day of rest and then…..on or about March 26, 2007 she will have her bone marrow transplant with stem cells harvested from a 37 year-old male donor from the International Registry!!! There is also a 51 year-old male who is a perfect match too. What more could we ask for?!!! We prayed that if Bailey was meant to go to transplant, we would find a perfect match for her. Not only did God give us a perfect match, he also gave us a perfect backup!! God is so good!

Now, for an update on Bailey. Last weekend the Rocha cousins from San Luis Obispo came up for a going away/birthday party (Bailey and Vance) before we leave for Seattle. All of the kids had a great time playing basketball, running around and jumping rope. Bailey had a blast jumping rope with her cousins for two days. By Monday evening she literally could not walk. On Tuesday, Randy had to carry her into clinic because her legs hurt so much and she was really stiff after a 2 hour drive down to clinic. I promised her a bag of Hot Cheetos from the cafeteria if she walked out to the car after clinic. Since she was craving them, she accepted the offer and slowly but surely made her way to the car. It took a couple of days but she is back to running around again. Bailey was not able to have chemo on Tuesday because her counts were still too low. She needs an ANC of 750 or above and she was only at 480. At least she is on her way back up. We’ll try again next week.

Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. A special thanks to Suzie Wells for all her messages. Bailey looks forward to meeting you someday. Thanks also to Kris for posting Bailey’s picture and the great animated messages that you leave for us to enjoy. I’ve always admired the messages that you have left on the other children’s websites that I also visit. Your messages and animations are always uplifting. Your son Danny will be in our prayers. It is never easy going through times like this, but we have made so many wonderful and special friends during this journey.

We have so many people that ask us how we are handling this so well. Basically, it is God. We had to learn to, “Let Go and Let God”!!! It is very calming when you can do that. I just wish I could do the same for the smaller things in life.

I have been working on this posting for about a week so I will fill you in on what is happening today since we are currently at clinic. Bailey finally passed her counts (ANC=770) so they did a spinal and put in her chemo. Now she will only need one spinal in Seattle. She also received Vincristine and Pentamadine. She is a little groggy but ready to eat now. Thanks to Catherine, Madeline, and Audra for coming and visiting us at clinic today. Please keep our little friend Parker B. in your prayers. They are waiting for test results to let them know what is going on with him.

As soon as I figure out how, I am going to put a very special song on here that Bailey wrote and a sweet friend Melody sang and recorded for us. It is a pretty awesome song!!

God bless,

Randy, Kathy, Bailey and family

Sunday, February 4, 2007 5:43 PM CST

We are home and today is a good day for Bailey! She has been outside playing soccer and jumping rope!!! God is good. Yesterday, she had a really bad day. She was miserable and hurt everywhere for most of the day. Slowly but surely, after she forced herself to eat something she started feeling a little better. By 8:00 p.m. she was up and dancing. She continually amazes us!! We came home on Friday despite really low counts. Dr. Johnson did a bone marrow aspiration on Thursday to check Bailey’s level of leukemia and rule out another relapse. Praise be to God, everything came back fine!!! That is something that is always at the back of our minds since her cancer seems to be so resistant to the chemo. That is why we can't wait to get her to transplant and hopefully get rid of the cancer once and for all. Please continue to pray that her body will continue to recover and that the chemo is doing its job of destroying the leukemia. We have always know that God was with us since things began in 2003, but since Bailey relapsed in October 2006, we have felt his guidance and presence in ways we never did before. I think too often we pray but then do not take the time to stop and actually listen to his answer. This time we are doing just that. All of the decisions that we are making are ones we truly believe God is leading us to. And when we begin to question what we think is right, he patiently sends us the answer…again. As long as Bailey doesn't have a fever, we won’t have to go back to clinic until Tuesday. I’ll let you know. Kerry and Irene, the burritos were a hit. Thanks! Once she tasted how good they were, she gave Randy and me her puppy dog eyes, and asked if she could have ours for the next day. Of course, we said yes and headed down to get cafeteria food! Anything to get her to eat, which is something she hasn’t wanted to do lately.

God bless each of you,

Kathy, Randy, and Bailey

Wednesday, January 31, 2007 3:47 PM CST

Well, we are still here in the hospital. It appears that Bailey’s counts have no plans on going up. Yesterday her ANC = 160, today her ANC = 147. She didn’t feel very good yesterday and just woke up around 12:45 p.m. today feeling sore all over and sick to her stomach. We are not quite sure what is going on. Hopefully it is just a virus that is playing havoc with her immune system. Please pray that God will heal her and not allow her leukemia to continue growing. We know that God still performs miracles here on earth. We have witnessed his amazing grace first hand many times with my dad and special little friends from down here at the hospital. We met a precious little, blond haired, blue-eyed, 7 month old boy named Brayden and his mom last night. He had surgery to remove tumors on his spine but the tumors have continued to grow. He just started chemo. Please pray for him and his family. His mom, Debra, is a very nice woman. She has 6 other children and many challenges going on in her life. Yet, she remains faithful to God. I do not know how people make it through the tough times in their lives without faith. Thank you for your prayers for Bailey and our family. Even though she didn’t feel great yesterday, she still mustered up the strength to walk 4 or 5 laps around the unit and bring smiles to a handful of kids. Thank you Linda, Anna, Caroline and Sarah for letting me come hang out at your house and do laundry the other day.(Linda was one of my roommates at CSU Fresno). We wanted to say thank you to the Delta Blood Bank and all of you who continue to donate blood on behalf of Bailey. Thanks also to Kerry Teraoka (Caleb’s dad) for the visit and the hot Frito chips he brought Bailey. She had a smile from ear to ear when she woke up and saw those!
We will keep you updated.

God bless,

Kathy, Randy and Bailey

Monday, January 29, 2007 11:35 PM CST

I bet some of you (Irene and Liz) can’t believe that I have updated Bailey’s site three days in a row. We thought we might be going home tomorrow but it looks like that is not going to happen. Bailey’s counts went down (ANC=150) instead of going up. We can’t go home until they see them steadily increasing. When she woke up this morning (11:30 a.m.), she felt horrible. Her whole body hurt and she felt sick to her stomach until she was able to throw up. She’s been tired today and didn’t venture out like she has for the last two days. Then to top it off, they had to change her port needle today. For some reason they have a hard time putting her needle in, so it is pretty painful for her. She is such a trooper! Please pray that her counts go up soon. We need them to start increasing so she can continue on with her chemo. It is never good to be off the chemo for too long. They will be doing a bone marrow aspiration sometime right before we head up to Seattle to make sure she is still in remission. They won’t do her transplant unless she is in remission so please also pray that the chemo is doing its job. We will keep all of you updated as we go along.

Thanks for all of your love and support,

Kathy, Randy and Bailey

Monday, January 29, 2007 3:13 AM CST

I will try to finish what I started to tell you yesterday. Today Bailey’s ANC increased slightly to 219. At least it’s going in the right direction. It needs to be around 400 to 500 before we get to leave the hospital. Looking at her, you would never know she was sick. Today she was itching to jump rope so I not only bought her a jump rope but also what was known in my day as a “lemon twist”. It is the thing that you put around your ankle and then swing and jump. She had a blast going up and down the hallway outside her hospital room. The doctor was a little shocked to see her doing it. I wish I had half her energy. Now for the update on where we stand with her upcoming transplant. A couple of weeks ago we found out that there are 3 perfect (10 out of 10) matches and 1 acceptable mis-match on the bone marrow registry for Bailey!!! God is good!!! We know so many families from down at the hospital that couldn’t even find one perfect match. We feel extremely blessed that there are 3 perfect matches!!! One match is a 30 year old woman from the US. The other two perfect matches are males on the international registry. The woman was ruled out because of a virus she tested positive to but Bailey tested negative for. Because of this, it would be too risky to use her marrow for transplant. As of last Tuesday, Seattle was going to be testing the blood work of a 51 year old male from the international registry. If everything checks out and he agrees to be her donor, we could be up in Seattle in 4 to 8 weeks from now. Her California doctors now have to coordinate her chemo treatments with the Seattle doctors to get her in a place where she is ready for transplant. It is hard to believe how soon this could be happening. For those of you who don’t know much about what lies ahead for our precious little Bailey, I will try to update you sometime in the next couple of weeks. What I can tell you now is that we need your prayers for God’s continued guidance of us and the doctors. We know that if this is meant to be, he will make sure that everything falls into place at the right time. Please also pray for all of the little children that are down here alone. They are such precious angels. It has been so hard being away from Blake, Brooke and Bryce this last week and they are healthy, safe and in loving hands with Pa and Grandma. I can’t even imagine having to leave one of my children at a hospital knowing they were sick. Please also pray for their parents. Randy and I thank God everyday that we have so much love and support from our family, friends and community.

May all of you have a blessed week,

Kathy, Randy and Bailey

Sunday, January 28, 2007 1:21 AM CST

On Tuesday, Bailey went clinic. She needed platelets again because her counts were down to 21,000. She had a low ANC of 308 and a cough, but for the most part felt okay. She woke up feeling good at home on Wednesday morning. In fact, she felt good enough to whip me at indoor soccer. I love when I see her moving around so well, especially when she just received an increased dose of Vincristine for the second week in a row. The Vincristine is a medicine that affects her muscle tone and sometimes makes it hard for her to walk and causes her to trip a lot. Around 3:30 p.m. she started not feeling well. By 7:00 p.m. we were on our way back down to the hospital because she had a 103.5 temp and felt miserable. Any temperature of 101.5 and above means we have to go to the hospital immediately. They started her on antibiotics right away and by bedtime (1:00 a.m.) her fever was almost normal! Her cough was pretty bad for a few days and her throat was really sore. They took x-rays and tested her for influenza and RSV but everything has come back negative. Thank you God for watching over our baby girl!! By Friday Bailey was ready to get moving. You know the old saying, "You can't keep a good woman down"! We were up until 11:00 p.m. last night visiting little ones whose parents are not able to be here with them. It just breaks our hearts whenever we see these precious little ones alone. Bailey had them laughing and smiling with her karate kick moves and bonging slinky eyeball trick. Tonight we only made it back to our room earlier because they told us that the doctor needed to see her. She is so amazing. She has had daddy walking the halls non-stop today. She needs to build up her strength in order to get ready for transplant so we are excited every time she says she wants to get moving. I have much more to say but have to go now because little girly won’t go to bed until I lay with her (it's 12:15 a.m.). Right now she is trying to guess what daddy is spelling on her back. I will finish my update tomorrow. We are probably here for at least a couple more days because her counts are so low. (ANC=189). Please pray that her counts will start going up. I wish all of you could see how well your prayers are working. She is smiling and upbeat 90% of the time. (Love it!!!!!)

God bless,

Kathy, Randy, and Bailey

Tuesday, January 16, 2007 3:03 PM CST

Sorry that I haven't been doing a very good job keeping everyone updated on what is happening with Bailey. I feel like I am running 24/7 but still unable to finish even half of what I need to get done. Our dear Bailey continues to fight this battle with both fists swinging. We had to make an unexpected trip to the hospital yesterday because we couldn’t stop her nose from bleeding. The culprit, a platelet count of only 5,000. They typically transfuse at 20,000 so she was really low. She also had to get two pints of blood due to a Hemoglobin of only 5.6. They transfuse at counts of 8.5 and below. Needless to say because of all the transfusions that had to be done, we had an overnight stay at the hospital. Everything went well. No fevers, no rashes. Instead of making us come back for clinic tomorrow, they are going to give her Vincristine and PEG shots (ouch!) before we leave the hospital today. I’m a little surprised they are giving her chemo this week since her ANC is only 180(Normal is 1500+) but they said that these two chemos will not effect her counts. Her counts were OK last week but her liver counts were a little high so she wasn’t able to get her chemo last Wednesday. As far as everything else goes, we are still in “wait mode” as far as going up to Seattle. They have 44 potential matches that they continue to test looking for that perfect 10 out of 10 match for our precious angel. We honestly believe it is all in God’s hands and in his time. Knowing that he is in control helps us keep our sanity. Every time we wonder if we’re doing the right thing he sends us a message, one way or another, to let us know that he is with us. We want to thank all of you who continue to pray and support us in various ways. Our Westside community has been amazing. They continue to hold fundraisers on behalf of our family in order to help us with the cost of relocating and paying for Bailey’s transplant. God bless all of you. Our prayer at the beginning of all of this was that God bring more good than bad out of this and he continues to do just that. Please pray for our other little friends who continue to fight various battles (Parker B., Kailee W., Marcus). I will try to update the pictures soon. Thank you to Veronica Garcia for visiting us today and bringing us yummy sandwiches and Bailey’s lollipop treats. You are so special to us.
I will try to get better at this updating thing.

Love and blessings to all of you,

Kathy

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 1:36 AM CST

Well, last week was definitely a busy week. On Monday we took Bryce, our 4 year old, up to have his left eyelid checked at UCSF. Sometime during the summer of 2007, Dr. Fredrick would like to do surgery in order to keep the drooping eyelid from causing damage to his eye. However, right now he said things are looking good. On Wednesday, Randy, Bailey and I flew to Seattle to meet with Dr. Sanders. She has been performing transplants for about 30 years up there. She gave us lots of great information and we were very impressed with their program and experience in this field. After hearing all of the information she had for us, we are 99.99% sure that we are going ahead with the transplant. We have been asking God to make the path that we need to take very clear for us. The second sentence out of her mouth was that she thought Bailey had a better chance if she went to transplant now instead of continuing chemo and taking the chance of her relapsing again. Right now she is “healthy”, strong and currently in remission. Dr. Sanders felt that they had a hard time getting her into remission this time because of how she jumped from 9% to 25% before dropping to 0%. She informed us that there are 40 potential matches for Bailey on the National Bone Marrow Registry. It will take approx. 3-4 months to get everything together and get her up there for the transplant. So right now we are doing a lot of research and planning our move. We will hopefully be going back up to Seattle in the next few weeks to search for housing and make arrangements for moving up there. Bailey had a great time in Seattle on Wednesday with my nephew Jack. She was all smiles the whole day. Jack, my brother Ron, and sister-in-law Danielle came up from Oregon to chauffer us around Seattle. It was so nice not having to worry about where we needed to go or how we were going to get there. Seattle had just had an unusually early snow storm 2 days earlier. Thanks guys!!! We went to clinic on Friday where Bailey had to have another spinal and get a dose of IT-Methotrexate and the first of 4 doses of ARA-C. I had to give her the shots at home for the last 3 days. She’s been a trooper. I am so proud of her and how positive she continues to be. We want to make sure all of you know how much your prayers mean to us. If you could see Bailey and how good she is doing, you would understand just how much your prayers help. As always, she spends most of her days singing, dancing and just enjoying life. Thank you all for your love, support and friendship.

God bless each of you,

The Rocha Family

Tuesday, November 21, 2006 7:57 PM CST

Well, we have lots of news to share with all of you. Things have been crazy around here for the last week. We found out late last Monday that none of our children are a match for Bailey. It was a little hard to hear that at first, but we've been praying for God to give the doctors the knowledge and direction they need in order to know what the best course of action is for Bailey. We trust that God is leading us in the right direction. We also found out that although none of the kids match Bailey, our two boys matched each other. Blake had a hard time with that because he was really hoping to match her. Last Wednesday was Bailey’s Day 29 bone marrow aspiration. We just found out yesterday that she is in remission. They found 0% leukemia in her marrow!!!! This means the chemo is working!! Thank you for all of your prayers. God is listening and doing great things for Bailey and our family!! We also found out yesterday that we have a private jet to take us up to our appointment in Seattle next Wednesday. We will be meeting with a transplant doctor to discuss all of the options for Bailey. We have heard so many great things about Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and are looking forward to this meeting. We have lots of questions to ask. Seattle is the largest transplant center in the world and performs more than 75 pediatric bone marrow transplant a year. We are so thankful our insurance is allowing us to go up there if a transplant is needed. As far as Bailey goes, she is doing great. She has been handling this like a champ. She is smiling and happy most of the time. She has tolerated the chemo really well so far, and is a pro at the spinals and aspirations. Although I did not like the ketamine the first time they used it on her for an aspiration (her eyes were wide open darting back and forth), once we used it without the versed, I really liked it. She told me, “Mommy, this is the first time I haven’t felt pain. I really like it!” Talk about breaking my heart. Bailey had her aunt shave her head a few days ago because having her hair constantly falling out drove her crazy. Right after her head was shaved she tells Randy her front tooth was hurting and she wants it out. All of us got the giggles when she came walking around the corner bald and toothless. Needless to say, she looks a little like a jack-o-lantern right now! (she’s been on Prednisone for the last 30 days too!)We head down to clinic tomorrow at 6 a.m. for a full day of chemo. She has a spinal and is getting Cytoxan. We wish all of you a great Thanksgiving and will let you know how things go next week in Seattle. God bless all of you.

Sunday, November 5, 2006 11:57 PM CST

First off, we just wanted to say thank you to all of you who came out to register for the bone marrow registry today. It was a huge success. We had 96 people register!!! Thank you also to all of you who coordinated and worked at the drive. We couldn't have done it without you. We are hoping to find out by Wednesday if one of Bailey's siblings is a match. We will keep all of you updated. As for Bailey's last bone marrow aspiration, it didn't come back quite like we had hoped for. When she was originally diagnosed, she had 88last then it dropped to 9nd this week it rose to 24 We need to get her under 5n order for her to be considered in remission. Dr. Johnson explained that it doesn't mean the leukemia exploded but that there were less good guys in the marrow so the f bad guys was higher. She told us to give them until day 29 until we get worried. We are just trusting in God to lead us where we need to go, so if this is a sign to the doctors that we need to go to transplant then that is what we will do. As for Bailey, since we have been home from the hospital, you would hardly know she was sick again. So far she has tolerated her three doses of Vincristine fine, although we know it gets worse with each dose. She has only had a few bad days, and then it has only been for half the day. Most of the time she has that beautiful smile on her face. This week we will be at clinic on Wednesday so I will let you know how that goes. We plan to travel to Seattle soon in order to meet with the transplant team up there. We need more information before we decide one way or the other. Thank you to all our family, friends and community for the amazing outpouring of love and support you continue to give our family.

Love,

Bailey and family

Sunday, October 29, 2006 2:17 AM CST

As many of you know, Bailey relapsed on October 15, 2006. We have been so busy just trying to make plans that we haven't had a chance to update this website. Give us a few days and we will fill you in on all the details. For now we just wanted to thank all of you for your love, prayers and support of our family. Bailey has been doing well since arriving home from the hospital a week ago. We will be traveling back to the hospital on Tuesday for another spinal and bone marrow aspiration to see if she has made it back into remission yet. Please pray that this will happen soon and that one of our other children will be a match for the potential bone marrow transplant that she is facing. We should know within three weeks if any of them are a match.

God bless each of you,

The Rocha Family

Monday, February 20, 2006 2:19 PM CST

I know it has been way too long since I have updated Bailey's web page. I guess you could say no news is good news!! Actually, we have some great news to share with all of you. As of January 6, 2006---Bailey is DONE with her chemotherapy!!!!!!!!! She had her last bone marrow test on that day and the results came back showing "No detectable leukemia cells"!!!! Tomorrow, February 21, 2006, Bailey will first go to clinic for routine blood work, then off to surgery to take out her port. Once the port is out, we will not have to rush down to the hospital just because she has a 101.5 temp!!! Thanks to all of you who have kept Bailey and our family in your prayers during these last two years. We were definitely strenghtened from them.

Monday, February 23, 2004 7:04 PM CST

Bailey is doing very well these days. She is particularly excited lately with her upcoming 5th birthday on Wednesday, February 25. She has been a very busy little girl this month. She recently had a very special movie night birthday party with her family.

Bailey was able to visit her preschool this month for a couple of hours. Mrs. Andrade opened the school on a Sunday so Bailey could spend some time there. She did some art projects and drawings to put up on the classroom walls. She had a great time at school! She was also able to pass out Valentines to all of her preschool friends on Valentine's Day. They were very excited to see her and deliver their Valentines to her.

On March 1, Bailey will be starting her Delayed Intense Modified Therapy. This will be the most intense of treatments over the two future years. The treatment will continue for fifty-six days.

**Some announcements**... **There will be two blood drives in Bailey's name in the very near future. The first of the two blood drives is being held on March 10 at the Newman Fire Department. The second of the two will be held in Stockton at the University of the Pacific on March 30. We greatly appreciate all of your generous blood donations and are thrilled at the fact that the donors are still lining up for our Bailey!

Tuesday, January 20, 2004 6:32 PM CST

There is a blood drive scheduled for Bailey on January 31, 2004 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. The blood drive will take place at St. Anthony's Church on the corner of Fremont and North in Manteca.

Bailey is handling everything very well these days. She is now traveling to Fresno to receive her treatment every ten days. We want to thank everyone for your continuous support and prayers. Thank you so much to all who were able to make it to the January 7 blood drive in Newman. We cannot do or say enough to express our appreciation.

Tuesday, December 9, 2003 10:37 AM CST

Bailey is about to finish the first cycle of her treatments. She is handling everything very well. She is a very strong little girl who is eating up a storm. She has a very hearty appetite these days! We would like to thank everyone who came out to the blood drive to donate blood in Bailey's name. All of your generous help is greatly appreciated. There were over 100 donors that day! Thank you so much!!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2003 11:07 PM CST

*Reminder* Bailey's Blood Drive is this Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Newman Fire Station. We hope to see you there!

Sunday, November 23, 2003 11:27 PM CST

The Newman Fire Department will be sponsoring a Replacement Blood Drive for Bailey on Saturday, November 29, 2003. The Blood Drive will be taking place at the Newman Fire Station from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We would greatly appreciate your donation of blood in this event. Bailey may need multiple blood transfusions in her battle with leukemia. The Rocha family and Delta Blood Bank are asking everyone in the community to donate blood in Bailey's name.

Thursday, November 20, 2003 10:28 AM CST

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