THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2003

Wishing all you a Happy Thanksgiving- filled with the Love and laughter of family and friends. Two years ago, we couldn't face this holiday and a few days before Thanksgiving 2001, God gave us the gift of remission for our precious child. All PRAISE,GLORY, HONOR, and THANKSGIVING, goes to OUR FATHER. Today, as we are given yet another Thanksgiving together, we THANK GOD and we also remember those who will share in the feast at the table of our LORD. God Bless!


SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2003
The Steve Yerrid Kids Fishing Derby was great. Catherine's big catch was a stingray, a first in the history of the tournament. The weather was picture perfect and we got to meet up with lots of friends from All Children's and the Children's Cancer Center. The Derby kicked off a week long Tampa Bay Fights Cancer celebration. Last night, Mr. Yerrid treated thousands of cancer patients, their families, and caretakers, to the Tampa Bay Lightning Game. Emily went to the game with the kids from the Cancer Center and Stephen and I took Catherine and a friend separately. When we got to our seats, we looked up and saw Emily on the jumbo tron television screen. She was standing beside the woman who was singing the national anthem. It was sooooo incredible! Later Emily told us it was even more incredible for her! She wouldn't stop talking about the game on the way home. Not only that, she got to sit in Brad Richard's Suite (center for the Lightning), for the entire game. Afterwards, Mr. Yerrid brought all the kids to meet some of the players, including Brad Richards. It was a fun evening and a great game. The Lightning won and we were there with lots and lots of good friends.

Emily has missed several days of school and will be spending this week of vacation catching up. We are in the process of making alternative educational arrangements because her school is embarking on a major renovation which will last eleven months. Many classes are being moved to portables in a field behind the school and lockers are being removed. School has been a challenge without having these added barriers.

Emily's clinic appointment is Tuesday. Please remember to keep her in your prayers. God has been so good to her; to all of us; and for this I am so very thankful. Also, the LaPlatney boys, who the girls had such a great time playing with a couple of weeks ago, are back in Florida because their grandmother, Phyllis Sutherland (LaPlatney), passed away a few days ago. She too had been valiantly fighting cancer. I have a cousin in New York, John Stassi, who also needs prayers as he continues to battlethis horrible disease.

As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, we are surely reminded of God's wonderful bounty he has bestowed on us.

Thursday, November 13, 2003 5:53 PM CST

Ashley spent last weekend with us again. Her sister, Christina had a bone marrow transplant on 9/2/03 and she has been living at the Ronald McDonald House. The girls hung out here most of the time along with our neighbors, Mandy, Cece, and Meghan. On Saturday evening, we were headed out to see the sunset but took a detour to Aunt Mimi’s. We are glad we did because it turned into a whole evening of fun. The girls had dinner, went fishing, and whooped the LaPlatney boys in a game of baseball. They were here visiting from Atlanta. Even Emily participated. Mimi’s house was definitely the place to be!
On Monday Emily had a field trip to Finance Park so I went with her and chaperoned. Finance Park gives kids real life lessons in economics. The jobs were given out by the luck of the draw and Emily was a supervisor at Kanes. It was actually pretty fun. We had a group of really bright kids so they were always done with their work early and a step ahead of the other chaperone. The field trip really tired Emily out but she was still able to make it to school on Tuesday. We also went to clinic that day. Emily’s counts are pretty good except for her platelets. I am worried about what affect her chemo will have on them. I don’t think she’ll drop too badly.
Yesterday she didn’t feel well enough for school but I made her come with us to the Kids Are Heroes Award Ceremony. Catherine and Emily had been nominated by their teacher, Mrs. Love. At the last minute, Mrs. Love called to say she spiked a fever so we brought Mandy from our neighborhood instead. When we got there we were pleasantly surprised to see Christopher and Stephen Zipter ‘s names were both on the program. We had no idea that they had also been nominated. Unfortunately, Stephen and Christopher were unable to make it but we called them as soon as they got home. The girls were finalists and received trophies and certificates.
I have to tell a funny story that happened there…
We were sitting at a table in the middle of the room and all of a sudden the circus entertainer who was performing came up to my chair and signaled a drummer to start playing. He pulled me up right out of my seat and made me start dancing with him in the middle of the room. Everyone was staring and the girls could not stop giggling. Since the girls thought it was so funny, I made sure they too got to dance and have everyone stare at them! Emily was smart enough to “respectfully decline”. The guy got a real kick out of her answer. The highlight of the evening for the girls was the food being served in frisbees along with the live goldfish centerpiece, which Kitty brought home! The poor fish survived the trip thanks to the frisbee Kitty used as a lid. They were a tad disappointed that the host, Dave Andreychuk, didn’t show. He did deliver a video speech and Governor Bush had one of his aides read a letter. The room was decorated with a ‘Finding Nemo’ theme, thanks to some generous and creative student volunteers. Some of the stories were so inspiring!

Tomorrow is a mental health day from school. We are headed to the Vinoy Hotel in downtown St. Pete for the Steve Yerrid Kids Fishing Derby. We went last year and had a lot of fun. I have bragging rights for my girls being the ones who could cast the furthest! Maybe they’ll catch some more fish this year! We just want to have FUN!!! We can’t wait to see all our other friends and family from All Children’s.

We can testify to the Power of Prayer. Christina went home from the hospital a few days ago after 75 plus days! Olivia has enjoyed her longest stretch at home and she is just soaking it all up! Katia is holding her own. Fr. Sean is still with us. Robert’s parents have found it in themselves to bring dinner to the Ronald McDonald House every month, despite all their grief. Christine is doing great. It was just a year ago that doctors were telling her parents there was nothing more they could do for her. Miracles are happening all around us, and yes, we REJOICE!

BE STRONG AND OF GOOD COURAGE; BE NOT AFRAID…..
FOR THE LORD THY GOD IS WITH THEE WHITHERSOEVER THOU GOEST. Joshua 1:9

Wednesday, November 5, 2003 3:16 PM CST

We are almost a week post Halloween and we still have candy left! What's ironic is that the girls didn't get near the load they have in years past. They are pretty selective about their candy though- 'Fun-Dips' & 'Smarties' are tops and Hershey chocolate bars come in a close second. Anyway, I have had more than my fair share of leftovers. We had a great time at a Halloween party at the Bracic's. Emily was pooped after only an hour so I brought her home to give out candy. She did go around the neighborhood to a few houses with her friend Mandy, and then took Grace around to a few more houses later on in the evening. She was exhausted. The chemo seems to have a cumulative effect and I can see that with each dose. She only went to two classes so far this week. She doesn't feel like she has any energy and her head has been killing her. She has at least five more weeks on this page of the protocol. She is really trying to get through this and I am very proud of her. I keep telling her to just do what she can and not stress over what she can't get done; especially with school.

Emily had been wanting just the two of us to go shopping. Spending time alone with each child has proven to be quite a challenge. Kitty and Grace were gracious enough to allow us to do this. Emily and I went over to International Plaza in Tampa on Saturday afternoon. It was fun going into stores we had never been in. Emily always wanted to go into Tiffany's just to 'look' and so we did. She had birthday money and a few gift cards and only purchased one item! We were laughing that after all that shopping, only one $10 shirt was bought. Neither one of us were really in the shopping mood. I don't know who was more tired. Emily kept complaining that her legs were hurting. On the way home, we stopped for some of our favorite Super Sardo's Pizza. They deliver but we like to pick up just so we can see our favorite pizza maker, Joe. He is a leukemia survivor from 1986!!!

I will never stop asking for your continued prayers for Emily. I DO appreciate them. Please pray that she continues to get stronger and that her counts come up. She wants so desperately to feel better!

Monday, October 27, 2003 5:59 PM CST

I opened my email today and I had been forwarded a scripture. Matthew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves."
This seemed so appropriate for me and I want to thank The Outreach of Hope.

We finally have another week of school under our belts. Emily is holding her own. She made it four out of five days last week. Last Tuesday evening, Emily was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. During the ceremony held that evening at the Middle School, all the speakers kept emphasizing the qualities of the members: scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship. I just kept thinking to myself that Emily didn't need a certificate or a ceremony to validate any qualities...she has all those and more! This was the first event of this type which Emily has participated in since her diagnosis. Over the years, she's had what seems like tons of these but now I see everything from a totally different perspective. As a matter of fact, we were just looking at old pictures and there was one of Emily from second grade holding up her award winning essay from a countywide contest. I'll be honest, I LIVED for these moments! I see everything so differently now.

Thursday evening, we went to the Children's Cancer Center where the children celebrated Halloween. It was a lot of fun. Emily dressed like a hippie. Grace was a "Cheetah Girl" (from the Disney channel), and Kitty went dressed as Austin Powers but then changed into someone else's inflatable cow costume. She had a blast with it. Emily hung around the house all weekend while the rest of us went back and forth to Kitty's soccer games. It was sure nice to have the extra hour this weekend. Today was clinic day and Emily's counts were pretty good. Her platelets are only 89 but that's okay. Her color is a little off but hopefully, once it gets cooler, she will be able to go outside and get some pink in her cheeks.

Last week, we learned that our friend Vanessa passed away. She was 19 and had undergone a bone marrow transplant a few months ago. She was an exceptional young woman who battled her disease most courageously; nearly all by herself. She seldom had any family or friends with her. I know I was very angry at the thought of her going through this all by herself. I couldn't imagine what could keep a mother from her child. I then found out that Vanessa's mother had given birth several hours before Vanessa died. She did make it up to the hospital to be with Vanessa during Vanessa's last few hours. I felt so guilty for being judgemental. Can you imagine the euphoria of giving birth; bringing life into this world and then the agony and heartache of losing a child; all in just a matter of a few hours?

Christina is almost two months post transplant and holding her own. She actually answered the phone when I called today! Her family has been incredible and even found it within themselves to reach out to Vanessa.
Olivia has a great spirit and seems to have one up on her cancer. Katia is still fighting and it looks like they may have a cord blood for transplant. Tomorrow, Chelsea will receive her last treatment. Way to go Chelsea!!! There are so many others. Please continue praying for all of them and their families.

Emily wants to THANK all of you who made her feel so special on her birthday. Katy picked her up from school and got her a Slurpee on the way home. She received cards in the mail and a special treat which will allow her to continue her beading and scrapbooking hobbies. THANK YOU to the Ather and Alberts families. God Bless all of you.

Emily's two year anniversary was marked by a visit to All Children's. We saw some very special nurses and our favorite doctors. We delivered a bag of goodies to the Child Life Department on 2SW. Emily also distributed some of the hats she had made. It really felt good to be there.

Friday, October 17, 2003 8:25 AM CDT

Tuesday, Emily celebrated her fourteenth birthday. Unfortunately, it wasn't what she expected. She had gone to clinic on Monday and after a week of all her medications on hold; her counts came up so MORE CHEMO. Once you've been off of it, even for a little while, the chemo just seems to hit harder. It still seems like she is still dealing with the side effects of the vincristine she had a month ago. Her hair has been falling out in clumps and she has been complaining of leg pain. I pray it is nothing. After the Monday evening boost, she woke up feeling very nauseous on her birthday but she still managed to make it to school. We had planned to take her to dinner that evening but she came home from school exhausted and not feeling well. The kids have a three-day weekend so we are hoping Emily feels well enough to do something to celebrate.

Yesterday was an early release day at school but she stayed home to rest and catch up on schoolwork. She has missed a lot of school this marking period. I am checking into home schooling her myself for half her classes, just to make it easier on her. It probably won't materialize for a couple of weeks.

Today marks the two-year anniversary of Emily's diagnosis. I am trying not to relive the nightmare of that day.

Shortly before Emily was diagnosed, she was laying in bed with me watching TV. We were watching a show in which someone was diagnosed with cancer and she asked me what I would do if she got cancer.
I also remember a dream I had in the days prior to her diagnosis. It was around the time she started spiking the extremely high fevers. Emily was running on the soccer field with her trademark green headband; going for a goal and she crashed into the goalie. Emily was knocked out and I remember waking up almost hyperventilating. After that I couldn't get back to sleep.

The day she got diagnosed, I had this horrible feeling- I knew it was bad. I couldn't even go in the room with her when we were in the ER. The nurses were all worried because Emily's blood pressure was so low and she had a murmur in her heart. When the preliminary labs came back, my husband came and got me and we walked back to where the ER doctor was. My husband kept pressing the doctor to explain why Emily was so "anemic". They had been stalling us because they were waiting for the chaplain to get there so they could tell us. I guessed it before they had a chance. I remember saying "It's Leukemia" and the doctor acknowledged; "yes, your daughter has Leukemia". To this day, I don't know where I came up with this. I just thank God they didn't tell us in front of Emily. Right then, I just prayed God would give me the strength to handle whatever; something I continue to pray for. That day, I just couldn't imagine being two years out and now here we are. IT IS A MIRACLE and I THANK GOD!

I truly appreciate all who have continued to pray for Emily and our family. Today, we will head to All Children's Hospital, to 2SW, with a bag of goodies for the kids there. In addition, Emily has been decorating hats with fabric paint to hand out. They say CANCER SUCKS! We will post a picture of her wearing one.

God Bless,
Love,
Tricia

Monday, October 6, 2003 9:34 PM CDT

Emily started back to school on Wednesday, after being absent for ten days. On Thursday night we went to the cancer center for our scheduled meeting. Everyone wore their pajamas since it was PJ Night. Molly, Chelsea, and Ashley were there along with several other familiar faces.
Today was our weekly clinic visit. I was hoping the blood transfusion would give Emily a good boost but again her counts are disappointing. Her immunity isn’t really high enough for school but she went late today anyway. Her white blood cell count is also very low but her platelets are holding their own at 101. I am mostly upset about her hemoglobin. She is an 8.5 and they transfuse below eight. All of Emily’s medicine/chemo is on hold. She won’t be rechecked until Monday. With everything on hold Emily’s treatment plan is delayed once again. We are now another week behind in the big picture but I’m trying not to get too upset. I guess it doesn’t matter since we are already two years into this.
A bit of good news…her liver function readings are a little better. We were supposed to start the new medication today but that is also on hold because of her counts.
I actually have a funny story from this morning’s clinic visit. When we arrived at the doctor’s this morning, the CBC machine was being calibrated. Originally they were going to call us with the blood test results once the machine was up and running, but since we had to see the doctor anyway, we were able to wait for the results. I was shocked when I read the paper. It said that Emily’s hemoglobin was a 19! I brought it to the nurse’s attention and then they realized several other kids were having wacky readings. Kids on chemo don’t have hemoglobins that high. Everyone had to get re-poked after the nurse fixed the machine again. Emily got a kick out of the entire ordeal. She decided to show Dr. B the false reading. He said she would have had a stroke if that reading was accurate, not to mention her mother having one!
Next week marks the two-year anniversary of Emily’s diagnosis. October 17, 2001 was our family’s 9-11. Emily calls it D-Day… (Diagnosis Day That Is!) Our focus will be celebrating Emily’s 14th birthday on the 14th. I haven’t really asked her what she wants to do but this morning she was talking about skipping school and bringing presents to the kids at All Children’s.

Wednesday, October 1, 2003 8:46 AM CDT

The blood transfusion last Friday was a definite pick-me-up for Emily. The only bad thing is that feeling better, meant more chemo pills this past Monday! She is now at week 86 of 130 weeks of chemo! PRAISE GOD- Emily continues to move forward.

We went to Carrabba's Restaurant on Monday for a luncheon. Emily's artwork was selected for the holiday card collection for the Children's Cancer Center. All the artists were honored at the luncheon which was briefly shown on both Fox and ABC news that evening. The children even got to meet the Mayor of Tampa! It was a very special event for all. The cards and calendar feature artwork by both patients and siblings affected by cancer. It is one of the major fundraisers for the center. Emily is looking forward to going to the support group meeting there Thursday night because it is 'pajama party night'.

Emily hasn't been in school for two weeks. She is hoping to go for part of the day today and finish out the rest of the week. We also learned that both Catherine and Emily have been nominated by their gifted teacher, Mrs. Love, for the 'Kids are Heroes' award sponsored by St. Joseph's Hospital. Even if they don't win, they are both heroes in my book!!!
Some of what Mrs. Love wrote about Emily, "...her true beauty and character did not become evident until disaster struck....It was then that her true colors as a hero came shining through for all to see. She has fought long and hard with this debilitating disease....The victory is that she fights so hard for anyone with cancer....She has worked to educate...She has invited in guest speakers, spoken herself, and encouraged all of her fellow students and their families to support cancer walks and marathons. She has worked tirellesly when she could barely move to raise funds for cancer research and awareness campaigns...."

About Catherine, she wrote "...Catherine has fought long and hard beside her (Emily). At a time when most siblings might feel the pinch from attention being needed...Catherine's own true colors and courage have given strength to those around her. She has also been very vocal in the community and school regarding the need for people to give time, money, and energy to cancer-related issues. She has shown pride in her sister's efforts, and never given up hope for her sister's triumph over this disease...Catherine has been a strong source of support for Emily..."


There are so many gifts that God has given us throughout this entire ordeal. Please keep praying because prayers are being answered in different ways daily. Just look at Emily....all of us really. It has been tough but we have come through this. Olivia is home from the hospital with a whole new outlook- getting stronger and ready to beat this monster! Christina is one month post transplant and holding her own. Tons of people are turning out to get registered in the bone marrow registry because of little Katia. Taylor Johnson's parents are reaching out to others as part of the healing process and Patty Zipter is courageously battling her newly diagnosed cancer.

This is such a time of reflection for me. EMILY WILL CELEBRATE HER 14th BIRTHDAY ON OCTOBER 14th. I am so thankful that she is here and I celebrate the absolute miracle of her life!

Saturday, September 27, 2003

I want to share something...Today, Emily received a card in the mail. It said: "Hello sundhine! I wanted to let you kow that I prayed for you today. I prayed God would wrap His arms around you and give you peace, joy, and courage."

The card was from a stranger...and it made the day. We truly felt Christ's LOVE! God Bless!!!





FRIDAY, September 26, 2003

For the past week Emily has been feeling terrible. She hasn’t been in school since the 17th and has been looking pale for days. When I looked at her yesterday, I guessed her hemoglobin to be an “eight point something.” It’s amazing you can do a visual CBC at this point. She had also been suffering from a severe headache and complaining of heart palpitations. Today when she woke up, her lips looked gray so I decided to make an unscheduled trip to the clinic. Her counts have plummeted. Everything is down including her ANC, hemoglobin, and platelets. Because she was symptomatic Dr. B decided to give her a blood transfusion. Normally, she isn’t allowed to take Tylenol because it could mask a fever but Dr. B said okay since the codeine wasn’t working for her headache.
We were there all day. It took several hours alone for the blood to arrive. I think they were still taking it out of the donor’s arm. At least Emily got some time to lie down and visit with her friend Olivia in the infusion room. We even made a new friend, Jamie!
I had to request to see Dr. B because the other doctors were scaring me! They were telling me about all theses problems with Emily’s liver. I guess they were concerned about something in Emily’s last chemistry panel. No one could really explain anything to me but there is some sort of problem with her bilirubin and her liver function being too high. Chemotherapy patients have a higher liver function to begin with and I guess Emily’s is elevated even more than usual. The doctor ordered several different blood tests including chemistry and liver panels to check on this. He even looked at her blood again under the microscope to rule out relapse. I talked to Dr. B and he said there wasn’t need for a huge concern but he wants to monitor it for the next few weeks. For now we are trying to solve the problem by holding one of her antibiotic drugs. Next week we may switch her back to an old one she used to be on.
Emily is feeling a little better after the blood. She was running a low-grade fever when we left the clinic so I will be keeping a close watch on her temperature. The hospital is the last place we want to be right now!
Coincidently Christina’s sister Ashley was planning on spending the night with us again. We brought her home since Emily was already at the hospital. Emily isn’t very up to entertaining but fortunately, Catherine is an old pro at that! It will be good for two cancer siblings to spend some time together. I think Emily was worried that Ashley would be uncomfortable but Catherine is doing a great job at making her feel welcome!
Thank you to all the people who have been signing Emily’s guest book! It makes her happy to read what people write especially over this past week. As soon as I sign on the Internet Emily is always over my shoulder asking “Did anyone sign my website?”
Please continue to keep Emily in your prayers and all the other kids too! I really hope this unit of blood will help her feel better.

Monday, September 22, 2003 10:49 PM

Mini Update:
Emily’s condition is basically the same as the other day. She continues to deal with severe back pain and headaches. Her rib cage is actually feeling better. We went to the clinic today for a CBC (blood test) and to see the doctor. Emily’s counts are almost the same so she doesn’t need any blood. Fortunately her platelets have come up but this just means more chemo. The doctor checked her out and didn’t have any major concerns. She gave us permission to try hydro-codeine, which did provide Emily with some temporary relief. She is back to hurting again now but was pumping out those Buccaneer bracelets earlier.
While at the hospital we stopped in to say hi to Christina and her sister Ashley. She looks a little better. Please keep praying that things run smoothly for her. We also dropped a few post cards off at Katia’s room. Emily was not aloud to go inside because Katia is contagious.
Hopefully Emily will start picking up in the next few days. She is already anxious and worried about not being in school. I told her we would cross that bridge when it comes. Please pray these side effects start to pass soon!
Tricia



Sunday, September 21, 2003
Emily has been miserable the past few days. The chemo she had Wednesday hit her almost instantly. She has been very nauseous and has been dealing with a lot of bone pain. The worst part is that she hurts so bad and she doesn't feel like doing anything but the more she lays around, the worse it feels. It is so hard to see her feeling so bad. She forced herself to go the Children's Cancer Center on Thursday night but she definitely couldn't make 'Survivor' with the teen group yesterday. She was so disappointed because she had been looking forward to it for months. We went over to Aunt Mimi's house for a change of scenerey. Emily was able to look through the binoculars from Mimi's patio to see the boat and umbrellas for the kids out on Shell Island. It just wasn't the same though. She missed a couple of days at school last week and just doesn't feel up to picking up a book. She did make a few bracelets though yesterday. We are just praying she bottoms out soon so at least she knows it will be uphill. That vincristine is soooooooo NASTY....even narcotic pain killers don't help. I know she is just lieing around waiting for the hours to tick away...time will bring relief. It really stinks.

Thursday, September 18, 2003 1:18 PM CDT

Well yesterday’s clinic visit lasted over three hours. It seemed like we were there forever! Emily went to say hi to Olivia before our appointment. She wanted to visit other friends but we didn’t want to be late.
Overall, things went pretty good. Her counts are low so we will return on Monday morning for a CBC. Her ANC and white blood cell count are actually ok but it is her platelets and hemoglobin that the doctor is concerned about. Please pray she won’t need a blood transfusion! We had a few anxious moments when we didn’t see our favorite doctor in the office but then Dr. B surprised us with his smiling face. He asked Emily who was beating her up when he saw the bruises she has everywhere- (a byproduct of low platelets.) The clinic and hospital are both out of Emily’s needle size for her tiny port so they had to access her with a much larger needle, which wasn’t fun at all. She was in a lot of discomfort from just her port, alone which is usually never a problem. She told me I better not ‘pay’ for this visit cause she wasn’t satisfied!!! Today, the skin over her port is black and blue.
She did great during her spinal but is feeling pretty down today. I am so amazed how brave she is. She laid flat yesterday in hopes of fending off a spinal headache.
A slice of Sardo’s pizza on the way home yesterday cured the tummy. That was the first thing she had eaten all day. I am hoping she eats well on this week of steroids. Yesterday her weight was down on the scale. She has been feeling pretty nauseous lately, even after an infusion of zofran at the clinic. She has also been having trouble with leg pain this past week, which has given her difficulty in falling asleep.

We just learned that there is a third child diagnosed with cancer who went to the same elementary school as Emily. All three have different diseases but the bottom line is cancer. It really makes you wonder what the heck is going on.

We are at the midpoint of this page of the protocol and all glory and honor goes to our LORD Jesus Christ, for it is through him, and with him, that we have come this far!
AMEN

Monday, September 15, 2003 10:32 PM CDT

For the age that is honorable comes not with the passing of time, nor can it be measured in terms of years.
Wisdom 4:8

Having become perfect in a short while, he reached the fullness of a long career; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord.
Wisdom 4:13- 4:14




************************************************************


I was directed to the Book of Wisdom, thanks to Patty and Brian Zipter, who asked me to do the first reading at Brittany’s Funeral Mass. Please continue to keep the Zipters in your prayers. Patty started her chemo today.

The kids had Friday off from school so we picked up Ashley from the hospital. Her sister, Christina, had a bone marrow transplant on September 2 and Ashley who is 11, lives at the Ronald McDonald House with her parents. Catherine had soccer practice so Ashley and Emily went to the beach. They brought along two friends from the neighborhood, Cece and Mandy. We watched the sunset, bumped around a volleyball, and skim boarded. Then we all went home and jumped in the pool. When Catherine got back she came swimming too. Afterwards, they got in their pajamas and fell asleep watching a Mike Myers comedy.

Ashley had so much fun she asked to stay another night. Friday morning, we took her and our dog to the ‘dog park’. She had never been to one. Later more swimming and some jumping on the trampoline, then the girls went bowling and Emily introduced Ashley to Sardo’s Pizza, her favorite! The girls spent the evening at the beach, skim boarding and watching another spectacular Florida sunset. Unfortunately, there was a minor collision while skim boarding and Emily has a pretty nasty bruise on the back of her ankle. After everything they were ready for bed. Emily was dragging all day but she forced herself to participate. The girls collected a bucket of shells, which Emily boiled and sealed in mason jars for some of the kids at the hospital. When we brought Ashley back to the hospital on Saturday, we visited her sister Christina, and our friends Olivia and Katia. Christina is holding her own but very sick. The girls tried to cheer her up by altering the protective yellow gowns some people have to wear into her room. It was quite entertaining! Emily was caught by an angry nurse Ellen for her humorous drawing of an evil nurse, which she included, on every card she delivered. Ellen promised that the next time we came in she would be sure to use the longest needle she could find!! Olivia looks a lot better but has been in the hospital seven weeks now. She starts another round of chemo this week. The tumor is shrinking so keep praying!!! Katia recently relapsed and she is toughing out more rounds of chemo and radiation. She is so adorable. The oncology floor was full and there were oncology patients on other floors at the hospital because of the overflow. That was very troublesome to us. Too many kids are getting cancer.

Emily is scheduled to receive her spinal tap and vincristine infusion on Wednesday. She was supposed to have it today but she didn’t want to miss her science test so she had me reschedule it. It is so nasty but necessary. Please pray it isn’t too bad on her. Emily is at week 84 of 130. Emily was invited to go with the Teen Group from the Children’s Cancer Center to an island for ‘Survivor’ on Saturday. I want so badly for her to go but she is very doubtful. Please God, PLEASE! I am just so very thankful for how far she has come. Everyday is a gift.

There are many kids in need of blood and platelets so if you can, please consider donating. Platelets especially!!

Monday, September 8, 2003 8:53 PM CDT

At the end of last week, Emily could have sung the "They call me mellow yellow" song. She always gets a yellowish tinge when her platelets are low but over the weekend, her color improved. She looks and feels a little better and I am pretty sure, she had a virus. She went to clinic today and her counts had come up slightly. She is still plagued by headaches which they attribute to low counts and certain medications that she is on. She went back to school today after missing three days last week. This week is a short week and hopefully, she will be able to make it through. She was exhausted when she came home today though. Next week marks the halfway point for this page of the protocol. Unfortunately, this also means that Emily gets her spinal next week and her vincristine infusion. This is definitely not something she is looking forward too!!! We booked Dr. B for the procedure.

The week was very emotional because of Brittany's death. I do want to say that I am very, very proud of both Emily and Catherine, and all the other kids from the Cancer Center.


Poem
By: Emily
They say it is a battle
They say it is my fight
That I am such a strong one
As I make it through each night

That I'm so brave to take it
All this pain I hate
How can I not? I have no choice
This cancer was my fate

What defines a winner?
To die or stay alive
They say that you're a winner
When it is gone and you survive

But what defines a failure?
It's not when death takes place!
Suffering is rewarded
When Heaven is your place

Because if you think about it
Is Heaven not a true reward?
To live in paradise for suffering
Is a repayment from our LORD

I think that the true answer
Is that cancer's really tough
Through life or death you always succeed
When God has put you through enough

So next time you call it battle
There is some thought that you should give
You always win for suffering
Whether you pass away or live



Emily wrote this on Saturday when we came home from Brittany's funeral. Brittany did succeed...she won big!




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EMMA UPDATES!

Thursday, September 4, 2003 2:49 PM CDT

Emily's virus from last week appears to be a head cold. She has gone through a couple boxes of tissues and has not been feeling well. Her chemo from Monday wiped her out so she has been home from school for a few days. She has been complaining of headaches and dizziness.

We went to the Cancer Center Tuesday night for an unplanned visit. As you know Brittany passed away that morning and the kids felt a need to be together. They made powder blue cancer ribbons in honor of Brittany since that was her favorite color. They are going to pass them out at her funeral on Saturday since September is childhood cancer awareness month. Emily wrote the following poem in honor of Brittany.

Brittany

I remember when we met
The day that you came in
A new roommate for six hours
But forever my best friend

The next time that I saw you
Was when you lost your arm
I was at first a little shaky
But then I saw there was no harm

We saw each other frequently
Both in-patient and at clinic
I wish so much I knew back then
So precious was each minute

We spent a lot of time together
Being roommates wasn't rare
We talked, played games, and watched TV
And yearned to have our hair

When I was in you'd visit me
I'd do the same with you
We met a lot at the Cancer Center
And other places too

Remember the boat trip
When we all went to Shell Island
Or the time when we went skiing
And soared the slopes and highlands

It sure was fun at KITE Camp
When we rode the bike across that tight rope
I asked if you were scared
And without a pause you muttered "nope"

Remember playing laser tag
You shot me 50 times
Then we both teamed up with Kitty
And made all our victims whine

That one time at the beach
You were a seagull dropping target
But you laughed it off so casually
And swore you'd get that little varmint

Remember eating pizza
One of the times you came to visit
We all had so much fun, us three
You, and me, and Kit

I wish that you were here today
There's so much we haven't done
If only you could come and play
We would have a lot of fun

I know you're in a better place
But I can't help but feeling sad
Whenever I hear of our awful disease
It makes me really mad

I end this verse with my farewell
By far my life's worst task
You read that list to Jesus Brit
Those questions you wanted to ask

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

"I try to be brave but there's times when I cry...how could you not when you see your friends die".

Our friend, Brittany Alexandra Zipter, passed away this morning. We are truly inspired by her courage, her strength, and her will. Please remember her parents, Brian and Patty, and her two older brothers, Christopher and Stephen.
There is a link to her web site at the bottom of this page.


Sunday, August 31, 2003
We were looking forward to spending the weekend at the beach, over on the east coast in Melbourne but unfortunately, it did not work out. Emily came home early from school Friday with a terrible headache. After two doses of codeine, it still didn't go away. She was miserable all night. We sent Kitty over to Melbourne with the coach's family because she is the goalie and we didn't want to risk her being late or missing the first game. We got up early Saturday thinking we could head out then but Emily could not get out of bed. She just didn't feel well so Steve drove over to Melbourne without us.

Yesterday, Emily, Grace, and I, pretty much stayed on the couch all day, watching tons of TV. I think Emily has a sinus thing going on. I keep checking her for a fever but thank goodness, she hasn't run one. She does have the sniffles. She has also been fighting a sore throat all week. We have all had similar symptoms. Emily's platelets were low Monday and then she had her chemo which I am sure made them drop more. We suspect this is where the headaches came from. At least the three of us could catch up on our sleep and Grace has been very entertaining.

Please pray for Emily that this passes quickly. She gets more chemo tomorrow. Our friend Brittany has come home from the hospital on Hospice. Our hearts are broken. Prayers have been answered for her in that she has been able to come home and that her Mom's cancer surgery went better than expected. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. Also, there are several children we know who have recently relapsed.

ENJOY the long weekend- the end of summer!


WE WILL LOAD NEW PICTURES SOON!!!

Wednesday, August 27, 2003 9:26 AM CDT

IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE, BUT TAKE COURAGE, I HAVE CONQUERED THE WORLD. John 17:33



Emily has been doing well and looking so good. School started the fifth and she has been holding up better than I expected. Last week, she did stay home one day and then came home early another day. She was exhausted. She has already had several tests and projects due. Saturday, she woke up with a sore throat and had a cough for a couple days. We saw the doctor this past Monday and her counts had dropped. The doctor thought she was fighting a virus. We are just thankful she has done as well as she has and hasn't run a fever. I admire her so much because I can see how difficult it is for her to get up and go to school everyday. She is trying her best to keep up with everything too. Getting back into a school routine has to be difficult, especially since she hasn't been in this type of environment in so long. There have been so many challenges for Emily and she has faced them (sometimes reluctantly), head on. Sometimes I wonder if people have even a clue where she is coming from. If they could just walk in her shoes a few steps. I am touched by a few students who have gone out of there way to welcome Emily back and make the transition easier for her. There are a couple who really seem sensitive and empathetic to what she has been through. I know Jesus sees this too!!!

If Emily is feeling up to it, we are headed to Melbourne for the weekend. Kitty plays in her first soccer tournament and we are all looking forward to just getting away together. It doesn't really matter where! I wish Matt could come but he is back in Gainesville; going to school and working. He will graduate this year. I moved him up on the 16th, into his first apartment. He was so happy and excited. The apartment's location is great but the apartment itself...well....it looked worse on the inside than the outside!. I did manage to sneak and bleach the bathroom before I left. I enjoyed the drive up with him, shopping, and setting up the place. That is more time than I have spent with him in ages. My baby is all grown up.

Since I last updated, I can honestly say that as a family, we have been able to enjoy some things which have eluded us for a long time. Going out to a restaurant for one. Thank you Olive Garden at Largo Mall and the manager, Wink, for inviting our family to be your guests for dinner! Sardo's at Seminole Mall, and all the people who work there, Santo and Joe, you have been so kind to Emily. A slice of your pizza is the best medicine! We had the privilege of meeting Santo's sister, Stella, who was visiting from NYC. She too is battling cancer. We were talking and she mentioned how easy it would be now that she was done with her chemo, to move on and just forget the cancer world but she feels an obligation to give back because she is one who made it through. Boy, can we relate to that. It goes back to sharing burdens.

We feel so blessed that we are where we are but unfortunately, just these past two weeks, we have been devastated by certain events. Our friend Brittany needs a miracle. Her mother just had surgery for breast cancer and is starting chemo. Christina is in the hospital for a bone marrow transplant. Our friends Katia and Chris have relapsed. Katia needs a bone marrow transplant and according to her mother, there is no match yet. Katia is hispanic and there is a desperate need for hispanic donors. Please, please, consider getting into the National Bone Marrow Registry. If you are not a match for Katia, there may be another child/adult out there whose life you could save. Contact your local blood bank. These children and their families are all facing some really difficult times. Always, please remember to keep them in your prayers.

Friday, August 15, 2003 2:47 PM CDT

Whatever type of day you are having today, good or bad, take a moment to THANK GOD for it! Don't sweat the small stuff. Forget 'petty'. Move on; move past it. Smell those flowers and look for those rainbows.

I am at a loss for words. I just learned that Brittany's Mom has had a reoccurence of her cancer. She is nine years out from her prior cancer diagnosis. She has surgery Monday and begins treatment right away. All this while Brittany is in very, very desperate fight against her bone cancer. Brittany needs a miracle. Take a moment if you would and get on your knees and ask God to show this family Mercy.


Monday, August 11, 2003
THE LORD WILL GUIDE YOU ALWAYS; HE WILL SATISFY YOUR NEEDS IN A SUN-SCORCHED LAND AND WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR FRAME. YOU WILL BE LIKE A WELL-WATERED GARDEN, LIKE A SPRING WHOSE WATERS NEVER FAIL. Isaiah 58:11



I see blossoms on my little flower Emily! She is looking better day by day. We went to clinic this morning and her counts were very good. She has been so consistent and stable the past few weeks. I wasn't sure how things would go because she started back to school last week and by the weekend, she was pooped! Middle School is so hard. She has six classes and six different teachers. The school is huge and she has a lot of ground to cover during the day with all the changing of classes and going to lockers, lunch, etc. Her lunch isn't until 1:45 everyday. The hours are
9:45-4:05 so with the car line, she doesn't arrive home until 4:45 sometimes. She wakes up early because Grace's bus comes at 7:55 and it's hard to get Grace ready and not make noise. I am so very proud of Emily. I know how hard it is for her everyday. I am so thankful for all the strength God has bestowed on her. She sucks it up and just does it.


We could have used an extra day in the weekend but other than it being a literal wash out with all the rain, we did quite a few things. Saturday, we drove over to Lakeland to Christina's birthday party. Christina will be entering the hospital on 8/19 for a bone marrow transplant. Her parents and older sister will move into the Ronald McDonald House for the duration so that they can all stay together. It will be several months in the hospital. On the way home, we surprised an elderly cousin who lives in a retirement home over there. I know that Emily was the last person she expected to see that day! The last stop of the day was International Plaza Mall in Tampa for some Limited Too shopping. My girls know they can only shop clearance and they are getting soooooo good at it. The day ended with Emily's friend Mandy spending the night but both girls were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow. Yesterday, Kitty babysat. The girls put an ad in our neighborhood newsletter for babysitting and pet sitting. They have raked in quite a bit of money this summer. Emily had a headache yesterday so she wasn't able to help out but Kitty has been generous in sharing. They call themselves responsible, reliable TWeens...which they are. Most of the day was catching up on homework (already).

Thursday night was our meeting at the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa. It is a support group we formed to help each other out. This is like our second family because no one better understand what our lives are like.

CARRY EACH OTHER'S BURDENS, AND IN THIS WAY YOU WILL FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST. Galatians 6:2

A couple of families have weight greater than ours right now. Christina's is one of them. Also, Brittany is still in a desperate fight against her bone cancer. She has had to endure amputation along with several spinal surgeries. She is in tremendous pain yet she still manages to find some way to 'live' her life everyday; rather than just exist. Her Mom is also a cancer survivor. We have been so inspired by the entire family. Olivia is in the hospital also battling a very serious infection and facing another round of horrible chemo. Fr. Sean, our parish priest, is showing all of us that death doesn't have to be such a bad thing. Yesterday, he celebrated 56 years as a priest. Please, continue to be vigilant in your prayers for all of them.

I stink at taking digital pictures. I haven't mastered the delay yet so I am going to take Katie up on her offer to put new pictures on here this week. Katie, is that ok?

Friday, August 8, 2003

I just wanted to share something that happened at school. Emily's locker had been randomly assigned and on the second day, I was helping her put a shelf in it and she noticed that somehow, a tiny little magnet had been left in it. She didn't notice it the day before but the magnet was that of a little Cherub Angel. I wanted to cry because I had been really worried about her. We just pray everyday that God gives her the strength to get through that day and give thanks that she has made it this far.






Wednesday, August 6, 2003
Emily started back to school yesterday. She is in 8th grade at Seminole Middle. It was a very long day for her! Most of the past two years has been homebound schooling. I REALLY want this to work for her- I REALLY want some 'normalcy' to return to her life. Please say a little prayer for her.Thanks!!!





Friday, August 1, 2003
I HAVE THE STRENGTH FOR EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO EMPOWERS ME. Philippians 4:13



It seems like it has been forever since we updated last. Emily is doing pretty good. She is five weeks into this maintenance phase and I can see a difference. Her appetite has been consistent and her energy level has increased. She goes in the pool just about everyday! Last night, we had several kids over and they were swimming way after dark. There was a lot of splashing and the dog was barking like crazy and Daddy kept saying, "Don't you think it's about time they came in". I thought about it for a moment and I realized that these 'sounds of summer' were golden! It was so wonderful to have kids over being loud, splashing in the pool, laughing, and just having fun. I miss this!

Monday marks week 78 of the 130 week protocol. Emily has roughly another year of chemotherapy. Please pray for her continued remission. She still suffers from bouts of nausea and terrible headaches but she is so strong, and she gets herself through. School begins Tuesday and I am not sure how it's going to go. I am trying not to stress over it. The biggest problem we are having right now is forcing ourselves to wake up early and go to bed on time.
We are certainly not in a school routine yet.

We had been caught up in the Lance Armstrong momentum! How could you not be? Especially because he is part of the 'cancer family'. You see him and you think WOW....it gives you so much HOPE- and we all grasp onto this so desperately. A year or so ago, his book was a must read for many of the patients and parents on 2SW.

The bedroom makeovers are pretty much done. We do have some fine tuning as far as paint touch up etc. Emily's room is painted candy apple green and blue with the colors rotating on each wall. We put up a chair rail (THANK YOU UNCLE SHAWN!), to separate the colors. Catherine chose purple and blue with each wall alternating in color. We put up a wallpaper border. The colors are pretty bright to say the least but what the heck, it's only paint. They both seem happy with the change. New carpet was installed this week and we have scrubbed the other rooms in the house from top to bottom. It was a great opportunity to clean out closets and part with things; something that we should have done ages ago!

Steve's two sisters were in town so the girls were able to visit with their cousins from Iowa. Emily and Mandy are only three months apart. We also got to see our cousins who live local who we rarely see. My niece Celeste, was here from Texas for ten days. It has been several years since we have seen her. She turns 21 in November. She is a beautiful young woman and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing her. Matt is in Jacksonville for the rest of the summer living with my little sister Joann as well as working for her! Hmmmm, I can't wait to hear the interesting stories they will have about each other at the end of the summer.

We are still grieving the loss of Taylor. It has been very, very difficult to deal with. It still doesn't seem real. It has given us all so much to think about. On the way home from the funeral, Emily said that there was no point in going to school or working and that we should all be spending the rest of our lives converting people. I told her that schools and jobs provide the opportunity to do so. One of the long time oncology nurses told another parent that she quit trying to figure it out a very long time ago. I just know that everytime I think of Taylor, I think of LOVE. We know that she is with Jesus. I was talking with the Dad of one of Taylor's best friends and during the course of the conversation, one of the things he mentioned was that their neighborhood may not have the fanciest houses but it was a great place to live. Taylor couldn't have lived in a richer place. Lake Padget Estates in Land-O-Lakes is rich in love, compassion, empathy, caring, and fellowship. Taylor was embraced by a community whose LOVE was abundant. It was so apparent. Even as we drove to the cemetery in the funeral procession, cars coming the opposite direction pulled over with their lights on. Taylor touched the lives of so many. She was completely surrounded by the greatest gift....and she gave it back too.

Our hearts are also weighing very heavy right now because so many children are NOT doing well. Christina is relapsing and will be entering the hospital for a bone marrow transplant very soon. Olivia is still fighting to get ahead of her disease and Brittany is dealing with some very bad side effects. Fr Sean still continues to amaze us. Please take a moment to remember them and pray for all of them.



...IF THERE IS ANYTHING WORTHY OF PRAISE, THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS. Philippians 4:8

Much Love,
Tricia

Thursday, July 17, 2003 7:08 AM CDT

Everyone has asked me how Emily is doing-
physically; good and yes we REJOICE. She is looking better and feeling better. We went to clinic last Monday and won't have to go again for two weeks. This was the longest we had gone between clinic visits and her counts were good.

Mentally- it has been a very rough week. We still have to get through Taylor's funeral today. The mood here has been very somber. There are a million things I would like to share about Taylor but I just can't right now. I can honestly say that this has been one of the most painful times of my life. I know that both Emily and Kitty are hurting right now. Both of them shared a very special bond with Taylor. She was like a little sister to them.

We just pray that God continues to bless us with strength, courage, and grace. We pray that he continues to wrap his arms around the Johnson Family. We pray for our 'Cancer Family'; all of whom are hurting right now; all of whom grieve and mourn the loss of our most precious Taylor. We pray that Olivia gets some answers. We pray that Christina is still in remission. We pray that children don't have to suffer!

Monday, July 14, 2003 11:15 AM CDT

It is with profound grief and sadness that we announce the death of our very dear friend, Taylor Rae Johnson. She earned her Angel Wings at 10:10 last night. We are eternally grateful to Taylor's parents, Angie and Jeff, for allowing us the privilege of saying good-bye to her Saturday night. Our hearts ache- there are truly no words. We are trying to find comfort in knowing that our precious little Taylor can now run and play- she's free!

http://www.caringbridge.org/page/taylorjohnson

Saturday, July 12,2003 11:15PM EST

It is late and we just returned from Taylor Johnson's house. Earlier this evening, we learned that she had taken a turn for the worse and her mother, Angie, felt God was calling for her. As Taylor's Mom held her in her arms, we promised Taylor that we would continue to pray and ask everyone we knew to pray too for her miracle. Please take a moment to remember not only Taylor but her Mom, Angie, her Dad, Jeff, and her little brother, Landon. Taylor is 7 years old and has been battling neuroblastoma since 1999. Thank you Angie and Jeff for letting us see your precious baby girl tonight.




I had wanted to mention that several kids are in need of both blood and platelets. Taylor Johnson's family has set up an account through Florida Blood Services. Even if the products don't go directly to Taylor, there are LOTS of kids who NEED them regularly. Emily has had units into the double digits and I know that as her mother, I am eternally grateful to those people who donated. Remember, O negative is a universal donor!!! In addition, please consider registering with the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry. It is so simple.




HE IS ABLE ALSO TO SAVE THEM TO THE UTTERMOST THAT COME UNTO GOD BY HIM, SEEING HE EVER LIVETH TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM. Hebrews 7:25



Friday, July 11, 2003
When we left clinic a week ago last Monday, we were told that we could now come every two weeks instead of every week. It is hard for anyone who hasn't been there to understand how HUGE this is. I went ahead a booked an appointment for a week; hesitant to go two weeks. Last Monday rolled around and when we woke up, I realized that Emily was okay so I called and cancelled the appointment. On Monday, we will go to clinic, having waited out the two weeks. Dr. B told me to "think positive" last time I was in there and that's what I need to be doing more of. It is all about having FAITH and growing in FAITH.

Emily went back on chemo and at first, it really hit her. Once you are held and have to go back on, it's tough but she's tougher! The other night, I was mowing the lawn and she came outside and all of a sudden, she started jogging down the sidewalk. I felt like crying even though she only went past a few houses. It was such a miracle that she even felt like she wanted to do this. Last night we went over to the Children's Cancer Center and were able to visit with a lot of our hospital family. Unfortunately, a few of the kids are not doing well right now. Several of the families have gotten very close and we definetly feel the pain of these children who are suffering. Please continue to pray for not only Emily but Taylor, Brittany, Olivia, Christina and all the other children on 2SW at All Children's Hospital.

Fourth of July was special- My sisters were all in town and we got together at MiMi's house. What's fourth of July without rain and Uncle Hack doing a dance through a fireworks display in an effort to entertain the crowd? We were all holding our breath hoping his pants didn't go up in flames. As usual, MiMi went out of her way to put on a huge food display. It's not in her nature to serve hamburgers and hotdogs; let alone, paper plates! We truly appreciate all that she did. Kitty is now home safe and sound. She went to my brother Jim's in Maryland for three weeks with Nana & Poppy. She attended a week of soccer camp at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis while she was there. The rest of the time was spent playing with her cousins and working on the 'farm'. She was doing her best to sneak some sort of animal home.

While Kitty was away, we tried to do a "While you were out" but didn't quite finish before she got home. With Emily in the hospital and not feeling well, it just wasn't going to happen. Besides, I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely NO WAY it can be done in two days!!! That TLC channel makes it look way too easy. Emily has been the decorator behind the scenes and I must say, I am impressed with her creativity. It has been a great project for us- at times fun- other times extremely stressful but in the end, well worth it! Kitty and Emily now have their own rooms thanks to Matt graciously giving his up. He is hardly ever home anymore and we were able to fit most of his things in a newly clean hall closet. The colors the girls chose are quite cheerful and bright and hopefully, will be a fresh start.

In closing, I just want to THANK everyone that visits this site. I hope that it is a time of reflection for you and also another opportunity to Praise God for all the gifts he has given us.

Monday, June 30, 2003 4:52 PM CDT

HALLELUJAH!
Give thanks to the LORD, who is good,
whose love endures forever. Psalm 106: 1-2


Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the peoples his deeds!
Sing praise, play music;
proclaim all his wondrous deeds!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD! Psalm 105:1-3


I just want to shout from the mountain tops- Emily is FINALLY starting the maintenance phase of her treatment! I tried not to have any expectations when we went to clinic today. I just prayed God would give me the strength to handle whatever happened there today. I was literally sweating bullets and feeling faint but then the nurse told me the air conditioner was on the blitz and had been for several days.....it wasn't me! Emily looks pale but her counts had come up beautifully. No more waking up in the middle of the night to take pills! No more days of 50+ pills! Emily will continue with her daily oral chemo and antibiotic at bedtime and her 'boost' will consist of 9.5 pills every Monday evening. This should be a piece of cake, considering all she has been through. She will still have spinal chemo and vincristine every three months but she will get through it!!!We can now go to clinic every other week instead of every week.

When I came home today and checked my e-mail, someone had shared with me some very encouraging words of wisdom. It was just what I needed to hear.
DO NOT BE AFRAID; JUST HAVE FAITH. Mark 5:36

A heartfelt thanks to all of you for your vigilance in keeping Emily in your prayers. This is a roller coaster ride that hasn't stopped yet. It's a mountain that we are still climbing. Though I know when we reach the top, the view is going to be incredible!!!

God Bless and again, so many children are in need right now-way too many and unfortunately, new cases continue to be diagnosed everyday. Especially remember Brittany, Taylor, Olivia, and our dearly beloved, Fr. Sean.
Tricia

Friday, June 27, 2003 8:14 PM CDT

I have to go back to James 5- about the prayer of the faithful saving the sick. I know there are a lot of faithful out there and there are lots of kids in desperate need right now. There are a few whos health is so very fragile right now.

Emily is home from the hospital now but pretty much has no immune system. Her ANC is 88 and her white blood cell count is 1.26. That is very, very low. Despite the numbers, she actually looks pretty good and is eating well. Of course Aunt Mimi knew what the best medicine was; a manicure! She took Emily right from the hospital to the nail salon. Cousin Parker hung out with Emily at the hospital and Parker didn't even seem to mind. I think Parker's presence helped more than the medicine. Parker also made a poster for Taylor to hang in her room and even bought Taylor some Beanie Babie Kittys because Taylor forgot to bring her own Kittys to the hospital.

We go to the clinic on Monday and once again, we NEED for the ANC to rise!

I have been feeling so devastated lately because I wanted so much for Emily to begin the final phase of treatment. I feel beaten down, disappointed, crushed, depressed- you name it. I'm not even the one who has cancer. I know I shouldn't feel like this but more than anything, I want Emily to have her life back. This visit to the hospital gave me another opportunity to reflect. 2SW, the oncology floor at All Children's Hospital, is a different world. I can break it down in so many ways. You don't see race or color. You don't see rich or poor. You see people who don't speak the same language communicate. You definetly see and feel God's presence. You feel enlightened and enriched. I could go on and on.

I am reminded once again to keep my eyes open for those little miracles that happen all around me each and everyday. Please continue to be faithful in your prayers for Emily and her friends. Little Taylor is in GREAT need right now along with Brittany, Christina, Olivia and several newly diagnosed children.
Peace-n-Love,
Tricia

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

A quick update, Emily is still a patient at All Children's Hospital. Her fever has stayed down and her appetite is good. She is on two different antibiotics and IV fluids. Her chemo is on hold. She does have some sort of an infection in her gums but the doctor isn't sure if this is the source of the fever. She thinks it may be viral. Emily will have more blood tests in the morning so please pray her counts are up. Her immune system is very low and any type of infection is serious.

I also want to ask that you remember our very dear friend and neighbor, Martha Barber. She is going into the hospital this week. Little Taylor will be coming into the hospital tomorrow. She is in a lot of pain from her cancer and it breaks our heart. She is only seven and has been battling this disease for most of her life.

Lastly, many of you supported us in some way when we participated in the Relay for Life, a fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Some of the money raised goes to a special camp for kids with cancer. Although Emily was not able to participate this year, many children that we know did. We have heard so many wonderful stories. Camp was an incredible experience for many of them. Our team for the Relay was called the 'Bauder Buddies'. This week, we lost one of our team members. Heath Robinson had been a team member for two years. Although she lost her battle with cancer, she won the hearts of all that had the privilege of meeting her. Her spirit LIVES!




Monday, June 23, 2003
Well...
We went to Mimi's house yesterday where Emily had a blast with her cousin Parker. Aunt Joann brought her down from Jacksonville on Saturday. Emily and Parker had such a good time watching movies that Parker came over and spent last night with us. Right before she went to sleep, Emily asked me to feel her head for a fever. She felt a little warm and was actually running a low grade fever. I intended to check her during the night but I actually slept through. At 5:30 this morning, I jumped out of bed and felt her and she was warm. We were at the Doctor's office when it opened and sure enough, her fever was up. Emily is now warming a bed in room 275 at All Children's Hospital. The standard procedure is a port culture and IV antibiotics right away. It's a mandatory 72 hour stay even if nothing grows. Her immune system is only a 200 (anything under 500 is dangerous). Her white count is only a 1.0, which is also very low. The good news is that her platelets went from 51 to 234. I prayed for this! Now, please pray the fever runs its course!

We did get to see Olivia here. She has been here six weeks. Prayers have been answered for her because she was actually out of her room and more mobile than she has been. Keep praying for her. We saw our Fr. Sean at church yesterday and he seems to be much worse than last week. Please pray that his final days with us are pain free and comfortable. With all the bad publicity about the Catholic Church these days, Fr. Sean more than makes up for all the bad! He is a remarkable priest who has given more than 50 years to the priesthood. God Bless him!

Again, I can't tell you how much all your prayers and support have meant to us. KEEP PRAYING. Everyday, we are blessed with so many little miracles.
Love,
Tricia

Monday, June 16, 2003 3:08 PM CDT

My son, when you come to serve the LORD,
prepare yourself for trials.
Be sincere of heart and steadfast,
undisturbed in time of adversity.
Cling to him, forsake him not;
thus will your future be great.
Accept whatever befalls you,
in crushing misfortune be patient;
For in fire gold is tested,
and worthy men in the crucible of humiliation.
Trust God and he will help you;
make straight your ways and hope in him.

Sirach 1 2:1-6



I was searching and searching for an appropriate verse when I happened on this one. Something about it hit home. I guess because today after leaving clinic, I felt 'crushed'. Emily was to have started her new phase today but her platelets had dropped from 87 down to 51. She has to have a minimum 75 (thousand) to have chemo. Naturally, I rushed home and went through the printouts of all her other CBC's; trying to find a reading as low as 51 and then compare the other numbers. It had to go back pretty far! I am not comfortable with this number at all and it has been eating at me all day. This explains why Emily had episodes of feeling dizzy over the past few days. She had a miserable week. The vincristine made her ache all over and she feels like straight codeine doesn't give her any relief. She is so uncomfortable and there really isn't anything I can do but offer diversions. Catherine left last week and won't be home until after 7/4. She is at her Uncle Jimmy's house in Maryland and she will attend soccer camp with her cousin at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. It is exciting for her but we really miss her! Before she left, she had all her hair cut off and donated it to 'Locks of Love'. It is pretty short but she had been wanting to do this for a long time. She looks really cute. Grace followed with a similar cut but she didn't have the ten inches to donate.

This week, we will be taking it slow. Emily's other daily oral chemo is on hold in order to boost her counts. I just ask God to continue to bless my precious Emily with strength, courage, and his healing hands. We light candles every week after Mass and our list of people to pray for keeps getting longer and longer. Lately, I have been letting Grace light the candle and she really seems to grasp the reverance of it all. After she lights it, she kneels down and says, "Oh Dear Jesus, please watch over Emily, make her boo-boo go away."
AMEN!!!

Grace made it so simple. Let's follow her lead- and please pray for not only Emily but Brittany, Taylor, Christina, Olivia, Fr. Sean, and all those who suffer.
God Bless,
Tricia

Tuesday, June 10, 2003 4:11 PM CDT

I raise my eyes toward the mountains.
From where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth.

God will not allow your foot to slip;
your guardian does not sleep.
Truly, the guardian of Israel
never slumbers nor sleeps.
The LORD is your guardian;
the LORD is your shade
at your right hand.
By day the sun cannot harm you,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will guard you from all evil,
will always guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and going
both now and forever.
Psalm 121



Emily had her chemo boost last week so we have been pretty much hanging out at home. She got through it okay. I wanted her to take it easy; knowing that she was facing the really YUK chemo this week. Yesterday, she had her spinal chemo and her vincristine chemo. She wanted her Dad to be there too so he accompanied us to the clinic. I was a little dissapointed about her weight. Emily has dropped a couple pounds from a few weeks ago. We had to wait at least an hour and all the anxiety and anticipation gave me a headache before it even began. For some reason, the sedative they gave Emily had a magnified effect and it took her awhile to get herself together. We think this might be because she didn't have any food or liquids that morning. The procedure itself was very painful. Her back is sore and it's hard for her to get up and down and move around. She also had an excruciating headache yesterday and was afraid it was a spinal headache coming on. It went away by the time she went to bed so we were all relieved. Today, she feels awful. She hasn't had anything to eat or drink and I told her if this keeps up, we are going back to the clinic tomorrow. The chemo drugs are very dehydrating and it definetly would not be good for her to go that long without liquids. The worst part is that the side effects from the drugs won't actually kick in for a few more days so she knows it is going to get worse before it gets better. The thought of this has to be making her feel ill. In addition, she is back on steroids for seven days.

On the brighter side, she got her treatment protocol for the next 24 weeks. She will take 10 methotrexate pills every Monday evening at bedtime instead of the 50 pill boost every two weeks. She will continue her dail oral chemo and antibiotic along with all her mineral supplements. Hopefully, beginning soon, she will only have to see the doctor every two weeks instead of weekly. We are looking forward to this.

I am finding it difficult to make any plans for summer. I still feel like we are living day by day. I often can't think past the moment. There are so many things I would like to do but..........
Catherine leaves Friday for three weeks. I am going to miss her! It isn't going to be the same around here. Emily is Grace's second Mommy so I know this is a chance for extra bonding time for them. Matt has decided to come home when summer session ends so we are expecting him in another week or so. He should be home for a month. I can't wait. Even though he is 21, he is still my baby and at times, I miss him terribly. It seems like just yesterday that he was letting go of my hand when I walked him into kindergarten.

I hope all of you got a chance to see 'Dateline' on NBC last Thursday. The episode was called 'Miracle in Tampa' and it was about a local news reporter who had Leukemia. It was a real testimony to the Power of Prayer. Please continue to pray for Emily and for her friends Olivia, Brittany, Taylor, and all the other children who suffer.
Tricia

Monday, June 2, 2003 8:13 PM CDT

I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the Lord;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.

Glorify the Lord with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the afflicted man called out,
the Lord heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the Lord is;
happy the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:1-9



We went to Church Saturday evening and as usual, my mind was wandering all over the place; contemplating the meaning of this journey we have been on over the past 20 months. It has to have a deeper purpose. I have know idea what the main idea of the priest's homily was. All I heard was the word 'Evangelism'. Maybe I was meant to hear only that word. I thought maybe this is what it's all about- maybe we all are Evangelists.

People constantly say to me "I don't know how you do it". I don't think about it- I just do it- we all do. Who else will? There is no choice. We all have to grow in Faith and believe God will take care of things- that it is all going to be okay. Everytime Emily gets her port accessed, the nurses always ask her if they should count down first before they insert the needle. She always says "Just do it". We were at the Nike outlet in Orlando last year and we bought her a shirt there that said "Just Do It"- and she does. Lots of times she doesn't want to though. She is tired of being woken up at all hours to take pills. She hates having to take medicine that makes her sick so that she won't be sick. She hates spinals. She hates feeling tired. She hates not being able to go to school and not having friends like she used to. She hates a lot of things but she does it. A long time ago, when we were just beginning on this road, she told me she wasn't worried because she knew God would heal her. It seemed so simple for her. I know her Faith has been really put to the test- especially when kids have died.

On the way to clinic today, I had my talk with God. I have been doing that a lot lately. Today was a big day. Although I was a little nervous and we were 45 minutes late for our appointment, I felt at peace. Emily's counts have come up beautifully. Her platelets are down but are okay. She just has to be careful. She will have her chemo boost today and tomorrow and then next Monday, she will have her dreaded spinal. This is when they remove spinal fluid and replace it via a catheter with the chemo drug methotrexate. She also will get the chemo drug vincristine through the mediport which is surgically implanted in her chest. In addition, she will be on steroids for a week. Thus a week or two of her eating good. Last time, she couldn't get enough Publix brand Cherrios! I wonder what it will be this time.

The BIG news is that Emily is moving to the final phase of the treatment protocol. It will last just over a year but it will be soooooooo much easier! PRAISE GOD!!!

Much of last week was spent with the girls in and out of the house with all the neighborhood kids. We had kids sleeping over again. Friday, several of us went to see the movie 'Finding Nemo'. The animation was great and so was the story line. Grace loved it and she usually doesn't sit through movies. I think it's a must see for all ages. Steve and I managed to get out by ourselves Saturday for lunch. Sunday, I took Emily, Kitty and three friends to the baseball game. It was an enjoyable, relaxing afternoon and I thinks the girls had fun.

I sit here writing about our glory but my heart aches for several children who are suffering right now. Olivia has been in the hospital a month now and unfortunately, I don't think there are any easy answers for her. Please pray for her and her family. Brittany is through with radiation but she faces a tough new chemo regime as she struggles to gain some ground on her disease. She too needs prayers. If any of you watched the All Children's Telethon this past weekend, I hope you caught a glimpse of our world. On a children's cancer ward, there is no doubt that you feel and see the presence of God- in the eyes of the little ones, in the caring of nurses, and the dedication of doctors.
Peace-n-Love,
Tricia

Tuesday, May 27, 2003 6:02 PM CDT

WHATEVER THINGS ARE PURE, WHATEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY...MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS. Phillippians 4:8


Emily received a note from our neighbor and this verse was on the stationary. How very appropriate it is this week! It's amazing but the grass looks greener, the flowers are blooming abundantly, and we have a family of butterflies in our front yard.

Emily had her chemo last week and other than some nausea, she is doing pretty well. School got out last Tuesday so we have had lots of kids hanging around. Emily has been out and about in the neighborhood, just being a kid again. We have had some of the girls in the neighborhood sleep over and the pool is once again, the center of entertainment. The girls went shopping for new bathing suits last week to mark the official start of summer.

Although it was very hot, the weather this weekend was beautiful. We all got some color.The highlights include a cookout at one of the neighbors along with traveling back and forth to several soccer games. Kitty was invited to guest for a club team in one of the tournaments. She had to sit out last year because of everything that's been going on. It was great to see her out on the field again and it was great to be on the sidelines...back in the swing of things. Kitty did well despite the long absence from the game. Emily was able to come to all the games too. It was really hard for me to watch Emily on the sidelines. I know how much she too wanted to be out there. Ironically, there was a player on the field named Emily and everytime I heard her name called, I had to do a reality check!

Matt came in Sunday just for the night. His band played a benefit show at a local club. I actually had a night out to go see him play. Love the kid, hate the music! It amazes me to see him on stage. There's the kid who wouldn't open his mouth because he was self conscious of a speech problem he had growing up and now he is so comfortable with a microphone in front of a crowd of people. He's come a long way. He is now safely back at college for his senior year. Emily and Kitty begged to go see him play but I just couldn't bring them to a club to hear a 'punk' band! Maybe if he ever plays at the VFW or something.

We went to clinic today and as expected, Emily's counts have spiraled down. Thank goodness she was so good last week. At least we know the chemo is working. On Monday, she is scheduled for her final boost on this phase and the following Monday, she will have her spinal chemo and her port chemo. It is so important to us to keep on schedule because after this, we move to the 'weaning off' phase. The chemo is much more mild and it is given more regularly so you don't have so many peaks and valleys. Our Lord God Almighty has brought us so far. He has delivered Emily- not just physically but spiritually as well.

I ask that you continue to pray for Emily and also for Olivia. Olivia was about to leave for another cancer center when they received additional news which would lead them to change their treatment course. She is now able to remain local as she starts her treatment. It is so important to have family near. I know God is with them and watching out for them. Also, our very dear friend Brittany continues to battle that horrible monster called osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Brittany is one of those people who has had to fight the fight every single minute; of every single of hour; of every single day. She needs to feel the power of a multitude praying for her!
God Bless,
Love,
Tricia

MONDAY, MAY19,2003

CHECK OUT NEW PICTURES IN PHOTO ALBUM!!

BE JOYFUL IN HOPE,PATIENT IN AFFLICTION, FAITHFUL IN PRAYER. Romans12:12

Emily went to clinic this morning and her CBC was nothing less than a miracle! I actually broke down crying when her counts printed out- tears of JOY though! She went home from the hospital Friday evening with an ANC of 84 and today she was 1,000. Her platelets are in the normal range and her hemoglobin came up nicely- it's almost in the normal range. The white blood cells increased slightly too. I prayed the counts would be up but never expected them to be so good. What a testimony to the power of prayer! I am so grateful to everyone who remembered to pray for Emily to get through this slump. God is always with us and I really felt his presence today.

After clinic, we went to visit Olivia at the hospital. It looks like she will be traveling with her parents to Houston in the morning for treatment. Please keep all of them in your prayers. Olivia has a younger brother and sister who will remain here with relatives. This is going to be difficult on all of them.

Emily spent the weekend relaxing. She wanted to go somewhere/anywhere yesterday but I said no way! Saturday was our neighborhood's annual block party so she did go for a little while just to see everyone and be part of things. I was a little reluctant but I thought with it being outside, she would be okay. We set up her chair under a big oak tree and she stayed there most of the time. I did catch her holding little kids once or twice though! Many of our neighbors have been very supportive of Emily's efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Several have brought us dinners and a couple of brave souls, babysat for us!

Good counts mean chemo so Emily will be taking her chemo cocktail over the next 24 hours. She still has a cough which has gone from a dry drippy one to a barky/croupy one. We are watching it. I expect that since she has been off all her meds for two weeks, this round is going to hit hard. God Bless all of you and from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for being so faithful in prayer. Not just for Emily but for all these kids!
Love, Tricia






FRIDAY,MAY16,2003
We just got home from the hospital. Emily was admitted on Tuesday. On that morning she woke up with a sore throat and a cough so I called the clinic and made an appointment for the afternoon. Soon after she started running a fever so I decided not to wait and took her right then. Our past experience with fevers has been that they hit fast and hard. When we got there at 11:30 she was over 102 degrees and we knew she would be admitted. I always travel prepared so we had everything with us.

The hospital was full so they ran a CBC and cultured her port in the clinic. Her ANC was still 400 but her white blood cell count went down. I asked if we could go ahead and start the antibiotics (which is standard for a fever), while we were at the clinic, waiting for a bed to open up over at the hospital. They said it was okay because they knew it would be awhile. They gave her Fortaz which she had never had before and I asked if there was any chance she would have a reaction. They told me that no one had ever reacted to it before. Well, you guessed it. After a few minutes, Emily started coughing and asked for her inhaler. She said she felt tight and couldn't breathe. I went and got her some water and when I came back, I saw that her eyelid was swelling up and then I realized that her windpipe must have been swelling up too. I went out to the nurses station to get help and then all these nurses came running in the room and immediately shot her full of benadryl and cortisone. Thank God it worked. I was pretty shaken up over the whole thing. Emily had a reaction once before to vancomycin but nothing that serious.

After a wait of about five hours we finally got a room. As I was wheeling Emily to her room I recognized the father of a boy Emily went to elementary school with. It's funny because I had also gone to high school with him. We were stunned to learn that his fourteen year old daughter, Olivia, had just been diagnosed with a very rare cancer, chondrosarcoma. It is so sad to know that another family has to go through this. Please keep them in your prayers. Emily and I just felt like we wanted to reach out and help them in some small way. We know what we felt like in those early days of diagnosis.

Emily was pretty much confined to her room while at the hospital. She didn't feel well and slept a lot. Her fever didn't break right away and we had to wait at least 24 hours to make sure the cultures and the strep test came back negative. She did have visits from Nana, Grace, and Aunt Mimi, who even brought a pizza. While we were there, we learned that the dexa scan Emily had a few weeks ago showed significant thinning of her lumbar spine. The doctor said she definitely has osteoporosis. She is now on supplements to replenish the calcium lost to the steroids and chemotherapy. This explains her chronic back pain. Hopefully, we can avoid the more aggressive forms of treatment which involve IV drug therapy. This doctor says this may be the answer if there is no improvement in six months. During her stay Emily also had a sinus CT Scan which was ok.

Emily's counts are extremely low. Her hemoglobin has dropped and her white blood cell count is only 1.1. Her ANC or the body's ability to fight infection is basically none. It's an 84. Any number below 500 is not good and 84 is very, very low. We have to take her temperature every few hours because fever is the measure of infection. At this point, one is at risk from their own body's natural bacterias. Needless to say, Emily is in the house for the weekend and no one will be allowed over. Feel free to call or email though!

Emily is bummed that she missed seeing her friends at the Children's Cancer Center Thursday night but she thought that maybe she was meant to be at the hospital to be a friend to Olivia. Everything happens for a reason!

We go to clinic on Monday so please, continue to pray that Emily's counts rebound. This pit in my stomach is growing and I can't stand it. We still have that bone marrow hovering over our head and the thought of relapse terrifies me.

Our family is very fortunate to have such great relatives. I come from a close knit Italian/Catholic; sometimes dysfunctional one; but one who I can always count on!!! My parents and my sisters and brother are always there for us- before we can even ask! Nana and Poppy had Grace spend two nights with them while Emily was in the hospital and I know this was HUGE for all of them. (Grace is mentally handicapped and has autism.) They all survived. Then there is the Foley Family. They have gone above and beyond- always unconditionally. They are a true witness to their faith. Thank you for taking such good care of Catherine and making this latest hospital stay easier on her. Thanks for being brave enough to take Grace to the talent show too!

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. Romans 13:9

MONDAY, MAY 12, 2003

IS ANYONE AMOUNG YOU SICK? HE SHOULD SUMMON THE PRESBYTERS OF THE CHURCH, AND THEY SHOULD PRAY OVER HIM ANDANOINT (HIM) WITH OIL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH WILL SAVE THE SICK PERSON, AND THE LORD WILL RAISE HIM UP. James 5:14-16


I guess I am summoning all the 'presbyters'. Emily went to clinic this morning and even with her chemo meds on hold this past week plus the unit of blood, her counts were still down. Now, everything is on hold, including her antibiotic. If the counts don't come up by Monday, the doctor wants to do a bone marrow aspirate to confirm remission. I made an appointment for this Friday because I can't wait until Monday. I just felt sick when we left there this morning. I was so disappointed. It's easy to say "don't worry" but how can you not? So often, we are walking a fine line between hope and despair. This is not what I wanted to hear today! I keep telling myself that she is okay; now I have to believe it! It's so easy to read too much into every little symptom.
We tried to salvage the day by a little bit of shopping and lunch at Sardo's Pizza. Her immunity is too low to be out in public but we felt like our mental health needed some attention. We are going to work very hard at getting back to positive ground and just putting our Faith in God; that with him, we will get through this! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, say some extra prayers for Emily. Love, Tricia





SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2003
Yesterday wasn't one of Emily's best days. In fact it was one of the worst. Emily had a terrible headache that lasted for hours. She was on straight codeine round the clock and it didn't seem to help. She finally fell asleep and slept until ten this morning. She felt a little better today but I wouldn't let her go anywhere. I thought she should stay home and rest. We have been on the run for several days and she hadn't been getting a lot of sleep either. It was all catching up to her. I am going to talk to the doctor about switching one of her medications because I think it is the one which gives her such bad headaches. She had to go on it as an alternative to another med which was too immune suppressive. I think once she gets to the next phase and the chemo is lighter, we should consider going back to the first drug. We are off to clinic in the morning and PLEASE PRAY her counts are up!




Saturday, May 10, 2003 9:57 AM CDT
Last night brought closure to the rescheduled Relay for Life. It was a scaled down version because many people had prior commitments for this Mother's Day weekend but nevertheless, all that participated had a good time. We are proud to say that our 'Bauder Buddie' team was awarded first place for the best decorated campsite. Emily was recognized as the TOP individual fundraiser, THANKS to the MOST GENEROUS support of so many of you! She well exceeded her $5,000.00 fundraising goal. We are so proud to support the American Cancer Society because we have seen the difference this organization has made in the lives of so many. We appreciate their dedication to fighting cancer. The highlight of the evening was spending time with family, old friends, and making new friends within our 'cancer family'. It was all about celebrating survivorship. Emily allowed me the honor of reading her survivor poem. I kept telling myself that I could get through it; especially since Emily had made it through so much these past nineteen months. It still proved to be difficult for me to read without crying! With all my heart, I know without a doubt, Emily is one of the bravest and strongest people I know. So many people came up to us requesting a copy of the poem. I think it was healing for all of us.

Today, we are dead tired and Emily is exhausted! I told her she had to stay in bed resting. She was invigorated last night and was able to win several 'spirit chips' for our team by doing the 'cha-cha slide'. She had a great time kicking beach balls and soccer balls with all the kids that were there. (Unfortunately, she is paying for it today!) There were lots of friends from Seminole there. We are so fortunate to live in such a great community; it's like small town USA; where everyone knows everyone! A special THANKS to the Foley's, Ulm's, Cornings, Homme's, Chouinnard's, Barber's, Zent's, Previtera's, and everyone else who went out of their way to make the evening so special. The evening was so important to all of us, because it gave us the opportunity to pay tribute to some very dear friends; whom Jesus now holds in his arms. Robert, Zack, Lauren, Kevin, Kaylyn, Hector, and all the rest, will be forever in our hearts.

Please say some extra prayers for Emily, that her counts are up on Monday, and that she is able to continue on her chemo protocol. We are in the home stretch of this current phase of treatment, and we want to keep moving forward. God has been so very good to us.

IF WE LOVE ONE ANOTHER, GOD LIVES IN US AND HIS LOVE IS MADE COMPLETE IN US. 1 John 4:12

Monday, May 5, 2003

Just to briefly update you. We went to clinic today and as expected, Emily's hemoglobin had dropped to 7.3. They transfuse below 8 so she got one unit of blood. Her color looks better already. Many of the children are in need of both blood and platelets. I understand that there is currently a platelet shortage. Please, if you are able, consider donating! Platelets require a minimum weight and at least 2 hours of your time. Also, you can't take certain over the counter drugs within 72 hours of donating. Contact your local blood bank for more information. If you are in the Tampa/St. Pete area, contact Florida Blood Services. Emily's friend, Taylor Johnson has an account set up there for people to donate platelets.

"CHRIST'S LOVE COMPELS US."
2 Corinthians 5:14


SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2003
Emily's counts were very low last Monday at clinic yet she still had to have her chemo this week. Her hemoglobin was way down and the doctor thinks she has an iron deficiency. That makes sense because she chews ice like crazy! The doctor also said that chewing ice kills your appetite too! Again, that makes sense too. She hadn't been eating much and had lost a little weight. She had to have her port flushed last week and then right after they yanked the needle out, the doctor thought she should have a chemistry panel to check her iron levels. He said they would just do it next time she is accessed so she wouldn't have to be poked again that same day. We had made an appointment for Friday to get a CBC to see if she needed blood but when she woke up Friday, she said she felt okay but then it turns out that she really wanted to catch up on her schoolwork and didn't want to sit at the clinic all day getting blood. We go to clinic in the morning and I am pretty sure she will be transfused. She looks pale and has been having terrible headaches. Besides, the chemo she got last week is supposed to send her counts down. I wish we had kept the appointment on Friday because she has that yellowish tinge she gets when her hemoglobin drops. She thinks it's funny. She keeps singing, "They call me mellow yellow".

I drove up to Gainesville Friday to move Matt back home. I arrived before nine when he had told me not to come early! I was a woman on a mission. We were packed, cleaned, loaded, checked out, and on the road within an hour and a half! I wish I could say Matt was home for the whole summer but he is due back in a week for summer session. He and the
girls have been hanging out. They don't want to waste a minute of the precious time he's home. Kitty wants to beat him at ping pong once before he goes back. In between doses of Tylenol and codeine, Emily is still feeling up to doing things. She basically rested all week and Friday, she felt well enough to see the Lizzie McGuire movie with her sisters. The girls really enjoyed it and rushed out to get the soundtrack afterwards. Grace loves Hilary Duff but because of her disability (autism), movie theatres are one of those places she just can't tolerate. I had to leave with her after a half hour. While waiting outside with her, we caught Daddy sneaking into Identity when he had previously turned down an invitation to Lizzie!!!

Last night, Emily made her Confirmation in the Catholic Church. Poppy was her sponsor and Nana came too. We were surprised to see Aunts Alanna and Kathy along with cousins Ryan, Ashlynn, and Keeley. Normally Confirmation isn't until ninth grade but the Monsignor let Emily be Confirmed early because of everything she has been going through. She chose the name Frances after St. Frances Xavier Cabrini who was an Italian immigrant who became the first American citizen to be canonized. She suffered poor health but overcame it to become a teacher and founder of schools and hospitals. Emily felt like they had something in common. Emily told me that right before the ceremony began, she asked God to heal her and fill her with the gifts in which she can convert others to Christianity.

I honestly could see a change in her in just those few short hours. For several days she hadn't been feeling well and was just so tired and stressed. She seemed to have new life! I am just so glad she was able to receive this sacrament . She needs all the "Gifts of the Holy Spirit" NOW. Nana and Poppy bought her the most beautiful cross embedded with sapphires. It is something she will treasure forever. After the ceremony, there were so many people coming up to her to congratulate her and to share with her this very important time. Twins from the middle school were there, Christian and Michael, and they had a present for her. She was touched to say the least. What thoughtful boys!
We didn't even think anyone knew she was being confirmed because she was added at the last minute. This is just another example of the kindness of humanity that we have experienced since Emily got sick. It is one of those gestures one might take for granted, that is enormously meaningful. Afterwards, Emily felt pretty good and wanted to go out for dinner with her grandparent so we all went to Jotos. Emily had a wonderful time and actually ate pretty well. For me, it was heaven to have all my children together for dinner for the first time in forever.

The front cover of the Confirmation booklet said:

"I will pour out my Spirit" and I really feel like Emily does this everyday of her life. I see it too with all the children and their families who struggle daily to SURVIVE.

Please continue to pray for all these children.
Love,
Tricia


By The Way: Check in tomorrow!
We will be posting new pictures.

MONDAY 4/28/03- Just a quick update. Emily went to clinic this morning and all of her counts have dropped once again. She hasn't been this low in awhile. I had a feeling she was low. I thought she was looking very pale and her lips and gums were white. However, She is at the minimum for chemo so she will have her boost over the next 24 hours. Her hemoglobin is very low so we are going back Friday to see if she will need a blood transfusion. She probably could have used one today but she said she felt okay and the doctor agreed to wait. I have prayed that we could keep moving forward on the protocol schedule and my prayers have been answered. Now I am asking that everyone pray for Emily that her counts don't go much lower. She needs them to come up. The doctor has also added an iron supplement to her diet- hey what's another pill?

We have asked that you pray for Emily's friend Taylor. She is 7 and has been battling neuroblastoma since she was 3. The doctors were able to get her pain under control so she could return to Tampa yesterday from Philadelphia. She is still in quite a bit of pain from her cancer. Please pray for her pain to go away and for this latest experimental treatment to work. Also, her parents need prayers for strength.
Love, Tricia




Saturday, April 26, 2003


EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, COMING DOWN FROM THE FATHER.
JAMES 1:17

...............LIKE RAIN!!!!

I have heard that rain is supposed to be a sign of good luck. I hope so because we should be the luckiest people on earth. The Relay for Life had just gotten under way. In fact, Emily had just completed the 'survivor's lap' and the decorations looked great. We were sure to win 'best looking campsite'. Our team had spent weeks decorating posters and making props to go with our campsite theme "The Wizard of OZ". "Bauder Buddies...follow the yellow brick road to a cure." Before Emily had a chance to read her poem, the rains came...and they kept coming....and coming....and coming!!! Then the winds came just as the tornado scene from "The Wizard of Oz" was playing on the TV in our tent. We didn't know if we should cry or what, as we witnessed all our decorations melting before our eyes, just like the wicked witch when Dorothy pours water on her. It was soooooo disappointing!!

This morning, we have NEW LIFE and we are regrouping to salvage the Relay! It will be rescheduled for May 9-10. We will be very, very busy over the next couple of weeks. It is going to be even
better! Emily was truly disappointed and didn't know whether she should cry or laugh! We found that laughter is the best medicine. So many people came out to support us and even stayed for the very messy clean up. Our loving neighbor, Max Barber, continued to walk for our team, even though it was pouring rain. I was very touched that two old friends who I hadn't seen in years came out to support us. Thank you Leslie and Angel. Thanks for helping with clean up Angel, Sawyer, Mady, Carly Rae, Katey, Ed, Katelin & Jaimie. A HUGE THANKS to Marie Chouinnard for her dedication and hard work. Her husband Jerry is our Angel! He was very instrumental in the 'behind the scenes' set up and he graciously went back there early this morning to finish the clean up job. We love you Jerry!!! We sincerely appreciate the pizzas donated from Sardo's Pizza at Seminole Mall. What was left of our team was famished and the pizzas were truly enjoyed. Also, let me thank Tony from Rita's Italian Ice in Seminole for his donation. Emily survived many a chemo weeks feasting on Sardos and Rita's Mango. YUM!

By the way, I'd like to share with you that this year, Emily had set a personal fundraising goal of $5,000.00. Last night, her total was over $5,800.00. I am so proud of her for her committment to fighting this disease. I am eternally grateful to everyone who helped her achieve her goal. I can not express how much all of your support has meant to her. Even today, we received additional checks in the mail so I guess with the Relay being rescheduled, we'll have to raise the bar. God Bless all of you. There were so many of Catherine's friends who came to show their support too. Emily's illness has been extremely difficult for Catherine and knowing that people are there for Catherine too, gives me great comfort. So many times throughout their lives, Emily and Catherine have been mistaken for twins!

Since Emily didn't get to read her poem. I decided to post it. It is about her diagnosis and she wrote it all on her own.



SURVIVING By: Emily Lester

For Several weeks I couldn't sleep and wasn't feeling well
I couldn't run, school wasn't fun, and nobody could tell

The weakness came, the fevers ran, the headaches wouldn't leave
The doctors had no idea why, I doubted they believed

Off to school on everyday despite all the pain
But on one of those mornings I just wasn't the same

We went to the doctor (Drove north up the coast)
And when we arrived I was white as a ghost

The doctor instructed to get in the car
Then my Mother and I drove to the ER

An ambulance was offered but my Mother refused
I guess that somehow, she could sense the bad news

My Dad came to meet us and tried to stay cool
He had dropped both my sisters off at their schools

Blood tests were done and biopsies too
And when it was over, the doctors all knew

I received lots of fluids, a big bag of platelets
Three units of blood, and one shocking statement

I knew it was bad when I heard the word CANCER
They told me what type
Leukemia the answer

I held back my tears and then started to cry
The question I asked was if I was to die

They said some kids do but most stay alive
And at that very moment, I prayed I'd survive

I was tired and throwing up everyday
I wanted the cancer to just go away

My screams of pain were an awful sound
And after three weeks, I had dropped twenty pounds

After the surgeries, the chemo, and drugs
What I love to do now is give my doctor big hugs

The chemo had left me physically impaired
It burned through my skin and destroyed all my hair

I used to spend everyday sleeping in bed
With my surgical scar and a shiny bald head

There were a couple of times they were unsure I'd make it
But I was too tough and proved I could take it

I try to be brave but there's times when I cry
How can you not when you see your friends die?

But look at me now, I'm doing much better
No need for your cheeks to get any wetter

My hair's back, I'm stronger, the chemo's more mild
I've had all this experience and I'm only a child

As I stand here today telling my story
Know I'm a SURVIVOR and this title's my GLORY!!!

Tuesday, April 22, 2003 7:05 PM CDT

This past week has been pretty rough for Emily. She had her chemo boost last week and every day, she has struggled with the side effects. She was supposed to go to her friend's birthday party at the ice rink on Saturday but was just not up to it. She has had a lot of nausea and headaches. I have been leaving Zofran (for nausea)on her computer table, right next to her bed so that she can grab it first thing when she wakes up.

We spent Easter Sunday at Aunt Mimi and Uncle Hack's house. Uncle Jimmy (my 'little' brother) is in from the D.C. area with his three children. My younger sister, Joann came down from Jacksonville with her daughter. The only one missing was Mimi's twin, Gigi, who lives out in Texas. She did send dozens of confetti eggs for the kids to enjoy. I think Uncle Jimmy got the worst of the eggs, he got hit pretty hard several times! We had a lot of extended family with us too but the highlight was all the cousins being able to spend time with each other. It was also my niece Stephanie's 18th birthday. Despite how bad Emily felt, she did a lot. She went swimming with all the kids and played several games of Scoobie Doo with little Nick, who is four. At the end of the evening, Emily and Catherine were begging for their cousins Victoria and Parker to spend the night. Unfortunately, Parker had to leave early the next morning and the girls had school.

We went to the clinic yesterday and Emily's counts are down. I knew they would be. Her hemoglobin had dropped quite a bit but luckily she didn't need a blood transfusion. Her immune system has dropped and I will be keeping her close to home over the next few days. Her white blood cell count is very low.

We then went to the hospital for a dexa scan. The doctor wants to see her bone density. There was some confusion and we had to wait because they didn't have us on the schedule.
It seemed like we were there forever. Emily wasn't looking forward to the scan lasting 50 minutes but luckily, it didn't take that long.

On the way home, Emily started getting a terrible headache which didn't let up all day. She was miserable all afternoon and even into the evening. I gave her several doses of codeine and it still didn't relieve the pain. She was pretty doped up and still feeling terrible. She didn't fall asleep until midnight because she was in so much pain. It was almost like she used to feel when she was in the hospital. Today, she seems a little better. I let her sleep in so she missed one of her morning classes. She has barely eaten over the past few days. I hope things begin to look up. The cycle starts over again next Monday!

Please pray Emily is through the worst before Friday.
Friday is the Relay for Life and she is looking forward to it. When she feels like it, she is making decorations for the campsite. The team we are on is the "Bauder Buddies". Bauder is the elementary school where Grace attends and Emily used to volunteer there everyday prior to getting diagnosed. Emily volunteered in a class of older children who had disabilities similar to Grace's. Last year, they made Emily the honorary chairperson. It was Bauder's first year participating and they got a team together at the last minute. This year, they have three teams!!! Several Bauder staff are also cancer survivors. It really is a special event for the entire Bauder community. I just want to THANK everyone who has been so supportive. Along with checks, so many have taken the time to write and send cards. One little girl who goes to St. John's Catholic School, collected money in her class. She is also having her class pray for Emily. Another little girl mailed quarters to us and shared that her grandmother also had cancer. There were so many 'gifts of the heart'. There are some days when you wake up and you just want it all to be over or you want to wake up from this bad dream. Then, someone touches you in such a way that you realize it's going to be okay.

Emily is planning to be confirmed in the Catholic Church on May 3rd. Last week, Fr. Sean called and so we brought Emily up to the church so that Fr. Sean could annoint her and bless her once again. Grace was with us so she too received the same sacraments with her sister. Fr. Sean is also battling cancer. It was a very special moment.

Let me close by asking everyone to remember Taylor. She is seven and is currently at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia for an experimental treament for her cancer. The trip was a nightmare for them and when I heard about it, I just wanted to cry. Her Mom broke down crying in the airport and noone offered to help. It broke my heart because I have had days like that. It is an awful thing to witness your child in such pain and not being able to do anything but watch them suffer. Then to have all these other burdens, it is just so difficult to hold it all together. They could really use some prayers right now!

God Bless, and we will update after Relay.
Love, Tricia

YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS REACHES TO THE SKIES, O GOD, YOU WHO HAVE DONE GREAT THINGS. WHO, O GOD, IS LIKE YOU? THOUGH YOU HAVE MADE ME SEE TROUBLES, MANY AND BITTER, YOU WILL RESTORE MY LIFE AGAIN; FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE EARTH YOU WILL AGAIN BRING ME UP. Psalm 71:19-20

Monday, April 14, 2003 5:12 PM CDT

One new picture is posted to the photo page! The power went out in the middle of uploading so hopefully tomorrow, we will find the rest of the pictures and add them!

In three more days, we will be 18 months post diagnosis! Just keep moving the train forward. We are officially at week 65 of the protocol which is right about half way through treatment. The light is starting to shine brighter!

Emily saw our favorite Dr. B today. He was out of town last week and she opted not to see the intern. She wanted to wait for Dr. B. We absolutely love the man! He is the one we trust and feel so comfortable with. He said she was fine. Her CBC was good enough for chemo. Her hemoglobin was up and so were her white blood cells. Her ANC (one's ability to fight infection) was down slightly but still okay. Her platelets had dropped a little and are below 100 so she has to be careful. She is still waking up feeling nauseated every morning. I think it is the one chemo pill she has to take at bedtime which causes this. We are going to experiment with different beverages to see if that helps.

Yesterday, Poppy and Nana took Emily and Catherine to the Italian Festival in Ybor City. The hats they wore were such a hoot! I hope to get pictures onto the photo album so you can see for yourself. Catherine had some fun stomping grapes for wine. They came home with some cute ethnic shirts which Catherine proudly wore to school today.

Matt surprised us this weekend, sporting a mohawk. It actually looked good. (I can't believe I am saying that!) He never ceases to surprise us. He won't be home for Easter since they already had spring break. We are hoping he has at least a week with us before he returns for summer session.

Emily is busy making posters and other decorations for our campsite for the Relay for Life. I am deeply touched by the amount of support we have received! So many of you have taken the time to write personal notes of encouragement. It really makes us feel that we are not alone. It has been incredible. This Relay means so much to Emily. It's another way for her to wage war on the most horrific of diseases; a disease that has taken so much from her, including friends. It is so sad and sometimes, the grief can be so consuming. You have to fight to get a hold of yourself so you don't get lost in it. Participating in the Relay gives all of us some control as well as HOPE that we'll make it. If you or your business can sponsor her, please mail your checks this week. Make them payable to the AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY and mail them to us at:
11173 Regal Lane
Largo, FL 33774
We were at Mass last week and we learned that our favorite priest, appears to be losing his battle with cancer. He told us that his life could not be measured in terms of years but rather months. You would think a priest should be immune but God has chosen Fr. Sean for yet another purpose.
It is heartbreaking to us. Fr. Sean had been so instrumental in Grace making her first communion. If some of you don't know, Grace is a 'special' child. He has also given Emily the Annointing of the Sick several times. He has ministered to us without ever disclosing that at the same time, he too was battling cancer. Please pray God is merciful to him.


YOUR HANDS MADE ME AND FORMED ME....MAY YOUR UNFAILING LOVE BE MY COMFORT. Psalm 119:73,76

God Bless,
Tricia

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 2:40 PM CDT

Here's the update!
Yesterday we spent the entire day at All Children's Hospital. As soon as Emily finished her 8:15 teleclass we were out the door. Grace had to hang with us since I wouldn't be back in time to pick her up from school. She was very well behaved. Emily's weekly appointment at the Oncology Clinic was scheduled for 11:30. After an hour and a half in the waiting room, we were finally called in. Emily had all her blood work done and her CBC (Complete Blood Count) was actually okay, although, still below normal. Her ANC (or ability of one's body to fight infection), is pretty good for her. We finished up at the clinic around 1:00 and then had to go register for the sonogram. Our appointment was for 2:00 but luckily, when we got to radiology over at the hospital, they took us a little bit early. I thought the sonogram was to check the status of the cyst found on Emily's kidney last September but the radiologist confirmed it was to make sure the kidney was not still dialated and that there weren't anymore kidney stones. She was forever trying to find the cyst but then Emily reminded us it was the CAT scan which had picked up the cyst and not the sonogram.(She is soooo on top of everything!)Grace was very intrigued watching the monitor showing the inside of Emily's abdomen. I couldn't make anything out but I was on the verge of another one of my anxiety attacks anyway. I seem to get these at all the procedures. Meanwhile, I am grilling the tech for her read (naturally they don't want to give anything up). Lucky Emily got to lie on the world's best heating pad. It is full of heated water that runs through the pad. Emily said we needed one for home! I had never really noticed that it was under her. In the past she was always in so much pain and I was focused on helping her relax.
After, the sonogram and a quick trip to McDonalds, we went up to 2SW to visit Emily's friend Brittany. Brittany looked so much better. Her eyes were open and she was talking. Emily brought her some candy, forgetting that Brittany wasn't allowed to eat before the major surgery she had last evening. We spoke to Brittany's Dad by phone late last night and he said that when Brittany woke up in recovery, she asked her Dad to run up and get the Skittles Emily had brought her earlier.

After the visit with Brittany, we headed back across the street to see the nephrologist (kidney doctor). She said the sonogram looked okay and that there weren't any new stones or dialation of the kidney. The stone retrieved back in September was analyzed and found to be composed primarily of calcium. A medication was prescribed but Emily just couldn't get the pills down. The dosage was for six horse pills a day that made her extremely nauseated and not eat all day. The only alternative the pharmacy offered us was a nasty liquid but they discouraged us from trying it. The chemo pills were definetly the priority so we shelved the horse pills. Yesterday we found out that the same medication is in a crystal form which can be mixed with juice or water but the pharmacy has to order it special for us. Emily now needs to have a bone density test to see how much calcium her bones are spilling. The doctor was a little concerned when she saw that Emily had a broken arm. If it is too much, she will have to go on yet another medication or go to the hospital once a month to have it through an IV.

We stopped at Poppy and Nana's on the way home and they twisted our arms to stay for dinner. Then it was off to round up Kitty from the Foley Family. Again, Thank You Katie and Ed for always being there to help out with all our kids!

Tonight we head off to a meeting for more planning for the Relay for Life. Emily is still looking for sponsors. She is so excited to get the mail each day. So many have sent cards and letters with their donations. She is working hard decorating luminary bags which will line the track in memory of so many. Again, our address is:

11173 Regal Lane
Largo, FL 33774

Check Emily's past journal history for more info on the Relay for Life.

Let me close with a request that you keep Emily's friend Taylor (Age 7), in your prayers. She is headed to Philadelphia Children's Hospital for an experimental treatment for her cancer. She has touched the lives of so many. Also, Brittany (Age 11) is battling a horrible monster called osteosarcoma (bone cancer). She lost her arm and shoulder to the disease and has had to endure several major surgeries in the past for more tumor growth and complications. Please pray for these girls.
God Bless, Love, Tricia



WITH ONE HEART AND MOUTH....GLORIFY GOD. Romans 15:6

Wednesday, April 9, 2003 2:40 PM CDT

Here's the update!
Yesterday we spent the entire day at All Children's Hospital. As soon as Emily finished her 8:15 teleclass and we were out the door. Grace had to hang with us since I wouldn't be back in time to pick her up from school. She was very well behaved. Emily's weekly appointment at the Oncology Clinic was scheduled for 11:30. After an hour and a half in the waiting room, we were finally called in. Emily had all her blood work done and her CBC (Complete Blood Count) was actually okay, although, still below normal. Her ANC (or ability of one's body to fight infection), is pretty good for her. We finished up at the clinic around 1:00 and then had to go register for the sonogram. Our appointment was for 2:00 but luckily, when we got to radiology over at the hospital, they took us a little bit early. I thought the sonogram was to check the status of the cyst found on Emily's kidney last September but the radiologist confirmed it was to make sure the kidney was not still dialated and that there weren't anymore kidney stones. She was forever trying to find the cyst but them Emily reminded us it was the CAT scan which had picked up the cyst and not the sonogram.(She is soooo on top of everything!)Grace was ver intrigued watching the monitor showing the inside of Emily's abdomen. I couldn't make anything out but I was on the verge of another one of my anxiety attacks anyway. I seem to get these at all the procedures. Meanwhile, I am grilling the tech for her read (naturally they don't want to give anything up). Lucky Emily got to lie on the world's best heating pad while I was pacing back and forth ailing with a sore back again. Heated water funs through the pad and we would love to have one of these at home! After, the sonogram and a quick trip to McDonalds, we went up to 2SW to visit Emily's friend Brittany. Brittany looked so much better. Her eyes were open and she was talking. Emily brought her some candy, forgetting that Brittany wasn't allowed to eat before the major surgery she had last evening. We spoke to Brittany's Dad by phone late last night and he said that when Brittany woke up in recovery, she asked her Dad to run up and get the Skittles Emily had brought her earlier.

After the visit with Brittany, we headed back across the street to see the nephrologist (kidney doctor).She said the sonogram looked okay and that there weren't any new stones or dialation of the kidney. The stone retrieved back in September was analyzed and found to be composed primarily of calcium. A medication was prescribed but Emily just couldn't get the pills down. The dosage was for six horse pills a day which made her nauseated and made her feel like she didn't want to eat. The only alternative the pharmacy offered us was a nasty liquid but they discouraged us from trying it. The chemo pills were definetly the priority so we shelved the horse pills. Apparently the same medication is in a crystal form which can be mixed with juice but the pharmacy had to order it for us. Emily now needs to have a bone density test to see how much calcium she is spilling. The doctor was a little concerned when she saw Emily had a broken arm. If it is too much, she will have to go on yet another medication or go to the hospital once a month to have it through an IV.

We stopped at Poppy and Nana's on the way home and they twisted our arms to stay for dinner. Then it was off to round up Kitty from the Foley Family. Again, Thank You Katie and Ed for always being there to help out with all our kids!

We head off to a meeting for more planning for the Relay for Life. Emily is still looking for sponsors. Emily is so excited to get the mail each day. So many have sent cards and letters with their donations. She is working hard decorating luminary bags which will line the track in memory of so many. Again, our address is:

11173 Regal Lane
Largo, FL 33774

Check Emily's past journal histories for more info on the Relay for Life.

Let me close with a request that you keep Emily's friend Taylor (Age 7), in your prayers. She is headed to Philadelphia Children's Hospital for an experimental treatment for her cancer. She has touched the lives of so many. Also, Brittany (Age 11) is battling a horrible monster called osteosarcoma (bone cancer). She lost her arm and shoulder to the disease and has had to endure several major surgeries in the past few weeks for more tumor growth and complications. Please pray for these girls.
God Bless, Love, Tricia



WITH ONE HEART AND MOUTH....GLORIFY GOD. Romans 15:6

Sunday, April 6, 2003 10:26 AM CDT

YOU ARE A LETTER FROM CHRIST....WRITTEN NOT WITH INK BUT WITH THE SPIRIT. 2 Corinthians 3:3





Emily hasn't been feeling all that great this week. She has been plagued with nausea for the past several days. It seems worse in the mornings when she first wakes up. She takes her daily oral chemo pill at bedtime (6-MP) and on weekends, she takes more. It really seems to bother her stomach. This morning I didn't get the Zofran to her in time. She had an episode of throwing up which of course, makes her feel even worse.

Last Thursday evening, Emily went to a kick-off dinner for survivors who are participating in the Relay for Life. She got a really cool T-shirt which says "I'M A SURVIVOR" in a wave across the back. Emily was asked to be a honorary chairperson at the event and was even asked to speak. She has composed a poem to read at the event and I don't think I am going to be able to hold it together when she reads it!
When I read it, I couldn't believe a 13 year old wrote it. It is so unbelievably sad that these words had to be written by a child; a child who has had to experience such a terribly awful thing. I keep telling Emily that we have to look for the good in this. It's the only way we can survive it.

After the dinner, we headed over to the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa. We hadn't planned on going but the girls didn't want to miss seeing their friends. I wasn't really paying attention to where Emily and Catherine ran off to because I was busy getting Grace settled. All of a sudden, Emily came up to me with the biggest eyes I have ever seen. She was pointing to a guy in the room, at the center of all the kids. It was Mike Alstott, her favorite player on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Football Team! She was so excited. We had no idea he was going to be there. I am so glad we made the effort to go. He and his wife were so good with all the kids. There were kids climbing all over him and having him sign everything in sight. He even went outside and tossed around the football with them. Catherine thought it was so funny that he even missed a few catches. Emily's Relay for Life T-Shirt is now even more valuable to her since Mike Alstott's name is signed on the back. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Alstott for bringing such excitement and happiness to these kids!

We are still passing out fliers for the Relay for Life and decorating luminaria bags. We have heard from so many of you and we are so grateful for your support. The event takes place April 25-26 and if you can make it out there, even if it is just for a look, please do so! It is at Osceola High School in Seminole. Emily still needs sponsors! This is her way to continue to fight this monster of a disease. No one should have to suffer. A cure must be found. Remission has been our gift and we walk in both honor and in memory of so many children we knew from All Children's Hospital, who fought so hard for victory over their cancers. Each one of them holds a special place in our heart.

If you are able to sponsor Emily, please MAKE YOUR CHECKS PAYABLE TO THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY and mail them to us
prior to April 25.

Tricia & Emily Lester
11173 Regal Lane
Largo, FL 33774

Again, please continue to pray for all those who suffer and also for all the men and women who serve in our military and for the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for mankind.

Peace-n-Love,
Tricia

Thursday, April 3, 2003 10:05 AM CST

TRUST IN THE LORD FOREVER, FOR THE LORD, THE LORD, IS THE ROCK ETERNAL. Isaiah 26:4


Although she hasn't been feeling that great, Emily's counts came up so she had her chemo boost this past Monday and Tuesday. Yesterday, she got her cast off but she still needs to keep her arm in a soft splint for a few weeks because the bones aren't completely healed. This may be because of the fact she is on chemo or because of her low platelet counts. She is supposed to remove the splint a few times a day to gently exercise her wrist and hand. We sort of missed most of the instructions because the side effects of the chemo hit right when they were putting on her splint! Luckily, there was a big garbage can next to the table. I think Emily totally freaked out the nurse. I am not quite sure that he was used to dealing with cancer patients!

We have been totally occupied with preparing for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. It is their annual fundraiser and EMILY NEEDS SPONSORS!

So many people generously supported her participation in the event last year. The event proved to be a turning point for Emily and coincided with her move from inpatient to outpatient chemotherapy. Not only was Emily the only child
cancer survivor at our particular venue but she was also recognized for raising the second highest dollar amount for an individual! This was a GREAT personal achievement for Emily because it represented another victory in her battle against this horrible disease.

This year, the event takes place in Seminole on April 25-26.
Although we celebrate Emily's remission, we will walk in both honor and in memory of more than a dozen friends from All Children's Hospital, who lost their battle with cancer.
Our entire family will be participating, including Nana, Poppy, and Aunt Mimi. (Poppy has generously underwritten the cost of our massive mailing campaign!) We all feel a tremendous obligation to our 'cancer family'. This is our way of 'giving back'. It is time to find a cure so that no one has to endure the suffering that Emily and her friends have had to endure.

Luminaries will be lit throughout the night reminding us that HOPE LIVES among us. You can purchase one for $5 to honor or memorialize someone you love, who has also been affected by cancer.

Please make your checks payable to the American Cancer Society and mail them to our home address, prior to April 25.

Tricia & Emily Lester
11173 Regal Lane
Largo, FL 33774

We SINCERELY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR PRAYERS, LOVE, AND SUPPORT AND GOD BLESS!
Love, Tricia&Emily

Sunday, March 30, 2003 9:40 AM CST

We had a pretty fun time over Spring Break even though it was low key. The girls had friends from the neighborhood sleep over for several nights and there were lots of kids here hanging out everyday. We didn't go many places but did get out of the house once in a while. On Wednesday we went swimming at Aunt Mimi's house on Tierra Verde and even brought Stitch along to play with Mimi's dog Sarah. After a few hours Emily had a really bad headache so we decided to leave. She usually gets headaches like this when her platelets are really low and last Monday they were. I am just praying they are up tomorrow. On Friday night Emily went to a party at her friend Leigh's house. It was the first time Emily had seen everyone from school in almost six months. There were several boys and girls and the kids played games and danced to their favorite pop and rap music. At the party they also watched the video of Leigh's Bat Mitzvah that Emily was unable to attend back in February. Leigh had to do a community service project and she chose to facilitate a collection of children's books and donated them to All Children's Hospital in honor of Emily. She collected hundreds of books! We know how valuable they will be to all of the children who spend so much time at the hospital.

Yesterday, I took Catherine, Grace, & Stitch to the dog park while Steve took Emily to the Renaissance Festival. I was starting to get concerned when they still weren't home late into the afternoon! Emily had a blast. They met up with the Figley family during their visit and Emily hung out with Maureen for part of day. Emily and Maureen go to school together and have played on the same soccer team for several years. Together they each used to play the right and left wing of offense and scored many a goals together as each other's teamates. Maureen and Emily actually used to be best friends in first grade untill Emily switched schools to be in the Ridgecrest Magnet Program. They met up again at soccer practice several years later. At the Festival, the girls went into all the shops together and they both dipped their hands in a hot bucket of wax to make wax models of their hands. Emily's favorite part of the Festival was the Human Chess Match and the comedy act of the Divinci Brothers. Emily really enjoyed the festival and tells me she wants to try out for an acting part in the near future! The only drawback to the festival was all the second hand smoke....YUK!!!

This evening, we have a Previtera family dinner. Poppy is taking everyone out to a restaurant on the beach. Uncle Bud is in town and he doesn't know we are all coming to celebrate his birthday.

Tomorrow is our clinic day. PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY Emily's counts are up for chemo. We are in the home stretch of this phase of the protocol and we just want to keep moving forward.

We have been working on the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. It is their annual fundraiser. Look for sponsorship letters we will be mailing this week! Email me for information about sponsoring her!



O LORD, BE GRACIOUS TO US; WE LONG FOR YOU. BE OUR STRENGTH EVERY MORNING, OUR SALVATION IN TIME OF DISTRESS.
Isaiah 33:2-3



God Bless, Love, Tricia

Monday, March 24, 2003 6:59 PM CST

AS FOR GOD, HIS WAY IS PERFECT;
THE WORD OF THE LORD IS FLAWLESS.
HE IS A SHIELD
FOR ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM.
FOR WHO IS GOD BESIDES THE LORD?
AND WHO IS THE ROCK EXCEPT OUR GOD?
IT IS GOD WHO ARMS ME WITH STRENGTH
AND MAKES MY WAY PERFECT.
Psalm 18:30-32



I am praying we are through the incubation period and that Emily will not come down with the flu that Kitty had. It really knocked her out. She missed four days of school. I am constantly spraying Lysol and reminding everyone to wash their hands. Kitty had a pretty quiet birthday since she wasn't feeling well. We did meet Nana and Poppy at Sardo's Pizza in Seminole Mall one night to celebrate. Since this week is spring break, Kitty will have some sort of celebration with her friends.

Emily's chemo boost last week hit her pretty hard. She had been off of all her drugs to boost her counts and once she got back on, she really felt bad. This morning, I didn't make it fast enough with the Zofran (a disolving nausea medicine)and she started throwing up and couldn't stop for several minutes. Her little tummy hurt all day. We tried tums but that didn't work! I try to give her Zofran before she even raises her head up off the pillow in the morning. Despite feeling so lousy, she still forces herself to do things. I don't know how she does it some days. She had her regularly scheduled clinic visit and naturally, her counts were down from chemo, especially the platelets. I could tell when they pricked her finger because her blood was like water! She has to be careful until they come back up.

One of Emily's good friends from the neighborhood, Mandy, slept over a couple of nights. Tonight she will be back with another younger girl from the neighborhood for a little sleepover. Today we visited Nana and Poppy after clinic and since Emily didn't feel up to walking around the mall, we went to Steak-n-Shake for a mid-afternoon treat. It was fun. Saturday, I dropped Emily, Kitty and Mandy off at the movies to see Agent Cody Banks. They really enjoyed it since they are big Hillary Duff fans. Grace and I snuck into the theatre during the last half hour just to make sure they were all okay.

Yesterday, we went with Nana and Poppy up to Gainesville to see Matt. Matt turns 21 today so Poppy treated us all to lunch. We took Matt shopping and he showed us the apartment he is moving into. He is very excited about it. The girls filled a plastic crate with all his favorites like
blueberry Pop-Tarts, peanut M&M's, Frosted Mini-Wheats and much, much more! Matt is a history major so we listened to some interesting conversation about recent world events between him and his very right-wing history buff Grandpa.

I would also like to wish Katie Foley a Happy Birthday today. She has generously given so much of her time to help Emily with the pictures on her web page. Her family has also been a tremendous source of support to us. They even let Grace come over again after she knocked over their entire entertainment center- TV and all!!!

It is so hard to think that our problems are so heavy with all that is going on in Iraq. My heart aches for those mothers who have lost their sons. One of Matt's good friends, Travis, who we have known for 11 years, has just enlisted in the Army. I feel like it is my own son going. Please keep all these VERY BRAVE individuals in your prayers.

Enjoy Spring Break!!!
Love, Tricia

Thursday, March 20, 2003 6:08 PM CST

We were supposed to go to the cancer center tonight but I felt like the girls were not up to it. Emily really wanted to go but she has been feeling terrible due to her chemo boost on Monday. She had not had it in four weeks and it has hit her like a ton of bricks. Today she didn't eat anything so finally this afternoon I went out and got some of her favorite snacks. She had a few oreos with some milk and that's about it!
Catherine went back to school on Tuesday and Wednesday but today she wasn't feeling well again so I let her stay home. Hopefully she will feel well enough to go to school tomorrow. Next week is Spring Break! Yes!! The girls are so excited!!
Emily just recently started her very own Quilt Of Love. The website is on the bottom of this page under Links. Feel free to visit her beautiful quilt and even add a patch to it. When visiting her quilt just scroll down and email what you want your patch to say and look like. I would like to thank everyone from Quilts Of Love for making Emily's wonderful quilt for her. It is really something for everyone to see!
Emily has made some very special new friends from St. Mary's Catholic School in New Jersey. Thanks for all the words of encouragement that these students have written in Emily's guestbook. They mean so much to her and have helped her through those tough times. We also appreciate all the Get Well cards they have sent her.

I can not express how much we sincerely appreciate everyone's kindness and generosity towards Emily and our family. Thanks so much!
Love,
Tricia

Monday, March 17, 2003 12:45 AM CST

One day I was hanging around the Children's Cancer Center over in Tampa while the kids went on a field trip and I stumbled on a series of books by Dave Dravecky. Dave played for the San Francisco Giants before he lost his pitching arm to cancer. He now heads a wonderful ministry called
'Outreach of Hope'. You can find them on the internet. His writings have been a great source of inspiration; even more so than Lance Armstrong's if you can believe that! I'd like to share with you something from one of his books.

The Crown of Life Revelation 2:8-10

God's Word tells us that pondering our future ought to have a profound effect on the way we live in the present, especially when life's trials tempt us to give up hope and toss in the towel. "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer," God tells us through his servant John. "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life"(v.10)
God takes great pains to remind us that he delights in rewarding his children for lives lived well. And he especially wants us to remember this when life doesn't seem either fair or good.
Dave&Jan Dravecky


These words hit home with me today for some reason. I had been somewhat dreading today's clinic visit because I know that when your counts are down, a bone marrow biopsy is necessary to confirm remission. I am absolutely terrified of the big "R" (Relapse). That would definetly not be a good thing. I usually stand right in front of the blood machine each time it spits out Emily's CBC. I know it is some sort of control mechanism for me. Every week I stand there; a huge bundle of nerves; waiting for the numbers to print and scanning the screen for any red flags. Today was different, even with the potential of a biopsy looming over our heads. Today, I felt relaxed. I felt peaceful. I felt like everything was going to be okay. And you know what? It was! Emily's immune system came up nicely from 300 to 1400. Her hemoglobin has been consistently high for several weeks and we realized that this is probably a record for how long she has gone without having to have a blood transfusion.

Today also marks 17 months post diagnosis. Can you believe it? I always had it in my mind that if we could get to 18 months; we were going to make it. We are not even half way through treatment but we are moving forward. Emily is surely 'the little engine that could'. Today I realized that our Faith grows stronger each day. We have so much to be thankful for. All I ask is that each person who reads this, takes a moment to PRAY for Emily and all her friends who wage their war on cancer every single day.
THANKS, Love, Tricia

CHECK OUT NEW PHOTOS


PS Tomorrow, March 18, is Emily's best friend's 12th birthday. If any of you don't know, her best friend is her sister Kitty!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KITTY

Saturday, March 15, 2003 4:15 PM CST

As you know, Emily has been sitting on a very low immune system. Unfortunately, Catherine came down with the flu. Poor Catherine has been in bed since Wednesday night and I am doing my best to keep them apart. The doctor went ahead and put her on an antibiotic just to cover anything bacterial which may be happening. She seems better today so I hope this signals the upswing!

Emily has been doing okay this week. She has been pretty much hanging around the house. With a low immunity and all the viruses circulating, I don't want her in public. She finished taking all her FCAT tests and has been busy catching up on school work. We go to clinic Monday and pray her counts are up in order to continue chemo.

Emily has a link at the bottom of this page to view her "Quilt of Love". It's really special. Thanks to all the "Quilts of Love People" for making it. It is really something everyone should see.

We will load new pictures in the next couple of days. Be sure to check the photo album. Also, please pray for Emily's friend, Brittany. Brittany is in the hospital recovering from yet another surgery for her bone cancer.



WHOEVER LOVES GOD MUST ALSO LOVE HIS BROTHER. 1 John 4:21

Monday, March 10, 2003 10:19 AM CST

Emily had a blast at the Children's Cancer Center last Thursday night. It was a real pick-me-up because she hadn't been feeling well all last week. The parents got a special treat because the guest speaker was a massage therapist. She even brought her massage chair and gave the parents free massages! We also learned relaxation and stress relief techniques. They can be used on either ourselves or our children. We were all very excited to see Emily's friend Taylor there. Taylor is seven and recently received both her Confirmation and First Communion. Despite her tiny little body being full of cancer, she looked great. She informed us that she is the top Girl Scout Cookie Saleswoman in her troop and sold us four boxes of cookies. Nobody can resist her charm! The kids at the center were very rambunctious. There was a bigger turnout than usual and they all enjoyed being with each other and acting like regular kids. Of course, that was the downside for the parents because when we went downstairs, it looked like a hurricane blew through! We are so grateful to Mary Ann at the Center who provides a safe and secure place for all the families to meet every other week. Everyone has become family. All the girls are like sisters to each other; even the siblings.
Even on Homebound there's no escaping the FCAT! They actually told Emily she didn't have to take it but in order to apply to a magnet high school, Emily needs her scores. She was probably the only kid that wanted to take the FCAT even though she didn't have too. She got up early and made it to the testing center by 8 AM. After the three hour exam, she emerged tired and hungry. Since all the kids had FCAT last week (even Grace), we thought they needed a break so we took them out for pizza. (Sardo's at Seminole Mall of course!!!) We didn't do much over the weekend. Emily was not exactly feeling 100%.
Today was our weekly clinic visit. We got the results of the sinus CT scan and it was just a minor inflamation.
Emily's platelets shot way up from last week and so did her hemoglobin. They are both actually in the normal range for the first time in a very long time. However, her ANC or immunity dropped way down and is below the minimum required for chemo. Therefore, we are delayed once again. The doctor is holding all medications this week in an effort to boost her counts. PLEASE PRAY the counts come up because I don't want her to have to endure another bone marrow biopsy. With her immune system so low, I will be keeping her inside this week and public places are off limits.
THANKS!!
Tricia
GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS, AND HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.
1 John 3:20

Monday, March 10, 2003 10:19 AM CST

Emily had a blast at the Children's Cancer Center last Thursday night. It was a real pick-me-up because she hadn't been feeling well all last week. The parents got a special treat because the guest speaker was a massage therapist. She even brought her massage chair and gave the parents free massages! We also learned relaxation and stress relief techniques. They can be used on either ourselves or our children. We were all very excited to see Emily's friend Taylor there. Taylor is seven and recently received both her Confirmation and First Communion. Despite her tiny little body being full of cancer, she looked great. She informed us that she is the top Girl Scout Cookie Saleswoman in her troop and sold us four boxes of cookies. Nobody can resist her charm! The kids at the center were very rambunctious. There was a bigger turnout than usual and they all enjoyed being with each other and acting like regular kids. Of course, that was the downside for the parents because when we went downstairs, it looked like a hurricane blew through! We are so grateful to Mary Ann at the Center who provides a safe and secure place for all the families to meet every other week. Everyone has become family. All the girls are like sisters to each other; even the siblings.
Even on Homebound there's no escaping the FCAT! They actually told Emily she didn't have to take it but in order to apply to a magnet high school, Emily needs her scores. She was probably the only kid that wanted to take the FCAT even though she didn't have too. She got up early and made it to the testing center by 8 AM. After the three hour exam, she emerged tired and hungry. Since all the kids had FCAT last week (even Grace), we thought they needed a break so we took them out for pizza. (Sardo's at Seminole Mall of course!!!) We didn't do much over the weekend. Emily was not exactly feeling 100%.
Today was our weekly clinic visit. We got the results of the sinus CT scan and it was just a minor inflamation.
Emily's platelets shot way up from last week and so did her hemoglobin. They are both actually in the normal range for the first time in a very long time. However, her ANC or immunity dropped way down and is below the minimum required for chemo. Therefore, we are delayed once again. The doctor is holding all medications this week in an effort to boost her counts. PLEASE PRAY the counts come up because I don't want her to have to endure another bone marrow biopsy. With her immune system so low, I will be keeping her inside this week and public places are off limits.
THANKS!!
Tricia
GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS, AND HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.
1 John 3:20

Monday, March 10, 2003 10:19 AM CST

Emily had a blast at the Children's Cancer Center last Thursday night. It was a real pick-me-up because she hadn't been feeling well all last week. The parents got a special treat because the guest speaker was a massage therapist. She even brought her massage chair and gave the parents free massages! We also learned relaxation and stress relief techniques. They can be used on either ourselves or our children. We were all very excited to see Emily's friend Taylor there. Taylor is seven and recently received both her Confirmation and First Communion. Despite her tiny little body being full of cancer, she looked great. She informed us that she is the top Girl Scout Cookie Saleswoman in her troop and sold us four boxes of cookies. Nobody can resist her charm! The kids at the center were very rambunctious. There was a bigger turnout than usual and they all enjoyed being with each other and acting like regular kids. Of course, that was the downside for the parents because when we went downstairs, it looked like a hurricane blew through! We are so grateful to Mary Ann at the Center who provides a safe and secure place for all the families to meet every other week. Everyone has become family. All the girls are like sisters to each other; even the siblings.
Even on Homebound there's no escaping the FCAT! They actually told Emily she didn't have to take it but in order to apply to a magnet high school, Emily needs her scores. She was probably the only kid that wanted to take the FCAT even though she didn't have too. She got up early and made it to the testing center by 8 AM. After the three hour exam, she emerged tired and hungry. Since all the kids had FCAT last week (even Grace), we thought they needed a break so we took them out for pizza. (Sardo's at Seminole Mall of course!!!) We didn't do much over the weekend. Emily was not exactly feeling 100%.
Today was our weekly clinic visit. We got the results of the sinus CT scan and it was just a minor inflamation.
Emily's platelets shot way up from last week and so did her hemoglobin. They are both actually in the normal range for the first time in a very long time. However, her ANC or immunity dropped way down and is below the minimum required for chemo. Therefore, we are delayed once again. The doctor is holding all medications this week in an effort to boost her counts. PLEASE PRAY the counts come up because I don't want her to have to endure another bone marrow biopsy. With her immune system so low, I will be keeping her inside this week and public places are off limits.
THANKS!!
Tricia
GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR HEARTS, AND HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.
1 John 3:20

Wednesday, March 5, 2003 4:00 PM CST

Emily continues to grow stronger each day as the side effects of the last round of chemo are beginning to get milder. She hasn't had any pain medication today for the first time in a couple of weeks. I have been nursing a sore back and I feel so bad complaining knowing how much pain she has sufferred. All her chemo is being held until her counts come up and she begins to feel better. I can see a difference in just a couple of days. She's been sleeping quite a bit (I had to wake her up at noon one day!) but her little body obviously needed it. I don't know how I am going to get her out of bed by 8:00 AM Friday to take the FCAT! She hasn't felt much like eating. It usually isn't until late in the day that she will have her first meal. Yesterday, she did not eat or drink anything until 4:00 so today I told her I would take her wherever she wanted to eat. We had an afternoon pancake breakfast at Bob Evans. We look forward to going to the Cancer Center tomorrow evening. It is one of the few places Emily gets to go and have fun. We really don't get to go many places.

I am always asking people to keep praying for Emily's healing. Emily has a little friend, Taylor, who is battling neuroblastoma and she could really use some prayers too.
Thanks for your support, Love, Tricia

MAN LOOKS AT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE, BUT THE LORD LOOKS AT THE HEART. 1 Samuel 16:7

Monday, March 3, 2003 4:21 PM CST

"BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERY THING BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION WITH THANKSGIVING LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD." Philippians 4:6 KJV



It has been cloudy and rainy here for several days. Some days were down right dreary and that is exactly how Emily has been feeling. She has been miserable since last week (a result of the spinal chemo and the vincristine). Last Thursday, she was begging me to take her to the hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital is full and they really won't admit you for just feeling awful from chemo. She has been on straight codeine for pain pretty much every day. She just aches all over. She actually forced herself to go to the bowling alley with the teen group from the Children's Cancer Center but she didn't feel up to bowling. Instead she just watched and chatted with her friends. It was probably good for her just to get out and take her mind off of feeling so bad.

In addition, Emily has had a cough and cold symptoms since she returned from her trip. The cough is still hanging around and she feels tight in her chest so she will resume breathing treatments with a nebulizer until it passes. She has also been complaining of a sore throat and a stuffy nose. Today Doctor B. saw her and said her chest sounded clear but he ordered a CT Scan of her sinuses just incase. Luckily, they were able to do it while we were at clinic so we won't have to go back tomorrow. They will call us with the results. He thinks her symptoms are viral in nature. I was hoping she'd get an antibiotic and get rid of it! Her immune system or ANC (which is the body's ability to fight infection) is good. I am so thankful for that. Her platelets dropped and they are below the minimum level for chemo so she is delayed once again on her chemo schedule. She was due to have her boost today. I guess we will ride this out this week and Pray everything is back to 'normal' on Monday.

Emily is excited about participating in the American Cancer Soceity's Relay for Life. Last year, she participated with Bauder Elementary School (she had been a volunteer there until she got sick), at the Seminole venue. She was the only child cancer survivor there and she was also recognized for raising the second highest dollar amount for an individual. It meant so much to her. It was a personal victory against this horrible disease. The event takes place in April so we will keep you posted. It was an incredibly uplifting experience for all of us!

On a personal note, I just want to THANK YOU...all of you. Even by visiting this web site and leaving messages in Emily's guestbook, you are contributing to her healing. I am also extremely grateful to all you prayer warriors out there. PRAYER HAS RAISED HER UP.
God Bless, Tricia

Thursday, February 27, 2003 8:55 AM CST

GOD HAS SAID, "NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU; NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU." Hebrews 13:5




Emily had been feeling so well but it appears this has just made the side effects from this latest chemo hit harder. Unfortunately, despite how well she did with the spinal tap last Monday, it doesn't make the pain any more endurable. She is not feeling well at all. She has been in bed for a couple of days and she is starting to hurt all over.
It is so hard to see her suffer like this. I have a feeling that today is going to be one of those days where we take it hour by hour, just to get through it. PLEASE PRAY she gets through this quickly. She wants so badly to feel well enough to go bowling with the Teen Group from the Children's Cancer Center on Saturday. I REALLY want for her to go too and be able to see all her friends.

Thanks for checking on her. She looks forward to reading the entries on her guestbook so please sign in whenever you visit.

Love, Tricia

Monday, February 24, 2003 3:50 PM CST

LET LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS NEVER LEAVE YOU...WRITE THEM ON THE TABLET OF YOUR HEART. Proverbs 3:3

Emily spent most of last week catching up on her sleep. The trip caught up with her but it was worth it; even the broken arm! She got her permanent cast last week. It is blue and almost entirely covered with signatures. Last week was her chemo week and she was also fighting a respiratory virus. Luckily, she had no fever; just a pretty nasty cough and sore throat. Overall, I think she looks great! Many of you who saw her during the roughest times can appreciate how far she has come. God has truly blessed her!

Last Thursday, she was able to meet her friends over at the Children's Cancer Center in Tampa. The girls talked about the trip and exchanged photos. Emily is also keeping in touch via email with the new friends from St. Louis and Atlanta, who she met on the trip. We try to go to the Cancer Center every other week. We meet with other families who are going through the same things we are going through.

Emily got her spinal tap today. A chemo drug is injected directly into the spine via a catheter. She did very well with the procedure. She also got the chemo drug vincristine which is pushed through the port in her chest. This is one of the drugs that makes Emily feel really sick. She usually suffers the side effects for a couple of weeks. Please pray it isn't too bad for her. In addition, she is on steroids for a week. Hopefully, her appetite will pick up from the steroids because she still needs to gain some more weight.

Be sure to check out Emily's Photo Album. She was only able to upload a couple of pictures but will add more next week.
Feel free to pass this web site on to people in your address book. Make sure to tell them to sign the guestbook.

Monday, February 17, 2003 6:06 PM CST

"A HAPPY HEART MAKES THE FACE CHEERFUL." Proverbs 15:13



It was so joyous to greet Emily and her friends at the airport. Despite her little mishap, she looks fantastic! I think the trip invigorated her. I was a little worried that perhaps she would seem run down but in fact, even though she is feeling tired, her blood counts today were actually very good! Unfortunately, this means she has to have her chemo boost today and tomorrow. The arm will be set in a permanent cast on Wednesday. They are waiting for the swelling to go down. It is still a little sore but not nearly what it was. She hasn't taken the pain medication in a couple of days. She has some pretty nasty bruises which she tells me actually look better than they did. I was concerned because she left hear with a low platelet count but today the blood test showed that her platelets were actually up.

Emily has several rolls of film to be developed so we will post pictures shortly. She made new friends from Atlanta and St. Louis. She absolutely loved skiing and already misses the snow and the cold. I can't believe how much she was able to do even with a broken arm! That's Emily though. She didn't earn the nickname 'Bulldog' for nothing.
Emily's favorite events were downhill skiing and snowmobiling. She was interviewed by the local NBC station in Green Bay when they visited Lambeau Field. They also ate at famous Kroll's Restaurant. She was intrigued by the fact that the airport in Minneapolis had a mall and two McDonald's in it.
Also, during a visit to a forestry school, she saw the remains of an eight legged dear. She found this to be most interesting.

A heartfelt thanks to Jerry Wunsch #70 of the Seattle Seahawks and Grant Wistrom #98 of the St. Louis Rams. There is no way to measure what they gave these children. They are two great big guys with even bigger hearts!!! This trip was just what the doctor ordered. Emily had a BLAST. God Bless them.

Saturday, February 15, 2003 7:11 PM CST

"FEAR IS USELESS, WHAT IS NEEDED IS TRUST." Luke 8:50


We received some details from Emily regarding her little mishap. According to Emily, she had "skied the run like a billion times" that day. Everyone else was tired and was headed to the lodge but she pleaded and begged to do it just one more time. She took the lift up with her friend Molly and Molly apparently skied on ahead of her. Emily crashed near the bottom of the run at a pretty good rate of speed. She said the snow didn't feel right under her right foot, at an area where she was supposed to jump. At first she thought she was okay but then when she tried to get up, she started yelping in pain.

I know God was watching over her. The fracture is in her left arm (she is right handed), and the doctor said of all the possible types of fractures, this is the best one to have. They offerred to fly her home but after thinking it over, she wanted to stay up there. I think the first 24 hours may have been the roughest because last night when she called, she said she was going to try to go without the pain medication. I think she was mostly disappointed in not being able to ski anymore. She has been participating in activities as much as she can. She told me she got the top score in bowling yesterday. I am so VERY PROUD of her and how she handled this. I felt so helpless being so far away. It was awful to think she was in a hospital without her family being with her. I was told that in the ER, they wanted to start an IV with some medication and Emily wouldn't let them until they checked with her doctor here. Emily didn't think she was supposed to have the medication and it turns out she was absolutely correct! She was so on top of everything. The funniest thing she told us was that Jerry Wunsch had to call a friend of his to come get her to take her to the hospital. She said "Mom, I had to ride to the hospital in a pick-up truck!" I feel so grateful to all the chaperones and nurses who accompanied her on the trip. It was such a relief to know that if I wasn't there with her, she was in good hands.

Emily sounds great. I can't wait to see her. She needed this trip. She had been in such a rut and she just sounds like 'she's back in the game'. She sounded like her old self...living and loving life.

Thursday, February 13, 2003 5:02 PM CST

"SURELY GOD IS MY SALVATION:I WILL TRUST AND NOT BE AFRAID. THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SONG: HE HAS BECOME MY SALVATION." Isaiah 12:2




My Faith is surely being tested! My first call from Emily was very tearful. She was very lonesome for her family. It had been an exhausting trip up there and she had only slept for a few hours. She loved the plane ride and she said that Wisconsin was beautiful. She described being in the country and she said there was lots of snow on the ground. She said she actually sunk in the snow to about her waist. I knew once she caught up on her sleep, she would be renewed.

Late this afternoon we received a phone call from the chaperone. They were calling from a Wausau hospital emergency room. The first thing we heard was how Emily was a fantastic skier and had skied all day BUT on the very last run of the day, she took a fall. My last words to her were something like "Don't anyone go breaking a leg". Well, SHE BROKE HER ARM!!!

I just have to put her in God's Hands because there is not a damn thing I can do! Despite everything, she sounds good. She missed the sleigh ride though! She is now back at the hotel with her arm elevated and in a splint. She was also given stronger pain medication. They ordered another bed for her so she wouldn't have to share one and risk getting bumped. She also holds the distinction of being the first child ever injured on the trip! We have had several phone conversations over the last couple of hours with the ER Doctor, our Doctors, chaperones, nurses and Emily. I just have to trust it will all be okay. She wants to stay up there! She was telling her Dad that she was going to get pointers for skiing with just one arm from her friend, who is an amputee (and skied today). I think the Doctor up there said NO to any more skiing though!

Please say an extra little prayer for her tonight! God never gives us more than we can handle, right?

Tueday, February 11, 2003 8:51 PM CST

...WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE WATERS, I WILL BE WITH YOU; AND WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE RIVERS, THEY WILL NOT SWEEP OVER YOU. WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FIRE, YOU WILL NOT BE BURNED; THE FLAMES WILL NOT SET YOU ABLAZE. FOR I AM THE LORD, YOUR GOD, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, YOUR SAVIOR.
Isaiah 43:1-3



Emily left this evening on her trip. It's hard to believe this day has finally come. She has been looking forward to this for such a long time. I know that the prayer of ye faithful has been heard. Her counts were actually very good and I felt very comfortable with her going. I will update the web page as I hear from her. She promised she would call but if she is having soooooo much fun that she forgets, I won't be upset. I want her to have the time of her life!!! After all this child has been through, she has definetly earned this. A big heartfelt THANKS to Jerry Wunsch and The Tampa Children's Cancer Center. They are Angels amongst us!!! Keep the prayers coming.
Love, Tricia

Friday, February 7, 2003 2:58 PM CST

I must say Emily is filled with excitement as the day of her trip draws closer. She is marking off the days until she leaves. I don't know what I'll do with myself when she's away. It is going to seem so strange. We have been virtually inseparable for months! Daddy is always teasing us...he keeps saying that the umbilical cord won't reach to Wisconsin. (You wanna bet?)

We went to a meeting Wednesday night where we met Jerry Wunsch along with the chaperones going on the trip. Jerry used to play for the BUCS and now he plays for the Seahawks. He's like a BIG Teddy Bear! He is from Wausau, Wisconsin. He spared no expense outfitting the children for the trip. Emily received her luggage and clothes. We also were given the trip itinerary. I had a lot to go over with the nurses.

Tuesday night, we will say goodbye at a hotel by the airport. Unfortunately, they are discouraging parents from meeting them at the airport for a send off. I guess they want to avoid those tearful goodbyes. Their flight leaves at 8:00 A.M. so they will have to be at the airport at 6:00 AM. All the parents are wondering how these kids are going to get up at 5:00 A.M. Emily will share a room with her three friends from the hospital; Molly, Chelsea, and Brittany. She also has the two best chaperones who will be in an adjoining room. The girls have been busy planning, packing, and scheming. There is a lot of shaving cream and silly string going to Wisconsin! Those chaperones better sleep with one eye open!

The 'must pack list' includes: nailpolish, makeup, poker chips, cash, and games. The girls also bought themselves matching bandanas including two slightly different ones for the chaperones. Since they will be away for Valentine's Day, Emily made sure to bring special little treats for everyone.

The kids get to meet other football players and Emily is hoping to meet Brett Farve and the rest of the Green Bay Packers. There will be other NFL players bringing kids from other cancer hospitals in Atlanta and St. Louis. There are 32 kids altogether. They plan to ski, snowmobile(I'm a little nervous about this activity), and dogsled, along with several other winter activities. There is also a Disco Bowling Night and a Formal Dance planned. Emily really hopes to make snowangels and build a snowman too! She has never seen snow before.

PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY for her. Today started off bad. She woke up nauseated and then the vomiting came. It took her awhile but she did bounce back. We want so much for all the kids to be healthy enough to go. She has a doctor's appointment Monday and Tuesday. If she needs blood, she'll get it Monday. If she is even close to needing it, I think I will ask the doctor to just give it to her anyway. If her immunity is down, I may ask for the Neupogen shots again but I don't know if Emily would enjoy this.

Once again...........


A CHEERFUL HEART IS GOOD MEDICINE!!! Proverbs 17:22

FOLLOW THE WAY OF LOVE. 1 Corinthians 14:1

Tueday, February 4, 2003 11:48 AM CST

IF ANYTHING IS EXCELLENT OR PRAISEWORTHY-THINK ABOUT SUCH THINGS. Philippians 4:8


Awhile back, I was given a book about miracles. Miracles are happening everyday, all around us. We just have to keep our eyes (and our hearts) open to them. Over these past 16 months, I have learned to take things 'a day at a time'. There are even days when you literally are taking things 'hour by hour'. There is just no other way to get through these times. I have been asked several times if Emily was done treating or if she was almost through. Quite honestly, I have never asked the doctors when she will be through. Initially, we were told that the course of treatment would be 2-3 years. I have heard rumors that the protocol is 130 weeks. We are at week 57. You don't count calendar weeks, you count treatment weeks. If your treatment is delayed, so is the calendar. I don't care how long it takes. I just want Emily to be cured!

Yesterday was Emily's weekly clinic visit. Her immunity had come up nicely as did her hemoglobin but her platelets were down. She just has to be careful not to hurt herself. Her counts were good enough for her chemo boost which she took yesterday and today. She takes 12 methotrexate pills every six hours for a total of 48 pills over a 24 hour period. In addition, she has another daily oral chemotherapy medication which she takes at bedtime. She woke up feeling very nauseated. No wonder with all those pills churning in her stomach! She is very strong and I know she will get through the next few days!

Emily was able to enjoy several good days. Emily and Kitty organized all the girls in the neighborhood and they have a street hockey team. They are practicing to beat the boys. Thanks to big brother Matt who passed down all his old street hockey equipment which was stored in the attic. I sure do hope that neither one of the girls ever grows into those size 13 skates though!

Emily leaves for Wisconsin a week from tomorrow. PLEASE PRAY she is healthy enough to make the trip. She had missed going to summer camp last year because she got put in the hospital the day before she was supposed to leave. With all that she has been through, I just want her to have the time of her life. I want her to forget she has cancer!

There is a very special little girl, Taylor, who we know from the hospital. She is 7 and has been battling her cancer for over half her life. We fell in love with her instantly when we first met her. This past Sunday, she received her First Holy Communion and her Confirmation. Please pray that she is filled with the love and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God Bless.

Monday, January 27, 2003 at 12:10 PM (CST)

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!! HOORAY!! GO BUCS!!

It is so exciting to be living in the Super Bowl Champion's home town. There's a feeling in the air like it's Christmas. We went to Poppy's (The Previtera's) house in St. Petersburg, to watch the exciting game. Emily had been hoping for Super Bowl tickets all week but Uncle Jimmy and Uncle Hack were not offering to give their free tickets (yes I said free), to the kid with cancer. We did enjoy a wonderful, time with LOTS of food, watching the game with Nana, Poppy, and some cousins! Uncle Jimmy did call us about five times during the game to remind us where he was!
It couldn't have been better!! (with the exception of being in San Diego) We all had a great time, including Emily who was actually feeling well for most of the game. She is going to have to take that Alstott jersey off long enough for me to wash it some time.

We went to the clinic today. Emily's counts went down but are still okay. She didn't need any blood. Hooray!! Her daily oral chemotherapy medication was decreased in order to give her a better chance of maintaining the protocol schedule. She has been held so much because her counts were so low and I guess they realized that if you are held more than twice, the medication should be decreased. She has been held at least five times since May. I hope this works for Emily. It has been such a roller coaster ride.

Emily continues to prepare for her trip. She leaves February 12. This past Saturday, she took her SAT's as a seventh grader. She was selected in Duke University's Talent Identification Program for the third year in a row. She made it through the grueling three and one half hours of testing. I was SO proud of her. I wasn't sure she was even going to be able to get out of bed to be there at 8:00 AM.


WE KNOW AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US.
1 John 4:16

Monday, January 20, 2003 at 12:14 PM (CST)

EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, COMING DOWN FROM THE FATHER. James 1:17


Our gift today was that Emily did not have to endure another bone marrow aspirate. Her counts were good which means she will resume her chemotherapy today. Which of course, is a mixed blessing! Now she will have to deal with
the side effects of chemo but it sure beats the alternative!
Her platelet and hemoglobin counts were the highest we have seen in months. We sincerely appreciate the prayers of you faithful. Thank you!!!

These past few days have been great for Emily. She even had one of her friends sleep over. She is having lots of fun making movies with her new digital camcorder. She has choreographed dance routines which I think is great exercise and she seems to be able to tolerate it well. We did some more shopping for her trip and the excitement is building. Say some prayers for all the other kids from the hospital who are going. We want them to be well enough to enjoy it too. In addition, Emily is on cloud 9 because her favorite football team, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is Super Bowl bound! GO BUCS!!! She is proudly wearing her
Mike Alstott jersey along with her cute little matching hairbow (it was just a few months ago when she had no hair for a hairbow; so this is big!).

Wednesday, January 15, 2003 at 12:07 PM (CST)

Emily woke up not feeling well this morning. She complained of a sore jaw and a terrible headache. She also said her stomach hurt and complained of a mild earache. Around 9:00 she started spiking a little fever. I repeatedly checked her temperature and she kept going up. With her immune system being so low, we went to clinic. The Doctor was very thorough. He ordered a lot of blood work and looked at her blood under the microscope. He said there wasn't anything suspicious and he didn't feel a bone marrow was necessary today. He did culture her port so we will have to wait 72 hours to see if any bacteria grows. We go back Monday and if her counts are still down, she will have the bone marrow to confirm she is still in remission.

The worst pain came when we received news that Robert passed away early this morning. Emily has never shown any tears in public but they are flowing abundantly today. It is very, very difficult for all of us. God was so merciful to Robert these past few weeks. He made the most of the time with his family and friends and most importantly, he was at peace because he accepted the will God had for him. He was an exceptional young man and we were truly blessed to have him be part of our life's journey. Please keep his family in your prayers at this time.

THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH. Nehemiah 8:10

Monday, January 13, 2003 at 03:32 PM (CST)

We went to the clinic today and Emily's counts were too low for chemo. She had been off of all her chemo drugs for 10 days and now she will be off of everything until next Monday. If she still hasn't come up, the Doctor wants to do another bone marrow to see if she is still in remission. He said if we wanted to come back later this week, we could.

I want to believe Emily is fine but please, please pray for her this week. The bone marrow procedure is not pleasant.

Despite her low counts, Emily has actually been feeling pretty good. She has had a good appetite and more energy and stamina. We have been shopping in preparation for her upcoming winter trip to Wausau, Wisconsin. She leaves February 12. She is SO looking forward to it. She will see the Doctor the day before she leaves and right when she gets back. There are several nurses going on the trip and a Doctor from the children's cancer hospital in Wisconsin will be available to them. Several other friends from the hospital will also be going.

HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE THE FATHERHAS LAVISHED ON US.
1 John 3:1

Monday, January 06, 2003 at 08:30 AM (CST)

Last week, Emily was at her minimum to have her chemo boost so we had made an appointment for last Friday rather than wait until today. It was a good thing we did because she needed two units of blood. She had dropped to a 6.7 which is pretty low. I was amazed she was even doing as much as she was. Thursday night, I knew she needed blood because she had a pounding headache and was complaining of heart palpitations again. She was afraid to go to sleep. That scared me. Her immunity or ANC, was also low. It had dropped below 500 which is a baseline minimum. All her chemo drugs are held now until the 13th when we go back. Hopefully, this will give her a much needed boost.

Saturday, Emily felt well enough to ride up to Gainesville with me to take Matt back to college. It was just the two of us so we made the most of the trip. We went out to dinner and then stopped at International Plaza Mall for a brief visit on the way home.


Today, everyone returned to school. The morning went pretty smooth for it being the first day back. I have decided that Emily should do all her classes on homebound. I think it would be far less stressful plus, she won't be exposed to all the viruses etc. which are circulating through the middle school. Her gifted teacher invited her to come to class anytime she felt like it. She'll probably do that.

Robert continues to have Faith in Jesus. Just being around him and his family gives us strength. We saw them at clinic on Friday. Please keep praying for them and for Emily too. I can see how painful it is for her. She is so glad that we have been able to see him though.



FAITH IS THE REALIZATON OF WHAT IS HOPED FOR AND EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. Hebrews 11:1

Monday, December 30, 2002 at 02:06 PM (CST)

Our Christmas was on the quiet side; highlighted by dinner at Aunt Mimi's and a 'Secret Santa' who dropped off a load of presents on our doorstep Christmas Eve. We are having a lot of fun going down our list of 'suspects'. Thank you, whoever you are!

Emily was not feeling all that great but a surprise visit from her cousin Parker, cheered her up. Parker lives in Jacksonville and has been hanging out with us for several days. She is exactly one week younger than Grace so she'll turn 10 on 1/4/03. She was here to help us give Grace a very nice party on 12/28. We have one more event, Dad's birthday on January 1 and then all the celebrations will come to an end.

Emily went to clinic this morning. Her hemoglobin actually came up slightly on its own so she didn't need the transfusion. That may all change because her other counts were okay for chemo so she'll take her boost today and tomorrow. Chemo knocks everything down. Her platelets were on the low side and that is probably why she has been having such bad headaches. We made an appointment for Friday just in case.

We saw our friend Robert today. It was hard because we could see a difference in just a week. Robert is 18 and he is one that lights up a room. Even as sick as he is, he still has a 'glow' about him. He believes in miracles and we told him that we would ask everyone to pray for him.

AND THE PRAYER OF FAITH WILL SAVE THE SICK PERSON,AND THE LORD WILL RAISE HIM UP. James 5:15

Monday, December 23, 2002 at 03:53 PM (CST)

We have been asking everyone to pray for our friend, Robert who has been battling his cancer at a Houston hospital. Our hearts have been very heavy because a few days ago, we learned that Robert's chemo is not working and he would be returning home here under the care of Hospice. God is watching over Robert because at the last minute, someone sent a private jet to Houston for him so he wouldn't have to make the trip on a commercial carrier and then deal with a long car ride to his home. He arrived in Florida yesterday.

Today, we were running pretty late for our clinic appointment and we were so glad because Robert was there with his parents and his sister. You can't imagine the 'gift' we received when we saw his smiling face. He was there to see the Doctor and to make the Hospice arrangements. He has been fighting so hard and just to see him up walking was a miracle. He was so comforting to us and we feel so honored that our paths in life crossed. It was very emotional for all of us. We hope that everyone continues to pray for Robert and his family at this time.

Emily actually needed blood today. Her counts were low from the chemo she received last week. Emily begged the Doctor to wait a few days on the transfusion to see if her body came up on its own. I think she thought she would be missing out on something if she had to stay there all day to get transfused. I can see how she feels with Christmas only two days away! The Doctor was comfortable with letting Emily decide because she really does know her own body after all these months. The clinic will be closed for the holidays but the Doctor said if she develops symptoms, to bring her in Friday morning. We are just praying we don't wind up in the Emergency Room Christmas Morning!

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. Peace-n-Love to all!

GOD HAS SAID, "NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU; NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU."
Hebrews 13:5

Monday, December 16, 2002 at 10:16 AM (CST)

FOR THE SON OF MAN HAS COME TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST. Luke 19:10



With the Christmas Season upon us, we can't help feeling so thankful for all our many blessings. We are certainly in a much better place than we were last year at this time. We have also taken time to fondly remember many of our friends, who also had cancer, who are no longer with us. We ask you to please pray for them and their families, and for all the children who continue to battle their diseases. Our friend Robert, desperately needs people to pray for him.


Emily was actually feeling pretty good for several days. We went to the clinic today and her counts are good enough for her to have her chemo boost. Her appetite has been good and she has actually been eating good foods.

Yesterday, she went with her sisters to a Christmas party at the Vinoy Hotel in downtown St.Pete. It was sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Several of her new friends from the hospital were able to come. It was a a great time for all, including parents. They had a quilt on display which will be auctioned off. The panels were from designs made by the patients last year. Emily's panel happened to have been placed right next to her friend, Kevin's. Kevin passed away August 28. I told her that this is Kevin's way of holding her hand through this.

The Children's Cancer Center has invited Emily to join them on their Winter Wonderland Trip to Wausau, Wisconsin in February. The other three girls she is close to have also been invited. It is sponsored by the Jerry Wunsch (Seattle Seahawks)Foundation. Needless to say, she is very much looking forward to it. I have a lot of mixed feelings. She'll be going on her own!!!

Monday, December 09, 2002 at 02:23 PM (CST)

Emily spent several days in bed last week. She was feeling terrible from the chemo. She perked up over the weekend and actually worked on schoolwork non-stop. She is really behind and hasn't felt well enough to go to school in several weeks. She has a teacher come to the house twice a week for science and she calls in for two teleclasses several days during the week. She was hoping to be caught up over Thanksgiving but that didn't happen. Her goal is to get caught up over Christmas. I keep telling her to just do what she can.

We had an unscheduled visit to the clinic this morning and she needed a blood transfusion again. The increased dosages of her chemo really knocked her out. I hope this gives her a good boost because she is due for her chemo boost next Monday. The one good thing is that her appetite has been consistent and has even picked up. She gained two pounds!!! She thinks it could be just the lingering result of the steroids she was on a couple of weeks ago. We'll take the weight!

Emily has a special friend, Robert, who is battling his cancer out in Houston. He is in desperate need of prayers right now so please, remember him. We are all praying his miracle comes.

GOD HAS POURED OUT HIS LOVE INTO OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Romans 5:5

Wednesday, December 04, 2002 at 01:00 PM (CST)

We visited the clinic Monday. Emily's counts were good but she is not feeling well at all this week. The effects of the spinal chemo and vincristine kicked in over the weekend. In addition, she had to take her regular chemo boost Monday, at the new higher dose. We put an air matress on the floor in the family room so she can at least be with the family and entertain some kids from the neighborhood. The vincristine causes a lot of pain throughout her body. Emily said it feels like someone beat her with a baseball bat. We just pray the worst of this round is behind her.

Last Saturday, she was finally able to celebrate her birthday with her peers. She invited several girls to go bowling. It was a lot of fun and she thoroughly enjoyed the day. It may have been too much fun because Sunday, she spent the day in bed. It was wonderful to see her with everyone.

MY HEART TRUSTS IN THE LORD, AND I AM HELPED. Psalm 28:7

Monday, November 25, 2002 at 07:03 PM (CST)

Emily had a good weekend and seemed to have bounced back. We even took a ride up to Gainesville with her grandparents on Sunday to visit her brother, Matthew. It was fun. Today was our clinic visit and her counts were great! Unfortunately, that meant she had to get her spinal chemo and her vincristine. Since Catherine had no school, she came along too. As always, Aunt Mimi was also there to get her through it. It still gives me the "willies" to watch. She spent the afternoon relaxing at her grandparent's house. Overall, it went well. The Doctor was teasing Catherine and asked her if she wanted to perform the procedure.

With this behind her, Emily was moved to a new page of the protocol. The next 24 weeks will be the same except the dosages have all been increased because she has grown taller and has finally gained some weight. YEA!!! She is finally at her pre-diagnosis weight. She had dropped 16 or so pounds the first month of treatment. She could still put on more weight. The nutritionist at the hospital is always monitoring her for being underweight. I keep telling Emily that this is unheard of for someone with Italian blood!

We sincerely appreciate everyone's continued support. We still take it a day at a time.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE ENTERTAINED ANGELS WITHOUT KNOWING IT.
Hebrews 13:2

Friday, November 22, 2002 at 04:50 PM (CST)

We got home from the hospital yesterday. Emily was admitted Wednesday. She had improved over last weekend but after her chemo boost on Monday and Tuesday, she was feeling really crummy. It seemed like it hit her instantly! On Wednesday she told me she couldn't really describe what she was feeling but her breathing didn't feel right and her heart felt "funny". Monday, she had set off the alarm on the blood pressure machine at the clinic (for it being too low), and with that in the back of my mind, we went straight to the clinic. She had to get transfused with two units of blood overnight. They thought she was looking pale so they gave her an oxygen tube through her nose, which she did not like at all. The doctor also ordered fluids. She had an EKG too. Praise God, it was ok. They think it was a falling hemoglobin which caused heart palpitations. Her white blood cell count is less than one so we are in some dangerous territory. She is home now and I am going to quarantine her for a few days. I will also be giving her GCSF(Neupogen) injections to boost her immune system. It's too bad with all this she will still have to get her vincristine and her spinal chemo on Monday.


MAY THE GOD WHO GIVES...
ENCOURAGEMENT GIVE YOU A SPIRIT OF UNITY. ROMANS 15:15

Monday, November 18, 2002 at 05:42 PM (CST)

We visited the clinic this morning fully expecting that Emily would need a blood transfusion. Her counts were low but surprisingly she was ok. We didn't need the transfusion after all. She was actually high enough to start her chemo.

Emily has not been feeling well at all this week. She has been plagued with terrible headaches and fatigue. She pretty much stayed in bed all week. She only made it to one class at the middle school each day and that was the last class. She actually started to pick up a little over the weekend but was back in bed today. She didn't make it to school. After her first dose of chemo she was feeling really sick.

Emily will need lots of prayers. She is due for spinal chemo and another pretty nasty drug on Monday. This always sets her back for a few weeks. Last time she was on morphine for several days. The drug effects the nerve endings and causes extreme pain throughout her whole body.

We hope to have some new pictures in soon but keep checking for weekly updates. We appreciate everyone who has signed the guestbook.

WE KNOW AND RELY ON THE LOVE GOD HAS FOR US.
1 JOHN 4:16

Monday, November 11, 2002 at 03:09 PM (CST)

Emily is thrilled that so many people have visited her site!Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement. It means so much to her.

Today was our weekly visit to the Oncology Clinic. I was very worried about her platelets but they had actually come up. Her hemoglobin had dropped to 8.6 and they transfuse below 8. We are praying it comes up on it's own. Her immunity had dropped to 400. We don't like it to be below 500. The Doctor wants to hold her daily oral chemotherapy so that this will have a better chance to come up. She is due for her 'boost' in a week and he wants to make sure her counts are up and she is able to keep on the protocol schedule. She had been feeling somewhat YUK over the past few days so this should give her a little break.

This past Sauturday, we had the privilege of attending the Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Game as guests of the Yerrid Foundation. All of us had a great time. Catherine brought her Big Buddy, Charlotte. The Children's Cancer Society matches up siblings of children with cancer with local medical students as part of their Big Buddy Program. This provides some special attention for Catherine. Emily's illness has probably been most difficult on Catherine. Everyone that knows them, knows they have always been 'two peas in a pod'. Emily and the other children from the hospital sat together. After the game, Mr. Yerrid brought all the children from the Cancer Center to meet the players. Emily, who is a HUGE sports enthusiast, came home with a signed puck, autographs, signed posters and programs, T-Shirts, Hats etc. She was in heaven! It was wonderful to see her having such a great time.

On Sunday, a friend from the hospital was staying in her doctor's condo out on the beach. (The best doctors work in oncology!!!) We went out there thinking we would have a short visit inside, looking out at the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, the girls spent the better part of the afternoon filling a bucket with coquina shells and building a huge sandcastle, giggling uncontrollably when one of them got pooped on by a seagull!!! It truly was a miracle that the girls were able to enjoy this. It wasn't even 10 days ago that Emily's friend had a major surgery for her cancer. I just sat there and thanked God for the moment! Today, the friend is here. This is the first time Emily has entertained since she got diagnosed. It feels so normal; again, Thank You Lord!

Emily picks the Bible verses and today she picked:

A CHEERFUL HEART IS GOOD MEDICINE. Proverbs 17:22

Indeed it is! Please, continue to pray for these wonderful children.

Monday, November 04, 2002 at 07:20 PM (CST)

Emily had her weekly visit to the Oncology Clinic. Her counts were good enough for her chemo boost. We are always praying that we can keep on schedule and our prayers were answered. Rejoice in the Lord! Her hemoglobin was just shy of being in the normal range but her platelets had dropped again and were just over the minimum required for chemo. The minimum is 75 thousand and hers were 80 thousand. Her immune system was actually okay.

We made a change to her course schedule. She is now taking three classes on the Pinellas County Homebound Program and then she will go to Seminole Middle School in the afternoons for three classes. She kept all the same courses. She has been struggling for several weeks because each hospitalization had put her further and further behind. It was an exhausting schedule for her especially since she continued with all advanced classes. I think I have convinced her that this will be the best way to complete the semester successfully. We only have six more weeks left and this should eliminate a lot of stress from her life.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to attend a Children's Cancer Center Fall Festival. It was held at a farm about sixty miles from here. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Emily and her sister Catherine won three cakes and probably could have won more! In fact, they decided not to accept the fourth one. Both girls tied in the 'hoola-hoop' contest. I've been trying to learn to hoola-hoop since 1969! Grace's favorite part of the day was chasing the
floppy-eared bunnies around their pen.

Emily is thrilled about all the visitors to her site. We had a problem with the pictures but just scroll down and to the right. We hope to have more pictures in shortly. Please continue to keep Emily and all her friends at All Children's Hospital in your prayers. God Bless.

THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH AND MY SHIELD. Psalm 28:7
MY HEART TRUSTS IN THE LORD, AND I AM HELPED. Psalm 28:7

Monday, October 28, 2002 at 08:53 PM (CST)

Emily hasn't gone to school in several days. She was hospitalized last week for a fever and it took her a few days to catch up on her sleep. It's really difficult to 'rest' in the hospital! Since she had her chemo boost last week, she is on the downside now. I know she gets really depressed because she just doesn't have any energy. Her mind wants to do so much but her body can't keep up. We had our weekly clinic appointment this morning and her blood counts were what we consider good. She had really bottomed out in August and September when she had the two surgeries. A kidney stone had blocked the flow, causing her kidney to back up and dialate. The stone was removed and a stent was left in to allow the area to heal. She returned to the operating room two weeks later to have the stent removed. As a result of bottoming out, I had to give
her Neupogen injections for five days to boost the white blood cell count. Her counts shot way up! This week they are down but within what we consider a norm for her. The good news is that her platelets were okay (still low), and although her hemoglobin was low, she didn't need another blood transfusion. We have an appointment next Monday and if the counts are good, we will have our chemo boost. For now, she is working hard to catch up on her schoolwork. There are times she just wants to quit but she hangs in there. Throughout this entire ordeal, I have prayed that God would bless her with strength, and boy were my prayers answered! It is humbling.

Saturday, October 26, 2002 at 09:35 AM (CDT)

Emily created this page to mark the one year anniversary of her diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia(ALL). These past twelve months have been quite a journey! I can truly say that this has been a year of enrichment.

To update everyone, Emily was initially treated very aggressively with chemotherapy. She reached what they call clinical remission the end of November 2001. She then went from this 'induction' phase to an 'intensification' phase which required her to receive inpatient chemotherapy every three weeks, in addition she takes daily, oral chemotherapy. Biopsies in April confirmed that she was still in remission so she moved to a 'maintenance' phase. She continues to take daily, oral chemotherapy with a boost every two weeks of the primary chemotherapy drug. There are days when she has to take more than 40 pills! Every twelve weeks, her protocol includes a spinal infusion of a chemotherapy drug as well as another, pretty nasty one, administered through her mediport which was surgically implanted in her chest.

Emily is petite and had initially dropped 15 pounds. Luckily, she was able to gain it back without the use of a feeding tube. Gaining weight has been such a struggle. Nausea is her constant companion and she really has to force herself to eat. She has been in and out of the hospital over 14 weeks this past year, for various complications. Back in February, she battled a near fatal
bacterial blood infection. Any fever requires a minimum 72 hour hospital stay so they can rule out the worst. She also has been hospitalized twice for kidney stones, one which required surgery. The chemo drugs are apparently very
dehydrating and she may have been predisposed to the stones
to begin with (Dad's side of the family).

Last year, she continued sixth grade on a hospital homebound program. This year, she started seventh grade and continued in the gifted magnet program at her school. The curriculum is extremely challenging and she managed to get all A's on her first report card! You have to really take a step back to appreciate just what that represented. It is so AWESOME! She misses a lot of school but she keeps up at her own pace. She wants to do well. I am so, so proud of her. It's nice having her sister Catherine at the same school too because Catherine looks out for her big sister.

This is all such a roller coaster ride. Our life revolves around weekly doctor visits and blood tests. "Blood Counts" are so important. She had an unscheduled bone marrow aspirate biopsy September 30 because her counts were down but it confirmed she was still in remission. PRAISE GOD! Chemo requires a minimum immunity level or ANC and a minimum number of platelets. She has received numerous blood transfusions because of low counts.

People are constantly asking me if there is anything they can do. We have been so blessed by the generosity and kindness of so many family members, friends and strangers.
Thank You...from the bottom of my heart. Just continue to PRAY because we can testify to the Power of Prayer. It has raised her up; there is no doubt! GOD IS REAL!
If you aren't already registered in the National Bone Marrow Registry; DO IT!!! I understand you can do it at the same time you give blood.

Wednesday, October 16, 2002 at 02:52 PM (CDT)

This page has just been created. Please check back for additional updates on Emily's progress.

Click here to go back to the main page.

----End of History----