History

Saturday, December 22, 2007 10:12 AM CST

Sat. Dec. 22:

This is long overdue, but you haven’t missed anything! We have the same problem as everyone else: busy, busy, busy! Hannah is finally on Christmas break. She had several finals to take last week but still managed to “opt out” of a few classes. She couldn’t do that last year because she missed too many days of school, but it’s a better year and she hasn’t missed too many days! Another sign of how well she’s doing.

A few weeks ago we got the chance with two other families to go to KU Med school to talk to the students about our experiences. It was a great opportunity. The parents told their stories and then the kids (teens) got a chance to talk. We loved being able to talk to these future residents. Afterward there were several students that came down to talk to Hannah and we overheard a group talking about how it was the best lecture ever. We have plans for “resident training” for each year of their residency! Too many long nights and days in the hospital to plan our revenge, er I mean training! FAB is actually in the process of working with the head of resident training to develop and implement a program. Parents of children with a variety of diagnosis have the same feelings about residents. They need to learn and it’s a part of the process but from a parent’s stressed out vantage point residents aren’t our favorite part of the hospital experience.

We are going to spend Christmas day at my parents house - on Christmas day! Last year we were in Disney World (great, great memories) and the two years prior to that we were in the hospital and in the midst of treatment so we celebrated Christmas with our family in February and January. A “normal” Christmas this year! How great is that?

Jacob came home from college a couple of weeks ago and we have been happy to have him home and we even see him every once in a while. The house is decorated, the kids are out of school and the weather is getting cold and snowy again. It’s definitely feeling like Christmas. I have yet to feel the stress of the season. I am so grateful for how well Hannah is doing that my perspective won’t let me get too stressed out. Past Christmases bring back memories of hospital stays. Here is my story about our fiber optic tree:
In 2004 Hannah spent all of December in the hospital. She got her 4th round of chemo and it caused her to run temps of 104 for a week. She ended up with mucositis throughout her entire digestive tract. We decorated her hospital room (room 19) and put out a small fiber optic tree. Hannah was discharged late on Christmas Eve so we gave the tree to a family who had just been diagnosed. We figured we would never need it again. Who puts fiber optic trees in their house? Great for a hospital room not so great for my house. As you know, we were in the hospital the next Christmas. We decorated her room again (room 22) and since hospital rooms are the perfect place for fiber optic trees I bought another one. Once again we went home late on Christmas Eve (a mistake but we were trying to be optimistic) and this time we kept the fiber optic tree as insurance. It now sits on a shelf in our basement with hopes of never being used again! I do realize that the tree isn’t actually what is keeping Hannah cancer-free, but if that tacky little tree needs to stay on my basement shelf for the rest of my life to ensure that it never lights up another hospital room for Hannah then so be it!
Please keep our friends in your prayers. Katrina has blasts in her marrow and needs prayers. Sam is recovering from another round of chemo and preparing for surgery in January. Don is waiting for another opinion and for chemo to start. Blade is still having a lot of pain and emotional issues most likely as a side effect of the large amounts of chemo he’s had in the past 8 years. There are so many in different stages of treatment and recovery.
We continue to pray for our friends who are in the midst of treatment, for our friends whose children are celebrating in heaven with the King and for the families whose treatments are over but whose lives are changed forever. We are grateful for second, third and forth chances and we don’t take the little stuff for granted. We wish you a year filled with good health and peaceful hearts. We wish you joy in the little stuff and perspective for the “big things”. We wish you the peace of knowing that God understands our hurts and celebrates our joys and is present through it all. While God may not change our circumstances He can change our hearts. Much love, peace and joy in 2008!

You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden. And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lamp stand so the light shines for all the people of the house. In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for the regular stuff.
2. Sam and his family and Don and his family.
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
5. Sam, Don, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Thursday, November 29, 2007 9:02 PM CST

Thurs. Nov. 29:
Update: Today is Hannah’s 2 year post transplant anniversary. I remember standing in her room allowing myself a small dream of this day. I spent today living that dream!
Hannah had a CT scan so she celebrated by being NPO (unable to eat) and a couple of large drinks of contrast. Not a real celebration. We celebrated tonight with carry out and balloons then she went to the high school basketball game for a while. Mostly normal teenage stuff. A day that dreams are made of!

Thurs. Nov. 22:

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so grateful for so much this year. As too many friends are without their children, starting treatments (some for the second time) or in or at the beginning of their treatments we appreciate the place in our lives that we are. We have spent Thanksgiving in the hospital on the verge of transplant and unsure of the future. We have the good results of Hannah’s last set of tests and we are thankful!
Hannah’s bone marrow and spinal fluid are still cancer-free! Her labs look normal (6.0 wbc, 15 hgb, 153 platelets, 3800 ANC). Her IGg is still low (253 - the low end of normal is around 650) but we aren’t going to transfuse at this point. She had an echocardiogram and EKG and her Pulmonary Function Test before her bone marrow biopsy. Her PFT was normal for the first time! When she first started these tests prior to transplant she couldn’t even get them to the minimum range. There is a lot of breathing into a tube with different amounts of pressure for different amounts of time. She breezed through it this time. Chemo can have some long term side effects that show up years later so these (hearts & lungs) will be tested for a long time. Right now everything great! Her thyroid levels came back normal so no obvious explanation for her fatigue. She has an appointment with endocrinology at the end of the month so we’ll talk to him. We got a notice to make her hearing test appointment and she needs another CT scan and then I think we’ll be done. She now qualifies for clinic every 3 months and CT scans every 6 months. We like going back for volunteering better than medical checks (although I still like to get the “all clear”).

A couple of days after Hannah’s hospital day her sinus infection reappeared. Her ENT doctor had given us a refill on her prescription so we restarted the antibiotics and she’s only mildly miserable now. Now though she has too many plans in the works so being sick doesn’t slow her down too much. She complains when she’s at home, but she keeps going. We even managed to break free from the hospital on Wed. so she could meet up with her US History class on a field trip. She was NPO (unable to eat) because of her procedures in the afternoon so we left when they had lunch. Jacob is home for the rest of the week and yesterday we celebrated his 19th birthday.

We are getting ready to start cooking! We got a few dishes and a pumpkin cake roll done last night. My parents are coming and Bob is working this morning so we’ll have everything ready for a late lunch. Please take time (on any day) to appreciate how great these boring, stuck in a rut, routine days are. These are the bulk of our lives and they really are the good times.

Please remember our friends whose children aren’t here these are tough times. Say a prayer for those who have finished treatment that they will remain healthy, for Sam who is starting over, for Don, whose cancer is in his lungs and they are at the beginning of the second phase of his treatments (surgery, chemo), for Patty who is almost done (!), for Mike who is still recovering from major surgery, for the children still in treatment and those who are just getting the diagnosis. Also, add a prayer of thanksgiving for our friends and families who continue to support us.

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for good test results.
2. Sam and his family and Don and his family.
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
5. Sam, Don, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Thursday, November 22, 2007 8:48 AM CST

Thurs. Nov. 22:

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so grateful for so much this year. As too many friends are without their children, starting treatments (some for the second time) or in or at the beginning of their treatments we appreciate the place in our lives that we are. We have spent Thanksgiving in the hospital on the verge of transplant and unsure of the future. We have the good results of Hannah’s last set of tests and we are thankful!
Hannah’s bone marrow and spinal fluid are still cancer-free! Her labs look normal (6.0 wbc, 15 hgb, 153 platelets, 3800 ANC). Her IGg is still low (253 - the low end of normal is around 650) but we aren’t going to transfuse at this point. She had an echocardiogram and EKG and her Pulmonary Function Test before her bone marrow biopsy. Her PFT was normal for the first time! When she first started these tests prior to transplant she couldn’t even get them to the minimum range. There is a lot of breathing into a tube with different amounts of pressure for different amounts of time. She breezed through it this time. Chemo can have some long term side effects that show up years later so these (hearts & lungs) will be tested for a long time. Right now everything great! Her thyroid levels came back normal so no obvious explanation for her fatigue. She has an appointment with endocrinology at the end of the month so we’ll talk to him. We got a notice to make her hearing test appointment and she needs another CT scan and then I think we’ll be done. She now qualifies for clinic every 3 months and CT scans every 6 months. We like going back for volunteering better than medical checks (although I still like to get the “all clear”).

A couple of days after Hannah’s hospital day her sinus infection reappeared. Her ENT doctor had given us a refill on her prescription so we restarted the antibiotics and she’s only mildly miserable now. Now though she has too many plans in the works so being sick doesn’t slow her down too much. She complains when she’s at home, but she keeps going. We even managed to break free from the hospital on Wed. so she could meet up with her US History class on a field trip. She was NPO (unable to eat) because of her procedures in the afternoon so we left when they had lunch. Jacob is home for the rest of the week and yesterday we celebrated his 19th birthday.

We are getting ready to start cooking! We got a few dishes and a pumpkin cake roll done last night. My parents are coming and Bob is working this morning so we’ll have everything ready for a late lunch. Please take time (on any day) to appreciate how great these boring, stuck in a rut, routine days are. These are the bulk of our lives and they really are the good times.

Please remember our friends whose children aren’t here these are tough times. Say a prayer for those who have finished treatment that they will remain healthy, for Sam who is starting over, for Don, whose cancer is in his lungs and they are at the beginning of the second phase of his treatments (surgery, chemo), for Patty who is almost done (!), for Mike who is still recovering from major surgery, for the children still in treatment and those who are just getting the diagnosis. Also, add a prayer of thanksgiving for our friends and families who continue to support us.

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for good test results.
2. Sam and his family and Don and his family.
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
5. Sam, Don, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Thursday, November 8, 2007 9:25 PM CST

Thurs. Nov. 8:

Wow, time flies! I thought I’d update before next Wednesdays clinic appointment and bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap. I took Hannah to the ENT clinic a couple of weeks ago because I thought she had a sinus infection. She did. So, she’s still on an antibiotic but feeling much better. She missed a few days of school but she recovered pretty quickly and has been busy. The high school football team made it to the playoffs and since she helps the athletic trainer she gets to stand on the sidelines. They play again tomorrow (11/9). Good luck Blazers! Tonight she’s at the high school play with a friend. She has continued to be very tired all the time. I have been doing some searching for causes and we’re going to test her thyroid next week at clinic. I want to find a reason so we can help her. I don’t want anything else to be wrong, but it already is; she is constantly tired. So, I want to be able to fix it. She usually goes to bed before 10:00 PM and she still wakes up tired. It would be great to go next week and have everything come back perfectly normal and she suddenly starts feeling great! This appointment is her 2 year post transplant evaluation. She has some other tests due, but I’m not sure when they are scheduled. Haven’t I changed? I know we’ll get everything done I’m just not in a big hurry anymore.
A couple of weeks ago Jacob got sick - while he was at school (away from me) and the football trainer had him go to the emergency room (again without me!). His girlfriend took him and he got some IV fluids and tests and they sent him home (or in his case back to his dorm). He called us on his way back (to his dorm). I tried not to jump to conclusions, but I guess I haven’t changed that much! He finally came home on Monday and I took him to the urgent care center because his leg had a rash and was swelling before our eyes. With MRSA going around I was a little panicky. He did have a leg infection and they treated him with an antibiotic that also fights MRSA. He was down for a while and he couldn’t play football but he’s doing better now (or so he says!). This college stuff is hard on moms!
Bob got a promotion at work so we attended the ceremony on Sunday. I’ll try to post a picture later (but don’t hold your breath!). He’s back on shift work now but that’s okay. It’s not as hard as when the kids were young and I was exhausted by the evening. Now my son goes to the ER and doesn’t even tell me until he’s on his way back home (his home). Times have really changed. Luckily, I think they’ve changed for the better (except for the hospital thing). Three years ago we were just beginning to cope with Hannah’s diagnosis and two years ago we were facing the uncertainty of Hannah’s transplant. Right now our life is so good and we are grateful for all the mundane boring details as well as the good news of Bob’s promotion.
Next week our friend Don goes in for another CT scan of his lungs on the same day as Hannah’s biopsies. Please pray for the “spots” to be gone and no cancer! Sam started his chemo on Monday. Keep him and his family in your prayers as they are starting the journey over again. Cancer sucks!

But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jarius, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.” Mark 5:36

Please pray for: …

1. Hannah to have good test results on Wednesday and a solution to her fatigue.
2. Sam and his family
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
5. Sam, Blade, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Tuesday, October 23, 2007 12:22 AM CDT

Tues. Oct. 23

Sorry for the delay in updates. We have been so busy. It has been a beautiful fall so we’ve been enjoying Jacob’s football games and the high school football games and working at the church pumpkin patch. Hannah and I just got back from a Relay For Life leadership training weekend in Dallas. Hannah had to give her speech in front of about 100 people and then had to be introduced and speak in front of 1,300 people. She did great. We were busy going to training sessions but we are filled with a renewed passion to do all we can to raise more money for the ACS so cancer doesn’t continue to tear apart innocent lives. We flew down on Friday morning and came back on Sunday afternoon. Hannah was sick on Saturday night but seemed okay on Sunday morning (other than being tired from spending half the night getting sick). She was sick at school on Monday so she came home early. I’m thinking it’s just a bug. Her sinuses are draining pretty bad and she’s starting to get mucositis in her throat and I’m thinking that might be making her nauseas too. I think the “cold and flu” season is officially here. She called a little while ago and she’s on her way home from school again today. I just got her an appointment with ENT on Thursday to see if it’s an infection and hopefully get her started on the antibiotics again. We’ll see what they think. Even with her IgG levels low I was hoping this season would be better than last years. One can always hope!
I hate to focus on this latest bit of trouble because everything else has really been going well. She went to the Teenapooloza weekend a couple of weeks ago. It’s a weekend at a hotel with other teenage cancer kids. It’s sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the CMH Cancer Center. It’s a good opportunity for the kids to meet other kids like them. She went to homecoming with a group of her friends. We went back to my parents for a family reunion, my sister was here from London and we met with the Team In Training for dinner one night. Remember to check Kristin’s site if you want to donate!
Please keep Sam and his family in your prayers. They found out last week that his cancer is back. Sam is Hannah’s age and he was in treatment during her first year. He had osteosarcoma in his left leg and now he has it in his right knee. Not to diminish hearing the words, “You have cancer” or “Your child has cancer”, but hearing “the cancer is back” is worse. Knowing what lies ahead is horrible. The unknown is scary, but knowing too much makes it harder. It feels like you used up all your energy getting through it once so facing it again is that much more daunting. The Weeks family will make it through again but please pray for them as they start this journey over.

But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not grow faint. Isaiah 40:31

Please pray for: …

1. Hannah to find relief from her sinus problems
2. Sam and his family
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
5. Blade, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 9:41 PM CDT

Wed. Oct. 3:

Things have been blissfully uneventful around here! When I updated the last time I thought Hannah was coming down with a cold (or sinus infection) but she hasn’t. We’ve stopped her med for the neuropathy in her feet and she’s doing fine without it. We started her on Melatonin to help her sleep. Melatonin is a hormone that your body naturally produces that helps you sleep but as you get older your body makes less and less of it so you have a harder time sleeping and staying asleep. I talked to Dr. Lewing about it. Since she stopped producing estrogen I wondered if maybe she wasn’t producing enough melatonin. You don’t need a prescription for it so we bought it and it has helped a lot. She could always fall asleep; she just couldn’t stay asleep. She is getting better sleep now but she still complains of being tired. I think it’s her busy schedule! She is busy after school helping the athletic trainer and her weekends have been busy with her friends and Jacob’s football games. On Sundays she works in the nursery at church and has youth group in the evening. Now the youth group is selling pumpkins to raise funds for mission trips so she’s putting in some hours there too. All good stuff!
Jacob likes Baker and football is going well. I know he’s staying busy! My parents have been coming down for weekends for his games. The weather has been beautiful. This is the best fall we’ve had in years. Bob is still busy at work and with Jacob’s football. I’ve been busy with work (still at home and at church) and with some volunteering. We’ve already started getting ready for next year’s Relay For Life. I’m the co-chair and I’m excited about it. Hannah and I will be going to Dallas in a couple of weeks for more training and her Heroes of Hope stuff (we’re not sure what she’ll be doing). I’ve also been volunteering at CMH. I have the Family Advisory Board (which has led to another focus group) and the Parent to Parent group for hem/onc. I’ve started a scrap booking time in the parent room for parents (well, really the moms) to make scrapbook pages of their children. I’m pretty excited about it and so far so good. I remember looking at the parents who provided the weekly dinner and wondering if I’d ever be there. Well, we’re here! It’s a great place to be.
The high school and Baker both have their homecomings this weekend. Hannah is going with a group of friends and Jacob just cares about the football game at this point. The next weekend is the teen weekend for the hospital and my sister Tammy is coming back from London for a family reunion. We have a busy month ahead, but not so much that we don’t have time for Grey’s Anatomy (or at least taping it). I’m happy that she hasn’t been sick even though her IGg level is low (knock on wood please). Enjoy the changing seasons and stop every once in a while to hug your kids.

And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 1 John 4:13

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and “normal times”.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
4. Blade, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Sunday, September 16, 2007 8:51 PM CDT

Sun. Sept. 16:

Hannah had her clinic visit and CT scan on Wednesday. Her scans came back fine and all of her labs but one are normal. Her platelets are still barely in the normal range so she bruises easily, but not a problem. Her nurse called on Thursday to let us know that her IgG level is in the low 200 range. Normal is 620 - 1400. This is a part of the white blood cells that helps fight infections and has the memory for past infections. With it being so low she will be more open to infections including all the sinus infections she had last year. She also can’t start her immunizations yet because her cells won’t be able to store the immunization. Usually she gets an IVIG infusion to boost her IgG level when it is this low. We are going to wait to see if it starts coming up on its own or if she starts getting infections again. Dr. Lewing said that they have found that Rituxan plus chemo can cause a long term (years) delay in the bodies ability to keep a normal level of IgG. Hannah got a lot of Rituxan while she was recovering from her fungal infection as well as a lot of high doses of chemo so I guess this is to be expected. All in all not a bad problem.
In case you’re not in my email address book I’m going to include part of a letter I sent out earlier this month. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and I wrote this letter after Kara passed away. It bothers me so much that there aren’t enough funds to find more cures. Hannah’s survival is due to the Rituxan to allow her time to recover from her infection and stay in remission and the AMD3100 to mobilize her stem cells for her transplant. These were both drugs that weren’t available the year before. I am going to borrow Lily and Nathan’s links for a while to put on a link for a YouTube video from cureSearch (a childhood cancer network) and a link to one of Hannah’s nurses who is training to run in a marathon to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I never knew this until Sept. 7, 2004 when Hannah was moved onto the oncology floor at Children's Mercy Hospital and there were flyers taped to the walls. She had just turned 13 and it was a world I never thought I'd have to find out about.
Hearing the words, "You have cancer" isn't the worst thing you can hear, "Your child has cancer" is worse. Having to tell your child, "You have cancer" isn't the worst, having to say, "There aren't any more treatments available" is unimaginable. We heard the words, "Your child has cancer" we had to walk into her room and say, "You have cancer" we didn't have to tell her there were no more treatments available because our doctor found some experimental treatments that kept our hopes alive and ultimately saved Hannah's life. Unfortunately we have too many friends who did run out of treatment options. The difference between our story and theirs is that there was funding for the research that led to Hannah's cure and there wasn't enough funding to find the next treatment option for their children.
It's too bad that it comes down to money, but it does. The difference between life and death for some of these children is the money available to find the next treatment. If we all stayed home one Saturday night and donated that money to cancer research, there might be another treatment option. I have seen the suffering and I desperately want others to be able to have the outcome Hannah has. I am including 2 links. One is a youtube video about Childhood Cancer. It is worth watching. The second link is a way to help. One of Hannah's nurses (my lifeline for the past 3 years) is training to run in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training marathon. She is running in honor and in memory of so many that needed just one more treatment option. I do know that all the little donations add up to hope. Anything helps!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and “normal times”.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
4. Blade, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nathan_thomas (Nathan’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/lilyclaire (Lily’s site)

Friday, September 7, 2007 9:30 AM CDT

Fri. Sept. 7:

Three years ago today we were told that Hannah had cancer. It was a different lifetime. Here are some posts from the last 3 years.

2004:
Tues. Sept. 7: We're given the diagnosis that it's lymphoma. Having to walk into a room to tell your 13 year old that she has cancer is indescribable. Cancer needs to be wiped out. We're moved to the hematology/oncology ward.

2005:
Wed. Sept. 7:

Today was Hannah’s 1 year anniversary of her diagnosis. This isn’t where we thought we’d be. Actually at that point we didn’t have a clue what lie ahead of us. It has been quite a year. There have been some times we wouldn’t trade and some we wish we could forget. We have made some of the best friends who have shared our experiences and been in the trenches every step of the way. We have seen the best in people and have felt so much love and support that we have been able to not feel overwhelmed by the unfairness of this disease. It seems that during times of trial everything is magnified; the good and the bad. We would do anything to take this away from Hannah, but unfortunately that isn’t in our control. Instead we will continue to rely on our faith, our friends and each other. There is strength in numbers and we know that Hannah and our family have been in the thoughts and prayers of so many. Stay with us. We don’t know what the year ahead holds, but we don’t intend on giving up or stopping until Hannah walks away as the healthy teenage girl she deserves to be. Your support is an integral part of this process

2006:
It was 2 years ago this week (Sept. 7th) that she was diagnosed and a year ago she was fighting the fungal infection. We never even let ourselves dream she would be doing so well this year. It’s strange how when you’re in the midst of it you have hope that life will be “normal” again, but you have to live in the moment so you don’t let yourself dream about the future. I think that if you spend too much time thinking about what you’ve lost or what you wish you had, you’d be too depressed to have a good attitude in the moment you’re in. Consequently, I walk around now just loving every moment. I really do. I can’t stop thinking about where we were last year and the year before and how great things are this year.

2007:
Thinking back over the last 3 years Hannah said it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but she has said that she feels like a different person. We are all different. This past year has been Hannah’s real recovery. Last year she fought off every germ that came within 100 feet of her so hopefully this year will be more “normal” and she won’t be as sick. She has been busy with school and feeling good (except for being tired and those darn sinuses that always bother her). Life is more vivid when you get a second (or third) chance to live. I’m glad that we still appreciate the gift that every day is.
Last week we went to Kara’s funeral. It is always hard to go, but it was good for both of us. Hannah is doing okay. I know we both think of all of the friends who didn’t survive. She relates with the kids and I with the parents. Please continue to appreciate the good and bad parts of your days and pray for the families who miss their children everyday.

Hannah had a Teen Advisory Board meeting last week and her youth group has started back up again after the summer break. It was good for her to be with these friends after Kara’s passing. We went to Jacob’s first college football game on Saturday. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were just so happy to be there that we rationalized their loss. Just in case you care: Baker is NAIA and they played a Division 2 team. They beat them in every stat except the score. It was also great to be there because not all of the team gets to travel and Jacob made the traveling squad. I’ll add a picture (while I still remember how to do that!).

Hannah has a clinic visit and CT scan on Wed. the 12th. Blade is supposed to be there for his LAST chemo (if he makes counts). Blade is dealing with the issue of end of treatment and the fear of not fighting the disease anymore. When you finish treatment you feel like you are just waiting for it to come back. I think it’s even worse after you’ve relapsed. Your mind says, “It came back before when nobody thought it would so it will probably come back again.” I think the last year has been a healing for us in that post treatment fear. We are enjoying life and believing in the future. It is a great feeling! Thanks for being on this journey with us. You will never understand the impact you have had on our life.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven Matthew 5:16

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and “normal times”.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
4. Blade, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)

Sunday, August 26, 2007 9:33 PM CDT

Sun. Aug. 26:

Hannah had a pretty good week. She was busy at school and then stayed after to help wrap ankles. My sister and her kids came on Wed. and flew back to London on Saturday so we spent as much time with them as we could. Hannah had a couple of friends over on Friday night and they made cookies for Jacob. We all went over to watch Jacob’s scrimmage on Saturday and drop off the cookies and more food. His first game is next Saturday so we’ll finally get to put on our Baker orange and start cheering.
Today we went to church and then met one of our favorite nurses for lunch (we actually have a lot of favorites). Wendy has been a traveling nurse for the last year and a half so it was great to have some time to visit with her. It was also nice for her to see Hannah healthy. While we were eating one of the home health nurses came in and I called her over. She was thrilled to see Hannah looking so healthy too. Hannah was a little embarrassed but I told her that they needed to see the kids who recover. When Charlotte was coming to our house Hannah was still very sick. She was on several IV meds and the feeding tube and still vomiting every hour or so. I like to see the faces of people who haven’t seen Hannah healthy. It helps me remember just how far we’ve come. Sometimes when I look at Hannah now it’s hard to believe just how sick she was. That’s how good she’s doing now.
We went up to the hospital on Tuesday and Thursday to see Kara. We found out that she passed away at 12:50 PM today. Please pray for her parents Jeanne and Dave and her 9 year old brother Klayton as well as her many friends and family. Kara turned 15 earlier this month and was way to young to die. While we know that eternity with God is beyond wonderful we can still be sad for those of us who will miss seeing who she would have grown up to be. Our hearts still ache for our friends whose children didn’t survive and I hope that I live my life better because their children are in my memory and prayers everyday. Love your kids and family more because you can and make sure you show them through your actions and your words. We will never regret showing love and compassion to others.
*This was part of the post on Kara’s site today. It was written by her pastor.

Kara passed away about 12:50 p.m. this afternoon. Denise, one of the nurses the Richardson's have grown very close to, told me that about 30 minutes or so before she died, Kara sat up in bed and said that she was dying and that she could see Jesus. David and Jeanne assured her it was okay for her to go, that they would be okay. Denise said after that Kara was fairly quiet and later slipped away.

I have told you all this so that you may have peace and trust in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33

Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is Karabear

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and “normal times”.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
4. Blade, Cade, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)

Monday, August 20, 2007 10:11 PM CDT

Mon. Aug. 20th:

Hannah and I spent the weekend in Dallas. Hannah was honored as a Hero of Hope for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life. The Midwest region honors 28 survivors each year (this is the 3rd year) and trains them so they can represent the Relay For Life and survivors at different events. Friday night was a dinner and recognition and Saturday was the training. It was a wonderful weekend. We met so many great people, survivors and volunteers (some of them were both) and of course we all that cancer thing in common. Cancer changes your life forever. You can’t help it. I wish our lives could be changed by something else, but as we’ve all found out, we don’t have that choice.
Hannah was a little nervous (she’d never admit it though) and was disappointed to be the youngest person there. I pointed out that it was even more important then for her to be there. In our world we think mainly of children with cancer, but most people don’t think about it happening to kids. While we were listening to the speakers Hannah was making notes of ideas she wants to implement with her high school Relay. I’m so proud of her! She really doesn’t act like she’s done anything special. She’d be the first to tell you that she didn’t have a choice. She just did what had to be done.
On Sunday she worked in the nursery at church, went to Sunday school and then helped me with children’s church. She drove home (because she can now) while I stayed for a staff meeting. We met in Baldwin to watch Jacob’s football scrimmage for an hour before we headed back to church for our youth kick-off. Needless to say after the quick trip to Dallas and the full day on Sunday we were both pretty tired. She’s getting more stamina but she still tires out quickly. She stayed after school today to help the trainer wrap ankles for the football and volleyball players then rushed home to watch her copy of High School Musical 2. She missed all the shows because of the training and kick-off. She was in the hospital when the first one premiered and was really looking forward to the second one coming out. Now she’s in her room finally resting!
Please hold Kara and her family and friends in your prayers. They are facing a difficult time as her leukemia hasn’t gone into remission after this last extremely hard round of chemo. She has several infections and at this point more chemo isn‘t an option. We always pray for healing, but we know that healing doesn’t always happen on this side of eternity. Pray for courage, strength, peace and guidance for the days ahead for Kara and her parents and brother Klayton as well as her friends and family. Also, please remember the wonderful nurses and doctors who care so much for the family their hearts hurt too. Cancer is a mean disease. It strikes at random and robs people of their health and security, but it cannot take their spirit. What cancer doesn’t know is that when people are diagnosed their spirits blaze and inspire so many more lives.
Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is Karabear

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and “normal times”.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
4. Blade, Cade, Kara, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site

Wednesday, August 15, 2007 10:41 PM CDT

Wed. Aug. 15:

Now I remember why I leave the pictures on here for so long! Maybe I should just practice more often so I don’t have to figure it out each time. Hannah started school on Tuesday. She likes all (actually just most) of her classes. We are praying for a healthy year. She is planning to be a student trainer again this year. She will already miss some classes on Friday because she and I are going to Dallas for a training for the American Cancer Society. Hannah was chosen to be a Hero of Hope. She will represent survivors at different ACS events (I think). We will know more after this weekend.
We went up to the hospital on Monday to visit Blade and Kara. We were also surprised to run into Nathan’s dad, Lee and his sister, Marissa. They were delivering balloons to a few of the kids on the floor. I have lunch with Tammie once a month but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Lee. It’s strange how sometimes it doesn’t feel like time has moved on yet our lives are all completely different. Standing in the playroom with Connie and Lee brought back a flood of memories of the summer of 2005. Blade just got back from his Dream Factory wish trip (a Disney cruise) and was in for his second to last inpatient chemo. He will be done in September. While I used to think this was something to celebrate(which it still is) I also understand how scary the end of treatment really is; especially after a relapse. It’s hard to believe that the cancer will really stay away. Please pray for them as they start dealing with a different set of emotions (and of course that Blade stays in remission FOREVER!)
Kara is really struggling. She has a couple of infections and she still doesn’t have any counts so that complicates things even more. Please pray for her strength and for her counts to recover so she can fight off these infections.
We moved Jacob into his dorm on Sunday. Hannah helped unpack and organize his clothes. His roommate’s mom and I are friends so we mothered them completely and put everything away. At least it was all organized for a short time! He has been busy with football and with the 100 degree plus heat he’s been either eating or sleeping when he isn’t working out. A crash course in college football!
Hannah has been really tired lately. She still has times when she has trouble sleeping. She is rarely nauseas anymore so that is something to celebrate. Sometimes we need to celebrate when we don’t have something (like nausea). I am still grateful everyday. I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t look at Hannah feel grateful for the miracle of her life. Our lives are wonderfully normal right now and I couldn’t be happier!

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and “normal times”.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day
4. Blade, Cade, Kara, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)
Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is Karabear
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)

Monday, August 6, 2007 10:23 PM CDT

Mon. Aug. 6:

We got back last night from a full week of family get togethers. We had a great time in the U.P. of Michigan with my family. There was hardly any cell phone coverage so we (parents) got a lot more of the kids attention! They were having a heat wave so we didn’t get to enjoy any cool weather. We spent a lot more time at the beaches though. We rented kayaks and canoes one day and spent the day on a lake. Hannah spent most of the time at the beach with her cousins from London. We took a day and went up to Lake Superior to see some lighthouses and saved the best for the last day. We went to a ribfest on Thursday and got to cast our votes on the best ribs! We all loved that. The kids all climbed a “rock wall” and Hannah even made it to the top. She also jumped on a trampoline with the bungee cords. She and Amanda were facing each other and doing some back flips. Later we went to another lake for a picnic. The younger kids swam and everyone made sand candles. We did that when were younger so of course we wanted to give the kids the same wonderful memories. They actually had fun with it. We melted paraffin on the grill and they dug holes in the sand and added stones, shells and flowers before adding the wax. It had all the makings of a great day. Great weather, food, entertainment and family. We had a great house in the woods. It was so wonderful to see all the cousins playing together. The younger ones really look up to the older ones and I’m sure they will all have some great childhood memories to reenact with their kids.
We headed to Decatur Illinois on Friday for a weekend with Bob’s family. This year is his parent’s 50th wedding anniversary so all (eight) of the kids came back with their families to celebrate. We haven’t all been together for 13 (or so) years. There was an open house on Saturday so we got to see the rest of the relatives and lots of family friends. Bob and I have been together for 26 years (married for 20) so there were a lot of people we hadn’t seen since our wedding and it was so good to catch up. Hannah has a cousin her age that lives in the town where I went to high school. She spent the weekend with them (and all the parties of course). It was a real trip down memory lane! I have to admit that I relished all the comments about how healthy Hannah looks and what a joyful spirit she has. (she would roll her eyes at that comment!) It was great to see the kids with all their cousins on both sides. I think that it’s so easy to let time slip by just being busy with everyday life. Since Hannah was diagnosed we are much more deliberate in making time for what’s really important; spending it with our family and friends.

Hannah starts school next Tuesday (Aug. 14). We take Jacob to Baker on Sunday (Aug. 12) so he can start football practice and then classes start on Aug. 22. Hannah has been very helpful getting him ready to leave. She’s been helping figure out what he’ll need and even offered to help him get his room sorted and organized for the move. She seems a little too eager to get him moved!
Tomorrow is Hannah’s last scheduled volunteer day at the hospital. She’s getting some homework done for an A.P. class she has this fall and trying to get some rest in before school starts. We are planning to visit with Tammy and her family some more before they head back to London in a few weeks. It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over (the free time anyway). I’m hopeful that Hannah will be healthier this year and not miss too many days of school. This summer has been a good break from the germs. She has really enjoyed feeling good!

God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God’s inner sanctuary. Hebrews 6: 18-19

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Kara, Patty & Mike and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)
Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is Karabear
www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikedishman (Mike’s site)

Monday, August 6, 2007 10:23 PM CDT

Wednesday, July 25, 2007 9:26 PM CDT

Wed. July 25:

Big news! Hannah is 16!!! Her birthday was Sunday and she is officially vehicularly mobile. We started celebrating at midnight. Hannah and I camped out at our church with several other families (outside movie, snacks and s’mores around the fire) and they sang Happy Birthday to her at midnight. Several of them had brought dozens of balloons to her hospital room 2 years ago. Two years ago her future was so unsure, last year we were celebrating the end of treatment and her release back into the world. This year she is so normal! What a journey it’s been. She had a couple of friends over for dinner (which she wanted to cook - and it was really good) and then drove to the movies. We are going to Michigan this weekend with my mom and dad and sisters and their families so we will have a family celebration there. We like to have birthday months. We will spend the first part of the week with my family and then go back to Illinois to spend the weekend with Bob’s family.
Hannah has been busy since getting back from North Carolina. She had a great time, but has been pretty tired. She’s been volunteering at the hospital and helped do a fundraiser for TAB. Her clinic visit was last week and the labs show she’s still normal! Her labs are all in the normal range (platelets are still borderline which is probably why she bruises so easily). She doesn’t have to go back until September for a CT scan and clinic. Each visit gives me more confidence that she will stay healthy. Hannah has had a couple of dentist appointments this month that haven’t made her very happy. The chemos she got were pretty hard on her teeth. She and I took part in a training session for The Enhancement of Adolescent Palliative Care Patients. She knows all about being an adolescent patient and is good at telling the doctors, nurses and other caregivers what was helpful and what wasn’t. She doesn’t thrive in that kind of environment like I do, but she is really good at it. In September we are going to Dallas for a training session for the Heroes of Hope for the ACS (Amer. Cancer Society).
We have visited with Kara a couple of times when Hannah is at the hospital volunteering and she is still in need of lots of prayers. One of my friends was recently diagnosed with cancer and had surgery yesterday so she is at the beginning of her treatments. Also, a member of our church was diagnosed while the kids were in NC and he is just starting his treatments. Please say a prayer for Patty and Mike and their families. Blade is nearing the end of his treatments (in Sept) so they are really trying to stay on schedule. This Saturday will be the one year anniversary since Nathan went to heaven. I had lunch with Tammie and her mom and daughter this week. Love your kids more (even the difficult times are good) and keep our friends whose children are in heaven in your prayers. Cancer is life altering no matter what the outcome. It can happen to anyone and after you’re diagnosed the effects (emotional and physical) don’t go away quickly. I don’t think you can ever get sick without wondering if the cancer is back. I guess it takes away your trust in your health. It also gives you a view of your life that you would otherwise never see and you appreciate each day in a whole new way. We’ve made some of the best friends we will ever have because of a shared experience. I’d choose a different way to learn these lessons, but our life is what is so we will take all the good we can from everything that comes our way. After all we never get today back so I hate to waste any of the good stuff.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. Hebrews 4:16

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Kara and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)
Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is karabear

Friday, July 13, 2007 7:04 AM CDT

Fri. July 13:

This is a quick note to say I will update later. Hannah is in North Carolina for the United Methodist Youth Conference. It only happens every 4 years. She is so happy to be able to go. She has called several times and is having a great time. She has asked about several of her cancer friends who are in treatment and is going to wear her survivor shirt in honor of our Relay For Life tonight.
Bob is on a team, I’m on the committee and Jacob is going to come out to walk so we will be up all night. My mom and dad always come (my mom is a survivor too) and Julie is going to be here too. I feel so passionately about it because of the desperate need for more money for research. The American Cancer Society does so much for those going through treatment and education and now lobbying for laws to help in the cancer fight but they also help fund research. The Relay For Life usually funds research that nobody else is helping fund. They helped fund Hannah’s drug Rituxan. This has a new meaning recently as 5 children and teenagers recently lost the cancer fight. These were friends of our friends and we have been following their journeys just as so many have done for Hannah. I really believe that with enough money more cures can be found. We have a long way to go but we can get there one dollar at a time (I actually want lots of dollars at a time!).
Please keep our friends in the midst of their battles in your prayers: Blade, Gunner, Cade & Kara. Keep those who are finished with treatment in your prayers that they get to finish their lives healthy: Hannah, Christina, Sam, Lily, Carlie, Kim, Katrina, Weston, Hailey, Jobeth, Don, Collin & Kristen. And keep the families of those for whom there was no cure in your hearts as you appreciate your days: Zach, Matthew, Trent, Joshua, Natalie, Raven, Nathan, Derrick, and now Serenity, Nathan, Jonathan, Walker & Stacey.

O Lord my God, how great you are!…You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariots; you ride upon the wings of the wind… Psalm 104:1-3

Please remember that Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations. This is something we can do to save more lives. He has already had several donations but would love some more.
You can copy and paste the address to get to his page.
http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail
On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

*Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is karabear

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Kara and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:44 PM CDT

Wed. June 27:

I finally have an evening to update! We have been busy with work, church, Relay For Life and a trip to the hospital since we got back Sunday night. Our trip to the hospital was for good purposes so we are all doing well. Hannah is volunteering so she and I went up on Tuesday. She worked in the library (because she can’t meet the medical requirements - immunizations - to work in the clinics or too many people. According to her there weren’t too many people in the library either! We did get to see several friends and nurses so it was a good trip. Lily has been back in with fevers and worrisome counts, but hopefully it is just an infection. Funny how after cancer you pray for infections and gall bladder problems. Please check her site and say an extra prayer. We saw Cade (sleeping) and visited with Colby and Amy and her mom. He had his stem cell transplant about 10 days ago so he is in the early stages of recovery from that. These are the hard days so they all need extra prayers now too. We met a 14 year old who seems to be following in Hannah’s footsteps. The nurses and ENT doctors kept telling her family that she was just like another patient. When we compared notes the girls have the same reactions, attitude, and even symptoms (extreme nausea, fungal infection, relapse….). Kara relapsed leukemia this month so she is headed to transplant. Please include her in your prayers. It is such a hard and uncertain time for them. Her site will be added at the bottom for you to check on her.
Our vacation was better than wonderful! The house we rented didn’t have phones, tv or computers. We could really get away from it all. I do admit we all snuck in some cell phone calls though. The weather was perfect all week. We went white water rafting and Hannah did great paddling the whole time. We visited the sand dunes National Park. It was a beautiful site but hot and sandy! Ha ha The boys were motivated to try to climb to the top (too hot and we didn‘t carry enough water) and us girls were aware of our limitations and climbed a small (it felt huge) dune and went back to stand in a stream. One day we rented a couple of jeeps and went 4-wheeling. We made it to the top of a 12,000 foot mountain and got to enjoy the unbelievable view. It made me think of the feeling we had after Hannah started getting better after her fungal infection. When everything was going downhill it felt like we were being pushed to the edge of a cliff with all the bad news and it just wouldn’t stop. When we finally started getting some good news we could turn around and see the magnificent view. Fearing that Hannah wouldn’t survive felt like we were on the edge of the cliff and the earth was falling away below our feet. Seeing her start to recover gave us the chance to turn around and see the magnificent view of our lives. We see life so differently now and standing on the top of a real mountain had a whole other meaning. At the end of the week we went to Mesa Verde to see the cliff dwellings. We also had lots of time to relax! The kids each brought a friend so they played cards and games all night. Bob and I sat out on the front deck and watched the stars pop out every night. It’s good to realize when life is so good!
Hannah spent the week before vacation at the Hole in the Wall Gang camp in Connecticut. I asked Hannah what she wanted me to write and she said, “I had a fun time.” (I guess she leaves the long detailed explanations to me!) She really did have a good time though. Christina was too old to go this year so Hannah made some new friends and is now emailing her counselors. She is planning to go back to be a counselor herself. On the down side we did get a call from the camp doctor saying that Hannah was vomiting and had a low grade fever on the last night so she had to spend the night in the infirmary. She felt fine the next day though. On the up side she got to see Paul Newman! He started the camp and tries to visit several times during the summer.
She has been pretty tired but she has been really busy this summer. She has a couple of “quiet” weeks before going on her next trip with the youth group to North Carolina. It is so great for her to be busy with all the “normal” summer trips. I’ll post pictures soon (my “soon” with my poor technology skills)! Please remember our friends who are still fighting, those recovering and the families of those who passed away. Look at your life from the “top of the mountain” it really is a wonderful view.

O Lord my God, how great you are!…You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariots; you ride upon the wings of the wind… Psalm 104:1-3

Please remember that Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations. This is something we can do to save more lives. He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page.
http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail
On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

*Kara’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kararichardson
Her password is karabear

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Kara and others fighting cancer.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:42 PM CDT

Thursday, June 14, 2007 11:25 PM CDT

*Thurs. June14:
Hannah is back from camp! She had a great time (except for the last night when she got sick and had to spend the night in the infirmary). We have been busy getting ready to leave on vacation in the morning so I wanted to let you know that I will update when we get back. We are off to Colorado with Hannah and Amanda and Jacob and Wayne. Our last two vacations have been cancelled so we are long overdue for some cool nights in the mountains!

Wed. June 6:

Things are going really well for Hannah. She has been helping me with VBS this week at church in the evenings. We spent Tuesday at the hospital but not one medical procedure or test was done! She had training to be a volunteer and I had my first Family Advisory Board meeting. We also managed to see a few people we know (imagine that) and meet a family just beginning their journey. Bethany is a 6 month old that was just diagnosed with AML. Her site is listed at the bottom of the page so you can pass on your support. It is so important to know that others are praying for you. Hannah leaves Friday morning to go the Hole In the Wall Gang camp again. This is the camp started by Paul Newman for children with chronic illnesses. Hannah goes on the cancer week. She is really looking forward to going and feeling better than she did last year.
On another note it has been an emotional week in our area. Bob was called out in the middle of the night on Saturday for a missing person. It turned out to be an 18 year old who had just graduated that was abducted from a parking lot in Overland Park. Her body was found today. Bob and the rest of the detectives have been working 20 hour days and they arrested someone today. I think of this through the heart of a parent whose child had to fight for her life and through the heart of the friends. I had a close friend who died in a plane accident the summer I graduated from high school. I have thought of Liz almost every day since then. Her death changed my life; I realized I couldn’t leave any situation in a state that I would need to go back and “fix” it later. Later may never come. It puts a lot of things in perspective. It was my first realization that young people can die. My heart as a parent learned so much more during Hannah’s battle. While Hannah was sick I often thought of the 23rd Psalm, but I changed it to, “though I watched my child walk through the valley of the shadow of death I did fear evil, but your rod and your staff they comforted me…” Facing your child’s mortality is unbearable. I found hope through the thought that Jesus understood her suffering and would protect her spirit. I found solace in the fact that Mary watched her son suffer and die and there was understanding for my pain, I didn’t have to be “okay” with it and I could still have faith that we would be taken care of. My sadness comes from these young unfinished lives. Tuesday, June 5th was the 1 year anniversary of Joshua’s death. These parents miss their children every moment. My heart breaks that another family will have to live their lives with the ache of an unfinished life. June 15th will mark the anniversary of Natalie’s death. Here is the email her mother sent out to us last year. On Day +237, when I thought for sure that Natalie would be enrolled in the Missouri Academy and going out to conquer the world, she ACTUALLY DID CONQUER THE WORLD as she joined the Academy of Heaven and is fellowshiping with her loving Jesus as I type this. Your prayers were everything they could have been, as she crossed over to heaven at 4:45pm, swiftly and peacefully with all our family around her. You have all done so much to carry us through some deep waters and we will be forever thankful.
Please show your love to those around you. The family and friends and strangers in your path are all deserving of your love; not your impatience and hurried second thoughts. We never know what tomorrow will bring. If we get to have 50 years of goodness, how great would that be? If we only have 6 months of it, at least we used our lives for good towards others and we LIVED our life. That is our true purpose isn’t it? Trying to be a window of the love of God and to share that with others; living our lives with purpose.

I put this Bible verse in some cards I made after Hannah’s first 9 months of treatment. I gave Hannah several choices and she picked this one. I never understood it very well until that moment. I don’t “rejoice” in suffering in the traditional sense that it makes me happy, rather that I am grateful that I can see God more clearly through it. The hope in this verse isn’t “hope that everything turns out the way I want”, but the hope we have knowing God will carry us through. (I don’t have to be strong because God will carry me through)

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Please remember that Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations. This is something we can do to save more lives. He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page.
http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail
On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
5. Bethany Lone - a 6 month old that was just diagnosed with AML

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)

Thursday, June 7, 2007 0:24 AM CDT

Wed. June 6:

Things are going really well for Hannah. She has been helping me with VBS this week at church in the evenings. We spent Tuesday at the hospital but not one medical procedure or test was done! She had training to be a volunteer and I had my first Family Advisory Board meeting. We also managed to see a few people we know (imagine that) and meet a family just beginning their journey. Bethany is a 6 month old that was just diagnosed with AML. Her site listed at the bottom of the page so you can pass on your support. It is so important to know that others are praying for you. Hannah leaves Friday morning to go the Hole In the Wall Gang camp again. This is the camp started by Paul Newman for children with chronic illnesses. Hannah goes on the cancer week. She is really looking forward to going and feeling better than she did last year.
On another note it has been an emotional week in our area. Bob was called out in the middle of the night on Saturday for a missing person. It turned out to be an 18 year old who had just graduated that was abducted from a parking lot in Overland Park. Her body was found today. Bob and the rest of the detectives have been working 20 hour days and they arrested someone today. I think of this through the heart of a parent whose child had to fight for her life and through the heart of the friends. I had a close friend who died in a plane accident the summer I graduated from high school. I have thought of Liz almost every day since then. Her death changed my life; I realized I couldn’t leave any situation in a state that I would need to go back and “fix” it later. Later may never come. It puts a lot of things in perspective. It was my first realization that young people can die. My heart as a parent learned so much more during Hannah’s battle. While Hannah was sick I often thought of the 23rd Psalm, but I changed it to, “though I watched my child walk through the valley of the shadow of death I did fear evil, but your rod and your staff they comforted me…” Facing your child’s mortality is unbearable. I found hope through the thought that Jesus understood her suffering and would protect her spirit. I found solace in the fact that Mary watched her son suffer and die and there was understanding for my pain, I didn’t have to be “okay” with it and I could still have faith that we would be taken care of. My sadness comes from these young unfinished lives. Tuesday, June 5th was the 1 year anniversary of Joshua’s death. These parents miss their children every moment. My heart breaks that another family will have to live their lives with the ache of an unfinished life. June 15th will mark the anniversary of Natalie’s death. Here is the email her mother sent out to us last year. On Day +237, when I thought for sure that Natalie would be enrolled in the Missouri Academy and going out to conquer the world, she ACTUALLY DID CONQUER THE WORLD as she joined the Academy of Heaven and is fellowshiping with her loving Jesus as I type this. Your prayers were everything they could have been, as she crossed over to heaven at 4:45pm, swiftly and peacefully with all our family around her. You have all done so much to carry us through some deep waters and we will be forever thankful.
Please show your love to those around you. The family and friends and strangers in your path are all deserving of your love; not your impatience and hurried second thoughts. We never know what tomorrow will bring. If we get to have 50 years of goodness, how great would that be? If we only have 6 months of it, at least we used our lives for good towards others and we LIVED our life. That is our true purpose isn’t it? Trying to be a window of the love of God and to share that with others; living our lives with purpose.

I put this Bible verse in some cards I made after Hannah’s first 9 months of treatment. I gave Hannah several choices and she picked this one. I never understood it very well until that moment. I don’t “rejoice” in suffering in the traditional sense that it makes me happy, rather that I am grateful that I can see God more clearly through it. The hope in this verse isn’t “hope that everything turns out the way I want”, but the hope we have knowing God will carry us through. (I don’t have to be strong because God will carry me through)

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Please remember that Bob is on a Relay For Life team and he has a webpage for collecting donations. This is something we can do to save more lives. He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page.
http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail
On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
5. Bethany Lone - a 6 month old that was just diagnosed with AML

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)

Thursday, June 7, 2007 0:22 AM CDT

Wed. June 6:

Things are going really well for Hannah. She has been helping me with VBS this week at church in the evenings. We spent Tuesday at the hospital but not one medical procedure or test was done! She had training to be a volunteer and I had my first Family Advisory Board meeting. We also managed to see a few people we know (imagine that) and meet a family just beginning their journey. Bethany is a 6 month old that was just diagnosed with AML. Her site listed at the bottom of the page so you can pass on your support. It is so important to know that others are praying for you. Hannah leaves Friday morning to go the Hole In the Wall Gang camp again. This is the camp started by Paul Newman for children with chronic illnesses. Hannah goes on the cancer week. She is really looking forward to going and feeling better than she did last year.
On another note it has been an emotional week in our area. Bob was called out in the middle of the night on Saturday for a missing person. It turned out to be an 18 year old who had just graduated that was abducted from a parking lot in Overland Park. Her body was found today. Bob and the rest of the detectives have been working 20 hour days and they arrested someone today. I think of this through the heart of a parent whose child had to fight for her life and through the heart of the friends. I had a close friend who died in a plane accident the summer I graduated from high school. I have thought of Liz almost every day since then. Her death changed my life; I realized I couldn’t leave any situation in a state that I would need to go back and “fix” it later. Later may never come. It puts a lot of things in perspective. It was my first realization that young people can die. My heart as a parent learned so much more during Hannah’s battle. While Hannah was sick I often thought of the 23rd Psalm, but I changed it to, “though I watched my child walk through the valley of the shadow of death I did fear evil, but your rod and your staff they comforted me…” Facing your child’s mortality is unbearable. I found hope through the thought that Jesus understood her suffering and would protect her spirit. I found solace in the fact that Mary watched her son suffer and die and there was understanding for my pain, I didn’t have to be “okay” with it and I could still have faith that we would be taken care of. My sadness comes from these young unfinished lives. Tuesday, June 5th was the 1 year anniversary of Joshua’s death. These parents miss their children every moment. My heart breaks that another family will have to live their lives with the ache of an unfinished life. June 15th will mark the anniversary of Natalie’s death. Here is the email her mother sent out to us last year. On Day +237, when I thought for sure that Natalie would be enrolled in the Missouri Academy and going out to conquer the world, she ACTUALLY DID CONQUER THE WORLD as she joined the Academy of Heaven and is fellowshiping with her loving Jesus as I type this. Your prayers were everything they could have been, as she crossed over to heaven at 4:45pm, swiftly and peacefully with all our family around her. You have all done so much to carry us through some deep waters and we will be forever thankful.
Please show your love to those around you. The family and friends and strangers in your path are all deserving of your love; not your impatience and hurried second thoughts. We never know what tomorrow will bring. If we get to have 50 years of goodness, how great would that be? If we only have 6 months of it, at least we used our lives for good towards others and we LIVED our life. That is our true purpose isn’t it? Trying to be a window of the love of God and to share that with others; living our lives with purpose.

I put this Bible verse in some cards I made after Hannah’s first 9 months of treatment. I gave Hannah several choices and she picked this one. I never understood it very well until that moment. I don’t “rejoice” in suffering in the traditional sense that it makes me happy, rather that I am grateful that I can see God more clearly through it. The hope in this verse isn’t “hope that everything turns out the way I want”, but the hope we have knowing God will carry us through. (I don’t have to be strong because God will carry me through)

…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Please remember that Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations. This is something we can do to save more lives. He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page.
http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail
On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

Please pray for: …

1. The families whose children didn’t survive. They need prayers every day.
2. Thankfulness for Hannah feeling good and great test results!
3. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
4. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
5. Bethany Lone - a 6 month old that was just diagnosed with AML

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/bethanylone (Bethany’s site)

Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:52 PM CDT

Thurs. May 31:

It’s officially summer! Finally! Last week Hannah started having migraines so severe she was vomiting. She had finals on Wed., Thurs. and Friday. She got sick at school on Wed. but stuck it out (they were only half days). On Friday she had a headache and was vomiting before school, but she went so she could take 2 more finals. She ended up getting sick at school and having to come home early. Her last final was a presentation so the nurse just gave the teacher Hannah’s project. I called her nurse at CMH and ended up going down to the hospital to pick up a prescription for oxycodone to help with the migraines. Blade was admitted for chemo so I had lunch with Connie while I was there. The oxycodone helped with the headaches and she’s been feeling much better (as long as she takes something as soon as she feels the headache coming on). We’re not sure if it’s allergy related or what. At least she just finished all of her scans and tests and everything came back clear so we’re assuming it’s something “normal”. She seems to have something else brewing. She’s had a lot of drainage and a cough. We’ll see what happens….

She has been busy this week with her youth group. They have been doing mission work all week at different agencies in the area. She’s been cleaning churches, weeding gardens, baking cookies and sorting clothes. Today she finally got her new opterator (artificial palate). It is a more permanent type one. It still can be taken out, but it fits a lot better and has wires that attach to the back of her teeth. She talks better because the air doesn’t escape up into her sinus cavity. She also said it’s easier to drink from a straw because the drink didn’t go up and around into her sinuses either. Hopefully it will help with the sinus infections and it will keep a lot of “stuff” from going up and causing problems. She hated it when her palate was removed and hated the first opterator (she said she wasn’t going to talk very much! Ha!) and now she didn’t want the new one because it is bigger and felt different. She said she wasn’t going to wear it very much, but after the dentist shaved it down to a perfect fit she admitted that it’s not too bad.

She got a call today from an American Cancer Society and has been selected as a Hero of Hope. Heroes of Hope are cancer survivors that are involved with the ACS and Relay for Life. She and I will go to Dallas in August for training. She will do some speaking and attend some other events (we’ll find out more later, hopefully!). Speaking of the Relay for Life! Our community event is July 13th. I’m in charge of recruiting teams….. Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations (hint hint). He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page.
http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail
On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

We are really going to enjoy this summer. She hasn’t been able to have a “normal’ summer since 2004 (and that’s when she started feeling sick). Hannah has a couple of camps scheduled and we’re looking forward to a family vacation in June and a trip in July to see our families (Andersons and Millers). She also turns 16 this summer! Life is so good!

Don’t worry about anything instead; pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good and great test results!
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:50 PM CDT

Thurs. May 31:

It’s officially summer! Finally! Last week Hannah started having migraines so severe she was vomiting. She had finals on Wed., Thurs. and Friday. She got sick at school on Wed. but stuck it out (they were only half days). On Friday she had a headache and was vomiting before school, but she went so she could take 2 more finals. She ended up getting sick at school and having to come home early. Her last final was a presentation so the nurse just gave the teacher Hannah’s project. I called her nurse at CMH and ended up going down to the hospital to pick up a prescription for oxycodone to help with the migraines. Blade was admitted for chemo so I had lunch with Connie while I was there. The oxycodone helped with the headaches and she’s been feeling much better (as long as she takes something as soon as she feels the headache coming on). We’re not sure if it’s allergy related or what. At least she just finished all of her scans and tests and everything came back clear so we’re assuming it’s something “normal”. She seems to have something else brewing. She’s had a lot of drainage and a cough. We’ll see what happens….

She has been busy this week with her youth group. They have been doing mission work all week at different agencies in the area. She’s been cleaning churches, weeding gardens, baking cookies and sorting clothes. Today she finally got her new opterator (artificial palate). It is a more permanent type one. It still can be taken out, but it fits a lot better and has wires that attach to the back of her teeth. She talks better because the air doesn’t escape up into her sinus cavity. She also said it’s easier to drink from a straw because the drink didn’t go up and around into her sinuses either. Hopefully it will help with the sinus infections and it will keep a lot of “stuff” from going up and causing problems. She hated it when her palate was removed and hated the first opterator (she said she wasn’t going to talk very much! Ha!) and now she didn’t want the new one because it is bigger and felt different. She said she wasn’t going to wear it very much, but after the dentist shaved it down to a perfect fit she admitted that it’s not too bad.

She got a call today from an American Cancer Society and has been selected as a Hero of Hope. Heroes of Hope are cancer survivors that are involved with the ACS and Relay for Life. She and I will go to Dallas in August for training. She will do some speaking and attend some other events (we’ll find out more later, hopefully!). Speaking of the Relay for Life! Our community event is July 13th. I’m in charge of recruiting teams….. Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations (hint hint). He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page. http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail On the right side of the page you can find his team (Team OP) or his name (Bob Miller) to find his personal page. There are a couple of pictures from last year’s Relay. You can also buy a luminaria in honor or memory of someone from the left side of his page.

We are really going to enjoy this summer. She hasn’t been able to have a “normal’ summer since 2004 (and that’s when she started feeling sick). Hannah has a couple of camps scheduled and we’re looking forward to a family vacation in June and a trip in July to see our families (Andersons and Millers). She also turns 16 this summer! Life is so good!

Don’t worry about anything instead; pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good and great test results!
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

Thursday, May 31, 2007 7:44 PM CDT

Thurs. May 31:

It’s officially summer! Finally! Last week Hannah started having migraines so severe she was vomiting. She had finals on Wed., Thurs. and Friday. She got sick at school on Wed. but stuck it out (they were only half days). On Friday she had a headache and was vomiting before school, but she went so she could take 2 more finals. She ended up getting sick at school and having to come home early. Her last final was a presentation so the nurse just gave the teacher Hannah’s project. I called her nurse at CMH and ended up going down to the hospital to pick up a prescription for oxycodone to help with the migraines. Blade was admitted for chemo so I had lunch with Connie while I was there. The oxycodone helped with the headaches and she’s been feeling much better (as long as she takes something as soon as she feels the headache coming on). We’re not sure if it’s allergy related or what. At least she just finished all of her scans and tests and everything came back clear so we’re assuming it’s something “normal”. She seems to have something else brewing. She’s had a lot of drainage and a cough. We’ll see what happens….

She has been busy this week with her youth group. They have been doing mission work all week at different agencies in the area. She’s been cleaning churches, weeding gardens, baking cookies and sorting clothes. Today she finally got her new opterator (artificial palate). It is a more permanent type one. It still can be taken out, but it fits a lot better and has wires that attach to the back of her teeth. She talks better because the air doesn’t escape up into her sinus cavity. She also said it’s easier to drink from a straw because the drink didn’t go up and around into her sinuses either. Hopefully it will help with the sinus infections and it will keep a lot of “stuff” from going up and causing problems. She hated it when her palate was removed and hated the first opterator (she said she wasn’t going to talk very much! Ha!) and now she didn’t want the new one because it is bigger and felt different. She said she wasn’t going to wear it very much, but after the dentist shaved it down to a perfect fit she admitted that it’s not too bad.

She got a call today from an American Cancer Society and has been selected as a Hero of Hope. Heroes of Hope are cancer survivors that are involved with the ACS and Relay for Life. She and I will go to Dallas in August for training. She will do some speaking and attend some other events (we’ll find out more later, hopefully!). Speaking of the Relay for Life! Our community event is July 13th. I’m in charge of recruiting teams….. Bob is on a team and he has a webpage for collecting donations (hint hint). He has already had several donations but would love some more. It is so much more important to us now because the Relay for Life funded the research for one of the drugs that saved Hannah’s life. You can copy and paste the address to get to his page. http://www.acsevents.org/santafetrail

We are really going to enjoy this summer. She hasn’t been able to have a “normal’ summer since 2004 (and that’s when she started feeling sick). Hannah has a couple of camps scheduled and we’re looking forward to a family vacation in June and a trip in July to see our families (Andersons and Millers). She also turns 16 this summer! Life is so good!

Don’t worry about anything instead; pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good and great test results!
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

Monday, May 21, 2007 11:15 PM CDT

Mon. May 21:

Apparently things are going well here because we have been so busy that I haven’t updated in a while. We’ve had some major events happen in the last couple of weeks. First and foremost: Hannah’s 18 month post transplant CT scans, bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap all came back CLEAR!!!! No signs of cancer in Hannah’s body! That was very good news, but I wasn’t surprised. She has been feeling really good lately. This all came during another scare with my dad. He was life-flighted back to KC on Tuesday. He had gone home the week before after his first helicopter flight to St. Luke’s hospital. His defibrillator had gone off again. This time it took 6 shocks to get his heart back in a good rhythm so they wanted him back in KC. They have started him on yet another medication with the hopes that this will help control his heart rhythm. He was discharged on Thursday afternoon. Hannah had her bone marrow and LP (lumbar puncture / spinal tap) on Wednesday. She got fitted for a new opterator (mouth piece) on Tuesday and had her CT scan on Monday. Friday the 11th she had her endocrine appointment and then had a decsa (sp?) scan (bone density). I haven’t heard back from them and I’ve been pretty busy and a little stressed so I haven’t called them for results either. I guess I’m feeling pretty confident because I’m not expecting anything to out of the ordinary. To top off the end of last week Jacob graduated from high school! His open house was Friday night and graduation was Saturday morning. So, on top of everything else that was going on last week I was trying to get ready for my little boy to graduate! Where does the time go? We really appreciated the day. Hannah and my dad both beat unbelievable odds and they were here to celebrate.
Hannah’s last day of school is this Friday. She spent 2 years missing school and looking forward to being able to go and now she is counting the minutes until it’s over! Isn’t it great how normal life has become?

Our friend, Zach, who passed away in Dec. 2004 finally summated Mt. Everest! The Dream Factory found some mountain climbers who agreed to carry some of his ashes on their climb. Copy and paste the link to read his story and follow their link to the climber’s blog. www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo
During Hannah’s relapse I often thought of Zach’s fight and conversations I had with his mom. They helped me focus on the fact that we still had the fight and that kept me from focusing on the negative side. I have made so many friends that have inspired me and I will be forever grateful. Today I had lunch with Tammie (Nathan’s mom) and Jen (Lily’s mom) and dinner with Susie (Christina’s mom) and Sherry (Sam’s mom). Hannah had a TAB meeting so we get to have dinner together once a month and Tammie and I try to get together for lunch once a month. It is so good to stay in touch. You never know who will walk into your life and find a place in your heart. Thanks friends for all the ways you have helped me through.

The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace. Psalm 29:11

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good and great test results!
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Friday, May 11, 2007 7:24 PM CDT

Fri. May 11 update:

I want to let everyone know that Sara has updated Zach’s site. Please go to it and see the journey Zach is on. Zach was one of our first friends when Hannah was diagnosed in Sept. 2004. He passed away in Dec. 2004 but has been present in our hearts everyday. www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo
If you can’t click the link, just copy and paste it.
Lily has gotten good news and we are waiting for Jennifer to get back from Minnesota to update all the details!

Wed. May 9 update:

Happy 20th anniversary Bob! He’s off chasing a suspect in another state, so we’ll celebrate later. It’s not about this one day though. We started dating when we were 16 & 17 and we never imagined the life journey we would be on. I’m looking forward to the next 20 years.

I got a call from my mom this morning and my dad’s defibrillator (that he had put in after having a code blue in Hannah’s room last year) shocked his heart today. He was airlifted to Kansas City so I went to meet him while my mom and sister drove. He is doing really well tonight. The defibrillator worked and there doesn’t seem to be any more damage to his heart. They are doing some tests and “tweaked’ his defibrillator and he should be good to go pretty soon. We’ll know more tomorrow, but all is well tonight.

We have Joshua’s family in our thoughts and prayers especially tonight because today is his birthday. He would be 2 years old. No matter how “okay” you are with heaven, you never stop missing your child. Joshua was so important in Hannah’s recovery. He got her out of bed and gave her a reason to keep fighting after her fungal infection on so many days. I can only remember him with a huge smile on his face.

Monday, May 7:

Things have been good and busy lately. Hannah is feeling pretty good and hasn’t missed any school since her infusion. She had her high school Relay for Life on Friday. Several of her hospital friends got to come down and walk with her. It was so great to see them outside of the hospital, with hair and their purple survivor t-shirts. They have all become such an important part of our lives and it was really special to see them together. Christina came late and spent the night. I can’t say that they walked too much but they did stay awake all night. I was a chaperone so I got to stay all night too! The recovery takes longer each year, but we had fun and they raised over $7,000 for the American Cancer Society. Someday there will be a cure for all cancers and we can be a part of making that happen one dollar at a time.

Hannah is going to be getting her 18 month tests done this month. She has her CT, bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap next week. She is also getting a new opterator (the retainer like piece that covers the space of her hard palate) this month. It will really help her. The one she has now was made about a week after her surgery to remove her palate and she has had a lot of healing since then. She also has an endocrine appointment this Friday. Finishing up school and getting ready for finals should keep her busy.

I just got a call from my cousin and the kids at her church collected their change for 3 months to donate to the Dream Factory in Hannah’s honor. I can’t tell you how much it means that so many people continue to keep Hannah in their prayers and thoughts. Thank you.

Please keep Lily in your prayers this week as she heads to Minneapolis ahead of schedule to check on some troubling blood work and lymph nodes. Blade is still in the midst of treatment and his hip can’t heal. Don is making decisions about the next step in his treatment and Cade is getting ready for transplant in a few weeks. The weather has been pretty bad and we are also praying for those who lost their homes in the tornado. I understand though when they say that what they lost is just stuff. The important and irreplaceable things in life are those we love. Make sure you take time out of the busyness of life and spend time with those you care about. I have regretted lots of shopping trips but never the time I spent with my family and friends.

Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Friday, May 11, 2007 7:23 PM CDT

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 10:01 PM CDT

Wed. May 9 update:

Happy 20th anniversary Bob! He’s off chasing a suspect in another state, so we’ll celebrate later. It’s not about this one day though. We started dating when we were 16 & 17 and we never imagined the life journey we would be on. I’m looking forward to the next 20 years.

I got a call from my mom this morning and my dad’s defibrillator (that he had put in after having a code blue in Hannah’s room last year) shocked his heart today. He was airlifted to Kansas City so I went to meet him while my mom and sister drove. He is doing really well tonight. The defibrillator worked and there doesn’t seem to be any more damage to his heart. They are doing some tests and “tweaked’ his defibrillator and he should be good to go pretty soon. We’ll know more tomorrow, but all is well tonight.

We have Joshua’s family in our thoughts and prayers especially tonight because today is his birthday. He would be 2 years old. No matter how “okay” you are with heaven, you never stop missing your child. Joshua was so important in Hannah’s recovery. He got her out of bed and gave her a reason to keep fighting after her fungal infection on so many days. I can only remember him with a huge smile on his face.

Monday, May 7:

Things have been good and busy lately. Hannah is feeling pretty good and hasn’t missed any school since her infusion. She had her high school Relay for Life on Friday. Several of her hospital friends got to come down and walk with her. It was so great to see them outside of the hospital, with hair and their purple survivor t-shirts. They have all become such an important part of our lives and it was really special to see them together. Christina came late and spent the night. I can’t say that they walked too much but they did stay awake all night. I was a chaperone so I got to stay all night too! The recovery takes longer each year, but we had fun and they raised over $7,000 for the American Cancer Society. Someday there will be a cure for all cancers and we can be a part of making that happen one dollar at a time.

Hannah is going to be getting her 18 month tests done this month. She has her CT, bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap next week. She is also getting a new opterator (the retainer like piece that covers the space of her hard palate) this month. It will really help her. The one she has now was made about a week after her surgery to remove her palate and she has had a lot of healing since then. She also has an endocrine appointment this Friday. Finishing up school and getting ready for finals should keep her busy.

I just got a call from my cousin and the kids at her church collected their change for 3 months to donate to the Dream Factory in Hannah’s honor. I can’t tell you how much it means that so many people continue to keep Hannah in their prayers and thoughts. Thank you.

Please keep Lily in your prayers this week as she heads to Minneapolis ahead of schedule to check on some troubling blood work and lymph nodes. Blade is still in the midst of treatment and his hip can’t heal. Don is making decisions about the next step in his treatment and Cade is getting ready for transplant in a few weeks. The weather has been pretty bad and we are also praying for those who lost their homes in the tornado. I understand though when they say that what they lost is just stuff. The important and irreplaceable things in life are those we love. Make sure you take time out of the busyness of life and spend time with those you care about. I have regretted lots of shopping trips but never the time I spent with my family and friends.

Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Monday, May 7, 2007 10:10 PM CDT

Monday, May 7:

Things have been good and busy lately. Hannah is feeling pretty good and hasn’t missed any school since her infusion. She had her high school Relay for Life on Friday. Several of her hospital friends got to come down and walk with her. It was so great to see them outside of the hospital, with hair and their purple survivor t-shirts. They have all become such an important part of our lives and it was really special to see them together. Christina came late and spent the night. I can’t say that they walked too much but they did stay awake all night. I was a chaperone so I got to stay all night too! The recovery takes longer each year, but we had fun and they raised over $7,000 for the American Cancer Society. Someday there will be a cure for all cancers and we can be a part of making that happen one dollar at a time.

Hannah is going to be getting her 18 month tests done this month. She has her CT, bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap next week. She is also getting a new opterator (the retainer like piece that covers the space of her hard palate) this month. It will really help her. The one she has now was made about a week after her surgery to remove her palate and she has had a lot of healing since then. She also has an endocrine appointment this Friday. Finishing up school and getting ready for finals should keep her busy.

I just got a call from my cousin and the kids at her church collected their change for 3 months to donate to the Dream Factory in Hannah’s honor. I can’t tell you how much it means that so many people continue to keep Hannah in their prayers and thoughts. Thank you.

Please keep Lily in your prayers this week as she heads to Minneapolis ahead of schedule to check on some troubling blood work and lymph nodes. Blade is still in the midst of treatment and his hip can’t heal. Don is making decisions about the next step in his treatment and Cade is getting ready for transplant in a few weeks. The weather has been pretty bad and we are also praying for those who lost their homes in the tornado. I understand though when they say that what they lost is just stuff. The important and irreplaceable things in life are those we love. Make sure you take time out of the busyness of life and spend time with those you care about. I have regretted lots of shopping trips but never the time I spent with my family and friends.

Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Thursday, April 26, 2007 9:29 PM CDT

Thurs. April 26:

I’m going to update real quick while Hannah is feeling good! She has been feeling so much better since we figured out the stomach / throat problem. She’s been busy at school, getting ready for the high school Relay for Life and helping with softball. There wasn’t any school on Monday or Tuesday. She used Monday to do homework and we spent Tuesday at the hospital. She got her IVIG infusion which took 3 hours to infuse, but a little longer to get it all set up. We left and she took a nap in the car until it was time to go to a ceremony for one of our favorite nurses. We were honored to be able to share an important day in her life and we try not to miss out on anyone’s celebration. When you look back on someone’s life you remember the times you spent together and the way you treated each other. Since Hannah’s diagnoses we have been living our lives with that perspective. It’s most important to make the time to be with those you care about.
Friday, May 4th is the Relay for Life at the high school. Hannah is on the committee and has been fundraising for it. She is going to be on a youth trip with our church during the community event so she invited her friends from the hospital to come out to this Relay for the survivor dinner and first lap. Bob is having a team at our community Relay (I’m on that committee) so we’ll be asking for donations pretty soon for that!
Please keep Hannah’s friends in your prayers. Lily is getting some tests done because of some problems that were there when she was initially diagnosed and again when she relapsed. Blade is recovering from his last round of chemo and that brings another set of aches, pains, nausea and worries. Cade was admitted today (his 6th birthday) for his last round of chemo before his stem cell transplant. It’s good that so many others are busy with their “regular” lives, but they still have those symptoms that bring up worries (maybe more for the parents). There isn’t a day that goes by that we parents don’t say a prayer of thanksgiving for the day at hand and prayer of hope for tomorrow.

I think you ought to know, dear bothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we learned not to rely on ourselves, but on God….. 2 Corinthians 1:8 - 9

Please pray for: …

1. Thankfulness for feeling good.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 9:09 PM CDT

Wed. update:

Hannah is feeling a little better. She can talk quietly and ate a few bites today. I think the maximum doses of liquid antacid and sleeping propped up is helping and thus proving the reflux theory. I talked to our nurse today and I think we have a plan. Dr. Lewing wants her to get established with G.I. (gastro intestinal) so they got her the soonest non emergency appointment, June 7th. I’m happy with that because we will know if she continues to have problems or not. GI has seen Hannah before, when she was first admitted to CMH, they did her colonoscopy when they thought her cancer had spread and the bronchoscope after transplant. Now we will establish an outpatient relationship. Hannah’s IgG level is also low so she is going to get an IVIG infusion next Tuesday The IgG is a part of the white blood cells that helps to fight infection. The explanation I got as to why it has dropped after being fine since her last infusion in Oct. is that her cells are still pretty weak from the last couple of years of abuse (Burkitt’s, relapse, fungal infection, transplant…) so if they are working too hard fighting infections I guess they just kind of drop out. Anyway the infusion will help a lot. It’s funny because I was thinking about that a few weeks ago since she has been catching so much more lately but I didn’t realize that the level could still drop after all this time. Once again I am reminded of exactly how harsh her treatments were. At least right now all her problems are much easier to fix and for that we are truly grateful

Mon. April 16:

I have good news and bad news. More good than bad though. The bad news (let’s just get that out of the way!) is that Hannah’s throat is getting worse. She stayed home from school today and has slept most of the day because she just cries in pain when she’s awake. She is spitting in a cup because it hurts to swallow. We stopped by the clinic on Friday while we were downtown for the conference and Dr. Lewing saw her. The good news is that her labs are great and the strep and mono tests were negative as well as no enlarged lymph nodes. She gave us a prescription for an antibiotic to see if we can clear up the drainage (maybe another infection) in case the pain is from that. Today I had lunch with Nathan’s mom and aunt and we discussed Hannah’s symptoms and it started sounding like when she had esophagitis after transplant. I don’t know why she would start having reflux, but that would explain a lot. Her counts are fine and her throat isn’t red like it’s drainage. Also, she’s had a runny nose since she was diagnosed in 2004. I called and talked to her nurse and she agreed that might be a good explanation. We’re upping her antiacid dose and we’ll talk again later in the week when Dr. Lewing is there. We need to find the cause so we can fix it or keep it from happening again.
The good news! The Martina McBride concert was great. It went from being good to being great. We were sitting in our free Dream Factory seats almost at the top and as far away as possible. I asked Hannah if she wanted to move and she said it was fine. When the second group started singing a DJ from Q104 came up and asked if we wanted to upgrade our tickets. She said she looks for people in far away seats and gives them free tickets in better seats. Hannah agreed immediately. We followed her down and I told her thank you and that Hannah was there with Dream Factory tickets and she was just happy to be able to see the concert. We started walking away and they called us back. Another DJ asked if Hannah wanted to meet Martina! TJ gave Hannah her backstage pass! She was so excited. I went down to our new seats and they had moved them to seats on the floor about 8 rows back. We have a picture I will try to post (we all know that isn’t one of my gifts!). It was a great night. Hannah’s throat started bothering her to the point that we left before her last song. The good part of that is that we didn’t have any traffic problems getting out.
We attended the conference on Friday and it was a great experience. It was really interesting to hear the medical side of ethical questions concerning cases. Hannah had some input too during the discussion of the teenage case. They were talking about the issue of losing friends and when a patient is old enough to have a say in their treatment (or stopping of it). Hannah lost a lot of friends, but as she says now, they probably weren’t “real” friends anyway. It is a huge problem and something that still makes me very sad for these kids. She isn’t without friends, but cancer is hard for everyone and for teens to have to deal with seeing someone their age dealing with life and death is understandably hard. Hannah was so sick for so long that it was out of sight hard to have anything in common. I must say though that her cousin was good at just stopping by and sitting in her room and reading if she didn’t feel good or doing whatever craft Hannah was into that round. Advice I have for others is to just keep being present. You don’t have to cheer them up or say anything magical to make it all okay, but keep being present (even for short periods of time). It’s comforting to know you haven’t been forgotten or that it’s too uncomfortable for people to be around you. Actions speak volumes. Okay, I got off track about the conference, but it was a great experience for us.
Hannah had her youth group lock-in Friday night so she slept most of Saturday. Sunday was the youth service and it was awesome! Hannah rested in the afternoon and didn’t feel good that night. She woke up last night with horrible pain in her throat. The extra sleeping during the day on Sat. and Sun. would give credit to the reflux being the culprit. I’m trying to convince her to stay sitting up to keep any acid from irritating her throat. She can’t stay sitting up forever but it might help in the short term. I’ll keep you posted if we find out anything other than our hunch.

But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings like eagles; they will walk and run without getting tired Isaiah 40:31

Please pray for:

1. Answers to Hannah‘s throat problem.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 9:08 PM CDT

Monday, April 16, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Mon. April 16:

I have good news and bad news. More good than bad though. The bad news (let’s just get that out of the way!) is that Hannah’s throat is getting worse. She stayed home from school today and has slept most of the day because she just cries in pain when she’s awake. She is spitting in a cup because it hurts to swallow. We stopped by the clinic on Friday while we were downtown for the conference and Dr. Lewing saw her. The good news is that her labs are great and the strep and mono tests were negative as well as no enlarged lymph nodes. She gave us a prescription for an antibiotic to see if we can clear up the drainage (maybe another infection) in case the pain is from that. Today I had lunch with Nathan’s mom and aunt and we discussed Hannah’s symptoms and it started sounding like when she had esophagitis after transplant. I don’t know why she would start having reflux, but that would explain a lot. Her counts are fine and her throat isn’t red like it’s drainage. Also, she’s had a runny nose since she was diagnosed in 2004. I called and talked to her nurse and she agreed that might be a good explanation. We’re upping her antiacid dose and we’ll talk again later in the week when Dr. Lewing is there. We need to find the cause so we can fix it or keep it from happening again.
The good news! The Martina McBride concert was great. It went from being good to being great. We were sitting in our free Dream Factory seats almost at the top and as far away as possible. I asked Hannah if she wanted to move and she said it was fine. When the second group started singing a DJ from Q104 came up and asked if we wanted to upgrade our tickets. She said she looks for people in far away seats and gives them free tickets in better seats. Hannah agreed immediately. We followed her down and I told her thank you and that Hannah was there with Dream Factory tickets and she was just happy to be able to see the concert. We started walking away and they called us back. Another DJ asked if Hannah wanted to meet Martina! TJ gave Hannah her backstage pass! She was so excited. I went down to our new seats and they had moved them to seats on the floor about 8 rows back. We have a picture I will try to post (we all know that isn’t one of my gifts!). It was a great night. Hannah’s throat started bothering her to the point that we left before her last song. The good part of that is that we didn’t have any traffic problems getting out.
We attended the conference on Friday and it was a great experience. It was really interesting to hear the medical side of ethical questions concerning cases. Hannah had some input too during the discussion of the teenage case. They were talking about the issue of losing friends and when a patient is old enough to have a say in their treatment (or stopping of it). Hannah lost a lot of friends, but as she says now, they probably weren’t “real” friends anyway. It is a huge problem and something that still makes me very sad for these kids. She isn’t without friends, but cancer is hard for everyone and for teens to have to deal with seeing someone their age dealing with life and death is understandably hard. Hannah was so sick for so long that it was out of sight hard to have anything in common. I must say though that her cousin was good at just stopping by and sitting in her room and reading if she didn’t feel good or doing whatever craft Hannah was into that round. Advice I have for others is to just keep being present. You don’t have to cheer them up or say anything magical to make it all okay, but keep being present (even for short periods of time). It’s comforting to know you haven’t been forgotten or that it’s too uncomfortable for people to be around you. Actions speak volumes. Okay, I got off track about the conference, but it was a great experience for us.
Hannah had her youth group lock-in Friday night so she slept most of Saturday. Sunday was the youth service and it was awesome! Hannah rested in the afternoon and didn’t feel good that night. She woke up last night with horrible pain in her throat. The extra sleeping during the day on Sat. and Sun. would give credit to the reflux being the culprit. I’m trying to convince her to stay sitting up to keep any acid from irritating her throat. She can’t stay sitting up forever but it might help in the short term. I’ll keep you posted if we find out anything other than our hunch.

But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings like eagles; they will walk and run without getting tired Isaiah 40:31

Please pray for:

1. Answers to Hannah‘s throat problem.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Monday, April 9, 2007 9:32 PM CDT

Mon. April 9:

We’re back to Hannah not feeling well again. She was sick almost as soon as I finished posting last week. She came down with pink eye and then she got a sore throat and a low grade temp. She stayed home from school on Monday because of the pink eye and went back on Tuesday. She felt worse as the week went on so I took her to her regular pediatrician on Thursday for a strep test. I didn’t think she had strep but wanted to make sure. It came back negative so I asked if they’d draw labs. The nurse looked at me like I was a little crazy, but I wanted to compare them to last weeks labs. Her white count was up and her hemoglobin and platelets were down so it was probably just a virus. She wanted to go back to school because she has missed so much. She made it through the day but didn’t make it through the softball game. (she’s the manager) It was a really cold evening and her temp was up and the neuropathy in her feet was really bothering her. I picked her up because she didn’t think she could drive home. She wanted to try to go to school on Friday because she had a couple of big projects due. She made it to 2:00 before she called to come home. She slept the rest of the day and night and took it easy on Saturday. She was feeling a little better on Sunday so we went to the first service at church then she went to Sunday school and then helped me teach the KidZ Worship during the third service. She made it through all of that and was feeling okay. We got home and took naps. I haven’t been sick but I took a nap too. Jacob worked all day and my parents came in the afternoon so we had Easter dinner. It was a good day.
I think she is feeling better today, but she’s still pretty tired. We have a full week planned. She has a couple of more softball games and on Thursday we are going to a Martina McBride concert. The Dream Factory called and offered her some tickets. Reluctantly I agreed to go with her. Ha ha! We are taking part in a medical conference on Friday. We are going to be on a panel for nurses to ask questions about communication. (I think) She has a lock-in at church Friday night so they can get ready for the youth service next week. I hope she lasts the week.
It’s good to see Hannah feeling better. Hopefully it will last a while. She is so tired of not feeling well. It’s so much better than last year, but it’s been a long time since she has felt “normal”. We keep thinking that will happen soon. I guess that’s how you get through a lot of situations. You just hang on thinking it will get better soon and eventually it does. Not always as fast as you want, but I guess that’s how you build character. Good or bad. Luckily we live life facing forward. I think we can get through the moments one at a time, but if we knew in advance what was before us we would try to find the strength for the whole journey instead of just one step at a time

I will lead the blind on roads they have never known; I will guide them on paths they have never traveled. Their road is dark and rough, but I will give light to keep them from stumbling. This is my solemn promise. Isaiah 42:16

Please pray for:

1. Hannah to feel good.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Monday, April 9, 2007 9:27 PM CDT

Sunday, April 1, 2007 10:13 PM CDT

Sun. April 1:

No news has been good news. Hannah has been feeling so good lately. Of course she still has a lot of sinus issues, but it hasn’t slowed her down. She is one of the managers for the softball team so she is busy after school until about 6:00. It is so good to see her able to have such a busy schedule day after day. We went to CMH on Friday. She had a follow up appointment with ENT and then talked to one of the nurses who is going to present her case at a conference. We also stopped by the hem/onc clinic for labs. Hannah has been having some severe cramps in her lower legs and we wanted to check her electrolytes to make sure there wasn’t anything out of whack. Her counts are the best they have ever been! They were going to do some checking to see if it might be caused by one of her chemos. The Vincristine caused neuropathy in her feet and she is on medication for it, but the more she is on her feet the more it bothers her. Maybe the extra activity with softball is just causing more pain. It just helps to know what’s causing it. We’re not very good with the “wait and see” method. Here are her great counts:
Wbc: 7.2 (I have never seen hers that high) (norm 4.5 - 11)
Hemoglobin: 14.6 (norm. 12 - 16)
Platelets: 169 (norm. 150 - 450)
ALC: 1.5 (norm. 1.2 - 4.1) This is the absolute lymphocite count and this is the first time it has been in the normal range since….probably before she was diagnosed. These cells were hit hard by the chemos she got so it is great to see them finally recovering!
ANC: 5.3 (norm. 1.8 - 7.2)
These counts tell me why she has been feeling so good. Most of her counts are on the low side of normal, but they are all in the normal range! Most of the information stated that it would take at least 12 months for her counts to recover, but it’s reassuring to see it happening. I guess that gallbladder was really causing some problems too. I count my blessings several times a day that she can feel good again.

We got good news about Christina’s CT scan. They think the spots on her lungs are blood vessels that showed up. Anything that isn’t cancer is good news. Don’s surgery was very successful. They got the whole tumor (about grapefruit size) with clear margins and the pathology report said all the cells were dead. That means that the radiation was able to kill all the cancer cells in the tumor. That is very uncommon but for once it’s good to be in the small odds! Please pray for guidance as they determine if any further treatment is needed. Cancer kind of takes away your confidence that everything will just be fine. Hopefully Blade and Cade will be able to get their next rounds of chemo this week. Nobody wants it, but staying on schedule is really important. Nathan’s friends had a wonderful fundraiser in his memory to raise money to buy Lego sets for the kids on 4H. We are grateful for these times.

Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him. Colossians 3:16-17

Please pray for:

1. Thankfulness for good days.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Thursday, March 22, 2007 9:30 AM CDT

Thurs. March 22:

Hannah is still feeling good! It has been a good run of feel-good days and it has been so nice. All she really wants is to feel good (or at least not bad). She still has bouts with nausea sometimes, but nothing that really interferes with her day. She and Jacob are on spring break this week so at least they get to sleep in. Hannah still has nights when she doesn’t sleep very well so it’s nice if she can sleep a little later. She and Christina got together over the weekend. Christina had a CT scan of her lungs this week. They had noticed some spots in December so she needed rechecked. The initial results are good so we can breath a little easier. Our “cancer family” keeps close tabs on each other and we all ride the waves of worry or celebration with each other. Speaking of our “family” please keep Blade in your prayers, he’s getting chemo right now and will be feeling pretty crummy next week. It is a long process for him and he just wants to feel good let alone be able to be a regular kid. Cade is trying to make counts for his next round of chemo and Don will have his surgery on Mon. the 26th. Please say prayers on the 26th for the doctor to be able to get all of the tumor.

Hannah has spent the week relaxing and deep cleaning her room. I’m thrilled and she has enjoyed finding some things she totally forgot she had! We celebrated Bob’s birthday last Sunday. It has really been a good week. Not a very exciting spring break, but we are happy.
*Bob wants me ask if anyone put their Ipod in his glove box. It’s a strange question, but we have no idea where this Ipod came from.

I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope. Romans 15:13

Please pray for:

1. Thankfulness for good days.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Tuesday, March 13, 2007 9:10 PM CDT

Tues. March 13:

I had planned to update yesterday, but I was really tired from our weekend. We got home about 1:00 AM Monday morning. Hannah on the other hand hit the ground running. Well almost, she had a Relay for Life meeting at school on Monday at 7:00 AM and stayed after school until almost 6:00 helping the softball team. She is one of the managers. She called me once during school to bring her pain medicine, but said she felt better as the day went on. She had a good day today too. She is really tired, but so am I and I haven’t done half of what she has.
We left for Indiana early Friday morning. Hannah didn’t feel very good on the trip up, but never got sick. We watched some weightlifting on Saturday and Hannah took a nap. Merrillville is the place where we watched Jacob’s school-age nationals in 2005 and Hannah wasn’t feeling good. We found out a few days later that she had relapsed. We were all a little nervous about going back. It’s amazing how being some place can cause so many emotions and memories to come flooding back. We weren’t going to avoid it though. Our minds knew that wasn’t what caused her to relapse, it just brought back some bad memories. Jacob was overweight when we got there so he really had to watch what he ate. He’s not used to denying himself any food so he wasn’t in a very good mood. Hannah was still eating light so our meals out weren’t too much fun! Jacob made weight on Sunday and had a good meet. He got 5th place, but he was happy because he had his best lifts. He snatched 125 kilos (275 lbs) and his clean and jerk was 156 kilos (343 lbs).
Bob’s parents came over on Sunday as well as some family friends from when I lived in South Bend in the 70’s. It was so good to see them and meet their friends. I always love to be able to talk, talk, talk and Judy and Cindy were perfect for that. They have been so supportive of us on this journey. I cannot begin to thank everyone who has stood by us and prayed for us and been concerned with us and celebrated with us. It really makes a difference. This isn’t something anyone could do alone and when it felt like more than we could handle someone would say something or sign the guestbook or we’d just see how many people had checked in on us and we would gather more strength. So, right now, we are enjoying these good days. Hannah is feeling good and staying busy and it’s great to pass it on to all of you. Thank you for continuing to check on her.

God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ t make us what we are. Ephesians 2:10

Please pray for:

1. Thankfulness for good days.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Wednesday, March 7, 2007 2:37 PM CST

Wed. March 7:
We just got home! Hannah’s surgery yesterday went as planned; no more gallbladder, one more tube in her ear. She has been in a lot of pain, but has been able to get up and walk around a little. We stayed on 2 Henson last night so this morning Amanda, Stacy, Grandma Ruby and Theresa came down to visit for a little while. It was great to see them. I can’t say that there is anything about staying in the hospital that we’ve missed. I’m glad it was a quick trip and Hannah is ready to recuperate at home. It is hard watching her cry in pain again, but she is already better than she was last night. Ever since she was first diagnosed and whenever something else would happen Hannah would say, “My body just hates me.” When we found out about the gallstones she said, “This had to happen just when I was getting back on good terms with my body!” She has a good attitude although she does say, “That doesn’t make it feel any better. It still hurts!” Some pain medicine and a few days and she’ll be able to laugh again (right now it hurts). Now she has one less organ to cause her any problems!

*Please click on Lily’s link below. Her mom added a wonderful tribute she found that I think that any parent who has watched their child battle cancer will agree with. These children have faced one of our biggest fears and they do so with such grace and dignity and are totally unaware of how they have impacted others. Through their battles they have improved the lives of so many. While we would trade it in for anything the fact is that it has happened and it is the life they have been given. I believe we should take anything positive we can from every situation and not let the negatives be in control. Life is a gift.

He gives power to those who are worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Please pray for:

1. Hannah to heal quickly.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Monday, March 5, 2007 9:13 AM CST

*Please click on Lily’s link below. Her mom added a wonderful tribute she found that I think that any parent who has watched their child battle cancer will agree with. These children have faced one of our biggest fears and they do so with such grace and dignity and are totally unaware of how they have impacted others. Through their battles they have improved the lives of so many. While we would trade it in for anything the fact is that it has happened and it is the life they have been given. I believe we should take anything positive we can from every situation and not let the negatives be in control. Life is a gift.

Sat. March 3:

Well, Hannah is finally feeling better! She has had to quickly learn how to eat low fat in order to keep her pain and nausea under control. It’s a great motivator though. She made it all day at school last week except for missing for her CT scan on Wednesday. Her scan came back CLEAR! for any signs of cancer! There were some other areas that weren’t so clear. Her sinuses, of course, showed some thickening which will most likely always be a problem. There was also a question about the mastoid bone behind her right ear. We made a quick appointment to see ENT on Thursday. The CT shows some fluid build up in the bone which can become infected and cause all kinds of problems. Dr. Latz believes it’s just fluid at this point but that it will also be a long term issue. Long story short Hannah is going to have surgery on Tuesday, March 6 to have her gallbladder removed and at the same time Dr. Latz is going to insert another tube in her right ear. She wants to drain and culture some of the fluid and try to prevent it from becoming infected. Hannah rarely has surgery with just one doctor. I pride myself on not being too wasteful so it’s only appropriate that Hannah’s anesthesia would be used for more than one procedure! It should just be a day surgery without an overnight stay.
You can’t tell by this post but it has been a very frustrating week getting appointments made and nurses talked to. I won’t bore you with details but even with my new cancer perspective on life I can still get really frustrated with some of the little stuff! I guess that’s a good sign that we aren’t in crisis mode anymore!
We are leaving Friday to go to the Jr. National weightlifting meet in Merrillville, Indiana for Jacob. It will be nice to get away for a few days. Jacob is officially going to Baker University in the fall. We spent last Saturday there for a scholarship day. Bob and I listened to speakers while Jacob had interviews and wrote an essay. It was worth a $1,000 scholarship so it was a productive day. We are all really excited about Jacob’s decision. Baker is about 20 miles away in Baldwin, KS. I’ve promised not to visit him every weekend!

Hannah is feeling better. Scans and labs continue to prove Hannah is beating cancer. Jacob is going to a great college 20 miles away and we get to spend a weekend with our 2 teenagers in close proximity! Life feels really good right now.

I will praise the Lord God with a song and a thankful heart. Psalm 69.3

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s surgery to be problem free.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Saturday, March 3, 2007 9:35 AM CST

Sat. March 3:

Well, Hannah is finally feeling better! She has had to quickly learn how to eat low fat in order to keep her pain and nausea under control. It’s a great motivator though. She made it all day at school last week except for missing for her CT scan on Wednesday. Her scan came back CLEAR! for any signs of cancer! There were some other areas that weren’t so clear. Her sinuses, of course, showed some thickening which will most likely always be a problem. There was also a question about the mastoid bone behind her right ear. We made a quick appointment to see ENT on Thursday. The CT shows some fluid build up in the bone which can become infected and cause all kinds of problems. Dr. Latz believes it’s just fluid at this point but that it will also be a long term issue. Long story short Hannah is going to have surgery on Tuesday, March 6 to have her gallbladder removed and at the same time Dr. Latz is going to insert another tube in her right ear. She wants to drain and culture some of the fluid and try to prevent it from becoming infected. Hannah rarely has surgery with just one doctor. I pride myself on not being too wasteful so it’s only appropriate that Hannah’s anesthesia would be used for more than one procedure! It should just be a day surgery without an overnight stay.
You can’t tell by this post but it has been a very frustrating week getting appointments made and nurses talked to. I won’t bore you with details but even with my new cancer perspective on life I can still get really frustrated with some of the little stuff! I guess that’s a good sign that we aren’t in crisis mode anymore!
We are leaving Friday to go to the Jr. National weightlifting meet in Merrillville, Indiana for Jacob. It will be nice to get away for a few days. Jacob is officially going to Baker University in the fall. We spent last Saturday there for a scholarship day. Bob and I listened to speakers while Jacob had interviews and wrote an essay. It was worth a $1,000 scholarship so it was a productive day. We are all really excited about Jacob’s decision. Baker is about 20 miles away in Baldwin, KS. I’ve promised not to visit him every weekend!

Hannah is feeling better. Scans and labs continue to prove Hannah is beating cancer. Jacob is going to a great college 20 miles away and we get to spend a weekend with our 2 teenagers in close proximity! Life feels really good right now.

I will praise the Lord God with a song and a thankful heart. Psalm 69.3

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s surgery to be problem free.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Friday, February 23, 2007 4:26 PM CST

Friday update:
Gallstones. Hannah had an ultrasound that showed she has gallstones. To us that is great news because it means her cancer is still in remission. Hannah’s labs are a little out of sorts but consistent with an infection and the gallstones. Her wbc dropped to 3.5 and her ANC dropped to 2,000. Her hemoglobin was about the same at 15.2 and her platelets were 157. That’s all consistent with an infection which is probably the sinus stuff. Some of her liver and kidney chemistries were out of whack which is consistent with the gallstones. Hannah had an ultrasound of her gallbladder and a repeat chest x-ray. Now, what next? First we are going to try to get her intestines moving and see where her pain level is. Worst case scenario she would see the GI docs and have her gallbladder removed. Compared to what she’s been through it’s not a big deal. She just needs some relief, but the pain and nausea are easier to manage when we know where it’s coming from. She just can’t eat much and keeps taking the Benadryl. I feel better about having let her go to school. After we were finally done at the hospital (we got to see Katrina and her mom in clinic) we went to visit one of our dogs at the vet. Sally had surgery on Monday and has been in critical condition so we have been going to visit her. She is doing better and might get to come home on Monday. Not that anyone wants gallstones, but we are happy with the news. We knew something was wrong and it’s always nice to have an answer. Even better when the answer isn’t cancer!

* Hannah is going to see Dr. Lewing at 9:30 on Friday. I need the piece of mind!

Wed. Feb. 21:

I’m going to copy and paste this from the last update:
I keep thinking that if I wait to update I’ll be able to post that Hannah is back to feeling good. I should be used to how slowly Hannah gets over any bug, but I guess I just keep hoping she’ll bounce back quickly.

Hannah had some ups and downs last week. She was feeling worn down from the sinus infection but still managing pretty well. She went on a youth retreat from Friday to Sunday and had a great time. She was feeling a little puny before she left, but it was a big deal to her and she wasn’t about to miss it. She has missed out on so much the past couple of years that she wants to do as much as she can. She had a great time. I tend to feel a little more emotional about these things now because we don’t take them for granted. Hannah was pretty tired when she got back on Sunday afternoon. There wasn’t any school on Monday because of President’s Day so she got to rest. She ended up vomiting in the afternoon and feeling pretty crummy the rest of the day. She didn’t run a fever so I let her go to school on Tuesday. It’s the “She missed out on so much the past few years that she hates to miss anything” including school frame of mind. She was a little nauseas when she got up so she took some Benadryl and ate a piece of toast. She called me at 2:30 complaining of pain in her ribs so she came home early. She was actually in a lot of pain and spent a good amount of time crying on the couch. She took some Ibuprofen and finally rested. She and I were scheduled to work at the Relay for Life table during the high school basketball game that night. I went to the school to get things set up and when I got home she was waking up and feeling “okay”. She really wanted to go (not wanting to be home alone and the whole “missed so much” thing) so I let her. We sold luminaria’s (the bags with candles in them to honor or remember those who had cancer). Hannah did pretty good, but started feeling really sick at 9:30 so we hurried home. She ended up vomiting and feeling horrible the rest of the night. We turned her alarm off so she could sleep in. I ended up worrying all night. This has once again given me flashbacks to when she was first diagnosed. She slept late, but felt “okay” when she got up. She had half of a poptart and her meds plus Benadryl (it’s good for nausea). She really wanted to go at least half a day because they were signing up for classes for next year. Did I mention that she doesn’t like to miss anything? She still hasn’t run any fevers and the rib pain and nausea are intermittent. Did I mention the flashbacks? I called her nurse (actually two of them) and came up with a plan. I felt better after these talks. It helps to talk to someone that reassures you that you aren’t off base to be worrying, but also to keep things in perspective. I won’t go into my emotional well being (or lack of) but I felt better today than last night. Julie and I agreed to gauge how she is doing the rest of the week and determine if I bring Hannah in for a CBC. Actually, I would just love to see her labs on a regular basis because I still need a lot of reassurance that everything is still okay. Hannah’s cancer comes on so fast that things can go from regular to bad pretty quickly. She has a CT scan next Wednesday so that will be a great reassurance. Nothing like a picture of her insides!

Happy Birthday Tammy! She and I share a birthday on the 22nd. I appreciate birthdays so much more now. No big plans, but an inner happiness that the problems we are facing are recovery related. Life is still good and we are appreciating and participating in everything we can. We are praying that Hannah’s stomach problems are just a stomach bug on top the sinus infection. She rolls her eyes when I tell her that she’s building up another immunity with each illness she gets.

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am … You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head … I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! … If I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. Psalm 139: 3, 5, 7,9 - 10

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s nausea and vomiting to end.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Thursday, February 22, 2007 4:46 PM CST

* Hannah is going to see Dr. Lewing at 9:30 on Friday. I need the piece of mind! She went to school all day, but hasn't been able to eat very much. She hasn't vomited though and that's good. She's asleep on the couch right now.

Wed. Feb. 21:

I’m going to copy and paste this from the last update:
I keep thinking that if I wait to update I’ll be able to post that Hannah is back to feeling good. I should be used to how slowly Hannah gets over any bug, but I guess I just keep hoping she’ll bounce back quickly.

Hannah had some ups and downs last week. She was feeling worn down from the sinus infection but still managing pretty well. She went on a youth retreat from Friday to Sunday and had a great time. She was feeling a little puny before she left, but it was a big deal to her and she wasn’t about to miss it. She has missed out on so much the past couple of years that she wants to do as much as she can. She had a great time. I tend to feel a little more emotional about these things now because we don’t take them for granted. Hannah was pretty tired when she got back on Sunday afternoon. There wasn’t any school on Monday because of President’s Day so she got to rest. She ended up vomiting in the afternoon and feeling pretty crummy the rest of the day. She didn’t run a fever so I let her go to school on Tuesday. It’s the “She missed out on so much the past few years that she hates to miss anything” including school frame of mind. She was a little nauseas when she got up so she took some Benadryl and ate a piece of toast. She called me at 2:30 complaining of pain in her ribs so she came home early. She was actually in a lot of pain and spent a good amount of time crying on the couch. She took some Ibuprofen and finally rested. She and I were scheduled to work at the Relay for Life table during the high school basketball game that night. I went to the school to get things set up and when I got home she was waking up and feeling “okay”. She really wanted to go (not wanting to be home alone and the whole “missed so much” thing) so I let her. We sold luminaria’s (the bags with candles in them to honor or remember those who had cancer). Hannah did pretty good, but started feeling really sick at 9:30 so we hurried home. She ended up vomiting and feeling horrible the rest of the night. We turned her alarm off so she could sleep in. I ended up worrying all night. This has once again given me flashbacks to when she was first diagnosed. She slept late, but felt “okay” when she got up. She had half of a poptart and her meds plus Benadryl (it’s good for nausea). She really wanted to go at least half a day because they were signing up for classes for next year. Did I mention that she doesn’t like to miss anything? She still hasn’t run any fevers and the rib pain and nausea are intermittent. Did I mention the flashbacks? I called her nurse (actually two of them) and came up with a plan. I felt better after these talks. It helps to talk to someone that reassures you that you aren’t off base to be worrying, but also to keep things in perspective. I won’t go into my emotional well being (or lack of) but I felt better today than last night. Julie and I agreed to gauge how she is doing the rest of the week and determine if I bring Hannah in for a CBC. Actually, I would just love to see her labs on a regular basis because I still need a lot of reassurance that everything is still okay. Hannah’s cancer comes on so fast that things can go from regular to bad pretty quickly. She has a CT scan next Wednesday so that will be a great reassurance. Nothing like a picture of her insides!

Happy Birthday Tammy! She and I share a birthday on the 22nd. I appreciate birthdays so much more now. No big plans, but an inner happiness that the problems we are facing are recovery related. Life is still good and we are appreciating and participating in everything we can. We are praying that Hannah’s stomach problems are just a stomach bug on top the sinus infection. She rolls her eyes when I tell her that she’s building up another immunity with each illness she gets.

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am … You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head … I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! … If I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. Psalm 139: 3, 5, 7,9 - 10

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s nausea and vomiting to end.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Thursday, February 22, 2007 4:44 PM CST

* Hannah is going to see Dr. Lewing at 9:30 on Friday. I need the piece of mind! She went to school all day, but isn't able to eat very much. Right now she's asleep on the couch, but she hasn't vomited today so that's good.

Wed. Feb. 21:

I’m going to copy and paste this from the last update:
I keep thinking that if I wait to update I’ll be able to post that Hannah is back to feeling good. I should be used to how slowly Hannah gets over any bug, but I guess I just keep hoping she’ll bounce back quickly.

Hannah had some ups and downs last week. She was feeling worn down from the sinus infection but still managing pretty well. She went on a youth retreat from Friday to Sunday and had a great time. She was feeling a little puny before she left, but it was a big deal to her and she wasn’t about to miss it. She has missed out on so much the past couple of years that she wants to do as much as she can. She had a great time. I tend to feel a little more emotional about these things now because we don’t take them for granted. Hannah was pretty tired when she got back on Sunday afternoon. There wasn’t any school on Monday because of President’s Day so she got to rest. She ended up vomiting in the afternoon and feeling pretty crummy the rest of the day. She didn’t run a fever so I let her go to school on Tuesday. It’s the “She missed out on so much the past few years that she hates to miss anything” including school frame of mind. She was a little nauseas when she got up so she took some Benadryl and ate a piece of toast. She called me at 2:30 complaining of pain in her ribs so she came home early. She was actually in a lot of pain and spent a good amount of time crying on the couch. She took some Ibuprofen and finally rested. She and I were scheduled to work at the Relay for Life table during the high school basketball game that night. I went to the school to get things set up and when I got home she was waking up and feeling “okay”. She really wanted to go (not wanting to be home alone and the whole “missed so much” thing) so I let her. We sold luminaria’s (the bags with candles in them to honor or remember those who had cancer). Hannah did pretty good, but started feeling really sick at 9:30 so we hurried home. She ended up vomiting and feeling horrible the rest of the night. We turned her alarm off so she could sleep in. I ended up worrying all night. This has once again given me flashbacks to when she was first diagnosed. She slept late, but felt “okay” when she got up. She had half of a poptart and her meds plus Benadryl (it’s good for nausea). She really wanted to go at least half a day because they were signing up for classes for next year. Did I mention that she doesn’t like to miss anything? She still hasn’t run any fevers and the rib pain and nausea are intermittent. Did I mention the flashbacks? I called her nurse (actually two of them) and came up with a plan. I felt better after these talks. It helps to talk to someone that reassures you that you aren’t off base to be worrying, but also to keep things in perspective. I won’t go into my emotional well being (or lack of) but I felt better today than last night. Julie and I agreed to gauge how she is doing the rest of the week and determine if I bring Hannah in for a CBC. Actually, I would just love to see her labs on a regular basis because I still need a lot of reassurance that everything is still okay. Hannah’s cancer comes on so fast that things can go from regular to bad pretty quickly. She has a CT scan next Wednesday so that will be a great reassurance. Nothing like a picture of her insides!

Happy Birthday Tammy! She and I share a birthday on the 22nd. I appreciate birthdays so much more now. No big plans, but an inner happiness that the problems we are facing are recovery related. Life is still good and we are appreciating and participating in everything we can. We are praying that Hannah’s stomach problems are just a stomach bug on top the sinus infection. She rolls her eyes when I tell her that she’s building up another immunity with each illness she gets.

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am … You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head … I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! … If I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. Psalm 139: 3, 5, 7,9 - 10

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s nausea and vomiting to end.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 10:10 PM CST

Wed. Feb. 21:

I’m going to copy and paste this from the last update:
I keep thinking that if I wait to update I’ll be able to post that Hannah is back to feeling good. I should be used to how slowly Hannah gets over any bug, but I guess I just keep hoping she’ll bounce back quickly.

Hannah had some ups and downs last week. She was feeling worn down from the sinus infection but still managing pretty well. She went on a youth retreat from Friday to Sunday and had a great time. She was feeling a little puny before she left, but it was a big deal to her and she wasn’t about to miss it. She has missed out on so much the past couple of years that she wants to do as much as she can. She had a great time. I tend to feel a little more emotional about these things now because we don’t take them for granted. Hannah was pretty tired when she got back on Sunday afternoon. There wasn’t any school on Monday because of President’s Day so she got to rest. She ended up vomiting in the afternoon and feeling pretty crummy the rest of the day. She didn’t run a fever so I let her go to school on Tuesday. It’s the “She missed out on so much the past few years that she hates to miss anything” including school frame of mind. She was a little nauseas when she got up so she took some Benadryl and ate a piece of toast. She called me at 2:30 complaining of pain in her ribs so she came home early. She was actually in a lot of pain and spent a good amount of time crying on the couch. She took some Ibuprofen and finally rested. She and I were scheduled to work at the Relay for Life table during the high school basketball game that night. I went to the school to get things set up and when I got home she was waking up and feeling “okay”. She really wanted to go (not wanting to be home alone and the whole “missed so much” thing) so I let her. We sold luminaria’s (the bags with candles in them to honor or remember those who had cancer). Hannah did pretty good, but started feeling really sick at 9:30 so we hurried home. She ended up vomiting and feeling horrible the rest of the night. We turned her alarm off so she could sleep in. I ended up worrying all night. This has once again given me flashbacks to when she was first diagnosed. She slept late, but felt “okay” when she got up. She had half of a poptart and her meds plus Benadryl (it’s good for nausea). She really wanted to go at least half a day because they were signing up for classes for next year. Did I mention that she doesn’t like to miss anything? She still hasn’t run any fevers and the rib pain and nausea are intermittent. Did I mention the flashbacks? I called her nurse (actually two of them) and came up with a plan. I felt better after these talks. It helps to talk to someone that reassures you that you aren’t off base to be worrying, but also to keep things in perspective. I won’t go into my emotional well being (or lack of) but I felt better today than last night. Julie and I agreed to gauge how she is doing the rest of the week and determine if I bring Hannah in for a CBC. Actually, I would just love to see her labs on a regular basis because I still need a lot of reassurance that everything is still okay. Hannah’s cancer comes on so fast that things can go from regular to bad pretty quickly. She has a CT scan next Wednesday so that will be a great reassurance. Nothing like a picture of her insides!

Happy Birthday Tammy! She and I share a birthday on the 22nd. I appreciate birthdays so much more now. No big plans, but an inner happiness that the problems we are facing are recovery related. Life is still good and we are appreciating and participating in everything we can. We are praying that Hannah’s stomach problems are just a stomach bug on top of the sinus infection. She rolls her eyes when I tell her that she’s building up another immunity with each illness she gets.

You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am … You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head … I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence! … If I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. Psalm 139: 3, 5, 7,9 - 10

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s nausea and vomiting to end.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Monday, February 12, 2007 9:15 PM CST

Monday, Feb. 12:

I keep thinking that if I wait to update I’ll be able to post that Hannah is back to feeling good. I should be used to how slowly Hannah gets over any bug, but I guess I just keep hoping she’ll bounce back quickly. One of these years! In the mean time she still has a cough, a runny nose and is pretty tired all the time. She didn’t go to school last week because she had a fever the first couple of days and they had two and a half days off for teacher in-service training. It gave her a chance to rest and our friend Sondra flew in for a visit so Hannah got some good time with her. Sondra is Joshua’s mom and she came up from Louisiana for a visit.
We went up to the hospital on Thursday so she could visit with the nurses and doctors for a while. We went to the clinic and saw Lily, Cade, Gunner and Hailey. Lily has tested positive for mono which can cause a post transplant lymphoma so they have run some more tests and are waiting for the results. Pray, pray, pray! Gunner was asleep, but his dad said everything has been going well for him. Cade has managed to stay out of the hospital since his last chemo! Hailey is doing great after her transplant in October. She just celebrated her 100 day post transplant and she is 100% donor! We went out to eat lunch with her and her parents. They were also good friends with Sondra so it was good for them to get some time together.
We went out to eat with Nathan’s parents and grandparents on Friday night. Hannah came along. She got so attached to the families on 4 Henson and she wanted to see everyone too. On Saturday Hannah went with Jacob to his weightlifting meet in St. Joe. Bob got called in for work and I went to KC for an overnight with some of my CMH friends. We had a great time and stayed up all night (literally) talking and laughing and telling stories. None of us knew each other before our children got sick, but there is a bond like no other with someone else who has heard the words, “Your child has cancer.” I think we all needed the time together outside of the hospital. They are a wonderful group of women and have helped me so much. Thanks ladies!
Hannah went to school today and came home and took a nap. I went to her conferences on Thursday and she is doing great. I still have a hard time remembering that she is a sophomore in high school since she missed out on 8th grade and her freshman year. I love how responsible she has become though. She is on the high school Relay for Life planning committee and they had a 7:00 AM meeting this morning. Maybe that is why she is so tired! Right now life is good and we will enjoy each day.

The Lord’s love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning; Lord, your loyalty is great. I say to myself, “The Lord is mine, so I hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to those who seek him. Lamentations 3:22-25

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s sinus & ear infection to clear up.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. Lily to not have mono.
5. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader

Tuesday, February 6, 2007 10:21 PM CST

Tues. Feb. 6:

I thought I’d be able to update that Hannah is feeling better, but I didn’t want to wait any longer. Her ribs are starting to feel better but she came down with a cold on Thursday. It came on pretty fast but it really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Friday night she went to the Great Wolf Lodge with 19 other teen cancer kids a few nurses and a doctor for Teen-a-pooloza. Last year was the first year they did this and she was still in the hospital so she couldn’t go. She wasn’t going to let anything keep her away this year. I really struggled with whether or not I should let her go because of the cold, but I hate it that she has missed out on so much in the last few years so I let her go with a bag of meds for her symptoms. She had a great time and didn’t seem any worse for the wear.
On Saturday I went to a Relay for Life conference and Bob’s parents came down for the weekend. Hannah and I went to church on Sunday. She was scheduled to work in the nursery and didn’t want to miss that. Notice a trend? We watched the Superbowl and mourned the Bears loss. By Sunday night she was having a lot of ear pain. She still wanted to go to school on Monday but woke up at 4:30 AM in horrible pain and agreed that she wouldn’t make it to school. We got into the ENT clinic in the afternoon and by then she had a full blown ear infection (in the ear that the tube was taken out of in Nov.). They cultured for another sinus infection and suctioned out her sinuses. She has to irrigate her sinuses every day, and she hates it; now she has to do it three times a day (while she‘s feeling crummy). With so much of her sinuses having been removed she has to do a lot of cleaning and moisturizing to keep it healthy. She is just now starting to feel okay but her ear still hurts some.
We should have a good week ahead of us. On Wednesday Jacob is signing his letter of intent to play football at Baker University. We are really happy with his decision. Baker is about 20 miles from Gardner so my college anxieties have gone down a little. Sondra, Joshua’s mom, is flying in from Louisiana Wednesday night. We are really looking forward to her visit. Best of all Hannah just has regular illness stuff and that’s pretty easy to cope with. She feels crummy, but a couple of weeks on an antibiotic compared to a couple of years of chemotherapy is a walk in the park!
The following link is a website from the high school Relay for Life chairperson. She is donating the proceeds to the American Cancer Society. Take a look and pass it on to your friends.
www.cafepress.com/cancercrusader
Please continue to pray for Don and Cade they are early in their treatment process and the future seems so daunting. A member of our church (Alan) was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and he has 2 young kids at home so the family needs our prayers. Lily had a scare and was in the ICU for a few days with sepsis (blood infection). She is a strong little 3 year old and is already back home after some close calls. Pray that she continues to improve. Blade is scheduled to be admitted for chemo on Wednesday so keep him in your prayers. There are so many that are just entering the cancer world and those still fighting in it. Those adjusting to life after treatment and life without those they love. Take time to appreciate how good the regular boring days are and always make sure to say “I love you” to your kids (and spouse, and parents and sisters and brothers and friends….).

Let your unfailing love surround us , Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalm 33:22

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s sinus & ear infection to clear up.
2. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
3. Blade, Cade, Hailey, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard (Don’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp (Cade’s site)

Friday, January 26, 2007 3:14 PM CST

Friday update:

We’re back from the clinic and feeling much better! The ibuprofin has been helping but we still wanted to go to the clinic. Her labs still look good (down from her last visit, but just normal variations) and her x-rays were good. I’m breathing much better now. Dr. Lewing made me feel better too. She seemed concerned when we got there and much better when we were done and reassured me that they were fine with us coming in whenever we needed reassurance. I’m back to believing Hannah will stay healthy. Once again I am appreciating our “normal” lives and savoring the good news!

Wed. Jan. 24:

We seem to have a lot going on these days. Hannah hasn’t been feeling these last few days so that kind of puts a damper on things. This is what cancer does. After the shock of being diagnosed and the pain and worry of treatment you are left to deal with surviving. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great problem, but it’s strangely difficult. Hannah’s ribs started hurting over the weekend and it’s gotten progressively worse. Last night she came home from the basketball game nauseas because she felt so bad. I called her nurse today to try to get some pain medicine. They want to see her on Friday morning before prescribing anything. In the meantime she is on maximum doses of ibuprofin. She came home from school today and spent the afternoon on the couch before going to bed at 7:00. It’s strange how I can have the exact same intensity of feelings that the cancer is gone forever and that it’s going to come back. I hear it’s all a part of learning to trust again. Being diagnosed with cancer (or having your child diagnosed) takes away your trust in life. It is life altering. Therefore when Hannah’s ribs hurt (and it just gets worse after trying to play it off as nothing) we start to worry AGAIN. Someday there will be enough false alarms to make us trust (at least a little) that Hannah’s well again.
Besides the ribs we did have some good times. Last Friday we met a friend and her kids at Your Other Kitchen. It’s one of those “grocery stores” where you prepare meals to freeze. We loved it. It was great to be able to visit and have fun and come away with 12 meals for the freezer. Bob and Jacob have been very happy with the results.
Hannah is busy with school and helping the athletic trainer with basketball. The basketball coach is our friend who was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in December. Right now he is getting radiation but he needs prayers for relief from the pain. Monday night Hannah had a Teen Advisory Board meeting at the hospital so we went up to the floor to visit our new friend Cade. He is working towards a stem cell transplant so please keep him in your prayers too.

Cade’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp
Don’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard

Blade was finally released from the hospital and has already made a trip back for another day of chemo.

Hopefully Hannah will be feeling better and the clinic trip on Friday will be a waste of time. We have an appointment for some spa treatments on Saturday and lots of company this weekend. We gave Hannah a spa package for her to celebrate her 1 year post transplant and I had a gift certificate that needed to be used. I think it is going to great timing!

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. Phillippians 4:6-7

(I feel better already; sometimes I have to remind myself of the even bigger picture. Thanks for letting me do that here.)

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
2. Hannah‘s pain to subside.
3. Blade, Hailey, Cade, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nickjones (Nick’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:19 PM CST

Wed. Jan. 24:

We seem to have a lot going on these days. Hannah hasn’t been feeling well these last few days so that kind of puts a damper on things. This is what cancer does. After the shock of being diagnosed and the pain and worry of treatment you are left to deal with surviving. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a great problem, but it’s strangely difficult. Hannah’s ribs started hurting over the weekend and it’s gotten progressively worse. Last night she came home from the basketball game nauseas because she felt so bad. I called her nurse today to try to get some pain medicine. They want to see her on Friday morning before prescribing anything. In the meantime she is on maximum doses of ibuprofin. She came home from school today and spent the afternoon on the couch before going to bed at 7:00. It’s strange how I can have the exact same intensity of feelings that the cancer is gone forever and that it’s going to come back. I hear it’s all a part of learning to survive. Being diagnosed with cancer (or having your child diagnosed) takes away your trust in life. It is life altering. Therefore when Hannah’s ribs hurt (and it just gets worse after trying to play it off as nothing) we start to worry AGAIN. Someday there will be enough false alarms to make us trust (at least a little) that Hannah’s well again.
Besides the ribs we did have some good times. Last Friday we met a friend and her kids at Your Other Kitchen. It’s one of those “grocery stores” where you prepare meals to freeze. We loved it. It was great to be able to visit and have fun and come away with 12 meals for the freezer. Bob and Jacob have been very happy with the results.
Hannah is busy with school and helping the athletic trainer with basketball. The basketball coach is our friend who was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma in December. Right now he is getting radiation but he needs prayers for relief from the pain. Monday night Hannah had a Teen Advisory Board meeting at the hospital so we went up to the floor to visit our new friend Cade when she was done. He is working towards a stem cell transplant in the spring so please keep him in your prayers too.

Cade’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp
Don’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard

Blade was finally released from the hospital and has already made a trip back for another day of chemo.

Hopefully Hannah will be feeling better and the clinic trip on Friday will be a waste of time. We have an appointment for some spa treatments on Saturday and lots of company this weekend. We gave Hannah a spa package for her to celebrate her 1 year post transplant and I had a gift certificate that needed to be used. I think it is going to be great timing!

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. Phillippians 4:6-7

(I feel better already; sometimes I have to remind myself of the even bigger picture. Thanks for letting me do that here.)

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
2. Hannah‘s pain to subside.
3. Blade, Hailey, Cade, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nickjones (Nick’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)

Sunday, January 14, 2007 10:12 PM CST

Sun. Jan. 14:

I haven’t updated because there isn’t anything new going on. We still think that’s great news though. We have been busy with school and work and when we get the chance nothing at all. Hannah had an ENT appointment on Wed. for a follow up from her surgery at the end of November. Everyone in that clinic was amazed at how good Hannah looked. Her sinuses are clear and the infection is finally gone. While we were at the hospital we went up to 4H to visit some friends that were in-patient. Blade was being admitted for some serious pain issues. He has since spiked a fever but seems to be on the road to recovery. Collin, who had his BMT a few weeks before Hannah was back in for complications from shingles and an unknown fever. He was being discharged that evening. We introduced ourselves to a 5 year old boy from Gardner who was diagnosed with neruoblastoma in December. He is facing a stem cell transplant pretty soon. Please check on Cade and include him and his family in your prayers. On Saturday we stopped by our friend’s house to give him a Children’s Mercy drinking mug. Don was diagnosed with liposarcoma in December (that wasn’t a very good month). He is a coach at the high school and his wife is a good friend. Hannah wanted to make sure that he was drinking enough water! It wasn’t too long ago that I was nagging Hannah about how much water she was drinking so I think she is going to really hound Don. Sorry Don, she learned from one of the best naggers around!
We’ve started visiting colleges with Jacob which is something else I‘m having a hard time with. I still have to pinch myself that life is so good right now. I also have to admit that it makes me pretty anxious. After having been so scared for the past few years it’s hard to trust that life can be this good. Talking to Collin’s mom made me feel better because she has a lot of the same fears and difficulties that I’m having. Who knew that getting well was so hard? Hannah has started doing research on the after affects of cancer treatments and what she can do to help in the recovery process. Apparently the advice I’ve been giving isn’t good enough! Go figure! These are great problems and I’m glad this is what we are dealing with.

Cade’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadestapp
Don’s site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/coachbechard

You can click on the “about caring bridge” button at the top of the page then click on “visit” and fill in the names on the top option. Please check on them and let them know that they are being prayed for. It gave us so much strength to know that Hannah was in the prayers of so many people. Nobody is prepared to have a cancer diagnosis and it is a scary lonely time. Knowing that others are thinking of you helps keep you going.

I now place you in God’s care. Remember the message about his great kindness! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God’s people. Act 20:32

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
2. Thankfulness for good test results.
3. Blade, Hailey, Cade, Don and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nickjones (Nick’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)

Wednesday, January 3, 2007 11:16 PM CST

Wed. Jan. 3:

Okay, after an embarrassing number of hours the pictures are resized and loaded!
Health wise Hannah is doing great! We went to clinic today and her labs are all in the normal range and better than they’ve ever been! I guess it was all the rides shaking them back to normal. We got to see Katrina and her mom and Blade and Connie. Blade was being admitted so we went up to the floor to spend some time with them and the nurses and of course share all the pictures of the trip (over 400 of them!).
We left the house around 4:30 AM on Dec. 21st and it was go, go, go from there! Amanda, Hannah’s cousin went with us. She and Hannah enjoy the joys of “sisterhood” without the pains of having to share a household so Hannah asked for her to come on the trip with us. We landed in Orlando and got to Give Kids the World village by 11:00 AM. We went to Epcot that night to see the fireworks and ride a few rides. We liked Epcot when we were there in 2000 and we (mom mostly) wanted to see the different country’s Christmas displays. We all rode a few rides and then the kids went back to ride them again! Hannah had a button that let her bypass the lines and get straight on the rides. We took full advantage of it!
On Friday we went to Animal Kingdom in the morning and MGM Studios in the afternoon. Once again the use of “The Button” allowed us to hit the rides without spending any time standing in line. Hannah had done her research and was pretty much only interested in “the good rides”. Luckily we all like “the good rides” and when the kids went back for seconds, thirds or fourths Bob and I got to look around. The older the brain, the less traumatic shaking it can withstand!
Saturday was an early morning because we had reservations at Discovery Cove and it was first come first serve when signing up for dolphin swim times. This whole cancer experience has forced me to let go of a lot of control but I have to confess that it (control) still runs strong in my veins! I wanted our choice of dolphin swim times so we were up and out early. Discovery Cove was better than we could have imagined. We started off by all donning wetsuits (and laughing at each other). I chuckle just remembering, anyway they have several different lagoons to swim in. We went to the coral reef first and snorkeled with some beautiful fish. The kids did great and it was better than in the ocean because 1.) the fish were all concentrated in an enclosed area and 2.) there weren’t any waves to splash into your snorkel. We also went in with the stingrays. Hannah, Amanda and Jacob got to swim with the dolphin and spent half an hour with the trainer and dolphin. It was a wonderful experience!!!! In the afternoon we went to SeaWorld. Of course we had to ride the only “good rides” they had and then watched a couple of shows. That night we had reservations at a Medieval Jousting dinner. We cheered for the green night and ate without utensils and had a great time. It was a long day, but sometimes having fun is a lot of work!
We got up on Sunday (Christmas Eve) and went to Magic Kingdom on the advice of a local who said that the park usually fills to capacity on Christmas day. It was still really packed and quite warm that day. We rode all the “good rides” and got some character autographs and pictures. This was the only day that Hannah really needed to stop and rest. The heat and crowds got the best of her, but we found an air conditioned show and took a break. Then being a selfish mom, I made her stay for the Christmas parade, but she survived! Back at the village that night Santa came to see the kids so Hannah and Amanda went to see him and Mrs. Claus.

We got up Christmas morning and opened the presents from Santa and then we had an appointment to get pictures taken with Mickey and Pluto. The GKTW village has a lot of activities planned every day. We went to Universal Studios around 10:00. By 11:00 we had been on 6 rides (and only “the good ones”) so Bob and I were ready to slow down! It started pouring rain so we bought rain ponchos and kept going. There are a lot of rides and shows inside so the rain only made us move faster between attractions! It was a great day. We got back to the village around 6:00 PM, ate dinner and crashed by 9:00 PM EST. We got up the next day and went back to Universal Studios for more of the same (except without the rain). We really liked Universal because they have a lot more “good rides” and that seemed to be our purpose. “The Button” was good at all the parks but Universal really treated her well. We got a private escort up back hallways to the rides and she got to pick which seats (usually the front or back). They also gave her a lot of the pictures from the rides and with the characters.
The Give Kids the World village is a resort for kids and their families on wish trips. The “rooms” are actually half of a house with a kitchen, family room (they had a Christmas tree up), 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a washer and dryer. There is a restaurant and ice cream parlor, a game building (more than just a room) a movie theatre, a carousel, and a “magic” castle as well as 2 pools, a train and putt putt golf. Everything is free and very kid friendly. Even though we are all big kids we still loved it. Bob and Jacob could have done without the kid sized tables and chairs in the dining areas, but we had a good laugh (every time!). They were so accommodating and it never felt crowded. They delivered pizza to our villa and in the mornings if you didn’t want to go to the Gingerbread House for breakfast they would drive a breakfast cart to your door for you to get breakfast. Jacob liked this as he doesn’t wake up very well! The weather was great; not too hot, not too cold. We got to ride all the rides again and again and again…… Hannah felt great and proved just how well she is; lots of food, walking and “good rides” and no vomiting. We were all worn out so she’s has to doing great. Having looked forward to this trip for so long I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to our dreams, but it far surpassed everything we imagined. This trip got us through many days in the hospital when Hannah was so sick she didn’t want to go on. We would talk about all the rides and imagine her being well enough to go and it would get us through the bad times. During the first 9 months of chemo she set starting high school as her goal, but when that was taken away she couldn’t come up with another goal. Disney World became her goal. Thanks to the Dream Factory for giving Hannah her dream. Dreams really do come true!

Happy New Year! May this be a year of good health, peaceful spirits and a cure for cancer!

May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Please pray for:

1. Hannah’s cancer and fungal infection to be gone forever.
2. Thankfulness for good test results.
3. Blade, and Hailey and others fighting cancer.
4. The parents whose children didn’t survive their cancer fight.

Sites of some friends we’ve made:
www.caringbridge.org/ks/zachzoo (Zach’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/nickjones (Nick’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileymarie (Hailey’s site)
www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuawade (Joshua’s site)

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