Journal

Friday, December 19, 2008 10:21 AM CDT

Day 1,633. Hello everybody! Sorry it has been such a long time since my last update, but I just got off for Christmas break last Thursday. I have been extremely busy over the past several months in college, but I really love it. I am very happy to report that I got straight A’s during my fist semester at college! It wasn’t easy, but now I have learned that studying really pays off. Some of the courses that I took were pre-calculus, golf, developmental psychology, context of culture, health, and biology. Biology was both the hardest course that I took and my favorite. It is so interesting to learn how complex and amazing the bodies that God created are. In the class, we also spent some time talking about the many different types of cancers, how they are caused, and what effects they have on the body. The course has strengthened my desire to pursue a career in the health field even more…Speaking of careers; I shadowed a radiation therapist at Duke Wednesday. I learned about their new technologies and even watched them set up the machines to administer radiation to patients. I had time to ask the therapists a few questions about where they went to college, what they like and don’t like about the job, the hours, etc. It was all very interesting to me and I still feel like being a therapist is my calling. The only thing that I still haven’t decided is how I will go about getting the degree. I could finish my four years at Meredith College and then go into the program at UNC, or I could transfer to UNC after my sophomore year at Meredith, which would be two less years of college, but a harder route. Decisions, decisions…

Last Saturday, Dad and I took Christmas gifts to a family whose child was on 5200 several weeks ago. Marcus is two months old and was born with a disease called Krabbes Leukodystrophy. He lives in Durham with his two older brothers, his mother, and his grandmother. His dad had to go back to Michigan, where they are originally from, so that the family could still pay the bills. The boys arrived after their mom hid the gifts, but we went ahead and gave them a few things. We brought over 20 fleece blankets from RBC Bank (that my church helped make last year) for the 5200 unit. We let the two older boys choose one for themselves, and my church sent one for Marcus. One of the boys chose a camouflaged blanket, and the other chose John Deere. The rest are used by the Family Support Program on 5200 so that each patient on the floor can receive one when they arrive…The employees that work with my dad at RBC Bank bought brand new toys and clothes for the children so that we could deliver them. In addition to this, they provided lots of gift cards to the family to help them out with financial needs. This is the 5th year the bank employees have done this. My Dad said that this year alone they have provided over $8,000 to the 5200 Family Support Program, the Me Fine Foundation, and specific families. They are a fantastic group of people!! Here are a couple of pictures that we took while at the family’s apartment in Durham.

I held Marcus for a long time. He was so sweet! His mother made the bracelet for me that you see on my arm.



Here is Dad with the family.

The boys really loved their new blankets. The employees at RBC also raised enough money so that we could take dinner to the families on 5200 that same day. We took lasagna, salads, and bread from Carrabba’s restaurant, and one of the ladies that works with my Dad made dozens of homemade cookies and breads.

On Monday I went with my grandma to visit my Great Aunt Bonnie. Mom mentioned Aunt Bonnie in the last journal entry. She recently finished her radiation and chemo, and is doing very well on her road to recovery. Her positive attitude during her journey with lymphoma has been an inspiration for anyone that has met her. While I was there, I took a picture with Aunt Bonnie, her poodle Isabelle, and the bear that I gave her from Meredith College…



I have been talking back and forth to a young girl from the UK. Her name is Nia, and she has the same form of leukemia that I had – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with the Philadelphia Chromosome. She just received her bone marrow transplant twelve days ago and is working on growing some healthy cells. Please pray for Nia on her difficult journey and, if possible, leave her a few words of encouragement in her guestbook.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In Christ,
Meredith

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