Greetings, Dear Friends!  Long time no chat. ;-)

I hope you assumed at this point no news is good news.  If so, you're correct!  In June Meg passed the 18 month post-transplant mark and we are glad to say things are going well.  On the medical side, Meg had a bone marrow biopsy and some other labs/tests done in June.  We met with her team, including the lead doctor, last week for the results -- everything looks good!  Labs look good, bone marrow looks good, chimerism and the DNA of her bone marrow still fully donor.  Praise God!  We're so thankful for an uneventful clinic visit with no news!  The only thing they are watching is her iron overload.  At the moment, Meg's numbers are trending down and as long as that continues the plan is to keep watch.  If the iron spikes, they would have to take action, but we honestly don't expect that to happen.  We asked the Lord to be with us and give us courage throughout this Adventure and He has done great things.  We claimed Joshua 1:9 as a theme verse and rested in the promise that the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.  So thankful for His mercy and work in Meg's life!

Meg's physical, emotional, and mental health continue to be somewhat in recovery mode as she rebuilds herself from the ground up.  A bone marrow transplant after 22+ years of chronic anemia takes a lot out of a person! ;-) But she is still working and going to class and getting back into normal life.  She is scheduled to graduate in December with a Nexus degree in film production from Georgia Gwinnett College in partnership with the Georgia Film Academy.  We're very excited for her!

Meanwhile, Meg celebrated her 24th birthday back in march (complete with a sombrero and a song at a Mexican restaurant), was able to attend Momocon in May, and is looking forward to not having to go to clinic again until September!

Thanks for walking with us on this Great Big Bone Marrow Adventure!  We could not have done it without all the prayers, encouragement, and support this community has shown us!  Thank you to our ongoing platelet donors.  Even though Meg hasn't needed platelets, others in our clinic still do.  There's still a national shortage of blood and platelet donors, so I encourage those who are able to donate!  I also encourage you to register with the Be the Match donor program - it's easy and you can do it from home! If not for a donor across the globe, Meg would not be in recovery today!

Click here to join Be the Match bone marrow registry

Click here to schedule an appointment to donate platelets in Atlanta

Click here to find a Red Cross blood donation site near you

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Grace and peace,

Jennifer, Meg, and the Covington clan