There were so many really cool gifts that were raffled off.


Our friends, the Nelsons, stopped by for lunch. Sarah was able to be there for part of the day, but when it got really crowded at dinner, we had to take her out. Since she is on chemo, she can't be around lots of people.


Mikaela and "pa"


Jen's sister, Jessica, and "ma". Our kids love Jess, and they were hanging with her all day.


This restaurant is cool. They have flat screen TVs at every single booth! Pretty cool! The kids loved it. They turned the game off and put on cartoon network!

All is Well

Thank you for your prayers.They are definitely being answered. Sarah continues to do well. We haven't seen any negative side effects from the chemo or any of the other drugs yet. Her appetite does seem to be increasing a bit, which is to be expected. We are enjoying some time off from the hospital with our next visit not scheduled until next Friday.

Caleb has been enjoying lots of playtime with his buddy "Ra- Ra" I love watching them together. It brings so much joy to my heart to see how much they love each other already.

The girls have been enjoying going to the play put on by the youth at our church. They went to the dress rehearsal last week, and are at the show tonight, seeing for the third time already. They plan to go next weekend too! They really love it!!! They also started a dance class this morning. My parents graciously gave this gift to Mikaela for her birthday, and are also providing babysitting or taking them to class. It's so good for them to be able to do fun stuff during this time.


We would love to see many of you at the fundraiser in honor of Sarah on Monday. Here is a look at the flier that Dave's brother and his wife put together. If you need more details, check back a few posts and you can see more there. Hope you can make it!

So far...

so good. Sarah did great again today. She didn't fall asleep until the very end, but for the most part the day went well. We came home with some Zofran to try to help keep any nausea at bay. Up to this point, she seems to be tolerating everything pretty well. We got a new kind of steroid tonight to try. She was not having any part of the other one. We have so many different kinds of medicines already, we're calling it a pharmacy!!

Anything for our little girlie.....

Another Day

Lamentations 3:21-25
"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him. The Lord is good to those who wait for him."

Today starts another day. This day we start chemo. It will be another long day because in order to protect Sarah's body she has to be well hydrated. So, they will check her when we get there and won't start the injection until she is sufficiently hydrated. Once she is hydrated, the actual injection is only 1 hour, but they need to hydrate her afterwards as well for 4 HOURS!!

If you would once again pray that the side affects would be minimal. After the treatment on Friday she spent much of the evening throwing up. She was such a trooper. Also, would you pray for us as we are trying to give her three other medicines twice a day. They all taste pretty bad and she is putting up quite a fight. Can't say that I blame her. Thank you once again for praying for us.

Green Turtle fundraiser

My brother and his wife, work at the Greene Turtle Sports Bar and Grille in Columbia, MD. On their own initiative, they had the idea of putting together a fundraiser for our family and for Neuroblastoma research at the restaurant! It is going to be a fun time!

There will be a number of different things going that day. First, throughout the day, there will be a raffle going on. There are a number of really cools things that will be raffled off. You simply buy some raffle tickets (as many as you want) and stick them in the jar to possibly win the prize! The more tickets you put in, the greater your chances of winning! The prizes range: gift certificates, DC/Balt area sports team tickets, Terps gear, weekend getaways, Restaurant gift certificates, vacation packages, golf for a foursome at a local golf course, etc. If anyone would like to donate a prize to be raffled off, please let us know!

In addition to the money raised during the raffle, the owners of the Greene Turtle will VERY generously donate 10% of all the food and drink purchases to the overall pot of money collected! So, just coming in, hanging out, and having lunch or dinner as a family will support the cause! In addition, we'll be selling Neuroblastoma bracelets to raise awareness and money for research.



Our whole family will be there for as much of the day as possible. We are hoping to have Sarah there as well, depending on how she is doing with her chemo. Bring the whole fam and come hang out with us! So, mark your calendar for March 31st and join us at the Greene Turtle in Columbia, MD!

Strength

Deuteronomy 33
....and as your days, so shall your strength be....the eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

As I prepare for another long day, this time by myself, I am trusting in the strength that I know God will provide. So grateful that Dave was able to go with me yesterday. It's so nice to have him with me for the "firsts".

Just wanted to clarify a the treatment schedule for everyone. We're new at this, so I feel like we are stumbling our way through this. The drug that Sarah got yesterday and will get again today, is called IVIG. It is not chemo. I can't tell exactly what it does without looking it up, but what I do know is that half of the drugs she is getting are used to help counteract all the bad stuff from other drugs, or from bad stuff her body is doing to itself. After today, we have the weekend off, because our doctor knew that trying to get to church on Sunday was important to us. Monday, we start steroids, and a few other drugs from home. Those will be everyday. Tuesday we will start chemo, and Friday, and for the next three Fridays after that, we will give her a drug call Rituximab, all which have to be done from the clinic. So we went from the once a month idea I had in my mind to a very full schedule. All the days at the clinic are basically 8 hour days. So, if you would pray for Sarah and I at the clinic we would be grateful. Also, would you pray for the other kids and the wonderful people that have so graciously offered to watch them for entire days. It is humbling that someone would take in another three kids for an entire day. We are grateful.

Round 1 is over

Seven hours later...this is the result! Thanks for all your prayers for us today, God has answered them! Sarah's body accepted the treatment perfectly, with no adverse side affects! Round 1 is over. Round 2 begins again tomorrow morning. God is good!