We have left, hopefully forever, the season of code red for our family. For two and a half years now, we have been on constant watch, constant alert with tight nerves watching every move Sarah's body has taken. Now, we are looking at the toll it has taken on Sarah and on all of us. We have been advised to seek counseling and actively seek out opportunities for healing. There are not many resources, amazingly, to help navigate the after-treatment effects, both physical and emotional and social, for a cancer kid and the emotional effects for the siblings and parents. We are even looking into helping be a part of the solution for that problem. But for now, we are starting with counseling. At the end of the month, we will be going out of state to the only off-treatment cancer kid family camp I have found where they have counseling and group sessions with other parents and kids. It will be four days to focus on what we have not been able to deal with before now.
Then in September we will be going to a cancer family retreat in Alabama to continue with our family's rebuilding. I am a little apprehensive to start this new season, but I know we cannot continue to operate as a family where we are right now.
When Sarah's life hung in the balance by the day, there was no time to spend on anything other than her immediate treatment. Now, the effects of the past two years are large before us and continue to creep up in daily life for me and Jay, for her closest sister, Hannah, and even a little for Rebekah. In some ways, it is similar to post traumatic stress disorder, but on the flip side, it is like living in a small town your whole life and then traveling to the most amazing places of the world and going back home again, only to realize you can never fully convey where you have been and what you have seen and experienced. It has been a terrifying journey and yet a grace-filled miraculous one. I pray that our family gets the help we need at this stage.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
At the flour mill
Sarah was asked to be a part of The Portrait Project: Courage and Cancer. She went for her photo shoot this week in the old flour mill in Downtown McKinney. It was such a neat place to take pictures. You can see some pics of her and the other cancer kids here. https://www.facebook.com/portrait.project
There will be a fundraising event where each child's picture on a large canvas will be revealed. The event will be in September, and the money raised will go to the Children's Cancer Fund in Dallas.
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Sarah wasn't feeling her best during the photo shoot but really wanted to make it through. She has some fever tonight and a sore throat. She also has continued to have some strange, dry, itchy, rash-like patches on her hands and arms and face. The doctors said that during this time of recovering from the chemo, many bad things can occur. So, we are just living one day at a time, still, and praying our way through each thing that comes. I guess that's what we all should be doing anyway:) But in the daily rush, we forget. Even this mom of a cancer kid. So we can even be thankful for the chemo side effects as it brings us back to living full right in the moment. I need to do more of this.
There will be a fundraising event where each child's picture on a large canvas will be revealed. The event will be in September, and the money raised will go to the Children's Cancer Fund in Dallas.
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Sarah wasn't feeling her best during the photo shoot but really wanted to make it through. She has some fever tonight and a sore throat. She also has continued to have some strange, dry, itchy, rash-like patches on her hands and arms and face. The doctors said that during this time of recovering from the chemo, many bad things can occur. So, we are just living one day at a time, still, and praying our way through each thing that comes. I guess that's what we all should be doing anyway:) But in the daily rush, we forget. Even this mom of a cancer kid. So we can even be thankful for the chemo side effects as it brings us back to living full right in the moment. I need to do more of this.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Kohl's Cares
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Thank you to all of you that have donated money and snacks. You have been a blessing to so many cancer kids.
We just got back from our two months in Alabama. It was a great time of serving and seeing Jay's family.
We will post some pictures from our adventure there and tell a few fun stories soon.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
800 days
On January 18th, 2010, Sarah received her first chemo treatment. If my math is correct that means we are over 800 days of being in a chemo treatment program. Tonight, we pray, it will be the last night she takes a chemo pill. Praise God!
I went back and read the blog post from January 2010 and I cannot believe it is over. I remember receiving the program from the doctor in the hospital and I immediately did the math and said she will not finish until 2012!! Thank God, we've made it to 2012!
In all of this, I have been amazed how strong our Lord has made Sarah. I've admired her attitude and maturity during this process. This maturing process is also a sad aspect as she will never be that little girl that I carried into the hospital in 2010. This experience has forced her to be a young lady much too fast. Life has changed for all of us, we will never be the same. I praise God that the Anchor, Jesus, never changes. His love has been constant and unchanging. It did not matter if we were at the depths of despair or highest of joys, we could not be separated from Him and His awesome love.
As people read our story, our hope is that the theme has been constant. The best way to end is by a hymn that was written to encourage a person going through a terminal illness. It describes our journey in such a powerful way. God Bless,
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
I went back and read the blog post from January 2010 and I cannot believe it is over. I remember receiving the program from the doctor in the hospital and I immediately did the math and said she will not finish until 2012!! Thank God, we've made it to 2012!
In all of this, I have been amazed how strong our Lord has made Sarah. I've admired her attitude and maturity during this process. This maturing process is also a sad aspect as she will never be that little girl that I carried into the hospital in 2010. This experience has forced her to be a young lady much too fast. Life has changed for all of us, we will never be the same. I praise God that the Anchor, Jesus, never changes. His love has been constant and unchanging. It did not matter if we were at the depths of despair or highest of joys, we could not be separated from Him and His awesome love.
As people read our story, our hope is that the theme has been constant. The best way to end is by a hymn that was written to encourage a person going through a terminal illness. It describes our journey in such a powerful way. God Bless,
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
In pain but doing better
Thanks for your prayers yesterday. The only problem we had was a delay with the doctors' arrival but we were still home by 1pm.
You can see pictures of Sarah, mommy and her port.
Please keep praying for Sarah as she is on pain medicine. Her chest hurts from the port removal and now her back is hurting. They saw some bruising from the injection to her spine so they told us this was going to be a painful recovery. She has mixed emotions on pain medicine and just finishing steroids so she is going up and down with emotions.
The next big day is Saturday. She will take the last chemo pills on the 24th, which is also Deborah's 1st birthday! We will have a big day.
Blessings,
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Reminder to pray for Sarah tomorrow
Sarah goes in at 6:00 AM tomorrow for her surgery. They will remove her port and give the last spinal tap. Please pray for a smooth day and that the pain will not be too bad. This week has been very emotional as we finished the last chemo push, steroids, methotrexate and now we are removing the port. So pray for all the family as we deal with this in our own way, including little sisters. :)
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