Some Cloudy Day

4-30-12.....Today has been a beautiful rainy day, thank you Lord for the beauty around us even when our lives are cloudy. The Home Nurse cam by and drew Heaven's labs and the counts came back as follows.....
wbc---1.0
hemo.---7.4
hema.---20.6
platelets---21

We will be heading to Roanoke for Heaven to receive 2 units of blood tomorrow morning, we have to be there at 9 a.m. We will be there for a w...hile. Was going to go and visit with Emili Gomez at the Community Hospital where she is receiving Phy. Therapy. We will still go, we may be going later but we will go. Lord willing. Also, myself and Samantha along with our neighbor Veronica Dolpp were going to head to the Y for some Zumba but I am staying home with my baby girl untils he feels much better. Thank all of you for the prayers and thank you Lord for strength, mercy and grace. ♥ to allSee More

 

Tired

‎4-29-12.....Heaven is having a so so day today. For a bit she has some energy and then the next thing you know she has to sit for a while. The has "petechia" all over her legs and it looks rough to me. She is so trying very hard to smile through all that is going on. She will be haivng labs drawn again tomorrow so we will see then how things are going with her couts. Melissa Sheets, I will let you knwo if we can make it or not next Saturday, it will all be according to how Heaven feels. ♥ Please pray for our family for the devil is certainly attacking big time right now...and he isn't letting up and I am so trying not to let him win.

Transfushion Today

Getting ready to head to Roanoke for Heavens platelet transfushion. Then afterwards I will be heading to the Ronald McDonald House to fill out some forms so we can hold hte meetings for the F.A.C.T. Support group for the Hem/Onc Clininc (gonna be so much fun). and the myself , Samantha and Heaven will be heading to either Firehouse Subs or Ci-Ci's for lunch. Love you all and may you all enjoy this beautiful sunny day that Christ has blessed us all with today. ♥
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Made it back from Roanoke, Heaven had her platelets and of course, I thold them she had never had benadryl with platelets...they didn't give her one and she started breaking out afterwards. It was jsut one little area but it was caught before we left the clinic...so that means benadryl for platelet and blood transfushions from now on.
Also, I have the F.A.C.T. Meetings set up from now until December for the Hem/Onc Clinic support group. Yay!!! very nice atmosphere there and I believe its gonna be great. Vicki, thanks so much for the flyers, I really appreciate them. They actually came today, wish I could have gotten them before leaving this morning but thats o.k. We will be heading back to Roanoke on Tuesday to drop the flyers off at the clinic and to go by the Community Hospital to visit Emili G. Gonna be a great day spending it with my girls. ♥
And for right now...I am heading to the gym.....c-ya.....xoxo

Truck is fixed and Heaven's counts aren't

‎4-26-12.....Today I had to take the truck to GR Chevrolet to get the Fuel Sensor replaced...they were a super nice bunch of people. Took them a while to fix it but now I know how much gas I have. lol. The Home Nurse came by and drew Heavens labs and her counts cam back as.....

wbc---0.9
hemo.--- 8.3
hema.--- 22.5
platelets---10

We have to leave in the morning to go to the Hem/Onc clinic so Heaven can get a platelet transfushion.....to date this will make 20 platelet trans. and 24 blood Trans. Lord willing from here on out her counts will start to go up. Please keep the prayers a coming. Thank you all so much and Lord I thank you for the strength you have given us all. ♥

Bracelets are ready!!!!!

You can now go to our Bracelets for Cancer page and check out all the new Bracelets that are now available. They are for donation only so that we can help the Carilion Pediatric Hemotology/Oncology Clinic in Roanoke, Va. so they will be able to help families with children, like ours, that are fighting with Childhood Cancers, Leukemia & Blood Disorders. Please feel free to contact me at anytime with any questions that you may have. You can contact me through E-mail at gesus4gives@yahoo.com

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‎4-25-12.....Heaven has had a much better day today, but she says that her eyes still have a burning feeling to them, not sure why but if it keeps on I'll let the Dr. know. Todya is also Heavens sisters birthday. Today she turned 16 y.o. Wow, time certainly is flying by fast. Labs will be drawn tomorrow so we can see then where she stands with her counts, not really wanting to take her anywhere until her ANC is on up there. Hope you all enjoy this beautiful that we are having. ♥ to all.

Eyes feel weird

‎4-24-12.....Heaven woke this morning not feeling to good and was saying that her eyes were hurting, when I asked how they were hurting she then pressed on mine and said that it felt like they were swollen (the eye balls). So i put an eye drop in each eye and later asked how they felt and she said they felt ok but still not as usual. I pray this isn't something coming up from behind us to try and ...attack from behind. Other than the eye issue, Heaven finally went outside for a bit for some sun and fresh (country) air and she seems to be doing pretty good considering all she has been through in such a short time frame.

I would love to thank all the Nursing Staff on the Pediatric Floor at Carilion Roanoke for all of your help and expertice in helping Heaven as well as all of the other children that pass through those halls each day. Thank you all so much formt he bottom of our hearts. We love you all. ♥ Lord thank You for sending us to CCCH for I believe if "we" had went anywhere else, i dont' think she would have gotten such great care and the situation may not have turned out as well as it has. Thank you all for all your prayers sent. May Christ be with you all.

Cloudy Morning.....Labs Drawn

4-23-12.....Heaven's home nurse came by this morning and drew labs and we are now waiting ont he results. I will be takingthe truck Thursday to GR Chevrolet to get the fuel sensor replaced ont he truck, if we dont' get it there soon we will have ot pay full price instead of the deductable. Thank you all for you continued prayers for without them we would not be where we are today. ♥ you all.
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Heavens temp. was 99.3* and her BP was 98/64 (if I am remembering it right) She is feeling pretty good today but we are staying home until her counts come up really good and stay there.
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Just thought I'd let you all see what these kids have to take on a daily basis, some kids take lots more and some kids take less. But below is a pic of what children with A.M.L. have to take each day, most are meds and some are supplements. The black container in the background is Glutamine which Heaven takes 12 grams daily mixed in water. And we wonder why these kids aren't that hungry. Please don't complain the next time you have to swallow only a couple of tylenol.

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Just received news from the Home Nurse and her counts are as follows.....

WBC---0.7
RBC---3.09
Hemoglobin---9.3
Hematacrits---26.0
Platelets---32

Heaven will have to continue on with the antibiotic through Thursday, this is when the Home Nurse will be back to draw labs again.

Heading Home Soon again

4-21-12.....Today Heaven had to have a platelet transfushion due to the fac tthat they came in at 27. Her wbc came up to 1.0 which is good beings it is on the rise. Right now her and Sam are in the teen game room having a blast. We will be heading home here within the next couple of hours or so. This visit has been very interesting and also very entertaining as to the way some of the residents ar...e. lol. We are glad though to be going home, now I can work on getting the Support Group for the Hem/Onc Clinic up and running...its gonna be awesome. Keep praying for our family and also for the others that are jsut now beginning the journey that will transform them forever. ZLord, I ask today that you give them all the strength they will need.
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We made it home around 4:15 p.m. this evening and then about an hour later the Home Nurse arrived and she reinstated in the system where she had been at the hospital and then discharged, so we went through the proper paperwork for that, then she checked Heaven and took notes and right before she was done and getting ready to leave.....the sky opened up, so she stayed about another 20 or 30 minutes just chatting and waiting for the tsunami to pass. lol. Heaven instantly went outside when we arrived home and after the nurse had checked her vitals.....boom!!! out the door Heaven went. It's good to be back home. The home nurse will be in on Monday to draw labs to see how everthing is going and if her counts are coming up any. Againa dn again I will ask that you all continue to keep us in your prayers as well as all of the other Oncology patients.....don't stop for the road is very long. Thank you all again for the calls and the cards with sincere words of encouragement. ♥

Things are looking good.....

4-20-12.....Good Morning everyone, I hope you are all able to enjoy this wonderful day that the Lord has blessed each of us with. I spoke briefly with Dr.Edwards in the hall (he hasn't been in yet) and he told me that if Heaven continues throughout the day today and tonight without any fevers or nose bleeds that we can go home tomorrow. AMEN!!! Heaven slept very good last night beings she still had the remains of 2 doses of Benadryl in her. This morning her WBC was 0.7 and her hemo and hema had risen to an acce[table level and her platelets were 34, so if we go home tomorrow she will probably have to be on an antibiotic until her WBC's come back up to an appropriate level.
Samantha went yesterday and sat in the cafeteria and worked on some of her school-work and took in all the smells of the yummy foods down there. As for me...I am making fabric yo-yo's to pass the time. Thank you all for your continues prayers and as I have stated before...please don't stop for there is a large portion of this road that we are on has yet to be traveled. Lord, I pray that you keep your loving hand upon each on of our family and friends out there and help us all to continue doing Your will. Thank you Lord for all your many wonderful blessings and may we all learn to appreciate each and every one of them.
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 Update on Heaven...at 6:56 p.m. Heaven's nose started bleeding and didn't stop until 7:20 p.m. so ita lasted more than 15 minutes but certainly not a 5 hour one like the other day. We have laughed so much today with Heaven and Samantha that my head hurts. Praise the Lord. Samantha actually took the rubber gloves and put them on her feet. LoL that was so funny, I will post a pic later. Heaven is jsut been laughing at us but to see her laugh makes me feel so good. I met one of the other Moms today (actually she wanted to meet me) and we are going to go and chat here shortly, her son was diagnosed a little over a month ago with Osteosarcoma and she is at that stage where I once was and she needs someone to talk to, so I will do as another Mother done with me, be there. Love to all and thank you all for praying.

Back in Roanoke

4-19-12.....Well, at 2:15 a.m. we arrived at Carilion Childrens Hospital due to borderline fevers before bed last night. I always take her temp. before I go to bed and last night they were 100.5 at 10:30p.m. and 100.7 at 11:15 p.m. & 11:45 p.m. Cntacted Dr. Edwards and he decided since whe was borderling to 101* that he suggested that we bring her on up to the hospital instead of he and I staying ...up all night back and forth on the phone. So right now we are in the PICU and she has been accessed and her labs drawn so her ein a little bit we will see if she needs any blood/platelet or both transfushions.
Lord, thank you for the safety in traveling up here and for giving us a smooth ride..... a little foggy in places but only a few deer on the roads. Please continue to pray for Heaven and our family as we continue on with this journey that Christ has set before us. ♥
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Just received the counts back from the CBC.....

wbc---0.6
hemo---7.3
hema---20.2
platelet---24

There not going to transfuse her as of right now because she isn't actively bleeding and they will draw more labs tomorrow. Also, we will probably be moving out of the PICU somtime today beings she hasn't had another fever since we arrived earlier this morning.
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O.K. Heaven is getting ready to receive 2 platelet and 2 blood transfushions. Reason beings is Dr. Edwards is bringing in an ENT Dr. to see if there is a vessel in her nose that may need to be carterized. They are giving her the transfusions now so that if there is an open vessel that the nose bleeds can't be blamed on low counts.
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O.K. So far so good, no fevers, no nose bleeds, and the ENT Dr. came and checked her nose and suggesed that we wait and see what takes place before trying to carterize anything. So...now we will see what comes with tomorrow. Thank you all for your prayers.

Rainy Day and not Feeling Well

‎4-18-12.....Heaven hasn't felt very good today, she has had 3 nose bleeds and several blood clots. She is weak and becoming pale. The Home Nurse will be here tomorrow to draw labs and I have a feeling her counts are going to be much lower than Monday. Her fever rose to 99.7* today and that as high as its gotten so far. Lord, thank you for holding our family within your mighty hands.

More Rawness/More Nose-bleeds

4-17-12.....Heaven woke with a little more rawness in her mouth and now she is already on her 2nd nose bleed. The first one lasted for less than 5 minutes and this 2nd one has been going for about 10 min. so far. I am now on the phone with the Hem/Onc Clinic in hopes to be able to have some "Magic Mouthwash" called in to CVS for her. I have a feeling that her platelets are probably bottomed out and her wbc can't be to good either beings they were already bottomed out yesterday.
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Here is just a little tidbit that everyone should know about cancer.....Just because you have cancer doesn't mean you are not a person. Because you have to be a very strong and tough person and have the will power to defeat the beast called cancer! Cancer victims are tough and are people too, and I wish others would also realize that cancer patients are not contagious or fragile. Just love us and stand by us.

A better Day?

4-16-12.....Today is a much better day for Heaven, Home Nurse will be coming by later to take a CBC (draw labs) and then she will be back on Thursday for more. Her mouth is feeling a little raw and she can swallow any meds at this time so I am trying to get her to at least get the Glutamine in her and Lord willing later she may be able to take her Fluconazole. Keep praying for as I said before...the road is still long. ♥ to my Saviour Jesus Christ and to all that are in continual prayer.
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Heaven's labs came back and the results are as follows.....

wbc---0.5 --> so basicly the 2 units she received last night pumped right out her nose.
Hemoglobin---8.3
Hematacrits---22.8
platelets---62

I think we may be heading back in a few days due to the fact that her mouth is becoming raw. The only way I can get her Fluconazole (anti-fungal) in her is by crushing it between 2 spoons and mixing it with the Glutamine. I jsut ask that we all continue to pray. ♥

Early morning munchies...Turns into ER trip

4-15-12.....Well, Heaven had a decent night but was up at 3 a.m. eating grapes and drinking hot chocolate. What a mixture. Her nose didn't start bleeding until 12:10 p.m and it is still going at 12:55 p.m. I am giving her until 1:10 p.m. and then I am calling the Dr. to see what they want us to do. Please pray that it stops but where her platelets are low that is probably whats causing the long bleed. ♥ to all and hope you have a wonderful day in the Lord.
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Will be heading to Roanoke in about 15 minutes. Gonna get Heaven some platelets. Her nose is still just a dripping, no matter how hard she tries to stop it. Bless her ♥ she so doesn't' want to go but we have to.
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‎3 hours later and Heaven's nose is still bleeding. She threw up 4 huge blood clots in the restroom and just as I was trying to get someone a Nurse that had worked with Heaven on the Peds floor was walking by and I grabbed her. She still hasn't gotten any platelets as of 3:33 p.m. We are in the ER and it is pure H._.L.L in here. 3 people have died, several traumas have come in and the people at the Front desk.....I'll just stop at that. I have never been in this ER and I do not want to come back. I'll keep you posted as to how things progress.
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Heavens wbc is 0.6 and her platelets are 5 so probably after the Home Nurse draws labs we will probably be back up here for a blood transfushion on Tuesday.
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‎4 hours 10 minutes later and her nose is still bleeding. BP is 105/57
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 ‎5:55 p.m. almost 5 hours later.....her nose has subsided just a bit, but she was able to get a 2 huge clots up. They tried the nose tampons and she went balistic as it shoved one of the clots to the back of her throat and she couldn't breath to good and she finally was able to get it up. She is calm now and I think the nurses here finally see that I am not as dumb as they thought.
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‎10:50 p.m. and Heaven just now has gotten done with her 2nd blood transfushion. So, Lord willing, we will be on our wayhome in a little bit, not sure how long discharge papers will take. {{sigh}}

Work Out then home to.....

4-14-12....Got a good 1 1/2 hour workout int he Nautilus and Free weight Rooms at the Y. Arrived home to Heaven having a slight nose bleed and then turn around 5 minutes later and here comes another one...her temp jumped to 99.9 and then down to 97. 3. This is a rollersoaster right now. Her nose bleeds at the minimum of 3 times a day and now I am going to have to stay on top of her temps. Lord, keep Your loving hand upon her ♥ Hope you all have a wonderufl day and that some of you will learn how to enjoy the sunshine. :-)
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Heaven isn't feeling to good right now. Her temp is 99.5 and she is sleeping. Gonna have to keep at it but now my thermometer battery is dying.....go figure.....ol'devil might as well mess with a battery like he has everything else today. We so need a vacation.

Heavens Labs Drawn

4-12-12.....Heaven had her labs drawn around 8:45 a.m. this morning...now we will wait patiently for the results. We are getting ready to head up to the YMCA and were gonna hang out there for a while. I am loving the workout on the total body reconstruction. woot woot!!! Will update as the counts come in. Hope you all have a wonderful day in the Lord. :-)
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Had a good day at the Ymca, and one of the trainers that works there set up a regimine for Heaven to work on when she is there....worked out pretty good, I actually feel like I worked out today. Now if it will all start toning...that will be good. LoL

Heaven's labs came back earlier today but I was at the Y so I didn't have a chance to put them in until now...man things can change so fast with leukemia blood counts.....Check out the difference.....




             4-8-2012     4-9-12     4-12-12
wbc          5.1             6.5            1.3
platlet      131             73              53
anc         4700          6300          130

I know that this is taking place due tot he chemo that she had last week. Her nose has bled twice already today and the second thime there was a big clot after about 10 minutes of bleeding and it still going so but not as bad as it was (25 minutes now). I have a feeling once her labs are drawn on Monday that we may have to go in the Clinic on Tuesday for a trasfusion of blood or platelets, so plese keep those prayers coming. ♥ to all

4-11-12.....A Lazy Day for Heaven

4-11-12.....Heaven wakes up this morning and the first thing that takes place? A nose bleed. She has had a nose bleed for the last 5/6 days (some days were 2/3 times a day), it doesn't last long but I know it can get aggrivating for her. Also, the first thing she asked for to eat was.....Pizza Rolls...lol,,,I guess some things never get old. She will be resting alot today beings that yesterday she walked and swan alot at the YMCA and she is really tired. Going to enjoy the sun today and Lord willing we'll be able to get some much needed house work done. ♥ to all and we pray you have a wonderful day.
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So far today Heaven has had 3 nose bleeds and came to me this afternoon and told me that she was feeling pressure on the right side of her heart, but it only took place when she would eat or drink something, so I told her that we would jsut monitor how she felt over the course of the next 4 to 6 hours. So far, she has felt o.k. so I will make mention of this to her Dr. as a "just in case". Please continue to pray for her because the road is still a long one and she will definately need your prayers. Thanks and we love you all so much ♥

Heading Home Soon

4-9-12.....Heaven has gained 10 lbs this week. Yay!!! When we arrived she was weighed and she was 103...today she is 113.2. Amen!!! Today is gonna be sorta bitter sweet, having to leave all the friends that we have made over these last 5 months, but we will come and visit them during Clinic visits. We are waiting on Dr. Edwards to come in and give us the final run-down on things. I asked for another CBC to be drawn this morning so that I can make an appointment with Dr. Wilson (our family dentist). She is due for a cleaning soon. Once we receive more information I will update again. ♥ to all and enjoy this wonderful day that Christ has blessed us with.
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Well, it's 11:50 a.m. and we are now waiting on discharge to come in and release us. lol. So we will be heading home really soon. Also, I'll upload the pics later but all the RN's and the CLS, Dietition & the Social Worker cam in with silly string and they were spraying Heaven and sing a cute little song about how she needs no more chemo. It was fun to watch her expressions. Several employees have come by the room to tell us that they will miss us and then asked if we would come and visit. Gonna really miss the people here, they are good people.

The CBC counts that came in from this mornings labs are as follows.....

WBC--6.5
RBC--2.77
Hemo.--8.5
Hema--24.0
Platelets--73
ANC--6.3 (6300)

Some of the counts dropped but that is due to the Bactrum (Septra) that she has to take on the week ends that keeps her from getting the Pneumosystis Pneumonia...this is the only Med that she will be on while at home. Again and again we will thank you all here at the hospital and clinic for all your hard work and for everyone that has prayed for our family. Thank you. Lord, again, thank you for the ones that you placed before us and for laying out our journey the way you did. ♥ you all ♥
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We have faced the Giant and have overcome. Amen
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Psalms 18:1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.

Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

Psalms 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psalms 18:4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

Psalms 18:5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
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Resurrection Day!!!!! and Blessings x2

Wow!!! I have used this word a lot lately. Today marks the last chemo treatment that Heaven will have to endure. I thought back and realized that 5 months ago (do you see the number of grace?) that we arrived the day after Thanksgiving and we are leaving the day after Easter...makes us more "Thankful" for the "Resurrection". We have been traveling in a valley that our Saviour saw fit to hand us and without a doubt He has been here all the way with us, He has guided us, strengthened us, humbled us, taught us, and has had us in His hands. We have cried until it seemed there were no more tears to cry, we have laughed so hard that we cried, we have learned so much in such a short time, we have held each other up, and we have leaned on each other as well. We have strengthened our friendships and we have made many new friends along the way. We have formed bonds with the Doctors that Christ has set before us and we are forever indebted and eternally grateful to them. They have been there by us along the way informing and teaching us, helping us to stand when we felt like falling, helping us to understand when we felt like screaming, helping us to see when we felt like running.
We have faced one of the worst things that a parent/child/family would ever have to face, but by Gods grace...we made through. Amen!!! I don't know how things would have turned out had we not known Christ personally and had a personal relationship with Him and being so close to Him. Our faith had definitely been increased, our spirits made stronger.We would not have had it any other way. Jesus I love you so much and I can't wait for the day that I will get to meet you face to face, and I thank you for my family, friends, new friends. I thank you for seeing us through what was some of the darkest hours in our lives. I thank you for helping our other children to become stronger in faith by watching you work in Heaven life. Thank you for going to Calvary for me and everyone that has breath in them. Thank you. We love you all so much and thank you for sacrificing time to pray for Heaven and our family.....Christ definitely heard the prayers of our friends. Thank you for all the encouraging words and gifts that you sent, for all the visits and cards, for all that you done. Thank You
Also, today I almost cried...I had to hold back the tears becasue Heaven received a visit from the first Resident Doctor (Dino Barhoum) that she had when we first got here. He formed a bond with her that was like no other. After her first round of chemo, he was transferred to another Dept.(ED) and we didn't see him anymore...until today...he surprised her with a visit. How he found out she was here you may ask? Well, the Resident Dr. (Robert Masocol)that has been here for the last 2 hospital visits we have had knew him and this morning when he came to check on Heaven, I asked had he seen Dino, he hadn't but he knew he was here and he paged him to let him know that Heaven was here. It was so good to see him and Heavens face lit up and her smile...oh to see her smile. It was a grand visit. We made pics but they will have to wait until I get home before I can upload them. When he had to leave it was hard to see him go again but we will meet again. Thank you Dino for making her last day a great one.
Also, we received her counts form the CBC that they took around 6 a.m. this morning...I almost fell out in amazement!!! Her counts are as follows...
wbc---5.1
hemo.---9.0
hema.---25.7
platelet---131
anc---4.7 (4700)

Heavens WBC and ANC hasn't been this high since we arrived here in Nov. 2011.....God is so good to us. Thank you Lord. And again we Thank each and every one that has prayed and prayed and prayed. Thank you and may Christ bless you all abundantly.

It's Saturday :)

4-7-12.....Heaven had another good nights sleep, now I am jsut waiting to see how she feels when she wakes up. Tomorrow she will be receive her last treatment of Chemo. Praise the Lord!!! Thank you Jesus for holding our hands through this valley. ♥
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Pneumosystis Pneumonia is a detramental type pneumonia to the kids with cancers so Heaven will continue to take the Bactrum to help keep her from getting extremely sick that can be fatal. But it will be prevented by using this med.
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Heaven hada taste for some different foods so, I went downstairs and all the restaurants were closed, except for the pizza parlor, tired of pizza. Anyways, Me and Erma (Emily's Momma) went to Subway and I bought a meatball sub for Heaven, then I went to Arby's and got her some curly fries a hot ham & cheese and mozzarella cheese sticks...so she is good to go for a while. When I arrived back I walked into the room and her nose was bleeding so I turned around (beacause my hands were full) and let the RN and Resident Dr. know and they came to the room and after a little over 5 minutes it was done. Praise the Lord!!! Thank you al for your continued prayers. ♥ you all

Smurf Chemo

4-6-12.....Heaven has literally slept since about 9:00 p.m. last night and is still sleeping...that Benadryl must have been potent. Anyways, I stayed up until after midnight jsut so I could see what Heaven nick-named "Smurf Chemo"...Oh, my is it blue!!! THe RN last night (Jennifer) said it was the first time she had ever seen it herself. It ran over the course of 30 to 40 minutes and we were infor...med to look for bluish-green urine and also that the whites of her eyes could turn a bluish-greenish-yellowish color. I have included a picture of the "Smurf Chemo" for you all to see. Heaven will be on this through Sunday. I read that it is used for AML patients, Patients with advanced prostate cancer, breast cancer patients and patients with Hodkin's Lymphomia.
We will definately be keeping an eye on her temps and her BP even after we leave the hospital for it says that side effects can show up after about 10 to 14 days, so if this happens...we will bw abck up here for about another week or so. Thanks you all for your prayers, for thinking of us and your well wishes. Please continue on with praying for Heaven and our family. ♥ to all
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Heaaven still isn't up to par for the course today, but she does have an apetite and I am very thankful for that. She has eaten so good and I pray that she continues to eat like this to continue to add weight that is needed. She was visited be a few different people today and it was very interesting to meet them too. Below are a few random pics that was taken throughout the day. Hope you all have a wonderfu day in the Lord.

First up...this is a label that no child should have to see.

This is a gift that Heaven picked out that came from Brinks & Wells Fargo employees

This is a gift from Kim Dickersons 3rd grade class at Gilbert Linkous Elementary School in Blacksburg, Va. Really sweet of those young children to think of other children that will be in the hospital over easter weekend. I'd give them all a hug if I could.

This is a gift that came fromt he Harman Family in memory of their son Chance Harman. So sweet of them to continue on with his memory and to continue to give back.

Here is a pic of Heaven's bag of Cytarabine...1460mg

This is the Harman Family Bunny that came to visit all the children here at Carilion Clinic Childrens Hospital. It is so sweet of them to continue on with their sons legacy.

This is Heaven's bag of "Smurf Chemo" or "Smurfamiacin" and Dr. Edwards calls it. In reality it is called Mitoxantrone. This is some mean stuff.

Praying today is good/New chemo drug

4-5-12.....Last night was a good night. No low BP or high temps. Heaven slept well and got a good nights sleep. Lord willing today will be jsut as good. ♥ you all
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Heaven isn't feeling to good right now.....her tummy is giving her a fit due tot eh fact that she went ot hang out with her RN (Daisy) at the nurses station, and she kept hearing a lot of throwing-up, so she had to come back to the room and hang out. Her last vitals were 96.3 temp and 113/63 BP. Hoep she feels better soon. ♥
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Heaven isn't feeling any better. I have given her a couple of saltine crackers about 20 minutes ago and that isn't helping. The RN (jennifer) had the Resident Dr. (Robert) order some Benadryl and she has it going now, but that won't ake effect until about 20 to 30 minutes. Also she is getting a new Chemo drug called Mitoxantrone (Blue in color) that Heaven refers to as (Smurf Chemo) and it can turn her urine green and the whites of her eye blue or green. It is used for people that have AML. It has several side effects so we are going to have to keep a close eye on her tonight through Saturday. Please continue to pray for her that Christ will bring her through all this. ♥ you all.
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Heaven is knocked out from the Benadryl...has been for about 30 minutes now. I pray that she feels better when she wakes back up. Lord, help her feel better and help her get some good rest...thank you Lord for giving us the strength we have needed as a family to get through this valley. ♥

Low BP

4-4-12.....Well this morning around 5 a.m. Heaven BP dropped to 79/35 so the Resident Dr. suggested a Bolus to run over an hour and as soon as the bolus was finished her BP was 104/51. So now we are a few hours later and her BP is looking much better. Her temp has really good. We will see how today goes and pray that I can remember the question I was going to ask Dr. Edwards.....it seems that I can't even remember to write them down. lol. that is not unusual. haha. ♥ you all
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Temp was 99.4 and BP was 105/51...Also Emily felt well enough to come in and visit Heaven for a while...they were both ont he iPod texting eah other...so funny, we were having a good ol laughing time in the room today. Hey God's Word says "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine." The RN's tried to get Emily to smile adn all I had to do is look at her and say on word and she and Heaven both jsut smiled away. To sweet. You all certainly are missing it. <3 you all.
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Brian Free and Assurance " Not One "

With this valley that Christ has seen fit to allow us to walk through, I have found that Not One thing has gone past Him that He hasn't known about. ♥ to all and I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do because I could not have said it better myself.

The Final Round

4-3-12.....Well, it's 7:10 a.m. and we will be leaving for Roanoke in about 20 minutes. This is Heaven's last round of chemo (6 days of intense chemotherapy) and she'll be done...Praise the Lord!!! Amen!!! We are still gonna have a long road ahead of us after this so please continue praying for Heaven and our family. ♥ you all.
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Heading for Home Base.....We arrived at the hospital at around 9:10 a.m. and before we went to the Peds floor, Heaven wanted to go and her Granny Carolyn first...that took us all of 20 minutes just to get in the room. She looks good and is progressing well, please continue to pray for her. She was trying so hard to talk to Wayne and then took his hand in hers and I know she was saying that she loved him, then Heaven went and gave her a hug and Carolyn kissed her on the cheek...so sweet <3. Heavens chemo will go for 6 straight days of a total of almost 3300mg per day...so please continue to keep her in your prayers and our family. Thank you all for what you have done thus far and I want to thank my Saviour Jesus Christ for seeing us through this valley...may we always want ot be close to the Lily. <3 you all and I will update and the days go on.
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Here, Heaven is patiently waiting to be accessed.

Here is her new quilt that those 20 wonderful ladies made for her.

Her decorated room

Heaven's Room with a view

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Dr. Edwards just informed us the Heaven does NOT have to have a Bone Marrow Biospy.....Praise the Lord!!! She only has to have the Lumbar Puncture..WooHoo!!! Glory!!! But she is so hungry, she can't have anything until afterwards and where they have been so busy this morning it will be 1:00 p.m. or later before they can do the LP. Poor baby, I know she will eat afterwards though.

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O.K. we left right at 1:00p.m to go so the Lumbar Puncture could be done and Praise God all went well, we have jsut now gotten back to the room (which is only 1 room away from where the procedure took place) so it took allof 1 hour to perform. We will get the results later today or tomorrow. Thank you all for your continued prayer.

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Heaven was given a new nausea med called Decadron, so lets all pray that all goes well. She is now getting ready for her 1st big mg of chemo at 3:10p.m., Lord come and stay with us and keep Heaven safe from any harm. Amen.

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Dr. Edwards jsut came in and let us know that the spinal fluids came back clear...no wbc, no rbc and no blast. Praise the Lord!!!!! To God be all the glory!!!

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I may not understand why I face certain trials, but what I do know is...God is good and I will trust in Him, for He has wonderful plans for me and a purpose that is beyond my understanding.

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Heading to Roanoke for last round of Chemo!!!

Update::: I got a call form the Home Nurse earlier today and her counts are as follows.....

wbc---4.6
rbc---3.34
hemo.---10.5
hema.---29.4
platelets---141
anc---2000

So we will be leaving at 7:30 a.m. in the morning to head up to Carilion Roanoke for her last round of chemo. Amen!!! Glory to God!!! Please continue to pray for Heaven and our family because this journey through this valley is far from over, beings she has to go and have Clinic visits once a month for the 1st year and so on. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support and remember that we ♥ you all.

Home Nurse is Here

4-2-12.....Well,it's 8:30 a.m. and the Home Nurse is here right now drawing labs from Heaven, so we will find out between 1 and 3 p.m. if we go back to the hospital tomorrow for her last round of chemo. Her BP was 102/64...good job. Heaven is actually taking pics of theneedle in her arm, lol. We will be heading up to the YMCA at around 11:00p.m. so we can start workinng on getting much healthier with our diets and excercise. Thank you Lord for all the people you have surrounded us with that love You and want to do Your Will by praying and helping others. ♥ you all and I will update later when I get the information.

It's Sunday!!! We are going to Church!!!

4-1-12.....WoW, where is time going? Its moving so fast and I am not even that busy of a person. Hmm. Well, Heaven is up and feeling good this morning so, she and I will be heading to church with hubby and sissy for the 3rd time since Nov. 25th 2011. Praise the Lord!!! I miss my church family so much and they mean so much to us...going to be thanking my Saviour for ALL He has done for us and for ...bringing us through these valleys the past 5 months, I know He will continue to guide us though. Haven't heard any new news about Wayne's Momma, but no news is good news. Lord keep Your hand of healing upon her and Your Will be done. Love you all and may you all have a wonderful Sunday...enjoy it for "This is the day that the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." ♥
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Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Psalms 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Psalms 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalms 1:4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Psalms 1:5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

Psalms 1:6 For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.