Birthday Blessings

Good morning! It seems today is my birthday! Thank you for all the thoughtful wishes. Today's birthday blessings came in the form of a little girl. I was blessed enough to wake up next to my daughter who was wrapped around me. When she opened her sleepy eyes, she turned and said, "This is my birthday present for you!" And she hugged me tight with her teeny tiny skinny minny arms and that little embrace did something good for my soul.

So today, along with everyday, there are things to be thankful for. More wonderful news came in that Ava's platelet levels were high enough to possibly go home without a transfusion! We are still waiting for the doctors to round but that seems to be the consensus. AND Ava's WBC went down to 1.17 with blasts of 40%. Even though the statistics have been sluggish with little movement, we are staying hopeful that in the next few days she reaches a level of ZERO and NEGATIVE for WBCs and for blasts. Kids that have minimal residual disease at the end of this first month, again, have a harder time overall.

There were some prayer requests that were answered that I don't think I highlighted enough in previous posts. 

Answered prayer requests...

1) There were no detectable Leukemia cells in Ava's spinal fluid. This is HUGE as kids that have cancer cells here are more likely to relapse.

2) In the midst of these trials, we experienced a lot of comfort. We never felt alone even one step during this journey. That is a testament to the type of friends and family we have. Thank you so much for your support.

3) Ava's blood transfusions went well and she did not have any reaction to them. Her platelet levels have also gone up which might mean we don't need another before we go home.

4)  Gwen has been in great spirits and looks like she is beginning to adjust to our new routine.

5) Ava's WBCs began to trend downward again indicating that the chemo is still at work.

Thank you for your continued prayers! Our God is more than able and we are more than conquerors! 



"31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:31-39