Day 0 !!!

The transplant went very well. Elijah is a little weak, and he has an elevated heart and respiratory rate. That is all expected due to such a large amount of fluid entering his bloodstream. He is beginning to get wretchy and so he may need to stop his feedings for awhile and go to TPN feedings (He would then get all of his nutrition through an IV) He is such a trooper...I can tell that he is not feeling great, but he isn't complaining a bit. He is an amazing little guy.

He received some BMT-day gifts from the child life department folks and he really loved opening his presents! He looks tired but won't give up and rest. He is laying low, watching TV and playing angry birds! Only once in the past few days did he ask to go on the elevators. He is doing so well. We are so thankful for all the prayers....even the prayers over the "little things" are being answered in very profound ways. We are so deep blessed. And we so thankful to have the opportunity to share our faith as those around us observe it.
But, I am keenly aware, that what really is going to be a testimony of our faith is not when are prayers are being answered in the ways that we want them to be. We will praise Him even when his answers to our prayers are not what we had expected. To praise God for answering our prayers OUR way and not HIS way is no faith at all.



We lost a child 5 years ago. Did God not answer our prayers then? Didn't enough people pray? Never once did we God let us forget that He was answering our prayers in His time, through His divine perspective of what was best. And we have had many opportunities to share our faith in the tough times over the years. And through Elijah's story, we have been given the opportunity to wear our testimony on our sleeve...it is out there in the open, and we pray that we won't miss an opportunity to share our faith--not just when God is doing what we want Him to...that would be such a tragedy.

I believe that through it all, the assurance of Romans 8:28 is our stronghold. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Our prayer would be that our faith would shine through when it appears to others that our prayers are not being answered. God is good...so much better than good..all the time.

Pictures of Elijah during Transplant!

Elijah's Transplant has begun! There is more than 425ml of marrow to infuse and it will take over an hour to complete. That is a large amount of fluid to add to this little boy's bloodstream. It is inevitable that his blood pressure will rise because of the sheer volume and they are ready to treat that as it begins to rise.  He is sleeping through everything for the most part. He is becoming somewhat agitated and is very shaky when he wakes up. The nurse is monitoring his vitals all throughout the transplant. The marrow is very thick and so it is dripping slowly but all is well.

His blood pressure is 145/109..That is very high as expected. The staff is doing a great job taking care of him.
Now it is time to pray that Elijah's body would not fight off the new marrow and that the donor cells would find there way quickly and settle deep into Elijah's bones.

Elijah is such a gift to us. We have been so blessed to have him in our lives. He has been given such a special gift today..the gift of bone marrow from someone across the country who didn't't know a thing about him except that he had a need. And we are so grateful for her sacrifice. She is such a gift to us.

For I know the plans I have for  you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.
                              Jeremiah 29:11

God has great plans for you, Elijah...and He will be faithful as He holds you tight within his grasp.