The cells are growing! The counts are coming in slowly... Elijah now was .3 white blood cell count. That is still very low but it is an improvement! His mouth sores and sore throat are continuing and his temps persist. It has been two weeks of elevated temps but that could just mean that his body is working extra hard to grow those cells. We are so relieved to see some cell growth...giddy even!
I have learned that this journey isn't about a good day or a bad day but much more about a good hour or a bad hour. He has had some welcomed "good hours" today..but still some bad ones. But, he remains as precious and sweet as ever. I think the staff really enjoy him...and his ever increasing army of stuffed animals. Each one of them have been poked, prodded and examined by more doctors and nurses than most any other stuffed animals around.
There has been so much going on these last few days. Tyler left to return to Kenya this afternoon. We had such a great time while he was home visiting, it was really tough to say good bye again. We packed up school supplies, clothes and other items for the him to bring to the children's home. Tyler's wit and insightfulness always amaze me. He is such a gift to our family. I miss him so much already.
This morning, we atttended the funeral for our young friend, Zachary. He was 18 years old with so much life to live. He was so loved by so many people and by God. His life impacted so many others--there were so many people gathered to honor his memory and to come together and grieve. If only Zachary could have known how much he would have been missed...if only he could have been able to look to the future and not been afraid of the unknown...If only he could have witnessed his family as they leaned on each other, supported one another and cried out to God for mercy and peace. If only...
The goodbyes that we have said today have left us with a passionate plea within our hearts:
We will hold our children tight while we have the chance...
We will thank God for each day we have with them...they are a gift to be treasured.
We recognize that we can not do everything right as parents, but we can love with all we have got....no matter what.
We will remind our children always that our deep love for them can not even compare to the love their heavenly Father has for them...
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| Maisy Summer 2011 |
