Taking Each Day As It Comes

We are learning to take each day as it comes. This week started off with Mom battling a major headache and really bad nausea. Tanya spent the day with her on Monday and it was a rough day for Mom. By Monday night she asked for no visitors so she could get some much needed rest. Thankfully her doctor was able to switch around her medicine and she is finally feeling some relief. Her headache and her nausea have subsided for the time being. Thankfully as this week went on she has been feeling better and better! Her counts are continuing to drop, but her appetite has returned a little. She was being fed through an IV for one day, but since she started eating again and keeping it in they stopped feeding her this way. She has started having cravings again for certain foods which is great! Anytime she asks for something we try and get it for her. We usually end up sharing her food with her, but let me tell you it is not easy eating with a mask on!
Today marks two weeks already since she was admitted to the hospital. Her spirits are still up and she is eagerly awaiting to return home! We know the road will still be long and we may hit a few bumps, but Mom has been taking everything in stride and is doing so well! We thank the Lord for His amazing faithfulness and providential care. We truly see Him working in her life and granting her all the strength she needs to battle through each day.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you not forsake you." Deuteronomy 31: 6

Patience As a Patient

Alex and I just returned home from a very nice visit with Mom. The past few days have been especially hard on her. She has been battling a very bad head ache and has been dealing with nausea. She has been very restless and also not able to sleep well. Yesterday she was taken out of her room to do a CT scan of her head to rule out anything serious causing the headache. We were nervous about her leaving her room, but it needed to be done. Thankfully the scan came back clear. The nurses now believe the headache is a result of the drugs and that her counts continue to drop. Each day her blood counts are dropping, which is expected.  They will continue to drop until the point when engraftment happens. The nurses stressed again the need for her visitors to be healthy and have no cold or flu symptoms. At this time mom has requested that only her immediate family visit with her. We are thankful that as a family we have a range of different schedules so we are each able to visit with her separately as well as together. Today Tanya was able to spend the morning with her. Dad was able to spend most of the afternoon with her, and Krista could have dinner with her. Tomorrow Shawn hopes to spend the morning with her listening to a sermon.
Visiting with Mom this evening she reminded us that when you are in the hospital you are called a "patient" for a reason. You need to be patient as a patient. She wants us all to remember that the transplant will take time and that it has only been a few days since the transplant. Yes we all want to see immediate results, but we know this is in the Lord's hands and when the time is right we will begin to see the healing take place.
This evening Mom was not restless, but she was tired. She had been suffering from nausea most of the day, but thankfully it had subdued by the time we visited. It was very nice to just sit quietly with her.
As the days continue I will do my best to keep you all updated. Mom, Dad and the whole family thank you very much for all the continued prayers and well wishes. It is wonderful to be surrounded by such a loving community.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Psalm 130: 5

The Beginning Of A Long Journey

Today marks the beginning of a very long journey for Mom. The transplant took place at 11:30 this morning and it took 1.5hrs to complete. Mom was surrounded by her brother John and his wife Amanda, her sister Jackie as well as Tanya, Krista and Melissa. This evening Dad, Shawn and myself had a nice visit with her. She is still dealing with a fairly bad headache and is fairly nauseous.
The transplant day itself is fairly anticlimactic. The next few days, weeks and months are when we will begin to see the results. From here on out the doctors check her counts daily to see when they begin to go up, this marks the beginning of the engraftment process. Starting today Mom is also on a strict transplant diet for the next 100 days.
We thank you all for your prayers and thoughts for today! It was another long day but the Lord continues to hold each of us in His loving care.

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:22

Here are a few pictures from the past couple days.

Mom's brother John going through the process of harvesting the stem cells. Thankfully he was able to donate all the cells needed in one day.  

 Always smiling!

 The amazing machine which makes this possible:

Here is Mom receiving the stem cells today:

Harvesting Day

Good morning. Today is the long awaited day for John's (my mom's youngest brother) stem cell harvesting to occur. This past week he has been having daily injections to boast his stem cell counts. These injections have caused him to be fairly uncomfortable and have caused some bone pain. Today he will be donating his bone marrow which will be a long day for him. He will be sitting in a chair for 8 hours and is not allowed to leave the chair. Thankfully Amanda is able to sit with him and keep him company! Mom is hoping to spend some time with him as well if she is feeling up to it. If they are able to harvest enough cells today he may not need to come back tomorrow for more harvesting.
Please keep John and Amanda in your prayers today. I am sure it will be a long and tiring day for them.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

Continued Treatments

This past Sunday was Mom's birthday and Krista was able to spend the whole day with her. The rest of us were stuck in our homes because of the ice storm. Dad was able to spend the day with Alex, the boys and me. We had a nice day playing games, watched a sermon and relaxed. Thankfully the weather let up enough for all of us to make it to the hospital to spend the evening with Mom. On Monday she was still feeling well enough to go for a walk through the hospital with Tanya and myself. We grabbed a delicious lunch and we ate together in her room. Last night she had a great visit with John and Amanda, Jackie and Dad.
This morning she started a new drug, which caused a fair amount of nausea, and she is still battling a bad headache. This is the first day where she is really feeling the effects of the chemo and the other drugs. According to the nurse all the side effects she is feeling are expected.
Mom wants to thank everyone for all the lovely messages, phone calls, Facebook posts and Facebook messages. She feels bad for not replying to all your messages, but we told her everyone fully understands!
From here on out we ask that you contact either myself (Megan) or Tanya if you wish to visit with her. Starting tomorrow she will be in full isolation so anyone visiting must not be sick! Each day she is feeling different so we are taking it day by day.  
It is hard to see the treatment beginning to take its toll, but we take much comfort in knowing she is in the Lord's care. Thank you again for your continued prayers.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." Isaiah 41:10

Treatment Has Begun

After an eventful end of the week we are happy to report that mom's treatment is going smoothly as planned. Thursday night she didn't sleep too well, mostly because of a drug she was given made her feel a little loopy as well as it was her first sleep in the hospital. The Hickman port was successfully put in on Friday and her first round of chemo was administered that same day. All of the IV's have caused a lot of bruising on her arms, which is a bit painful for her but this is healing nicely as well. The Hickman will thankfully prevent this from happening again in the future. Most of us were able to visit with her throughout the evening. She has also been able to visit with a few of the grandchildren, which she loved!
This morning John (her brother and stem cell donor) came to the hospital to receive his first of 5 injections that he will receive daily. Thankfully the next 3 shots can be administered at a clinic closer to his home in London. The last shot will given again at Juravinksi on the donation day. Mom was able to visit with him for a few hours, which she really enjoyed. He will not need to return to Juravinski until next week Wednesday when they will begin harvesting the stem cells.
Mom was also able to visit with my boys Jackson and Austin this morning. Since they are both not fully immunized, once she goes into full isolation (next Wednesday) she will not be able to visit with them. We had a lovely visit and Jackson loved seeing Oma again (he is the only Grandchild allowed calling her Oma!). Each of us children and Dad got to visit with her today, which was great!
This afternoon she received her second round of chemotherapy. She generally feels well after receiving it, she mainly just gets tired and has bad taste in her mouth.
Tomorrow Mom celebrates her 61st birthday! We thank the Lord for all the many, many rich blessings He has shown her through the years! She hopes to have a quiet day and in the evening we plan to celebrate as a family together at the hospital.  
Please continue to uphold her in your prayers. We pray that things may continue to go smoothly. Each day she will be feeling the effects of the chemo and will become more and more tired. Please continue to pray for Dad as he continues working and adjusting to life at home. All of your prayers, calls, emails and messages are very much appreciated.

This Bible text reminds me of mom very much. She has been joyful and full of laughter, which is wonderful to see! 
"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." Proverbs 31:25

Admitted Today

The day has finally arrived for mom to be admitted into the hospital. After a long day waiting for her Hickman port to be surgically put in, it was rescheduled for tomorrow. Thankfully she was still admitted and the procedure will now take place tomorrow. This does not change the schedule for her upcoming treatment and transplant. Thankfully she was placed in her own private room, where she will be staying over the next month. The room is spacious and has a great view! Tanya and Melissa were able to spend the whole day with her and she was very thankful for the company.
We (Louise's children) all had a nice visit with her this evening. She is very much at peace with everything, which is wonderful to see. We were discussing how we don't really like hospitals, but she said this is where I am going to get better! We all take comfort that she is in good spirits and seems to be taking everything in stride.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7