tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36035465035453174882024-03-18T21:39:48.682-07:00The Erickson All-StarsCelebrate Life!
Celebrate Family!
Celebrate Friends!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-74730531628971229192020-02-14T08:32:00.001-08:002023-02-11T17:56:42.265-08:00E I G H T<div style="clear: both;">Every year on Valentine's Day, or to our family, Transplant Day, we celebrate new life. Eight years ago today, Nicolas gifted Emilie with a second chance of life which also means that Emilie has been in remission for eight years.<br />
God's favor and mercy is something that I still don't understand. What an amazing gift, orchestrated beautifully by Him so that we could continue on as a family of five.<br />
<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHc9eBBbJwDelJZn__59rQG8pLT4J1GZloH8qG4UiGqKB37h8FWswh_Bn5ZZDSjcudZiyrl2eV92Nctq68bUKbLJOtp-rHlAZKWp9Bqai02KgLv-nrY6JgHvsjK078BB9bJKL-DLkZXDT1mtlHsJUKEsv1VP4YDLTbciXYjpDlr7G-dHhXLkksNHN1g/s1570/330166799_526601726280399_5594635440179642113_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1570" data-original-width="1570" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHc9eBBbJwDelJZn__59rQG8pLT4J1GZloH8qG4UiGqKB37h8FWswh_Bn5ZZDSjcudZiyrl2eV92Nctq68bUKbLJOtp-rHlAZKWp9Bqai02KgLv-nrY6JgHvsjK078BB9bJKL-DLkZXDT1mtlHsJUKEsv1VP4YDLTbciXYjpDlr7G-dHhXLkksNHN1g/w640-h640/330166799_526601726280399_5594635440179642113_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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Read about DNA and God's Plan <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-2003-when-i-first-found-out-that-i.html" target="_blank">HERE!</a></div>
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Read about A Hero in the Shape of a Brother <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/2012/02/a-hero-in-shape-of-brother.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope! Romans 15:13 (Msg)</span><a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="https://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-70343418885279220862019-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:002019-02-14T06:00:07.510-08:00S E V E N<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2gDiMdluodbwNhBmHKyb5PppDRvzvcObjgZ5JuAuCnuJS1luC5P7B3_clpUvSOnTQ_ocnQ9q7IrfJ3fp8kk3z2xVdltMMtfzG2aavZtHZfvKlXoBdKLfsGqaEga7FfF93s3pPqV4Duie/s1600/nic+em+2019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ2gDiMdluodbwNhBmHKyb5PppDRvzvcObjgZ5JuAuCnuJS1luC5P7B3_clpUvSOnTQ_ocnQ9q7IrfJ3fp8kk3z2xVdltMMtfzG2aavZtHZfvKlXoBdKLfsGqaEga7FfF93s3pPqV4Duie/s640/nic+em+2019.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Seven years ago today, Nicolas gifted Emilie with a second chance of life which also means that Emilie has been in remission for seven years. Every year on Valentine's Day, or Transplant Day as we like to call it, I just want to thank God for giving us Nicolas and for extending Emilie's life. God's favor and mercy is something that I still can not wrap my head around. What an amazing gift, orchestrated beautifully by Him so that we could continue on as a family of five. I reflect daily on this gift and am so, so very grateful!<br />
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Read about DNA and God's Plan <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-2003-when-i-first-found-out-that-i.html" target="_blank">HERE!</a></div>
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Read about A Hero in the Shape of a Brother <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/2012/02/a-hero-in-shape-of-brother.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>!</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope! Romans 15:13 (Msg)</span></span></div>
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-35767305417200560892016-02-14T08:51:00.002-08:002023-02-11T18:03:43.727-08:00These Two!One thousand, four hundred and sixty days ago, Emilie received the best gift ever...a gift that gave her a shot at life...a bag of bone marrow from Nicolas (story <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/2012/02/a-hero-in-shape-of-brother.html">HERE</a>). Not only do they have the same cells, but they also have such a sweet relationship. We are so grateful for the love and friendship that these two share and for the grace and mercy that God continues to show us!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8P0ki7da5uyEkFg78-y3PF4diWoFJEv1tDgngc0M3rh3visAo6TicNr9yaMYBdhUk_f4xZS6_3Lxv62ODNkfsD4zPuz7bI9MrVyutVbk3ZDEr2T3T9OCw9wQp__g-QNh8yH2WuoxzCn8/s1600/nic+em+collage+copy.jpg"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS8P0ki7da5uyEkFg78-y3PF4diWoFJEv1tDgngc0M3rh3visAo6TicNr9yaMYBdhUk_f4xZS6_3Lxv62ODNkfsD4zPuz7bI9MrVyutVbk3ZDEr2T3T9OCw9wQp__g-QNh8yH2WuoxzCn8/s640/nic+em+collage+copy.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-91248540787635663472014-04-22T14:48:00.000-07:002014-04-22T14:49:48.228-07:0017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mqHlwbICV_Tn6jaiMC00j4gSG-EHzlAE3sFrrOKlM9c5weOjjbC3JKC7LytFr8cw_UWrk9MZ6KwBDlf9qJt-ro6AbWCAja3gePziXtkmGcs0olrT-QePHeTI3M2qMWxPCqVUS_ZdPhB6/s1600/paul+svhs+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mqHlwbICV_Tn6jaiMC00j4gSG-EHzlAE3sFrrOKlM9c5weOjjbC3JKC7LytFr8cw_UWrk9MZ6KwBDlf9qJt-ro6AbWCAja3gePziXtkmGcs0olrT-QePHeTI3M2qMWxPCqVUS_ZdPhB6/s1600/paul+svhs+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-mqHlwbICV_Tn6jaiMC00j4gSG-EHzlAE3sFrrOKlM9c5weOjjbC3JKC7LytFr8cw_UWrk9MZ6KwBDlf9qJt-ro6AbWCAja3gePziXtkmGcs0olrT-QePHeTI3M2qMWxPCqVUS_ZdPhB6/s1600/paul+svhs+2014.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Happy Birthday Paul! Thank you for being a kind and funny kid. Life is certainly an adventure with you in it. We love you so very much!</span></div>
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-86482677110310770252014-04-14T20:30:00.001-07:002014-04-14T20:30:46.465-07:00Our Golden Girl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWvHuzVkPYsyKZt3hTqqCrzQD5yIwUznHQaTSn6AimjQ7kIvq5ZD9A0PAok-cacJKRGrTtNhvg0bMsYrkAZ7Dhh2UC6NnmNWlkTY_ibm2JsqelswFwvI43yTHQpQgRNr1FmdrT26hiSqm/s1600/em+nerd+bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWvHuzVkPYsyKZt3hTqqCrzQD5yIwUznHQaTSn6AimjQ7kIvq5ZD9A0PAok-cacJKRGrTtNhvg0bMsYrkAZ7Dhh2UC6NnmNWlkTY_ibm2JsqelswFwvI43yTHQpQgRNr1FmdrT26hiSqm/s1600/em+nerd+bw.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
Happy 14th birthday Miss Emilie on this 14th day of the year 2014!! It doesn't get more golden than that! You are a joy and such an example of true bravery and courage!! We love you so very much and are so grateful that you are our Golden Girl!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-63590434821028328562013-04-25T10:18:00.002-07:002023-02-11T18:05:04.329-08:00Sixteen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczcz-fZLG6KRe7fQm9lBPhcKw0EgDCb0onn_gBe77pl85M9elQpWMMSoyZjTGSofofq5QkFUoyoD5dJkoQTabX3FJqUwVc0_0lQGf0X7X3nr9kBrervyZuAk5TQ-vaHtyk2INfz4hu0M9/s1600/paul+baseball+2013.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczcz-fZLG6KRe7fQm9lBPhcKw0EgDCb0onn_gBe77pl85M9elQpWMMSoyZjTGSofofq5QkFUoyoD5dJkoQTabX3FJqUwVc0_0lQGf0X7X3nr9kBrervyZuAk5TQ-vaHtyk2INfz4hu0M9/w640-h640/paul+baseball+2013.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Whoa!!! How did sixteen years fly by so quickly? Happy birthday sweet Paul! You are such a great kid...smart, funny, kind, strong, helpful... I love you so very much and am certainly blessed to have you in my life!!<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-21522310914719191622013-04-16T10:00:00.002-07:002023-02-11T18:05:30.161-08:00Thirteen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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God is good...all the time!! He has given us yet another miracle...another year to celebrate Emilie!! Happy Birthday sweet teenage girl!!! We love you so very much and are honored to be your parents. Thank you for showing us what grace, kindness, compassion and love look like. You are truly a miracle!!!!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-83017730404910766332013-02-14T13:11:00.001-08:002023-02-11T18:06:24.728-08:00365 DaysToday is day 365!!! 365 days ago, Emilie received a very large gift of bone marrow from Nicolas (story <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/2012/02/hero-in-shape-of-brother.html">here</a>). We are so thrilled that Emilie has been doing well for the last year. Her lab results are normal and her monthly clinic visits are now every two months. She is working really hard at physical therapy and she is getting some return in her right leg. She is able to walk with her "short" right leg brace and her "long" left leg brace....eliminating rehab equipment is a super good thing!!! We are so grateful to God for Emilie's health and for the love and support from our family and friends. Day 365 is a good day indeed!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-55449388470456552012-08-17T18:55:00.003-07:002023-02-11T18:06:40.896-08:00Sushi, Preschool and Freedom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqRMod7sb8qwW88Kk09QEqf4SBFI5R5-0xIh9LIbPBRttXhtae5IDv_5lJJBLN67hH8SAdQq_ZHrMtCu0FD9lofHE-fh4M62jWRK5Rd1vUlVAGSjbRftYJbIBoEDCeD130yjvcIIZSq0L/s1600/em+aug+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqRMod7sb8qwW88Kk09QEqf4SBFI5R5-0xIh9LIbPBRttXhtae5IDv_5lJJBLN67hH8SAdQq_ZHrMtCu0FD9lofHE-fh4M62jWRK5Rd1vUlVAGSjbRftYJbIBoEDCeD130yjvcIIZSq0L/s640/em+aug+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Last Monday, Emilie had a bone marrow aspirate to check for cancer as well as a chimerism test to check the percentage of Nicolas' cells, which is hopefully 100%. Three weeks prior, they ran three tests exposing her cells to different "bugs". In order to get "off isolation", her cells had to be able to fight the "bugs" and pass 3 of 6 tests. While waiting in pre-op, we learned that her immune system is working just like a "normal person's immune system". She passed the first 3 tests, so she was officially off isolation. Emilie was thrilled that she was "FINALLY FREE!!!". Free to eat at restaurants, but not sushi. Free to go to school, but not hang out at preschool. Most exciting for Emilie, free to go to the mall with her friends. We said goodbye to her mask...kind of as she will need to wear it near a construction zone (which means every time we visit the hospital). While we were all excited and extremely grateful about the freedom report, we had 24 hours to wait until we learned about her MRD (minimum residual disease) results. Tuesday we found out that the MRD results were negative and Emilie was cancer free!!!! PRAISE GOD!! A huge load immediately fell off my shoulders and I felt as if I could live again. Weird, I know, but that was my feeling at the time. The past couple of weeks have been very hard for me and everyone in our family as we anticipated her bone marrow aspirate. Nervous, grumpy, anxious.... I had to remind myself daily that the God who has sustained us for the last 2 years was STILL IN CONTROL. Emilie, on the other hand, didn't need reminding. After thanking God for the good results, Emilie said she didn't know why we were so excited about her bone marrow results and that we should be more excited about her being off of isolation. We explained that while being "free" was great in that it meant that her immune system is working well, but having no cancer in her marrow was even more important. She responded by telling us that she wasn't worried AT ALL because she knew that the cancer was ALREADY gone. The night before her procedure, I couldn't sleep and Emilie couldn't sleep. I thought, great, we are in for a rough wake up to make it to the hospital by 7 a.m. At 4:30 a.m. I went into Emilie's room to wake her up, but she was already awake. Not just awake, but chatty and happy. What?? Emilie is not a morning person and her "we're going to Disneyland" wake up was odd. She knew. She trusted. She hoped. What a wonderful faith Emilie has...faith of a child...that she believes God for all the good things that He desires to give her.<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-69138103046710027832012-07-17T12:17:00.002-07:002023-02-11T18:10:09.968-08:00No Joke!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9izIFjSxrIQsyqAp9ZG8ssZExtr-XiJ_OM6MBpD23EWGpct7oiX24XGB6iHcBT8OHBwk_gObBn9u8Urrw1vp1BeHCacsMEpWx1wLS9AUh1WrM0KK7csWmwK1TQEnO5gGenrI5M-mS0db/s1600/fortune-cookie+em.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd9izIFjSxrIQsyqAp9ZG8ssZExtr-XiJ_OM6MBpD23EWGpct7oiX24XGB6iHcBT8OHBwk_gObBn9u8Urrw1vp1BeHCacsMEpWx1wLS9AUh1WrM0KK7csWmwK1TQEnO5gGenrI5M-mS0db/s640/fortune-cookie+em.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
As Emilie is slowly coming out of isolation, her docs are allowing more variety in her diet and while Paul (peanut allergy = no Chinese) is away at Camp Attitude, she decided she'd like Chinese food. After dinner, she and Nicolas split 6 fortune cookies among themselves. We don't believe in fortunes delivered in crunchy cookies, but usually make funny jokes about the fortunes or try and guess one another's lucky numbers. After Emilie read the above fortune, she said, " Well, I already have 4 wheels and I am already happy!". Really, it's no joke that Emilie got this message in her fortune cookie. It is amazing that this is a girl who has been through 2 years of pokes, prods, poison and pain but has such a positive and happy attitude. Emilie is truly a gift and is an example of how all of us should live.<br />
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<span style="color: #e69138;">The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go. Martha Washington</span><br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-22070894035588262232012-06-26T16:26:00.002-07:002012-06-26T16:37:01.782-07:00Random Erickson Numbers<b><span style="color: red;">132</span></b> = the number of days "post bone marrow transplant"!!!<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">0</span></b> = the number of central lines Miss Emilie will have in 2 days<br />
<b><span style="color: magenta;">106</span></b> = the air temperature for playing baseball in AZ<br />
<b><span style="color: lime;">14</span></b> = the number of days Eric was out of the country in June<br />
<b><span style="color: cyan;">70</span></b> = the number of days until school starts. Happy number for Emilie, not so happy for the boys.<br />
<b><span style="color: magenta;">600</span></b> = the number of lymphocytes in Emilie's blood (per mL) a week ago...needs to be 1000 before the above number can really be a happy number...maybe late August, early September<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">2</span></b> = the number of clinic visits per month for Emilie<br />
<b><span style="color: orange;">3</span></b> = the number of "swims/day" for Nicolas and Sandy<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="color: magenta;">1</span></b> = the number of "dirt rolls" following swims for Sandy</span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><b>1</b></span> = the number of daily baths for Sandy<br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><b>118</b></span> = the number of Facebook friends I have...told you it was random<br />
<span style="color: magenta;"><b style="background-color: white;">7</b></span> = the number of days Paul will be serving families with kids with disabilities this summer<br />
<b><span style="color: red;">40</span></b> = the number of days Emilie and I have been home<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-size: x-large;">∞</span><span style="background-color: white;"> = the amount of God's love for all of us...it's endless </span><span style="background-color: white;">(∞ is really not a number)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>This is the day that the Lord has made,</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>I will rejoice and be glad in it. </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f; font-size: large;"><b>Psalm 118:24</b></span></div>
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-89093317384644600942012-06-10T13:20:00.002-07:002023-02-11T18:11:49.626-08:00My Frosting is Eight!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgj7n55OAd_iJ-7lhEAsSaMpA2pnbqGuLuJPYtiyvUJt_c6yA8MnQIMfz3F8gHznrXniNSjKpyCIa9SCVdYZzdi8LjdVYi02dPk5FbYhKiwG6thJpcpehGLKWPgF5wxievhxb7AZnFr58/s1600/nic+june+10+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNgj7n55OAd_iJ-7lhEAsSaMpA2pnbqGuLuJPYtiyvUJt_c6yA8MnQIMfz3F8gHznrXniNSjKpyCIa9SCVdYZzdi8LjdVYi02dPk5FbYhKiwG6thJpcpehGLKWPgF5wxievhxb7AZnFr58/s640/nic+june+10+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Happy 8th Birthday Nicolas!!</div>
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I love that you are thoughtful and kind!</div>
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I love that you still hold my hand!</div>
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I love that your best buddies are Paul and Emilie!</div>
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I love that you throw your head back when you laugh!</div>
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I love that you smile almost all the time!</div>
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I love that you are brave and strong!</div>
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I love that you are curious about science and nature!</div>
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I love that you are my frosting!!!!</div>
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-40128222387574959242012-05-09T20:19:00.000-07:002012-05-09T20:19:10.271-07:00There Has To Be MoreFor a while now, I have been thinking that The Erickson All-Stars blog is purposeless. Sure, it is a wonderful space to update on Emilie and other family news, but there just has to be more. There has to be some "good" to be done outside my little family's sphere, so here is some "good" that you all can help us with.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPDmEJz4ojXy2zHAq9iEZ3P0JLmehlbTFjDGjp6IeJgTlN17oHDdTCWgraHr9Nywo4q4P6SbcnIq9O0UEP9CSq2RC9-GhNvQVy_oWb0ks64ymvvtMmhn4sQ86VlehWxGXJrjdSWooh5wr/s1600/matthew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPDmEJz4ojXy2zHAq9iEZ3P0JLmehlbTFjDGjp6IeJgTlN17oHDdTCWgraHr9Nywo4q4P6SbcnIq9O0UEP9CSq2RC9-GhNvQVy_oWb0ks64ymvvtMmhn4sQ86VlehWxGXJrjdSWooh5wr/s640/matthew.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
This is sweet Matthew. Matthew is a fellow LPCH patient who has been battling ALL since he was 2 months old. Matthew is now 22 months old and is in the fight of his life. You see, he relapsed around the same time as Emilie and was planning on receiving a bone marrow transplant. The cancer has been relentless despite numerous chemotherapy treatments and NK cell therapy at St. Jude Children's Hospital. He and his family will be headed to St. Jude's again for a bone marrow transplant. I am shamelessly asking that you consider making a donation to this family. Matthew has two sisters and one brother and his parents are self employed. Having a child with cancer and dealing with treatments, clinic visits, prescriptions, travel, etc. can be financially overwhelming for a family. Please consider making a donation. Any amount can help. Perhaps skip your lattes for a week and donate your savings. Maybe pack your lunch for a week and send your savings to Matthew's family. Please, please help!! You can donate and read Matthew's story <a href="http://www.babymatthew.org/">HERE</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgvLYzeDWpudoI-XU2zmpJMLfky57cDddQI2AyIOgYrAL9JoA8Sqe7GJSwNhyphenhypheniksQBB5P2KS6wsLOioUWBh6_hildKEusFTXnYnesG4GL4bvSI6mYTMCPaNpbbB1UYoJOLiLdjxek67uD/s1600/kayla+rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgvLYzeDWpudoI-XU2zmpJMLfky57cDddQI2AyIOgYrAL9JoA8Sqe7GJSwNhyphenhypheniksQBB5P2KS6wsLOioUWBh6_hildKEusFTXnYnesG4GL4bvSI6mYTMCPaNpbbB1UYoJOLiLdjxek67uD/s640/kayla+rose.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
This is precious Kayla Rose. I first learned of Kayla's malignant brain tumor on the same day that we learned of Emilie's relapse. I was in clinic waiting for Emilie to be moved to recovery after her bone marrow aspirate reading my email when our Purple Peep, Bobbie, informed me of Kayla. My heart just broke knowing that another child was diagnosed with cancer. So unfair, I thought and then a couple hours later I learned of Emilie's relapse. Kayla was diagnosed in November of 2011 and underwent brain surgery here in the bay area. She is on her second stint at St. Jude Children's Hospital receiving chemotherapy treatments. Both of her parents and her cute little brother are also in Memphis. Again, I am going to ask that you consider making a donation to help support this family. Both Kayla's parents are in Memphis yet the mortgage and other bills still have to be paid in addition to other medical expenses. I can't even imagine. Please, please consider helping out this family. It happens to be Kayla's 8th birthday today; you can read her story, wish her a happy birthday and perhaps make a donation <a href="http://kaylarose415.blogspot.com/">HERE.</a><br />
<br />
Please consider helping these strong, brave and courageous families as they travel the road that is called cancer. Thank you!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-60934268376721635732012-04-28T13:43:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:13:00.088-08:00Just Because....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbbDcGG88mEEsRteyFaAbtzI-gXUi-gKWqxcgIBaRWt0FtAveyAmjeSBtIqCwYenrlsXc5CzJjVoXmaVf6EbgBaX2lnQFbHUxFbG7Vfbj_Rsv8HyOdPXwxqIvujSDS-2goJHYoqTy87pv/s1600/nic+april+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbbDcGG88mEEsRteyFaAbtzI-gXUi-gKWqxcgIBaRWt0FtAveyAmjeSBtIqCwYenrlsXc5CzJjVoXmaVf6EbgBaX2lnQFbHUxFbG7Vfbj_Rsv8HyOdPXwxqIvujSDS-2goJHYoqTy87pv/s640/nic+april+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Just because I think he is the cutest 7-year-old in the world. Love you Frosting!! <br />
<br />
Nana took the boys to an SJ Giants game only because Freddy Sanchez was playing there for a week. The game was rained out, but Nicolas got his autograph. Nicolas ran up to him and said, "Hey Freddy, um, can I get your autograph?". Freddy said, "Not now, gotta go" and started walking away. He then stopped, turned around and said "ok" and signed his ball. Love you too Freddy! <br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-87491717873434280832012-04-21T21:55:00.003-07:002023-02-11T18:13:17.915-08:00Fifteen<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQNe63wDfdiAWbS3jdUaX4fwm9YJEy1tIqYG-AJ69IDwiUGPNkGyYD4KS0iaZ32T2_U4hBdqmP4lt0cAd2hsWiyGeAaRO5QsoGGn4_8I5yVj-GY-qhyphenhyphenya94xRxI35i34m8OvOLjvkU0Fu/s1600/paul+april+2012.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQNe63wDfdiAWbS3jdUaX4fwm9YJEy1tIqYG-AJ69IDwiUGPNkGyYD4KS0iaZ32T2_U4hBdqmP4lt0cAd2hsWiyGeAaRO5QsoGGn4_8I5yVj-GY-qhyphenhyphenya94xRxI35i34m8OvOLjvkU0Fu/s640/paul+april+2012.PNG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: E. Powers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Happy birthday to our favorite 15 year old! Thank you for being strong and brave and enduring the last 6 months of "stuff"!! We are grateful for you; you make us smile and laugh! We love you very, very much!!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-14792016120658878652012-04-13T22:58:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:13:40.260-08:00Twelve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_vVGbEpkPTI7dFDssf4vcqHsXfAISo2VdRLkAhSk_1IjClKPnXqe49tEMOsXISfUtcsj6p07ffXkG4jYbX5kQvQ84K_qQU_WMKyVtMtsZ-IW3aJE8qJ2KmwIeEty04Rgu2VCGX81Cg3Q/s1600/emilie+4+11+12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_vVGbEpkPTI7dFDssf4vcqHsXfAISo2VdRLkAhSk_1IjClKPnXqe49tEMOsXISfUtcsj6p07ffXkG4jYbX5kQvQ84K_qQU_WMKyVtMtsZ-IW3aJE8qJ2KmwIeEty04Rgu2VCGX81Cg3Q/s640/emilie+4+11+12.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />
Happy happy birthday to you Miss Emilie! You are one brave, kind, beautiful, strong, courageous, joyful, generous, loving, thoughtful, and funny twelve-year girl. We love you so very much! Thank you for being the wonderful "you" that you are!!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-69427897709840012932012-04-02T15:23:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:13:57.244-08:00Free<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL_BxWbZQKK2_r6EeGk8WYVapIxxLIzNKEDowgqzt6pKGgskgGRS7greX2nTpRWz765d9xAsOwKHjf0puZp9R0rSD6zPtM26uI8uCBptzWFphXBMWwUnjq2X_hdUYKyBSphJeYcgxtiT-/s1600/easter+2012.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL_BxWbZQKK2_r6EeGk8WYVapIxxLIzNKEDowgqzt6pKGgskgGRS7greX2nTpRWz765d9xAsOwKHjf0puZp9R0rSD6zPtM26uI8uCBptzWFphXBMWwUnjq2X_hdUYKyBSphJeYcgxtiT-/s640/easter+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
I don't have to cry anymore<br />
I don't have to worry about what's in store<br />
I've walked that road exhausted and poor<br />
I don't have to cry anymore<br />
<br />
And I don't have to know it all<br />
I don't have to be so proud and stand so tall<br />
I climbed that mountain only to fall<br />
I don't have to know it all<br />
<br />
You did that for me<br />
You wore the chains so I could be free<br />
You did that for me<br />
<br />
And I don't have to be ashamed<br />
Hang my head or should the blame<br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">Wondering if my life's been in vain</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;">I don't have to be ashamed</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You did that for me</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You wore the chains so I could be free</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You did that for me</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Man of sorrows</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Well acquainted with grief</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Drug down to the city dump</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Spread eagle on a cross beam</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Propped up like a scarecrow</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Nailed like a thief</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">There for all the world to see</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You wore the chains so I could be free</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Oh Lord, you did that for me</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You wore the chains so I could be free</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">You Did That For Me by Sara Groves</div><a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-6021645134204281292012-03-24T20:56:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:17:02.121-08:00The Hamburglar Stole My Wi-Fi!!My excuse for not posting??? The hamburglar stole my Wi-Fi...seriously! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-J_nwn_cx-kjZ_R29_fwpFZFuJv4WJ61-zIujEfhDAgHQ-EkLNJqUcL7VrFJkAozEpiUOR1qWiDa_ZSpV7IAWxQlv6JVdOVnKMSCLKmpbE4xl_GmOkIy1WKg5MVrERPvbNHO0itQFzuP5/s1600/emilie+and+ronald+march+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-J_nwn_cx-kjZ_R29_fwpFZFuJv4WJ61-zIujEfhDAgHQ-EkLNJqUcL7VrFJkAozEpiUOR1qWiDa_ZSpV7IAWxQlv6JVdOVnKMSCLKmpbE4xl_GmOkIy1WKg5MVrERPvbNHO0itQFzuP5/s640/emilie+and+ronald+march+2012.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>We made it to Ronald's House last Monday. We listened to the 7 rules spiel and then made our way to our very, very, very small home for the next 66 days. Our room was literally 12'x12' with two twin beds, a small dresser, a frig for meds, a bathroom, a community kitchen, and NO Wi-Fi. Colors? Hospital colors...blah beige and blue and dark with not much natural light. Eric and I smiled and tried to be positive about our new home, but poor Emilie wasn't buying it. Emilie sadly perfected her three-point turns in our tiny space. We were spoiled at the Memphis RMH and were expecting the same here. Anyhow, Tuesday was a new day and we had a clinic visit early in the morning. As usual, our clinic visits are never short. We ended up leaving the hospital at noon, returned to our room and Emilie took a nap. Her energy level is a little low and naps have been the norm around here. After she woke up, we talked about our accommodations and focused on being grateful for having a place to live so close to the hospital and being able to see our family daily if possible. We decided that we would make our new space our own, bringing comforters from home and using some handmade art. It would all be okay. Tuesday night as we ate in the small dining area we had a visit from Art the Clown. I really didn't want any company, especially a clown. Art the Clown is a retired pediatric dentist who uses humor to bring smiles to sick kids at the RMH and at various area hospitals. Turns out, we do like clowns, we like them very much!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJboBnJIvqTc0bKZpei0V7gC_1LXyig1IVuNPnagT6O_dteqjPM-7xEnaqx-uVS7bLO2w1oAIqkIIHkR6cHK6QkhNURbH_tt6dlFOfOR97CyuoFSeA5R7a2GBGDyHe-o2fOwC_P2KhP-ED/s1600/emilie+and+art+the+clown+march+2012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJboBnJIvqTc0bKZpei0V7gC_1LXyig1IVuNPnagT6O_dteqjPM-7xEnaqx-uVS7bLO2w1oAIqkIIHkR6cHK6QkhNURbH_tt6dlFOfOR97CyuoFSeA5R7a2GBGDyHe-o2fOwC_P2KhP-ED/s640/emilie+and+art+the+clown+march+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Wednesday was spent investigating our new digs. We are in the Garden Wing, which is actually the isolation wing for immunocompromised peeps...that's us. It is a wing with 6 rooms a small community kitchen and it's very quiet. We might see 1 or 2 people a day, but our window looks out onto a lovely garden area with cute little birds and crazy black squirrels. Thursday was another clinic visit. Early arrival and another late return. Emilie settled in to watch the Muppets and about halfway into the movie, we got a phone call from the front desk. It was a call to inform us that a suite was available to us if we could pack our belongings and move within a couple hours. Are you kidding? (Back in February I told our social worker that we would like to have a suite, so she put us on the waiting list but I really didn't think we would get one.) I packed up in half an hour, waited for Emilie's movie to finish, got our new key from the front desk and we high-tailed it to our suite. Impressive considering my mom and Eric delivered an SUV full of stuff the night before. Emilie was thrilled...no more three-point turns to navigate the space. Our new digs have hardwood floors, a kitchenette, a table for eating/crafts/studying, 2 frigs (one for food, one for meds), a twin bed, a double bed, and a good-sized bathroom. Same yucky colors, but we've since "happied" things up (photos coming once we get some good lighting in here.) Our view is of the same garden area, but just a bit better with a tree close to our window so we can get a better shot of our critter friends. Did I say Emilie was thrilled?? So happy, that she forgot that she needed a nap and proceeded to make a shopping list for Eric as she had many meal ideas churning in her head. Yesterday was spent meal planning and a little napping. Today we planned on a quick trip to the market for the meal planning, but it was raining and I didn't want Emilie out in the elements. Tomorrow we are expecting our boys; they are not allowed in Emilie's room, but there is a common family room where we can hang out. Emilie will be making them cupcakes and pasta...probably in that order. Signs of increased appetite are good and dessert first is just fine with me.<br />
<br />
Our new space is large, colorful, and happy and it has boosted Emilie's spirits and decreased her napping time. We are grateful for the upgrade!!! Thank you, Ronald, now could you please have the Hamburglar return my Wi-Fi? (It's really not that bad, I'm plugged in via an ethernet cable.)<br />
<br />
I almost forgot to post the really great stuff. Emilie's MRD (minimum residual disease) came back negative, but really negative, like less than 0.1% negative. AWESOME!!! They also look at how much of Nicolas' cells are present in Emilie with 100% being ideal. They look at a bunch of different blood components, but the data point that stuck in my head was the whole blood value and it was 99%. All the other values were 97% and higher. Another AWESOME! After Emilie's relapse, my view on life has returned to a day-to-day view and I'm not looking too far ahead. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I truly believe that God loves us and that He is in total charge of our situation. I trust Him completely and surrender everything to Him. I am also so, so grateful for the good results from Emilie's first bone marrow aspirate!<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Be STILL and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Psalm 46:10</span></span><br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-42890068997913783542012-03-17T09:42:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:17:25.006-08:00Grace, Love and Redemption<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR6L0X97u-NmFIVwOGMhEu_y5krEXwU4k13vFX75MlRmfTxOTnZh1bTk8Z8AOgw6JzHfrph-SJp5eFUeNpurt_KRtTCZLVz-EW9oBCpjaZNOeVViLjAtaFLBV9fEfBZK_erE4dMw3b-f4/s1600/em+march+2011.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR6L0X97u-NmFIVwOGMhEu_y5krEXwU4k13vFX75MlRmfTxOTnZh1bTk8Z8AOgw6JzHfrph-SJp5eFUeNpurt_KRtTCZLVz-EW9oBCpjaZNOeVViLjAtaFLBV9fEfBZK_erE4dMw3b-f4/s640/em+march+2011.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken last St. Patrick's day at our wonderful Crazy Train family dinner.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Once kidnapped and sold as a slave to Ireland, Saint Patrick represents such a beautiful picture of GRACE, LOVE and REDEMPTION. Saint Patrick made the choice after he was freed from slavery to return to Ireland as a missionary. He used the 3 leaf clover to explain the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.</div><a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-38348407066702603172012-03-14T15:27:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:17:56.026-08:00Yellow Jello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNBk6w62J7g8_nXh2b8HemYUSn7diHu4tr0Af_RK2XNryNiJ9zvfqd9iQaoQyd36ilkI5_KM2cC54TTpFSMNUR_rF9a5kYGGVKcdv0A9EpfMRpZY4-i-CQgaheR5HK5Gr-1B3Hq1rA7yW/s1600/photo+(41).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpNBk6w62J7g8_nXh2b8HemYUSn7diHu4tr0Af_RK2XNryNiJ9zvfqd9iQaoQyd36ilkI5_KM2cC54TTpFSMNUR_rF9a5kYGGVKcdv0A9EpfMRpZY4-i-CQgaheR5HK5Gr-1B3Hq1rA7yW/s640/photo+(41).JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Right now we are celebrating a negative MRD (minimum residual disease) with a double shot of yellow jello. Really, we ordered two yellow Gatorades from the kitchen and ended up with yellow jello. Jello?? Ugh, we're not fans, but it made for a great picture. Thank you, God for the "hope" that showed up in a good report!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-6844621243120305442012-03-13T20:44:00.001-07:002023-02-11T18:18:13.497-08:00Brothers Are Good Medicine!Just a quick update. Emilie is continuing to do well. She is eating and drinking a bit. Her first real meal was salmon and rice and the following day, she had salmon and rice. Pretty darn funny. Emilie has an aversion to all hospital food, so it was shocking when she wanted salmon. I mentioned in a previous <a href="http://ericksonall-stars.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2012-02-25T19:39:00-08:00&max-results=3">post</a> that Nicolas had salmon while in recovery from his bone marrow harvest. One of our docs, wanted to know the Erickson salmon connection. Must be in the genes!!! Emilie is off all IV meds and taking everything by mouth. She is still on liquid nutrition but that was reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours. Good progress. I met with one of the BMT coordinators today to discuss discharge instructions; we are expecting to move to RMH next week. We were hoping a bit sooner, but 1.) they need to stabilize one of Emilie's meds, 2.) Emilie needs to eat and drink more and 3.) she is getting an IV only med until day 35. Day 35 is next Tuesday, so we will probably be moving then or Wednesday. The stem cell wing at Ronald's house has 6 rooms, 2 of which have kitchenettes. We are hoping that Ronald is saving us a room with a kitchenette!!<br />
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Today, Emilie had her first of many bone marrow aspirates which always makes me a bit nervous since her relapse. One of her docs came by to let us know that her "marrow looked beautiful". Awesome news!!! The sample is looked at here by LPCH pathology, it's also sent to Washington to determine the exact (if any) amount of disease and it's sent to a lab to look at host and donor cells. Tomorrow or Thursday we should know really firm results. Thank you Lord for good results and for keeping us afloat on our journey.<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in HOPE. Romans 15:13</span><br />
Oh, and brothers are truly good medicine....<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfQgP_owrVIma4dzClFZyFH5qcUXHEYBlVEE14OrDulJNEMSQGLI0UG3YQQ6LYHzYfM-MjUzg00yt6DV_Fs-PGhObIvMAsmHxMX1wM7iwV3r4OrDmfxWQvj8rUvCHBfHqT-mk-xjYv4SO/s1600/photo+(40).JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfQgP_owrVIma4dzClFZyFH5qcUXHEYBlVEE14OrDulJNEMSQGLI0UG3YQQ6LYHzYfM-MjUzg00yt6DV_Fs-PGhObIvMAsmHxMX1wM7iwV3r4OrDmfxWQvj8rUvCHBfHqT-mk-xjYv4SO/s640/photo+(40).JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-61957390594697317282012-03-08T16:30:00.002-08:002023-02-11T18:20:01.529-08:00"Eees A Luuuv Day"I met a man in the community kitchen yesterday and we started talking. I was really not in the mood to talk as I was just "done", but God nudged me to pop out of my shell and at least say "hello". The "hello" was followed by asking how his child was doing and he told me that his 3-year-old daughter just had her transplant yesterday. I learned that he also had a "frosting", his 2-year-old daughter who was the perfect match for his older daughter. Sweet!! He then asked about our story. I told him everything, with the exception of the exact day of the transplant because really, not many men are interested in specific details (Hi Eric!). So, the first thing he asked was "what was the transplant date". I told him the 14th...he thought, got a bit teary, and then replied "Eees a luuuv day!". You are right, fellow transplant parent, it was a love day!!! Thank you, God for taking me out of my isolation zone and blessing me with another "frosting" story of hope!<br />
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It seems time really flies here in the hospital which is one of God's blessings! Much has happened since our last update. Emilie is doing very well. The official opening of her new bone marrow factory, or engraftment, was on March 1. Her platelets are also rising on their own, which is a very good thing. The doctors are very happy with her progress. One of our attending docs has told Emilie a couple times that she must tell Nicolas that "he has really great bone marrow". Ha! Because of engrafting, Emilie is off of antibiotics and because the mucositis has cleared up, she is able to take most of her meds by mouth. More good things! Emilie is also recovering from extremely large blisters on her feet. The radiation/chemo combo did a number and caused baseball size blisters on both feet. Thankfully, they are healing well. Her mouth, throat, and foot pain has subsided, so they took her off morphine and are now weaning her off another pain med. Today, the docs said that if she can take more fluids by mouth and eat a bit, they will send us off to live with Ronald McDonald. More goodness! The Emilie we know and love is back as of three days ago...awake during the day, chatty, smiling, doing crafts, doing school with her teacher from LPCH, etc. Cancer treatment is really a crazy ride, so it's nice when we see some normalcy return. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom <span style="color: orange;">ALL</span> help comes! He helps us in <span style="color: cyan;">ALL</span> our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4</span><br />
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Because I have a hard time posting without a photo....my three "frostings"!!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkImmYSgdEn6hd6ZGj0KGTk1Y7zUzDx3FDG3YEwJKlAh2GGTDPmY8qbLUTECR5I4jCv5kQBQKmBBYK8roNWQBR5hjQHBDWmntwaTXm7ATyhn0AZ9DzZsCptscYJnUq75B9swxc_b4vQEx/s1600/kids+nov+2011.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkImmYSgdEn6hd6ZGj0KGTk1Y7zUzDx3FDG3YEwJKlAh2GGTDPmY8qbLUTECR5I4jCv5kQBQKmBBYK8roNWQBR5hjQHBDWmntwaTXm7ATyhn0AZ9DzZsCptscYJnUq75B9swxc_b4vQEx/s640/kids+nov+2011.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-1877815293726818492012-03-06T22:00:00.001-08:002023-02-11T18:20:23.921-08:00#10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGxCi1JxZ0PISJkhG5I4Syo0UMidjo9aD9W6gOkiVS8oCDjMYMKZPTrm1_bQh6BSrYCg5rE9UbVXKQs1r-_Hi9UAs32qXgz12hT6VpesT44-Ggr1BX9QqXIGzrz1pJB5idhv320-f6cJJ/s1600/_mg_1050.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGxCi1JxZ0PISJkhG5I4Syo0UMidjo9aD9W6gOkiVS8oCDjMYMKZPTrm1_bQh6BSrYCg5rE9UbVXKQs1r-_Hi9UAs32qXgz12hT6VpesT44-Ggr1BX9QqXIGzrz1pJB5idhv320-f6cJJ/s640/_mg_1050.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I am proud of my #10!! He is persevering with a family life that is chaotic. School, baseball, church, friends....he continues to engage. He's showing me what a strong, courageous young man he is. Never give up, #10, never give up! I love you!<br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-35959513471406680462012-02-25T19:39:00.002-08:002023-02-11T18:21:38.606-08:00A Calm Among The Chaos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlAuI5koRaTZnQSAAEmsRXrO83QS1-g5-KxdlqHu0joOqjXvjZXnf-UVdlV45YA5i3N_WJy2h5QO97666CdmLrEzijALi3iDfECJmCtnPLRvXhFUenK7PGTMDXRKS8m7Ak546US9yTYZp/s1600/dahlia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlAuI5koRaTZnQSAAEmsRXrO83QS1-g5-KxdlqHu0joOqjXvjZXnf-UVdlV45YA5i3N_WJy2h5QO97666CdmLrEzijALi3iDfECJmCtnPLRvXhFUenK7PGTMDXRKS8m7Ak546US9yTYZp/w640-h640/dahlia.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Last night we had a bit of chaos in room 1415. Emilie has had intermittent fevers for the last five days and antibiotic after antibiotic has not gotten rid of the fevers, so last night they started a new, strong anti-fungal med in hopes of stopping the fevers. Well, 15 minutes into the dose, Emilie started having an allergic reaction complete with difficulty breathing and coughing. This led to her heart rate increasing, blood pressure dropping, oxygen saturation dropping, and of course lots of nurses and docs in the room. Prior to the new med, she was given "pre-meds" (Benadryl and Tylenol) to prevent an allergic reaction. So, on top of all her numbers dropping, she was doped up on Benadryl, which made things a little bit scarier. About an hour after treating her reaction, she was pretty much back to normal, but her little body was exhausted so she took a good nap. Thankfully, Eric (who had not been at the hospital for 5 days), showed up 10 minutes into the reaction. It was nice having him here!!!<br />
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Every morning, Emilie's docs make daily rounds and today, they had super news. Emilie's white blood cell (WBC) count went from 300 to 600 which gave her an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of 400. When Emilie has three days of an ANC of 500+, Nicolas' bone marrow is officially engrafted. Woohoo!!!! The docs think that her WBC may double again...we're hoping for a WBC of 1200 tomorrow. An increase in WBC also means that her immune system is recovering and will slowly be able to keep "bad guys" away. (Click <a href="http://marrow.org/Patient/Transplant_Process/The_Donor_Selection___Transplant_Process.aspx">HERE</a> for more info on BMT. ) Really, really great news. Every day has its blessings and challenges, but we know that...<br />
<span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">Psalm 46:1</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">and</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Be still and know that I am God. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Psalm 46:10</span></div><br />
<a href="http://s1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/?action=view&current=bloggersig.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a473/pattiaerickson/bloggersig.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3603546503545317488.post-29319361067765429732012-02-20T13:22:00.001-08:002023-02-11T18:23:06.918-08:0019<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvdBwAuxs6koD6GowFUcsLj2KhZUMQ6B57NjgBoFWTNF6-8C_EbyqNDef8B9MsSoUAkLGaYfK9Qh4sYe4u6qdglCwTn9WQytaxyS5aJ8vVoAMfkoM6ax8vvdMkI1HTNJBo0ElglQVOsPF/s1600/2+20+93.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
<img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvdBwAuxs6koD6GowFUcsLj2KhZUMQ6B57NjgBoFWTNF6-8C_EbyqNDef8B9MsSoUAkLGaYfK9Qh4sYe4u6qdglCwTn9WQytaxyS5aJ8vVoAMfkoM6ax8vvdMkI1HTNJBo0ElglQVOsPF/s640/2+20+93.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br />
Nineteen years ago today I became Mrs. Erickson. Today, I am amazed at how differently our lives have turned out. Back in 1993, not only did I have big shoulder pads, I had my own plans. Plans for "my" life, not necessarily "our" life. I spent every dollar I earned on some sort of flying lesson. After college, I got my private pilot's license. Working in the aerospace industry pushed me further into loving all things aviation related. I soon got my instrument rating and started working on my commercial rating with hopes of flying banner planes along the LA coast. My big dream was to fly commercial jets, with really no concern about what my new husband thought. Well, God had a different idea. In 1995, I moved back home to work with my ailing dad and help him run his company; Eric followed shortly thereafter. A couple years later Eric and I were blessed with Paul and a brand-new house. In the same year, my dad died leaving my mom and me to run the company "solo". A few years later, we were blessed with Emilie and then of course, "Frosting" came along. All the while I was a "stay-at-home, jean-wearing, self-employed, sometimes barefoot and pregnant mom and wife" with a great life, but so very different than "my" plans. In reality, my plans would have taken me on many wild adventures, but most likely I would have ended up a divorced adrenaline junky living in Marriot Hotels across the country. So, here I am today, sitting in a hospital room, celebrating our 19th anniversary with Eric via text messages and watching Emilie's vital signs while she sleeps. I'm certainly not thankful for a sick child, but I am thankful that God redirected my path. I'm thankful that I have 3 wonderful kids and that I have a husband who has stuck around for better, for worse, for rich, for poorer, in sickness or in health<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">.</span></span><br />
Happy Anniversary Eric!!<br />
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