Gratitude!

Emilie had her bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture this morning.  She did great during the procedure.  Being a control freak and having no control especially when it comes to my chickens is a hard, hard thing.  I left Emilie in the hands of very competent doctors and nurses for an hour which seemed like an eternity.  Within an hour of returning to our "home away from home", Emilie was back to her spunky, feisty self.  She had a great afternoon of crafts (thank you McPherson girls), a photo walk around the hospital and a hospital dinner that she actually enjoyed.  While walking on the rooftop, our neurologist came to find us to let us know that her spinal fluid was clear of cancer.  Great news!  When we got back to our room after our walk, our oncologist was there to let us know that the preliminary look at her bone marrow was good and he even saw some healthy white and red blood cells.  A very nice ending to a very stressful day.  We are so grateful for all your prayers for Emilie and very grateful to our God for keeping us surrounded in His peace today!  Emilie did an awesome job taking photos on our walk today.  I will be posting her work later this week.  Here is a technically poor shot of the two of us, but I love, love, love it!

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.  Isaiah 40:30-32

Not Too Shabby for a Monday!

Emilie's MRI of her brain and spine came back negative, but she is still extremely weak in her legs.  She can stand for short periods with her knees locked, but still can not walk.  She is getting a second round of Immune Globulin therapy this afternoon to see if that can get her moving.  The docs are suspecting a chemo drug that they injected into her spine back on the 7th of June.  This cancer/chemo thing is chaos, BUT....our God is huge and in control even when our lives seem totally out of control.

Today was a wonderful day for Emilie.  It is the first time in five weeks that she actually wanted to eat and ordered a Taco Bell chicken taco for lunch AND she fed herself!  Woohoo!  I have been the food forcer for the last 5 weeks and it is so nice that she is actually feeding herself!  Her hair has been slowly falling out and at the same time beginning to look like Bob Marley's hair.  I did not want to comb out the tangles fearing that all her hair would come out.  We finally cut the dreadlocks out today and Emilie is now wearing her cute hats.  She is so okay with her hair loss and has been admiring her new look in the mirror all afternoon.  She is such a courageous and strong kid.  I am blown away daily by her positive, perky attitude!

Please Pray!

Please pray for Emilie today as she is going in for an MRI of her brain and her spine.  She is having some difficulty walking and they want to see what is going on.
Thank you!

Happy Father's Day to the Best Dad Ever!

Happy Father's Day to you, Eric.  Thank you for supporting our family in so many ways.  You are the man and we love you so very much!

This is the day...

...that the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Joy!

Today was a good day for Emilie.  No chemo, JOY in a blue can and canine love!  Thank you for your comments...they made Emilie very happy!

A New Chapter...Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Eight days ago, our lives were flipped, twisted and turned upside down.  Emilie was diagnosed with leukemia and is now being treated at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto.  It all started with what we thought was a tummy bug.  Her little body was not getting better, so we took her to the Domincan Hospital ER thinking that she was just dehydrated.   A few hours after we were admitted, we found ourselves in an ambulance on our way to Lucile Packard's Children Hospital.  This week has been a crazy ride with lots of tests, MRI's, CT Scans, Ex-Rays, spinal taps, set-backs, discouragement, etc...  Emilie has finished her first phase of chemotherapy today, with two more phases to come.  I don't know when she will be discharged as we are running a marathon and not a sprint.  She is in great care; the doctors, nurses, therapists and social workers are amazing.  As horrible as this week has been, I know that God is still in charge and I am truly grateful that Emilie is here and that her bubbly, feisty personality is filling our room with joy.

We are totally blessed with wonderful family and friends.  Everyone's phone calls, emails, letters, gifts, care packages are so very appreciated.  Please know that we are grateful for your prayers, concern and gifts and wish that we could thank each of you personally, but for now, here is our BIG BLOG THANK YOU filled with lots of love from the Erickson family!!

You can leave a message for Emilie by 1.) leaving a comment on our blog, 2.) leave a post on Facebook (friend me... Patti Nelson-Erickson) or 3.) email pattiaerickson@aol.com .  I'll be certain to share with Emilie.

I'll leave you with a bit from Emilie's journal written exactly one month from when she was diagnosed.

"Praise the Lord always.  He made me in my mom's womb and he made me special just the way I am.  I should praise the Lord always." 

A Beautiful Weed!

I have been watching this "weed" grow in my yard and not quite ready to pull it because the foliage was so beautiful.  I think this beautiful weed is actually some sort of poppy...one of God's many blessings!