Go Giants!

Go Giants!
We left LPCH on Monday and arrived at SCVMC on Monday for rehab.  Emilie started her workouts today and is working out 3 hours a day.  So far, so good. 
Go Giants!

Gotta Have Faith!

The Sky's A-Falling!

Henny Penny was so, so wrong.  The sky is really not falling...it's just a yummy acorn from the chocolate tree.  I borrowed this idea from Joy's Hope and Lipstick and Laundry and signed Supergirl and Frosting up at the acorn factory.  Paul was my quality control guy.  Simple: Nutella, mini vanilla wafers and kisses. Nothing better on a cloudy fall day!

Nicolas obviously didn't read the memo regarding the food safey training class.  Geez, wash your hands dude!  However, I do love the writing on his forearm.  He told me it was his new tattoo and it reads "I love Mom  love Nicolas".

Thank You!

As I am writing this, lots of folks are gearing up for the San Francisco Nike Marathon to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society which is tomorrow.  We want to thank Auntie Jen, Auntie Steph, Chandra, Bobbie, Vanessa and Vanessa's sister for raising funds and running/walking for LLS.  We are so very grateful for your efforts!  We also want to thank all of our family and friends that have supported these runners in their fundraising efforts!!  Here is how your donation helps:

$1000 Supports one week’s salary for a medical researcher at UCSF, Stanford, or Berkeley who may discover key information to developing curative treatments for blood cancers.

$500 Provides a blood cancer patient with financial assistance for one year to help with transportation and co-pays.
$200 Funds one Family Support Group meeting of 9-15 participants; the SF Bay Area chapter has 9 monthly support group meetings.
$150 Allows 5 patients to make a First Connection with a trained peer volunteer.
$100 Provides 3 patients access to an information teleconference.
$75 Is the average cost of tissue typing to become a bone marrow donor.
$50 Is the cost of a CT scan.
$40 Is the cost of sending a comprehensive packet of information for children with cancer.
$35 Pays for transportation expenses for a patient living in Northern California’s most rural areas to treatment at a comprehensive cancer center.
$25 Covers a single prescription co-payment.
$5 Is the cost of sending a newly diagnosed patient information about support and their disease
So, again, thank you TNTers and thanks to those who donated.  We are moved by your love!!

Last week while staying at "the resort" waiting for Emilie's counts to recover, Emilie accompanied one of our favorite doctors to speak to a group of Team in Training ladies.  Dr. Jeng spoke about how the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society helps at Stanford and Emilie spoke a little bit about her journey.  I was very proud of Emilie as she was able to speak confidently and honestly about her cancer.   At one point, a TNTer/cancer survivor asked Emilie if she had to have many lumbar punctures.  Emilie answered yes, but they weren't that bad and she kind of enjoyed counting when they gave her anesthesia.  That is my girl, always looking on the bright side of life.  Getting back to Dr. Jeng.  Dr. Jeng was the doctor that admitted Emilie back in June and we couldn't have asked for a better doctor to do that hard job.  Dr. Jeng is very intelligent, compassionate, kind and loving and he truly cares for his patients.  Dr. Jeng is not Emilie's primary oncologist, but he is one of our favorite doctors.  In addition to being a fantastic person, Dr. Jeng is also a TNTer and has run many marathons.  Thank you Dr. Jeng for loving on Emilie and our family!!!

Happy Birthday and Weekly Gratitude!

It's my Auntie Vicki's birthday today and we celebrated yesterday here at the hospital with a lovely lunch at the LPCH cafeteria followed by a yummy assortment of birthday cakes.  Now you can cross "celebrate birthday at LPCH" off your bucket list!  Glad we could help you with that one.  Happy Birthday Auntie Vicki...we love you. 

At the beginning of the year I started documenting my weekly gratitude.  Well, I am not caught up, but decided to continue as I have lots of time on my hands and many, many things to be grateful for.

Here goes...

Speaking of gratitude, I just read this quote in Holy Experience, my new favorite blog. 

“The more I study gratitude, the more I have come to believe that an authentic, deeply held sense of gratefulness toward life may require some degree of contrast or deprivation.

One truly appreciates a mild spring after a harsh winter, a gourmet meal following a fast….Some blessings are not known until they are lost.

[In the study of individuals with neuromuscular diseases, researchers]
“were also struck by the redemptive twist that occurred in nearly one-half of these narratives:
out of something bad (suffering, adversity, affliction) comes something good (new life, new opportunities) for which the person feels profoundly grateful.”
~ Richard Emmons

Just Because It's Orange October!

We are still in the hospital...waiting, patiently waiting for Emilie's counts to recover. We have even started to do the "Bone Marrow Dance" and have seen her WBC (white blood count) go from 0.2 to 0.4. Nothing to do with the Bone Marrow Dance, but rather God's hand at work.

As our my patience is tested, our gratitude list continues to grow.....
**Emilie's attitude and appetite are still great and she has been fever free since we were admitted.
**Emilie is attending Stanford (hospital school that is) and getting caught up with her school work.  Her classmates vary in grades from 5th to 12th and she really loves going to school with the big kids.  She even wants to hang out in the cafeteria with the kids between school sessions.  She told me I could be in the cafeteria too, but that I had to sit far away.  Boo Hoo!
**Emilie is getting multiple physical therapy treatments per day.
**Emilie and I are doing some fun art projects at the Forever Young Zone daily.  I'm still waiting to see Steve Young.
**We have seen lots of Giants baseball and have made fast friends with our nurses who are also Giants fans.

Emilie will have her next IT chemo/LP on Friday as well as a bone marrow aspirate.  Please pray that the IT chemo does not have any funky effects on Emilie and that we get to go home in the near future.

Gulfstream 777EE to San Francisco Tower....

...requesting immediate landing due to impatience.  
Emilie is still in the hospital waiting for her counts to recover.  Emilie is keeping busy with school and activities at the Forever Young Zone.  (I'm still waiting for Steve Young to drop in while we are busy making tissue paper flowers.)  School is great here.  Emilie is able to work on her Baymonte curriculum with (almost) one on one attention.  She loves it and even wants to go to the morning session which is saying alot as she is not an early riser. 
Some time ago our family was discussing something (don't even remember what) and Emilie stated, "It's not all about me?".  Such an amazing statement coming from her and it got me thinking about life and getting back to our "regularly scheduled program".  Yes, our life is different now and yes, it will probably continue to change, but it is not about just one of us.  Emilie is correct, it's about all of us; all 5 of us!  So, here we go...back to the original "The Erickson All-Stars" blog and what better way to start with a couple shots of Nicolas and Paul and their street graffiti.

In A Holding Pattern

Emilie had a blip of a fever last week, which took us back to the hospital until her counts recover (SOP).  She has not had a fever since and she's feels great.  It's going to be a long week!  Please pray for really fast count recovery so we can get out of our holding pattern.