Day -15: Getting Ready for the BMT

It has been a busy week for Sarah (and the rest of us) so far.

On Wednesday, Sarah went to Dartmouth for eye testing, bone marrow aspiration, bone marrow biopsy, intrathecal chemo therapy, blood work and a CAT scan. It was a full day, but we got it all done.

Today (Thursday), Susan and I took Sarah, Betsy and Asa to Dana Farber for a discussion on the possible side effects of radiation. They all sounded bad too us, but we didn't hear anything we haven't heard before, so we were not in shock at any rate. Since Betsy has been chosen as the bone marrow donor, she had to be evaluated by a psychologist before the BMT. Susan and I insisted one of us be present during the evaluation which took a good amount of persistence on our part as the psychologist was very much against either parent being present. We won, they lost.

Sarah is feeling very good and is off all medication until admission on 7/18 for the BMT. Her blood counts are good and at the level the doctors at Dartmouth and Dana Farber want to see them. It breaks our hearts to know that she is feeling, looking and behaving so good and healthy and in about 1-2 weeks she is going to be hammered with some pretty intense medical procedures that will render her incredibly and life threateningly sick. Please pray for Sarah to be strong and respond positively while she is at Dana Farber. All of the children are special to us, but God is using the recent events in Sarah's life to remind us how much she means to us. He is also showing us how much he loves her through (and by using) us and in doing so, showing us how much he loves us.

We have a list of things we either need to do or need to buy before the BMT (really before Sarah returns home from the BMT). The buying part is easy, the doing part is a challenge. I'll post some of the things we are trying to do before Sarah returns home. If you think you can help out with some, send us an email (see calendar at bottom of blog for email address). Thanks for the help we have already received and continue to receive. Even small things have made a meaningful difference (like Sarah receiving a get well card, or calling to see if we need anything at the drugstore while out).
-Hebrews 12:9-13