Thanksgiving

A beautiful song for a beautiful holiday. I wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is just so much for which to give thanks to the Lord! Thank you for your friendship, one and all.

Thankful and Grateful

Fantastic news from TP's doctor at her six month check up on Friday - he's just totally amazed at her progress and the fact that she's stayed healthy and in remission. He said that he's never had a patient go off ALL meds before in his whole career! He was so glad to see how well she's doing at school, too.

DQ is doing much better - thank you for your prayers. It's a long and complicated story, but suffice it to say that she remains fragile and will require lots of love and attention over the next few years.

God gave these girls to us for a reason - and I am so grateful He did. Through His grace, we have weathered many crises (health and otherwhise), and our family is still intact and strong and loving.

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving - how about you? We're having company - TP's boyfriend's parents are coming down from Michigan and they'll be having Thanksgiving dinner with us. In the meantime, I have a list a mile long of things that need to be done yet. I got a lot of those things checked off today, but it seemed like once I checked one item off, another item magically appeared!

So, we have a lot for which to be thankful this Thanksgiving. I'll write again before the holiday, but I just wanted to update you on what's been happening here. Take care, everybody, and God bless.

The Strength to Fight

DQ is overcome with turmoil and anguish right now, so I truly need your prayers. Please pray for her healing, for her to find strength, for her to overcome the demons which have taken over her sweetness and the will to fight the fight and go on with life. I have two phone calls into her doctors right now, as I don't know how to help her anymore. I have done all that I know how to do - as a mom and as a professional - and nothing seems to work. The love she is given doesn't seem to touch her or help her. I am so close to giving up - but how can I? She's my daughter, and I would die for her, so I can't give up on her now when she needs me the most. So, please, please pray for her, and please add a prayer in there for me so that I can find wisdom to know how to help and strength to be able to help. I'm just so exhausted. I'll keep you posted.

Two Years Ago

Two years ago, right about now, TP was in a coma and gravely ill in the PICU. But, a miracle happened that evening, and she is now in perfect health and is still in remission. Most of you know the story by now - she was diagnosed with Lupus Nephritis in April of 2004 and was on massive doses of steroids and immunosuppressants, plus she had even been on chemotherapy. She was in and out of the hospital for many months. Then, that November, she had received great news - that she was going to be off all meds in a few short weeks, plus she had been admitted to the college of her dreams with a huge scholarship. She was on the top of the world! Then, she had two vaccinations - one for the flu and the other for pneumonia, and she had caught a virus at a camp she attended that weekend. Unfortunately, she developed a high fever and became very sick, and I immediately took her to Children's. You can read the rest of that remarkable, miraculous story in my November 2005 archives. God certainly works wonders, and He continues to do so to this very day.

The past two years since that hospitalization, TP has gone through many changes. But, she has weathered each and every one of them. She has been through a lot of pain and a lot of joy. She has matured in many ways, and has started at a new college last week to continue pursuing her dream of obtaining her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree. I am proud of the young woman she is becoming. Her faith has been tested and strengthened. So has mine.

During this whole process - from the beginning of her illness, to her hospitalization when she was in PICU, to her graduation from high school, to the boyfriends she has dated which treated her horribly, to her going away to college, to her starting up at a new college with a new boyrfriend in the background - I have struggled myself. I have experienced pain I never thought was possible. I have been in the depths of despair many times. Through it all, God was right there beside me - comforting, guiding, loving, wiping away my tears, giving me strength. I know my faith in Him was tested, as there were times when I doubted He heard me, and there were times I couldn't feel His presence. But those where the times when I knew that I was still being carried in the palm of His hand, because I could feel your prayers and I could read your words of support. All of you have helped me through the past two years in so many ways.

So, thank you. From the very bottom of my heart. I really couldn't have done this without all of you. You've prayed for me and my family, you've wept with me, you've offered me support and wisdom and guidance and comfort and LOVE. Unconditional love. I have felt that over and over and over again. You guys are SO special to me.

In this time of Thanksgiving, one of the the things I am most grateful for is all of the friendships I have made through this blog. Thank you, my friends, thank you. I love each and every one of you.