Saturday, April 19, 2008

Continued Blessings

I need you to know something.... each one of you that have emailed, left comments, or mailed us cards, you are so precious to us. I cry humbled tears of encouragement and delight each time I read something from you. When I say that 'words cannot express' what your caring concern and prayers for us means to me - I'm serious. I cannot find words that can truly express how sincerely touched and overcome we are that you all care so much. Please let my feeble "thank you" settle deep into your soul, and know how truly (truly, truly, truly, truly, truly!) grateful we are for you.

As for an Ethan update, the doctor came in this morning and felt Ethan's spleen and was pleasantly surprised at how it has continued to decrease in size! It's still not back to normal, but the fact that it continues to get smaller is such an answer to prayer. His white blood cell count continues to remain in a safe zone, so each of those things mean that Ethan responded well to his first round of chemo. Thank you, Lord! His next rounds of treatment will start next week. As long as his spleen continues to stay out of danger, then he will begin chemo treatments by mouth a few times a week. This round of chemo will not be as aggressive as his 4 days of IV chemo was. It will be more of a long term maintenance plan of treatment, to prep and ready his body for a bone marrow transplant (BMT) in a few months. The preparations for the BMT are currently underway. All of the testing that is involved makes it a very lengthy process. Please be in prayer that they find a perfect match right away. Since it takes so long to determine a perfect match, we don't want precious time wasted on "wrong" matches. They've advised that if they found a perfect match the first time, the soonest we could be ready for a transplant would be about 2 months from now. If they have to go through several people before they find a match, of course, it could be longer before Ethan can get the BMT. That's not ideal because he really needs the transplant as soon as possible for hope of a successful cure (of course, we know God can cure him without a transplant at all!).

Since I'm talking about the bone marrow transplant, let me take a minute to thank everyone who is on the National Bone Marrow Donor list. What a selfless and generous thing for someone to volunteer to do. That very thing is understood to be the only cure for JMML, among other diseases. Let me also thank anyone reading this who has ever given blood or platelets. You may have gone on your lunch break to run down the street and donate at a local drive, and not think much of it. But do you realize, that without someone donating blood and donating platelets, Ethan would not be alive day to day (outside of the Lord's intervention). He gets transfusions almost everyday to help keep his body functioning the way it should. I am so overcome with thankfulness to all of those who donate... you are keeping someone, somewhere alive. What a wonderful blessing you are to some family out there. What a wonderful blessing someone who donated blood, platelets, and bone marrow (many someone's) have been to this family.

I've posted website links at the bottom right of this webpage just for some FYI's in case anyone is interested in learning more about JMML, general leukemia information, or other "stuff" that's related with Ethan's situation.


My sweet little boy, I'm looking at you right now... Ethan, you've only just begun to shine His light.

10 comments:

Carrie Comstock said...

Thank you for the update! It is great to be able to pray specific prayers. So thankful for the good news regarding Ethan's spleen and white blood cell count. Continuing to lift you all up in prayer.
Love,
Carrie

Linsey said...

I love hearing the praises! Will keep praying.

Greg, Alissa, Luke and Jack said...

We are so glad to hear that the chemo is working. We'll pray for a quick match! I really admire your strength and faith through this trial. Continue to trust Him and persevere! (James 1:2-4)

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to hear the praise! I love you all and will keep praying everyday!
Love,
Alicia

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry - I read about Baby Ethan over at Bargain Shopper Lady. I will keep him in my thoughts and prayers. There is nothing as hard as a sick baby. My littlest had to spend several days at Georgetown Hospital when he was just 5 weeks old - so I have only an inkling of what you're going through. I thank God for the great doctors at Georgetown and I'm sure He will send wonderful doctors your way too, as it sounds like He has. Ethan is beautiful! (And no wonder, I saw a photo of you too!) :)

Anonymous said...

HI ETHAN,

YOU DONT KNOW ME BUT I WANT YOU TO
KNOW THAT I AM PRAYING FOR YOU AND
MOMMY AND DADDY EVERYDAY. I HOPE YOU GET WELL SOON. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT GODS LOVE FOR YOU. I HOPE YOU WILL LIKE IT. THIS STORY BEGINS A LONG TIME AGO, EVEN BEFORE YOU WERE BORN. I WILL TRY AND MAKE IT AS SIMPLE AS I CAN SO YOU WILL UNDERSTAND.
AFTER GOD MADE THE EARTH, HE MADE PEOPLE AND EVERYTHING WAS GOOD. BUT THE PEOPLE MADE A BAD CHOICE. THIS CHOICE MADE GOD SAD AND LIFE BECAME HARD FOR PEOPLE. THE PEOPLE SINNED MORE AND MORE. THEY SINNED SO MUCH THAT GOD SENT A FLOOD TO CLEAN THE EARTH OF THEIR MISTAKES AND ALLOW THEM TO RESTART. IT DIDNT TAKE LONG AND THE PEOPLE WERE SINNING AGAIN. GOD WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TO SAVE THE PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. NOW THERE WAS A MAN NAMED ABRAHAM WHO LISTENED TO GOD. GOD BLESSED ABRAHAM AND TOLD HIM THAT HE WOULD BE THE FATHER OF GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE, THEY WERE CALLED THE ISRAELITES. THE ISRAELITES HAD THIS SPECIAL THING CALLED PASSOVER. THE PASSOVER IS ANOTHER LONG STORY BUT IT IS VERY
INTERESTING AND YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT IN A WONDERFUL BOOK CALLED THE BIBLE. IN SHORT, PASSOVER CELEBRATES A DAY IN HISTORY WHEN GOD PAST OVER THE ISRAELITES HOUSES
AND SPARED THEIR FIRST BORN SONS. AT THREE O'CLOCK ON THE DAY OF PASSOVER A PREIST WOULD KILL A LAMB AND ITS BLOOD WOULD BE A SACRAFICE FOR THE SINS OF THE PEOPLE. THIS WENT ON FOR A LONG TIME. THEN GOD DECIDED HE WOULD SACRAFICE SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WOULD WASH THEIR SINS AWAY FOREVER. GOD HAD TO GIVE AWAY SOMETHNG THAT HE LOVED SO MUCH TO SAVE THE PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS. HE GAVE THE MOST IMPORTANT GIFT EVER, HIS ONLY SON. HIS SON'S NAME WAS JESUS AND HE GREW UP IN THE WORLD BUT HE WAS DIFFERENT FROM ALL THE OTHER KIDS BECAUSE HE NEVER SINNED. JESUS LIVED A PERFECTLY PURE LIFE AND AT THREE O'CLOCK ON THE DAY OF PASSOVER HE DIED FOR YOU AND ALL OF US. GOD SACRIFICED HIS ONLY SON ON THE SAME DAY OF THE YEAR THAT THE PRIEST USED TO SACRAFICE A LAMB. HIS BLOOD WAS OFFERED FOR OUR SINS JUST LIKE THE LAMBS BLOOD. THIS IS WHY JESUS IS KNOWN AS THE LAMB OF GOD. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT JESUS CAME BACK TO LIFE AND HE IS OUR SAVIOR. I BET YOU ARE WONDERING WHAT THIS STORY HAS TO DO WITH YOU.
WELL, JESUS DIED TO SAVE ME AND HE DIED TO SAVE YOU AND GOD IS USING YOU RIGHT NOW TO SHOW ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU AND HOW MUCH HE LOVES THEM. DO YOU REMEMBER ME TELLING YOU ABOUT FATHER ABRAHAM? WELL, GOD TOLD HIM TO PUT HIS ONLY SON ON AN ALTER AND SACRAFICE HIM, BUT
LUCKY FOR HIM GOD DECIDED TO TELL HIM TO STOP AND HIS SON WAS NOT HARMED. GOD GAVE ABRAHAM A RAM TO SACRAFICE INSTEAD.
DID YOU KNOW YOU ARE SO SPECIAL AND
GOD MADE YOU JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER KIDS? WHEN YOU GOT SICK IT WAS VERY SCARY FOR
MOMMY AND DADDY AND THEY GOT VERY WORRIED. THEY LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND THEY TOLD GOD THAT THEY CANT GIVE YOU UP. THEY ARE PRAYING TO GOD EVERY MINUTE, ACTUALLY THERE ARE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD PRAYING FOR YOU. ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND ALL THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND SO ON AND SO ON. I BET THERE ARE KIDS IN OTHER COUNTRIES PRAYING FOR YOU, MAYBE KIDS WHO DONT EVEN HAVE A MOMMY ARE DADDY OF THEIR OWN. YOUR MOMMY
SAYS YOU ARE IN A VERY GOOD HOSPITAL. THE DOCTORS THERE HAVE EVEN THOUGHT OF A WAY TO GET YOU BETTER AND BETTER. THEY SAID YOU WOULD HAVE TO GET SOMEONE ELSE'S BLOOD OUT OF THEIR BONE MARROW. AFTER YOU GET THIS BLOOD YOU WILL GET BETTER AND CAN PLAY OUTSIDE WITH OTHER KIDS. I THINK IT IS REAL NEAT HOW GAVE GAVE US HIS SON, JESUS, AS A GIFT TO US AND JESUS' BLOOD SAVED US. THAT IS GODS
ULTIMATE GIFT TO US! I THINK IT IS REALLY, REALLY NEAT THAT JESUS' BLOOD SAVED US AND SOMEONE ELSE'S BLOOD WILL SAVE YOU HERE ON EARTH. YOU SEE GOD IS IN CONTROL AND THERE IS A REASON FOR EVERYTHING HE ALLOWS TO HAPPEN. GOD GAVE US HIS SON TO SAVE US AND GOD IS USING YOU TO SHOW ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF HIS AMAZING UNTHINKABLE LOVE FOR US.
ETHAN, I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS STORY AND ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW MUCH WE ALL LOVE YOU AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU.

Moz + Pam said...

Matthew 8:7-
"And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him."

Anonymous said...

My husband and I, as well as our church family at Truth, are praying for you all. You are an inspiration and an example to so many, as you continue to bring glory to our Lord and Saviour. What a blessing to know that HE is always faithful and HE is always good. May HE continue to be your strength.
"In the day when I cried
thou answeredst me,
and strengthenedst me
with strength in my soul."
Psalm 138:3
With love and many prayers,
Claire

Uncle Mike said...

Hi Kasey, Adam and Ethan; Mike and I are continuing to pray for all of you to keep your strength though this trial...The Lord is truely working his miracle on Ethan. I pray that his spleen continues to shrink to normal and that his blood counts continue to show good news! Kasey, you are such an inspiration and such a soldier of the Lord, your strength amazes me! Love, Mike and Kathy

Janelle and Ella said...

You are the sweetest, most encouraging mom EVER. I'm not kidding. You keep thanking us, but I want to thank you! Your situation and your words of gratitude to God has increased my faith. You are a strong woman and the most loving mother. You have blessed all of us immensely!