Cancer Prayer Day

It appears we will be going home later this evening. Ethan's chemo will end at 1:00 this afternoon, they will give him his new antibiotic, red blood cell transfusion, and a platelet transfusion... and then if all goes well, we will be going home after that. I had mentioned yesterday that I'd rather wait until tomorrow just to "wait and see" what (if any) side effects surface, but the doctor just came in and didn't seem to think that Ethan was in danger of any more problems surfacing (aside from what we've already seen). So, with that in mind, they are writing prescriptions for me to have on hand in case we experience any difficulty (vomiting, swollen eyes, mouth sores, etc) over the weekend.

Thank you so much for your daily prayers for Ethan and our family. Your prayers got us through this round of chemo and help to sustain our sanity each day. My brother-in-law actually sent me an email this morning to tell me that today, June 5th, is recognized worldwide as Cancer Prayer Day. So today, think of those in your life that have been impacted by cancer and pray for their healing and strength. Pray also for the families of those who have lost a loved one to cancer. Pray for peace and comfort as they reflect on the memories.

As I was thinking about today being the day of prayer for cancer (although, in our life right now, EVERY day is a day of prayer for cancer!), I reflected on the day that we found out about Ethan having leukemia. What a nightmare and an utter shock it was... and still is at times. Adam and I were talking the other day about some of the best times in our lives growing up and even in our adult life, then we started talking about the worst times in our life and immediately we recalled April 8th of this year - the day before our 3 year wedding anniversary - when we first heard the word 'leukemia' in reference to our then 11 week old son. I can't believe it will be 2 months ago this Saturday. It feels like it's been a lifetime, but then again it also feels like time has gone by pretty fast. Today, I was specifically reminded of how vulnerable we are and how dependent we HAVE to be on the Lord for every thing, every day.

I never know what the next round of Ethan's treatment is going to look like or how he will respond, but we've been in the hospital this time for 7 long days (and 6 long nights!), and I was thinking this morning that with each passing day, we are one more day closer...

One more day closer to Ethan being able to get his transplant.

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One more day closer to Ethan being cured of this awful cancer.

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One more day closer to Adam, Ethan and I being able to be a family

that engages in "normal" family activities together.

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One more day closer to this stormy season in our lives being over.

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Oh how we look forward to that day...