November 16, 2021

Lucy had a great birthday! Let me catch up on last week first. We have been in Flagstaff since Friday the 5th. On Tuesday Lucy and I did a day trip for her doctor appointment in Phoenix. We left around 6:30am and got back around 7:30pm. My sister-in-law Rachel babysat David, as she has been doing when I have to be gone. Such a help! Lucy's numbers were extremely low. Her ANC, the measure of her immune system, was at zero! Her platelets were so low we had to get a double infusion immediately. Platelets should be around 400. When she was first diagnosed with cancer her platelets are at 10. On Tuesday, her platelets were at 4. I am so thankful for our modern system that makes these infusions possible and relatively simple. Friday we did another day trip down. We had people praying that Lucy's numbers would be good enough for her to have her birthday party on Saturday. Well, her red blood cell had gone up, her platelets were up to 85 and her ANC ... 4300! The doctor was so impressed with her numbers that he cleared us not only for her birthday party but also for going to church on Sunday! It was one of the best birthday presents Lucy could have gotten. Lucy's party Saturday went really well! We had a "small" group with just a few families come to minimize extra germs. The kids decorated marshmallows, did some crafts, and played outside. Our friend made an amazing cake based on Lucy's squishmallow stuffed animal. Other friends did an amazing job with the snacks and drinks. It was such a blessing to get some quality time with good friends. Sunday the whole family went to church! It was so refilling for all of us. All three kids got to attend Sunday school or nursery and JD and I really enjoyed being in the service. Lucy's Sunday school class had cupcakes and sang her happy birthday. I'm so thankful we got to worship with our church family again. We are hoping we might be able to go back in about three weeks, if Lucy's numbers are good then. If not we are hoping we can go for Christmas. After church we had a birthday lunch at IHOP, which is our tradition. The entire wait staff came out to sing Lucy happy birthday. She had so much fun. Then in the evening we watched Enchanted as a family. It was a great day. Unfortunately, the night was not so great. Lucy was up almost the entire night crying. JD was with her, and he could not get her to communicate anything about what was wrong. We think maybe she is struggling with anxiety over this next chemo session. She also seems to be fighting either allergies or a mild head cold. It is so hard to know how to help her best in situations like that. We are scheduled to start chemo on Wednesday. It will be the same chemo drugs as the last session, which means we can expect unpleasant eye drops 4 times a day, a severe rash and an extreme drop in blood counts afterwards. It's hard to know that that all is coming. The doctors can treat the rash with steroids, but considering how Lucy handles steroids, it's not something we are looking forward to. Please be praying for the side effects to be mild and for all of us to handle them with strength and grace. Pray especially for Lucy, as she is understandably worried about what is to come. We are hoping to have a quiet Thanksgiving back here in Flagstaff. But things are always complicated right after a chemo session. We will likely have an appointment on Wednesday and on Friday, probably with a blood transfusion on Friday. Cancer doesn't take a holiday unfortunately. May we have the strength to work through whatever comes with grace and patience. Thank you so much for all your prayers. And thank you especially church family for your warm welcome Sunday. We love you so much! Prayer needs: - For Lucy's anxiety about this upcoming chemo. For her to have courage and peace - For the side effects of this chemo to be minimal, especially the rash - For everyone to be healthy during the chemo so we don't have to worry about spreading germs or getting blocked from the hospital - For wisdom for us to help Lucy with her anxiety and whatever is messing up her sleep at night - For baby David to sleep better. He has been waking up a lot in the night - For Thanksgiving to be a special time, however it works out. - For wisdom for JD and I to parent Lucy well through this. That God would take away any selfishness or bitterness in Lucy (and in us) and replace it with faith and compassion