Tuesday, June 30, 2009

What An Uplifting Evening!!!!





What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and grief to bear
What a privilege to carry
EVERYTHING to God in prayer!!!



That is exactly what we did tonight! We had the honor and the privilege to lift up our sweet Mallerie in prayer to God for His complete healing. We are so lucky to be christians and living in a country where we are able to come together as one voice and openly petition God to ask Him for His help in our time of need. We are a lucky nation and it is a privilege that I know we do not take lightly.

Thank you to each and every one of you who joined us tonight for our prayer night for Mallerie. We were blessed to have some of her family and friends from home join us. It was wonderful to get to visit and pray with them. Mallerie has a wonderful and supporting family. I will share a tid bit that I do not think the family will mind me sharing, they have posted it on Mallerie's site in the past, so it is not a secret.... but rather a wonderful family love story! Mallerie's mom, Tina, has a very sweet brother...Jeremy. She also has a very sweet sister Shelia. I sure don't want to leave her out of this story... she has been a wonderful blessing to Tina and to Mallerie during this journey. I probably see Shelia on my visits as much as I see Tina and Mallerie. She is there with them and for them whenever she is needed. Anyway... back to my love story, Jeremy was diagnosed with the same Aplastic Anemia as Mallerie when he was 17 years old (I think). Tina was the donor for Jeremy. Jeremy has been through this same process, but was fortunate enough that he did not have the complications that Mallerie is having at this time. He was so kind and prayed with us tonight for his precious niece. This was just so touching to each of us tonight. Thank you Jeremy for joining in with us. I always feel so uplifted when we gather for a special night to pray for someone. I feel God blesses each person that comes together to petition him on behalf of someone else. This group of prayer warriors is such a special group of people, I am fortunate and blessed to be a part of this amazing group of people. I know God hears us, and I know he will answer our pleas. What a true friend we have in Jesus.... he does bear all of our sins and our grief, heartaches and worries. What a wonderful privilege to carry every single need and care to Him in prayer. Amen!!!

We really need to keep our prayer vigil going... Elizabeth really needs prayers RIGHT NOW! They are getting the results from the biopsy back and there is some real concern at this time. Michelle will post as she knows more, but I do ask that you keep this family in your hearts and in your prayers.

Also please keep praying for Trevor and Pam... please read Trevor's cb site. Pam says it all so much better than I do. I think you will feel her pain and frustration in her writing and you will know exactly what I mean when I say, they need our prayers. Please post on the guestbook for each of these families. This gives them so much hope and encouragement when they see you out here praying for them. I know they would be here for us if we need them....

Reagan continues to have really good days and is enjoying herself so much. I can just see Princess Reagan with thousands of bubblegum balls!!!! This girl will have all of the pink ones picked out as soon as she can..... read her site! For those of you who don't know this... Reagan LOVES bubblegum!!!!! She always has gum!!! She is so very sweet to share it with you too. She is a precious and sweet girl.

Thank you again for joining us tonight. Keep praying, keep your eyes on the Lord and your faith and trust in Him. He will carry you through the darkest days.

Mallerie, WE LOVE YOU!!!! We will keep praying for you until we pray you right back out of that ICU and all the way home... HOME TO Chester County!!!!

BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS!!!!!!

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Prayer Night- Monday Night @ 8:30

We invite all of you to join us Monday, June 29th at 8:30 central time to have a prayer vigil for Mallerie. Just go to the bottom of this post and you will see the Chat Box, type in a sign- in name and click on enter. You will be in the room and can join us in prayer or just follow along with us, which ever you prefer. You must have Java installed to be able to enter. It is a free download and only takes a matter of minutes to download it. Java.com

Please join us, several of our kiddo's need our prayers at this time, so please check updates and remember everyone in your prayers.

BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS

Friday, June 26, 2009

Prayer Warriors... Lift Up Your Voices For Healthy Livers and Lungs!!






"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

But Jesus said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9





Good evening... I am coming to you tonight with two urgent prayer requests. Please pray diligently for Mallerie and Elizabeth and both of their families.

Mallerie was taken back to ICU this afternoon. I was able to visit with them this evening for a while, when I ask Tina what to pray for specifically , she said to please pray for her lungs. Mal has some very serious lung issues at this time. She is taking some meds, and they have put her on a c-pap machine to help her breath in order to allow her lungs the opportunity to heal. Please be in prayer for her lungs and also for her family. Pray for God to wrap his loving arms around them and hold them, comfort them through yet another storm on this journey. Mal is a strong girl, I even got a smile out of her this evening. She is such a fighter, pray for her to remain strong. Please pray for a good night's rest for Brad, Tina, Heath and Mallerie. We would like to look at setting up a prayer night for Mallerie. I am not sure if Sunday night or Monday night would be better, Please leave me a comment and let me know which night you feel is best to get the most participation. Just click on the "comments" at the bottom of this post and it will allow you to leave a comment.

Also, Elizabeth was discharged this evening and got to go back "home" to Target House. She has not been feeling very well in the last few weeks, and her liver counts have gone up each day this week. Michelle has covered most all of this on Elizabeth's caringbridge page, however, I did she her before they left the hospital today and Michelle says she is in constant prayer and ask for your prayers for "Lizzie's Liver". They did do the biopsy, but they will most likely not hear any results from it until next week. As you know, when waiting on test results, a weekend can seem like an eternity, Please pray for her test results to show exactly what is going on with her liver, and for the doctors to know how to treat it to get her "all better". Michelle has the most amazing strength and faith. She, along with every St Jude mom I have met, are amazing. Please keep MIchelle in your prayers, she is taking care of Elizabeth, and she is back on the med that Michelle has to administer to Elizabeth every 8 hours, which takes 2 hours for it to run. Pray for them to get the rest that they need. Elizabeth's 2 brothers are here with them for the summer to. They are such a joy and a help for them. Please pray for Lizzie's Liver, and her complete healing.

Please add these names to your prayer list at church or bible classes.... anywhere that you have contact with prayer warriors. As Tina said tonight.... "YOU CAN NOT HAVE TO MANY PRAYERS GOING UP FOR YOU!'

This afternoon as I pulled up to Target House to go hang out with Ryan for a bit so Kimberly could go to the grocery store, I found Arie and Clay in the parking lot riding bikes. That was so good to see them out and riding bikes, Clay looks so good! The only problem was.... I looked at the outside temp on my rearview mirror and it read 102 DEGREES!!!!!! IN MEMPHIS WITH A HEAT INDEX OF 110 degrees!!!!! WAY TO GO CLAY! I am so glad that he is doing so well, I just hope he and Arie do not melt in the heat!!! He is such a trooper and such a cutie pie.

Ryan is doing very well to, he is outpatient and seems to be enjoying his new home away from home at the Target House. He seems to feel good, and he loves to play and laugh and laugh and laugh!!! Pray a prayer of praise for him to continue to feel good and for his transplant to be completely successful.

I hope that each of you have a great weekend. Please share these prayer request with others around you and let's wait upon the Lord for his healing. Also please keep the medical staff in your prayers as they make decisions on how to best treat these kids.

BELIEVE-PRAYER WORKS!!!!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Getting Back Into The Swing of Things....



Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9

Great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 108:4




I am so sorry for the slow updates. As you know, I have been out of town, I am home now, but this week has been an extremely difficult week. Thankfully I can say that everyone on our Friend List that I have been able to check on is doing very well!

I hope that by now you have heard Trevor's good news. So far, the preliminary test are showing a big fat 0 cancer cells! WooHoo for the T-Rev! Final results are still out, but so far, so good. Also, please go to his link and check out the surprise they have for everyone. Let me give you a heads up, you need to read the comments on the guestbook and MAKE SURE you have a box of Kleenex when you do read it all. We will come back to this topic after everyone has had a chance to read up.

Mallerie did get to go back to the Transplant floor today, so praise God for answering the many prayers that you all have been sending up for her. Let's keep praying so hard for her to get past all of these bumps in the road and get's on the road to HOME!
Let them hear from you :)

Salena is now outpatient after a couple of weeks in the hospital. LaDonna says she is feeling better. Sure hope that she is on the road to HOME or back to St Jude soon. Let them know that you guys have not forgotten them, send them a note on her link.

Elizabeth is still inpatient, she has some things coming up. She has an infection in her line, so they are going to take it out, do another procedure, than eventually when all of the infection is clear, they will put in a port. Michelle has ask for specific prayers for "Lizzie's Liver". I love that expression!!! Let's all lift up prayers for Lizzie's Liver, that she will have a happy liver and her liver counts will continue to come down. Maybe Michelle has hit on something with this milk issue. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Ryan has been released out of inpatient status and is getting all settled at the Target House. He has really done very well considering all he has been through. Kimberly said he is feeling very well considering everything too. Praise and glory to God for this. Keep praying for Ryan and his family.

Everyone else seems to be doing well. We thank our dear loving Lord for this.

The mom's and kiddo's that went to DC have done their job, let's pray that the congress had open ears and eyes and heard their stories while they were there. I pray that each person who has the power and control over the government funding for childhood cancer research was touched by the people who all traveled to DC this week to plead their case. I pray for more funds to be approved for research. If each of us takes just a few moments to write your local senators and congressmen and let them hear your voice, it very well could make a difference too. All we can do it take action, and pray that it falls on listening ears.

I have several things I want to share with you....

One of our very special friends of St Jude kiddo's shared something with us today. His sister-in-law is in Atlanta undergoing preparations to be a kidney donor to a perfect stranger. WOW.... I STAND AMAZED!!!! God has truly put some very special and selfless people in this world. Jon, our prayers are with your sister in law, the person who will be receiving her kidney, and for each one of you family members. I know she must be a very special lady, she comes from a wonderful and most loving family.
Prayers and blessings for this transplant to be a complete success.

I have a few families I would like for you to keep in prayer at this time.

Anita will be leaving Memphis in the morning at 6:00 am to travel by ambulance to Shepherds in Atlanta. She has shown some encouraging signs the past few days, but her prognosis is still not known. She has been opening her eyes more and they felt like today she was following the nurse, with her eyes, in the room during the 5:00 visit this afternoon. Hopefully she will wake up and begin to show signs of total healing. Please keep them in your prayers. Michael will be going with her, but the girls will be staying home with other family members and friends. This is so hard on these precious girls, please send a few extra prayers up for them.

A very sweet, I can't tell you how sweet, friend lost her long battle with cancer yesterday. She leaves her husband, Randy, and four beautiful children. Twins, Ashton and Trent, Melissa and Lindsey. Melanie is probably one of the most sincere, loving and truly the finest example of a christian wife and mother that you would ever meet. She will be missed by so many, but she has truly earned her place in heaven. She was an elementary teacher, she had the greatest love for children, it gives me joy to think of her taking care of those children, now angels, who have been so precious to us. She will love them in heaven as much as we loved them while they were here.

I think I did already share with you that Marcella Trevathan lost her battle with cancer this week to. Her service was today. Please keep her friends and family in your prayers.

As you can see, it has been a difficult week. But, God is Good, God is an AWESOME God, and I will cling to Him for comfort in the hard times and praise Him for his power and glory in the good and the healing times. GOD IS ALWAYS IN CONTROL. We must lean on him for His peace, and comfort.

Blessing to each of you ~

BELIEVE -PRAYER WORKS!!!

Monday, June 22, 2009

HELLO PRAYER WARRIORS

I am still out of town, so I have not made any visits to the hospital, but I did want to let you know about some things going on that we need to keep in mind and prayer.

Celebrate!!!! Morgan has been released to move home!!! She will come back for weekly and soon bi-weekly clinic visits but at this time she has moved out of Target House living and back HOME! We all want to celebrate with her and her family for the successful treatment for Morgan and pray that she is never bothered by this again. I love a great success story!!! Be on the watch if you are traveling through Mississippi, word has it she will be a licensed driver in the near future :) Way to go MORGAN!

Prayers have been requested from Mallerie, Elizabeth and Trevor.

Mallerie has had to return to ICU. I do not have any details at this time, but I just know that we need to dig deep and pray for her and her family.

Elizabeth is back inpatient and will be having a liver biopsy this week. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Michelle is facing this by herself, Dean is out on boat working, and her parents are on a cruise. Of course she has her St Jude family but it's just not the same knowing your own family is so far away. Please pray for them and for good results on Elizabeth's test. Let her know she is not alone... this wonderful group of prayer warriors are with her.

Trevor has lot's of test going on this week and today could determine if he gets his escape from inpatient. Please pray for all to go well and for him to get is GO card to get back to Target House.

Please pray for the family of Marcella Trevathan. She was one of the secretaries to the President at Freed Hardeman University, I have shared with you about her battle with cancer. She passed away this early this morning, she is now free from her pain. Please keep all of the family, the FHU family and most especially the baseball teams over the past several years in prayer. She was a single lady and she loved the baseball boys, she was like a second mom to many of them before she fell ill with cancer a little over a year ago. Before becoming sick, she never missed a game, not even a practice!! She really loved baseball and "her" guys. Heaven has welcomed a sweetheart.

Anita is still hanging in there. I have not heard from anyone today, but as of yesterday she is still pretty much the same. The plan is still to move her to Sheppards in Atlanta for brain injury rehab to see what they can do for her there. She has still not come to in a voluntary way. Please continue to keep Michael and the girls as well as her entire family and friends in your prayers. Thank you.

I hope that each of you are having a good week so far and are staying cool. The heat here is unreal for this time of year.

Keep your faith and trust in God, and keep your eyes on the goal!!!

BELIEVE - PRAYER WORKS!!!

REGISTER FOR TEAM BELIEVE AND THE ST JUDE MARATHON BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!!!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

He Is Always Near To Each Of Us

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145: 18

Comfort in knowing that the Lord is near to us when we call on Him.... doesn't that just make your heart have a warm fuzzy feel? I really don't know how people live and get from day to day without having God near by and in their life each second of each day. Thank You Lord, for being our maker and our protector. In Christ Name, Amen.

Things are moving right along. GREAT NEWS!!!!! MALLERIE IS OFF THE VENT!!!!!! I just got back into town last night, so I have not seen her yet, but can't wait to go and TALK to her!!!! Keep on praying... I ask last week for us to pray her out of ICU and back to the transplant floor, it's working, keep it up! Let's get her back to Chili's Transplant, then we will pray her out to Target House! BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS... Just have faith and pray with truth and from your heart.

Trevor has had a little excitement this morning. That guy always has something going on... never a dull moment for Pam and the staff at St Jude when it comes to Trevor. We love Trevor!!!! His NG tube started coming out this morning while he was getting his bath. They have taken it out, and are going to play the "wait till test time and see" game. Pray that this matter has been healed and resolved and he will not have to have it put back in. I hope you have been reading his updates the past few days... that guy is just an awesome and fun loving kind of guy! Go Read! I promise you, if you need or just want a good laugh, his updates will give you a big laugh.

I talked with LaDonna this morning. She has ask for your prayers for Salena and for their family. The journey that they have been on for quite some time now can really take it's toll on a family. Salena is having some heart issues, they are running test and are waiting for results. Please pray that they will get a good report and all will be well soon. Thanks for keeping this family in your thoughts and prayers.

Reagan has been to the doctor in her area and will be starting a new chemo that they are praying will give her more good days. She is really busy and the family is doing a great job of making the most of each day for her and the other family members. I pray for many more of these wonderful days for them. Let them hear from you.

You can check up on the other kids... they all seem to be doing very well this week. I love to read these good updates.

My friend Anita is in surgery at this time. It will most likely be a 6-8 hour surgery. Please keep her in prayer today. Her cb page is caringbridge.org/visit/anitaandersnaifeh Her husband, Michael is now posting the updates and he is doing an excellent job with this. Please keep this family in your prayers. It is still a day to day thing. No guarantees, but then again, none of us has a guarantee stamped on us, right?

Ok, I got a little scare yesterday. I got a text message from one of our loyal prayer warriors saying she had seen on Facebook that the St Jude Marathon was full. I do not believe this to be true at this time. I am not sure where she saw it, but registration is still open as of last night. However, I do not know how much longer it will be before it does begin to fill up. We need to really get on the ball, pass the word around to all past team members that you notice are not yet registered and hit the recruiting trail to get new members... let's keep growing.

For any of you who read this journal, but have not been involved with this in the past.... please join us. If you want to talk to some of us and find out more info, just go to the bottom of this blog post and sign in and connect to the prayer warriors chat room. If no one is there, come back and try again later. There is usually always a group in late in the evening. We would love for you to become a part of this. You don't have to be a runner or an athlete to participate in this. There is a 5K, a half marathon and a full marathon. Many of us just walk the 5K, others are brave enough to tackle the half and full! It is a great event, a great opportunity to meet each other, spend time with one another and meet many of the families that you all have been following and praying for here. Please consider becoming a part of this AWESOME event! We have team members who fly and drive in from everywhere!!! New York, Nebraska, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and other states. I am sorry if I left your state out.... forgive me. Oh yea... Georgia and Colorado too!!! It is definitely worth the effort to make this weekend a part of your annual events.

Hoping that each of you have a wonderful day! Prayers for each of you too! Have a blessed day :)

Believe - Prayer Works!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Lot's To Be Thankful For, Lot's To Pray For Too




src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlp_SATxnLVOr0uvFJYE6D0IZPEZm-Yb2nqLBv6deYhaUlKnLGsh6bjMK1TbXiclXUWxVn0T9VRBSTwqp1KB-OquSWXl2ce-lnKHwlU7BJXhSaCipREPKezou2Zr6OEOOzdq6N1-9wdco/s400/IMG_1591.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346857535950444178" />







We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true- even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. I John 5:20


I wish I knew how to better relate to you what my heart feels at times. I am so full of excitement and new appreciation for many things and at the same time crushed and heartbroken. Yesterday was one roller coaster day of events around the hossy.
Each one of you who comes here to this site, really should plan a trip to Memphis at some point and schedule a tour of St Jude. I will be more than happy to help you set up a tour, just let me know. Oh Gee, I just had a great idea... why don't you all register to come for the St Jude Marathon in December and become of part of Team Believe???? All you have to do is click on the link at the top of the page that says "Register for St Jude Marathon" Easy enough, huh?

I got side tracked there for a second... back to yesterday.

Christian and her family left to go back home. Make a Wish was putting in a pool for her yesterday so hopefully she will be swimming very soon. I am not sure how long it was going to take to have it done and ready to swim in but I know they are so excited and anxious to start using it. Thanks to Make A Wish for all they do. Please read her update if you have not had a chance to. The new treatment they were trying is not working. Please pray for Christian and her family. She is such an amazing young lady, with a very strong family. Pray for their continued strength and for God's love and mercy to be with them.

Reagan also went home yesterday. The treatment she was on has not worked either. Complete update explaining her situation is now on her link. I don't think she will be coming back here for any further follow up. The doctors recommended for her to go closer to home and not wear her out with the long trip back here. Shawn met with hospice before their trip here this week, and he was pleased and feels peace with the hospice team. Please pray for Reagan and for the entire family. The top picture is Reagan with her Pink Bridal Unicorn she made at Build A Bear, and the next picture is Reagan with her grandparents. It just goes to show that you are never to old to sit and color at the activity tables at St Jude. Have I ever told you all how much I hate cancer? All I know to do is to keep praying and keep trying to be an encouragement to the families. I know how my heart hurts and breaks, I can only imagine what these families are going through. If tears could heal cancer, there would be NO CANCER in this world!!!!

The next picture down is Gavin from his last visit here about a week ago. Sorry it took me so long to get those pictures downloaded. He is growing up so fast, definitely not a baby anymore. He is doing so well. Prayers of praise for his healing.

I talked with LaDonna last night, she said Salena was having some issues with her heart. She sent me a message this morning asking for our prayers, her heart rate is very low and they now are moving her to a different floor in the hospital so they can monitor her more closely, She did not say ICU so I am assuming maybe a floor that specializes in heart monitoring. This is one of the reason's they sent her to Chicago, in case she needed this type of special care. Please pray that they will be able to figure out what is causing this and fix it. LaDonna did say last night that they thought it could be med related. Hopefully that is what it is and they can change the med and get it corrected.

I got some good news from Morgan last night. She said that she was in clinic yesterday, had good labs, and will go home until later in the week next week. If all still looks good next week, she will most likely be moving home for good!!! Bye Bye Target House, Hello home!!! She would be coming back weekly for labs since she is closer to St Jude than any other affiliate. Should just be a quick trip up, check labs, and back home again. She will be missed around the joint! But she said St Jude was her second home, she would definitely be back for visits. I think there is a certain young man that she might be coming back to see too :) I am very happy for Morgan and her family. Pray a prayer of praise and give God the glory.

Lot's of excitement around the hossy yesterday. Keith Urban came to pay a visit to the kids. Marlo Thomas was there to. In the group shot picture up top, Marlo is standing next to Keith in the middle. She is such a beautiful and gracious lady. People were so excited when he came into the hospital, and Marlo just commented to a small group... "just another day around St Jude" There is always excitement and awesome things going on at St Jude! It is just another day.

Now, I will most definitely be heading out when I finish this post up to purchase every Keith Urban CD I can find. I can not begin to tell you how impressed I was along with each family that had the opportunity to visit with him personally. He was amazing and CUTE too!!! He came to visit Trevor, Elizabeth and Ryan and the other kid's on the transplant floor. He just sat with each family and visited like he had no where else to be.... this was at 2:30 and after and he had a concert last night!!!! His "people" came into Trevor's room several times to tell him it was time to move on, he just looked at them and kept talking to Trevor. He was on his own time schedule, and he did not rush his visits. You could tell he was truly interested in the kids and wanted to hear their stories. He asked Trevor many questions, but you could tell they were questions he really wanted to know the answer to, not just random questions pulled from a hat. I have not seen a smile on Trevor's face like that since the prom.
This visit did all of the kids and families so much good. I'll share a cute story about his visit with Elizabeth. I went to the nurse's station to get a "puke" bucket so we could put some left over craft supplies in it to send back to Child Life Specialist so others could use them. That was at Trevor's insistence. This was the leftovers from his all night craft night making birthday surprises for his mom. Anyway, the nurse gave me two buckets. Just as I was getting them, Keith Urban was coming into the door of the transplant unit. On my way back to Trevor's room, I popped my head into Elizabeth's room to let them know that he was on the floor and on his way to see them.... Michelle said they were trying to come up with some paper or something for him to autograph when he came to their room. I told her I didn't have any paper, but I had an extra puke bucket!!!! So guess what.... Keith Urban autographed a puke bucket for Elizabeth!!! Elizabeth looked so cute yesterday, she had on the cutest rainbow dress and headband. He wrote something about "to his favorite rainbow" on her bucket. TOOO CUTE!!!!
Oh yea, I forgot to tell you that Trevor gave Keith Urban one of his Team Trevor bracelet's and Keith told him he would wear it for luck in his concert last night.... he did exactly that! Two of my girl friends were at the concert and took some really good pictures and you can see Trevor's bracelet on his arm. How cool is that!!! If you are on my friend list on facebook you can see all of these pictures from the hospital visit and the concert.

I talked with Kimberly, Ryan's mom, for just a minute yesterday afternoon, she said Ryan had not had such a good day. Just not feeling well. Pray for him to be better today. His family has come in to visit for the weekend. I hope they can enjoy a good visit together.

So much going on, so many in need. Keep the prayers going up for all of these kids and their families.

BELIEVE- PRAYER WORKS!

ps - I don't know what I did to one of the pictures when I was posting them but if you click on the link at the bottom of the empty picture box up top it will show you a large view of the picture of what Keith wrote on Trevor's window.

Thursday, June 11, 2009














Today's spiritual thought for the day:

This is a quote from a friend of mine, I hope he does not mind me sharing it with you. I am using the old theory of it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Thanks Lawrence!

"... praising God for his goodness. My needs are in His hands, and I am content to rest there."

Oh to be able to say this and to feel the peace in it. This is my goal to strive for each day.

Well I can say that today was a FULL day. I could not have enjoyed it more than I did. The day started out getting a lunch meal together for a surprise birthday lunch for Trevor V's mom... Pam. You must MUST go read the last couple of entires on Trevor's link. Let me warn you, GET YOUR TISSUES! What an amazing young man he is. There are a couple of pictures from the bday party today. We had a blast! There is also a picture of Trevor with his bologna and hot dogs that I took him yesterday. As you can also see from the pictures... Trevor got to enjoy himself today with some guy time just hanging out and playing Xbox with my son Garrett. They had a really good time doing the "teen guy thing". But I think Trevors day got better later when some girls came by to visit! Pretty girls vs Xbox buddie?????? Hum?????? What do you think?

The picture on top is Elizabeth with Mom, and her two brothers, each of them all decked out in their purple LSU outfits to honor Pam for her birthday. Did I forget to mention that her party was a PURPLE PARTY? Oh yea, please notice the neato camo tent hanging over the bed! Compliments of Elizabeth's brothers. Those boys are so crazy about her. She was a big trooper today, she stayed with one of the nurses while her family got to help Pam celebrate. Precious girl :)

Reagan had a big day today as you can see. She had good reports from her check-ups. Her MRI is scheduled for tomorrow. She will go in at 11:00 for sedation, and hopefully they will have a full report soon after the MRI is complete. You can read the doctors reports from today on her site. After a long day at the hospital, she was treated to dinner at Chili's and then a trip to the Disney Store and Build A Bear at the Wolfchase Mall. I want to thank the manager and employees at Build A Bear. If you find yourself in Memphis and at the Wolfchase Mall, please go by and support that store if you have anyone who could benefit from a stuffed animal. Reagan and family were in the Disney store purchasing a "wedding dress" and beautiful wedding slippers for Reagan when we realized the mall was about to close. One of the purposes to go to the mall was for Reagan to be treated to Build A Bear which I had promised her way back when she was still in Memphis, but time did not allow us to go. I left them in the Disney Store and ran to Build A Bear and explained what was going on and ask if they could please allow us to "rush" through and let Reagan build a stuffed animal. At the same time, coincidence.... the off duty manager from Build A Bear was in the Disney Store and overheard them discussing getting down to the store to get in, so the manager and her husband went to the store to make sure they got in. They were already in and Reagan had picked out a PINK unicorn. She was already busy working on it, and picking out a matching wedding dress for her unicorn which she named Suzzie. This was to be my treat to her, fulfilling my promise to her, but when we got to the register, the off duty manager and her husband were there and she told us this was her treat!!!! She pulled out her personal debit card and paid for the the entire purchase!!! God's love is shown through people in so many ways. I just wanted to boo-hoo! I am so amazed by people, at times like today, perfect strangers who open up their hearts to others they don't even know. Thank You.... I don't even know your name. Reagan had a very good day.

Mallerie was more awake today. She is able to communicate a little with them to let them know what she wants or needs. This is so encouraging!!! Garrett and I went by to see them, they seemed more upbeat today. Keep praying for her lungs to continue to improve and for her to get back to the 2nd floor. Trevor is ready for another teen on the floor to hang out with.

Please be in prayer for Christian and her family. She is in Memphis for follow ups with the new chemo she has been taking. The news today was not what they had wanted to hear. This new treatment is not working and they feel it best to not do it any more. You can read her site. This is such an amazing and strong young lady. Please embrace them with your comments and your prayers.

Clay is hiding out, I have not seen him this week but he is doing great! God is so good and has really had his hand on Clay. Please continue to pray for him and his family. I hope to get to catch up with them soon. I miss him... he is just the most awesome kid. I miss them when they leave transplant, it's hard to catch up with them.

Good news from Poppy about Carol! He thinks from what the doctor told him today, that she will be released to go home tomorrow!! GREAT NEWS!!!! She is doing better, but will still need lots of help from home visiting nurses and their daughters and son for the next few days/weeks for her to be able to function like she did before. Poppy says he is so ready to get her home. Please continue to pray for her healing and strength. I pray that she will be surrounded by those she needs to help her adjust when she gets back home. We love you Poppy and Carol.

On a personal level.... Anita is still holding her own. They still say it's hour to hour. One of our friends has set up a caringbridge page for her. If you want to follow her journey. caringbridge.org/visit/anitaandersnaifeh

Also, I want to ask for your prayers for my family. My aunt, whom I have shared with the chat prayer warriors, has been fighting her own battle with cancer. They have determined that her treatment is not working and they have decided to stop all treatment. Hospice has come in and begun to take care of her. Please keep my aunt Jon and her husband Danny and all of the family in your prayers. We have a very close knit family and she will be surrounded with lot's of people who love her. I will be going to Mississippi to spend some time with her very soon.

Okay, I know this is a novel tonight... Enjoy your day, in a few hours now. I didn't realize how late it was!

Pray and hug your kids, cherish each second you have with them.

BELIEVE - PRAYER WORKS

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Smile ~ God Loves You!

Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:21



Good evening, you know when you read this scripture, you just have to smile and feel peace. I hope that each of you has had a good day. It's been busy around the city of Memphis today. I was able to visit with some of our precious St Jude kiddo's today, that makes me smile too :)

Started out in ICU checking in on Mallerie, I think they have cut down some on her "knock out" meds. When I was talking to her, she opened her eyes a few times. I know Brad and Tina (and of course the rest of her precious family) are ready for her to be able to get off this vent, wake up and talk to them. Please pray for this to happen, and for it to happen soon. I know we are to be patient and let God do things in His time. Pray for Malleries' lungs to heal and for her to come off of this vent.

From ICU I made my way to the transplant floor in the Chili's Care Center. This is like a "one stop shop" these days! All right in a row you have Elizabeth, Trevor and the "new kid on the block"... the new kid is Ryan. I have told you a little about him but we now have his link in Our Friends Section. Please take a minute, read his page and get to know him. He is a sweetheart with the most amazing laugh! One thing I figured out real quickly, he is very ticklish. His mom is Kimberly, she is the mom of four, so Ryan has 3 siblings back home. This is his second transplant, but his first at St Jude. I'll let you read his story on his page. Please let them know your praying for them and send them some love!!! Kim posted a really neat post yesterday, take the time to read it. It is very helpful to keep the information she shared in mind when you are making visits to others who are sick.

Trevor was up and out and doing his laps when I got there. I wonder how many miles he walks in a day? I bet he knows!! I was so proud of myself today... I took Trevor some hot dogs and bologna today! :) It was so nice to be able to take him some food! Now before you get all upset with me or excited thinking his hunger strike is over (of course it's not by his choice) let me clear something up... the bologna and hot dogs are packaged like and look like the real deal, but it's really bubble gum :) According to the good doc, he can have gum, so when I saw these at the story today, I just could not pass them up, they just had Trevor's name all over them. He and Pam got a kick out of them and I think they met Dr. Sara's approval. Pam has posted an update for today...

Elizabeth was just as sweet as she always is. I wish I could get a video of her talking and put it on here so you can hear her. She is just way to precious. She was eating a very balanced meal of milkshake, brownie and cheetos this afternoon. This my friends is just my kind of meal!!!! Don't worry, she had her good stuff, this was just a snack, anyway I would cut up the brownie into little tiny bites and she would pick up a piece and place it on the plate and tell me "too big". This meant for me to cut it up even smaller.... sooooo cute! If you dare try to feed something to her... she will very proudly tell you.... "I big girl" Now you know, being the mom of all boys (for those who do not know me, I have four boys) this little girl stuff just tickles me to death. She got to go fishing with her parents and her brothers the day before she had to go inpatient, so while I was sitting with her this afternoon for Michelle to go get a bite to eat, we had a "talk" about her fishing trip. I ask her how many fish she caught, and she informed me it was five... when I ask her what color the fish were, she informed me they were PINK!!!! I want to go fishing with her!!!!! I think Michelle has probably posted some pics from the fishing trip by now. Her pole was PINK, but I think she only caught one fish, not pink. From the pic's, I think the worm might have been bigger than her fish, but that certainly did not matter one bit. It was a cute little fish, and she was so excited.

Alex D. got to check out of the transplant unit and return to Target House. That is a big step for them, I know they are so thrilled. We continue to pray for his successful transplant and for him to remain CANCER FREE!!!

From the transplant floor I made my way back over to D Clinic to catch up with Reagan and her family. They got here this afternoon. Reagan looks GREAT!!!! I was so excited to see her. Her hair is coming back and she just looks so good. She has even gained a little weight. She was ready to go eat Pizza when I left them. She starts her day at 7 in the morning and from what Shawn said, she has a full day. They will do a Pet Scan in the morning and her MRI is scheduled for Friday, Please keep her in your prayers.... I WILL NOT STOP PRAYING FOR GOD TO HEAL HER AND GIVE THIS FAMILY THE MIRACLE THEY ARE PRAYING FOR. Pray that the results from the scans will show no progression and even less of the tumor. I'll catch up with them tomorrow and I'll try to remember to take my camera, I forgot it today.

That was pretty much a full day at the hossy as Lindsey (Team Gavin) would say!

I got to chat with LaDonna just a bit over the past day or so, Salena is still inpatient and not able to eat any solid foods. She is on broth and liquids right now until she clears this GVHD in her gut. She and Trevor would be good company. Keep praying for them and for her successful transplant. I am ready for them to get back to Memphis.

Our Carol is improving each day. Poppy is spending more time at the hospital with her now that she is in a room and says that she is able to be up and move around more. Her vitals are improving and Poppy said that the doctor talked as if she might get to come home by the weekend. I do hope she is home soon and back in the chat room with us.

My friend Anita is still in extremely critical condition. Not really any change from yesterday. They have begun to cut back on some of the meds to see how she responds and see if she can take any breaths on her own. At this time, the only thing they have seen is a little movement in her legs and they said they felt like a few times today she would squeeze Michael's and her mom's hand when they were talking to her. Thank you for your prayers for this family. Two of the teenagers were kept overnight, I have not heard from them today. They are at LeBonheur. Please keep them all in your prayers.

Okay, that's a wrap for today! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE WEAR YOUR SEAT BELTS!!!!!!!! That is my "tip" for today...at no charge too!

REGISTER FOR THE ST JUDE MARATHON ON TEAM BELIEVE IF YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN THE TIME TO DO SO YET! WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOUR NAME ON OUR LIST.. YES, I AM TALKING TO YOU!


BELIEVE ~ PRAYER WORKS

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Where is the time going?

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26


So sorry for the lapse in updating. I do hope that you ignore me and just go straight to the source on the links to get the info when I am not on top of things. Summer is definitely here, the "normal" routine is certainly non existent at this point! Baseball rules the activities around this house during summer, so forgive me if I am slow at posting. I am hoping that each of you are enjoying your time off from school and being with family.

Let me see where to start...

Trevor is still inpatient and not happy about it at all. I don't blame him!!! Please read their updates and give them any encouragement you can. Also, Pam has a birthday on Thursday. If you could send her a card, just send it to the hospital, hospital address is on his caringbridge page, or leave a msg on Trev's CB guestbook. It would be awesome if each one of you would please send Trevor a card too to encourage him. I just can not tell you how discouraged both Pam and Trevor are right now. Garrett and I will be going over tomorrow and Garrett is gonna take Trevor on in some Xbox! Garrett has registered for the half marathon this year, so maybe he and Trevor can do some laps and get Garrett motivated to begin his training for this year!

I have not seen Mallerie this week, but from Tina's reports she seems to be doing well and working on coming off the vent. Please pray for this to be an easy transition to come off. Tina, Brad and the rest of the family can use your prayers too, this is so trying on your nerves and emotions watching your child go through this. I know they are so ready for her to wake up, and talk to them. Cards are welcome for them to!!! Are you up for a good challenge? Let's see if we can decorate a wall with cards from this group!!! Don't wait, get a card, check for the address on her CB page and get it in the mail in the next 24 hours. I'll give you an update on how the cards are coming in in a few days.

*** BEFORE I COULD FINISH THIS, TINA HAS UPDATED WITH YET ANOTHER SETBACK :( I'll let you click on her link and read Tina's update. Please pray for all of them.

Salena, is back inpatient with GVHD in her gut and on her skin. LaDonna says they caught it early and hopefully she will not have to many problems with it, but for now she is inpatient and not very patient about it! The weather is beautiful and they want to be outside and going. Is this starting to sound like a repeat story??? Let's do our part to help find a cure for this stinking cancer and get these kids out of the hospitals and out shopping and on the playgrounds where they need to be!!!!
Join Team Believe and help raise the funds necessary to fund the research and St Jude. :)

Reagan will be on her way back to St Jude tomorrow. They have their first appointments tomorrow afternoon. I think her MRI is scheduled for Friday. Please be in prayer for Reagan's miracle. She is having some really good days and enjoying her family and friends each day. Pray for her to continue having these really good days.

There are some St Jude mom's who will be going to Washington DC in the next week or so to attend Reach the Day. This is an opportunity for them to go and speak with our elected officials to bring awareness to them of the great need for more funding from our government for research for childhood cancer. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers for safe travel and for success. I pray that the people they will be talking to will have open ears and open hearts to these families and will open the doors for this much needed funding.

I have one personal update and a personal prayer request too.

First, Sydney, the daughter of our high school secretary that I told you about a few days ago, got good news from her test at St Jude this past week. I don't know what they did determine, but they were given the report of NO CANCER! Thank our good Lord for this news. St Jude did tell her to come back for a follow up in one month. It's been really busy for everyone, so I have not had a chance to find out what they do think is going on. Hopefully I can give you that update soon.

The prayer request is for a friend of ours, her girls have been in school with our boys for years. Anita was in a car accident just before lunch today. She was airlifted to The Med Trauma Center and is in critical condition with head injury, crushed pelvic area, and broken ribs that have punctured her lungs. She was ejected from her Tahoe. She had her younger daughter in the car with her, and 4 other teenage girls on their way to pick up her teenage daughter from a basketball camp. Her daughter along with the other kids were transported to LeBonheur, Ellie is okay, she was in a car seat, and will be released soon. At this time, it seems two of the girls have some broken bones and are still being treated. I am not sure about the other girls, I have heard they have no serious injuries. Please keep this family in prayer. It seems that it is touch & go for Anita right now. They are still running test, scans and xrays. The family will certainly appreciate your prayers. This is such a reminder of how uncertain life is. Anita and this group of girls were just at the baseball games Saturday morning, you just never know what will happen from one day to the next... take this opportunity to let the people in your life know how you feel about them. You can only count on your time right now, can't count on tomorrow.

There are other updates on "Our Friends", please check them out and let them know your thinking about them and lifting them up in prayer.

IF YOU HAVE NOT REGISTERED YET FOR THE ST JUDE MARATHON, ASK YOURSELF..... WHY????? We have a great jumpstart, let's dig in and show everyone how Team Believe can come together and make a difference. We are walking/running for Mary Kate and she will be cheering us on every step of the way!

BELIEVE-PRAYER WORKS!!!!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Weekend Update 2

Update 2:

Brenda called back late last night, she reported that Alex had received some IV fluids and seemed to immediately be a new child. They were going back to the hotel and going to see how he felt this morning before making the decision regarding the scheduled trip back home today. The altitude there does contribute to altitude sickness, especially if you are not used to it, and it is easy to become dehydrated. This appears to be what happened to Alex. Keep them in your prayers for safe travel and for Alex to continue to feel better.

Enjoy your Sunday ~

BELIEVE PRAYER WORKS!



I just received a phone call from Brenda (Queenmimi) requesting prayers for her grandson Alex. They are out of town in Colorado for a wedding, Alex has not been feeling well for a few days now. They got through the wedding with Alex not feeling well, and have now taken him to the ER. At this time they are not sure what is going on, they are going to do some blood work and give him some IV fluids. It is possible that he is suffering from Altitude sickness and has become dehydrated. They are supposed to be returning home tomorrow, but everything is on hold for now. Please keep Alex in your prayers. I'll post more as I know.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Hey Guy's - I am still here!!!

I hope each of you has had a nice weekend and are looking forward to a fun weekend. I have been out of town, I have kept up with everyone and as we have said in the past... "no news is good news". In this case, everything has remained pretty much the same this week.

I got an email letting me know Carol has been moved from ICU and will be moved to a Rehab facility to work on regaining her strength when she gets strong enough to make the move. Please keep her in your prayers and I will try to get a more current update very soon.

I was able to visit with several of our friends today....

Mallerie is still in ICU on the vent :( They did a lung biopsy yesterday and got some preliminary results back today, but it will probably be Monday before the full reports come in. She seems to be resting and peaceful, which is good. This will allow her lungs the chance to heal. Please keep praying for her and for her lungs to fully heal. Yesterday was Tina's birthday. She had several visitors from her work and from home that came to spend some time with her yesterday. She enjoyed that very much. I know that was so good for her and for her spirits. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!!!! We love you and are praying for you as well as the entire family.

I saw Trevor today too. He was out walking laps while waiting for the doc to come by for his morning rounds. I joined him for his laps around the transplant unit, but I told him I needed roller blades to keep up with him!! He and Pam have it all figured out, I don't remember off the top of my head, but they know exactly how many laps around the unit make up a mile! I need to go hang out with Pam and Trevor to do my training for the St Jude Marathon for this year.

I also got to visit with Ellen and her mom, brother, and grandmom today. Ellen got to go outpatient yesterday, but was back for counts today. Her ANC is still 0, hopefully they will figure out what is going on soon and get her back on track. She is just so cute!!! Please pray that the doctors will figure out exactly what is going on and know how to treat it to "fix" her up!

I have a new family that I have met, I popped in on them today and heard some good news. Ryan is new to St Jude. He had ALL and beat that, but the cancer has returned as AML. He was accepted here at St Jude for treatment and a second transplant. His mom was his donor. She was to be harvested on Thursday and Friday, so I popped in to check on them and found out that they had moved it up a day, she harvested on Wednesday and Thursday and Ryan got his transplant around midnight last night. When I saw them, he was up and watching cartoons. He looked great! Please keep Ryan and his family in your prayers for a successful transplant and for his cancer to be gone forever.

I also have another family I would like for you to keep in mind and in prayer. The daughter of the secretary at the high school where my older boys all graduated from has been at St Jude the past two days for test. They do not know anything yet, but hope to get results from the test and scans on Monday. Please pray for them and pray that whatever they find, will be something with an "easy fix". The test were to try to rule out bone cancer. Pray that they are indeed able to rule this out. The little girls name is Sydney.

I also was able to spend some time this morning with Lindsey and Gavin before they went back home. Gavin looks great and is just getting so grown up! He is just adorable! The plans have changed and he will be coming back every 6 months to St Jude for check-ups. I was very excited to hear that! Keep praying for his continued progress.

That is about it for today. Enjoy your weekend and I'll let you know if I hear of anything that needs to be passed along.

BELIEVE -PRAYER WORKS!!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

A New Day, A New Week

Reach out for God and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:27

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139: 9-10



Good Monday Morning to each of you.

I am so thankful to be reminded by the scriptures that GOD IS ALWAYS WITH ME. He is always with each one of us, we just have to always remember to stop and remind ourselves that he is always here. In the storm and in the panic, take a breath and lean... lean on God for his comfort and guidance. When the times are good and all is well, stop to remember that He is there.... be grateful and give praise and glory to Him. Our God is an awesome.

I want to give you the updates as I know them this morning:

Carol was still in ICU as of last night, but Poppy was hopeful she would be moved to a private room on the floor today. He says she is very weak, today makes 14 days that she has been in ICU, so that is understandable. He is hopeful that she will get stronger and better through the week and be able to come home by the end of the week. Please pray for this and also pray for Poppy to get some rest and stay strong. He goes back and forth to the hospital several times each day and now with her being moved to a room I am sure he will spend more time at the hospital. After 14 days this does begin to take a toll on your body.

I am so very sad to tell you that Tucker earned his wings yesterday. That young man certainly earned those wings. He fought such a battle and I admire his parents and their faith that they were able to show everyone through Tucker and his site. I have a childhood friend who has a son that was in school with Tucker, the following was in her msg to me:

"It is a very sad day in Hoover today. You cannot imagine how that child touched so many young & old lives. The children at our school loved him & would remind themselves that their problems or pains were nothing. Not something children that young can understand very much....you know. He is still an inspiration for us all."

What a wonderful tribute to such a special young man. Thank you Julie for sharing this. We need to pray for the Beam Family, but let's also keep in mind the extended friend family. Tucker's fellow classmates and all those who have been touched by his journey. I know how it effects us when something happens to one of us. Though we are not connected through blood, we are family and connected through the blood of Christ. When one of us celebrate, we all celebrate together, when one suffers, we suffer with each other. I can certainly understand Julie's statement "It is a very sad day in Hoover today."

Some good news... Trevor got to begin eating some food yesterday. I think they were possibly concerned he would start eating his bed if they did not feed that young man! They really need our prayers specifically for the colon to heal, and for the doctors to have the wisdom to know the best way to treat this problem if it does not heal on it's own. Trevor has been cancer free since his transplant, but can't get these other issues resolved to get on with life and go home. Please keep this in your prayers for him.

Gavin, our "Team Gavin" and Lindsey are back in Memphis today for Gavin's check up. One specific prayer for them is this... The doctor who was over the research and treatment for his specific diagnosis has left St Jude and gone to another hospital. This has closed that protocol and treatment for his diagnosis at St Jude. Basically, his follow up treatment is now over for them at St Jude. We are very thankful that his transplant was a total success and he has not had any of the negative side effects from it. He will have excellent care to continue on back home, but I also know that Lindsey is very sad that he will not be coming back each year for follow up checkups at St Jude. There is a comfort zone there that they will be missing. One specific prayer that we could keep in mind is to pray for another doctor in this field to come in to St Jude and be able to reopen the protocol and treatment. Just a reminder, this is the same diagnosis that Jada and Damien had. So kids like this can no longer be treated at here until a new doctor is found. Now for those of you who may be new to following us and your wondering what the diagnosis is and keep thinking I am going to say it... well it's one of those I can hardly even pronounce let alone spell, so I will give you the opportunity to meet Gavin through his site and learn more about him. Click on his name under "Our Friends" list and meet this precious little guy. Gavin and Lindsey will be in Memphis all week, so I will get to spend some time with them. Pray that his test and scans will all go well and he will have an excellent check up.

I have not heard from Mallerie over the weekend. She was still on the vent in ICU Friday when I was at the hospital. Let's pray for her lungs to heal and for her to get out of ICU and hopefully very soon out of the hospital and back to Target House.

Morgan has been able to spend some long extended weekends at home, she is coming back to Memphis today, and will have clinics on Tuesday. Pray for good labs and counts this week.

Reagan has had an excellent weekend. She has felt good and has been one busy little girl! She and Avery have been going to ballgames and swimming and they report that she has been eating really well too. That is good news. Please send them messages of encouragement let them know you are there for them and praying for Reagan and the entire family. They are just so thankful for each day they have with her and yet have not and will not give up hope for a complete healing for Reagan. As we know, God is in control and He alone has the final master plan. Pray for her and her healing.

Elizabeth has had some really good days too. I think they are just so happy to have the brothers here with them. While some of her counts were better, the liver counts seem to still be creeping up. Please keep her in your prayers.

Check the links and leave the families messages. Let them know your here praying for them and their families. This is very importanat... PLEASE MAKE SURE WHEN YOU LEAVE A COMMENT IN THEIR GUEST BOOK THAT YOU INCLUDE "TEAM BELIEVE" WITH YOUR NAME. Thank you for all you do and all of the love, prayers and support each of you offer our families. Team Believe Rocks!!!! Your the best!

Have a great Monday and a great and blessed week :)

BELIEVE - PRAYER WORKS

TEAM BELIEVE!!!!!