Please lift them up in prayer!

It's been a long time since I've posted about Kristen. Too long, in fact. At the age of 3, Kristen was diagnosed with Leukemia. She went into full remission, but relapsed when she was 7. She made it back into remission and stayed cancer free until 2009, when her cancer returned. She was in remission for a few months when the cancer returned for a 4th time. At the age of 22, Kristen had a bone marrow transplant, and yesterday reached the 100th day milestone.


Kristen's cancer is back.


Please pray for her family, as they have some very difficult days ahead of them. Please pray for Kristen as she fights for her life. My heart is just aching for them, and I can only imagine what they are going through. Kristen has been fighting this battle her entire life. No child, no young woman, should ever have to fight so hard for so long. Please visit Kristen's blog and let her know you're out here praying for her.

Yet another

UGH! Why? Why do our kids have to get this? Why is this one of the things that is so often part of Down syndrome? This is not fair! And, I'll say it loud and clear, CANCER SUCKS!

Please add Ella Grace and her family to your prayer list. A couple days ago she was happily pushing her doll stroller around the house. Today she's in a hospital bed beginning Chemo. Click on her picture below to get to her blog.

Please click on the Donate button on Dasha's blog to help!
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No no no! This can't be happening to another family! A couple years ago, the Newbolds only daughter, Chloe, (who had Down Syndome) lost her battle with leukemia. While still recovering from the loss of their daughter, her parents were led to help others with DS who were not so fortunate, and decided to adopt a child from Reece's Rainbow. A child with Down Syndrome. A child who was at risk of "aging out" and being moved to an institution. As it turned out, they decided to adopt TWO!

They went through the long, arduous process that is known as the adoption process, and finally traveled to Ukraine to meet their children. With Ukraine adoptions this is often a two-trip process, and theirs would be a "two for one" type of adoption, saving them THOUSANDS of dollars, and a child's life. Sadly, when they got to little Dasha they discovered that she'd not been available long enough, and would have to wait several months before bringing her home, but they DID bring John Paul home with them!

The months past, and as they bonded with John Paul, they longed for their daughter who they'd held, and loved, but could not bring home. All the while scraping together the necessary funds for Dasha's adoption and travel to get her.

They are now in Ukraine, and had a bombshell dropped upon them. Please read their story here.

Praying for Kennedy

Some kids have it rough, and then some kids have it ROUGH!!!! Meet Kennedy. She just turned 4 years old, and isn't she a doll? Well, here is what Kennedy has been up to in the last year.

Kennedy has Down syndrome. For parents of kids who have DS, the "L" word (Leukemia) is one of our biggest fears. We always feel like we're one blood test away from this horrible diagnosis. Well, a little over a year ago Kennedy was diagnosed with AML (this is a type of Leukemia) The treatment for AML is very aggressive chemotherapy. Thankfully, kids with DS have a higher cure rate than typical kids, but still...we loose many to this horrible disease. Kennedy and her family made it through her treatment. It was a rough road, but they made it. She's not completely out of the woods yet, but things are looking very good.

Just about the time Kennedy was finishing her treatment for AML, she needed to have her neck x-rayed. You see, kids with DS can also have this thing called Atlantoaxial Instability (or AAI) which is an instability in the neck. Only a small percentage of our kids have it, but it's still something they're routinely screened for around 3 years old. Apparently Kennedy didn't think life was interesting enough dragging mom and dad through the AML thing, so she popped up with another surprise. She doesn't just have AAI, she has AtlantoOccopital Instability (AOI) which is even worse. In Kennedy's case, hers was so bad that she was IMMEDIATELY put into a neck brace until they figured out what to do. To put it in very basic terms, Kennedy's head was just "resting" on top of her spine. One wrong move and she could be paralyzed for life. Kennedy's AOI is as bad as it gets.

But Kennedy's medical history is quite complicated, so it took the doctors awhile to figure out the who/what/why's and wheres of doing surgery to fix her neck. Tomorrow she'll be traveling from TN to Philadelphia, then next week she'll have surgery to have her neck permanently fused. She'll come out of surgery in a halo, then spend a week in the hospital, then a month in Philly before she can return home to TN. She'll be in her halo for the next six months!!!! and then they'll return to Philly to have her halo removed.

One has to find good things in everything. Kennedy's daddy has been serving our country in Afghanistan. (his second tour!) Tomorrow morning, as they get off the plane in Philly, Kennedy and her brothers and sister will see their daddy for the first time since December!!! He'll be here for her surgery, and stay until they return home to TN. I praise God that they have this opportunity to see their daddy, even if it's not for the best of reasons. They'll have the weekend together for some much needed family time, then Kennedy will be admitted on Tuesday, with surgery on Wednesday.

Please pray for Kennedy and her family. You can follow their story here on her mom's blog.

Scrapbookers and Crafters Unite!

I would like to introduce you to Parker Hodson.


Please, I beg you, to go read his story. Parker has the most extreme health issues, and health insurance isn't covering the cost of his care. He's on several very expensive medications and uses a lot of medical supplies. (read his mom's blog post from today!) But his family continues to pay, and continues to sink further and further into debt as they continue to pay bits here and there on his medical bills.

A group of bloggers has set up a fundraiser called Pages4Parker to help raise funds for this family. It's simple...put together some scrapbook pages that someone would want to buy, and send them to the address below. But other crafters have jumped on the wagon and asked if they could send other stuff as well. YOU BET!!!! All items will then be listed on ebay for a virtual craft sale! All proceeds go into an account for Parker to be used for his medical care.

Pages and craft items can be sent to this address. If you're not crafty, but would like to make a donation, you can do so through his paypal account here.

Parker Hodson
10865 North 6000 West
Highland, Utah
84003

Heaven Gained Another Angel

Heaven gained another angel last night. Cody Lee is finally free of pain, free of sickness, and is dancing in the arms of Jesus. Please say a prayer for his family as they say goodbye to their boy. 12 years is too soon to say goodbye to a child.

For the Boy

A valiant fight
That's what you've shown the world
that laughter is important
no matter how sick you are
or how much pain you're feeling.

But how do you say goodbye to your mother,
Your brother and sisters
Your father.
How do you tell them that 12 years
wasn't long enough?
That you want to be out
playing ball with the other boys
not wondering if you'll feel your mother's kisses in the morning.

This is bigger than any boy
and yet you rise to the challenge.
You have fought the fight of a warrior.
You won.
You won your place in God's kingdom!

Close your eyes now
and rest
You see Him waiting for you.
You hear him calling your name.
Don't be afraid
to sleep.