I apologize for taking so long to update but things have been so busy around here. Since Morgan came home from the hospital last Sunday, school has started and we have been trying to get back into a routine. Summer is officially over for us. David is a senior this year and Jonathan and Morgan are freshman. Morgan will not be attending school with Jonathan but will be taking her courses online through Butler Tech Online. Butler Tech is a career-technical school that partners with the Butler County school district. Morgan should begin her classes next week.

Morgan is doing well since coming home last Sunday. She tires easily but that is to be expected. She never complains so I have to ask how she is feeling if I want any information. She gets her blood drawn twice a week so her doctor can monitor her counts closely. I knew they were low yesterday because she was pale but I was quite surprised when the hospital called to tell me that her hemoglobin was so low that she needed blood-----in other words, Morgan was anemic. So, off we went down to Children's for a blood transfusion. They gave her two units (bags) and within 30 min. of it beginning the color was coming back to her face. She tolerated the transfusion well so they let her come home when it was finished. She walked in the door and poured a big glass of milk, ate cookies, and stayed on the computer 'til midnight. Life is good!

Psa 62:2

He only [is] my rock and my salvation; [he is] my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

Friday chemo

Morgan has made it through chemo number four of five. Thankfully tomorrow will be the last one in this series. Morgan had a pretty good day today until the Ifosfamide began at 4:00. She immediately got a terrible taste in her mouth and it was down hill from there. At present time, she can't eat anything. She tried desperately to keep down a sandwich, but in the end the chemo won.
Morgan's spirits are extremely low. Today she learned that a young man from this hospital lost his cancer battle and went to be with our Lord last Tuesday. Although we find comfort in knowing this young man is now with his Savior, it is still very sad news since we know how hard he fought to beat cancer. My heart breaks for his parents and his two sisters. Please pray a special prayer for this dear family as they travel a difficult road.
Hoping for a brighter tomorrow....... :-)

Reena

Treatment number two

Morgan started her treatment yesterday at 3:00 pm. She will have a five hour treatment everyday until Saturday. On Sunday she will recieve fluids to help flush her kidneys. She has had a good day. She has stayed in bed most of the time except for an hour this afternoon when she went to the Child Life room and played board games. She has kept her food down today and that is truly a blessing. I am restricting her diet to help her keep things down. Some of the medicines cause her to have cravings for greasy foods that she knows she will not be able to keep down. We don't always agree on the foods, but in the end Morgan knows that it is important for her to receive nutrition.
Last Friday morning Morgan lost her hair----again. It had been shedding for a couple of days but on Friday it was completely dead. I ran my fingers through it and within 5 min. she was bald. This was understandably very upsetting to her. No fourteen year old girl wants to be without her hair. But, like the trooper that she is, after she showered and got dressed she put on her wig and wore it the entire day. She even went to babysit for three hours. The wig looks fantastic on her. The color is a bit redder than she would like but it still looks great.
If all goes according to the current plan, she should get to go home on Sunday. Thanks for all your prayers....and thanks for reading this blog. love, Reena

But the eye of the LORD is on those who fear HIM, on those who hope for HIS lovingkindness. Psalm 33:18

Home........again.

Morgan is now home and doing well. Her ANC (absolute neutrophil count----they are responsible for fighting bacterial and fungal infection) recovery has been amazing. It has gone from: 10- thur.

40- friday

390- sat.

7020- this morning!!!

Even her oncologist was surprised. Whatever bug she picked up last week is now gone and we are so very thankful.

Thanks for praying......

Back to Hospital

Morgan was doing great until Thursday evening. Around 6:00 pm she began to ache in her legs and back. We began checking her temp. and to our surprise it was 100.8. That meant a call to the oncologist. He recommended that we bring her in for antibiotics. Unfortunately, in order to get re-admitted we had to go through the emergency room. It took all night but at 5:00 am we made it to the oncology floor.
The chemotherapy that she received completely wiped out her white blood count. They checked her counts again last night and they are now recovering. She is feeling much better and we are hoping to go home tomorrow.

At Home

Dear Friends & Family,
We did make it home at midnight Saturday. Morgan was wiped out and I'm sure she doesn't remember the ride home. By the time she recieved the fifth treatment on Friday, she was very sick. Most of the day on Saturday she tried to sleep but got sick to her stomach a few times which left her feeling hungry so she would try to eat again only to get it back. It's a vicious cycle when the doctors give you a drug that makes you hungry but also give chemo which tears up the stomach.
But, she is home now and improving. Yesterday she seemed to feel much better. Her energy level is coming back and her appetite is returning to normal. We even went for a ride around town yesterday evening. If she feels like it today, we may even get out again and do some grocery shopping.
She will have blood work done tomorrow and then again on Monday. The results from the blood work will tell us how far down her counts are going. Counts being her white blood, red blood, platelets and absolute neutrophils. These numbers will continue to drop after each treatment. One thing that could postpone the next treatment is if her platelets are below 75,000 or her absolute neutrophil count is below 500.
Thank you for all your prayers. We couldn't get through this without all the care and support.

Reena