Fear is something that I have learned to deal with daily now, all of the "what if's" come into my mind, then I tell myself that there is no need to go there....God will take care of us no matter what...then something happens that increases the fear...and I struggle to try to deal with it all over again.

Last year we met an amazing boy, Ryan, and his parents through a friend. They are a great family. Ryan has ALL and had finished his chemo and been out of treatment for a year when he relapsed last year. He went through a bone marrow transplant and everything was going great, then last week found out that the leukemia is back in his Central Nervous System. I think I have mentioned here before that the docs like to say that the leukemia often times likes to "lurk"..the places that it likes to "lurk" is in the CNS and the testes in boys. This is why the treatment is so long. So now Ryan will go through Radiation and chemo with LP's. Please keep him and his entire family in your prayers. Have I mentioned lately that cancer really SUCKS????

So...although we are shooting for our April 25 date with much anticipation, the "what ifs" and fears will continue probably forever...and with God's help we will learn to deal with them and trust that His plan is perfect, no matter what storm it may take us through.

Eli's clinic appt. went very well. We saw our friend, Ella, from Daniel Island. I had to take the older boys with me and her older brother Henry was there so the three of the boys sat on the couch and played with the DS's the entire time. Eli's blood work is good. His ANC is now at 1250, so it is holding steady. His platelets and hemoglobin are great...there were a couple of elevated numbers, but that seems to happen every now and then. We will continue to monitor them and see where we go. We go back in two weeks for our LP and the begining of steroid week again...yea!!

We are continuing to have a great summer. We have been going to the pool almost every day, which everyone is enjoying. The boys are now finished with swim team, which gives us a little more time to enjoy things. I can't believe school is going to start so soon!!

Thanks for checking in.

Maria

Please continue to pray for us and for Ryan and Ella and Kinsey and Aidan and Rachel and all children that are suffering....it is so unfair that they should have to go through this during the time of their lives that is meant to be happy and carefree!!