Life a little more "normal"

The fact that I haven't posted anything in 2 months is a good, good thing. Emily had her 3 month CT scan and oncologist appointment this week. It has been 3 months since her final chemo treatment. The nurses were SO complimentary of how great she looks. She now has cute short hair, and is back to her pre-cancer weight. She looks really healthy. She feels great and is active and is getting her stamina back as well.

The CT scan shows she remains CANCER FREE! YEAH!!! The Dr. said everything looks great. There were 2 small symmetrical spots on either side of her trachea, but she reassured us she was sure they were biproducts of radiation. Because they were very small, the same size, and symmetrical as well as being in the spot where radiation occured, she was not concerned. The CT film will be sent to the radiologist for him to read it, but unless there is a problem, we will not hear from him.

Emily goes in every 6 weeks to get her port flushed, and every 3 months to get a CT scan. She will have the port in for at least a year. I'm sure her "normal" will never quite be the same, but life has evened out, and we spend less time with Dr's and appointments. She is in the process of being tested by an allergist to determine if she is allergic to lidocain. This is the drug they originally thought might have caused her problems and sent her to ICU back last fall. Most of the experts think it was the large tumor near her trachea, but it will be good to know for sure! Her allergy appointment is scheduled for 8-16. She is looking forward to heading back to Stillwater in just a few weeks.

The last year has been a crazy one, but I can say that we have never felt God's presence more strongly or the love of our friends and family. Our own family is closer and I feel we have all grown in many ways. Phillipians 1:5 says, "the One who began a good work among you will bring it to completion". We feel God is working on healing Emily and touching peoples lives in the process. Thanks for all your prayers along the way. God bless each of you.

Finished!! Yeah!!!

Emily has finished all planned treatments and is considered "cancer free". They will not say "in remission" for years, but cancer free is a very good thing! She finished radiation, and due to some very powerful drugs, was able to get through it with very little throat pain after the initial problems. We thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. They worked! She has many scans and appointments in her future, but having chemo and radiation behind her is a very good feeling. Her hair is growing back, and her life is beginning to feel a little more normal. She just finished a TCC class, and was going to look for a job, but we asked her to please just relax! So we hope she can relax, get her strength back, and have some fun this summer. She deserves it!

They will keep a very close eye on her to make sure the cancer doesn't come back. She asked how long she would keep her port, and they told her a year That is a long time to worry about cancer returning, but I think that is her new normal. People who have been through this tell us that each year you are cancer free, it gets a little easier. We have also been told because of the chemo, and the number of PET and CT scans, those factors increase your chance of health issues down the road. It is hard not to worry! We have to believe that because God has been so faithful in every step of this journey, He will continue to take care of her! I have never felt God's presence in such a real way as in the last 9 months. We could not have made it this far without our unbelievably supportive family and friends!

Radiation....not so fun!!!

Well, Emily is struggling with her radiation. First we had the nausea, and thankfully that is no longer an issue since she started an antinausea pill before each radiation treatment. But, now she has a severe, and I mean severe sore throat. Apparently these are normal reactions to having radiation close to your esophagus, but because her radiation doses are so low, they didn't think these would be issues. Well they are.

Radiation causes a feeling of sunburn internally, and so her throat feels sunburned, and she doesn't feel like swallowing, which means not feeling like eating or drinking. She saw the Dr. today, and they said no problem, we will give you some stuff you drink that helps numb the area. We had already looked up online some remedies last night and was familiar with this, the only problem is that it contains lidocane, which they are still not sure if she is allergic to. So now they have given her a pill to take 3 times a day. It can make her tired on top of the radiation's affects of fatigue, so we don't really know what to expect.

She was told originally she would need 2 weeks of radiation treatments, but the radiologist said that she will actually have 17 treatments. As of today she has had 11, so only 6 more to go. So all of this is to ask for prayers. I really don't want her to lose weight, she has just now regained all of her weight from precancer. The Dr. cautioned her to be careful about dehydration since she doesn't feel like drinking. We keep focusing on Emily is cancer free, and all we have to do is get through this last step, and get closer to complete healing. God has been faithful in getting us this far, so I am confident that he is with Emily through radiation as well. But I am a big believer in prayer, so we appreciate yours!

Update - Radiation

Well, Emily finished finals on Mon. of this last week, came home, and started radiation on Tues. She worked really hard this last semester, and is proud to announce she made all A's! She had some tough classes, and we are SO proud of her! Her professors really went out of their way to make it possible to come home for all her xrays, PET scans, CT scans and pre-radiation appointments, and still finish the semester.

However, if you have college kids, or remember back to that time, a normal college kid comes home tired and wiped out physically and mentally from finals and not getting enough sleep. So Emily was pretty tired to begin with, and started radiation not in the best physical form. Her first radiation treatment was on Tues., and she did fine, but on Wed, Thurs, and Friday, she felt pretty nauseous in the evenings. She called the nurse, and was told to take the meds she used during chemo. They helped, but she is disappointed that it is making her feel bad, when she was hoping to breeze through. Everyone we know that has been through radiation told us she would not have any major side effects except general fatigue. We are hoping once she gets some rest, next week will be better.

She goes everyday for radiation, and will do 15 radiation treatment. So 2 more weeks, Mon. through Friday, and the following Mon. The actual appointment only takes about 20-30 minutes, and there is no discomfort at all. She drives her self to and from the appointment on her own. Everyone has been a huge support for our family, and we continue to be blessed by God's faithfulness in taking care of Emily.

Chapter 2...Radiation

We had our first radiology appointment on Friday. We liked the Dr. It was a long appt., they took a lot of medical information from Emily and then explained how radiation works, and then set the plan for Emily. Many people have asked why she needs radiation if all her cancer is gone. They are doing radiation to keep the cancer from coming back. It will be 3 weeks of radiation, and that is every day, Monday thru Friday. This was a pleasant surprise because we had been told it might be 6 weeks. We asked if she could wait until school was finished for the year and he told us "no". He explained that there was a window of 4-6 weeks from the last chemo that they needed to start the radiation. He then said from when her last chemo was, she needed to start radiation on Mon. May 3rd. Emily has finals week starting May 3rd. But she only has 2 finals that day, and then is finished because her other classes are papers that can be turned in early. So the Dr. said, no problem, she can start radiation on Tues. May 4th. Emily was thrilled that she won't have to come back and forth from Stillwater to Tulsa every day!!! God is Good!!!

We had to explain to the Dr. why we were talking about trying to schedule radiation around school. To an outsider I know he must have thought we didn't have our priorities straight! Obviously, radiation and getting healthy are more important than school. We wanted him to understand that she has worked SO hard to keep in school while battling cancer,and It was her fear that after all that hard work, then she might not be able to finish this sememster. I think he got it, because he was really willing to work with us, and we appreciated that! She has an appointment this coming Thurs. for the radiation team to compare her PET scans to her actual body, and determine exactly where the tumors were and where she will need radiation. They draw on her body, take measurements, and put those measurements into a machine that will put the radiation in very exact locations. Technology is amazing! She is receiving a small level of radiation, and they are expecting very few side effects. The only one he really mentioned is fatigue and some minor "sun burned" feeling. According to everyone we've talked to, radiation is pretty mild compared to chemo.

Kitty Kickin Cancer=

We went from the Dr. to Stillwater where Emily had put together a Relay for Life Team. Jim, Emily, me and 10 of her college friends were on the team. Our team was "kitty kickin cancer". When Emily was in ICU, Sam, Sydney, and Bobbie gave her a Hello Kitty balloon like the one in the picture above. It looks like she is kicking something, so her friends told her it was to help her "kick cancer". They gave it to her at the end of September, and it is still in her room and still inflated. Yes still inflated!!! It has stayed strong for the entire 7 months that Emily has been kicking cancer!

I have to tell you, Relay for Life was an amazing event. We didn't reallly know what to expect other than we knew we had to stay up from 7 pm to 7 am. We learned at an opening ceremony that the event begins at dark to signify the darkness of when you learn of the "cancer" diagnosis. Someone from your team walks laps continually, and that signifies the difficulty of facing and battling cancer. You can't just take a break from cancer when you get tired or overwhelmed. As we heard many times through the night, "cancer doesn't sleep". The closing ceremony is at sunrise, to signify the hope of a cure. There were many heart -warming and heart breaking stories. They had a ton of fun activities to keep you awake. Just ask Jim about dodge ball!!! Our team exceeded our goal, so we thank everyone who sponsered us! And Stillwater's Relay for Life raised over 87,000 dollars! I don't know many people who have not been touched by cancer in some way, and we felt blessed to be a part of the event.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives all fear is Gone!

Happy Easter !!! Next step...radiation. Emily had an oncologist appt. this Friday. All the results of the scans were great! There is still no sign of cancer and all lung functions are completely normal, no damage from chemo! So the next step was to determine if radiation is necessary, and it is. Our oncologist and the radiologist she consulted with agreed radiation is needed. This is an answer to prayer. We prayed for wisdom for the Dr. and that it would be a unanimous decision. We will have an appt. with the radiologist in 2 to 3 weeks, and will find out at that time how many weeks she will need. We know it will be every day Mon. thru Friday, and the max is usually 6 weeks.

We asked if it could be started in Stillwater and finished in Tulsa, and were told no. Our Dr. thought it was best to get treatment all from one radiologist for a couple of reasons. The major one being it was just safer, and you would get better results from only one Dr. treating you and following your case, and second insurance would not have reasons to question it. So Emily will come home every day from Stillwater to get treatment, and we pray her professors will be willing to work with her.

Emily is feeling good, and is busy with school. I just have to brag... She is getting an "Outstanding Academic Execellence and Leadership Award" this coming week. We are just so proud of her. She has done so well in school and had to deal with the physical and emotional hardships of battling cancer at the same time! Once again, we give all the praise to our Heavenly Father who has watched over her and us and given her strength beyond our comprehension.

This Easter for me took on more meaning than usual. I have always marveled that Our God would send his son to die and rise for us that we might live. But having seen my own child suffer, I am overwhelmed by His love! Our family wishes you a blessed Easter!!!!

Celebrate! Celebrate!

Well, Emily completed chemo #12, and hopefully her last chemo! Yeah!!!! In some ways it seems like yesterday we received her diagnosis, and in other ways it seems like a really long time ago. It has been an emotional journey, and one we are not quite done with yet. Her appointment went well, and her chemo was uneventful. The plan is to have tests(pulmonary, CT scan, PET scan) done in the next 2 weeks, and then meet back with the oncologist on April 2nd. She will review the results of the tests, and decide if radiation is needed. There are specific criteria they use to determine if radiation is needed, and Emily was just on the borderline. We have decided we are trusting in the decision as what is best, and will go with the flow.

At the spur of the moment, we decided to celebrate her last chemo, and called a few family and friends Many of them had not been in the same room since Emily was in ICU, and we all agreed it was a much better day! We had cake with a purple ribbon on it, which is the symbol for Hodgkins awareness (like pink ribbon is for breast cancer support). Emily has been an incredible inspiration to us all, and once again, we were commenting on the tremendous support we have received as a family. So we thank each one of you who have said a prayer, sent an encouraging word, or let us know you have thought about us! We praise our heavenly Father for his faithfulness and love!

#11 down and 1 to go!

Well, Jim went with Emily for chemo # 11. Everything went well. Her blood count numbers were all good. Dr. L discussed with them that there is only one chemo to go.... BUT...! The But... is never good. Dr. L said she knew she told us radiation would not be needed, But she reviews each patients results carefully at the end of a chemo round to make sure they are on the right path, especially towards the last. Apparently there is a standard that determines if radiation is needed, and for Emily's Hodgkins, it is the size of the original tumors. Emily's tumors were not quite large enough to need radiation, but they were very close. SO, Dr. L said after the last chemo, we would wait 2 weeks, and then do all new testing: PET scan, CT scan, pulmonology test, cardio test, and then relook to see if radiation is needed. She would staff Emily's case with other oncologists, and if there was any indecision at all, Emily would be sent to an oncology/radiation expert and he would make the final decision. She did say there was a good chance she would not need it, but wanted to make us aware that it is still a possibility.

Emily was disappointed. She was really hoping she would be done after the next chemo. But the reason radiation is done is to keep the chances of recurrence, (the cancer coming back) low. The radiation would be five days a week for 6 weeks. That would be tough to do in Tulsa, and finish the semester in school. It might be able to be done in Stillwater, but that is not for sure. We will deal with that when we know for sure. I told Emily, from the very beginning I prayed for the right Dr.s and then have prayed daily for them to have wisdom and for God to guide them in the way they treat her. He has been SO faithful in that. Time and time again, the doctors made decisions that turned out to be exactly the right thing. And that if having radiation means it does not come back, and she won't have to deal with this again later, it will be worth it to take care of it now, all at once. I know this is easy for me to say, but she seems to be OK with it all for the moment. I know I am redundant, but we are so PROUD of her. She really has been an inspiration to me! Thank you for all of your prayers! When we get overwhelmed, someone always sends us an encouraging word, or something pops into our minds, and I know that is all of your prayers lifting us up!

PS: Emily is the "cancer survivor" on a relay for life team. Jim and I are also on her team along with 8 of her friends. We will be participating in the Stillwater Relay for Life on 4-16-10. If anyone is interested in donating a few bucks, please feel free to give me a call. Or you are welcome to go the the following website: www.relayforlife.org/okstateok
push "donate", and then search for Emily Sellers. You can pay with a credit card and get a tax receipt. It really is pretty easy.

Great, Great News!!!

Emily completed chemo #10 yesterday, and got her shot today. I don't know if it is because they took one chemo away or what, but chemo is not making her feel as bad as usual. That is a good thing! Everything looked great yesterday, her blood counts were good, and no problems of any kind. Just 2 more chemos and shots to go!

We had a pulmonologist appointment today, and got more great news. They did 2 chest xrays and as the Dr. said, "they are perfect". He was very impressed, and I got the feeling he was not easily impressed. He said there was absolutely no indications of any damage at all. He said there was some minor scarring, but probably not even from chemo, just from life that we all have. He said repeatedly that he was very impressed that with all she has been through, there is no evidence of any negatives. Once again, thank you all for your prayers, God is an awesome God and is bigger than cancer!

Praises, Praises, Praises!!!

Thanks for all your prayers!! Today Emily completed chemo #9, only 3 more to go. But more exciting even than the count down, is that the pulmonary test came back close to normal, and when I say normal, I mean very close to being as good as before chemo began. This shows there is no serious permanent damage to her lungs! PRAISE GOD! Also, the PET scan shows if there is any activity or blood flow to any of the tumors, and there was NONE, absolutely none! They said all the tumors, masses, and lymph nodes are completely "resolved" which means no longer living tissue! They are considered "healed". The smaller masses are gone completely, and the 2 larger masses are less than an inch big. When Emily was diagnosed they were the size of a man's fist. The Dr. said with the larger masses, they may never completely disappear, but stay as scar tissue, but that is OK. Dr. L was VERY excited, and even the written reports said "excellent" progress repeatedly. They do not think she will need radiation. PRAISE GOD!!!

There is still one issue that is a concern, and that is a very small spot on her lung. They know it is not a tumor, because it did not show up in the PET scan, but it is showing on the CT scan. Because they do not know what it is, they are sending her to a pulmonologist for further diagnosis. That appointment is on Feb. 19th.

She will have 3 more chemo treatments. They plan on doing all 12 treatments because there are studies that show this amount decreases the chances of recurrence. We are all for that! We feel God has been with Emily and our family every step of this journey and will continue to take care of us. But I do not think we could have done it without our friends of faith praying for us so diligently. God Bless each one of you!

Extra Huge Praises!!!

Emily, Jim and I went to the oncologist today to get the results of the CT scan and complete chemo #9. Well, Emily had her blood work done, and her numbers were great, but then we had to wait to see the oncologist. Dr. L had been called to the hospital for an emergency, so we waited over an hour. We got the results of the CT, and they were great! Several small tumors in the lymph nodes were completely "resolved" meaning GONE! Yeah!!! All other tumors were significantly reduced. Reduced to the point where Dr. L said we were way ahead of the plan at this time. Praise God!!! There was a new "ground glass" tiny nodule on the lung. This just means there was a spot they could not identify. The Dr. said it could be nothing or some scarring, so they want an additional CT scan to try to identify what it is, a PET scan which gives more in depth info for all masses, and another pulmonary test.

Last chemo they took her off one medicine that causes lung damage. They would like the tests I mentioned above to determine if she should continue this drug or be taken off of it completely. So Emily did NOT have chemo today. The Dr. wants the results of these tests before they continue. However, she said it was very positive. The fact that the CT scan showed such great results made her comfortable in waiting a week for her next chemo. Emily was OK with this. She was relieved in some ways because she has 3 big tests next week, and will not feel crummy, so she will do better on her tests. We left the oncologist's office and went directly to the Heart hospital where she had the pulmonary test done. The pulmonology tech said her results were much better than her last one. So that is great!

We have prayed for complete healing and have faith that will be the outcome. But we see God's hand every day taking care of Emily and our family in ways that we could not even know to pray for. He knows so much better how to take care of us than we do! We thank all of you from our very souls for your prayers and support.

Chemo # 8 Finished - YEAH!

Emily completed chemo #8 today. It had been postponed until she had pulmonary testing done. We got the results today, and her lung diffusion capabilities were mildly diminished. So they took her off the chemo drug that causes lung damage. She has been getting a cocktail of 4 different drugs, now it will just be three. Her overall lung volume, and capacity were good, but they are being conservative, and we totally agree. We are hoping her lungs improve now that she is off this chemo drug.

The last 2 chemo's made her feel pretty bad, but this one did not. So we are thankful for that. I think she was worn out from finals and school, so Christmas break allowed her to rest and recoup some energy. I also think the added week between chemo's helped. I know I keep saying this, but it is true; God has been faithful to take care of Emily every step of this journey. So when they told us to postpone chemo for a week, I told her I knew there was a reason, and God knew why even if we did not. We are grateful they found the lung issues now, and have taken measures so they don't worsen. She will receive her shot to boost white blood count tomorrow, and then will have a CT scan on this Mon. We hope the tumors are shrinking!

Emily started classes on Mon. of this week. She emailed her professors to let them know of her situation. They were incredibly supportive, and once again, we thank OSU for all their help and support. As she is back in school, we also are more aware of the beginning of cold/flu season. She has to be hyper aware of all those germs out there and try to keep them away. We thank you all for your continued prayers and support as well. Only 4 more chemo's to go! YEAH!

We ask for your prayers:
that her lung damage will reverse now that the chemo is out of her system
that the CT scan will show great improvement
for physical and mental strength for school
and Emily asked me to add to pray that no radiation is needed after chemo

May the Lord bless you and your loved ones!

Waiting game!

Emily was supposed to have chemo #8 today, but it was postponed until next Thurs. (1-14-10).
Her oncologist had ordered a pulmonary test that was supposed to be completed before today's chemo, but due to a lack of communication, we were not notified, and chemo was rescheduled for next week. They want to make sure her lungs are not being adversely affected by the chemo, so until the pulmonary test is completed, we have to wait on chemo. The pulmonary test is scheduled for this Friday, 1-8-10. Emily was very disappointed because this pushes her date when she is finished with chemo back even later. School starts back on Jan. 11th, and then she'll come home on the 13th to have chemo on the 14th. But in the big picture, I guess one more week isn't the end of the world. They have also ordered a full body scan to determine if the tumors are shrinking, and that will be done on Mon. Jan. 18th. So we appreciate prayers that the tumors are disappearing! She is enrolled in 12 hours for next semester, and we take one day at a time. Thank you to all of you who continue to keep us in your prayers and send encouraging words and thoughts.
A great verse someone sent us: "May the God of Hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Chemo # 7- Merry Christmas!

Emily completed chemo #7 today, and is feeling well. Blake, her boyfriend, went and sat through chemo with her. All her blood counts were good. She will get a shot to boost her white blood count tomorrow morning. My sister and her family are visiting from Houston, and we are enjoying spending time with them! I just have to brag a little, Emily received her grades and completed 12 hours and made a 3.75 (all A's and one B)! We are SO proud of her!
Our family is really loving Christmas break, we are enjoying the busy times as well as the quiet moments spent with family and friends. We thank all of you who continue to pray for her healing. As we celebrate our Saviour's Birth, we wish you a wonderful, peaceful, and Merry Christmas!

Half way through!

Emily completed chemo #6 last Wed. Her plan is for 12 treatments, so she is half way through! For the first time, it made her sick. Not nauseous, but just really crummy. She had a head cold when she took chemo, so they gave her a pretty strong antibiotic to make sure it didn't turn into a sinus infection. I don't know if it was because she was feeling bad to begin with or a combo of things, but she really felt bad. She had planned to go back to school after chemo on Wed., but decided to stay the night and went home on Thurs. at noon. She took 2 finals on Friday, and came home Friday afternoon. I felt bad for her having to take finals and not feeling great, but we are SO proud of her! She is done with her semester, and is waiting to see all her grades, but she knows she made all A's and B's. When she was diagnosed in Sept., we had no idea if she would be able to stay in school. For her to have done so well after missing over 3 weeks of school when in ICU, is a testament to God's unfailing grace and Emily's strong will and determination. The professors at OSU have been great, and we also thank them. We thank each and every person who has prayed for her. I truly believe those prayers have made a huge difference! Her next chemo is Dec. 23rd. Our family is looking forward to a blessed Christmas this year, and we pray you and your family are filled with Christ's love and Joy!

Chem #5 Complete!

Here are some pictures of Emily and Blake, and Emily and Lauren at a formal dance recently. Emily is wearing one of her cute wigs that you can straighten and curl. That is unusual for a wig! I think everyone looks great! She continues to get compliments on her cute hair from people that don't know she has cancer. That helps her to feel better about life right now!

Emily completed chemo #5 on the Wed. before Thanksgiving, and then we had a great weekend! Spent Thanksgiving with family and really appreciated our time off. She felt good, just a little tired, and then had a shot to boost her white blood count on Friday. That shot makes her bones hurt, but it doesn't stop her from doing much. We continue to be amazed at how God is giving her strength and a spirit of joy through this time of battling cancer. Once again, we give all the glory to God. Please keep her in your prayers these next two weeks for mental and physical strength. She is feeling the pressure of trying to make up all the work she missed while in ICU, plus just the normal class requirements. I remember how stressful both physically and mentally the last few weeks of a semester can be, and she will have chemo #6 on Wed. Dec. 9th, and then go back to school for finals on Thurs. and Friday. I think this is asking a lot of anyone, but she is insistent she can do it! She will be half way through her chemo. Her medical plan is 12 total chemo treatments. After that time, they will decide if she needs radiation in addition to the chemo. We are praying and believing for complete healing! We want you to know how much your prayers are lifting her and our family up. God bless you as we get into this busy holiday season!

God is Faithful!!

"Significant and marked improvement!" That is what the CT scan results showed today! The tumors are shrinking, and everything looked good! Thanks for the prayers! Emily completed her fourth chemo treatment today, and it went well. Every appointment they check her white blood count. Last chemo it was REALLY low. It has to be at 500 to receive chemo, and hers was at 400. They decided to go ahead and give her chemo last week, but then she received a shot to help with increasing white blood cells. Because her count was so low, we weren't sure it would bring it up to a good level for this week. Once again, God is faithful and her counts were better today than anyone expected. They were at 4800! This also makes her immune system stronger. So her mom feels better when she is at school being exposed to who knows what! The doctor was pleased with her progress, and the nurse told her she was amazingly strong for being in such a little package. God is answering our prayers, and we see his hand in our lives daily. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Hangin in there...

Emily DID get her H1N1 vaccine on Monday! Thank you for your prayers for that. She still has to be super careful when in public places due to a really low immune system, but I feel better. She is scheduled for her 2nd PET scan this Friday. They will look to see if the chemo is working, and if the masses are shrinking. So please pray for major decreases in the tumors. This is a routine scan to make sure we are on the right track. Then chemo #4 is scheduled for next Thurs. Hopefully we'll get the results of the PET scan at that time. Emily is working really hard at school to catch up on all she missed while in ICU, plus keep up with current class requirements. I think she is a little overwhelmed, although she won't admit it to us. Our family appreciates your prayers more than we can say. I'll keep you posted.

Chemo #3...

Emily completed chemo #3. Many people have asked where and how she receives chemo. She goes to her Dr.'s office, and sits in a big room with lots of other people. It takes about 5 hours from start to finish. First they do blood work, then you see the Dr. ,then finally you get the chemo which takes about 4 hours. She receives 4 different drugs each time. They are administered through her port (the white bandage is covering it in the picture) from an IV drip. She goes prepared with her laptop, movies, homework, and lots of snacks. It is not painful in any way. She has not had any negative post chemo reactions. She does take strong anti nausea drugs for 48 hours after chemo which makes her tired, but she can still function. Thurs. after her chemo, she went back to school on BOB later that evening.
She had low white blood counts on Thurs. That is a normal effect of chemo to an extent, but hers was very low. So she received a shot to help her body make white blood cells. Very low white blood counts mean your immune system is even more compromised. So please pray her white blood cell count will improve. She is supposed to get an H1N1 vaccine on Mon., so also pray that does happen. (the health department is not my favorite organization at the moment).
We continue to see God's faithfulness in taking care of her, and appreciate your continued prayers.

Sharing some pictures...

Emily is home tonight in order to receive chemo #3 tomorrow. She is doing great at school, and is almost caught up. Now that we are somewhat back to normal, we thought we would share some pictures. We have so many people from all over the country following Emily's blog that have never met her. So we will help you put a face to her name. This is our family on a cruise from last summer. When Emily was diagnosed with Hodgkins, we agreed we would face each step as a family.

Now that the memory of ICU is fading, we are ready to share some sweet & funny stories. In a blink of an eye, we went in for an out-patient procedure, and ended up in ICU for 10 days. We were in survival mode at first, but met a lot of great people and have new appreciation for the medical community and people facing medical challenges. We met our neighbor in ICU. She was there due to complications during heart surgery. Her husband was so sweet, and asked about "that baby girl" every day. We rejoiced when our neighbor got to move "closer to the front door", that was everyone's goal in ICU. We had almost 70 visitors when in ICU. Many were pastors from churches all over the city. The nurses were amazed because we had such incredible support. They were also amazed at Emily's strength. They had to use enough sedation that they would normally use for a man twice her size. I guess she didn't want to miss a thing! Also, after a few days in ICU, she was using a white board to communicate and was on her computer while still heavily sedated. No one could believe she could do that. It did not surprise us at all!

Below is a picture of her catheter bag. She received her 1st chemo in the hospital. One of her chemo drugs is bright red. It made her urine bright orange. When we told her about it, she asked us to take a picture of it. We couldn't understand why, but it was hard to refuse her anything. She then had us show it to her boyfriend Blake. She wrote," I guess I am a true poke, I pee orange!" She also showed it to all her college friends.

It is hard to look at the picture in ICU, but look at her strength! This is when she shaved her head. I was so worried that it would devastate her, but I forgot how strong she is! I have not always appreciated her strong will and attitude, but I do now!

Bald is Beautiful! She often goes bald at home, because as cute as her wigs are, they bug her after a while. She also wears beanies and hats.


This is a picture with one of her wigs at her brother's cross country meet. A woman who did not know she had cancer, told her she had beautiful hair! She just said,"thanks". She has 4 wigs in all. She decided since everyone knows she is bald, she might as well enjoy a variety of looks. She went to a banquet at college, and called me so excited. It took her 20 minutes to get ready including a shower! All she had to do was dress, put on make up and put on her hair! No more hairdryers, and straighteners! She is a half full kind of girl! Below is another look, and just as cute! She has made a decision to live life while battling cancer! She is not letting it stop her from pursuing her life and dreams!