Cute Boy.....has a family

This beautiful peice of art sums it all up perfectly............ It is called "The Worth of a Soul"

Ok girls, remember this cute boy I was worried about? I posted his picture on this blog a couple of months ago? ( I had to take it down because it is forbidden by his birth country to post it) Well, some of you know HE HAS A FAMILY!!!..... and they are among US!! No, it's not me ,but I am thrilled to say that after much work and prayer and more work AND MORE PRAYER,, his family has done all the paperwork and been officially declared as the lucky family to proceed with his adoption. I can't put into words how happy I am that this child of God gets to grow up in a family and not in the streets. I am thrilled he has a kindhearted, beautiful Momma to care for him instead of a nanny at night when he needs a drink of water. I can't wait to see him grow up nearby(YEA!!!!!!!!!!!) AND do all the things local kids do like go to the Cassia County Fair, go to our own little Storybook Park, go pick out a treat at Maverick.......get all dressed up on Sunday for church, drive his sisters crazy, and love on his forever family. All the things we and our families take for granted. You know, the list could go on forever! Miracles happen every day and this is one of them!!!

So, now it's time we support this little guy in a real way....... I want to have a Pasta Pig Out! I want to have a huge dinner in honor of this family and in honor of him. They have had to take a real leap of faith to do this ( financially and otherwise) and have been determined to bring him home no matter the sacrifice. This makes me cry! They have sold some pretty big items already to help get their little guy home and still have a long way to go in a short amount of time. SO .......let's try to help raise the 7,000 orphanage donation that will be mandatory. I know this sounds like an insane amount of money... but think about it! If just half the residents of Burley gave 2.00 each ,that would do it! The cost of the adoption is way higher than this goal, but we can do THIS. His birth country is very strict about not putting his info on the internet, so I am not even posting where he is from, or his name but we all know we want to help so it doesn't much matter. All that matters is we get him home! So, I am throwing a huge pasta pig out where we all can have a great dinner and visit. I will have a whole array of fun things to auction off and lots of food:) The cost to get in will be way cheaper than taking the family out to a restaurant and WAY more fun! SO STAY TUNED! THIS WILL HAPPEN IN A COUPLE WEEKS! I will keep you posted. If you would like to help, please call me! We need helpers with food and donations for the silent auction. I am donating some food coaching and some food coach meals. Yummy!

We will also donate sod. If you have any service or gift to donate it will be so great!

Other ideas for the silent auction are
gift baskets
hair cuts
airline miles ( wait, she might need those to go get him:)
babysitting
house cleaning
gift certificates from local stores


It is so fun witness something so wonderful like this sweet boy coming home! It's bigger than you and me and it's an honor to be a part of it! My email is marem@safelink.net


LUVS


Mare M.

Official Engraftment AKA Best Day Eva

" I'm Engrafted!"

March 23, 2009

Yesterday was a beautiful Sunday morning which couldn't be a more appropriate day for rising blood counts! Her ANC count (we want 500 or more) was 400 on Saturday, by Sunday morning it had bolted to 700! It felt like that Christmas day that you got every toy you'd asked for. Instantly I said a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking my Heavenly Father for this amazing gift.

It worked!

Ty and his fancy, dancy bone marrow won!

Monday morning (The true test is to have above 500 for two days in a row.) came, and again posted on her board, were counts of 700. What a relief! We are now planning our escape from the hospital. She has to be able to take her meds by mouth which means she needs to eat to be able to keep them down.

Also I have to go through rigorous training to be able to take home a bone marrow transplant patient.

Training includes, but is not limited to:
* Suggested Home Cleaning Routines. (This should be interesting.)

* Preparing Food Safely. (Do I have to cook?)

* Hygiene Routines (How many times a week do I have to shower?)

* Nutrition Guidelines (Oh Marianne Save Me!)

* Medication Schedule (What, When, How Much, Side Affects, etc.)

* Transition Back to Home Life (It will be weird. She's been in the hospital for 33 days straight.)

This girl is one of the bravest people I have ever met. She has endured so much, and I am grateful to have been a witness to the resilience of her spirit. I am so incredibly proud of her. She is an inspiration to me, and I love her dearly and deeply.

Tears....

-Lana

Movie Reviews

Spoiler alert: This post mentions who recently got kicked off of Idol. If you don't want to know, don't read on.

We have wasted away another few days here at the hospital. We have watched several movies of which I will give a report. Take my report with a grain of salt. Remember I am desperate for entertainment. Possible stars: ***** (5)

1) College Road Trip, Rated G: A dad doesn't want his "baby" daughter to grow up. Hilarious, laughed out loud on several occasions. Also shed a few tears as the daughter (Raven) went to college. It reminded me of when I left home. Emma said, "It's not like she won't ever go home again." To which I replied, "Yeah, but it won't be the same." Remember when you went back after you left the nest? So good to be home, but you're "older/wiser/something."
L*****/E****

2) Baptists at our Barbecue, Rated PG (Mormon show): I actually thought this was kind of cute. Emma didn't understand some of the religious exaggerations, but I thought it was a clever show. Super cheesy acting was its downfall. L***/E***

3) Wall-E, Rated G: Does this movie have a story line? I don't really get it. Emma says she only gives it two stars. I think it's weird. L*/E**

4) Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Rated PG: A boy has dreams that come true about superheroes, etc. Dumbest show ever. Lavagirl wants to be good and find out how she can be a better superhero, but Sharkboy is violent and angry (bugs me.) L*/E**

5) Ella Enchanted, Rated PG: Ella was given the gift of obedience as a child. She has to do everything she's told. I really like this show and think it's very funny. I think the end is lame where they start singing, "Don't go breaking my heart." "I couldn't if I tried." Blah Blah Blah. Then she rips off the bottom of her dress to find a miniskirt and go go boots. The director should've cut that part. L****/E****

6) Beverly Hills Chihuahua : Rated PG: A pampered dog gets lost in Mexico and tries to find her way back to So. Cal. Pretty darn funny. I love when the dogs talk in their little Hispanic accents. It cracks me up. L***/E ****

7) Everyone's Hero, Rated ?: Cute show about Babe Ruth's bat getting stolen and the little boy who tries to recover it. The bat and a ball talk to the boy. I recommend this show for both young and old. L****/E****

These were our latest and greatest movies. We are patiently anticipating the arrival of Bolt. It comes out on Tuesday, and I will post a review then (riveting). We are also going to watch Ant Bully.

Emma's counts are slowly rising. Today her ANC (which needs to be minimum 500) is 400. Hopefully tomorrow or Monday she will be at 500. This means that we will be going home (to Kaysville) soon. I am hoping it will be by the end of the week.

I don't know if I've told you this, but we will be living in Kaysville at my Aunt Karma and Uncle Koyle's house. They are on a mission at the Washington DC temple and said we could live in their home. What a blessing this will be for us. There will be very little traffic which means very little germs to get sick off of. Plus it's furnished and comfortable. I always remember going to Aunt Karma's house and thinking how tidy and organized it was. Plus, she is a fantastic cook and makes everything look so yummy (presentation is everything).

Wish us luck (and prayers) in the next couple of days for rising counts. Emma also needs to start eating and drinking. It's still not anything she's interested in doing.

-Lana

BTW: Emma and I had nothing to do with Alexis getting kicked off of Idol. We would've booted Anoop (which we call A-poop) or the blind guy. We think the judges are being soft on the blind guy just because he can't see. Waa! Waa!

Update

So, just an update.

We're here in Salt Lake City doing the usual. I start the day out with a nice blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese and a chocolate milk (I have a highly unusual addiction to the dark creamy stuff!) I usually eat this around 11:00 am (the perfect time to start a day). I help Emma with her mouth cares (which consists of a lot of swishing and gagging) and then we take her pills (which are crushed up and look a lot like cocaine, not that I've seen cocaine in real life, but I have watched CSI). Remember when I asked the workers to come and move Stephanie's bed and I would give them some coke?

I usually head over to the Jewish Community Center sometime during the day. I like to ride the bike and run the treadmill. One evening I went to a Zumba class ("Latest Latin dance trends from Miami from marenge to mambo, flamenco to salsa, you will feel the core connect and quads burn from continuous dance play.") This was great fun, and I felt like a candidate for Dancing with the Stars. (I could so wipe out Denise Richards.)

I try to shower at least every other day. This is more for the comfort of others and sometimes I smell a little ripe.

We have taken to watching all of the reality shows. Of course during the day it's all Disney, all the time, but in the evenings we have a strict schedule that we adhere to. Sunday: Amazing Race, Monday: Dancing with the Stars, Tuesday: Biggest Loser, Dancing with the Stars results show, American Idol (talented channel changing), Wednesday: American Idol, Thursday: Survivor, Friday: Movie Night, Saturday: Movie Night. It's tough keeping track of all the stars and celebs so Emma has a notebook that she busts out when we watch the shows. She writes down the names and the scores, weight loss, etc., of all of the contestants and then we write down our scores as well. At the end of the night we decide who is going home or getting kicked off. This has been highly entertaining and something I would never do in real life... but since I'm living in a dream (or a nightmare, I'm not sure) what the heck.

We top the evening off with another round of mouth cares (which she usually barfs up) and then her pills (which she keeps down). We read the scriptures and ponder them and discuss them (also something I would never do in real life). We can do this because it's just the two of us and not the eight of us. It's usually lights out by midnight after we've giggled and talked about the incredibly interesting things we've done that day and plan the equally incredibly interesting things we'll do the next day.

It's tough living here and keeping this schedule. The cafeteria closes from 10-11 and if I don't get my bagel before then, well I have to walk all the way across the hall and get it at the other cafeteria (yes, I have a favorite). Also it's closed from 4-5. What if I'm hungry? The gym closes at 6:00 on Friday, and so I always have to bust a move on that day. The parent shower is only open some of the time so I have to try to squeeze my shower in on top of all of the things I already have to do. I also make sure I get an afternoon nap and maybe even an evening nap. This is difficult when you don't wake up until afternoon. I'm telling you it's not as easy as it looks.

My children are in Pocatello this week. Playing with cousins and enjoying spring break. Jeff will get them on Friday and have them for the weekend and next week. My sister-in-law Jeni will be there next week and take good care of them.

Emma's counts are rising everyday. They fluctuate a bit so I can't say when she will engraft. Her ANC needs to be 500 for two days in a row to be considered engrafted. It's at 200 today and hopefully it will rise tomorrow. I will let you know.

They also took away her best friend today. The morphine pump was off when she woke up and she acted as if someone had shot her dog. She kept saying she needed it which was weird detoxing an 8 year old. I'm pretty sure it was all psychological as she did fine, but weird anyway. They also unhooked her from her "food" for 8 hours. They want her to be hungry and start to eat on her own. She took a couple of bites of chicken noodle soup (Tuesdays: my favorite soup day... so good) but lost it during mouth care. She promises she will never eat chicken noodle soup again.

We will keep trying to eat and enjoy each day. Can't wait for tomorrow. It's always fun to kick someone off of Idol.

-Lana

The Pros and Cons

I've decided to make a list of the pros and cons here at Primary Children's Medical Center.

Pro: Dwelling in room 4421 AKA the room with the "retro-yellow, faux leather couch." (You can't just say couch, it comes as a package deal.)
Con: Waking up every 20 minutes in which case you remember every cock-eyed dream you've ever had. Which even if it's a good dream, it becomes a nightmare.

Pro: Not having to cook, prepare or clean up any food.
Con: Hospital food.

Pro: Having a housekeeper come in twice a day to clean.
Con: Can you die from the smell of bleach?

Pro: Having cable TV
Con: Not having any of the normal TV channels like HGTV or Lifetime (I'm a sucker for Lifetime), but we do have Disney Channel. Oh gracious!

Pro: Calling the staff whenever we need assistance.
Con: That dam (Oops, I did it again. Yes that is Britney Spears and you should be ashamed that you know that.) beeping noise!

Pro: Seeing those beautiful Utah mountains everyday.
Con: They aren't my mountains.

Pro: MORPHINE (It really has saved our life. She's in hardly any pain.)
Con: A daughter who's not always "there." One minute she wants to do something by herself and the next minute she's crying because I'm not helping her. I guess she's just a sloppy drunk.

Pro: Everyone here is so nice and really wants to help.
Con: I am never alone. (You know I like my alone.)

Pro: Parent accommodations.
Con: Hair in the showers. (If you threw up just a little bit right now, I am sorry, and I promise I will not say anymore on the subject.)

Pro: Fantastically wonderful things happen to me everyday.
Con: Trials!

Sometimes it's almost worth it. The Pros of life out way the Cons any day!

Thanks for EVERYTHING.

-Lana

Happy BMT Birthday to You

Well the last week ended up being a super success.

Emma had radiation. The rad people would set her lung shields just right so her lungs wouldn't get damaged and then we would all leave the room. It was a huge room, chilly and loud, and I hated leaving her in there alone. I went out and sat with the radiology peeps and watched her on a tv screen. She had to get zapped on the front for 15 minutes and then turn around to the back for 15 more. I was so glad to get this over with. It always looked to me like she was getting tortured, however no pain involved.

Friday morning Ty had to be at the hospital at o' dark o'clock. I was sick to my stomach but tried to pretend that we were going on some fantastic fun adventure. He was in surgery for an hour and a half, and I used my usual coping skills by sleeping that time away (What? You didn't know I had these skills?). The doctors said the surgery went well. He woke up in postop mumbling something about how someone had taken off his jammies.

After two sleepy hours and two grape popsicles he was feeling a bit better, just groggy. He slept all the way home.

His back hurt the rest of the day and on Saturday he woke up and announced that he couldn't walk. He kept saying, "I can't walk" over and over again. He wasn't panicked, just wondered why I wasn't doing anything about it. By the end of the day he was walking with only a little limp.

We waited the rest of the day Friday for Ty's bone marrow to be counted, cleaned, filtered, checked, etc., etc., and around 6:00 the man from the clinic arrived. It was very exciting to see him. He had a cooler labeled as a donor cooler and looked very official. After the doctors got there, many nurses and hospital staff came in the room and sang "Happy BMT Birthday To You" to Emma. The "donor cooler guy" had all sorts of official paperwork and numbers that he and the doctors went over to verify that the right "stuff" was going to the right person.

Then they hung it! Instantly the marrow (through gravity) started pumping down the tube and into Emma. It was a very surreal moment for me as I thought of how Ty was helping to heal Emma.

Emma was happy and smiling. Everyone at the hospital loves her and thinks she's so pretty and super fun. (Hello, have you seen her motha'?)

Emma's special Bone Marrow Transplant Birthday was a miracle. Many miracles happen everyday in my life. Some are open and some are private, but it impresses me that many of you are serving the Lord. What a testimony builder it has been for me to see this in action. I have no doubt that you would be shocked if I listed the many services that my family has received. The amounts of money, the amounts of time, the vast amounts of food (Mormons know food) the amounts of prayers, fasting and love that have been sent my way is phenomenal.

May you all be blessed for your sincere service and your truly pure hearts. I pray.

Lana