quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
HANNAH HAS HER TRANSPLANT TOMORROW!

Here's the most recent update from Tom:

May 23, 2007 at 11:48 AM EDT
Day 5 (D-DAY – 3) Tuesday, May 22, 2007

We are more than ½ way through our radiation treatment; only 3 more treatments to go! So far, Hannah has handled it well. After the morning session she comes back from radiation therapy groggy from the anesthesia and sleeps until mid-morning. After the afternoon treatment she comes back tired from the radiation and sleeps until late afternoon. Hannah’s body doesn’t get enough rest in between the two daily treatments so she ends up really tired after the second one. But once she wakes up, she seems to go back to her normal perky self and wants to get out of bed and play around the room. She likes playing tea party with Daddy and Mommy. Hannah has a “cheeky” side to her. She purposely gave Daddy (me) a plastic bagel with pretend hot sauce on it to watch Daddy’s reaction. When I react as if my mouth was on fire, grabbing for the tea to put out the flames in my mouth, she laughs and laughs. I call it the “jiggle giggle” when she gets the “belly laughs.” Hannah also is a clean freak like her Daddy. She saw me wiping down some of the things in the room and she wanted to help too. So I gave her a wipe and off she went to wipe down the sofa before tea, all the while singing to “twinkle, twinkle little star.” I told Mei Ling, “God can’t take her because she’s my cleaner. She’s the one I’m going to live with in my old age.” (see pictures)

The afternoons are special to Hannah, and to us as well. She is thrilled to have some of her favorite nurses and doctors from the Hematology/Oncology floor visit her. We continue to be blessed by their love, as well as their professional care for Hannah! They come by at the end of a long 12-hour plus day, on their own time, to spend time with Hannah. We love them as much as they love us.

Hannah received two new drugs last night, Cyclosporine to help prevent “graph vs. host” disease and “ATG” which is really not a drug at all, it is a “lymphocyte immune globulin” which is derived from a horse. Horse Blood! This is used to suppress her immune system to help reduce the chance of rejection of her new cells. Both of these drugs come with potential side effects and although Hannah didn’t seem to have a reaction to the Cyclosporine, she has developed hives with the ATG. This is a common reaction, and we hope it is all that she will develop – especially since she has to have two more days of ATG (8 hours each day!). Please pray that God will protect her organs from the radiation and that the ATG will not cause severe side effects like airway blockage from the hives!

Please Lord, Heal Hannah,
Tom and Mei Ling

quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
Two messages about Hannah, the most receive being first. She's had her transplant.....now complications have begun. Please find it in your hearts to pray for her and get her on every prayer chain you know. Thank you.

May 27, 2007 at 07:59 AM EDT
THE STORM HAS ARRIVED!

Hannah started a temp at four o'clock and a high heart rate (170) but felt well. At seven o'clock she got sick to her stomach and vomited. Her temp after Tylenol is still rising and her heart rate is above 200! It appears we need platetes and blood. IT IS HERE. THE BATTLE BEGINS! Please PRAY for our girl. We know you will.

Please Lord, Heal Hannah,
Tom


43 May 25, 2007 at 04:50 PM EDT
PRAISE GOD, WE HAVE NEW CELLS!

As scheduled, Hannah received her new cells today at 1:00PM. We are overwhelmed by the miracle this 50cc’s of umbilical cord cells can, (and we pray will), create in our little Hannah’s body. The cells arrived in a syringe no bigger than Tom’s hand. We stood there and stared at the “kool-aid” looking liquid and just marveled. I (Mei Ling) couldn’t help but cry at the thought that these little cells will hopefully save my baby’s life.

The transplant procedure itself was very uneventful. Our nurse, Devan, simply pushed the cells into Hannah’s line. The whole infusion took about 7 minutes! These cells will miraculously go to exactly where they need to go to make new healthy blood cells - you can't tell me that just happens "by chance" or the "big bang" - it is a miracle! The tough part is now waiting to see if the cells will engraft and flourish without complications. Grow cells, GROW!

It has now been 3 ½ hours since her transplant and so far she is doing very well. She is being watched very closely, monitoring her blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, oxygen levels, etc. In the next couple of days we will look for signs of mucusitis (sores in the mouth, esophagus, and digestive tract), loss of appetite, signs of “graph vs. host” disease and other allergic reactions and complications. Of course, we pray (and ask you to pray) for God’s miraculous protection from all of these potential side effects and problems.

In the next few weeks we will also look for signs that Hannah’s new cells are growing and creating the healthy cells she needs. Specifically we will measure her ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count), which is a measure of her immune system – right now it is at zero. We will also look for her white blood count to come up – it is also at zero. Hannah will also need lots of blood and platelets since she is not making her own right now. Please pray for her new cells to grow and grow quickly! Also pray that all of her leukemia cells will be eliminated FOREVER! If even one leukemia cell survives, Hannah’s leukemia will return. Please Lord Heal Hannah!

Thanks again for your prayers – keep praying, we have been so blessed, but we can’t forget that we still have a long way to go.

Love to you all,
Mei Ling and Tom

quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
TWO MOST RECENT UPDATES ON LITTLE HANNAH, MOST RECENT IS FIRST. Thanks for all your posts and prayers! ~PAULAKEVIN

June 01, 2007 at 10:56 PM EDT
ANOTHER DAY IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW
Day +7

Hannah started the day with a rough start. Her fever from yesterday broke and she was able to have a pretty good night’s sleep until about 5:45 AM, then the fever returned with a vengeance. She was shaking and complaining of being cold. We tried to give her Tylenol by mouth, but she ended up getting sick which led us to then have to change the bed and clean up an already upset girl. Her heart rate was also high, but has since come back to normal.

Throughout the day she has run a temp on and off. These are suppose to be the toughest of days, from day six to day ten or so. The blessing is that in between fevers she usually wants to get up and play – children are much better patients than adults! We also believe that her pain is increasing slightly, but she is responding well to her pain medication.

Early this evening she got platelets again. We have had to wait most of the day for them to arrive since the bank was low on platelets. So, if you are able, please consider being a platelet donor. In the Cincinnati area you can go to any Hoxworth Blood Center (www.hoxworth.org) to donate.

Presently, Hannah is back on the rollercoaster. She has spiked another high fever, this time they have had to put a cooling blanket under her like we had in the ICU. We believe the fever caused her to be sick to her stomach again. We are waiting to see what the night will bring. Tom is standing over Hannah and I, handing me cool wash cloths for Hannah’s head, while I lie beside her administering them.

It is hard to see our precious girl so sick and fever stricken. We thank you all for your notes of encouragement and for your continued prayers. They really do lift us up and bless us to know that so many people care for Hannah and us. Although I appreciate the prayers and concerns directed for me (Mei Ling) – Lord knows I need them – I have to confess that our last posting was actually written by Tom. Our postings are usually written by both of us, but Tom is the primary writer. (One way to determine who the main writer was is to see whose name appears first in the signature) Therefore, the prayer request regarding being pulled in “too many directions” was really about Tom.

Tom has worked hard for our family, especially in the past 4 months, always trying to be a rock for us all to lean on – caring for spiritual, emotional and physical needs for us all, making decisions and handling all the household needs while I was focused on caring for Hannah. For those of you who know him, you may know that he doesn’t often express needs for himself, but we both are struggling to balance all we have going on. We frequently say that we feel we are in a no-win situation – if we are with Hannah we are away from Sarah and Caleb. If we are with Sarah and Caleb, we are away from Hannah. It breaks our hearts either way! So, please continue to lift us up in prayer, but especially pray that God will continue to strengthen and sustain Tom as he works to take care of us all. He has proven to be the best Daddy ever (and a pretty good Husband too)!

With love and thanksgiving,
Mei Ling and Tom


47 May 31, 2007 at 10:33 PM EDT
Day +6

Hannah is going through the shadow of the valley, but God is with her. Today she is experiencing more of the “normal” abnormalities of her condition. Though we pray for her to avoid or overcome, these side effects, some of them, like the mucusitis, are “silver linings” to our clouds. These “reactions” are a sign that Hannah’s body is responding to the high doses of chemotherapy and radiation that kills off the quick splitting cells like those found in the mouth and digestive tract. Therefore, although she is experiencing some of these negative side effects, we hope it means that the same drugs have also killed any leukemia cells that were left as well. Another positive note is that nothing that is happening, so far, is unexpected and therefore it allows us to have the initiative and be proactive. We simply pray that the complications that occur will not be severe or life threatening.

Presently (10PM), Hannah has started a fever that is climbing and her heart rate has jumped up again to 170. This could be a reaction the one of the drugs she received today to help her white blood cells GROW. Whatever the reason for the rise in vitals, the medical staff has sprung into action. Tylenol and antibiotics are given and blood cultures are drawn as we wait to see what our next course of action will be.

Hannah has been especially sweet this last couple of days – clinging to us and enjoying reading books with mommy, daddy and the nurses. She has also helped pick out names for – HER baby! We never find out in advance whether the baby is a boy or a girl. So we have to have two names. I guess you would like to know what they are? But, we are not going to tell you. You’ll have to ask Hannah!

Pray for the fever to be lifted, the heart rate to come down, her appetite to return, and the pain in her mouth, joints and digestive track to be manageable. And last, but by no means least, for her new cells to GROW CELLS GROW!

Trusting in Him,
Tom and Mei Ling

P.S. Pray for me…I’m feeling the pain of being pulling in too many directions. I miss my other children and hurt to the heart as Hannah looks to me to fix her pain.

quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
June 03, 2007 at 09:51 PM EDT
THE STORM IS BREWING
Saturday (Day + 8)

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for HE IS good!
For HIS mercy endures forever.
As the sun arose, so did our foes, the fever and high heart rate was back.
For His MERCY endures forever.
As the clock stroke ten, a code blue rang out for a child on the floor.
For His mercy ENDURES forever.
As the mid-day neared, Hannah’s second fever appeared.
For His mercy endures FOREVER.
As the noon bell rang, another child had coded, off to the ICU they ran.
For HIS mercy endures forever.
Noon brought us, diarrhea that now had returned,
For His MERCY endures forever.
Soon Hannah had itchy, watery eyes, the medicine was the cause and medicine the cure.
For His mercy ENDURES forever.
By two in the afternoon, Hannah laid down exhausted, with daddy holding her close.
For His mercy endures FOREVER.
By mid-afternoon the diarrhea hit again, soiling all that lay in its path.
For HIS mercy endures forever.
By late in the afternoon, the fever and heart rate again began to loom.
For His MERCY endures forever.
Dinner was interrupted, vomiting up her feeding tube, we cried to the Lord for it to end.
For His mercy ENDURES forever.
Hannah was playful at eight, so we sat down, thanked God, and finally ate.
For His mercy endures FOREVER.
Diarrhea soiled Hannah and the sheets at nine, we had sheets to spare.
For HIS mercy endures forever.
At ten the fever was back, her face a flame and flush, an allergic reaction to blame.
For His MERCY endures forever.
At eleven we kneeled and prayed and thanked God for another day.
For His mercy ENDURES forever.
We lay awake thinking of what they said, a good day today; the worst is yet to come.
For His mercy endures FOREVER.

The Lord was good to us today on His Day (Day +9). Hannah, and we, rested. But, the mouth sores are worse. We were told the next four days will be hard. Please pray as we go into the mouth of the lion.

Trusting in Him,
Tom and Mei Ling

quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
June 06, 2007 at 12:16 AM EDT
Days +10 & 11

Your prayers for Hannah are working. Monday and Tuesday were quiet days as compared to Saturday even though they have warned us the worse may be yet to come.

They have changed Hannah’s meds so she doesn’t have the itchy and watery eyes as bad. She got platelets again today. She needs them about every third or fourth day. Sometime tonight we expect to get blood. God’s little girl continues to show us how to accept our trials of various kinds, as the Book of James describes, with dignity and courage (James 1:2-4). When she begins to get uncomfortable, Mei Ling and I are quick to reach for the pain medicine button that automatically delivers a dose of pain medicine on demand. Hannah stops us in our tracks and says, “NO…no med-cine…Mommy!” Please Lord, Heal Hannah!

Hannah continues to enjoy having her friends play and read to her. She waves them in when they tap on the window to come and play. She also continually looks for opportunities to comfort the other children. Even when she is not feeling well she thinks of others first. She waves at them as they go by the room and still asks daily about Jenna and “Kenzie,” Mackenzie the little girl next door. She also has a new friend Nancy, a Spanish speaking teenager down the hall. Please keep Nancy in your prayers. She is struggling with the “why” of her disease. If any of you speak Spanish please send a card or letter to Nancy on our behalf. We don’t speak Spanish so we can’t tell them how much we are all praying for her and her family.

On another note, Mommy got a chance to go home last night and be with the kids most of today. She needed it badly! After a 2 ½ weeks here she was emotionally and physically drained. She needed to see Sarah and Caleb, they needed to see her, and Mommy needed a long, good night’s sleep without continuous concern caused by the constant interruption from all the bells and beeps going off in the middle of the night.

The kids, Sarah and Caleb, are doing fine. It hurt today not to be with them. Caleb had his first baseball practice and I wasn’t there to see it, or teach him how to put on his glove, or catch a ball. It cuts like a knife, into the very heart of a father, when you care! I pray that I won’t miss too many more first time events.

As for me, I’m fine. I need a bath! Not so much for my sake. I have lived under worse conditions when I was in the military. But I’m sure the others around me would appreciate it!

May God Bless You and Yours,
Tom and Mei Ling

Write to Nancy Perez c/o Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (A5N), 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229.

quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
June 08, 2007 at 03:32 PM EDT
ALL IS WELL
Friday, Day + 14 (2 weeks in)

This morning Hannah awoke in great spirits. She sent Mommy to feed the baby [eat] breakfast in the family room. While Mommy was away, Hannah asked if I (Daddy) would read her one of her favorite “God books” as she calls them (The Bible-Time Nursery Rhyme Book, by Emily Hunter). As we laid in the bed together, side by side, reading the nursery rhymes, Hannah turned to me and said, “Daddy take care of me. Mommy take care of me. Doctors help too. Hannah free, icky. No more ickies, go home.” nodding her head up and down for a yes from Daddy. I was choked up as she warmed me with a joy I can’t begin to describe. It brought tears of happiness to my eyes and a smile to my heart, which was breaking, to tell her “not yet” – but, she gets it! She knows the cycle, when I feel icky I’m at the hospital and the doctors and nurses help Mommy and Daddy take care of me. Now that I’m not feeling “icky” that means it’s time to go home. She may know her body better than we give her credit for. At “rounds” this morning the doctors stated that they are “encouraged” by the numbers they are seeing! Let’s pray that we will see engraphment soon.

Unfortunately, we are told that engraphment usually means more “body battles” will come with it! It’s a strange place to be as a parent. We pray that our daughter will not suffer, but we are told to welcome some of this suffering, but not too much because it could go the wrong way too! As Hannah’s new cells grow and start to take over, they also go to work “cleaning house” and therefore, it can make Hannah feel worse before she feels better. So, there is a battle going on inside Hannah, a battle we want to see! The battles tell us that her body is in combat against things that are foreign to it. However, we don’t want her body to fight against the donor bone marrow too much (creating graph vs. host disease) but enough that shows us her body has the ability to fight. The battles could also mean that the donor marrow is fighting off any remaining leukemia cells which is good, real good. The battles could also mean that Hannah has an infection, virus, or fungus and that would be bad, REAL BAD! So, we pray for battles that must be fought, that work for Hannah’s good and wellness, to know when and where to give battle – under controlled conditions, and for the purposes of healing Hannah.

May you all have a restful Lord’s Day this weekend as you focus on resting in Him by studying His Word so you can live a pleasing life to God. Answering the Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism question #1 “What is the chief end of man?” In other words, what is the meaning of life? It is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever (please see, 1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36; Ps. 73:25-28; John 17:21-23).

Please Lord, Heal Hannah!

May God be with you,
Tom and Mei Ling

quote:

RobRodriguez

quote:

Originally posted by whtetiger:

quote:

RobRodriguez

I sent email via milcom guess you didn't get it...any idea when my email will be back to normal...still no thread notifications
tiger

quote:

Originally posted by strobelvets:

quote:

Originally posted by PaulaKevin:
June 08, 2007 at 03:32 PM EDT
ALL IS WELL
Friday, Day + 14 (2 weeks in)

This morning Hannah awoke in great spirits. She sent Mommy to feed the baby [eat] breakfast in the family room. While Mommy was away, Hannah asked if I (Daddy) would read her one of her favorite “God books” as she calls them (The Bible-Time Nursery Rhyme Book, by Emily Hunter). As we laid in the bed together, side by side, reading the nursery rhymes, Hannah turned to me and said, “Daddy take care of me. Mommy take care of me. Doctors help too. Hannah free, icky. No more ickies, go home.” nodding her head up and down for a yes from Daddy. I was choked up as she warmed me with a joy I can’t begin to describe. It brought tears of happiness to my eyes and a smile to my heart, which was breaking, to tell her “not yet” – but, she gets it! She knows the cycle, when I feel icky I’m at the hospital and the doctors and nurses help Mommy and Daddy take care of me. Now that I’m not feeling “icky” that means it’s time to go home. She may know her body better than we give her credit for. At “rounds” this morning the doctors stated that they are “encouraged” by the numbers they are seeing! Let’s pray that we will see engraphment soon.

Unfortunately, we are told that engraphment usually means more “body battles” will come with it! It’s a strange place to be as a parent. We pray that our daughter will not suffer, but we are told to welcome some of this suffering, but not too much because it could go the wrong way too! As Hannah’s new cells grow and start to take over, they also go to work “cleaning house” and therefore, it can make Hannah feel worse before she feels better. So, there is a battle going on inside Hannah, a battle we want to see! The battles tell us that her body is in combat against things that are foreign to it. However, we don’t want her body to fight against the donor bone marrow too much (creating graph vs. host disease) but enough that shows us her body has the ability to fight. The battles could also mean that the donor marrow is fighting off any remaining leukemia cells which is good, real good. The battles could also mean that Hannah has an infection, virus, or fungus and that would be bad, REAL BAD! So, we pray for battles that must be fought, that work for Hannah’s good and wellness, to know when and where to give battle – under controlled conditions, and for the purposes of healing Hannah.

May you all have a restful Lord’s Day this weekend as you focus on resting in Him by studying His Word so you can live a pleasing life to God. Answering the Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism question #1 “What is the chief end of man?” In other words, what is the meaning of life? It is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever (please see, 1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36; Ps. 73:25-28; John 17:21-23).

Please Lord, Heal Hannah!

May God be with you,
Tom and Mei Ling

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