|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Military.com Forums Hot Topics & Current Events General Discussion Military Family Deep Issues|
Go
|
New
|
Find
|
Notify
|
Tools
|
Reply
|
|
|
New Member |
There's been no new news on Hannah.
Please pray for Hannah, Tom, Mei Ling, Sarah, Caleb, and Mei Ling's unborn child. As of today, I do not know what's going on. Thanks, PaulaKevin |
|||
|
|
SUSPENDED MEMBER S_S |
Yahshua I ask...Heal Hannah
|
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!!  |
*
|
|||
|
|
New Member |
From Mei Ling.
Please pray for this Marine's (Tom) daughter in Cincinnati Children's. "June 13, 2007 at 11:04 PM EDT MORE ENCOURAGING DAYS! Wednesday, Day +19 We are so happy to report that we continue to have “good” days. “Good” days for us mean no fevers, blood pressure issues, heart rate issues, breathing problems, infections, viruses, vomiting, excessive pain, or funguses! Our good days have even been made better with the beginning signs of engraphment! The doctors are a little surprised. Prayer has an affect that is baffling at times. The medical staff continues to be “encouraged” as we see Hannah’s “numbers” – should I even say it? – start to GROW. Very slowly, but steadily in the right direction! Praise God! Of course we are quick to remind ourselves that it is still early and that each day may bring new trials our way as well as blessings. We will not be sure that Hannah is engrafting until tests are done and her numbers reach much higher levels. We have always known that we should be thankful for each and every day that God gives us and for all the many, many blessings we have, but we don’t often really realize it fully until we are in a situation that truly brings it to light. Hannah’s situation certainly reminds us clearly that we need to focus on, and be thankful for, each and every day – each day that she feels well, each day that she shows progress, and simply for each day we have with her. We also know that we cannot dwell on what may happen tomorrow, because tomorrow may be entirely different from today – she may develop a fever, infection, or any of the other potential problems she faces. So, God’s word rings true as always “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:33-34) - we have just been brought to a place where God has blessed us in understanding this in a very real way. I pray that we never forget it! Continuing to Trust in Him, Mei Ling and Tom" |
|||
|
|
New Member |
My son "had" the exact same cancer that Hannah has and also went through with a BMT and is doing just fine. Hannah will overcome this with flying colors!! Stay strong!!
 |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
Thank you so much for posting! |
|||
|
|
New Member |
Thank you for your encouraging post! I don't always get to read all the emails and posts that are out there for Hannah, but our dear friends, Kevin and Paula (who are monitoring this site for us) made sure we saw your post. We pray that Hannah will come through with "flying colors" just as your son did!
We also want to thank everyone who is, and has, prayed for us through the military.com posts. We have been blessed by so many through this experience, and especially appreciate the support we have received through our church and the military - especially everyone at Tom's work (Wright Patterson AFB/NASIC). God's blessings to you all, Mei Ling and Tom Rumping (and Hannah too!)
|
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
* |
|||
|
|
New Member |
Your absolutely welcome. It will be 1 year in September since Adrians BMT and already in August the doctors have released him to go to "Public" school - Yes, public school! That's how well he's doing.
Hopefully everything is doing well with Hannah and we hope to hear from you guys soon! Be strong & our prayers are with you. Cynthia & Adrian |
|||
|
|
New Member |
June 20, 2007 at 03:42 PM EDT
WE ARE GOING HOME TODAY!!!!!!! D+26 Praise the Lord oh My Soul…Let us Rejoice and Be Glad! “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth, My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears, They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles, The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.” (Psalm 34, NKJV) Hannah’s counts have been coming up the last couple of days and are high enough to go home! We cried when we heard the news (as I’m sure many of you are now). After her battle with the fever and blood pressure a couple of days ago (probably signs of engraftment) her numbers have gone from 40 to 90 to 250 to 690 to 600 today. Anything over 500 is considered having an immune system. A quick rising ANC is a good indicator that these are Hannah’s donor cells and that’s why they are coming in so fast. The Medical Team is amazed at the ease of Hannah’s engraftment. We all are! God is good to those who trust in Him. Hannah went through this phase of her treatment ahead of schedule and without the difficulties normally associated with a bone marrow transplant. Your prayers, and ours, have been answered. If the bone marrow transplant has worked, we should be done - cancer free, and just waiting for the engraftment to be complete which takes at least a full year from transplant. However, we are still not out of the woods. We are on the path and can see the edge of the forest, but we are not out yet. The “wolves” are still out there. Though Hannah is going home, she will need to be in isolation for another 75 days. Infection and sickness could still take her. So any celebration party will have to wait. The first milestone we must reach is 100 days after engraftment. Labor day weekend! If the cells remain negative for Leukemia and her immune system ANC stays high then it is a good sign that we are on the way to full recovery. At six months they will do an engraftment test to see what the true answer is. We will not be considered out of the woods until one year after transplant. Memorial Day weekend 2008! What a perfect holiday to remember the fight we all experienced for the glory of our Lord. Hannah is excited about going home. She has been less than friendly these last days – cabin fever I think. She just wants Mommy and to read books or watch movies with her. But when told she was going home she asked if “bra-der” (brother = Caleb) and “Aaaa” (Sarah) were at home waiting for her. Without them it’s just an empty house. Earlier she tried to get up and walk out of the room on her own. Kind of “lets go, what’s the hold up?” Thanks to our church family we were able to have our house cleaned and the kids taken care of on short notice while we prepare to come home. We ask for your prayers as we go home. We need to remain infection free right now while Hannah’s cells GROW. Thanks Be to God!!! Tom and Mei Ling |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
* |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
* |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
May you find peace today...Tom and Mei Ling!
|
|||
|
|
New Member |
Dear friends,
Little Hannah has had ups and downs since being released to go home after the transplant. She has been back in and then out of the hospital. During thei crucial time, Tom and daughter Sarah got very sick with some type of virus but are better. This may sound trivial, but Hannah cannot be exposed to anything since her immune system is currently non existent. She cannot even have fresh fruit or vegetables since there's no way to completely clean away bacteria. Mei Ling is set to deliver her baby very soon. In the following posts, I will show their continuing story with the most recent news being last. Please continue to pray for this sweet, courageous Marine family. God Bless Us All This Independence Day! ~PaulaKevin |
|||
|
|
New Member |
June 21, 2007 at 11:13 PM EDT
THE STORM IS STILL NEAR! Please pray for Hannah’s health as well as all of ours. I (Tom) am sick and have been in bed for most of last night (when we came home) and today; quarantined to my son’s room for the next couple of days until the drugs kick in. Sarah, our helper in times of trouble, is ill as well. She had a 101 degree temperature and has been sent to her grandparents until she gets well. Mei Ling is alone. She is trying to manage the house, feed us, make special low bacteria meals for Hannah, mix and give 11 different doses of medicine twice a day, three feeding tube feedings at all times of the day and night, take care of two children - one of which needs to be lifted up and down the stairs with her IV pole attached - all while being 8+ months pregnant. And, because of Hannah’s isolation status, there is nothing anyone can do to help us. Despite all this, we are still so very thankful Hannah is home. Sometimes it just feels like Satan is right behind us when we walk in the door! Please pray that Hannah will not catch what we have. Please pray that Sarah and I will get better soon so we can come to my wonderful wife’s aid. Please pray that Mei Ling and Caleb will not come down with the illness either. Please Lord, we’ve come too far! With worn and tried spirits, Tom and Mei Ling June 24, 2007 at 03:46 PM EDT SAFE IN HIS ARMS D+30 Today on the Lord’s Day we are thankful. God’s mercies continue. We are starting to recover from our illnesses. Sarah, Friday night, reached a temperature of 103. She struggled throughout the night until early morning when she finally broke the fever. The fever has not returned and we hope to be reunited with Sarah on Monday after we get word about the cultures her pediatrician took. It is “heart scaring” to be a father – a protector – not to be there beside my child, my first born, my precious little girl as she struggled with her illness. Mei Ling and I have seen it much to often in our family these past months and although you would think you would grow accustom to it – you don’t – that is, if you love your children as God has taught us. Caleb will arrive back to us this evening. After our cry to God for mercy, our church family once again rescued us by picking up Caleb so he wouldn’t have a chance of becoming infected with the virus. It also gave mommy some relief so she could focus what little time and energy she has on caring for Hannah, which is a full time job in and of itself. Thursday when they came and got Caleb, Mei Ling had already left for the hospital with Hannah for her clinical checkup. As I laid in bed upstairs, my 6 year old son was downstairs all alone playing by himself in silence. As I heard the knock on the door, my boy came to whisper goodbye. As my son gathered his things at the door and searched out his toy rifle, my heart sank but was filled with joy. My son is learning how to become a man – to be on his own when duty calls. These are some of the gains when tested in the hot fires of trial. I was unable to be there for his baseball game Saturday. I find myself frequently lying in bed wondering how he did, but more importantly, what he was thinking as he went through this small experience in his life. Oh to have been there to help shape those moments into meaningful experiences. It’s a moment in his life I will never be able to fully recapture. Oh, how precious the “present” is! (Deut. 6: 4-9) Mommy is worn. Though she has been able to get the much needed physical rest she needs while at home, the present emotional strain is wearing. I have tried to help where I can in those few but brief moments I am feeling well enough to get out of bed. But it is not enough. Please pray for her emotional and physical strength to endure. She will need it, for in three weeks we will have another baby to attend to. As for Hannah, she is well. Yet we do have a slight problem on the horizon. When the home health care nurse came by Saturday to change her central-line dressing we noticed that the stitches were pulled and it was red where her line enters her body. The red skin could be a sign of a beginning infection. Please pray that it will NOT become infected and that on Monday when we go to clinic it will have improved, or that they will be able to fix it without difficulty. Hannah’s spirits remain high. But the honesty of a child can cut like a knife into a parent’s heart. Yesterday Hannah was sitting alone on the couch while mommy was trying to keep up with all the demands of being home, when Hannah said, “ HOME NO FUN, GO BACK TO HOSPITAL!” When Mei Ling questioned her Hannah said, “ No Bra-der, no Aaaah to play.” We understood the rest of what was meant. Hannah recognized that at the hospital she got all of mommy’s time and attention. She had plenty of people that would come and play with her, and daddy was there for my every need. At home she has to share mommy’s time, daddy isn’t around, and even Sarah and Caleb are not here to play with, so what’s the use of being home? It was better at the hospital! I pray that we will all get better soon. The new baby will only add new demands to our already challenging life. As for me, I’m dad! What else is there to say? Blessings on the Sabbath, Tom and Mei Ling June 28, 2007 at 08:53 PM EDT WE’RE BETTER! Hannah is well. Daddy is better. After another trip to the doctor and some steroids I (Tom) am up and at it again. Sarah and Caleb are also doing fine. Mommy is still tried but now that I am up and moving I should be able to give her some relief for some much over due rest. Baby, well, baby is “breech!” They have given us a number of options to try and get the baby turned around. If the baby is not head down by next Wednesday the doctors will attempt it themselves. We are all readjusting and it will take some time I’m sure. Hannah doesn’t share well with others right now. I can only imagine what it will be like when Hannah has to share mommy with baby? Hannah snapped at Sarah the other night after asking all afternoon for daddy to go and get her from her grandparent’s apartment after she was well. Immediately afterwards she called to daddy and said she was tried and wanted to go to bed. When I asked Hannah if that was why she was so mean to Sarah, with a sad face she nodded her head yes. Let me remind you she is two and a half. Most adults can’t recognize, or are unwilling to admit, when they have wronged someone because they are tired. I asked her if she thought she should say she is sorry to Sarah. She shook her head yes. While fighting back the tears, she told Sarah, “Aaaah, I sorry, forgive Hannah?” How could Sarah say no? They hugged and Sarah helped me take Hannah and “tubie” (Hannah’s IV pole and bag up stairs for bed). Hannah is a very perceptive little girl. She knows when she is tried and needs to go to bed, she knows when she is not behaving correctly and the reasons for her poor behavior, and now she can spell at the age of two and a half! Mommy, on returning from her doctor’s appointment, had stopped at the store and bought Hannah one of her favorite movies she liked to watch at hospital. Mommy wanted to surprise Hannah so she looked at me and said, “Tom the M-O-V-I-E is in the B-A-G.” Hannah turned to Daddy and said, “Daa-eee, the movie is in mommy’s bag!” WOW! We have witnesses! And to think one of the expected side effects of radiation is that most children experience an average 10 point I.Q. loss afterwards! Can you imagine how smart she would have been if she wouldn’t have had the radiation? (ha-ha!) In the next carepage we hope to share about one of the great providences of God we have experienced during this tribulation. Until then, may God continue to bless you and yours. Please Lord, Heal Hannah, Tom and Mei Ling |
|||
|
|
New Member |
June 30, 2007 at 12:14 AM EDT
IT DIDN’T LAST LONG! We are back in the hospital tonight! We got the dreaded call this afternoon around 3:30 p.m. Two days after everyone was back at home and well. Fortunately, we were most of the way ready. The first thing we did once I (Tom) was up from my sickness was get everyone’s “pack-ups” ready. Sarah and Caleb are with our church family while Mei Ling, Hannah and I are at the hospital. As most of you know, we go to the hospital clinic twice a week for blood draws and checkups to look for these kinds of things. Thursday’s clinical lab results indicated that Hannah has a virus in her blood. It is a serious virus! But the good news is, it's treatable. Just a few years ago they would lose between 30 to 50% of the kids that contracted this type of virus at this stage in their treatment. Presently, if detected early and treated they haven’t lost a child since. Thank God for modern medicine. Hannah is fine otherwise. We are at the hospital in order to administer the first round of treatment to ensure there is no allergic reaction to the medication they’ve chosen. If there is, they will switch to another drug for treatment. Once the treatment plan is figured out – hopefully tomorrow or the next day - then we will go home, with yet another medicine to give Hannah nightly over the next 65 days. We are up to 14! Please pray that Hannah will get through this latest skirmish unharmed. I have begun to read the Book of Job so I can converse with someone who I can relate to (ha-ha!). Please Lord, Heal Hannah! Tom and Mei Ling July 03, 2007 at 05:00 PM EDT Thank you for all your continued support and prayers. God is good and as hoped, Hannah has responded well to her new medications and we left the hospital after only 1 night! Therefore, we came home late Saturday and have spent our time since then getting settled back in and adjusted to the additional IV medication (as well as all the other medications) we have to administer twice a day (1 hour for each infusion). We are also getting used to her feedings through her feeding tube and her “low bacteria” diet. Hannah can only eat food that is freshly cooked and is restricted from eating fresh fruit and vegetables – what we think would be good for you! Since fresh, uncooked items cannot be cleaned thoroughly, they may carry bacteria. Other items like leftovers, food from fast food restaurants (unless cooked to order), buffets (no more Chinese buffet!), and anything that has sat out for more than an hour are not allowed. Therefore, I am learning to cook and freeze small portions to pull out for Hannah. We are thankful that Hannah not only feels well, but that her counts continue to climb. Yesterday, her ANC (immune system) was over 2000! In addition, she didn’t need blood or platelets, but she probably will need platelets on her next visit – they are the last thing for her new cells to make. We also checked her central line site yesterday and it looked much better – praise God! The rest of the family continues to feel well and we are enjoying just being together. To hear our children laugh together is a joy I will treasure always. Even hearing them “torment” and fuss at each other can make me smile – sometimes – ha, ha. I think our new baby still needs to get headed in the right direction. If he or she doesn’t turn around by Thursday, we will go into the hospital on Friday and try to manually turn him or her. If I don’t go into labor on my own, my scheduled induction date is Monday, July 16th. Please pray that, God willing, baby will turn and that we will have a safe, healthy delivery – I really don’t need any additional drama or recovery time right now! Last, but not least, we want to thank all of you who have prayed for us, cared for us, and especially to those of you who continue to provide us meals! This has been a real help and a blessing. For those of you who know me, I enjoy cooking and it has been strange to not be in my own kitchen for months at a time! The great part is that we have been treated to some wonderful new dishes we can add to our list of family favorites! We are also looking forward to, and are thankful that, Tom’s mom is coming to visit this weekend. She plans to stay and help out for a couple of weeks. God’s blessings to you all, Mei Ling and Tom |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator Post War Iraq  Hot Topics Moderator mainedawg72gmail.com   |
You folks are still in my prayers. Keep us posted.
|
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
* |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator MILITARY HISTORY Freedom!!! |
* |
|||
|
|
Lead Moderator Post War Iraq Hot Topics Moderator mainedawg72gmail.com |
***** |
|||
|
| Powered by Eve Community | Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
Military.com Forums Hot Topics & Current Events General Discussion Military Family Deep Issues
