"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
We had another appointment at the clinic today. Besides Tammy's latest series of labs, we had an appointment with a nurse practitioner. Tammy's counts keep going up, remarkably fast. Her platelet count is now normal (189, 150-400 is normal) and her ANC (telling us how well she'll fight infection) is very close to normal (1700, where normal is 1800-2400). The NP said she is doing as well as she can possibly be doing. Every bit of improvement will help her long-term chances.
We're continuing to take a positive approach. We know that this time through will be riskier than the last time, but this is absolutely the right choice. Every time we get news like this afternoon's we are more confident that this is what we should be doing. Pray extra hard next week as the first few days after the transplant are the riskiest.
Tammy knows that she's in for a fight, so she's got her "rumblin' duds" on (check out the photo). Our nephew, Ian, found this scarf in California and thought it represented Tammy's fighting spirit. David Lee and Julie bought Tammy the shirt for her birthday last year. (Now I know the lead doctor at the clinic has told Tammy that she's "one tough woman," but she has trouble with the "tough girl" look.)
Today, the NP told Tammy that she was amazed how well she was doing. She kept using the term "hearty." (I guess that means that she's David Lee's and Julie's "Hearty Mum.") That heartiness--or toughness--certainly will help her as she goes through the tough times. It did the last time for sure.
There is one change from what we previously told you. She now will go into the hospital this Thursday (rather than Wednesday) and her transplant will now be Wednesday, May 16. We know that the donor is a one-stop flight from here, so the transplant will not happen until late in the evening, at least 9:30 p.m. Tammy is guessing that "Mike" is from San Diego. I think he's from Jersey, which means she's going to have an accent of some sort.
Several of you have mentioned to us that you have been blessed by this blog and by our testimony. While that is flattering, we like to claim the words of our good friend and pastor, Brian Wright: "What's good is God, the rest is us." We are pleased that God has chosen to speak to you through us. Writing this blog has been very therapeutic for us, and we want to be transparent and let Him be seen through us. We'll keep writing, and you keep praying.
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