A Day of Freedom

Galatians 5:1
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Today is a day of freedom. Every July 4, those of us who live in the United States celebrate our nation's birthday, and the freedoms we have in this country including freedom of worship. As a family, we celebrate the freedom to choose where we wanted Tammy to be treated, and the fact that options like the University of Kansas Hospital exist. As Tammy continues to recover, we are joining in the celebration of the Red, White & Blue. We hope you had a great July 4!

We are sorry that it has been so long since we posted. Many times we planned to post something but we just got too busy, especially with the kids in town. David Lee was here for four weeks before heading back to Poland last Tuesday. Julie was here for almost two weeks before heading back yesterday. It was a blessing to have them here. They took turns taking her to the clinic and spending time with her at home, generally lifting her spirits. So, yeah, we're blaming the kids.

A lot has happened since we last posted. Many of the restrictions that were not lifted until Day 100 last time have already been lifted. She's taking short walks in front of our house. As long as no one is mowing and the sun is not directly overhead, she's allowed to sit on the front porch. And tomorrow is Day 50! (It's also the birthday of our wonderful son-in-law Erich. Interestingly, Day 100 is August 24, Julie's birthday.)

We know that one of the big reasons Tammy is doing so well is the number of prayers that have been lifted up on her behalf. We ask that you continue to lift them up, as there's still a long road ahead.

We also want to give you an update on our T-shirt project. You might remember that we hosted a fun run to raise funds to purchase T-shirts for every patient who goes through the BMT Unit at KUMC over the next year. Tammy's "I Fight Like a Girl" T-shirt was the hit of the unit, and we thought it might inspire every patient to put forth the fight needed to beat the disease. Our goal for the project was to raise $2,600. We've raised $2,000 already in a little more than a month.

But we also knew that not every guy would want to wear a shirt that says "I Fight Like a Girl," even though we all know that girls are tougher. So we came up with an alternative design that every dude would be proud to wear. Late last week we got approval for the design at the right from Chuck Norris himself. He thought enough of the project that he authorized the company that produces the T-shirts to sell them to us at cost. That means the $2,000 will be enough to purchase a T-shirt for every patient that goes through the BMT Unit.

We thank you for the emails requesting updates, and we thank you for the continued prayers. Have a great July 5th (and happy birthday, Erich).