A Blessed Day

Jeremiah 17:7
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him."

We went back to the clinic today to get the results of the tests done two weeks ago. Dr. McGuirk came into the room with a big smile on his face and rattled off a long list of results that were all good!

We had a really good visit, and we laughed a lot as we always do. Tammy asked if she could start teaching Sunday School again, and he said she could, with some precautions. Tammy asked if she could start gardening, but that's still a few months away. We remembered that it was at this point the first time that she was allowed to return to church, so we're way ahead of schedule.

Finally, we asked him about our missions trip to Poland that we plan to take in July. He said he sees no reason why Tammy can't go. He's definitely the most conservative of the doctors in the BMT program, but he said she should be just fine on this trip.

Dr. McGuirk is the lead doctor in the BMT program. He is a believer, who acknowledges that the skills he has are from God. Before Tammy went back in the hospital for her second bone-marrow transplant last spring, we asked if we could pray for him as he led us on this latest challenge. He quickly agreed. He told us that he prays for God's leading every day and thanks Him for the ability to care for His people.

We had an opportunity to have some fun today. Tammy made peanut butter cookies and banana bread for them. And I had a chance to get a baseball signed by most of the St. Louis Cardinals for Dr. McGuirk. He grew up in St. Louis and is a huge Cardinals fan. We have fun banter back-and-forth, though it's mostly one-sided these days because the Royals are so bad. It was fun to see his face when we gave it to him. It choked him up a bit.

We are so blessed to have received such great care at the University of Kansas Hospital and Clinic (even though we're proud to be K-Staters!). The doctors are skilled, yet compassionate; the nurses are wonderful; and the staff is always encouraging. It can be scary to be going through the healing process with Leukemia, but these amazing people make it easy.

We also are blessed to have so many of you praying for us. We ask that you continue to pray.

Attacking Year 2!

Jeremiah 49:14
“I have heard a message from the Lord; an envoy was sent to the nations to say, 'Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!'”

Oh, by the way, one more thing. In case you were wondering, Tammy is not resting on her laurels of recovery. She is in “attack mode.”

For proof, see the attached picture!

Another Birthday

1 Thessalonians 1:3
"We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

Most people don't like birthdays. Tammy likes them so much that she has now has three every year. Of course, when you look the same as you did 30 years ago, why should birthdays bother you? The first picture is of Tammy hugging our newborn son, David Lee, in October of 1983. The second photo was taken earlier this spring.

Tammy came into this world on July 24, 1959. She gained a new birthday when she got her first bone-marrow transplant on April 1, 2009. Her "clock" started all over again, and she was coming up on her third birthday last spring when the Leukemia returned.

She had another transplant May 16, 2012, one year ago today.

So today is her first birthday the third time around. We celebrated with more tests to make sure everything is progressing as it appears it is. Before the tests, however, we stopped by the BMT Unit at KU Medical Center. Tammy made cookies and we delivered them to the staff in the unit.

I knew that as much as Tammy would be inspired to return to the unit on her feet, the nurses would be more inspired to see how well she is doing. Many tears were shed as she told them about her progress. One of the nurses told her how much seeing her lifted her spirits. "This reminds us of why we do what we do," she said.

We left the unit and stopped by the office of two of the nurse practioners. They were expecting us and they met us at the door. Two more nurses called and told them to hold onto us until they could come by. There is a picture permanently burned in my mind of those four wonderful caregivers with wide-eyed awe looking at Tammy and commenting how good she looks.

We won't get the results of today's tests for a couple of weeks, but everything continues to look good. We continue to covet your prayers. We know God's Hand has been in this whole journey.