Off to Texas again.....

We are off to Texas again tomorrow morning we fly out to meet again for our 3 month follow up tests and appointments with Eric's bone marrow transplant doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center. We are making a short trip as it is the kids last week of school so we will be flying out and then two days of appointments and then flying back on Thursday 6/3/10....

We are hoping things are still looking good but as most of you all know we will not have tests results for another 2 weeks after we get home so around 6/17/10 ?? We are a little nervous as I have mentioned we are possibly going to be talking to the doctors about starting to decrease some of Eric's immune suppressed and anti rejection medicines so this is that second scary time they have told us for rejecting and having problems from the transplant. It is a slow process that is done over one to two years slowly decreasing dosages and watching Eric's body hoping his body kicks in on its own and fights off any viruses/ germs. It is scary but as the same time we know it is part of this journey and process we need to do in order to move to the next phase and steps of his transplant recovery. I pray for continued strength for Eric, for his doctors to continue to be guide by the Lord watching for what they need to do and any complications, I pray for continued strength for Eric and his body to keep fighting and responding, I pray for his bone marrow to continue to fight and for his donor and his family- whom we are so grateful for.

Austin finished his Eagle project educating everyone on how to become a donor on the National Bone Marrow Registry as well as collecting toys for the kids suffering from Cancer at Primary Children's Medical Center. It was a huge success thank you to all of you who donated it will make so many of those sweet children's faces light up and help lighten their day during their difficult journey through their cancer process and chemo treatments. The lady who organizes it there at the Hospital was so excited and told Austin that he has a larger donation than they usually see from other scouts Eagle project and that made Austin excited! I am posting a picture she took of him with his cart of donations at the hospital. It was a neat experience to watch you child helping others and from our own personal experience knowing what a difference it makes when you are struggling with this horrible cancer journey. They also gave Austin a letter of appreciation for his hard work and donations and she said with tears in her eyes " Now Austin I am sure you know how happy this is going to make so many of the kids here with cancer- you have done a wonderful thing for them that they will never forget and you should be proud of yourself!" She also gave him a quote that I loved by James M. Barrie who wrote Peter Pan... he said " Those who bring sunshine into the loves of others cannot keep it from themselves." What a great way to say it!! I am proud of him, he was also just ordained a teacher by his Dad which was a blessing to watch and gave a great talk yesterday in Sacrament on Sacrament Covenants. We heard in one talk yesterday at church how the best way to show our gratitude for our blessings to the Lord is to never forget them, to recognize them and be thankful for them everyday. We are truly thankful for all our blessings, our miracles and the love and guidance from the Lord in all things! We are also very grateful and thankful to all of you for your continued prayers, love and support!

Doing good!!

Update....it has been a few busy past 2 weeks with Eric's birthday and Austin's -- we are so grateful to be celebrating them together!! Eric is doing pretty good a few sluggish days here and there but I think sometimes he just over does it and before you know it he is tired. He keeps losing weight another 5 pounds again, the nurse asked him if he has a parasite he hasn't told them about cause he is getting skinner and skinner...I am not sure why he is really doing alot better at eating .

We went to the doctors today and his white cells are 4.00, hemoglobin 14, red cells 3.64 and his platelets are 97!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are happy to see those trending upwards again we had a little scare there for a several weeks. We are preparing to fly down again to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas to meet with Eric's bone marrow transplant doctors on 6/1/10. I tell you it seems like we were just down there but its already been another 3 months. I am getting a little nervous cause the doctors will decide this visit if they are going to start decreasing him off his immune suppressed and anti rejection drugs. They have been preparing us that this is another really scary time that sometimes they lose patients or they get GVHD or start to reject so I am obviously very nervous. If I could keep Eric safe wrapped in a bubble I would but as he has told me several times " I am not a bubble boy, you have to let me live my life...I have been given a second chance not to waste it and sit around and feel sorry for myself." I understand what he means I just get scared!

Not a day goes by that I don't catch myself watching him happy with the kids, laughing and smiling and I feel so blessed! I am so grateful to the Lord for our blessings and for his donor whom has saved Eric's life. I was thinking that last year exactly at this time we had just flown down and meet his bone marrow transplant doctor's for the first time and was starting the journey...I can't believe where we are a year from then and what Eric has been through. I know the Lord loves us and continues to guide this journey and I am eternally grateful to him.

The Lord works in wonderful and mysterious ways that end up working our better than if we wrote our own story...we had the chance to attend a benefit fundraiser concert for Make A Wish Foundation. It touches my heart so much to see what wonderful magical miracles these wonderful people do for these sick children. The smiles on their faces when they are granted their wishes is priceless it truly is AMAZING! Like they say " There can be miracles if you believe!" I thank all whom donate to such wonderful causes and put a smile on those beautiful children faces! It's breathe taking to watch and you know by that look in their eyes and that smile that for today, for that moment they have forgotten about their cancer or illness and can be a kid like they should be. It touches me to see the hope and joy in their eyes and I just wish I could take away their illness from them. Great job to the volunteers and the people who donate and make that magic possible!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!! Today is Eric's birthday he is 36 years old today and I am so grateful we are celebrating another birthday today! Eric was first diagnosed with his first cancer at the age of 28 years old- Chelsea was 8 years old and Austin was 5 years old.....his second cancer was finally after two years of going down hill starting in 2006 correctly diagnosed on 5/2009 where as everyone knows he had to get his bone marrow transplant. I can not tell you how grateful I am and thankful to his donor and the Lord for allowing us more time to share as a family and to be together!!

Eric is the most amazing guy you'll ever know and everyone can't help but get a big smile on their face when you think of Eric and who he is! He is the most dedicated, amazing husband and father and he has always lived life to serve others and make them laugh not to mention puts us his family first ALWAYS! He has an amazing ability to make you laugh even when you are not in the mood for laughter he brings out the funny side in everyone. He is kind and loving, has a HUGE HEART and wants to help everyone!!! That is I think one of his best qualities about him... his willingness to serve others with unconditional love! He would do anything for anyone, we were recently driving down to Costco in Bountiful and he saw a few teenagers wreck pretty bad on the road off a motor scooter wearing no helmets...without hesitation the kids said " Dad hurried and pulled our car in the middle of traffic in the road and placed the hazard lights on and jumped out to assist the teenagers, asking them if they wanted us to call their parents, ambulance,etc" Even though he really shouldn't be around many people right now and in those types of situations due to his health precautions Eric can't help himself... he is a natural and wanting to help others.

As his wife I have been married to Eric for 18 years now and we dated for 2 1/2 years I have always known he is an AMAZING MAN!! I have always been told by all of my family and many friends that I scored the jackpot when I found Eric, that we have a "Fairytale Marriage" I couldn't agree more!!! I am the luckiest woman in the world to have Eric as my eternal companion, husband but most importantly my BEST FRIEND!! The past few years with Eric;s cancer and all we have been through has been the hardest but most humbling experience of our lives. That being said I wouldn't have traded the trials because within these trials we have grown closer, closer to the Lord and grown spiritually more than I could have ever imagine. I thought my love for Eric could not ever be any stronger but I can tell you I love him more and more each day. Watching him decline and struggle and fight for his life, for every breathe he takes and climb back from deaths door was the most humbling and amazing thing I think I have ever experienced.... he is so strong, such a fighter with an appreciation for the gift of life. He fought and continues to fight for every breathe he takes and as the kids told him " Dad you are our HERO- you show us everyday what courage is about!" They are right he is our HERO and we love him sooo much! We are so grateful to his donor who saved his life and made this Birthday and many more possible for Eric- he is also a HERO! We can not wait to to meet him in person in about 1 year and 3 months and put our arms around him!

Happy Birthday Eric!!! We love you more than I think you will EVER KNOW! Thanks for all you do for us and for just being you and letting us see the true example of love and serving others! We look forward to this birthday and many more not to mention your second birthday- your bone marrow transplant date 9-9-09!!! We are so thankful to the Lord for the miracles we have and continue to experience each day for you! WE LOVE YOU!!!

Update...

Well it has been a little longer than a week sorry about that.... Eric has been doing ok the past few weeks his blood counts have been kind of strange going down consecutively which we are a little concerned about. This game of cancer doesn't have a play book, we don't always know what is coming our way...a curve ball, walk or sometimes we strike out!! ( Can you tell we are in the middle of Austin's baseball season ) Well I think we are just experiencing a little few too many strikes lately right now in a row then we want. The doctors tell us to not worry to much but as many of you know we have learned sometime that despite them telling you not to worry you still do and sometimes those worries turn out to be us having a gut feeling about things and they end up being something you find out later is worth worrying about. I am hoping that these last few weeks with Eric's counts going down and he has had a few days that in his words " feel like when I first got home -sluggish, weak and just not feeling very good" that they end up just us being worried for nothing a few curve balls....

I am sure we are just being paranoid but sometimes I just can't stop thinking about those weeks before we were suppose to come home-around Thanksgiving time and Eric all of the sudden started seeing his platelets falling each time and they kept telling us not to worry but then after several weeks they finally listened and did more testing and that was when we found out he had that EBV virus that he had to do chemo for the next 4 weeks right before we came home. Again I am sure we are being paranoid but this is the fun game of cancer and the things we worry about. Eric's white cells are 3.6 which is good those went up a little and he seems to run in between 3,2- 4.4, his red cells are good at 3.31 a little low but ok, his platelets are the ones that have been falling and they are at 80 so again we are hoping and praying they will go back up.

We are looking forward to Eric's and Austin's Birthdays coming up... Eric's is this Saturday May 8th and Austin is May 13th! We are so grateful that Eric is doing better and home and for his donor whom without him saving Eric's life we would not be able to be where we are today and Eric looking forward to turning 36 years old... it will be fun Eric now has two Birthdays his first birthday and then his new second Birthday his bone marrow transplant birthday which is 9-9-09 !!!! I look forward to many Birthday celebrations and we are so grateful for them! I feel so blessed to have Eric home again and doing better, spending time with the kids, as a family. We are so grateful to his donor and recognize the Lords hand in all things in our lives!