Continuing Our Journey!

I thought since it has been a few weeks I would give an update. Things are going well Eric is doing really good. The doctors continue to be pleased with his progress and tell us he is a walking miracle!

Eric goes in now to the doctors every other Friday and we still fly back to Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to meet with his bone marrow transplant doctors every 3 months. Eric went in on Friday and his blood counts are good still way off from normal levels but he is doing good. His white cells are 3.1, red cells 4.28 and his platelets are 120. We are happy his platelets went a little up again we worry when they trend down but they jumped back up which is good!

Eric's energy gets better and better the more active he is and working. He does get pretty tired on the weekend due to every other Friday he has to go in and get a phlebotomy done about a pint of blood taken out. He had so many blood transfusion's to keep him alive at least over 150 that he has 4 times the toxic amount of Iron is his body. His doctors explained that they need to do this probably for the rest of his life so his organs don't get damaged. It makes his really tired the day of and day after he has that done, he is pretty sluggish and his memory is pretty bad but by Saturday afternoon he is feeling alot better.

I continue to be so amazed and where he is and how far he has came! Eric is a miracle and we have been blessed so much and I am so grateful to the Lord and his donor! We think about his donor daily so often and I always reflect on how grateful I am and amazed by his donor's unconditional love to save a complete strangers life! I am so grateful to the Lord for all my blessings, for Eric and his health right now, for friends, neighbors, family whom have supported us through out our "Journey of Hope" I can not begin to tell you what a better year already it has been.

I have been very busy with work and Eric is busy as well. The kids just finished up their 2nd term on school both getting high honor roll. I am so proud of them and thankful for the way they have been able to handle all of this stress and worries about their Dad and his health. They are good kids who I am so grateful for and know what an honor is it to be their mother and cherish that responsibility! We added to our family... Santa brought the kids 2 Yorkie Puppies for Christmas! We had to check with Eric's doctors and they said he is ok he just can't clean up after them or bathe them but other than that we are good. They are so cute and we just love them like they are a new brother and sister to the family. Austin of course due to his obsession with Peyton Manning and the Colts named his little guy Peyton and Chelsea named her little princess London!

They bring such laughter and joy around the house and love to run and greet each person at the door when we come home with excitement. Eric and I wanted to have more children but when he was diagnosed with cancer the first time at 28 years old we were told we could not. Some of you know as well we tried to adopt a little girl back in 2006 right before Eric's 2nd cancer diagnose through an open adoption but the mom changed her mind weeks before birth which emotionally was devastating to us so we decided to not open that hurtful chapter again to adoption. So needless to say these two little puppies are a very welcomed addition to our family and are spoiled alot!

We are so blessed and thankful to the Lord and continue our path of this journey with faith, love and gratitude. We recognize many hands in our lives and know the Lord is mindful and watching over us always! Thank you to all of you out there.... family, friends, co workers, neighbors we love and appreciate all of you!