Sad Day For Mommy, Haircuts, Two Year Old Prayers and Magazine Monday

It’s amazing the twists, and turns and curves that life throws at you.

This week we gave our child chemo - at home. We pulled out access ports that feed into her heart and then cut off all her hair. We can tell you pretty much all you’d ever want to know about cancer, MRSA, hospitals, insurance, drugs, side effects and IV’s. We’re experts at bleach baths, germ control, antibiotics, infections and isolation contagious kids. We live with kids who are far too educated about medical topics, even a two year old who prays about being sick and getting well every night.

I (Brent) recorded Landis praying tonight. He is only two, and can pray like a long-winded preacher. He doesn’t repeat stuff either. It’s all fresh and new every night. Listen to what I recorded last night... a lot of it is “kid speak” that only a childs’ parents will understand but you’ll hear stuff about tacos, dinner, Ms. Dorothy and Mr. Johnny (our neighbors), MeeMaw and PawPaw, Abby and Sami “get better”, and something about not pooping in his diaper. He’s a HOOT!

If only our own prayers were so simple and sincere. Listen here…

We finally cut Abby’s hair tonight. We had been waiting for HER to say she wanted it, and today she simply asked “Daddy, will you cut my hair off now?” For weeks Abby has been mostly bald. She had just enough hair left to make her look sickly. We knew that she would look better with her hair cut off, but she was holding on tight to those last strands. We didn't push her, just waited until she was ready.

She has known from the start that when her hair was gone, she would get to whack off Daddy's hair. The "prize" was finally enticing enough for her to take the plunge. With low platelets and immunity, we had to be very careful to not nick her head with clippers but Daddy is the family barber, and pretty skilled at it. It was a family event:

Abby did great! Smiled the whole time… loved her new look. Garrett, Christian, Sami and Landis? They all rubbed her head and told her that she was beautiful. Here's a look at her hair since she was diagnosed:

How did Mommy do? Fine in front of Abby, but it is honestly a very sad day for me (Michelle). I am thankful that she is beautiful with and without hair. But, it is a very visual reminder of just how sick our precious daughter is.

Abby has very tough day today (Monday). She gets two shots of a thick liquid in her legs. She hates them and they are legitimately very painful. She is also supposed to get the chemo that makes her muscles very weak and her legs hurt. We have tough decisions about how MUCH chemo to give her; balancing between killing the aggressive cancer, and not making her so sick she will die from it. Please pray for God’s guidance for us.

Along with being “at home doctors”, we are also now experts witnesses of the kindness of Christian love. The list of charity and care for our family could go on and on but here’s a few samples:

• Meals every night for the past two months (do you have any idea how much time, money, driving and emotional energy this saves us?)
  
• Money for gas and food


• Help with medical bills


• Frozen food and snacks for the kids
  
• Vitamin supplements and nutritional items
  
• It looks like some kind friends are going to replace the carpet with wood floors in the side of the house where Abby sleeps to cut down on the germs and allergens


• Baby sitters whenever we need it


• Family members helping in any way we ask


• Christians from all over the country sending Abby gifts, and raising money for various needs like hair pieces, hats and supplies

That’s not to mention the COUNTLESS numbers of prayers that have been lifted up on our behalf. It is abundantly clear that God answers prayers and that we have been the recipient of His provision, grace and mercy on a grand scale.

And yet, as I (Brent) write this, I’m reminded that normal life goes on as a stinkin’ fly is relentlessly tormenting me. Every time I grab the fly swatter he takes off, then as soon as I get back to this post, he attacks me again. Ironically, it is a reminder that life simply goes on, and the typical, routine, ordinary things that need attention, still need attention.

Now, I’ve got to go kill this Rambo-fly-on-steroids before it drives me crazy.

Oh, before I go… it’s “Magazine Monday”. Take a moment and nominate one of your blog posts (or someone else’s) or some other article to be published in Serious.Life Magazine on November 1st. It appears we are going to be in front of a very, very large audience this month. Click here for more information about this…

You are a blessing and we can only pray that God will use us to communicate His goodness as He showers us with continued opportunities for faith. Please pray for us as we face difficult decisions about Abby's treatment, and provision for the medical and household expenses.

Brent & Michelle