Abby Update & Captain Abby the Pirate Patient

Abby Update (from Michelle)

We really appreciate your prayer right now. Abby's immune system (ANC) is ZERO. A normal ANC score for you and I is in the thousands. Below 800 is considered compromised.

The skin around her feeding tube is blistered and looks infected. It hurts a lot all the time, but the pain has become unbearable during dressing changes. The pain management team is giving her a short acting, but powerful pain medication during dressing changes. We will try it in a few minutes. I hope it works.

Abby has mucositis (canker-like sores) on her bottom, but not in her mouth, yet. They usually don't appear this early after her chemo (ARA-c), so we are praying and watching.

The chemo that causes the sores hasn't even peaked in her system yet. She received the last dose of it on Thursday and it usually takes 21-28 days after the last dose for her bone marrow to recover. Her body won't repair this damage until her bone marrow begins produce white blood cells again. What this means is that Abby is sick much earlier in the cycle than she normally is. Without God intervening, we are a long way from her bone marrow producing the white cells she desperately needs.

Abby is due to receive a dose of two chemos on Tuesday and then more chemo in a week. Abby's doctors are trying to decide whether to give her the chemo or not. Abby's cancer is aggressive so she needs the chemo, but the chemo weakens her and allows infection which is dangerous.

Abby was still able to laugh and play some, but also had moments when she just wanted me to carry her around and rub her back. A high point today was when Todd Block visited Abby. He brought her a bear from his kids and she was able to talk on the phone to her "boyfriend" Travis and his mom Amy. You guys are so sweet to Abby. Abby can't wait to visit the Blocks again.

Prayers for healing and comfort for Abby and stamina, wisdom and patience for me would be a great blessing to us.

Captain Abby the Pirate Patient (From Brent)

I was at the hospital today and Abby kind of scrunched up one eye (in pain? not sure), and I said to her "Are you being a pirate, Abby?"

"Yeah Daddy, I'm a pie-wut."

"Pirates go like this Abby: Aargghhh, matey!" as I winked one eye real hard as if I had an eye patch, and pulled my mouth over to one side using my best scruffy pirate voice.

Abby saw that, and did a PERFCT imitation and Michelle and I about laughed so hard we almost wet our pants. She kept doing it over and over, to everyone that came in the room. It was HYSTERICAL, made all the more funny because she had this kind of "drunk sailor" thing going because of all the morphine she was on. At one point she was falling asleep sitting up, and she had to point her finger every time she said it. I hope the full effect comes across in the video... it was priceless:

Poor Abby... she's not playing in this photo. If she shifts the wrong way,
she gets on to one of those canker sores on her bottom.
You don't have to read her mind to know how she feels.


But even in agonizing pain, doped up to the hilt, she still
has a smile for you, a kiss if you ask, and wants to be hugged.


Our Abby... we love her so much. We would be so happy for HER if
she went to be with Jesus, but WE would be so heartbroken to have to
be without her for a while until we joined her in heaven.

It's all I can do to write these posts sometimes, and edit these pictures and videos. Sometimes they just make me cry over and over. But we want to have these memories; we want Abby's spirit to lift yours, and our faith to inspire you to greater faith.

Otherwise we would just be suffering for suffering's sake. We rejoice that God makes all things work together for good, for His glory, and our eternal reward, because we love Him and diligently seek Him.

How can we pray for you, and help you diligently seek God?

~ Brent