Update, January 19, 2017

Hello everyone, clearly the holidays made us a bit silent on here! I've owed my mom an update for awhile now, and so first off I want to thank you for praying even through our silence.

Laura has just emerged on the "other side" of her chemo round - her counts are on the rise, and she is home again. After her last update she did come down with an infection that put her into Salem Hospital and then OHSU, but two days ago her fever came down as her immune system kicked into gear. I am so, so thankful for this immune system that just keeps picking back up. It's such a miraculous thing to think about - that the leukemic cells could take out her healthy blood cells, that chemo would kill off the bad guys and the rest of the good, and then bam - her good cells begin to multiply in strength and number. Our bodies are amazing.

Confirmation has been received from the bone marrow donor and he/she is ready to proceed to "collection." The donor now must pass physical tests, chest x-rays, blood work, etc. It's really something for my mom to think of this person out there in the world, one single person out of 7.5 billion who is a near-perfect match, who, in complete anonymity is giving up a part of themselves to save her life. May this person be immeasurably blessed, may God show them favor and reveal Himself in incredible ways.

So here we are - a bone marrow transplant is scheduled for Valentine's Day. About a week before that Laura will enter OHSU for a preparatory chemo round. Until then, we are praying her good blood counts skyrocket, that she is given abounding health and energy to enjoy every last inch out of these weeks. 

Please pray for her body, her heart, and her mind as she mentally gears up for transplant. Please pray abundant health into her body, that in every way possible she's as prepared as she can be to victoriously recover once transplant takes place. And please begin now to cover the transplant with your prayers and intercession. We will give more details about the process in the next few weeks, but for today, just understand that it is a very big deal *humanly speaking* - but absolutely not too big for God. We are grateful and rejoicing for the life my mom is being given.

So there it is - a very long, wordy update to make up for all the silence!  ;). We love you and are so, so grateful to have you praying with us! Thank you.