Month: March 2015

Home At Last!

Monday, 30 Mar 2015

(504 = ANC @ 04:15 on 30 Mar)

The Son of Man gave his life as a ransom for many: come let us adore.

Ella’s ANC number this morning was FIVE ZERO FOUR (504). With no fever for more than 48 hours and oxygen saturation numbers in the 90; there was no real reason for her to remain in the hospital.

Ella was in a great mood during the ride home.

The highlight was using the sign language Papa taught her to get the dump truck driver on the Pali to blast his air horn. HONK HONK!

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Cookie Party!

Sunday, 29 Mar 2015

(335 = ANC @ 06:52 on 29 Mar)

Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

One of Ella’s favorite activities is having a late night cookie party with Papa.  We are delighted to report that Ella’s health is steadily improving. So much so that we are confident she will be discharged tomorrow.  No better way to celebrate Ella’s freedom than to stay up late and have a cookie party.

Did we happen to mention that Ella loves cold milk?

Bonus points if you can identify the music video playing on Ella’s iPad mini.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Out for a Walk

Saturday, 28 Mar 2015

(72 = ANC @ 09:15 on 28 Mar)

God gathers us from all the places we have been scattered:let us give thanks and praise!

One of the best things you can do to defeat a respiratory infection is to take it out for a walk. Unfortunately, going out for a walk “can be” a bit risky when Ella’s immune system is so low. Luckily for us it was a quiet Saturday at the hospital.

As soon as Dr. Glaser gave us the green light we headed out on our walking adventure.

As usual, Ella’s favorite part was making new friends.

Please know, Ella is safe and comfortable.

We are hopeful that Ella may soon be discharged.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed

Wednesday, 26 Mar 2015

(14 = ANC @ 04:15 on 26 Mar)

Faithful is God, faithful and true: come, let us adore!

Sage is one of Ella’s FaceTime friends.  Sage is in the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.  Please join us in praying for Sage and her family.

Sage’s father Sam, is incredibly strong and courageous.

Ella made this very special card for Sam right after we said many prayers for Sage.

Please know, Ella is safe and comfortable.

Tomorrow we will know a bit more…details to follow.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Bitter Sweet 16

Tuesday, 24 Mar 2015

(16 = ANC @ 1145:40 on 24 Mar)

The Lord listens to our prayer: let us approach the throne of grace.

Ella had a pretty good day today – she went to the KMC PAU with Mum and Nurse Irvin. She received a second dose of IV antibiotics and she met with Dr. Glaser for the second day in a row.

However, the real highlight was meeting Auntie Mo and service dog Jake. Auntie Mo and Jake are from the Service Dog Academy on Maui. They flew over from Maui today just to conduct Ella’s “in-home interview.” Soon, Ella may have her very own Service Dog…how cool is that?

Ella’s medical condition is our continuing concern.

The respiratory infection is still with her.

She continues to require supplemental oxygen 24/7.

She continues to have fevers – just above 101.5 at various times.

Most frightening of all, Ella’s ANC number is lower than low.

16 is suppose to be part of the NCAA basketball tournament.

16 is NOT suppose to be an ANC number – ever.

For all intents and purposes, her immune system is completely off-line.

Your prayers are needed more than ever.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Respiratory Infection Confirmed

Monday, 23 Mar 2015

(126 = ANC @ 09:40 on 23 Mar)

God is our rock of refuge: let us give thanks and praise.

As suspected, Ella has a respiratory infection.

It is unclear at this time if it is viral or bacteriological.

Ella will receive IV antibiotics over the next several days to support her severely weakened immune system. We are grateful Ella is able to recieve these infusions on an outpatient basis.

126 on today’s Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC) is the lowest since she began treatment on 14 April 2014. (click on the link above to see Ella’s ANC history) Patient’s with ANC scores below 500 are considered at “high risk” of infection.

Please join us in saying a prayer of thanks to God for sending Ella into our lives.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Ella Under the Weather

Wednesday, 18 Mar 2015

(2924 = ANC @ 08:20 on 16 Mar)

May all the earth rejoice and sing, for the Lord is good!

As sometimes happens after her chemo treatments, Ella feels a bit off today.

The doctors say it can sort of feel like having the flu, sore all over and feeling yucky.

We are hopeful that Ella’s canine friend, Molly Mop, may be able to visit.
Please drop Ella a note in the comments below to brighten her day.

Thank you for your prayers.
God bless you.

Second 12-Week Maintenance Phase: Day 1

Monday, 16 Mar 2015

(2924 = ANC @ 08:20 on 16 Mar)

The Lord of hosts is with us: come, let us adore.

Yesterday Ella began her second 12-week maintenance phase.

As is the routine, she received an infussion of Methotrexate in her Central Nervous System via a Lumbar Puncture (LP).

Thankfully she is fully sedated for these proceedures.

After a short stay in the post anesthesia care unit (PACU), Ella was back to being Ella.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Our Military Ohana

Thursday, 15 Mar 2015

(3276 = ANC on 09 Mar)

The Lord is light and salvation; let us praise him!

One of the great things about the military are the life-long friendships. This past week we were blessed to have part of our military family “Ohana” stay with us here in Kailua.

Valentina, Gabriella, and the Mum Janine once again braved the Military’s Space-A travel system and traveled from Japan to Hawaii. Once here, all 7 ladies and Papa had a wonderful time catching up, going to the beach, and sightseeing.

We look forward to visiting Kappy and his lovely ladies once they transfer to their next duty station in Naples, Italy.

Ciao Bella!

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Ten Years Ago Today

Thursday, 05 Mar 2015

(1606 = ANC @ 09:15 on 23 Feb)

Blessed are you, O God of the universe, giver of all good gifts!

Pictured above are Papa and Ella exactly ten years ago on 05 March 2005.

This is one of our favorite pictures – it captures the energy and optimism that is at Ella’s core.

We truly believe that Ella’s mission is to bring people closer to God.

Please take a moment – right now – to thank God for all the blessings in your life.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.