Category: 2015

 Triple Crown at Honors Convocation

Friday, 15 May 2015

(1638 = ANC @ 10:05 on 11 May)

Shout to God with cries of gladness, alleluia!

Traditions are an important part of Sacred Hearts Academy.  Two of those traditions are the Athletics and Honors Convocations; both were held this past week.

We are very proud to report that Lucy was recognized for her athletic and academic accomplishments.  The athletic award was for participating in track and field this Spring.

Lucy received academic honors for her outstanding work in English, Mathematics, Science.

Well done Lucy!

Thank you for your prayers!

Ella’s Morning Prayer for Sage

Friday, 08 May 2015

(3648 = ANC @ 10:25 on 27 Apr)

God is in our midst, a mighty savior: come, let us adore, alleluia!

Gabriella invites you to pray with her for her friend Sage. Sage continues to have medical issues that require her to be hospitalized on a regular basis. As you can imagine, this is incredibly stressful for Sage and her family.

Thank you for your prayers.
God bless you.

Ella and Her Hog

Tuesday, 21 Apr 2015

(1176 = ANC @ 09:15 on 02 Apr)

Jesus is the king of martyrs: come, let us adore him, alleluia!

Just in case you were wondering…one of Ella’s favorite movies is “Wild Hogs”. Wild Hogs tells the story of 4 middle aged suburban guys from Cincinnati who decide to ride their Harley’s cross country to California.

Knowing how much Ella likes it when she hears a Harley, Nurse Donna gave Ella the DVD (rated PG-13) as a gift. Probably best if Ella doesn’t ask Monsignor Terry over for movie night. Stay tuned to see more photos of Ella and her Harley.

PS: If this photo doesn’t make you want to write a comment,

I don’t know what will.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

150421

Ella and Monsignor Terry Iral

Wednesday, 08 Apr 2015

(1176 = ANC @ 09:15 on 02 Apr)

Christ is the true Lamb who takes away the sins of the world; come, let us adore, Alleluia!

Today is the one year anniversary of Gabriella’s initial Leukemia diagnosis.

Ella received the Holy Eucharist this morning during Mass at St. Anthony of Padua.

Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Terry Iral.

Today, Msgr. Terry begins his journey back to the Philippines.

We are sad to see him go and pray that he will soon return to our parish.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

Happy Easter!

Sunday, 05 Apr 2015

(1176 = ANC @ 09:15 on 02 Apr)

This is the day the Lord has made; Let us be glad and rejoice! Alleluia! Christ is risen today. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Our Easter celebration included dinner at Uncle Lou’s.

As always, the food and drink were wonderful.

We were really pleased to see Ella “tuck in” and have a nice big meal.

She ate a ham and mashed potatoes. Then she ate a big portion of Uncle David’s Lasagne. Then she ate a large serving of green salad.

Ella ate so much we were afraid she might not have room for her Easter candy.

Rest easy, Ella managed to have a bit of after dinner chocolate as well.

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

Wednesday, 02 Apr 2015

(1176 = ANC @ 09:15 on 02 Apr)

There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. Come, let us adore! (Is 53:2)

One week ago Ella’s ANC number was FOURTEEN (14).

What a Difference a Week Makes!

Ella is doing exceptionally well. Each day she is a bit stronger.

God is great – all the time. And, all the time – God is great!

Thank you for your prayers.

God bless you.

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.