100 DAYS!!

I haven't updated everyone about Sarah for a while because there just wasn't much to tell...

Until Now!!

If you have followed my blog for a little while, you might remember that back in October Sarah had a high dose of chemo followed by a bone marrow transplant.  After that, there were a lot of restrictions she had to abide by--for 100 days.  Some of those were, no fresh fruits or veggies besides ones with thick skins like oranges and bananas.  No restaurant food.  When we served food here at home, she had to be served first, before any germs could get mixed in.  She had to have her own boxes and baggies of things like chips, cereal, and even her own juice and milk containers!  (Yeah, we thought many of the restrictions were pretty silly...)  She couldn't be out in public places, and if it was necessary for her to be, then she had to wear a mask.  We didn't let anyone over who was sick or who had been exposed to someone who was sick.  There were a lot of annoying, some of them a bit over the top, but some of them wise...restrictions.  We stuck to them really well at first, and then as time wore on we started being a little lax on some of them, but many of them we really tried to follow religiously until the very end.

And, TODAY IS THE VERY END!!  TODAY IS DAY 100!!!!  : ) 

We celebrated by going to eat at Steak n Shake where Cassandra works.  It was the first day in 100 days that we took Sarah to a restaurant.  Actually, I was gone earlier in the day, and Scott took everyone out to lunch also.  It was a day to celebrate! 

So here's what's next--

On Monday she gets one more dose of a medicine she needs through her tubees, and then later that same day, she GETS HER TUBEES OUT!!  You have no idea how huge this is!  Those tubees (her central line tubes going into her chest) have been part of Sarah's life since June.  She has had very few tub baths since then, since it is important not to get them wet.  She wasn't able to go in the water all summer, and it's her favorite thing!  Now, she does really love getting her 'tubees drinks' every day (when we flush them with the saline solution), and she loves watching the nurse take blood through them and everything.  But frankly, I will be so happy to say bye bye to the tubees.  I hope she will be too!

In about a week and a half she will get a blood draw just to make sure that her blood counts are all perfectly high enough, and if they are, then we will not have to return to the clinic for...Wait for it....

3 MONTHS!

Yes.  We will only have to come back to the clinic for blood draws and MRI's every three months--just to make sure nothing is growing anywhere. (So, please, if God brings us to mind, could you please continue to pray?  The other night Josh said, "I am afraid that now that Sarah's better, everyone will forget to pray for her." )  We will still have to go to Dr. Aaberg's for eye exams under sedation about every month or so, I think, for a little while more, and then those appointments will start stretching out too.

It feels so surreal to me to be where we are in this journey.  To think that we are at the end of restrictions, daily tube flushes, weekly appointments, and medical jargon being part of our daily life.  Just imagining only going to the clinic every three months seems so crazy to me.  To be honest, it makes me a little sad, because we really love those doctors, nurses and staff.  They become like family, and we miss them!  But, oh how nice it will be to have weeks at a time to enjoy with the family.  To go places and have normal experiences again because there is TIME.  We will have uninterrupted weeks of school!  Aaaahhh...I am sighing with happiness.  The new normal will be very nice.  I just have to remind myself that we will still be seeing our friends at the hospital, just not all the time.  : ) 

It also feels sooo wonderful to really be done with cancer.  I hope if you are new to my blog, that you will go back in the archives and read the story starting in June.  I know it's a lot.  You can skim it, or just read the high lites.  But this story is so ripe with everything that is God.  From start to finish, God was there, making His presence known in a BIG way.  You simply cannot wave it all aside as coincidence.  Just seeing how He brought her here at just the right time,  gave her a family to comfort her through it, said pooey on the doctors who gave her no hope, and brought her through with flying colors time and again...it's a wonderful story of God's amazing love. 

We are aware that the type of cancer Sarah had is a type that has a higher chance than some others of coming back.  It also has a higher chance of coming back at some time later in her life as a different form of cancer.  Of course I will probably always have this in the back of my mind.  But we do not really worry about these things.  We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has it covered.  Just as He always does, He will do what is right, and only allow what He knows will be the best for her and for us.  It is such a comforting way to go through life, knowing that God does not waste anything.  He uses everything for our good, and for His glory.  If Sarah had to go through this again sometime in her life, then we would simply trust Him again.  We are praying and trusting that this will be the end, though!

 Catching snowflakes!

 Nerf wars.  All part of life with brothers. : )

 Girl time with Doodah (Cassandra)  : )

 She was really excited about this new ladybug beanbag!

 Her new big girl bed

 This wig cracks us up!

 Doing school

 Learning about rocks with brothers--Pumice stones float! 

 Playing ninjas

 Hanging out with Josh

Tea parties with friends : )

Sarah is one little girl who is completely full of LIFE!  We are so thankful that God has blessed us with her, and that He has blessed her in so many ways.  We know He has such big plans for our little Sarah!