Hannah Update 2.9.09

We are at Children's Hospital, waiting for platelets again....her platelets were 37,000 today, so she definitely needs some. Her ANC (immunity level) has risen up to 873, which is an improvement from last week, and most of her other counts are pretty good.

Hannah really seems to have lost some ground over the last several weeks. Because of the location of her tumors, she is sleepy all the time, and sleeps about 20 hours out of every day. The tumors are also affecting some of the cranial nerves, causing her eyelids to droop and making it difficult for her to keep her eyes open sometimes. Her near vision is very poor, but her distance vision is still good enough to be able to watch TV. She is frequently confused now...forgetting things that just happened a few minutes ago and asking the same questions over and over....although she can still solve the puzzles on Wheel of Fortune before the rest of us can! She is physically very weak, needing assistance for almost everything now. Her appetite is good, and she really enjoys eating...and even still likes to go out to eat when her counts are high enough. Our doctor tells us that some of these side effects may be related to the chemotherapy and steroids she's taking, but some of them are probably also related to the cancer. It's very difficult to identify what is due to medication and what is due to the disease. Seeing these changes take place in her is by far the most difficult part of this journey.

She will have an MRI next Monday, the 16th, which will tell us a lot about what the future may hold. Of course, we know that it is God who holds the future, and who holds her in His hands...and He alone knows what is to come. We will continue to trust in Him to do what is best for Hannah, and in the meantime, we will enjoy every day as it comes. We are so thankful that she is in no pain, she has no nausea, and she has no seizure activity, which is so common in brain cancer patients. We continue to boldly ask God for healing, while acknowledging that He is sovereign in these matters.

We are also thankful that Bethany has completely recovered from being sick last week, and is back to feeling 100%. She will be playing basketball tonight, in the first night of the junior high district tournament, and is really looking forward to it. She LOVES basketball, and it's been a great distraction for her with all that's been going on in our family lately. We want to say a big THANK YOU to all of her teachers and coaches, who have really been a wonderful support system for her over the last several months. You all have really made a difference in her life, and we are grateful!

As always, we thank you for your faithful prayers for our family...God truly is good, all the time!

Jill & Brad