We’ve been enjoying these last few “normal” weeks. Maggie is packing in as much as she can between working at TBC as a youth intern, catching up with friends, and spending time with family. Her health is good – her kidneys (stones) are behaving and she continues to heal and get stronger the more distance she puts between herself and chemo.

I’m working with a clinical trial coordinator at UAB to get Maggie evaluated for inclusion in a phase I trial at Birmingham. This continues to be Maggie’s preference due to the closer proximity to Hattiesburg. The nice folks at MDA transferred the necessary medical info and it will be evaluated this week. We should hear from the coordinator by Friday to schedule an appointment – possibly for Thursday, October 27th. We’re still looking to begin the clinical trial toward the latter part of November. Maggie wants her full two months break (as suggested by her MDA oncologist). There are numerous details that all have to line up to find the “perfect” situation, or close to perfect. We’re trusting God to open the ideal door or give us peace in choosing between multiple opportunities.

Maggie and I have also taken a break from our blog writing. We’re gearing up to start making regular entries again. I’ll confess: it’s been hard to stay focused and get into a routine with the writing. We made our plans for Leaf by Leaf under the assumption Maggie was in remission and would remain there for a while. As the reality set in following the illusion of remission, I experienced a moment of regret for another broken dream – or dreams – remission and free time to blog. God continues to show us His incredible power to reassemble dreams in ways we would never dream to do on our own. We have only to be obedient. So we will keep writing. Thank you for encouragement and patience in equal measure.

I’ll update as soon as we have something new to report regarding treatment. God bless.