Jan 1, 2020 | Medical Updates, Melissa
“For you will not go out in haste, nor will you go as fugitives; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 52:12, NASB) It’s a day made for music. An overnight high front arrived on gusty wings, blowing away the unwelcome...
Nov 19, 2019 | Medical Updates, Melissa
My mom fell last week. Julie, my sister, her caregiver, found her resting on the floor working her word searches. According to mom she took a tumble and, finding herself unable to get up, grabbed pillows and puzzles and made herself comfortable. She didn’t appear to...
Oct 15, 2019 | Medical Updates, Melissa
And just like that, we were on a float plane traveling from Whitehorse, the largest chunk of civilization in the Canadian Yukon, starting a 175-mile flight into a wilderness adventure. Since we only hold a minute long enough to rescue it from waste, alongside my basic...
Sep 12, 2019 | Medical Updates, Melissa
So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. 2 Corinthians 5:9 (ESV) I’ve always planned with meticulous detail and over-packed for trips regardless of the duration and distance from home. Molly tells me it’s part of having the “6” wing...
Jul 24, 2019 | Medical Updates, Melissa
Legacy. We throw the word out at funerals and in discussions in the aftermath of death. We rush to make a judgment and in doing so rob ourselves of perspective to measure the impact of a life. “A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share...
Jul 11, 2019 | Medical Updates, Melissa, Uncategorized
The following is a guest post by Molly Hanberry There have been a few instances where I’ve listened to music by my favorite artists and been let down. I’d dismiss the disappointment as unreasonably high expectations on my part or an experiment gone wrong on the part...
Aug 4, 2018 | Medical Updates
I’m posting the first of two “updates” from the medical update portion of Leaf by Leaf. After that I’ll be sharing exclusively from my blog page (a distinction without a real difference for how things will pop up). When we created Leaf by Leaf,...
Jul 31, 2018 | Medical Updates
07/31/2018. We’ll remember this date as the day Maggie went to her eternal HOME. Her final hours were peaceful, quiet, and sweet. Our prayers were answered. We held her hand and walked with her to the point we were allowed. What a sacred moment we shared as she...
Jul 29, 2018 | Medical Updates
The update I hoped to never write… Maggie started a rapid decline early in the week to the point we had our primary care doctor call hospice for us. The hospice nurse made her initial visit last night to start providing care to keep Maggie comfortable. We are at...
Jul 24, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie did not get admitted for chemo this week by her own choice. She has been dealing with both tummy issues – upset, nausea – along with fatigue and fluid retention. She wanted more time to a) get stronger for the trip to Texas and b) spend at home with...
Jul 19, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie was not admitted today for chemo despite our early morning trip to Batson under the assumption her counts would be good. I’ll save you some time and just say – our hopes rose much higher than her neutrophil count this week. Our friends at the CCC...
Jul 16, 2018 | Medical Updates
Quick update: Maggie’s ANC (neutrophil count) was only 290, well below the 1000 threshold needed for an infusion to happen. The good news is other components indicate the level has bottomed and should be headed back up quickly. We’ll trying again and hope...
Jul 15, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie has had a slow but steady recovery from her last chemo round. She has experienced the same cycle of fluid retention, aggravated tummy, and low appetite as after the previous two rounds. The last three days have been good – she has been able to branch out...
Jul 2, 2018 | Medical Updates
This morning as we loaded the car for our trip to Batson, Maggie remembered to pack the neutrophils! Her counts had more than recovered enough to allow her admission for the third round of chemo since leaving the trial at MDA. It’s been one of the days when it...
Jun 23, 2018 | Medical Updates
Time has flown since Maggie’s most recent admission for chemo. And we’ve been having some fun. After discharge, it took most of the following weekend for Maggie to recover from her treatment. But recover she did. Just in time for a much needed trip to the...
Jun 11, 2018 | Medical Updates
The 5:00 am alarm came early, and we made our way to the clinic for our 8:00 am appointment. Maggie’s counts were determined to be solid enough for a chemo admission. We were on the 3C floor at Batson by mid morning with chemo started shortly after. Maggie is...
Jun 7, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie has spent much of the week (after discharge from Batson Saturday) in bed, feeling pretty bad. Until today. After the best night of sleep in a week, she has been out of bed most of the day. She is still retaining a large amount of fluid but feels some relief and...
Jun 1, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie is still at Batson tonight. We chose not to discharge once her chemo treatment finished to give her some rest time. We were concerned that a dose of Lasix given for abdominal fluid retention would make the 1.5 hour drive home much longer and frustrating. It...
May 31, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie was admitted Tuesday morning for the first treatment in a new chemo course. The protocol is similar to the previous one at Batson – she’ll be getting chemo every two weeks and will be in-patient for 48 hours. This admission has been smooth though...
May 28, 2018 | Medical Updates, Melissa
(Maggie’s birthday weekend has been an unforgettably beautiful time. She has had little pain and great energy to enjoy three separate parties at home. We are eternally grateful for all the kindness shown to her and us. Tomorrow morning Maggie and I will go to...
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