September 17, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

For all those who inquired about how Shannon and Michael made out with the Bone Marrow Transplant on Thursday, I apologize for not responding to anyone. We were a little overwhelmed for a few days and in order to remain peaceful through the storm I attended to only what was essential. I hope you all understand.

Michael’s marrow was harvested (that’s the word they use) Thursday morning. The procedure took about 30% of his total blood volume (this is an unusually large amount according to the staff) and left him quite nauseous with a below normal blood pressure. Through what I believe was divine consolation, the oncology floor had discharged a number of patients which left many empty rooms, including the one right next to Shannon. That became Michael’s room. He was admitted due to his inability to recover on his own and later that day he was given a blood transfusion to assist in his progress. By late Friday morning he was almost as good as new!

Shannon happily received the harvested marrow (adult stem cells) through a transfusion and as per tradition, the nurses celebrated it as her new birthday – Sept. 13th ! Thursday evening things got a bit stormy with Shannon’s lungs taking on fluid, thus reducing her oxygenation levels. Her alarm sounded all night, every 10 to 15 minutes, climaxing to the point where they were ready to admit her to ICU. Strangely, I was not afraid. These verses probably best explain how we often find ourselves calm amidst a storm.

The peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:7

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. Lk 8:24-25

She was not admitted and recovered on her own, but remained bedridden.

By Sunday I encouraged Shannon to get out of bed, and as you can see from the pictures all it took was a little family excitement and a challenging game of baseball, golf, and bowling on Nintendo Wii. For the next two weeks it is expected that she will experience a great deal of discomfort in her mouth, stomach and GI tract. She has already been placed on intravenous nutrition because eating is so difficult. It is gravely important that she continue to take some small quantities of food by mouth, otherwise the potentially life-threatening Veno-occlusive disease (liver failure) can set in due to the high doses of chemo and immune-suppressant regimen that she has and is currently receiving. This week she will be given a morphine pump for pain control so that she can continue to eat. We are counting down the days through the 27th which is when the painful symptoms should begin to subside. Other varied Graft vs Host symptoms may onset by then, but we have learned to take one day at a time and believe that God will only give us what we can handle. So please pray that God safeguards her from permanent damage and assists us in being in the sacrament of the moment rather than fear of the future.

Although fear continues to try to invade us, we are seeing the miracles happen every day through God’s actions. Over the years my children remember the endless times I’ve said that God does not wave a magic wand, but rather his miracles occur through nature and the actions people, especially when they are open to his grace. Prayer, our own as well as those on our behalf, open us to a greater receptivity of grace. Fear, if we let it, can block our openness to see the miracles and can block or diminish the flow of grace. “Do not be afraid” occurs 65 times in the Bible, so our Lord knows this is part of our human weakness. The hospital can be a fearful place, but we have witnessed God’s power in so many ways.

A Bone Marrow Transplant carries with it fear but also hope. The pics below show our hope. Counter clockwise from upper right: Michael as he is awaiting surgery, Shannon beginning to receive the transfusion, Dr. Eric Schafer and Shannon’s nurses setting up the Bone Marrow for transplant, P.A. Cheryl - Bone Marrow Specialist, 1.2 liters of Adult stem cells from Michael, 3 days afterwards we finally got Shannon out of bed to play Nintendo Wii – baseball, bowling, golf.

Many have sent heart-warming poems, songs, scripture verses and more, all of which have been deeply meaningful to me. The link below is a song by Rascal Flatts called “Skin” depicting a girl diagnosed with Leukemia. It was recommended by one of Shannon’s friends from The Kick Connection and is something I wanted to share with all of you.

"Skin (Sarabeth)" (full length video)

God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

9/3/07

Dear Family and Friends,

Thursday, Sept 6th is the beginning of the next phase of treatment for Shannon. It is probably the one we fear most because now we know from experience how debilitating the chemo can be – balance, coordination and muscle strength are robbed along with the ability to think clearly. When we entered into phase I we had no previous experience with chemo – that alone is a blessing. Even now the remnants of Vincristine and Danarubacine haunt us when we watch Shannon attempt to jog, fall when she looses her balance, and struggle just to place her feet moving in a heal to toe motion. Fear is manageable though with God’s grace. It is your prayers that help us open to his grace rather than open to the fear.

From Sept 6- 12 Shannon undergoes intense Chemotherapy, in preparation for the Bone Marrow Transplant, including full body radiation, both will induce multiple side effects, which could result in her placement into ICU or in the insertion of a temporary feeding tube. On Sept 13th Michael undergoes the Bone Marrow harvest and the same day Shannon receives it through a blood transfusion. Michael will experience some manageable pain for a few days and low energy for a month or so. Of course, Michael is our hero because he’s willing to step up to the plate and do whatever it takes to help Shannon.

A couple of weeks after the BMT Shannon will begin to experience symptoms of Graft vs. Host disease, which can be quite severe. In thinking about the side effects of the chemo and the GvsH disease it becomes easy to slip into anxious apprehension. There is a scene in The Passion of the Christ that has lodged in my head since we began this battle with cancer and comes to mind each time I feel myself slipping. Mary, at the foot of the cross, distraught, with a tear stained face, fiercely clenches sand and pebbles so that she is white-knuckled. Then in her grief and sorrow, she peers heavenward, her hands open, sand and pebbles fall through her fingers to the ground. She empties herself; is full of grace and the presence of God is with her. Emptying oneself to allow God in is an image that has helped me accept what I cannot change.

These pictures of Shannon resonate with images of what we can change – the effects of the chemo. After a weekend of the simple beauty of His creation, we are ready to move forward. Sincerely, we ask you to continue your prayers that we will Trust in God, and be open to his grace as Mary was.

God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

Note from the blog editor:

I wanted to add one of my favorite scriptures here for Shannon and her family... Claudinne

Romans 5:1-5
We have been made right with God because of our faith. Now we have peace with him because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through faith in Jesus we have received God's grace. In that grace we stand. We are full of joy because we expect to share in God's glory. And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us.