December 22, 2007

A low grade fever escalated early this morning to just over 100, so, following the rules for BMT patients, Shannon will be admitted to Hopkins for at least 48 hours. Antibiotics are being administered.

God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

December, 2007

Clockwise from upper left: Shannon celebrating December birthdays with Kathleen and Becky, Shannon with her Spanish Tutor Mrs. Hannah, doing homework, Christmas portrait, jogging at Paterson Park, modeling a holly garland, making Christmas cookies, making our Advent wreaths, decorating Christmas cookies.

Dear Family and Friends,

On this Third Sunday of Advent, in anticipation of returning home on December 22nd, we started to pack all the belongings we accumulated here since entering the hospital in September. This is Gaudete Sunday, which means to rejoice, and it is with joyous anticipation that we look toward the 22nd!! This date has special meaning for us, as it is “day 100”, the traditional day that BMT patients return home. It is also Michael’s birthday, and he was Shannon’s donor. Also somewhat mysteriously, the 22nd is the same day Shannon was diagnosed with Leukemia in June. So the 22nd is special to us as we joyfully anticipate arriving home before Christmas!

Once home we will start to slowly merge back into community. For me, of course, it will be easier, as I just have to remain peaceful each time Shannon feels achy or begins to run a fever. It will be harder for Shannon. Life has gone on without her for 6 months. The dynamics in her peer groups have changed, and Shannon feels very disconnected to the world she left. She leaves a place that is focused on patient and health issues, and returns to a world focused on school, sports, and social life. She sees the beginnings of new hair as momentously exciting, and finds her friends tossing locks of shoulder length or longer hair. She feels proud to have survived intensely high doses of crippling chemo, and discovers that compared to her friends she is thin, weak, and without the stamina needed to endure a full day of school, or to work out as she once did. She feels honored to have maintained an “A” in the two subjects that she’s completed, and realizes that a full day actually requires 5 subjects. So please pray with me that Shannon will have the faith, courage and hope to manage all that awaits her as she begins to re-enter her world of the St. Johns Youth group, the Seton Keough Senior class, and the Kick Connection Martial Arts studio over the next few months.

Since returning home from the hospital Shannon has already experienced, on a small scale, what it’s like to re-enter the world. Coming back to St Casimire after her month of hospitalization was one of joyous anticipation, but reality left her overwhelmed by the side effects of high doses of Predizone that’s used to keep Graft vs. Host disease under control. Despite the issues (because everyday life has its own issues – right!), we are joyfully wrapping gifts and making the last of our Christmas cookies in anticipation of returning under one roof to decorate our Christmas tree.

Preparing for Christmas changed for us this year since we’ve been under two roofs instead of one. Every task was doubled during each week of Advent. We made 2 artificial advent wreaths, placed 2 front door wreaths, set candles in the windows of both homes, and positioned 2 nativities, accenting them with artificial greens inside both front doors.

But the joy we experienced this weekend, during our final preparations, would not be as deep or as strong without the real, profound, revelation of the Body of Christ that we’ve experienced over the last 6 months through each of you. We have been touched in many ways: through prayers, thoughts, visits, gifts, fund raising, behind the scenes organizers, cooking and baking, remembrance in masses, remembrance at retreats, relics, papal blessings, Holy Hours, celebrating sacraments with us, pastoral visits, watching over Brittany and Michael, sending maids to clean our house, raking leaves, decorating Shannon’s hospital room, emails, cards, putting up Christmas decorations, and through just being part of a caring faith community! Everything you have done has helped us be where we are today. The readings from Guadete Sunday say that through Christ the blind will see, the lame will walk, the deaf will hear, and the poor will have the good news proclaimed to them. Through your prayers and actions you have helped us see God when we were blind, you have helped our deaf ears hear his voice, and when we felt too lame to walk you gave us the strength to walk in his path. I have come to realize that in allowing ourselves to be poor, the humility itself that arises from this, in some way brings the good news of God’s love and truth in ways never before imagined.

As our journey continues, may your prayers also continue for Shannon as she tries to find her place in the world, and that through this experience, and that which is to come, she will be strengthened in her body, mind and soul to serve God and find the joy that He has in store for her.

God Bless,
Greg and Bonnie

November 23, 2007

Be Still

Exodus 14:14The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Psalm 37:7Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
Psalm 46:10"Be still, and know that I am God;
Zechariah 2:13Be still before the LORD, all mankind
Mark 4:39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

Many, many emails have expressed the deep level of reverence, awe, and beauty that many felt present at the Holy Hour, a week ago, Thursday. This was spoken from both non-Catholics and Catholics alike. For many, this was their first time to attend a Holy Hour. Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him …” reminds us that there are beauty and blessings amidst the trials, if our eyes are open to see them.

Another blessing was the experience I had last Saturday at the confirmation retreat when I stood in as proxy for Shannon who is Brittany’s confirmation sponsor. “The Giving Tree” was the theme of one of the sessions and this is one of Shannon’s favorite books. I had just read this to her the day before as she was beginning to regain some of her cognitive abilities and awareness as she recovered from the encephalopathy.

Days earlier the encephalopathy shut down the section of Shannon’s brain that communicated all her cognitive and physical abilities. Although she lost the ability to communicate or move for 2 days, at the time of the Holy Hour she improved and a decision to move her back to Oncology was made.

The encephalopathy itself was like a stillness that overcame Shannon. The outside world was shut out. In response we found that we also had to be still, and shut out the world in order to remain at peace and handle the situation. God seemed to be saying, “Be Still”:

In the stillness we were without distraction and most able to not allow the wave of fear engulf us. So, like the song “Be Not Afraid” that was sung at the Holy Hour, let us pray that we will not afraid, and have the courage to enter into the stillness. (The photo above was the view from Shannon’s hospital window on Thanksgiving as the sun was setting.)

On Thanksgiving Day we enjoyed a beautiful, buffet, Thanksgiving meal at Johns Hopkins. Shannon’s ability to eat has not yet returned, but you can see by the picture that she gave it a good try. It may take a month or two for her to fully recover from the encephalopathy. We are so thankful for everything that the youth group, the schools, the parish community, Shannon’s friends, and every individual who spoke in prayer for Shannon’s strength and recovery and the doctor’s wisdom. It is this that has made us be not afraid.

God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

November 17, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

Thursday evening, 3/4 of the way into the Holy Hour, the ICU began to arrange for Shannon to be moved back to the Oncology floor!

She's back on that floor now (8th floor) and is improving in her neurological functioning.

Although Infectious Disease, Neurology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Pharmacology, and the BMT dept could find no answer to her rapid decline in neurological functioning, the morning after the Holy Hour, a stab-in-dark change was implemented.

Shannon is still making rapid improvements, and as we all know there are no coincidences! God uses ordinary means to perform miracles. He works through us.

God Bless,
Bonnie

November 14, 2007

Dear friends and family,

Shannon is currently suffering a lot of severe complications from her treatment.

Please, if you can, join us in a prayer service in the Catholic tradition that includes Eucharistic adoration. All are welcome. This type of service was always special for Shannon in her youth ministry work.

God Bless,

Bonnie

Please join our youth community as we pray for Shannon
Exposition and Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament
This Thursday, November 15th,
2007
7:30-8:30 PM
St John the Evangelist Church
689 Ritchie Highway
Severna Park MD 21146

Please send this to anyone interested in praying
for Shannon’s complete recovery, and peace for
her and her family.

Questions, Please call Kathy at (410)384-9168

November 12, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

Shannon's fever has continued and a cat-scan was ordered today. This evening she began to experience memory loss. As I'm writing this email they're taking her down for a brain cat-scan and then an mri.
We are quite concerned, but are trying to remain at peace and to keep the household as normal as possible. Greg is with Shannon today through Tuesday night, then we'll trade places.
There are times when it's difficult to see the blessings amidst the storm. Please pray that Shannon is returned to health - mind, body, and soul, and our faith remain even if it's little. Mt 8:26 "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

God Bless,
Bonnie

November 8, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

Shannon was admitted to Hopkins Tuesday morning due to a fever. She had been feeling a little under the weather for several days prior, but had had no fever. This morning, Thursday, there is still no drop in temp (102.4) and the doctors do not no the cause. She's starting a third intravenous antibiotic and they took x-rays yesterday.

This is the life of a post BMT patient for at least 6 months. Times like this, when an answer is unknown, can be a real spiritual battle. One that tests our faith and tries to undermine our hope. I have to admit that I have felt drained of optimism and then realized that was because I was turning my glance inward rather than at the face of God.

At this time we need extra prayers for the doctors to have insight to the problem, for Shannon's recovery, that we can remain in the peace of Christ in the midst of the storm, and not loose our trust and faith when the storm feels more violent.

God Bless,
Bonnie

October 23, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

Yesterday we received promising results from Shannon’s first bone marrow aspiration since June, and thanks be to God she is still in remission. Her type of cancer, although rare and with little data available, has a tendency to relapse despite it’s initial response to chemotherapy. But because of your prayers for Divine Intercession to occur through the doctor’s hands, her unique chemotherapy “road map” is like no other tried before for this particular type of cancer. I believe that due to the continual outpouring of your prayers this road map has been altered 3 times. (See previous posts for previous updates that mentioned the change of plan) Each time this happened there was no apparent reason other than the doctors’ opinions that, “after rethinking... we believe this change to be best”. I attribute their “rethinking” to God’s intervention.

Just this week was the 3rd time the chemotherapy road map was changed. After ‘rethinking” her regimen, Shannon’s doctors felt it best to begin a low dose of chemo through her spine at weekly intervals for the next month even though all chemo was due to end prior to the transplant. Please pray that God’s intervention and scientific advancement will continue to work together in keeping Shannon healthy.

Other than the God-given miracle of Shannon’s progress, and all the blessings that have been revealed to our eyes so far, we continue to experience God’s goodness. This time it is through our transitional housing at St. Casimir’s, 2712 O’Donnell St, Baltimore. This is the special bone marrow transplant housing that places us within minutes of the Hospital, which is important because of Shannon’s high risk of infection due to her compromised immune system. The housing is part of the organization “We believe in Tomorrow,” which provides housing and vacations for families who are experiencing life-threatening illnesses at Johns Hopkins ( www.believeintomorrow.org). In addition to being bright and cozy, we’re located on the end, which allows the sun’s light to stream inward all day. There is also a charming garden courtyard and a rooftop view of the harbor from which we’ve experienced exquisite sunsets.

Located within steps of St. Casimir’s Catholic Church (www.stcasimir.org), a stunning church, filled with artwork that is full of historical and theological significance, we are awed by it’s magnificence and the closeness we feel to Christ’s special presence inside. We couldn’t be more blessed than to hear the chime of the church bells hourly and to look out our window everday and see this church as a symbol of how close God has been and continues to be throughout this journey.

As we’ve marveled in God’s glory, we celebrated Shanon’s 18th birthday on Friday the 19th. Because of her severely compromised immune system, the festivities had to be kept to a quiet minimum, but they felt extra special after being enclosed in a hospital room for so long. Not completely free of the hospital, we have out-patient appointments 3 times a week that seem to take a better part of the day. But despite this, Shannon is determined to get caught up between out-patient visits and naps from exhaustion, so when she returns to school she can enjoy the 2nd half of her senior year. So please pray Shannon is open to God’s grace in helping her persevere with the studies that are needed.

By the way, flue vaccines are highly recommended for all those that would like to visit Shannon, but NOT the vaccine that’s sprayed in the nostrils. Exposure to this type will put Shannon in the hospital because it contains the live virus. Getting a flu shot would help minimize Shannon’s exposure.


God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

September 30, 2007

Dear Family and Friends,

We’ve moved again. After 4 weeks in one room, Shannon’s been moved to a smaller room with a double doorway because she is in isolation. A few days ago, an out-patient with whom Shannon had become friends, popped in to say “hi” and later was diagnosed with shingles (comes from the Chicken Pox virus). The chicken pox virus is life-threatening to post-bone-marrow transplant patients, but “Thank God” Shannon was only potentially exposed and did not get the disease! The other patient was caught in time and given proper care so she is OK too. Yet another blessing!

This experience, I believe is Divine Providence red-flagging for us the importance of infection control. Illnesses that we don’t blink an eye at can often be fatal to these patients. Two months ago at Johns Hopkins a child died after contracting chicken pox a couple of months after a successful bone marrow transplant.

So here are tips when visiting Shannon:
Please don’t come directly from school or from a place where you have direct contact with other children.
Wear clean clothes.
Purell your hands when you enter the hospital, after getting off the elevator, before entering the Oncology wing, and before entering Shannon’s room.
Don’t touch Shannon.
Don’t sneeze or cough in Shannon’s room, even if it is from allergies.
Don’t visit if you have a cold or are sick.

Other than moving to isolation, dealing with pain and nausea is a 24/7 issue. Shannon has been too sick from the side effects of her transplant to be photogenic or very talkative (if you’ve tried to call her). So you’ll find only pictures of her room and some the Super-heros who visited last week.

Although the side effects make everyday living quite difficult, we have found that nothing is impossible for God and with Him we have been able to endure. The side effects she’s experiencing involve a great deal of pain in her mouth, throat, stomach and G-I tract. A base-line of morphine is supplied continually through I-V to control the continuous pain, while a morphine pump is available for added boosts when the pain exceeds the base-line level. Eating is quite difficult, so intravenous nutrition supplies her calorie intake. Your prayers make it possible for Shannon to persevere in taking a small amount of food and drink by mouth, which is protecting her liver from veno-occlussive disease. Up to 5 different products at a time decorate her IV pole like a Christmas tree while what looks like a massive web of tubing enters her body through two different ports that have been surgically implanted in her chest. School studies have not been possible since we entered the hospital on September 3rd. So, as I mentioned earlier, as her body tries to heel, and Michael’s marrow tries to engraft, she simply sleeps around the clock.

As I’m writing … Shannon’s counts have come way up, meaning the engraftment is taking place! If this is so, we may be here for only a couple more weeks. Once we are discharged we must remain in special Bone Marrow Transplant Housing in order to ensure that we are no more than minutes away from Hopkins. The housing is called St Casimire’s and is located on Boston Street in Canton. This will be our new home for the next 100 days, more or less. This is where we’ll be for Shannon’s birthday on Oct 19th, Thanksgiving, Tammy, Brittany, and Michael’s birthday, and probably Christmas too.

Please continue to pray that Shannon will remain in remission provided that this is God’s will.

God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

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.

August 24

Dear Family and Friends,

 

John's Hopkins has changed Shannon's admission to Sept 6th rather than Aug 30th.  This delay will allow her a much needed extended mental health time, more time to boost her immune system, work on liver cleansing, and the extra time needed to regain more of her muscle tone. Again I see this as God's intervention in allowing Shannon to enter this last phase in better health. 

 

A request - does anyone have the DVD Anne of Green Gables or the other ones in this series that we could borrow?  We were introduced to these by a lovely family staying at J.H. the same time we were and let us borrow theirs. Shannon and I just started watching it during the last couple days of our last stay and found them very charming.

 

Thank you for all your prayers and continue to pray that God will succeed in His interventions into Shannon's treatment!

 

God Bless,

Bonnie

August 22, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

After ending up in the hospital last Thursday with a rather serious fever from a transfusion, we planned to settle in at Hopkins for the next 10 days / 2 wks until Shannon’s white blood cell count recovered. Well, 4 days later, Monday night, Shannon was discharged. God is amazing!

With her counts up and looking very healthy, the decision has been made to admit Shannon on August 30th for the Bone Marrow Transplant. We proceed with joy, but also with trepidation and anxious hearts because soon we will know whether she has been cured. The first week (next Thursday) begins with aggressive chemo treatments. The transplant follows, then the difficulty (assuming there’s no serious infection) is one of enduring the potential severity of Graft vs. Host disease. Shannon’s hospitalization will continue for approximately 6-8 weeks, during which time either Greg or I will stay with her 24-7 due to the bodily and mental stress that she’ll endure.

Please pray that her body is clear of cancer after the transplant. Due to the aggressive and deceptive nature of her cancer there is the possibility that it will reappear again quickly. If it does, the treatment will be decided at that time and we will place ourselves at the mercy of our Lord as we have tried to do so far. It is quite difficult for us to face the reality of soon knowing which path her cancer will take. Our hope is that the Lord has many future plans for Shannon and for the rest of us (including all of you) who are walking this journey with her. As parents we must not be as the Rich Young Man and walk away sad after Jesus lets us know what we must give away. Rather we must give away our dreams and allow God to reveal his plan for us. Pray that God has a significant plan for Shannon to participate in His apostolic works through the Church and that we too will have the courage to give part of ourselves away so that God’s plan can be brought to fruition through us in what ever vocation we have been given.

Here is Shannon enjoying God’s blessings through the tender and constant care of her nurses. Note: Jesus in the Divine Mercy image watching over Shannon’s shoulder as she studies. (Dr. “D” – she’s writing her World Literature short essays!). As you can see by her joy we have found the presence of God through so many people that he has brought into our lives! Each and every one of you, through your prayers and other kind gestures have revealed the living Body of Christ.

Thank you for all your prayers.
God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

July 2007

Friends and Family,

God hears your prayers for Shannon! Thank you everyone!

Last week, 2 days prior to our scheduled clinic visit for chemo, our doctor (Dr. Eric) phoned and said ... he just had to call because he had several emotional experiences this day over blood results and couldn't wait for our visit. Additionally he wanted to assure us that these results were not of his doing but clearly God's hand.

The 2 pieces of good news he shared were 1) Shannon's cancer cells had gone from 45% to 1% (totally unexpected reduction in such a short period) and 2) one of family members is a matched donor (the odds were heavily against this)! I could go into a lot of scientific jargon to explain how incredibly good this news is, but the bottom line is that Shannon's cancer is so aggressive that time could be our enemy, so this is a miracle!

In this race against time, this is the first of several hurdles that we must clear. The next is for Shannon to continue to endure the high intensity chemo that's causing hair loss, weight loss, and many other unpleasant side effects. Those to come are the need for her to be in complete remission just prior to her bone marrow transplant, then her body's acceptance of the bone marrow graft (which will be as grueling as her chemo), and finally our ability to complete the first half of her senior year through home schooling.

Please continue your prayers for the hurdles to come and for Shannon to be able to tolerate her chemo. We've recently had several really bad chemo-days.

Through this experience we have come to see the presence of Christ in all of humanity, not just in the goodness of all of you but literally in all people, and have realized how blind we had been to this truth in the past. The blessings being poured over us daily still leave us amazed.

Attached is a photo of Shannon with her doctors - Dr. Arceci on the left (Shannon calls him St. Francis) and Dr. Eric Schafer on the right (known by Shannon as 'J.D.', the doctor on "Scrubs")

Shannon update July 8

Here is Shannon's senior school portrait taken on 6/29 in the Johns Hopkins Children's Oncology Play Room seven days after her diagnosis. She has written the following prayer to you to be placed with her picture. Thank you for your prayers and support during this difficult time. It's truly made a positive impact on my healing process, spiritually & physically. I just ask that you don't forget to keep my doctors & me in your prayers especially over the next few months.


As Shannon's chemo is starting to have it's difficult side effects, she has asked that you pray for the intercession of St. Faustina. Shannon has had a special devotion to the Divine Mercy for the last 2 yrs. Audrey (a young saint who is being considered for Beautification), a little girl who died of leukemia, and influenced the vocation of a man who is now a priest, was requested to intercede for a friend of ours who was cured of leukemia a few yrs ago, and we believe was aided by her intercession. Please consider additionally asking for her intercessions.


God Bless,
Bonnie and Greg

Shannon's update July 4 2007

July 4, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

This is the first time I've had an opportunity to personally let everyone know of Shannon's leukemia diagnosis.

She was diagnosed on June 22nd with a very aggressive type of leukemia. She's currently received 5 blood transfusions, bone marrow aspirations, and surgery. Her leukemia is rare and there is no track record for a cure. The docs at Johns Hopkins have discussed her case with others around the world and have planned 90 days of aggressive chemo and radiation followed by a bone marrow transplant. They say, "if all goes as they hope" their plan will be a cure. We are placing this in God's hands.

We have experienced so many blessings prior to this diagnosis, which we have just begin to realize, and each in their own way prepared us for this journey. Daily we experience many blessings through the people and events around us. We realized there is never "nothing happening" around us, but rather God is constantly working miracles all the time, we have just been too blind to see them.

Her first blood analysis (day 8) since the start of treatment showed wonderful results - we believe this is due to the multitude of prayers. All your prayers we have felt as though a blanket of peace has descended upon us despite our feelings of fear. Please don't forget to pray for Shannon as the next 80+ days are most critical.

I will continue to try to update everyone, but please pass this along to all those whom I have missed.

God Bless,

Bonnie and Greg