Please Pray For My Nephew's Daughter

Kitty · 12-31-2010, 07:19 PM

Latest update from Claire's Mom:

"Claire and I will be bringing in the new year from our room in the hospital. This will be a New Year we are not likely to forget!

I am thrilled to report that Claire is officially, Lord willing, done with chemotherapy for good! We are looking forward to the New Year knowing this year holds the end of her treatment. These next few months are going to be challenging still, but we are half way there! We have put a lot behind us and time has truly gone by so fast.

So now Claire is just on IV fluids and will rest for a couple of days. She is feeling good. No more vomiting since last night, but still not eating or drinking. This is normal for her when she gets chemotherapy. It usually takes about 48 hours before I see her interested in eating again. Dr's are telling me that we can expect mouth, digestive tract and bottom sores to appear around Monday or Tuesday. They will put her on a Morphine pump to help her with the pain and then if necessary a NG tube for nutrition. This is a tube that runs through her nose all the way down her digestive tract. Some children don't need it because they continue to eat, but that would be unlikely. We pray for the best and prepare for the worst.

Monday, January 3rd is the day she receives her stem cells through a syringe into her central line. I hear that it is fairly anti-climatic and takes less than a minute. She may get nauseous from the preservative that protects the stem cells. Please pray that she doesn't. This is all referred to as "transplant". Since she is getting her own stem cells it is better called "stem cell rescue" since her stem cells will rescue her from the high-dose chemotherapy. Basically and from my own understanding, the chemo completely wipes out her bone marrow. Bone marrow needs stem cells to grow. So they give her back her healthy stem cells and they do their job by making bone marrow. This process takes about seven days. During this time, Claire will have the sores mentioned above and the medication needed to cope with that. Once the marrow starts growing and her blood counts come back up, she will start feeling better and the sore will go away. So total time from the stem cell rescue to recovery is about 14 days, sometimes longer.

After reading the above paragraph I know that some of you might be thinking how in the world can we be handling all of this. It is true that of all her treatments this is the one I have feared the most. I am grateful that this treatment has fallen in the middle because I have learned a few things and some things I have chosen to believe by faith. Psalm 27:5, "He will hide me in His shelter in the day of trouble." I would like to just share a small portion of a devotional that I am reading that expresses my feelings more eloquently than I could do. "I am safe because of the presence of boundless love. So, I will wake up tomorrow and face the anxiety of not knowing the fear of my own weakness, and the reality of the fall. I will live with faith, courage, perseverance and hope. And when danger comes, and it will, I will whisper to my weakening heart, Emmanuel is your shelter; you are safe.' God's presence is so real to us these days. I am a weak women with a very strong God. He never fails me and I trust His past faithfulness with my future suffering.

Thank you to everyone who is bringing meals and sending gift cards. It is such a relief to not have to think about that right now."

Kitty · 01-03-2011, 05:08 AM

Today's the day Claire receives her (own) stem cell transplant. As dramatic as it sounds it will only take a few minutes to complete the transplant. She has been pretty sick these last couple of days and hasn't eaten much so she could use some prayers. We are hopeful that this is the final stretch of a very long and daunting journey for this little girl. I'll post any updates her parents send. Thank you for your prayers and good thoughts.

Friend2U · 01-03-2011, 08:29 AM

Saying prayers for little Claire.

soxmom · 01-03-2011, 09:16 AM

praying for the little one

Kitty · 01-03-2011, 02:45 PM

Latest update from Claire's Mom:

"Claire had her stem cell transplant at 11:00AM this morning and everything went as well as we expected.

She did get sick, but seems to be a little better. The plan is to get the feeding tube this afternoon since she has lost about one kg and hasn't really eaten in about four days. The next 7-10 days are going to be hard, but we are expecting great strength and grace from our Lord."

gramE · 01-03-2011, 02:47 PM

Psalms 27 is one of my favorites.
psalm27:
13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

with prayer,
pat e

Darlene · 01-04-2011, 01:39 AM

She needs a BIG one.

Thank you for keeping us informed.

Kitty · 01-04-2011, 09:49 AM

From Claire's Dad (my nephew):

"Will our friends pray for the peace of God that we cant comprehend to guard Nadjia and Claires hearts and minds tonight and this week. Claire had her NG tube put in about 6pm and is fighting it, uncomfortable and hard for Claire to accept which is in turn increasing Nadjia's anxiety."

Kitty · 01-04-2011, 09:54 AM

Here's sweet little Claire:

Alffe · 01-04-2011, 10:23 AM

Continued prayers for sweet Claire and her family.

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