April 21, 2012 Hospital Update

It is hard to believe Karagen has been in the hospital 18 days! This time has both crept by and flown by. Karagen is doing much better in relation to her energy levels. Her steroid dose has been increased because she has had trouble not being able to feel when she has to go to the bathroom. We purchased some big girl pull ups because the diapers here are very inconvenient and the pull ups are much easier.

On Wednesday Karagen and I had a free photo shoot, we will be given several portraits from the session as well as a CD with all the poses on it. I was thankful to have some pictures taken while she still has hair.

Great Grandma Braisted spent Wednesday night with Karagen and that evening Jonathan and I went to church together, we also ran errands Thursday while Grandma B stayed with her. Jonathan preached a wonderfully honest message that seemed to resonate with everyone-his passage was from Job. This week has been easier on everyone in the sense that we have not received any further bad news and we are adjusting to running back and forth to the hospital. Karagen has stayed busy with her therapies and the Art room and the Play room. She had a fresh supply of packages which helped her cope with her boredom and homesickness. Thank you everyone!

Karagen was excepted to the National Rehab Hospital and is scheduled to be transferred there Monday. She will have to work very hard there to get strong. Sometime during this coming week she will have another MRI to see if chemo had any effect on her tumors. A special request we have is that Karagen will be able to have her stem cells harvested, there is a lot of concern that the stem cell harvest doctor will be unavailable when Karagen's counts are right for the harvest. This too is supposed to take place this coming week. During the harvesting of her stem cells she will be in the Intensive Care Unit again.

We are so grateful for our family and friends who have supported us, right now every little thing counts, from laundry and dishes washed and diapers changed at home to Visitors and cards at the hospital, your love and support are what is getting us through. Different ones have taken time out of their lives to help us, some of you have brought meals, done our laundry, sent cards/packages, watched our children, mowed our grass, the list goes on and on-literally. Many have sent in money and various gift cards which has lifted the financial load off our shoulders. We can't say thank you in words, but our hearts are full of the love everyone has poured out on us-and in the midst of the hardest time in our lives-we are blessed-because of our family and friends!