Happy 16th Birthday Catherine Therese!!

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Although you'll never read this my sweet Catherine, I love you. 16 years ago you changed our life forever. All of your siblings have done this in their own way but you have done so in a very special way. You have made me more empathetic, compassionate, and much more prayerful. Your smile lights up the world around you and we are all blessed by it.  It's not easy living with a saint. You remind me of my weakness and limited time on this earth. You challenge me to go deeper within myself and find what the Lord is trying to teach me...usually patience. You are made in His image and likeness but He uses you so that I can see my own beauty, goodness, and shortcomings.  You struggle mightily against me with every bath, diaper change, and wardrobe change. I struggle mightily with Him against all the changes He wills in my life. You depend on me and your mom for even the simplest of things. You teach me to depend on Him for everything and not rely on my on strength. You teach me that I
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The Donation Process

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Today I spent an hour and fifteen minutes with Karen from the National Marrow Donor Program. She told me a little about the young man who needs my stem cells. Apparently we I am a perfect genetic match, as if I were a relative. With this treatment it will improve his chances of living another year by 40%. If it works, it could be his cure. If not, it's the last effort.

He has ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) which is very aggressive so the doctors are hoping to act quickly. I would like to ask you for you prayers for this young man. He is doing okay now but has had some setbacks recently. I just hope he stays strong for the next few weeks while they run me through the wringer. Even more important is the need for him to stay strong as they prepare his body to receive my cells.

The next step for me is to have an intensive physical examination next week. They will run me through the mill I have been told. They'll do blood work, x-rays, EKG, and everything else to make sure that this will be safe for me as well as the patient. So, again, your prayers are appreciated.

Instead of trying to explain the entire process I would like to point you to a fellow blogger who has been through this recently. He writes about the experience in great detail and far better than I could ever hope to do. So, if are interested in learning in advance what I may be going though please check it out here. I will continue to post about my own experience as the days go on. Thanks for the prayers.

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