Weekend update for Amanda

It is Sunday night...oops!....early Monday morning (yes Dan I am still up) and I wanted to add a post here that would give you all an update as to what Amanda's week might look like.

After having her port put in on Friday morning, we looked forward to a quiet weekend. Amanda did well recovering from her procedure (for which we thank you for your prayers) and was able to spend time this weekend with both family (Saturday afternoon found her with her Keil family) , friends (there was a spa treatment with some girlfriends today...but I don't think they want me to give you the details of the blueberry yogurt and the wax...enough said) and of course, here at home with her siblings and mom and dad. Haley was able to come home for the weekend and the sisters found time for giggling, secrets, flying carpets, and bunking down all together. For me, as their mom, their laughter and these memories are priceless.

Amanda will spend most of Monday at University hospital having a variety of tests done. These tests will give her Dr's and nurses a baseline rate so that they will know what is "normal" for her after she begins to feel the effects of her chemo. Following the completion of those, Amanda will get to come back home for Monday night. We anticipate that we will begin her chemo treatments on Tuesday, but have not yet had that confirmed for us. I guess we will find out tomorrow. We do now know that Amanda will have to stay in the hospital for her chemo treatments. The first treatment takes 3 days.

My prayer requests tonight are first and always that God would heal my little girl. That He make Himself very real to her and that He will always, no matter what path He asks us to follow, give her peace and comfort & rest. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Amanda to find a comfortable position while lying down for sleep. Please pray that God will grant her comfort and the ability to get the good rest she needs each night.

Second) For these days that hold the beginning of the chemo battle, we covet your prayers. Pray that God give the Dr's wisdom as they prescribe and treat our daughter. Pray that Amanda's body will stay physically strong and will have as few side effects as possible. Pray that the cancer in her body will be destroyed by this treatment.

Third) Continue to remember Joshua, Haley, Abby, Anna & Caleb that God will grant them peace and protect their hearts and minds as they must watch their sister fight this battle and yet continue to carry out their school and extra curricular activities.

And speaking of prayers, I want to add that I know you are praying for us. There are times when I believe we can almost actually feel it. Each of your prayers is worth more than gold to us and I want to thank you for them and ask you to please continue to uphold us with them. A very special thank you tonight to a group of ladies in Olathe, Kansas who knit or crochet prayer shawls. They gather together, once a month, to create beautiful shawls. While they are together they take all of the shawls they are making and they pray individually for each one and for the person that will one day wear it. Through Amanda's friend, Ruthie, they learned of Amanda and tonight two of the ladies from the group came to Columbia to share their story with us, some words of encouragement and to pray in person with Amanda. It was so very dear of them and meant so much to us. It was another reminder that through the kind hearts of you, our friends and family, many people are praying for our daughter. Thank you to the ladies of the Prayer Shawl Ministry group and thank you to each of you who has shared of our daughter's diagnosis and has asked others to pray. There is no way for me to adequately thank you or repay you...I instead ask that God, in His wisdom, will bless you over and over.

Believing that God answers prayers, yours remain coveted on behalf of our precious daughter,

Denise