A review of our time & what's new

As I sit at my computer and read through our last entry, I am humbled and again reminded of the emotion and the power of this cancer journey. Time has passed since that entry but our journey continues on. It continues to be one of learning to leave each day in our creator's hands and gratitude that never ceases.

We came home from Houston rejoicing in the news that our daughter's scans were clear. There could have been no greater gift to our family during the Christmas season. And in our joy and relief we threw ourselves into the most wonderful Christmas celebration. How different from our Christmas just one year ago when we sat, close together, clinging to every moment that we were a complete family. Amanda had just two days home between chemo rounds that year. We lived in a routine of hospital stays, tests and chemo with no promises for the future. But we prayed to the one who does hold our future and in His infinite goodness He gave the McDaniel family another year together. There is a quote that my husband showed me this year by Burton Hillis. It says this, " The best of all gifts around any tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." That describes our family Christmas this year...all wrapped up with each other and surrounded by the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.

Along with our Christmas festivities we've been given many wonderful reasons to be grateful as a family. Amanda continues to amaze us with her joyful attitude, her incredible drive and physical agility, and her beautiful new (wavy) hair. Her school grades are excellent (as well as those of all of her sisters and brothers) and she was able to compete all fall and early spring with her cheer leading squad. Like last year, I still get teary when I watch her drop to the floor and do the worm...who would have thought that funny dance move would ever be such a testimony to the goodness and the power of our God. :-)

All six of our children continue to be as closely bonded as siblings who have supported each other during a long, hard path and fought to be together often are. The love and consideration that they have for each other as well as the fun that they share together is one of my truest joys.

Our prayers of gratitude and our request for God's continued presence in the lives of all of our children continues on now to include Joshua's departure to China where he is currently living and attending a University and for Matt who will be our newest "son" as he and Haley have announced their wedding engagement.

And through the early months of the year we have never taken for granted that we have been given this gift of time. We continue to remember and to pray for others with this disease who face continuing treatments and the spread of the cancer to their lungs. We know this is a reality of osteo and although we desperately cling to our hope and our faith of Amanda's complete healing, at this time we know that we must leave the future in God's hands and trust that He will continue to honor our prayers on her behalf.

And so He has again. Just this past week Amanda and I found ourselves back at University hospital for the next set of chest CT scans. Walking in, preparing for this day, knowing that with any scan we could be forced back into a day to day battle for her life, we prayed and then rested in the love and greetings that we received from so many Dr's and nurses who remain so dear to us. The labs and scans were non-intrusive and so the morning was an easy one for Amanda. It was harder going home and waiting to hear the results. But the call finally came in the early evening and it was the very words we prayed for - Amanda's lungs remain clear.

Such praise, such sweet tears of relief and joy...there is almost no way to describe how those words feel when you are waiting to hear results. And our newest announcement - a few days later we received the call that informed us that because Amanda has now had 6 months of clear scans, they want to remove her port-o-cath. (It lies in her upper right chest with a line that goes into her heart and one that goes into the main artery up into her neck. She received all her chemo and drugs through it because they were too strong to be put directly into her veins.)

This is a huge step. It really is a part of the journey that we never even considered, never allowed ourselves to think about as we battled with Amanda. We were given almost no hope - medically - that we would ever reach this day. But, as Amanda told me early on, this battle was not a medical one. She believed from very early in her diagnosis that this battle would be fought on a spiritual battle field and I believe that she was correct. And on that field the time has come to remove Amanda's port.

Surgery for this removal will be the last week in February. It is done as an out patient procedure so once she is awake in recovery I will get to bring her home...port free.

I will post here following the procedure to let everyone know when it is complete. Following that, Amanda will need a few days to rest and recover and then she is excited to be joining her fellow soccer players for spring practice as they prepare for their upcoming season. God is good, so very, very good to us.

As an ending note - Amanda is already scheduled to return to MD Anderson at the end of May for a full body scan and check by Dr. Anderson. Those days we already give to God. We will thank Him for the ones we have with her here, now and continue to trust the future to Him. He has proven faithful with her life.