Day +16, Ups and Downs

Well, the last few days have been a rollercoaster (emotionally and literally with her numbers and side effects.)  We settled back in to the fact that we were going to be here for a little while longer and watched Mom's numbers go down and then finally start to turn back upwards.  The mouth sores seemed to begin to ease yesterday, which coincided with the numbers starting to creep back up.  The tough thing was that as the mouth sores got a little better, her hair began to let go.  It was an emotional couple of days, as we reflected on the verses about a woman's hair being her covering and her glory.  But we also fully believed that God had lead Mom down this path, and that this was part of the journey.  We took one last picture yesterday evening before today, Mom wanted to be able to look back and remember.  

One of our techs, Uche', from Nigeria, had been taking care of Mom on and off for the last 3 weeks.  He had given us a speech on Day +13 about how her hair was starting to come out and we should just go ahead and cut it.  Honestly, we didn't really like or appreciate his speech! Mom just wasn't ready, but Uche', who is also a believer, reminded Mom that he knew and understood about a woman's hair being her crown and glory, but he also said that God is the one that gave her the hair and He would give it back to her again, even more beautiful, like Job! 

Mom needed to stew on that for a couple of days, and as her hair continued to come out, she finally decided that today was the day.  And guess who was the one to cut it? Uche!! 

We talked about the Lord and His faithfulness as he slowly shaved Mom's head.  We told him as hard as this was, that there was a comfort knowing he was a believer and hearing his encouraging words.  As soon as he was done, he told Mom how beautiful she looked and that she must have really been a looker when she was young, if she is this good looking at age 72!! 

Mom handled it like a champ, and after cleaning up, she fixed herself up with a darling scarf that my daughter-in-law, Hannah, had given her for this reason.  (Hannah had ovarian cancer at age 18, and was able to understand more than any of us, what to expect, and teach Mom how to tie and twist the scarf to look cute!) How precious that God prepares those before us to go though something so that they can then turn around and help others.  

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  Who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 (NIV)

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 Peter 3: 3-4 (NIV)

And even though Mom has her big EB Design earrings on, and cute scarf, her true beauty is from that big smile and eyes! Jesus is indeed shining through her.

This evening, we received so many loving messages from my siblings, grandkids, and close friends who knew this had happened today.  What an encouragement!  

Jesse, oldest grandchild, his wife Hannah, and Lillian, oldest great-grandchild, showing support for their Babe.

And if that isn't enough, "Boots"(that is what we call Dr. Vance because he wears cowboy boots every day and we can hear him coming down the hall) came in today, and said Mom's numbers were looking so good and trending in the right direction, that he is discharging us from the hospital tomorrow! We are thrilled, and as long as the bottom doesn't fall out tonight on the numbers, we get to leave tomorrow and go to temporary housing close to the hospital for the next 2 months.  This is the next step in the process of the transplant.

We are excited and prayerful as we get ready to pack up and move tomorrow.  

Thank you so much for praying Mom through the last few days, the last 3.5 weeks, and the ups and downs.  Thank you in advance for continuing to pray as she moves into this next phase.  We KNOW so many have been lifting her up.  Thank you for remembering Mom and loving her.

Love,

JJ