an update on Sydney

I know I haven't kept you all updated about our niece here on my blog.  Sometimes there is just TOO much social media, that you don't know which ones to update and it's just too hard sometimes to get to them all.  So most of my updates to the masses have been on Facebook.  But in case we're not connected on Facebook, I still want to update you on our niece, because I know there are many of you out there who have been praying.  And I thank you for that.  Thank you for your encouraging emails and your prayers. 

I guess I left off here on the blog with the search for a donor that would give Sydney the best chance as a cancer-free life, with a bone marrow transplant. 

A donor was found.  2 actually.  That is unheard of people.  God's in control.

And they were both perfect matches.

One donor was chosen and she agreed.  All we know about her is that she is a 25 year old female somewhere in Europe.  Her "YES" meant our sweet niece has a second chance at life.  It means she may actually be able to beat this cancer!  We are so grateful for this stranger, and I thank ALL of you who got on the bone marrow registry so that you could possibly be a match for someone else just like Sydney.  I hope and pray if you, if I, am ever called to be the hero for a stranger...that the answer will be "YES". 

So Sydney's last big round of chemo was in December (except for the chemo she got as part of the pre-transplant plan).  We hope and pray this is the last chemo she will ever have to have put in her body.  She's had so much.

She celebrated Christmas at home with her family.  The rest of Dave's family got to be there too.  But we were stuck at home with sickness, which was so hard!

She entered the hospital about 10 days ago to begin the prep for the transplant.  She decorated her hospital room, named it "Sydney's Oasis" and struggled through a few hard days of chemo.

The donor went through the extraction procedure in Europe this week, on Tuesday, while Sydney had a day of rest.  The stem cells were flown to the Detroit Childen's hospital in the hands of a person.  It even got it's own airplane seat right next to the courier (as told by Sydney's mom), and didn't even have to go through the x-ray part of security!  Sydney's chance at life arrived in a pink cooler on Wednesday morning.

The transplant took place yesterday, and took about an hour and a half to finish.  The process is just like a blood transfusion, Sydney was awake and the stem cells go from the bag into the tube and into her port.  She was watched very closely for allergic reactions, as hundreds, if not thousands prayed for no allergic reactions.  And there were none.  The transplant was a success, and Sydney moved out of ICU back to her "oasis" this morning.

The next days and weeks are crucial.  She's having major stomach pains and some mouth sores have started.  Please continue to pray that she'll be comfortable, that she'll stay safe from infection since she has no immune system to fight anything, and that ultimately the stem cells will do their job in her body.

It's been a long journey, and it's not over yet.  Sydney has spent nearly a third of her 9 years of life battling this ugly cancer monster. That just breaks my heart into a million different pieces. It's my plea to the Lord that she get to be a kid again doing what normal kids do...and not living a life of needles, ports, chemo and fear.

I will try to update as we hear more about how she's doing post-transplant.  But you can also follow her CaringBridge journal.  They have been posting daily for the time being.

I prayed this verse all day long yesterday during her transplant and I'm going to stick with it for awhile. 

 "The Lord your God is in your midst, he is mighty to save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

(Zephaniah 3:17) 

To me, it's the perfect picture of a Father, standing over a hospital bed, providing every last need for his little girl.  A Father who has already conquered death, so what is left for us to worry about.  A Father who created the universe with just a few words.  And a Father who cares enough about her in a very deep, intimate and personal way, that he's willing to stand over that bed and focus on her, as if she's the only person in the universe.  A Father who is perfect, with a love that is perfect, who has good and perfect plan for his precious girl.