september is here

I wasn't really ready for school to start.  But it definitely feels good to be back into a routine.

We've finished 3 whole weeks already.

This guy acts like he's been going to Kindergarten for years. 

It was hard on my heart (but still fun) to look back at his "first day" pictures.

 And this little miss has had the best start to a school year yet.  Every other year there have been some emotions and tummy aches and tears.  But this year she is so happy and we are SO thankful.

I just look at her and think to myself how unbelievably blessed we are to be raising this girl.  She is pretty amazing.

 This was 2 years ago this week, Mason's first day of PreK and Taylor had been in Kindergarten for a few weeks.  I am loving the TimeHop app on my phone.  But I kind of hate it too.  Nothing like a daily reminder of how fast time has flown.

One of my favorite parts of the day is picking Mason up from the bus stop.  This was the 2nd day of school, and the first day he rode the bus.  He sprinted into my arms with the biggest smile.  My heart pretty much exploded.  Even 3 weeks later, he still runs to me.  I'm guessing it may stop eventually.

  

And then I got the dreaded call from the office that one of my babies was sick in the office, less than a week into the year. {insert big humongous sigh}  It takes me 15 minutes to get to the school, and those minutes seem like forever when I'm trying to get to my littles so fast.  He was as pale as could be with hardly enough energy to walk to the car, but he wouldn't let me carry him through the building either.  He fell straight asleep in the car and an hour later was fine.  We figured out he overheated at recess.  Thankfully we dodged that "sickness" bullet.

 And now a week of September is over already.  My favorite month of the year for so many reasons.  

But this year, September brings memories of news that our sweet niece had cancer. 

2 years ago this month, her parents heard the word cancer for the first time,

and 1 year ago this month, they heard that word again.

This past week, Sydney started 5th grade, FULL time.  Something most 10 year olds don't think is a big deal.  And on top of that, she's back on the soccer field too!

So thankful we serve a God who is bigger than the horrible monster that cancer is. 

So thankful this September for our niece, Sydney!

another update on Sydney

How about an update on our niece, Sydney?  I know some of you have been following and praying and I haven't done a very good job of updating.

She's home!!!  The last I told you the transplant was done, and she moved out of ICU back to her normal room.  They waited and waited for the cells to reproduce and they did!!!  

And after 40 days in the hospital she made it home! She'll be in isolation at home for 100 days, since her body has no ability to fight off infections until her immune system strengthens.   Please keep praying for her complete recovery. 

And now check this out...

 This is a billboard along on the side of the most traveled highway in Michigan!

I cannot even fathom being 9 years old, fighting cancer for the 2nd time and then seeing your face on a huge billboard.  We hear she was super excited! And we're so thankful the story God has written for her is inspiring others and making a difference.

You can still follow along as her parents update her Caringbridge page .

And how about a huge PRAISE!!  After all of the bone marrow drives that went on to help find Sydney a donor match back in October and November, we got word that one of the college students from Tabor (where are sweet friends held a drive in honor of Sydney) was called to be a match for someone!!!  Such awesome news! I trust completely that God is using Sydney's life and story to do a good work and fulfill his purposes.

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.

 

SATURDAY IS COMING!!!!

Quite simply I have been blown away at the support that friends and strangers alike are showing us to get the word out about the bone marrow drives in Newton and Wichita.  I have been left speechless and tears in my eyes many times in the last two weeks.

Saturday is the big day here in Newton.  Are you coming???  Have you told your friends??

 

Here's what you can expect when you show up at either drive.  There is no need to do anything in advance, and we promise there will be no drilling for bone marrow!!!

 

In addition to these 2 community wide drives, we have had people step up and take the lead for bone marrow drives and swab parties all over the place.  

Here was a post of mine from Facebook a few days ago...

I am SPEECHLESS!!! A friend of a friend answered the call when asked who had connections at colleges...she is RUNNING with this and doesn't even know us!! And several other friends of ours at K-State and in Manhattan have stepped up and wanted to help too! If you know ANYONE at K-State share this!!! There is a drive NEXT THURSDAY, NOV. 21st going on there for ANYONE and EVERYONE to get swabbed!!! Tell everyone you know who is there!! Thank you Morganne Wiltse (and our other friends helping there), Kansas State University, and the Greek community, from the bottom of our hearts from the entire Balzer Family, for rallying behind us as fellow Wildcats and proving that K-State really is ONE BIG FAMILY!!!

Check out this flier they had made...

In addition we have friends doing a drive at Tabor, possibly being opened up to the entire Hillsboro community....and Hesston College.....and more!!

We are so grateful!  And humbled.  So many friends who aren't organizing drives themselves are posting fliers, sharing anything and everything they can on FB, writing blog posts, calling banks and schools, and organizations and news stations...pretty much doing everything they can to help us educate the masses and get people added to the national bone marrow registry, in hopes that ONE of them (and hopefully a backup too) is Sydney's match!

 Words don't really express our gratitude.  And I know that Sydney's parents feel the same way. 

Today this picture was posted on the Team Sydney Facebook page.  It brought tears to my eyes.  That is Sydney's best friend, Ruthie.  She and her family were on Sydney's Celebration Cruise this past summer.  We watched them dance and twirl and laugh at the private party we had...you could see the sparkle in their eyes...they had many many years of fun ahead of them after that first victory over Leukemia. 

And here she is....just a few months after that celebration cruise.  Sitting at the bedside of her best friend.  Laughing and just being normal 9 year old girls.  9 year old girls who have had to live the reality of cancer.

The last thing I'll leave you with today is a beautiful write-up of Sydney's journey through Leukemia.

Click here.

A reminder of all that God has brought our sweet niece through.   

 Isaiah 43:2 says,

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you.

  

I used this to pray many many many times through her first fight, and we continue to pray it now...

pleading with the Lord to allow Sydney to walk through this fire without a burn mark on her body and not even a trace of smoke in her hair.