Happy Easter!

I can't believe that Easter is here already.  The girls have colored their eggs today and are very excited for candy and church tomorrow.  My nephew, Nathan, is here for spring break.  Not too much going on around here.  Abby's 7th birthday will be next Saturday. 

Well, just wanted to wish everyone a good Easter Sunday.

 Carrie

Well, all is well in the Reeder household.  Snowed again all day yesterday, the girls are ready for winter to be over.  We are heading to Cedar Rapids this afternoon to visit Aunt Kate.  James scored a mower for $30 that sounded like it was on it's last leg.  Leave him alone with it for 15-20 minutes and the next thing you know he has it singing!  Self propell working and everything.  We're gonna take it over to her since hers needs serious help.  Girls are excited, they love going for a visit.  Plus, it's nice to get out of this town for a while. 

Abby attended her first ever cheer/dance camp yesterday.  She had fun, but her knee ended up hurting her quite a bit.  She twisted it last week skating in gym.  I wish we had gotten to skate in gym when I was in school!  How fun!

I can't believe that we have less than two months of school left.  This year has gone by so fast.  I'm still not use to 1st grade and Preschool, next thing I know it will be 2nd and Kindergarten.  Hannah goes for Kindergarten round up this month.  My babies are growing up so fast.

My nephew's MRI came back fine!  Thank you for your prayers.  The doctor will keep him on preventative medication for now just to be on the safe side since the EEG did show some abnormal activity.  Looks like he will be flying in to spend his Spring Break with me and the girls this Friday or Saturday.  I can't wait to see him.

Wishing all of you a wonderful week this week.  Hopefully, some spring weather is around the corner.

Carrie

Julie's Uncle

Please remember the family of David Arvin in your prayers.  I received this message from my dear friend Julie (she took care of setting up allaboutabby.org).  I can't ever express what a wonderful blessing she has been in my life for the last 14 years or so!

 

For those of you praying, thank you and please keep it up. He really needs your prayers.

David was taken into surgery sometime around 2:30 a.m., according to Lance's last text message. My mom also just called and said that he is recently out of surgery, finished (for now) around 6am. The trauma team is basically uncovering more and more injuries and the road ahead is a perilous one. The total breaks in David's badly injured leg are nearly too numerous to count; between the ankle, tibia, and femur, there are close to (and maybe well over) 20 breaks, at least one of those being a compound break...a break thru the skin. After surgery on just the ankle area, basically just 4 hours of intensive "clean up" is all they could do, they tried removing the breathing tube, but David wasn't able to breathe on his own, so it's been reinserted. This could be due to the lung that is low-functioning, the pain that keeps him from taking deep breaths, the anesthesia, or all of it combined. That is obviously a big concern--his ability to breathe on his own.

I'm going to just kind of bullet point the other details because they came all together and I was still hung up on the number of breaks my mom described to me...

• The doctors are saying there is a 3 out of 5 chance his foot may not heal as hoped and he may lose it.

•It appears that a couple broken ribs caused the collapsed lung.

•He has lots of drain tubes from the major injuries and they are all draining blood. There still may be more internal injuries than expected. But for now, the tube in the lung is at least draining it and keeping it from filling up with fluid.

• There is a high risk of infection from the combined seriousness of the injuries. Please pray that he would be protected from getting blood clots, infections, and pneumonia.

•He definitely needs additional surgery, many of them, but they aren't planning to operate again until Monday. His injuries are too severe and they only addressed the ankle surgery because it was exposed to air and infection from the compound fracture.

• His shoulder or arm has at least four breaks and those will also be addressed later.

Accident details: It looks like there were 3 vehicles involved. David was hit head-on and basically received all the severe injuries since many of the hits came to his left driver's side. It took about 20 minutes for the accident response team to cut David out of the car. According to the wreckage, it's a miracle David is living--so there's God's first mighty act in all of this! We know there is a purpose to David's survival!

The other passenger, Bart Jones, is injured and will need surgery, but he has remained in the ER over night and his condition appears to be much more stable and less life-threatening than David's. He should make a full recovery.

To say the least, the extent of his injuries are very severe. We are all keeping a positive attitude and leaning into Jesus.

Please pray for David! And pray for Tina, Tim & Ashley, Lance, my Grandma, my parents, and our extended family. Please pray for guidance, wisdom, and revelation for David's doctors, surgeons, and nurses.

I will keep the updates coming. Thanks!

My sister just called after meeting with the neurologist this morning.  The EEG showed abnormal activity in his brain.  They will not classify him as being epileptic until he has has 3 or more involuntary seizures.  He will go back this afternoon at 2:00 for an MRI.  He is NOT being released to drive at this time.  They have started him on a medication that will hopefully level everything out.  It should help him sleep as well.

Please remember all of them in your prayers.  Nathan and his parents have been at odds for quite some time and for whatever reason, maybe just a 17 year old boy thing, he has quite the "I don't care about anything" attitude.  I can't imagine being a senior in high school with prom, spring break and graduation coming up and being told that there is abnormal activity in the brain.  Not being able to drive is a HUGE sore spot at this time, plus he was planning to go to Daytona Beach for Spring Break.  Looks like those plans are out.

I just got off the phone with him.  He has lots of questions and for whatever reason, he won't ask anyone else but me.  If any of you have experience with this type of stuff or have a medical back ground please let me know.  Many of his questions I don't know how to answer.  Bottom line is that the kid really does care, he just doesn't want to show that it is bothering him.

For those of you that don't know, I was only 12 when Nathan was born.  My sister and I are 10 years apart and he is more of a brother to me than a Nephew.  While Abby was having treatment for Leukemia, he volunteered to come spend the whole summer with me to help take care of the girls so I could work as much as I could.  Abby was hospitalized twice during one of the summers from complications from the chemotherapy, James stayed with her and I would be there during the day.  Nathan would stay here at the house with Hannah (who was only 2).  He cooked, cleaned, did laundry (yes, I said laundry), changed diapers, gave baths and anything else he could to make sure that I could just spend time with Hannah.  He was 15 at the time.  I don't know many teenagers that would put aside their summers of fun to come and hang out with me and my kids and play Mr. Mom.  I love this kid dearly!

Thanks for your prayers & thanks for asking about him,
Carrie

Update on my nephew
CATScan came back clean, and they have ruled epilepsy out. Praise God! The drs are leaning toward stress and lack of sleep. Nathan has had problems sleeping for about 6 months or more. He is being released to go home and all his tests will be sent to a neurologist. I'm hoping they get a second opinion just to be on the safe side. He will be unable to drive for 90 days. That will be tough for a senior in high school! Thank you all for your prayers! This could have been so much worse.

My nephew, Nathan, needs your prayers.

My nephew Nathan is in serious need of your prayers this morning.  He is 17 and getting ready to graduate from high school.  He was working on a farm this morning with a buddy of his and had a seizure.  (Thank you Nick for thinking so fast and knowing what was going on!  I owe you a big hug when the girls and I make it in.)  He is on his way to UK hospital.  Nick said when the EMTs first arrived that Nathan couldn't tell them his name.  At the half way mark to the hospital, they have him stabalized and are able to run with the sirins off.  It is positive that he was worried about mama and was able to give the EMT her cell phone number to call and make sure she is ok since she was coming in from Louisville.

They said he did have a seizure and my sister couldn't remember exactly what they called it.  I'll give more details as soon as I know them.

Please pray that this is nothing major and can be treated with medication.  I know that he has complained to me on several occassions over the last 2 weeks how much his head has been hurting.  I wish I was there to give him a hug, but we are so far away.  I love him, he's like a brother to me.  He came up and helped me 2 of the summers that Abby was so sick.  He helped me clean, cook, babysit and never complained once.

Please pray that God will show His amazing, wonderful love.  He is still a God of miracles and performs them everyday if we will look to see them.  Please pray for strength for Nathan and my family.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful prayer warriors.  Thanks!

Love,

Carrie 

I can't believe how quickly time is passing!  March is almost over, and Abby will be turning 7 next month!  Can you believe that?  SEVEN!  I filled out the papers for Hannah's Kindergarten round and registered her for school this coming fall.  How is it already time to have 2 kiddos in school?  Outside of me being a blubbering baby about all this, everyone is doing well.  I've had everything that has gone around this winter (flu, flu, mono, strep, sinus stuff, etc...)  Overall, everyone is healthy!

Please remember my Aunt Bonnie in your prayers.  She has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer and began chemotherapy this morning.  Also remember my mom as she will be traveling back and forth to help them out and go to the doctor with them.

Hope you have a great day.  Thanks for continuing to check up on us and for keeping Abby in your prayers!

 

Carrie

P.S.  There are a couple new pics in the photo album

So we had her 1 year without chemo appointment the other day....

Well, after she was done with treatment last year, they told us that the first 6 months were the most important.  The first year was also big, but the first 6 months were the toughest.  6 months came and went, and she was still good to go.  Another 6 have come and gone since then.  Well, she's still good to go.  Her Dr. says that her blood counts are absolutely perfect, according to where they should be after all that.  She's feeling good, enjoying school.  She absolutely loooooooves her puppy that Santa brought.  Hannah is getting big also, she can write her name now.  She has a blast at pre-school.  They are both the best kids I could ask for, really not sure how I rate a pair of kidlets that good.  Anyrate, it's all quiet around here.  Abster will only go to the Dr. every 3 months now, that says as much about how the docs feel about her as anything.  Well, tata for now!

 

James

Well, Abby is doing great and has energy just oozing out of her.  I can't believe that we are living in a crazy, chaotic household with two children full of life, laughter and ENERGY!  I didn't think I would ever get Abby in bed and asleep tonight.  For the first time in years, she got up after I put her in bed because she wasn't ready to go to sleep!  I still feel like someone should pinch me.  The giggles....there is no music that is more beautiful than all the giggles in my house!  I LOVE IT!

Well, time to share a funny, yet slightly twisted story... Today, James decided to make some deer jerky.  Now this is one of the best surprises for the girls because they love that stuff.  After school they waited, waited, and waited some more for what seemed an eternity since they were both saying "Daddy, how much longer?"  He finally comes in with some for them and says, "Girls, you know Bambi's mama?  Well, this is her!"  I'm sure he was trying to get a rise out of them because then he says "Mmmmm, Bambi Mama Chunks."  My children just grinned from ear to ear and started eating it.  They didn't even care!  Before we knew it, they were calling it "Bambi Mama Chunks."

November 8, 2005, 3 years ago....

As expected, I've done a lot of reflecting the past few days.  For those of you that don't know, Abby was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia the day after my 27th birthday on Novemeber 8, 2005.  She woke up again that morning and wasn't able to walk because of the horrible pain in her legs.  I picked her up, ran into my room and told James that I was heading out the door with her to Des Moines and for him to listen for Hannah.  I didn't take time to change her clothes, comb her hair, or brush her teeth.  I simply grabbed her shoes and threw a coat on her. 

See, on and off for six months we had taken Abby to the doctor's office.  We had been told that she was having bowel problems, growing pains, had x-rays for broken bones, everything.  As parents, James and I were incredibly frustrated and didn't know what to do.  However, on this particular day, when I realized that the doctor himself was chasing us down in the parking lot.....well, it kind of put my nerves on edge a bit. 

I was taken into a consultation room and one of the nurses took Abby to play with x-ray boards and stickers (I think she ended up with about 100 stickers out of the deal) and was given the blow that we were to have an appointment immediately with a Hemotologist/Oncologist and "where did I want to make the appointment?  Iowa City or Blank?  I looked at the doctor and said where would you take your child?  So, Blank it was, and thus began our journey. 

Dr. El-Dadah, the pediatrician, wouldn't tell me what he thought was wrong with her, but I already knew.  See, a week before my birthday, I think it was around Halloween, the Marshalltown paper did an article on a little boy here in town that had been diagnosed with ALL, and one of his symptoms was severe bone pain.  I remember turning and walking out of my office with tears in my eyes because at that moment I knew what was wrong with my little girl.  I prayed and prayed that I wasn't the case, and she didn't hurt all the time, but I made up my mind that the next time she had a problem that the doctors would get to the bottom of it because I wasn't leaving until they could tell me 100% what was wrong with her.  There would be NO GUESSING THIS TIME!

So, I called James, and told him that I needed him to get to Des Moines because wouldn't be coming home any time soon.  Both of us were totally in denial (as any parent would be) and were sure we would get there and that there wouldn't be a problem.  The nurses were great and kept Abby entertain and Dr El-dadah told me to go outside for a bit.  I was not going to cry infront of my 3 year old and freak her out.  I never will forget sitting in James's truck.  It was a beautiful day for November in Iowa.  The sky was as blue as could be with large puffy white clouds and I sat there looking at all the cars buzzing by on I-235.  How could everything outside seem so normal, but our lives were flipped upside-down.  Now, keep in mind, what I knew about Leukemia was from when I was a child and it was basically a death sentance.  Survival rate was barely 20% then.

James and Hannah showed up in record time.  Hannah appeared in her normal Hannah-self with eggs all in her hair and pajamas on.  We arrived at Dr. Mitchell and Dr. Al-zein's office hoping to take Abby home because there had been a mistake somewhere.  To our dismay, her initial blood results showed that she needed a transfusion immediatly and we were admitted to the hospital shortly after.

Honestly, here is where I get a little foggy.  All this happened in one day.  My birthday for the longest time was referred to in our house hold as the "last happy day".  The next few were filled with terms, medications, percentages, protocols, research studies, people, doctor's, nurses, interns, residence, and much more that was so overwhelming that I can't even begin to remember it all.  Lots of it felt like I was in a daze.  You know how you remember bits of your dreams and when you think about what the scenary looked like, it's kind of foggy?  Well, that's what that first little bit was like for me.

Today, 3 years ago, Abby had her double infusa port placed, a bone marrow aspiration (which showed 80% leukemia blast), and a spinal tap in which they with drew spinal fluid to examine and for research, and chemo therapy was place in my babies spine and circled her brain.  James and I sat there at her bed side (I honestly can't remember at this point if Hannah was with my parents or James's mom) wishing that we could take it from her.  How is life ever normal again???

To get to the caffeteria at the hospital, we had to go past the chappel.  I found myself in there a lot.  One of those days, I knelt down and honestly I just didn't have anything else I could say.  I felt that I had prayed everything there was to pray.  I remembered at that moment, that it's ok to feel that way because that is when the Holy Spirit takes over and I thought about a song that I would like to share.  It's helped me on many occasions.  It's called "Life is Hard, but God is Good."  I've sang this song on many occasions for specials at different churches, but I never knew that it's message would end up hitting me so deeply.

You turn the key Then close the door behind you Drop your bags on the floor You reach for the light But there's darkness deep inside And you can't take it anymore  'Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you And sometimes living is all you can do  Life is hard, the world is cold We're barely young and then we're old But every falling tear is always understood Yes, life is hard, but God is good  You start to cry 'Cause you've been strong for so long And that's not how you feel You try to pray But there's nothing left to say So you just quietly kneel  In the silence of all that you face God will give you His mercy and grace  Jesus never said It was an easy road to travel He only said that you would never be alone So when your last thread of hope Begins to come unraveled Don't give up, He walks beside you On this journey home and He knows  Life is hard, the world is cold We're barely young and then we're old But every falling tear is always understood Yes, life is hard, but God is good

So, now on to  the GREAT PART.  3 years later, Abby's 9 month check up after finishing chemotherapy landed on my 30th Birthday!!!  Not only do we still have our beautiful baby girl, but all blood work checked out wonderful, and she is A-OK!  ANC is still slowly coming up, but right where the Dr's want it!  Please continue to pray for her.  Your prayers have meant so much to us and I know that it made all the difference in her road to recovery.  Thank you all so much, again, for your support, phone calls, letters, gifts, and friendship!

Sincerely,

Carrie

P.S. Please continue to remember the Daters family in your prayers.  Please pray that RC and his brother remain healthy as they will begin prep for RC's bonemarrow transplant very soon.  Please pray for his complete recovery.

Also, continue to remember Brooklyn Durham and her family in your prayers as well.  Please pray for a miracle.

*****NEW PICS IN THE PHOTO ALBUM*****