Counted blessings

We have had quite the crazy month at our house! Ethan made it home from Seattle, where they extracted his t cells. During that month, we had everyone in our household get hand, foot and mouth disease. It landed Ethan in the hospital for about a week. Along with the illness, or daughter, Makayla, fell off of the swing in our backyard, and broke BOTH of her wrists. Our basement flooded, and we had to replace our carpet. We got our new carpet in on Thursday, and left for Seattle on Friday, but only after our car broke down.

Now, I have often said that when we have trials, our blessings outweigh our trials. We have truly been blessed in all of this. Makayla didn't have to have surgery on a wrist that was in question. We have had some amazing fundraisers that people have done for us. We had family and friends jump in to help us clear out our basement for the new carpet. Another neighbor hauled away the old carpet and a bunch of trash. The local football team came early Friday morning after practice hauled all of our stuff back into our basement. Merrill's dad let us borrow his car for a month while we are in Seattle because our car is in the shop and wasn't ready in time. With all of this help, I can honestly say that we have not had to ask for one ounce of it. All of it has been offered voluntarily and without us asking a single person. I have learned so much of charity, love, and compassion. I can also see that our Heavenly Father loves us and is here for us. We have truly been blessed.

Ethan will start his clinical trial tomorrow. He will do a bone marrow aspirate, a lumbar puncture, and a consult with the doctor. Tuesday he will be admitted for five days of chemo to make room for the new t cells. On Tuesday, July 1st, he will have the altered cells infused. We are praying and hoping for good results. We believe that miracles can and do happen, but we also know that they are only according to our Heavenly Father's will. We do, however, know that he is with us and that we will continue to find the blessings that are very much readily available to us. For this and many other things, we are grateful.