Happy Halloween. Attached are pictures of the girls from today. I spent the morning with Taylor and afternoon with Savannah. It was great being with them, but horrible being with them seperately!!! Savannah started crying tonight because she missed Taylor so much!! This is just no fun!!!

Quick post tonight as I have a splitting headache!! Taylor was not feeling well for most of the day. She threw up her dose of Tamiflu this morning and would not eat anything. Her lungs are still clear and have no evidence of pneumonia. She finally agreed to try a banana after I threatened her (I hate doing this!!) with them putting a tube down her nose. This seemed to work because she did eat almost a whole banana....yeah!!! She was very lethargic for most of the day but seemed to get a little energy late afternoon. She did a couple of puzzles and practiced writing her name. She ended up eating a small piece of pizza tonight.....yeah!!! She says she feels better but is just tired and coughing a ton. She didn't get much sleep last night from all of her coughing. So....she is watching a movie and is almost asleep.

Her blood counts are dropping quickly. I never thought I would be excited about this but I am....the sooner her counts get to zero, the sooner she comes back up!!!! I am hoping she will be at zero by early next week.

I am hoping the worst of the flu is over and she will feel better tomorrow and start eating. They have agreed to hold off on a NG (tube down her nose to give food) for a couple of days. I really don't want her to go through this. As long as she eats a little bit each day, I think she will be safe!! Let's hope!!

I am going home tomorrow afternoon to spend some time with Savannah on Halloween. I will post again when I get back.

Happy Halloween.

Another fun day at PCH!!! Taylor coughed most of the night and was still coughing this morning. So, they decided to swab her again to see if something else was going on. She tested positive for H1N1....seriously!!! They were also concerned that she might have pneumonia so she was taken down for a chest x-ray. Luckily her lungs are clear and she doesn't have pneumonia. They are re-starting her on Tamiflu. She will get chest x-rays every 2-3 days for awhile to make sure her lungs stay clear. She had a pretty good morning but started throwing up this afternoon. She threw up a couple of times and then seemed fine. She has not eaten 1 bite of food today and just threw up again about 5 times. They are going to give her a second nausea medication to see if that will help. She is also getting a blood transfusion tonight. So....alot going on today!!!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. For those of you who had expressed interest in visiting over the next couple of days, please hold off. We are in isolation and they don't want any visitors for a couple of days.

Aleeya is still in the PICU. She has a bacterial infection and her body went into septic shock. She is on numerous antibiotics and blood pressure medications. Her blood pressure has been really low. She will stay in the PICU until they can get her infection under control and then back up to the 2nd floor. They don't think this has anything to do with her leukemia. As far as I know, she is still in remission, but very sick. Please continue to pray for her.

Thank you all for your prayers for Taylor....she needs them right now.

Kristen

Another post for tonight unrelated to Taylor. I just came up from the ER at PCH. Unfortunately, I was with my good friend Athena and her daughter Aleeya. As many of you know, Aleeya has been Taylor's roommate and BFF since she was diagnosed with Leukemia. Aleeya finished all of her rounds of chemotherapy about 2 weeks ago. Her parents brought her in tonight with a fever around 104. After 2 doses of Tylenol, her fever still hasn't broken. They are thinking she might have an infection in her Central line. She is being admitted to ICU as I type. Please, please pray for her. Her mom is very scared and Aleeya is very sick. She needs all of our prayers right now.

Have I mentioned lately how much I DESPISE all of this. When is it going to get better????

Quick post tonight as I am trying to get Taylor to bed early. We had an absolutely miserable night. She fell asleep at a decent time but I had to wake her up at 10:00 to take Tylenol. This was necessary to help with any reaction to the chemotherapy. As you can imagine, she was not happy about being woken up and having to take medicine. Since all of this has started, she despises the taste of Tylenol. She spits it out every time she has to take it. So having to be woken up to take this was no fun. She was really upset....kicking, hitting and screaming. I finally got most of the dose in her and she threw it right back up!!! They then started her chemotherapy. Because of the type of chemo and the intensity, it was necessary to monitor her blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, and oxygen level every 15 minutes for an hour. Then, it had to be done every half and hour for an hour. Then it had to be done every hour for 6 hours. So.....as you can imagine, there was no sleep. She was miserable with being hooked up to the vitals machine. She would just fall asleep and the machine would go off. I think it would be safe to say, she/I slept about 1 hour total last night. She is exhausted. She has not done much all day. Her stomach is hurting and she has no appetite. All she has eaten today is a banana. I think that her eye infection is starting again in her left eye. She wanted the shades down all day and no lights on. She rubbed her eye all day. Her cough has also come back today. Because she is coughing again, they think the Influenza A is coming back. This is very common when immunocompromised kids get the flu. They can have symptoms for a few days then they go away and come back again. So.....because she has already had Tamiflu, she can't have it again. Not sure what they are going to do....we should know more tomorrow. Today definetely was not her best day.

I wanted to also provide guidelines for anyone who is going to get the H1N1 vaccination or if they are getting it for their kids. If you or your children get the "live" virus (nasal mist), please do not plan on visiting Taylor for at least 7 days. Because the virus is considered "live", it could be passed onto her. If you or your children get the H1N1 "dead" virus (shot), you are fine to visit right away. I hope this makes sense......we can't expose Taylor to the "live" virus.

Off to get her to bed and to go to bed myself. I am working tomorrow so need to get some sleep.

Hope you had a good day.

Kristen

Day 7 of Round 4. Taylor has one more dose of chemotherapy for this round. She will receive her chemotherapy tonight at 10:30 pm. This medication is the study medication that she is on. She received one dose in her first round of treatment. The first time she received the medication she vomited quite a bit. Tonight she will be given Tylenol, Benadryl, and Zofran to help with any possible reaction and nausea. The chemotherapy has to be covered in a bag to protect if from any light so it is good that it will be given at night!! How scary is that....the drug can't be exposed to any light but we are pumping it into her system!!! After tonight her chemotherapy will be over. So...we wait. Her counts are still high right now. They dropped alot from yesterday to today so we are thinking they will drop alot more again tomorrow.

She felt pretty good today. She is eating a little bit....not normal amounts but at least getting something. She had a really rough night last night. She/I have been awake since 4:00 am!! They came in to do vitals and a blood draw at 4:00 and woke her up and she would not go back to sleep. So...she is extremely tired. I went home for a couple of hours to do laundry and take Savannah to get her H1N1 vaccination. Taylor had a great time playing with Papa and Grandma Renee. She is really tired and already in bed watching TV. I hope she falls asleep....she needs the rest.

I will let you all know how tonight goes.....pray for the best. I also ran into Elijah's mom. He is still in the PICU but holding his own....please keep praying for Elijah.

Thanks,
Kristen

Hello all - I hope you all had a great Sunday. Taylor had a decent couple of days but is very tired and not eating. She has not been sleeping well at night and I think she has gotten herself exhausted.

Yesterday, I went home to see Savannah for a couple of hours. We met some of our friends at a Fall Festival and went to a Spooktacular. Savannah had a great time and loved being with friends. Taylor played with Daddy, Grandma, and Papa and had a good day. Her rash came back again yesterday but it is still manageable.

Today, she woke up complaining that her stomach hurt. She is getting Zofran around the clock. She hasn't thrown up these last couple of days but had NO desire to eat today. She had a granola bar and would not eat any lunch. Grandma came and we decorated cookies and she ate one but would not eat any dinner or have any more cookies. She told me at 6:00 that she was "too tired" and we are now laying in bed watching Mickey Mouse!!! Aunt Betty and Papa also came today so she had fun with them. A couple of her friends from the 2nd floor stopped down so that brightened her day!!!

She has 2 more doses of her "blue" chemotherapy. She will also get a dose of the chemotherapy for the study that she is on. So...we are almost done with the chemotherapy for this round. Then the fun waiting game starts......is she going to get a fever, is she going to get mouth sores, is she going to eat????? So much fun......

That is all for tonight. I am SOOO tired so think I will try to go to bed when she does.

Have a great Monday,

Kristen

TFIG - Taylor had a decent day today. She was very tired and she complained of a stomach ache all day. She ate, but not much. A couple of bites only at breakfast and lunch but did ok with dinner. She is much more tired than before....I think it is a combination of the chemo and Influenza. Her poor little body has just had enough.

She start a new chemotherapy tomorrow. It is one that she hasn't had before and the dosage is high. The most common side effect are liver problems and cardiac problems. So...as you can imagine, that is enough to really freak me out. They will monitor her liver closely during treatment. She will receive this chemo for 4 days. She had an EKG and ECHO done to get a baseline for heart function. This will be checked again during this round to make sure there was no damage to her heart. The chemo is bright blue and there is also a chance the whites of her eyes will turn yellow from the chemo. Her urine will also turn blue. I have worried about this chemo all day. Sometimes I just ask myself what we are doing.......the side effects of these drugs scare me as much as the leukemia does!!! The problem is what other choice do I have....she has to have the chemo.

Although Taylor had a good day and was in a good mood, I couldn't stop worrying about Elijah......I am so scared for his family. Bone marrow transplant is now my worst nightmare. I think about it all the time. I know there are MANY successful transplants but all I can seem to think about is the ones that have not gone well. I just pray that we will not go to transplant....it really scares me.

I am planning on going home for the day tomorrow to be with Savannah. I just miss her so much. I will come back and sleep again at the hospital. I don't like to leave while Taylor is getting her chemo. Papa (my dad) is in town and surprised Taylor and I at the hospital tonight. She was SOOOO excited and can't wait to see him again tomorrow. Two of Taylor's RN's from the second floor stopped down tonight.....thank you both so much....you made her day!!!!

So...day 3 is done. Hopefully Day 4 will go smoothly.

Have a great weekend,
Kristen

Quick post unrelated to Taylor.

I just spoke with Elijah's (one of Taylor's past roommates) parents. I mentioned a week ago that he is undergoing Bone Marrow Transplant. He is being transferred to the ICU because he needs a breathing tube placed. His throat is swelling up and he is unable to breathe well and it having a few other complications. Please pray for Elijah and his family.

Kristen

Finally....she sleeps!!! Taylor and I had a really rough night last night. She/we only slept a couple of hours. She didn't feel good (nauseated) and we both had a hard time getting back into the routine of the hospital.

She had a good day....she complained that her stomach hurt and was tired. I worked today and Sean was with her. She was excited because one of the RN's from the 2nd floor was floated up and she took care of Taylor today. Having someone she knows really helped make her day brighter.

Her chemo rash has started already. It has started on her face (chin) and she was really itchy tonight so they gave her Benadryl......hence the reason she is asleep before 10:00!!!!

Not much else going on except that I am really tired also so think I will join my princess and try to get some sleep.

Hope you all had a great day.

Kristen

Today has truly been a VERY long, crazy day. Taylor and I went to the outpatient clinic at 1:30 today. After being seen by her Oncologist, we were sent over for admission for Round 4. Because Taylor is still coughing (from the Influenza), we have been admitted to the 3rd floor, not her usual 2nd floor. This was very upsetting to Taylor. When we found out she was going to be admitted, all Taylor could talk about was seeing all of her favorite nurses. Even though she kept begging me to let her stay home and not come back in, she was excited to see her friends at PCH. She got a new pair of jeans on her "break" and wore them so she could show her RN's. So....being admitted to a floor where she doesn't know anyone wasn't how she/I wanted to start this round. It is like we are starting all over again.......she is back to being really shy and won't let me put her down. I thought we would only be on this floor until her cough went away but it sounds like they will keep her up here for at least 3 weeks. So....she is not very happy!!!! We do have our own room......which is good and bad. It will be great at night....we won't have to worry about having a roommate for sleeping but it will be hard during the day....she won't have anyone to play with. Taylor is confined to her room for this entire round of treatment!!!

Round 4......7 days of very intense chemotherapy!! She will be receiving one chemotherapy medication that she has had before. This is the one that she always gets a rash from. This round the dose is even higher, so I am praying the rash will be minimal. It is also the chemotherapy that caused the rash in her eyes last round. So.....hopefully that won't happen this time. She will also receive 2 new chemotherapy medications. As I have mentioned before, this tends to be one of the hardest, longest rounds. They have also told me that it could be even harder on her because of the Flu....she is already immunocompromised from the flu, so she could get pretty sick. All we can do is pray.......

She is finally asleep but unfortunately I don't think she will stay that way. It is 9:30 and they still haven't even started her chemo for the day. I am also exhausted and have a feeling it is going to be a long night, so think I will try to get some sleep. I am working tomorrow so will post when I get back and get Taylor to bed.

Please pray that this round isn't too tough on Taylor. I am so scared that she is going to have horrible side effects and complications this round. Please also pray for Savannah.....she is really struggling with being away from Taylor and I. She just doesn't understand why she won't see her sister for over a month.....

If any of Taylor's RN's from the 2nd floor read this, please stop up and visit it you have a chance. She would LOVE to see you all.

Thanks,
Kristen

Hello all - I hope your week is off to a great start. Well.....tomorrow is hopefully going to be the start of Round 4. Taylor and I are off to the clinic at 1:30. Because she only has a slight cough left over from having Influenza, I think we will be admitted and begin treatment. She is feeling good but really doesn't want to go back to the hospital...can you blame her!!!! Savannah is having a really hard time with us leaving also. She keeps asking me to "please just stay with me!" This never gets easier.

I took a picture of the girls tonight laying in Savannah's bed.....they wanted to "snuggle" together on their last night!!! (Thanks for the nightgown Laurie.....they love them!)

I will try to post tomorrow night once we get settled.

Please pray for Taylor.....it is going to be a long, hard round of treatment.

Love,

Kristen

Hello all - hope you had a great Saturday. There is not a lot of change today. Taylor continues to feel better. She complains that her stomach hurts but then eats ice cream.....so, I think she is fine!!!!

A couple of my friends are running in The Team in Training 1/2 marathons and marathons over the next couple of months. Kerri Gilbertson, Shauna Johnson-Morales, Suzy Hochman, Kelly Grogan, and Chris Woolsey (I hope I have not forgotten anyone....sorry if I did). Chris's marathon is this weekend in San Francisco. He sent out an email a couple of days ago and I was so touched by his compassion and dedication that I asked him if I could share it on the blog. So....here it is:

Dear Family and Friends,

Several months have passed since you last received an email from me regarding my decision to join Team Trevor. If you’re receiving this email now, it’s because you have joined me in the fight against Leukemia – either by sharing personal experiences or by donating to my Team in Training fundraising site or by offering support and encouragement as I train for the upcoming marathon, or all of the above. We’re just a few days away from the marathon, so I thought I would provide you with an update on this journey, including some of the unexpected outcomes experienced along the way.

Fundraising: I will begin by saying how grateful I am to all of you for supporting me over the past several months. Over 90 families have made contributions to my fundraising site for over $6,200. It is an honor to be a part of a group who, in the face of a difficult economy, donated money to help advance the fight against Leukemia. I also wanted to commend those of you who joined the bone marrow registry. Thank you so much for your generosity and thoughtfulness.

Training: Bob (Trevor’s Dad), Ed, and I drove to Sacramento last night for the Team in Training pre-marathon meeting. We pulled into the dark parking lot, parked, got out of the car, and, toasted to a special moment. We had completed a long, hot summer of training. The 15, 18, and 20 mile training runs were behind us. The muscle strain in the back of my knee had been dealt with. I learned how to manage chaffing (not fun), hydration, and the mental complexities of running long distances. So last night we took a moment in that parking lot and acknowledged how far we had come. But that wasn’t what we toasted to. Yesterday was Trevor’s birthday - he would have been three years old. We toasted to Trevor – the reason we were all there. It was a very special moment, one that I will think about as I run the hilly 26.2 mile course in San Francisco this weekend.

The best of us: I read my friend Kristen’s blog every single day. Kristen’s blog tells the story about the daily events that accompany her daughter Taylor’s fight against Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Kristen is incredibly honest in her writing, sharing the intimate details her family experiences each day fighting this disease. Kristen’s writings of hospital life, chemotherapy, measuring blood counts, worrying about infection are similar to the experiences of my good friends Angela and Bob when their Trevor battled AML. What is also similar is the incredible response from the community. In practically every blog entry, Kristen thanks somebody for something special they have done. I am continuously amazed by how people rise to the occasion when challenged; whether it’s the strength and bravery Kristen provides her family or the generosity of support, time, or money offered by friends, family, and even strangers.

I will be running the marathon this weekend knowing that I have the support of a huge team of friends, family, and colleagues – each of you – who made a pledge to help save a life. I will be running the marathon this weekend in your honor, and in the honor of Trevor and Taylor. Thank you.

To all of our friends that our training for these events.....thank you SO much. The money you are raising will hopefully help find a cure for this terrible disease. That all of you would think of training and running on behalf of Taylor means the world to us.

Thank you again to everyone for their support, prayers, donations, and love. We would not have made it through this without out all of you!

Good luck this weekend Chris.....

Love,

Kristen

TGIF!! I hope you had a great Friday. Taylor is feeling so much better. She still has a cough but other than that, her flu symptoms seem to be almost gone. I guess getting the Tamiflu in her so early really helped!!! She has a bug bite on her leg that is a little concerning. Almost her entire calf is red and warm to the touch from this bug bite. I called the clinic today and they told me to outline the red area in pen and see if in the morning the area has grown. I also gave her Benadryl tonight. If the area is bigger, I have to call in and she will most likely need to be taken into the ER for IV antibiotics....so much fun!! When Taylor first got diagnosed with leukemia, she had a bug bite on her arm that got extremely infected and required 10 days worth of antibiotics. So....hopefully this will not be the case with the current bug bite!!!

Taylor and Savannah got a big present from Mommy and Daddy today. They got "big girl bikes!!" They were so excited and couldn't wait to ride them. I have attached a picture of them......so cute!!!

I hope you all have a great weekend. I will post more later this weekend.

Love,

Kristen

Today was a long day. Taylor ended up back in the outpatient oncology clinic today after she threw up her dose of Tamiflu and was refusing to drink any water. When I finally syringed water into her mouth, she threw that up also. So.....we went back to the clinic. The flu seems to have hit Taylor harder than some of her rounds of chemo. She is absolutely wiped out. I have never seen her this lethargic. She only wants me to hold her or lay down with her. She would not eat or drink anything. After being in the clinic for 5 hours, she seems to feel a little better. She was pretty dehydrated so they can her a ton of fluids. They also gave her nausea medication. She finally agreed to try another dose of her Tamiflu and she hasn't thrown it up yet. She ate a tiny bit of dinner and a couple sips of water. So.....hopefully the worst is behind us.....this really stinks!! I just feel so bad for her.....

Two bits of good news. First, they called from Make-A-Wish tonight and Taylor's "wish" to go to DisneyWorld and sleep in a Princess room was accepted and officially granted. Because of her treatment protocol and compromised immune system, we probably won't be able to go until this time next year. But....she and Savannah are so excited!!! Second, our friend Aleeya is officially done with her last round of treatment. She got out of the hospital yesterday and is back at home. Please, please, please pray for continued remission for Aleeya.

That is all for tonight....I am exhausted and going to bed! Please pray for Taylor to kick this flu and feel better. We really need to get back in and start treatment again.

Hello all - just a quick update. Taylor woke up in the middle of the night coughing really hard. I went up and she had also spiked a low grade fever. We were awake most of the night and her coughing got worse as the night went on. I took her into the clinic this morning and she tested positive for Influenza A.....horrible news. So...now we (the entire family) has to go on Tamiflu for 5 days. Taylor is not able to even start her next round of chemotherapy (scheduled for tomorrow). She goes back into the clinic next Wednesday at 1:30. Hopefully at that time, she will be well enough to start chemo.

Not the news we need right now!!!! I will provide updates as the week goes on.....

Thanks,
Kristen

Well, tonight was one of the best, saddest nights!! Does that make sense???? Taylor had her "Wish granting party" for Make-A-Wish. She and Savannah were so excited and couldn't stop talking about it all day. Three "wish granters" came to our house tonight (see picture) with balloons, presents, dinner, and cupcakes. Wow.....they do these parties in style. Taylor and Savannah each received a "princess" present and were in heaven. We all enjoyed Pei Wei (teriyaki chicken for Tay, of course!!). Then.....Taylor was asked what her "wish" was? Taylor wants to go to Disney World and sleep in a Princess room. She and Savannah are both so excited!! Because her immune system has been beaten down so much from the leukemia and the chemotherapy, we will not be able to go on our trip until around this time next year.

The wish granters were all amazing and Taylor and Savannah fell in love with them. They all volunteer on their own time to do this. They really made the night for the girls and they had a great party.

I truly enjoyed watching Taylor and Savannah run and play with their new "friends" but could not helping thinking...I can't believe I am really here!! I talked to one of my friends last night whose daughter has brain cancer and she felt the same way when they had their wish party. It is just unbelievable that we will be going to Disney World for Make-A-Wish. It is so hard to explain..... It is just unbearable to think that my daughter now qualifies for this amazing gift. I am so appreciative that they would even consider doing this for us but just so wish this was not happening. Sometimes I still ask myself if my "new life" is real or if I am having a really bad dream!!!

Anyway, Taylor had a great day. Aunt Kerri came over and stayed with the girls while I worked. They made cookies and played!!! They love Aunt Kerri and didn't want her to leave. Taylor knows she is going back in on Wednesday and keeps asking me if we could "please just stay home one more day!!!" No fun!!!!

I will try to post on Wednesday night after we get settled. If I don't it is just because things will be so crazy. We don't go until 3:00 and she has to get admitted, have a dressing change, and start chemo.....it will be a long evening!!! Please pray for a safe 4th round of treatment. Please pray that she doesn't get RSV or the flu....this would be life threatening to her!!! This round is going to be long and hard.....

Love,

Kristen

Hello all - Happy Sunday. We had a good weekend. Sean's birthday is later this month and because Taylor will be back in the hospital we celebrated tonight. We all enjoyed cake and presents!!!

Tomorrow in the Arizona Republic, there will be a story written by Ginger Rough on the front page. Part of her story will highlight Taylor's ordeal. There will be a couple pictures of the girls also. Please make sure to take a look. If you are not local, I am sure that the Arizona Republic can be viewed online.

Tomorrow night is another big night for us. Taylor's "wish granting party" for Make-A-Wish is at 5:00. I am not sure what all is involved but know that is a very big deal. So....I will post details tomorrow night.

Hope you are all doing well!!

Love,
Kristen

TGIF!! Tonight was Halloween at our house. Because Taylor will be back in the hospital over Halloween, I was having a hard time facing the fact that Taylor and Savannah would not be able to Trick-or-Treat together. So.......I went to 5 of our neighbors and asked them if they would mind doing a "mini" Halloween for the girls. They all happily agreed. Tonight, Tinkerbell (Savannah) and Ariel (Taylor) were normal twin sister's happily trick-or-treating!! It was great. I will post a picture of them. They had a great time and we all have stomach ache's from eating so much candy.

Taylor is doing pretty well. She is very tired but still loves being home!!! She is already having anxiety about going back into the hospital. She keeps asking when we have to go and how long we have to be there. How I wish I did not have to answer this question!!!

I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Love,
Kristen

Hello all - Happy Wednesday. Taylor went into the clinic today for her bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture. Her lumbar puncture came back clean with no evidence of leukemia cells. She received a large dose of chemotherapy today in her spine again as a precaution. Her bone marrow aspiration showed less than 3 percent "blast" (leukemia) cells which means that she is able to start Round 4 next Wednesday. This is great news. Last round, it took her bone marrow 3 1/2 weeks to be at an acceptable level, so this time she recovered much faster. She is scheduled for admission at PCH on October 14th at 3:00. Round 4 is the toughest round of chemotherapy she will receive. They say the average length of stay for this round is around 50 days....my goal is to have her out in 40 days!!! She will be in the hospital for her birthday which stinks!!! But.......we are just excited that she recovered quickly this round. I am anxious to get back in (who would have ever thought I would say that) and get this next round over!!!

She had a tough day today. She threw up a couple of times after her procedures and had a hard time waking up. She was really stiff and in pain this afternoon. I hated to do it, but I made her get up and walk around quite a bit. They say that moving around is the best thing to prevent soreness. I gave her a dose of pain medicine at bedtime so hopefully she will feel better in the AM.

Grandma is staying with the girls tomorrow....I am going back to work for the next 3 days!!!

I will post more later. Thank you for your prayers!!

Kristen

Great News.....Taylor got home yesterday!!! We were so surprised. Her counts did come up......they were technically a littler lower than they normally allow for discharge but they let her go anyway!!! She was so excited and couldn't wait to see Harley and Savannah. I will post a couple of pictures of Taylor and Savannah playing together again....what a beautiful sight!!!

We had to say goodbye to our great friend Aleeya. This is Aleeya's last round of treatment.....YEAH!!! She will not be allowed to visit Taylor at PCH due to flu season so we can't wait to see her again when Taylor is done with treatment. We absolutely will miss her and her parents so much. They were amazing to us and are great friends. We pray that Aleeya will stay in remission!!!!

For the 1st time since June 18th (day Taylor was diagnosed), I actually got out of the house last night. Grandma came over to watch the girls and Sean and I went to the ASU game. We had a great time with the Novacks and Crusher....too much fun!! It really was nice to do something "normal" again!!

Taylor goes back to the clinic on Wednesday for her bone marrow aspiration and lumbar puncture. I will post once we get the results. Right now she is scheduled for re-admission for Round 4 on October 14th.

Please put the prayers in full force....Wednesday is a big day!!!

Love,
Kristen

Taylor and I woke up to disappointing news....her counts did not rise today.....she did not get to go home. She was very disappointed but was in good spirits by the end of the day. The RN's at PCH are amazing....every second they aren't working, they come in to play and talk to Taylor. She now paints all of the staff's nails.....she is actually getting really good at it.

I came home this afternoon to see Savannah and will go back to PCH tomorrow. Hopefully her counts will go up and she will be home by the end of the weekend.

Have a great weekend.
Love,
Kristen

Another quick post...I apologize for this. I am just having such a difficult time getting Taylor to get any rest. She refuses to nap and will not go to sleep. Tonight she is complaining that her leg hurts....this is a common side effect of the chemo and of leukemia. So....I am taking a quick break to post and will go back to massaging her legs.

We woke up to day to a nice surprise....her counts doubled!!! If she continues to go up quickly, we should be home this weekend. I have spent the majority of the day dealing with our health insurance....that is a another LONG story......insurance is a big pain!!!

Gotta go.....she is doing well and hanging in there. Please pray for Taylor to get out of here!!!

XOXO
Kristen