What a Difference a Year Makes

Today is Day +365!

Today is the one year anniversary of Elena's life saving bone marrow transplant!  We can't believe it has been a year!

At this time last year, Elena was in the hospital.  During the days before her transplant Elena received both chemo and radiation. This was to kill any cancer cells in Elena's body and also to help prepare Elena's body to receive the new, healthy blood stem cells. These days were very hard on Elena physically and mentally. We had lost our summer and joy was hard to find.

We all continued to struggle over the next 87 days as Elena fought to recover and come home.  We were feeling overwhelmed, scared, and sad.  Liv was lost in the storm of it all.  The 189 days that followed Elena's return home were spent with Elena unable to attend school.  More challenges to overcome, more opportunities to choose joy! 

We asked you for your prayers, for our focus to remain on God moment by moment, day by day.  Our friends reminded us that God is faithful.  He knows what we need before we ask, and He is able to do more than we can ask or imagine.  We asked Him to direct our steps every day.

We shared with you a list of specific prayer requests. Do you remember?

Here's the list and added updates:

That God will protect Elena from the potential long-term side effects she could face from treatment. (such as damage to the brain, heart, liver, bladder, kidneys, thyroid and other glands, and eyes (cataracts), risk of other secondary cancers, and more)  
.:. so far so good, keep praying .:.

That Elena will not develop any complications that will lead to time in ICU or other problems (such as VOD pneumonia)
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That Elena won’t be allergic to anything she is given
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will help Elena deal with having to stay on the BMT hall and not being outside for 4-6 weeks 
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will help all of us deal with the time apart, and that it will pass quickly
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will keep us from getting sick during this time
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will use us to share His love with others we meet in the hall and in the hospital, to encourage them and/or to point them to the source of our hope – Jesus
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will protect Olivia during this time
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will help Elena need as few transfusions as possible and let her counts rebound as quickly as they can
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will guide all our nurses and doctors to take great care of Elena
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

That God will help us get the rest we need throughout this time
.:. answered - Praise God! .:.

WOW! It is amazing to see how God has worked in our lives!

Now, a year later, we have the gift of another summer! We have new joy and a new appreciation for life!  We are so happy to be together as a family and are enjoying life.

We know that God brought us through this past year to today. We know these truths remain - God is faithful, He knows what we need before we ask, and He is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. 

We continue to ask Him to direct our steps every day.  We continue to lean on Him and on you when fear and doubt creep into our thoughts.  We are so very grateful to Him and to you.  There are no words to completely express our thankfulness to you for your prayers and your steadfast love.

In the book, Bittersweet, the author says, "Heartbreak brings us lots of places - to despair, bitterness, emptiness, numbness, isolation.  But because God is just that good, if we allow the people who love us to walk with us right through the brokenness, heartbreak can also lead to a deep sense of God's presence."  She continues to say she believes that God does his best work in our lives during great heartbreak and loss.  "I believe that much of that rich work is done by the hands of people who love us, who dive into the wreckage with us and show us who God is, over and over and over."

For us, these statements are so true.  We lived them.  Thank you for walking with us, and at times carrying us right through our brokenness.  Thank you for doing God's work and for showing us who God is, over and over and over!  We are so very grateful!

In Him,
The Tates

"Carry one another's burdens, in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
Galatians 6:2

"I will praise you. O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you." Psalm 9:1-2