Macey is 3 Months!

I can't believe that Macey is getting so big. Where does the time go?! I have loved every day with her, though--the good and the bad :) What has Macey been up to the past month?

She likes sitting in her high chair now and watching us eat...

At least for a little while... :)

Macey is teething...(woohoo?) Her first tooth will be through any day now! Two things about teething: First, Macey drools constantly. Second, she has a hard time sleeping because of it. She gets to the point where she is so exhausted, that she collapses. See Examples A and B below :) (In example B I was bouncing Macey on my knee. She seemed limp to me, so I peeked to see what she was doing. She was asleep, sitting up, on my knee!)

Macey's dad is still silly (yes...that's her skirt on his head).

I am already nervous about Macey's fascination with football. I think I may be out numbered in this household...

(Watching the BYU vs. U of U game at the hotel.)
 

We tried Macey's Bumbo chair for the first time! She wasn't quite sure what to think of it at first, but now she loves sitting up and seeing the world!

Macey spent time at the hospital visiting grandpa, as well!

(Scott even got to feed his Peruvian side with Papa Johns Pizza and Inca Kola:))

She also loves to play with toys! Macey can now grab any toy that you give her (if she wants to, anyway :))

(I am a mean mom for liking this picture so much...)

Macey has a bed time now! She takes regular naps and goes to sleep at the same time every night. It sure makes life a little easier on mom! She goes to sleep for the night around 6:30-7:00. One night while eating dinner, I wasn't fast enough, and she fell asleep while I was eating.

Macey loved getting to spend the month of September with her cousin Alice. They are 3 weeks apart, and they get along so well! Everytime they laid next to each other, they held each other's hands. See?

Light the Night Walk

This past Saturday, September 24, 2011, there was a "Light the Night Walk" in Salt Lake City. The walk was to promote awareness and raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We heard about the walk about a week before it happened. We signed up, and being all the Christensen Girls were still in Utah, we all joined in the fun!

The color for Leukemia is orange, so we bought new shirts and ironed on our own logos :)

The Christensen Girls before the walk:

Scott, Macey, and I before the walk:

The balloons symbolized how Leukemia had affected each individual. Red represents support for someone who is currently battling the disease. Gold represents those who have lost someone to Leukemia. White represents the survivors.

Scott making sure the girl was fed and happy :)

Julie, Amy, and my Mom:

We are already making plans to do it next year with my dad :)

Tender Mercies

A couple of weeks ago, I read a scripture in 1 Nephi that talks about tender mercies. I have heard several people talk about tender mercies of the Lord and what they mean to them. I remember reading this scripture and asking Scott what tender mercies meant to him. At that point, I wasn't exactly sure what it meant to me.

That was before. Before leukemia. When life was normal. Free from hospitals, blood tests, bone marrow biopsies, and IVs.

 "...But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." (1 Nephi 1:20)

We have seen a series of tender mercies occur since September 1st. D-day. Leukemia day. I don't even know where to begin.

My dad initially went to the hospital to get his knee checked out. He twisted it earlier in the year, and it was bothering him. He went to Nephi Hospital--where, typically, the doctor's would not be well versed in knowledge about AML; however, his doctor's son was just diagnosed with a type of leukemia. He had been researching warning signs. When certain red flags came up, he recognized them as leukemia symptoms and ran more tests. That's when the tender mercies began.

He headed up to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake, and chemotherapy started immediately.

Personally, I feel so blessed to have been able to come down to Salt Lake. I was in a position where it was easy for me to come down and help. Macey and I packed a few things, and we hit the road. We are here as long as we are needed. :)

It's hard not to get discouraged in the oncology ward. It's easy to see the effects of chemotherapy in other patients. It's even easier to see how blessed my dad was--that he had very few of the negative symptoms. One of his favorites--he hasn't lost his hair yet! He doesn't have a lot of it, but it's there! It is slowly falling out, but he has held on to it for a while.

He didn't throw up once with the chemotherapy. Don't get me wrong, he was nauseous, and tired, and didn't have any appetite, but it could have been a lot worse! Since then, he has developed mouth sores, rashes, a dry mouth, tiredness, bloody noses, an increased loss in appetite, etc.

The seven days of chemotherapy were a learning experience. My dad had 4 women (My mom, Julie, Amy, and I) attending to him--what more could he have wanted? :) My dad was quiet most days--always thinking. He constantly had The Mormon Tabernacle Choir playing. A favorite song was "This is the Christ".

We all knew he was quietly thinking.

One day, when my dad and I were alone, I asked what he was thinking about. He told me he was thinking about The Atonement of Jesus Christ. He became very emotional. He told me that he now knew what it was like to have a long and lonely night--and to feel the power of The Atonement. To feel the Savior running to help him. It reminded me of the scripture in Alma 7:11-12:

 

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

Beautiful.

Initially, genetic tests were run to see if my dad had a series of genetic markers which produced AML. It took 2 weeks for the results to come back. The results came back earlier this week. My dad was negative for all genetic markers. (If he had them, it would have made his AML SO much harder to treat.)

My dad had his second bone marrow biopsy on Thursday. The second biopsy was to determine if the chemotherapy worked. It tested the marrow and the bone--to see if they are cancer free. We got the results today--my dad is cancer free! The chemotherapy worked for now!! There is still a chance that it could come back in the next two weeks, but we are hopeful and prayerful that all will go well.

The doctor who presented the results told us that in all the years she has been a doctor, she has never seen a man who is my dad's age have such a positive prognosis. It is truly miraculous.

What's next? My dad will be in the hospital another 2 weeks. They will do another bone marrow biopsy. If the results come back clean again, my dad will get to go home for 10 days. He will come back for his first round of chemo after those 10 days. He will then have periodic rounds of chemotherapy for the next 6 months. While this is the best case scenario, we are still hoping and praying for the best. Whatever happens, because of all the small tender mercies, the doctor said that it is possible to cure my dad's AML.

Surprisingly, when the results came back today, my dad was sad. He admitted to my sisters that he didn't understand why everything has worked out so perfectly for him and there is a boy in his early 20s waiting for a bone marrow transplant--slowly dying. Or why the young boy who is now skin and bones walks down the hallway with a walker with two people holding him up. The same boy who yesterday had to be wheeled back to his room in a wheelchair because he couldn't make it back. Or why the father with a one year son had to endure this. He doesn't understand why he is the one who has had such a miraculous recovery.

I don't know why either. All I know is that I am grateful. Perhaps that is incredibly selfish. While my heart aches for all the patients I have seen walk the hallways of the oncology ward, I am glad that my dad can be okay. There is still a hard journey ahead, but I am grateful for the humbling power of the Lord's tender mercies. The tender mercies that constantly attend those who are faithful.

 

I know the Savior has been there, and I know that he has run to my dad's aide.

He has comforted all of us as we embarked into the unknown. He has blessed us with patience when we sat day after day waiting for results. He allowed us to exercise faith in him so we could become mighty. Hopefully, we will remain mighty unto deliverance. Deliverance into remission from AML. To me, that is what tender mercies mean.

My Dad is a Superhero

I am writing this post to ask for a little help! I don't think I have a wide range of readers, but hopefully, word will travel, and this can be a success! In order to explain how I need your help, I need to explain details.

My dad is a giant of a man. He will always be my superhero. We found out this last week, my superhero, my Dad, was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myelocitic Leukemia). He went in to get a stiff knee checked out, and he found out more serious news. He was immediately rushed to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. He has been there ever since then.

This past week he underwent a bone marrow biopsy, and the results showed that he did in fact have AML. This type of leukemia is fast moving. The doctor informed us today that if he didn't receive treatment, he would be gone in 4 weeks. However, with chemotherapy, his chances of living are drastically increased.

Chemotherapy started immediately: today. He goes through a week of Chemotherapy, and then he will stay 4 to 6 weeks in the hospital. As any one can imagine, chemotherapy and Leukemia in general is hard to endure. To be the one to endure the pain, is something else to imagine.

Now, the help I need. My family and I want to try to put together a pick-me-up book for my dad! He has always been my superhero, and I imagine that he has been one to others as well. If you have any memories, stories, thoughts, or inspiring words--I am sure he would love to hear them! We would also appreciate any prayers offered as well. If you want to leave comments on this blog post or email me your words, I know he would appreciate it (as would the rest of the Christensen clan)!

My email: lisamcbagley@gmail.com

As for my family, we are doing fine. We have seen miracles and blessings unfold, and we are hopeful for the future. We are learning to enjoy each day. More than anything, we know that our family is for forever. We know that whatever the outcome, we, and the love we share for one another, will last for eternity.

Also, if you could pass the word on to family members, friends, associates, etc. that may know my dad (along with my email address) I would greatly appreciate it!