Never so thankful....

Wow!!  We can’t believe it’s been almost a year since our last post!  It must be a good sign right?  Well, this is a big month for us, a month of celebration and remembrance, as we look back 3 years ago on November 30^th, when Lance had his bone marrow transplant. We have had so much to be thankful for, especially all of you who have continued in your prayers for Lance’s healing and for our life to have some semblance of ‘normal’.

We just have to begin by saying, “God is so good!”  We have seen our paths take us through some dark days of wondering just where we would be at this point right now almost 3 years later.  Even though we can’t say everything is completely back to normal, we can say there have been some big praise-worthy victories:  1-Lance is STILL cancer free as of his last bone marrow check from the spring  2-Lance’s GVH has started to calm down (not so many “battles” over Lance’s blood)  3-Lance has been able to lower his medication doses, especially with the steroids  4-We are seeing more of the Lance we know and love, not just the spunky carefree Lance, but the Lance who is now starting to remember things that others around him are forgetting (No fair, I thought we were supposed to age together, here!)  5-Taking more trips and doing a LOT more with the family AND enjoying it!  6-Getting sick and… getting BETTER (many of you may remember our big fear was and still is at times for Lance’s immune system)  7-Doing more projects around the house (i.e. spending 4 consecutive hours running outdoor pathway lights – this would have never happened even a year ago!!)  8-For blessing the two of us with a long and wonderful marriage together, where the Lord’s presence has been a daily witness.  We could go on and on – so much to be thankful for!  It’s neat to think about how our Blog states “A Future and a Hope” and here we are enjoying each day and the future that he has given us together!! 

We are surrounded by so many wonderful caring people (many of you who are probably reading this right now) and besides being asked “How is Lance doing?” we also get asked “What can we pray for?”, so while we are thankful for the many blessings, there are still concerns that will often overwhelm our family.  Because of  Lance's lowered immune system and Chronic Graft vs Host disease we are still driving to Iowa City every four weeks to see the doctor and to get an IV to boost his immune system. They still have to keep a close eye on him.   Lance has desired to be completely steroid-free and while he is on a very low dose, it seems to be one thing or another that either brings him back on the steroids, making it harder to go off again..  Lance feels as he has gone down from over 200 pills a week after transplant to 180 last year and now to 120 pills a week that he is thinking more clearly so he would love to  even be free of even more of his meds so please pray for this!!   Also pray for Lance that even though he is able to spend 4 hours on a project, these tasks are few and far between and he would love to take on more without the side effects of fatigue and soreness.  Pray for Lance’s continued strength and positive attitude, in fact he’s so AWESOME at keeping a positive attitude that I can’t imagine what we would do without it!!   He presses forward each day in spite of fatigue or GVH issues and not giving up!!    We have thought many times of the verse in Hebrews 12:1 where it talks about how we can get so bogged down by everything around us when we just need to let it go or “throw it down”, and to keep our eyes on Jesus and “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” --  I read that the definition of perseverance is: “persistence and tenacity, the effort required to do something and keep doing it till the end” – and yes Lance’s picture should be right above it!  We both take comfort in the fact that Our Loving God is the one who has marked out this race for us... and we can TRUST HIM TOTALLY! We are all SO proud of Lance, he has been amazing through this entire ordeal.  I didn’t think I could love him anymore than I do, but I really do!

HALL FAMILY UPDATES….

Nathan and Nicole are in full family mode, from football games to swim practice, they always have something to keep them going!  Nicole is busy with her full-time job as a Career Counselor for the Army Reserves and Nathan is continuing to make his presence valuable at Medline, just reaching his 11^th anniversary with the company this week.  Gavin, 10 is in 5^th grade, Helen, 9 is in 4^th grade, Evie, 7 is in 2^nd grade and Gwenny 6 is in Kindergarten, all 4 at the same school!  They will all be starting swim team next week with Dad as their coach.  Lance’s  love for sports and natural gifts of coaching have rubbed off!

Cory and Jamie are enjoying a busy life with Camryn, 2 and Hayden who will be 5 on Thanksgiving. The kids keep them on their toes with Camryn getting into everything and Hayden making sure that Mom and Dad know!  Jamie is still with Medline and also works part time at Hy-Vee.  Cory is also at Medline and has had a big part this year in helping to start a Running Club in the city of Dubuque.  He enjoys running and has gotten the rest of the family involved and it’s easy to see that giving back to others is another life lesson also seen from Lance.

 

Justin and Ashley have had a very busy year!  They started with Ashley accepting a position as the Office Nurse Manager for the Cardiovascular Medical Office that she had been working for, then  Justin completing his Bachelor’s in electrical engineering,  then accepting a job with John Deere, to buying a house in Waterloo!  WOW!!  They will be ready for a break!  Dillan started Kindergarten this fall and has excelled in every way!  Chayce also continues to amaze his parents daily with his wit and charm, more of Lance showing through in each of the grandkids!

Elisabeth has also had a busy year with a lot of changing and growing.  She went from working full-time as an administrative assistant  in a Financial Services Department to attending school full-time at Emmaus Bilble College.  The Lord has shown many blessings in this endeavor (a story in itself....God Alone is the reason she is there!).  And most exciting has been a reconnection with a friend, Erik, who had previously gone to her church when they were little and then moved away for several years.  After he moved back, they have shared a wonderful friendship and have started dating.  Erik has already made a great impression on many of the family members, or at least until he decided to warp the minds of the young and unsuspecting nieces and nephews with his Chicago bears paraphernalia (only Vikings Fans here you know!!).  Ironically though, Erik through his charm, wits and good looks has shown himself to resemble a very important person in Elisabeth’s life…uh-oh…..  One more reason to be thankful for Lance’s good health, keeping a careful eye on his little girl….

Thank-you once again for keeping Lance and the rest of the family in your thoughts and prayers, we lift Him up in His great glory that He knows the plans he has for us all and that he WILL give us hope and a future.

We love you all!  We love all of your encouraging letters and e-mails!!

Love, Penny   (with LOTS of help from Nicole!)     Thanks Nicole!!  

Early Christmas Present

Hi everyone! Happy late Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and soon to be Happy New Year! I can’t believe how fast this year has gone by! It has been a year of a lot of ups and downs for our family, but as we get closer to the day that we celebrate the birth of our savior we were given the best Christmas present that we could have ever imagined. Last Friday, Dad went to Iowa City to get a bone marrow biopsy done, and after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, the doctor finally called us back with the results. It was the best news that we could have heard. NO CANCER! After a little scare earlier this year with some cancer cells found in one blood test we are so relieved and so thankful, and to say we are just a little excited would be an understatement! We once again have been so blessed!

It seems just like yesterday that Dad was laying in the hospital having his transplant, but as of the 30th it has been two years now! He has come such a long ways in these two years and the results of this biopsy were the icing on top of the cake! I remember two years ago when Dad was going into transplant he wondered if he would ever make it out to be able to watch Gavin at his football games and swim meets, but two years later here we are. He sat through every one of Gavin’s football games this year, cheering him on louder than anyone else! And later today not only will he get to see Gavin swim, but also Helen and Evie! I will never cease to amaze me what a wonderful God we have!

So, I guess I’ll end here. Thank you again everyone for all your thoughts and prayers! Have a very Merry Christmas!

Elisabeth

A Special Request for a Special Milestone!

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope this is received well by you all! We are approaching a very significant day in our family and many of you may remember fondly a moment almost 2 years ago on November 30th when Lance received life-saving stem cells from his oldest son, Nathan. This "new life" for Lance has given us so much to be thankful for and to feel the love and blessings of our Father's Love as well as the support of so many loved ones. This process, however, has not been without its many ups and downs. The biggest struggle has been to adjust to the "new normal" (yet a blessing that a sort of "normal" can be found once again) and we have been encouraged and blessed by so many of you. Often we hear about the prayers that were felt throughout this ordeal or moments that you were reminded of Lance in a special way. We had thought about throwing a big party to celebrate (as this deserves a BIG celebration!) but it seemed more meaningful to ask of you a few moments of your time to share with us through letter or e-mail ways in which you have been blessed, encouraged, prayers that have been prayed, verses or moments in your day to day life when Lance has come to mind. If you wouldn't mind taking a moment to jot something down in an e-mail (or letter), we hope to put something together in a book over the next couple of weeks. No worries if its one simple sentence because those can say the most! We just hope and pray that  many of you will share a thought or two with us, so we can continue to lift up Lance and keep his journey going strong! Thank-you so much, we can't wait to hear from you!  Keep in mind, Lance doesn't know about this so far and thanks for your help!

Sincerely,
Nicole, Penny and Elisabeth Hall

E-mail: penshall@aol.com

For the fun pictures below please check out the song "Good to be Alive" By Jason Gray  its been an encouragement and inspired a picture session with the grandkids!

http://youtu.be/4omFQJEAAVc

 

Isn't Lance a good sport?  Its fun to see a Grandpa being goofy for his grandkids! (Just think a couple of years ago Lance wouldn't have been able to do this!)

 

This is my (Nicole's) personal favorite!  Lance has had A LOT to live for especially the beautiful lady standing behind him!

 

This one gave us ALL some good laughs as they were trying to make their faces red!!  Lance's face was the best!

In Iowa City right now sitting here watching Lance get his IV,  Actually Lance is laying in a recliner alternating between watching TV and trying to sleep amongst the BEEPS from everyones machines going off.   Doctor just came in a little while ago to tell us she feels Lance needs to go back on the steroids.   She was so encouraging.....telling us that even though getting off them didn't work this time it doesn't mean it never will.    So we received the wisdom that we asked for....... Thank You for praying!   It had become pretty clear as the week went on what the doctor would say but it was great to just get to really talk to her today and hear how she felt about it.   She keeps telling Lance it is OK to tell her if there is a problem.....he is not a complainer and always tells them he is doing great.... but then they REALLY  look at him and then at me to see how he is feeling.  They were laughing at me today because I had told myself I was not going to say a word about how he has been doing.....let him tell them.....I didn't want to be the reason he went back on steroids we wanted so much for him to be off.   The nurse was laughing because I don't have to say anything..... you can see what I think without a word and it didn't help that I kept sucking in my breath trying so hard not to talk!!    We have much to be thankful for.... just take a walk around this hospital for a little bit and you will see really quickly how much you have to be thankful for and be reminded of so many people to pray for.   GOD IS GOOD!  ----Penny   

Prayer Request!

  A quick prayer request.   Lance has been completely off steroids for about 3 weeks (so excited!) but is now battling fatigue, and possibly some GVH issues again.  It has taken months to get off the steroids and it would be a disappointment to have to go back on them.   As I've mentioned before he cannot attempt to get off any of his other meds until he does well off the steroids.   So we would appreciate prayer for healing and wisdom.   Thank you for your prayers!!! 

Iowa City appointment

Yesterday was a long day in Iowa City.  Doctor told us last month that maybe after this appointment she might let Lance go a little longer between appointments but that is not to be the case yet.    It's kind of funny, just the other day we were talking about being thankful and I realized I need to be thankful for any time I get with Lance even if it is just a doctor appointment and guess what..... I get to do it again next week!!   God is good and has a sense of humor!

Lance came down with another cold virus so couldn't get his shots and his IGG level is 50 which is way lower than the normal of like 700 to 1600!  They decided to send us up to the infusion center and get IVIG in hopes of helping boost this part of his immune system and help him fight  viruses.  Practically everyone I know has had something lately so we didn't think he was doing to bad but obviously they are concerned about that low level and the fact that there are still a lot of viruses going around for this time of year.   After  waiting ..... they came out to tell us it was to late to start as it takes at least 4 hours and we wouldn't get done till 9 pm so we will head back down next week for that and then at next month's appointment Lance will have all the regular test he gets each month, but then he'll have a lung test and then head to the infusion center for another IVIG.

Interesting that his GVH seems to be settling down some, Thanks for your prayers!  This means they will let him try and get off the steroids!!! YES!!    Please pray for his energy level as he tries to get off steroids in the next month or two, that's the tough part. 

Doctor was smiling and shaking her head once again at him.  We were discussing how tough the last couple months had been with all the meds taking their toll on his body and energy level........and something is causing not only vitamin D defiency but others as well........  What to do??   Well  I was telling her how  Lance decided that resting wasn't working so this week he set himself up a schedule for exercise, rest and eating.... the exercise is his own schedule and Elisabeth has been helping him with the eating and I'm in charge of the resting!!   He wants to start jog/walking even if it is just a little at a time to build up his lungs ( Yes, I said jog/walk....Lance's mind set is if you are going to try you might as well give it your all...Like that isn't what he does already!!) along with weight lifting to help with the muscle loss from the steroids.  My part is to make sure he doesn't over do it....Yeah Right....Like when I used to tell him to wear a mouth guard and face mask in hockey!    He SO wants to play hockey again!    Doctor was calling him Marathon man because he just doesn't stop even when most all the rest of us would sure want to just give up.   I think she enjoys having someone who is so determined.....It seems to be one step forward and two back.....three forward then one back... and on and on.... sooooo slow!   But when we look back over the last year you can see the improvement just MUCH slower than he thought..... and no hockey YET!    He is working really hard to do good on the next lung test.....Please pray that his body will cooperate with his determination!    Thank you once again for all your love and prayers for us... we feel them and thank God for you all!     --- Penny

Celebrating Lance's Life!!

                                    Lance's birthday was on Tuesday! It was so great to see a birthday through a childs eyes again (four out of the eight grandkids in this picture)!  They were so excited for Grandpa!  We are SO THANKFUL for another year!!   I read a verse the other morning and  immediately thought of Lance.....It's John 15:13 "Greater love has no man than this,  that a man lay down his life for his friends."   There is a study note in my bible that says that the highest expression of love is self-sacrificing which spares not life itself....  Our family has witnessed this kind of self-sacrificing love in Lance over and over.  Things have been tough for him lately.  Even though he is so much better than last year his body is struggling.....it is tired, the meds are taking a toll on him ..... Yet over and over I see him pull himself back up ...smile and do things that he thinks will please us instead of himself when I'm sure he just needs to rest.  Thank you for your continued prayers for us .....we are thankful for how far he has come and where he is today....... yet he continues to strive for a complete recovery someday!!   Oh by the way the chair is his gift to encourage him to rest outside NOT in my dining room!!    Thanks Lance for being my best friend and setting such an example of godly self-sacrificing love!!!  ----Penny

Inspired daughter-in-law....

Hi everybody, I've been given the privilege to add a new post to Lance's blog page. I know it 's been awhile and although I might not make mention of everything that has happened over the last few months, hopefully I can hit the highlights as well as give an update on how things have been going for Lance, Penny, Elisabeth and the rest of the family. First of all, let me begin by saying that we have been so blessed to see Lance make leaps and bounds beyond what anyone expected. He has been back to work full time since January (full time for Lance is not the typical 40 hours, most HR people far exceed that!). He has been able to be around more people, especially his family, and he is going above and beyond in keeping that positive attitude that we all know and love about Lance. The truth of it all is, Lance may look the picture of good health and great disposition, but he is not out of the weeds yet. If anyone knows Lance like we do, he has such a will of determination, courage and strength that even on days when he is experiencing pain from his GVH (whether its in his eyes or on his skin that day) or practically falling over from fatigue, he always manages to keep himself going, to keep a smile on his face. The last thing he ever wants people to hear from his mouth is how bad it really is, but rather how blessed he is for what God has given him and amazingly when he asks for strength, its always there. When talking to Penny and Lance, you hear about the difficult trials that they have to face on a daily basis, but how they can give examples of God's love for them, in carrying them through all of this, is so awesome! It sounds so cliche` but you really can see the beauty in a disease that is so ugly. I have gained so much more love and respect for Penny and Lance through all of this and I think I can speak on behalf of myself and the other sisters when I say that we have been so blessed to marry into a family where a mother and father can have so much love for their children and even more for each other. They have taken Christ's love and poured it into everyone around them!

At this time I want to ask specifically for any and all of you to really take a moment to pray now for Lance's ongoing struggle with GVH. They have recently been told once again that this is something he may have to live with for the rest of his life. It seems like an easy acceptance when just a year ago it was still questionable about whether the cancer would take his life, but more than anything Lance would like to see a light at the end of this tunnel or even a sense of peace in dealing with the GVH. I love the verse in Hebrews 4:16 (NLT) "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." Might I also add, the entire family is so grateful for your prayers, letters and encouragement that you extend to Penny and Lance, it keeps them going daily!

Now onto the "fun" stuff! I'd like to look back over the last few weeks at some of the neat things happening in the family and how Lance has been able to get his life back. As I personally look back, it makes me feel emotional to think that just over a year ago, I was wondering if my kids would ever get to just "hang out" with Grandpa anymore and how much our lives could change. But now I still have the echo ringing in my ears from a couple of weeks ago, as Grandpa Lance was cheering for his grandson Gavin (9 years old) - "Let's Go, buddy!", when Gavin scored a first place finish in the State 25 freestyle swimming event and broke a local record that was over 25 years old. It was Gavin who right away said, "Grandpa, did you see me, cause I broke that record for you". Having Lance there meant the world because Lance is no stranger to the sports arena coaching youth of different ages and sports as well as mentoring his own gifted sons and daughter. So when Grandpa listens, gives advice and encourages, it means so much to the kids. We were all so lucky to share in Gavin's success that day, sisters cheering on the sidelines, his loud-mouthed mother :), anxious Coach-Dad, an awesome aunt who captured it all on film, two Grandma's who couldn't keep their eyes dry :) and the lucky grandpa who waited til eveyone was quiet for the buzzer to cheer the loudest, "Let's go, Buddy!" It was an awesome day! Gavin ended up with 3- first place finishes and 3 new records for the YMCA (VERY rare!). Many of the records he broke were held by kids for many years and who have now gone onto to be great swimmers and one is actually trying out for the olympic time trials in Omaha this summer.

Gavin with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Elisabeth and Dad at State!

Our 5-year old daughter Evie was also able to have some special time with Grandma and Grandpa for a whole weekend! She was so excited and the one-on-one time was so good for her. Even though we missed her, we were so happy to know she was able to have such a neat experience.

Helen, our 7-year old daughter was also on the swim team and made great strides with her swimming abilities and competitive drive. She has always been our artist, but now we discovered a great athlete in there too and next year she plans on going to State for swimming as well.

Gwendolyn, 4, is our youngest and although she is our most petite girl, she has a fearless side to her and hopes to catch up to her siblings one of these days. She will start soccer for the first time in a couple of weeks and we can't wait to see her go!

Hayden (3) and Camryn (8 months) are Cory and Jamie's little girls and they are growing so fast too! Hayden is quite the conversationalist and if there was anything you ever needed to know, she will tell you! She also loves to play practical jokes (wonder who she got that from?) Camryn is working on crawling, but if she can't get where she needs to, she will definitely let you know, she may not talk quite yet but she knows how to communicate and if you want to keep her happy, don't hold back on the mashed potatoes!

Dillan (3) and Chayce (almost a year!) are Justin and Ashley's kids and they too are getting so big and learning so much! Dillan is the big sister looking after her little brother, Chayce. She loves being a big sister. Chayce will be celebrating his 1st birthday on March 31st surrounded by family and friends at their home near Waterloo, what a big milestone!

Penny and Lance are such proud grandparents and if the last month or so is any indication of how things will go for the next few years, Grandma and Grandpa will have many more grandkids' events to look forward too.

Aunt Elisabeth is also very proud of her nieces and nephews and makes time to be with them as often as she can. This past week has been a big week for her as she just started a different position at Emmaus in the Believers Stewardship Services department working as an administrative assitant for Drew Tuecke. This job has come with a huge responsibilty load but undoubtedly nothing she can't handle. If her time and energy spent being by her parents' side through the trials of dealing with Lance's cancer say anything about her loyalty and dedication, she will make one of their best employees yet. We are all so proud of Elisabeth as she steps out to take on this new role and blossom with confidence, she will do great!

Once again, thank-you to everyone for your continued support! Thank-you for keeping Lance and his family in your prayers, he would not be where he is without them! We hope to blog again soon!

-Nicole Hall

(Nathan's wife, and grateful daughter-in-law to Penny and Lance) :)

Latest news from the Halls

HI!!

Remember us!! We were just talking when we wrote the last blog that maybe people are tired of hearing updates on us... it is hard to know when to stop... But then I sat here this morning and realized that Lance has had a few steps forward since we wrote so I thought we'd share them.

Lance got two colds over the last couple months and some weird swelling in his arm, hand and then leg which might sound like a bad thing but the good was that he got over one cold before he got the next one and getting over them on his own is great!! The swelling wasn't a blood clot so that was a praise! He was so excited to be able to go home to Minnesota for the first time in three years!!! He has been getting out more now which is so nice, but sometimes a little scary with his immune system. And now the big news.......Lance started trying to work 5 day a week after the first of the year!!! It has been over a year and this is huge step forward for him! He is tired but so happy to be able to do this. His work has been awesome we are so thankful..... can't express that enough!!

He has also had a little set back.... He had to go back on steroids again for GVH that started to hit his joints and tendons. After two ultra sounds looking for blood clots and not much sleep from pain, I think he was relieved to know what the problem is and ready to feel better. Praying he can get off soon but it was needed for now as they didn't want any permanent damage. Although steroids lower his immune system even more so we pray he will not have to be on them long.....BUT...they do give him more energy!

I don't think even though the doctors tried to explain it to us that we comprehended what a long haul this would all be. But really God is so good because we realize now that sometimes you can only handle so much information at one time. Looking around at what is going on or what is ahead is not always a good thing.... I read the coolest devotional recently as God has been reminding me to keep my eyes, my focus on Him and not on the circumstances around me. It was so good for me to hear.... because as we have gone for many extra doctor appointments the last couple months and when I hear blood clot I tend to think the worse..... I needed to be reminded where to keep my focus...... Well, Here is part of it if you want to read it:

When Noah was commanded to build his strange-looking craft, he was instructed by God to make only one window in the entire ship. The window was to be in the roof (Genesis 6:16). There was just one way for Noah to look out of his craft, and that was up. The opening was actually a skylight toward heaven.

The secret.....is not to spend our time foolishly fretting about the storms which surround our ship, but, having taken note of those storms, to commit our ship to the great Captain of the seas. It is not the severity of the storm that is important, but the capability of the Captain.
---From: Early In The Morning --by Woodrow M. Kroll

I find that to just be the greatest thought! My God...."My Captain" is TOTALLY CAPABLE!! God is asking me...Where is your focus?.... Let it be on Him... Thanks for your continued prayers! ---- Penny

Good News!!

Today we got Lances Bone marrow biopsy results!! NO CANCER!! So excited!! And all the other results are in as well, Lance's blood and immune system is now 100% Nathans on every level!! On one of the blood tests they ran Lance scored a 88 and in a normal immune system it would be 700 to 1500, so his immune system is obviously still very low but compared to a zero last year it is growing! The anti-rejection pills he is on and the GVH lower his immune system so hopefully he can get off them and over the GVH and start getting better soon. But overall he is doing great!! It all just takes time. They sounded so happy when they called from Iowa City, it was great to hear good news!! We have said from the beginning that we are thankful that no matter what happens we know that we have a future and a hope with our God in heaven..... but hearing no cancer gives us hope for our time here together which we are thankful for each day!


Lance's sister Julie made him a scrap book recently (we think she made it at scrap book camp!) the whole book is such a great reminder of all God has brought us thru and in it she put one of our blog post written by Lance that we had not read in quite awhile. Here is part of the post for you all to read again.... it seems appropriate to post it again for Lance's One Year Transplant Birthday!! I cannot tell you how blessed we feel... how thankful we are.....It has been amazing watching God work..... Nothing!! absolutely nothing is impossible for God!

It's a Hat Trick
April 22, 2010

After no matches elsewhere the Hall boys shoot, they score! Can you believe Justin came back as a match today for me. The Drs. are all very happy we don't know what they will do now probably just more testing to see which is the the closest match. I must say when Nathan came back as a match I was thinking I wish another of the kids would match just so it would be more obvious Gods hand in all this to people who doubt. And then Cory matched. I thought to myself just think if all of them did. And they did, now after Justin match I am reminded of Gods word in Jeremiah 33:3 where he says: Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. I was given that verse years ago by my friend Louis Jensen when I was going through some things and it has always been a comfort to me but never more real than now when he abundantly answers our prayers and exceeds my expectations. I am so happy and humbled the way things are playing out, I told my Dr today that I'm thinking I will be healed, and there are much bigger things going on here than medicine........ ----Lance


That blog was written in April of 2010...... it was another 7 months before Doctors decided it was safe to go to transplant.... what a long road it has been since his diagnosis in July 2009. God has truly shown us great and mighty things!! We are so thankful to everyone for praying..... We truly know that God has used you all to literally pray us through..... The comfort we feel from knowing others are praying for us is amazing... Your love and support for our family is truly a testimony to the faithfulness of God and his people.... To God alone be the glory great things He hath done!

Happy 1st Transplant Birthday Lance!! And many more! ---Penny

Thanksgiving

Hello everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know we did! All of my brothers and their families came over and it really was a great day! It really felt like the first "normal" Thanksgiving in a long time. It was so nice to have the whole family over and best of all Dad wasn't in the hospital this year!!! We've been thinking a lot lately about where we were at this time last year. Dad was in the middle of having his chemo treatments and then just a few days later he had his transplant. Wow can you believe on the 30th of this month he will be one year out from his transplant!! Where did this year go?? It seems so crazy that its been a year already since we all sat in Dad's hospital room watching Nathan's cells go into Dad and praying that the transplant would take. Things can change so much in a year! And as I sat watching the whole family here the other night just sitting around eating, laughing, talking, and playing games together I realized just how much we have to be thankful for this year. Just for starters Dad is still here!!!!! Around this time last year we really didn't know where we would be at this point. We didn't know whether the transplant would work or not and we didn't know whether or not we would all be able to be together this Thanksgiving. God has been so good to us! And even though we are not out of the woods yet we are just so thankful for all that God has done for us!

In church this morning they were talking about being thankful in all our circumstances and I know for myself this is something that I am constantly working on. Thank goodness that we have a patient God! One of those circumstances that we would like to ask for prayer for though is that Dad came down with a cold on Thursday. It has continued to get a little worse each day and last night he started running a fever. We called down to I.C. this morning and they sent us to the emergency room so dad could get some chest X-Rays. Thankfully the chest X-Rays came back clear but they did find out that Dad has a sinus infection. They put him on some antibiotics, so hopefully that will help clear things up, but we would appreciate some prayer that the infection would go away quickly and that Dad would start feeling better soon. He feels pretty bad today and has spent the day in bed. His stomach has also been bothering him and we're hoping that this is just from the cold and not more GVH starting so we would appreciate some prayer for that also! Thank you so much for all your prayers! We'll write again soon! Elisabeth

Some results!

Just want to give an update on yesterdays appointment and thank you all for praying. It sure was a long day but it went well. Bone density test and lung test came out good. Lance would like to do better (SURPRISE) but the doctors were really happy with how well he did after all he has been through! All his blood counts looked pretty good, it does show that he has more GVH going on than last month which is why he hasn't felt to good but the good news is that it has not attacked any vital organs like the liver,kidneys or lungs. Lance was able to start getting his shots yesterday so that was a big step forward! Bone marrow test went about as well as a bone marrow can go as far as the procedure (not fun)... sure wish he didn't have to get those.....those results will not be in for a week or so. I know we might have mentioned this before but there is an interesting detail with the GVH and they reminded us of it yesterday, that GVH is where the new donor cells attack Lance's body as they realize it is not their body and want out! BUT in Lance's type of Leukemia they also realize that the cancer is not right and attack that so having a little GVH can actually be a good thing for a little while as long as it doesn't get out of control. So with as much GVH as he has had lately we are hopeful the bone marrow biopsy will come back with no cancer! They also decided to try and take him off his high blood preassure med so Lance is happy about that! They set up an appointment with an eye doctor to check the GVH in his eyes and also for any problems from all the meds. So overall it went well and now we wait for the rest of the test results. Waiting....Trusting and Thanking God ! ----Penny

Big Appointment!

We head to Iowa City tomorrow for Lance's BIG appointment. We would ask for prayer as it is a long day of testing. Lance is supposed to start getting his childhood immunizations tomorrow and get a flu vaccine. Besides the eye issues this month Lance just hasn't felt good (sore muscles, muscle spasms, tired, dry mouth.... just to name a few things he has had, he NEVER complains but we can tell he just doesn't feel good) Please pray that all the new cells will get along with Lance's body so there will be no more GVH issues!! There are so many side effects from all the meds that Lance has to be on until the GVH is no longer an issue. Don't know if all the problems this month are from the GVH or the side effects from the meds or both. It is a big step for him to start on his shots so please pray that they don't have to be delayed and that all the test come back "NO CANCER" and "NO DAMAGE"!!! Just can't believe that this month is his One Year transplant birthday on the 30th! Thank you all for praying for us.... This last month as Lance hasn't felt to good.....God reminded me that our circumstances might change from day to day or even moment to moment.... BUT God doesn't change!! GOD IS FAITHFUL ALWAYS!!!!!! Praise and Thank God with us for His Faithfulness to us!! ---Penny

Quick Update on Dad

Hey everyone thought I would write a quick update on how Dad is doing. By Monday morning Dad's eyes were a little better but still pretty sore, so we decided to call I.C. The doctors seemed to think that since they had gotten a little better that we would just watch it for now and see what happens. They did give him some allergy medicine because they thought maybe he has some allergy's along with the GVH. It seemed to help a little bit but his eyes are still pretty sore. So we would appreciate some continued prayer that his eyes would continue to get better and that he won't have to go back on any steroids! Thanks again for all your prayers! Elisabeth

Oct. 30

Wow where do I begin! Its been awhile since we've posted and lots of stuff has been going on! Well I guess I'll start with the hockey game. A couple of weeks ago there was a game played by our Dubuque hockey team (the Fighting Saints) to benefit cancer and a jersey was donated in my Dad's name. We weren't sure if Dad would be able to go to the game because of the big crowd but he ended up being able to go and had a ton of fun. Nathan, Gavin, Helen, Mom, and I also went along it was a fun night for everyone! Dad was even able to catch up with a few of his old hockey buddies! I'll post of pic below of some of them with Dad! It was so nice to be able to get out and do something normal again and we were so thankful to get to go!

Lets see what’s next.....well we had some company yesterday! Ashley, Dillan, and Chayce came up for the day! Jamie, Cory, Hayden, and Camryn also came over in the morning to see everybody, and so Hayden could play with here cousin Dillan! They had so much fun playing together and decorating Halloween cookies! Its hard to believe how fast they are growing up! It was so cute to watch them run around together! I'll post a pic below of the two little partners in crime! :)

Dad went to the doctor again a little over a week ago and everything continues to be going pretty well. Next month will be a BIG appointment with another biopsy, lung, bone, and heart test, and he's also getting all his childhood vaccinations again! It will be a busy day for sure! One thing they were able to tell from all his blood test this time was that his GVH is flaring up again. Its funny how they can tell that even before he has symptoms but sure enough this week he has been having more GVH issues again. It has mainly hit his eyes this time which makes opening them uncomfortable and makes it hard for him to see. This problem started to get worse over the weekend so Mom is going to call the doctors in the morning to see if they can give him any other eye drops to help him. So we would appreciate some prayers that they can get this problem under control and that he won't have to go back on any steroids! Well I better get going! Thanks again for all your prayers! Elisabeth

The game!

Cousins :)

Lemonade Stand

Hello again! First off a quick update on dad. He is still doing great! He hasn't had to go back on any of the steroids and is sloooowwwwllllyyy starting to get some of his energy back...well that is the energy he had when he was on the steroids. He was really tired right after they took him off of them. Dad has even been able to go into work part-time again which is a huge blessing and he is really been enjoying being able to go in again! Other than that though things are pretty much the same at our house :)

In other news, last Friday Nicole and the kids had a lemonade stand to raise money for the America Cancer Society! The kids had so much fun and they even raised quite a bit of money! They invited their friends and neighbors to come over and their big slogan was "Kids Against Cancer"! I went over to help in the afternoon and it was so much fun to watch them! They did a great job! Anyways I thought I would post a picture below of them and their friends! Have a great night everybody! Elisabeth

Update on Dad and a little football stud :)

Hello again! Well its been a little while since we've posted and our favorite tv show (hawaii-five-O) starts in a few minutes but I thought I'd write a quick update! Dad has been off of the steriods for a little over a week now and seems to be doing pretty well! He still has to use his steriod creams and eye drops but so far thankfully, everything seems to be staying under control! This is such a answer to prayer! The last time he tried to go off of his steriods it definitely did not go this well! We are going back down to I.C. on Wednesday so we it will be interesting to hear what the doctors have to say...especially since cold and flu season is going to be starting up again soon.

Well its starting to feel like fall again, colder weather, shorter days, and lets not forget that football has started back up! :) We not only have the Vikings and Hawkeyes to watch this year though...we also have Gavin to watch! Yep, Gavin is old enough to play tackle football this year! Hard to believe how fast he is growing up! He plays for the patriots and so far this year they are 2-0! He is doing soooo good! Even scored a touchdown his firstgame! And not only is he a super football stud now but if you ask me he's also the cutest one on the team to! :D And if you don't believe me I'll post some pics of him below so you can see for yourself :) Have a good night everyone! Elisabeth

Ready for the kick off

Action Shot :)

Number 40 ready to go!

Maybe a little to clean!!

I've waited a couple extra days to be sure before posting an update.... but Lance has slept all night for three nights in a row now without us having to get up and put creams on for the itching AND his rash is definitely looking better!! Iowa City has told us that he can't go off his steroids completely if he still has any rash. Thursday the 8th is the day he is suppose to stop steroids completely so we are praying it will be all gone by then!! We have gone through lots of steroid cream, three bottles of aloe, a large box of baking soda and many many Vitamin E capsules (my newest idea several days ago was to cut them open and put the oil on Lances rash) ..... but we haven't had to up the oral steroids!!!! Thank you all for your prayers!

Well I'm telling you we have one clean garage!! Don't know how long that will last but it looks good today! Funny thing happened... Elisabeth and I were just finishing up out there and decided to scrub his work bench with Lysol... Well we scrubbed and scrubbed and were so proud of how clean we got it! We got off all these old stains...old paint, glue... all sorts of stuff that had been there forever, stuff from all Lance's projects... We brought Lance out to show him and he took one look at it and said it doesn't look like I've ever done anything.... He didn't look happy like we thought he would!! I guess when it comes to a man and his work bench sparkling clean is not a good thing! ---Penny

Painting

We made it through the weekend without Lance having to go up on steroids!! I would say the rash is pretty much the same.....but it hasn't got any worse. Lance spent most of the time this weekend lying on his stomach or side as the rash is the worse on his back and if it gets warm it flares up more. So between steroid cream, benydryl, sleeping pills, baking soda baths and aloe gel with Lidocaine he made it through the weekend! By last night he thought the itching is maybe a little better, comes and goes instead of constant so that is an improvement! Rashes are hard they can change so quickly and with GVH it can happen really quick. I know itching and rash might not seem like much after what all Lance has been through but with GVH it can turn serious so the doctors don't take any of it lightly. Thank you so much for your prayers

Elisabeth and I have been working in the garage..... Nothing we were just doing for fun.... it was a must! We ended up with mold growing on the foundation walls in the garage... we have a gopher (chipmunk thing!) that has tunneled toward the garage foundation... and with all the rain a few weeks ago and all the humidity.... well I guess that it was just the right conditions... Any way the last couple weeks Elisabeth and I have been cleaning out and throwing away moldy things, bleaching and power washing the walls and now painting with this water/mold blocking paint! The sad part is that working in the garage is like one of Lance's favorite things to do and he can't be in there...Doctors orders! Mold and dust spores are really dangerous for him! All these years we have Never had any mold issues.....well anyway we will get a clean garage out of it! NOTE!! Lance has always kept an organized garage (we tease him about all his lables!) but since Lance hasn't been able to work out there much in the last two years things pile up. So .... thought I'd post a couple pictures of my AWESOME worker! We both worked but Elisabeth did all the hard parts!! Like all those shelf on the one side of the garage can't be moved so she had to climb in and paint around all of them!! She never once complained! We would run in and put lotions on Lance.... and then paint.... that was our weekend! The bright side was it kept me too busy to bug Lance by looking at his rash every few minutes!! Elisabeth and I listened to the Christian Radio and were encouraged by all the messages and songs reminding us to Praise and Trust God!! It is so hard for Lance not to be able to help.... but that time is getting closer.... look at all that God has brought him through... God is so Faithful.....Thanks again for all your prayers! ---Penny

P.S. I wrote the blog this morning but after Lance being up and more active today he's itching pretty good tonight and his rash has spread some.... please continue to pray that it heals with the topical stuff.... soon! Thanks!!

Update

Quick note on how Lance is doing.... he felt a little better this morning but starting itching more as the day went on. Talked to Iowa City and they said we can try some topical steroid cream to see if it will keep the rash under control if that doesn't work he will have to up the oral steroids again so please pray that the cream works. Nothing serious at this point but after months of trying to get off steroids Lance really doesn't want to have to up them again.... he is still on lots of meds. and they won't lower some of them until they can get him off the steroids successfully so that has been one of the goals for months now. Thank you for praying!

Cory had knee surgery on Thursday he had a torn Meniscus. On Saturday before his surgery he ran 10 miles out to our house and back he really likes to run and we are hoping he will heal well. They had to take out quite a bit more than anticipated but he should be okay ,he had the other knee done in high school and that healed nicely so praying this one will heal just as quickly. Thanks again for your prayers! --Penny