​EvanMarie had a good day yesterday and today. Thank God, she’s starting to feel more like herself again, playing games, joking, and being opinionated about everything, especially her parents’ recommendations. After some heavy negotiating (and a few bribes) yesterday, she finally brushed her teeth, which felt like a huge win. She’s also eating a little bit of yogurt and drinking water now.

If you were wondering, EvanMarie’s strong will is alive and well, y’all, and right now that old stubbornness of hers is working in her favor.

We also have some encouraging medical news. Her stem cells have officially engrafted, which means her bone marrow transplant is complete. Her ANC (the measure of her white blood cells) has now been above 1500 for two days in a row, a major milestone that shows her new immune system is beginning to do its work. This means we will be talking about discharge soon. 

These past three weeks have been incredibly difficult, and we want to take a moment to give big props to her incredible siblings: Madeline, Dominic, Sophia, Avila, Lucia, Quinn, Zelie, and Oliver.

Some kids spend their spring break at the beach or on a mission trip somewhere far away. Ours decided to mission right here at home, taking care of one another, especially their five-year-old brother, and keeping the household moving along while Cana and I spend long days and nights at the hospital.

Their selflessness, teamwork, and love for their little sister have made it possible for us to be here with EvanMarie, guiding her through this difficult stretch. We are incredibly proud of our children, and deeply grateful to God for them.

Our family is very tired, but full of hope. 

And we are so thankful for the prayers and support that continue to carry us along this long hard road.

​Praise God, EvanMarie is beginning to feel better as engraftment has started. After some very difficult days, it is a gift to see her talking, joking, and playing again. She still isn’t eating, but she is drinking water, which is an encouraging step forward.

We are closely watching her ANC, the measure of her white blood cell count. Today it is 1220, up from 310 yesterday and 110 the day before. Once it remains above 1500 for several days, the doctors will begin weaning her from IV medications and start watching how she does with eating and drinking. After that, we will begin talking about a possible discharge date.

After nearly three weeks on Floor 8, the days have blurred together. It has been exhausting and, at times, very hard to watch her suffer. But today we are simply grateful to see real progress.

Thank you for your continued prayers. God hears our cries.

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on how our EvanMarie is doing.

First, some very good news! Her fever finally broke. In fact, the first normal thermometer reading we saw in five days came just hours after we last asked you, our community, to pray for it. It truly felt miraculous. While it did spike briefly again later that night, it has not returned since, and she has now been fever free for more than 48 hours. Glory to God!

The CT scan that was originally expected was delayed by a day, but when it finally happened it brought reassuring news. There is no sign of infection. Instead, it confirmed what the doctors suspected, severe inflammation that, while intense, is still within the range of what is expected after the very high doses of chemotherapy she received to destroy her bone marrow before transplant.

Even knowing that, this stage has been incredibly hard.

EvanMarie continues to suffer from severe mucositis, which is affecting her entire digestive tract, from her mouth and throat all the way through her intestines. When she is resting, she gets enough relief to sleep, but when she is awake the pain can be excruciating. She doesn’t talk much right now, and she isn’t eating or drinking because it hurts too much. Instead she communicates mostly by pointing or small shakes of her head, and she receives her nutrition through IV.

I have been staying very close to her side. Right now, her mama is her greatest comfort, and it feels almost impossible to leave her when she is hurting like this. I miss my husband and our other children terribly. Ennie comes as often as he can, and our big kids are being so brave. But for now my place is here with her.

Even in the midst of all this suffering, though, EvanMarie is still EvanMarie. Her courage, her quiet sense of humor, and her deep love for her family continue to shine through in small moments that feel like little lights in a very dark place.

Right now we are waiting for engraftment, the moment when the bone marrow stem cells that were returned to her body more than a week ago begin to take root and start doing their work. Once that happens, the doctors tell us her body should begin to recover quickly and the healing process will really begin.

So this is where we are asking you to please keep praying.

Pray that engraftment begins IMMEDIATELY.
Please pray that her pain is eased and that her healing comes quickly.

We know that in God’s economy no suffering is wasted, but as her parents we are also begging Him , very simply and very honestly, to ease our daughter’s suffering and bring relief to her little body as quickly as possible.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our girl and for us. 

​I know many of you have been praying and want to know how EvanMarie is doing. It’s taken us a little while to post an update because this past week has been incredibly difficult for EvanMarie. It’s like that emotional roller coaster we were on, with some good days and some bad days, broke down and is now stuck… at the top of the loop, and there we are just hanging upside down waiting for the horrible ride to end. This stage of bone marrow transplant has been by far the hardest for her physically and really makes the previous cycles of chemotherapy look like child’s play. The very high doses of chemo leading into transplant have caused intense side effects: mucositis, diarrhea, exhaustion, constant nausea, and a great deal of pain. It has been absolutely heartbreaking to watch our brave girl endure so much.

On top of that, she is now on day five of a persistent fever that only comes down with medication. The encouraging news is that all bacterial and viral blood panels have been negative so far, which means there is no obvious infection in her bloodstream. In just a few minutes she will undergo a CT scan so the team can rule out any hidden source of infection. The most likely explanation right now is that EvanMarie’s body, from her skin to her internal soft tissues, is reacting strongly to the drugs, creating widespread inflammation that is causing the fever.

Even in the midst of this, she continues to fight like a champion. Cana has been by her side constantly, serving as her human “security blanket,” offering every bit of comfort possible while helping her stay calm and hopeful. The doctors continue to reassure us that this stage will pass and that we will certainly see the bright light return to our little girl’s eyes.

Through it all, one thing we know for certain: God is near to us. He is present here in this hospital room. And we are not without hope.

Right now we ask our community to pray fervently, that the fever would break, that the inflammation would calm, and that EvanMarie’s body would begin to heal and recover from this intense treatment.

Please continue to pray with us, friends. We will update you again soon.

Today is transplant day!

We are filled with gratitude and quiet awe. EvanMarie has bravely endured the heaviest round of chemotherapy yet. The past six days have been very, very trying, long hours, tough side effects, moments that stretched our family to its limit. But by the grace of God and some amazing nurses, she made it through. Thank God we are done with that portion.

Now comes the next step: her own preserved stem cells will be infused back into her body. It is a remarkable gift of modern medicine that we do not take for granted. We thank God for the doctors, the science, and the wisdom that makes this all possible.

For now, the poor girl is confined to her hospital room to protect her from infection as her immune system rebuilds. It will be a slow and careful recovery that could take up to 3 more weeks. 

Please continue to pray, for protection, for strength, and of course for complete healing. But today, more than anything, thank God with us. She has made it this far! The treatment is working. And hope is still very much alive.

Glory to God in all things.

​Friends, 
We are entering what is likely the most intense phase of EvanMarie’s treatment: an Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant.

In the coming days, she will receive six consecutive days of high-dose chemotherapy, followed by a day of rest, and then the return of her own preserved stem cells to her body, cells that were collected last fall in preparation for this moment. After that comes recovery, which can take three to four weeks. EvanMarie will be inpatient at TCH for approximately a month. She will then have three weeks at home, and then go back in and do it all again. And that takes us to about May. 

It is daunting. But it is what we and our doctors have concluded is her best shot at complete healing. We walk into it with eyes wide open and hearts surrendered. We trust. 

And thank God for Texas Children’s Hospital. We feel profoundly cared for there, not just medically, but personally. EvanMarie is known and loved by the nurses and doctors, and that gives us deep peace as we step into something this serious.

And we need you, our community, perhaps more than ever.

We are asking you to consider making a holy hour this week for EvanMarie, specifically praying for her peace, protection, endurance, and complete healing. And as always, we entrust her in a special way to the intercession of Blessed Stanley Rother and the Holy Family.

Jesus, we trust in You.
Jesus, we surrender.

In addition to your prayers, we humbly ask for some practical support. While we are spending extended time at the hospital, meals are a tremendous gift to our family and to EvanMarie’s siblings, who are walking this road so bravely alongside her.

And because joy still matters, if you’d like to show EvanMarie your support, we are asking you paint your nails pink (the more sparkle the better). Men, toenails absolutely count! She loves pink, and she loves you, and photos of your smiles and nails will remind her that she is surrounded even when she is stuck in her hospital room.

We are grateful beyond words for this community. Your prayers are not abstract to us. They are tangible. We feel them. They steady us everyday.

This is a serious battle we are facing. But we know we are not alone. 

Glory to God in all things.

After a whole week at home surrounded by her family and friends and her favorite things, our precious EvanMarie returned to the hospital today for more disease assessment. This time, she underwent another bone marrow biopsy.

She was so very brave today. She handled the procedure beautifully, and we felt the covering of your prayers over her and us the entire time. Even in the hardest moments, there was a steady peace that can only be described as grace. She is now back snug in her bed at home and happy. She should only be sore for a few days. 

If you remember, last time this test was performed, small amounts of cancer were found in her bone marrow. Today we pray boldly that the chemotherapy she has already endured has cleared it completely. We now wait with hope for the results, trusting that God has been at work in ways seen and unseen.

On February 19, EvanMarie will be admitted for approximately one month to begin an autologous stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant (BMT). The stem cells collected from her last fall will be returned to her after extremely high doses of chemotherapy, given with the hope of eliminating any remaining cancer cells and resetting her immune system. And she will undergo this intense process TWICE.

It is a lot to take in for us. And yet, we remain steady and hopeful. 

If you are still reading please pray with us.

Pray for her comfort through the next few days. Pray for courage and protection as we approach transplant. Pray that every remaining cancer cell would be eradicated. Pray for peace to guard our hearts.

We are beginning the Surrender Novena again tonight and warmly invite you to join us. “Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything.”

Thank you, from the depths of our hearts, for walking with us this far and for holding us in prayer. We believe in grace. We believe in miracles. We know God hears our prayers.

​Dear friends, we wanted to share the results of EvanMarie’s MIBG scan honestly and from the heart. Her Curie score came back as a 1. Medically, this is an expected result and is not bad news. And yet, after months of better-than-expected and even extraordinary progress, this news landed with a quiet thud.

It caught us off guard because it feels, once again, like a diagnosis, a reminder that our dear daughter still has cancer, a nasty and aggressive form of childhood cancer. We always knew this would be a long and difficult fight, but this result brings that truth back into sharp focus. We are just not finished yet. 

And so, dear friends, we keep going.

We continue to fight.
We continue to hope.
We continue to storm heaven for EvanMarie’s complete healing.

Today, we once again surrender our daughter into God’s eternal and good plan, trusting that He is still at work, even when the news is harder to hold than expected. Thank you for standing with us, praying with us, and believing in miracles with us as we press on together.

​If you’ve been wondering how EvanMarie has been doing, we apologize for the radio silence. This has been the slowest and hardest recovery from chemotherapy so far. It’s been a long stretch that tested everyone in our family, especially EvanMarie. But today we finally have some good news: she’s feeling better, and she hasn’t experienced the extreme nausea in over 24 hours. Thank God. That feels like a real turning point. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your ongoing prayers.

Now we turn toward the next step in her disease assessment. Today, EvanMarie will undergo another MIBG scan. You may remember this is the scan from October 16th, when her Curie score came back as a 2 (!) when we were bracing ourselves for something closer to a 22. This time, we are praying boldly and with hope for a score of 0, meaning no active cancer in her body. Regardless of the outcome, we surrender fully to God’s will. 

Please pray especially for her comfort. She will need to undergo anesthesia, and the recovery from that is often difficult for her. Pray for peace, gentle rest, and for God’s continued healing hand to be clearly at work. We expect miracles. 

As always, thank you for staying with us. We cherish your presence. Blessed Stanley, pray for us!

​After about 36 hours back at home, we had to return to the Emergency Room at Texas Children’s Hospital. It was so good to be home, but truthfully, EvanMarie never really felt well enough to enjoy her normal comforts or routine. As hard as it is, this turn is not unexpected. The powerful medications she’s receiving in chemotherapy are making it difficult for her to keep food and fluids down. Apparently this is not uncommon right on the heals of surgery. Our primary team is now recommending IV fluids and anti-nausea medication to help her body through these side effects. So, here we are. 

Today, we are asking for urgent prayers, that the side effects would soften, that her little body would find relief, and that she would be wrapped in comfort and peace. As always, we place our hope in the healing power of Jesus, trusting that He is near and attentive to every need.

Thank you for lifting our sweet girl up today. Your prayers mean everything to us. And say a prayer for her mama and daddy and siblings too while you are at it. This is a beautiful and horrific battle we are engaged in, one that we are fighting together. God’s grace sustains us. 

Blessed Stanley, our brother, pray for us. 
AMDG